Select Board, June 17, 2025

The town published minutes (text) and an agenda for this meeting. Those minutes are the record; what follows is a guide to the recording.

budgetcontracts and unionselectionsexecutive sessionfacilitiesfeesgrantshiringlegallibrarypersonnelplanning and zoningpolicypublic commentrecreationseniorsstate aidtax ratetown departmentswater sewer

Present: the chair (chair); Mr. Mloud (member); Miss Em / Emy (member); Amanda Moore (member); Glenn McLeod (member); Jen (town manager); Ezekiel Ayala (finance director); Richard McGrath (presenter (chairman, Historical Commission)); J. Anderson (presenter (Historical Commission member)). 1 of 9 matched to the board’s posted roster; the rest, in italics, are the caption model’s hearing and may be wrong.

Votes

1. ▶ 26:29Approve the town's participation in the Hometown Heroes Banner Program.passed unanimously
2. ▶ 1:05:54Appoint Mary Wilson to the Conservation Commission, term to expire June 30, 2028.passed unanimously
3. ▶ 1:08:44Appoint Andrea Bernap and Teddy Ducet to the Conservation Commission, terms to expire June 30, 2028.passed unanimously
4. ▶ 1:35:58Appoint Jane Rabbit and Susan O'Sullivan to the Council on Aging, terms to expire June 30, 2028.passed unanimously
5. ▶ 1:41:12Appoint Lou Franco and John (Jack) Rabbit to the Council on Aging, terms to expire June 30, 2028.passed unanimously
6. ▶ 1:44:39Appoint Brian Vienno to the Public Access Committee, term to expire June 30, 2028.passed unanimously
7. ▶ 2:09:01Authorize the chair to sign the license agreement for 21 Main Street on behalf of the select board.passed unanimously

And 2 procedural: accept a list of prior meeting minutes (january 2024 through may 2025) subject to submitted revisions. (▶ 2:20:36); enter executive session under mgl c.30 §21a(3) to discuss collective bargaining strategy (nepba local 353), not to reconvene in open session. (▶ 2:35:59).

Against the town’s minutes

The town published minutes (text) for this meeting; ours were compared item by item. 9 agree, 9 caption errors resolved by the official reading, 5 substantive differences. The town’s minutes are a full record.

1. differsVote to approve prior meeting minutes▶ 0:00

   recording —

   town’s minutes “Call for the vote: Chair Nuzzolo-aye, Vice-Chair Moore-aye, Clerk Emkey-aye, Member McLeod-abstain. The motion passed (3-0-1).”

   The official minutes record a 3-0-1 vote approving eleven sets of minutes with McLeod abstaining, and ours has no such vote; check the recording around the minutes item.

2. differsExecutive session roll call vote▶ 0:00

   recording —

   town’s minutes “Roll Call Vote: Member McLeod-aye; Vice-Chair Moore-Aye; Clerk Emkey-Aye; Chair Nuzzolo-aye. The motion passed unanimously (4-0-0).”

   The official minutes record a roll-call vote to enter executive session for Police union bargaining, and ours does not; it may have been treated as procedural, so check.

3. differs222 West Townsend Road follow-up▶ 2:04:15

   recording Town manager to notify the Parks Commission about the possible sale of 222 West Townsend Road (recreational land), which other boards had already been asked about.

   town’s minutes “She stated that the Town Counsel deemed the notice insufficient, so the owner will be resubmitting the notice in a couple of weeks.”

   Ours records an action to notify the Parks Commission; the official records the notice being resubmitted and the Planning Board and Open Space Committee expressing no interest, with no Parks Commission action. Check the recording around t=7455.

4. differsTax investigation report▶ 2:18:07

   recording Tax investigation report discussion held over again; assessor to present on directives and next steps at the July 1st meeting.

   town’s minutes “Chair Nuzzolo stated that he is waiting to receive the report.”

   The official has no assessor presentation. The only July 1 item in it is an ARPA review by the Finance Director, so check the recording for who presents on July 1.

5. differsMembers present▶ 0:00

   recording Mr. Mloud (member); Miss Em / Emy (member); Amanda Moore (member); Glenn (member); the chair (chair)

   town’s minutes “Members Present: Chair Caesar Nuzzolo, Vice-Chair Amanda Moore, Clerk Renee Emkey, and Member Glenn McLeod.”

