Town Meeting, November 12, 2019

The town has published neither minutes nor an agenda for this meeting. The recording is the only record, and what follows is a guide to it.

budgetcapitalcontracts and unionsdebtfacilitiesgrantslegalpersonnelplanning and zoningpublic commenttown departmentstown meetingtransferswarrant articlewater sewer

Present: the moderator (chair); Mr. Alonso (member (Select Board chair)); Mr. Jeffries (member (Select Board)); Miss Adams (member (Select Board)); Mr. McQuaid (member (Select Board)); Mrs. Luck (member (Select Board)); Mr. Paseos (member (Finance Committee)); Mr. Henshaw (member (Finance Committee)); Mrs. Walton (member (Finance Committee)); Miss Lemieux (town manager); Mr. Costa (town attorney); Mr. Burney (Planning Board / land use presenter); Mr. Kibby (presenter, open space committee chair); Joan Peas (sewer commission chair); Scott Chase (chair of the Personnel Committee). Names are the caption model’s hearing and may be wrong.

Votes

1. ▶ 7:49Article 1: transfer funds among lines to reduce the FY2020 budgetpassed unanimously
2. ▶ 8:10Article 2: raise and appropriate to the special-purpose Stabilization Fundpassed unanimously
3. ▶ 9:58Article 3: transfer from sewer reserve capacity stabilization and reduce sewer anticipated receiptspassed unanimously
4. ▶ 10:39Article 4: transfer from sewer enterprise retained earnings to sewer reserve capacity stabilizationpassed unanimously
5. ▶ 10:59Article 5: pass over (police contract placeholder)passed, close enough to unanimous, over two-thirds
6. ▶ 57:03Move the question on article 6passed
7. ▶ 57:24Article 6: acquire Saliba property for conservation and recreation, authorize fundspassed, judged unanimous and clearly two-thirds
8. ▶ 1:00:09Article 7: accept 842 Chase Road rear by gift for conservationpassed unanimously
9. ▶ 1:57:56Article 8 amendment (Luck, extended to lot two): limit sewer extension to house lot areafailed
10. ▶ 2:03:16Article 8: add 189 Cross Road to sewer service area, as originally writtenpassed
11. ▶ 2:11:00Article 9 amendment: Council on Aging director grade 11 to 14passed
12. ▶ 2:11:21Article 9 amendment: lifeguard grade 3 to 4passed
13. ▶ 2:11:41Article 9: amend salary administration plan, as amendedpassed
14. ▶ 2:13:07Article 10: move annual town meeting warrant closing from 42nd to 47th daypassed
15. ▶ 2:14:53Article 11 scrivener's amendment by Mr. Burneypassed
16. ▶ 2:54:51Article 11 amendment: fill threshold from 500 to 1,000 cubic yardspassed
17. ▶ 2:55:13Article 11 amendment: delete the 18-inch fill depth sentencepassed
18. ▶ 2:55:34Article 11 amendment: add driveways to the exemptionpassed
19. ▶ 2:55:55Article 11 amendment: exemption wording, fill under 1,000 cubic yardspassed
20. ▶ 2:56:38Article 11: replace earth removal bylaw, as amendedfailed
21. ▶ 3:12:43Article 12: accept Butterfly Lane as a public waypassed
22. ▶ 3:41:00Move the question on article 13passed
23. ▶ 3:41:42Article 13: non-binding support for demolishing the old primary schoolpassed by voice (the ayes had it)
24. ▶ 3:43:31Article 14: home rule petition for additional off-premises liquor license (Lanny's)passed
25. ▶ 3:44:13Article 15: home rule petition for an additional off-premises liquor licensepassed

Transfers

The money

1. ▶ 8:10Special-purpose stabilization fund deposit

   Article 2 raised and appropriated money to the special-purpose stabilization fund, needing two-thirds.

   as heard:eighty eight thousand two hundred twenty two dollars

2. ▶ 12:22Police contract cost of living and first-year funding

   The town manager said the annual meeting appropriation already covers the first year, so no appropriation was needed. The contract terms include annual raises and an education incentive increase.

   as heard:two and a half percent Colatwo percentthirty three hundred dollars

3. ▶ 18:44Saliba property acquisition authorization

   Article 6 authorized borrowing up to a ceiling, with state grants offsetting most of it. The negotiated price was below assessed and appraised values, so the net town cost would be small.

   as heard:seven hundred eighty-two thousand dollars$500,000$400,000$100,000seven hundred and seventy-five thousand dollarsone point one one million dollarstwo hundred and eighty-two thousand dollarssixty thousand dollars per yearnine hundred ninety six thousand nine hundred dollars

4. ▶ 54:37Current tax revenue from Saliba parcels

   The town accountant gave the annual taxes paid by each of the two portions.

   as heard:$9,000

5. ▶ 43:53Debt service for land bond

   The town manager said the bond payments would be built into the maturing debt and interest line, within policy limits and without an override.

   as heard:60,000

6. ▶ 59:49Back taxes on 842 Chase Road

   The owner would pay the outstanding taxes before the gift is made.

   as heard:$7,000

7. ▶ 1:06:38Tight tank pumping cost for Millette property

   The applicant said pumping the tank is frequent and costly, and a septic alternative would be very expensive.

   as heard:$800a hundred thousand dollars

8. ▶ 2:04:03Salary administration plan grade changes

   The article added positions and changed grades; no dollar figures were given. A resident asked for the cost.