   The official lists four members present, and ours lists five. 'Mr. Mloud' and 'Glenn' look like one person, Glenn McLeod, so check the roster. Miss Em is Emkey.

Compared 2026-10-06. Neither record is treated as the referee: a caption error is the same fact heard badly; a difference is for a person to check at the timestamp.

The money

1. ▶ 19:18Hometown Heroes Banner Program

   The historical commission proposed funding the first banners from its own budget, at no cost to the town.

   as heard:10

2. ▶ 20:43Hometown Heroes Banner startup orders

   The program requires an initial order to launch, which the historical commission will pay for.

   as heard:10

3. ▶ 1:03:52Conservation accessibility grant

   A conservation commissioner noted she wrote a grant, currently in progress, for planning accessible parking at conservation areas.

   as heard:$48,000

4. ▶ 1:47:07FY25 Q3 total revenue

   The finance director reported total revenue collected through the third quarter against the annual projection.

   as heard:39,160,00078%

5. ▶ 1:47:27Investment income

   Investment income was reported far above its estimate, attributed partly to market conditions and a new diversified investment policy.

   as heard:40,430,6440344 12%

6. ▶ 1:50:33State aid collected, Q3

   State aid categories, including Chapter 70 school aid, were reported at about three-quarters collected for the year.

   as heard:75.3%8 million74.8%75%

7. ▶ 1:51:36Local receipts, Q3

   Local receipts were reported above estimate overall, with school departmental revenue running well above its estimate.

   as heard:106.4%3.5 million197%84%97 1.5%190%50%92.5%

8. ▶ 1:55:25Total expenditures, Q3

   Total expenditures through the third quarter were reported as most of the annual budget, consistent with prior years.

   as heard:33 million70.6%

9. ▶ 1:56:52Elections budget line

   The elections line ran over this year because of a major election but was offset by a state reimbursement.

10. ▶ 2:01:06SAND for Seniors program

    The town manager said the program's grant funds ran out over the winter, halting sand deliveries; it will be re-promoted in the fall.

11. ▶ 2:07:3921 Main Street license agreement fee

    The town proposed a nominal license fee with the neighboring property owner to cover an existing ramp encroachment ahead of a possible easement article.

    as heard:$1

12. ▶ 2:22:40ARPA allocations readout

    The board asked for a future readout on ARPA fund status, expected at the next meeting.

13. ▶ 2:30:26Sewer billing and collections

    A resident asked whether delayed sewer bills, caused by a vendor software transition, have gone out and been collected; the town manager could not confirm collection status on the spot.

Settled without a vote

• ▶ 2:04:15Town manager to notify the Parks Commission about the possible sale of 222 West Townsend Road (recreational land), which other boards had already been asked about.
• ▶ 2:09:01FY26 select board/town manager goal setting deferred until the full board is present.
• ▶ 2:09:44Board to keep developing the sick leave bank policy language, including how an appeals process (possibly handled in executive session) would work, once union feedback is complete.
• ▶ 2:18:07Tax investigation report discussion held over again; assessor to present on directives and next steps at the July 1st meeting.
• ▶ 2:22:40Board to continue trying to schedule a site walk of 56 Carter Road.

Public comment

1. ▶ 2:48Thanked planning board for MBTA Communities Act info session (spoken by a board member, not public).
2. ▶ 3:38Objected to flying a pride/progressive flag alongside the American flag on town property, calling it divisive. — John Bowen Jr., as heard, resident, 62 Highland Street
3. ▶ 8:09Commented on the flag's history, then urged the board to appoint Jack Rabbit and Lou Franco to the Council on Aging for their work helping seniors. — on a lock (Lockwood), as heard, resident, 91 Main Street
4. ▶ 13:04Said the Master Plan Steering Committee's quorum requirement is too high to hold meetings and asked for a joint select board/planning board discussion. — Tony Skellenbr, as heard, resident, Five Valley Road; member, Master Plan Steering Committee
5. ▶ 16:55Responded to the earlier flag comments, saying the pride flag is a symbol of inclusion, not division. — Theodor Ducet (Teddy), as heard, resident, 318 Howard Street
6. ▶ 2:29:21Asked for an update on sewer billing, which had been delayed by a vendor software problem, and whether collections are current. — Dave Rogers, as heard, resident, 82 Highland Street (by phone)

Where the time went

Minutes of recording by subject, from the topic spans below. A topic with two subjects counts toward both.

• personnel78 min · 51%
• hiring78 min · 51%
• policy60 min · 39%
• seniors37 min · 24%
• tax rate22 min · 14%
• budget20 min · 13%
• public comment20 min · 13%
• town departments14 min · 9%
• state aid12 min · 8%
• contracts and unions12 min · 8%

The whole meeting, in order

1. ▶ 0:00Pledge of Allegiance, open meeting notice, announcementsinformational · 2:47 long
2. ▶ 2:48Board member comment on MBTA Communities Act information sessioninformational · 0:49 long · planning and zoning, policy
3. ▶ 3:38Public comment: objection to flying a pride/progressive flag on town propertyno resolution · 4:30 long · public comment, policy
4. ▶ 8:09Public comment: flag remarks and advocacy for Council on Aging candidatesno resolution · 4:55 long · public comment, seniors
5. ▶ 13:04Public comment: Master Plan Steering Committee quorum problemno resolution, referred informally to planning board discussion · 3:51 long · public comment, planning and zoning
6. ▶ 16:55Public comment: response defending the pride flagno resolution · 1:41 long · public comment, policy
7. ▶ 18:37Hometown Heroes Banner Program presentation and votevoted, passed unanimously · 7:55 long · facilities, budget
8. ▶ 26:33Conservation Commission interviews and appointmentsvoted, two appointed (Wilson; Bernap and Ducet) · 42:52 long · personnel, hiring, policy
9. ▶ 1:09:25Council on Aging interviews and appointmentsvoted, four appointed (Rabbit, O'Sullivan, Franco, J. Rabbit) · 32:09 long · seniors, personnel, hiring
10. ▶ 1:41:34Public Access Committee appointment (Brian Vienno)voted, appointed · 3:26 long · personnel, hiring
11. ▶ 1:45:40FY2025 Quarter 3 financial reportinformational, no vote · 12:23 long · budget, state aid, tax rate
12. ▶ 1:58:03Town manager report: MBTA process, roadwork, staffing, sand-for-seniors, vacanciesinformational · 6:12 long · town departments, planning and zoning, staffing
13. ▶ 2:05:41License agreement, 21 Main Street ramp encroachmentvoted, approved unanimously · 3:20 long · legal, facilities
14. ▶ 2:09:01Old business: FY26 goal setting, sick leave bank policy, tax investigation report, 56 Carter Road appraisaldeferred / discussed only · 9:47 long · contracts and unions, policy, tax rate
15. ▶ 2:18:48Approval of a backlog of prior meeting minutesvoted, passed with one abstention · 2:29 long
16. ▶ 2:21:17Warrants, action items, committee reports (Fincom, Agricultural Committee, Planning Board, Library Trustees)informational · 7:43 long · town departments, library, roads and dpw
17. ▶ 2:29:00Public comment: sewer billing delay and collectionsno resolution, manager to follow up · 5:15 long · public comment, water sewer, fees
18. ▶ 2:34:15Board comments, recognition of town manager, entry into executive sessionvoted to enter executive session · 2:05 long · executive session, contracts and unions

What the captions could not carry

• Peter Stella's lengthy testimony about wetland regulations is partly rambling and hard to follow in several stretches.
• Exact numeric vote counts were never given; only 'unanimously' or 'passes' was stated for each vote.
• Several speaker and member names are uncertain due to caption rendering: 'Skellenbr'/'Scholenrini', 'on a lock'/possibly 'Lockwood', 'Mloud'/possibly 'McCloud', 'Em'/'Emy'.
• The finance director's explanation of the ~197% school departmental revenue figure is garbled ('It's like a $11,000 item... So we got 22,000').
• Whether 'Glenn' cast a vote in the final executive-session roll call is not clear from the captions.
• Some Q3 financial figures run together and are ambiguous, e.g. 'total revenue collected was 39,160,000 78% of the total projected revenue'.

Written 2026-09-27 by scripts/write_recording_minutes.py (sonnet) from sources/data/youtube-transcripts/select-board/2025-06-17-K646g1jJwvM.json — 3,773 caption segments, sha256 21b6b501506f…. All recorded meetings.