9. ▶ 2:59:10Butterfly Lane road maintenance

   The town would take over maintenance; cleaning the separators was estimated at an annual cost and the residents' tax total was cited.

   as heard:six hundred and fifty dollars a yearsixty-eight thousand dollars

10. ▶ 3:17:56Old primary school repair estimates

    The consultant assessment listed immediate repairs, upkeep and ADA costs; annual operating cost is small.

    as heard:seven hundred and eighteen thousandseven hundred and seventy five thousandseventy three thousandtwelve hundred dollars

11. ▶ 3:28:58Old primary school demolition cost

    The presenter cited a 2015 demolition estimate escalated to 2019, with hazardous waste removal included.

    as heard:two hundred and twenty one thousand four hundred dollarstwo hundred and fifty sixninety thousand dollars

12. ▶ 2:33:59Earth removal permit fee

    The Planning Board member said the fee would likely be near the special permit fee and set by the board.

    as heard:two or three hundred dollars

Settled without a vote

• ▶ 14:31The Select Board (by roll call) and the Finance Committee agreed to pass over article 5 because no appropriation was needed for the first year of the police contract.
• ▶ 3:20:18The meeting took a non-binding sense-of-the-meeting vote on demolition of the old primary school, with an accompanying ranked-choice survey.
• ▶ 2:50:52The moderator held a non-binding straw vote on article 11 before taking up the amendments.

Documents and exhibits

State law asks minutes to list the documents and exhibits used at a meeting (M.G.L. c.30A §22(a)). Names from the recording are the caption model’s hearing; the two sides are matched by name, by script, so a document named two different ways can be missed. A place to look, not a finding.

Public comment

1. ▶ 39:20Abutter to the Saliba property supports article 6 with reservations about long-term upkeep and runoff — Jeremy Medora, as heard, resident
2. ▶ 43:53Where bond payments would come from over five years — Ed Littlejohn, as heard, resident
3. ▶ 44:56Neighbors worried about privacy and foot traffic on stagecoach road — Dan and Michelle Matthew, as heard, resident
4. ▶ 51:41What recreation and ATV use means on the Saliba land — Carol Hatch, as heard, resident
5. ▶ 54:57What happens to the land if the town does not buy — Jim Todd, as heard, resident
6. ▶ 1:10:26Sewer extension: whether to serve only the home, not the whole parcel — Paula Bertram, as heard, resident
7. ▶ 1:11:56Sewer service area was an engineer's mistake; supports the Millettes — Jack Rod Quinn, as heard, resident
8. ▶ 1:22:44Moved amendment limiting sewer extension to lot three; warned about growth — Carl Luck, as heard, resident, sewer commission member
9. ▶ 1:32:34Opposed the amendment, favored sewer extension — Mike Clark, as heard, resident
10. ▶ 1:42:46Opposed the amendment, said land should be treated alike — Dave Rogers, as heard, resident
11. ▶ 2:16:15Proposed earth removal bylaw amendments for driveways and fill quantity — Dave Mackay, as heard, resident
12. ▶ 2:36:03Opposed article 11 as vague and a threat to property rights — Darrell plant, as heard, resident
13. ▶ 3:01:16Opposed accepting Butterfly Lane over maintenance costs — Dave Rogers, as heard, resident
14. ▶ 3:20:41Architectural preservation district vice chair moved to pass over article 13 — Jim Levesque, as heard, vice chair, architectural preservation district commission
15. ▶ 3:36:49Suggested converting decommissioned buildings to elderly housing using seed grants — Paul white, as heard, resident

Where the time went

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

• planning and zoning124 min · 55%
• capital70 min · 31%
• water sewer69 min · 30%
• policy45 min · 20%
• grants41 min · 18%
• debt41 min · 18%
• facilities29 min · 13%
• roads and dpw16 min · 7%
• contracts and unions14 min · 6%
• personnel8 min · 4%

The whole meeting, in order

1. ▶ 0:09Opening, ground rules and surveysinformational · 6:11 long
2. ▶ 6:20Articles 1-4: budget transfers, stabilization and sewer transfersvoted · 4:39 long · transfers, budget, water sewer
3. ▶ 10:59Article 5: police contract passed overvoted to pass over · 5:38 long · contracts and unions, public safety
4. ▶ 16:37Article 6: Saliba land acquisition for conservation and recreationvoted · 41:07 long · capital, grants, debt
5. ▶ 57:44Article 7: gift of Chase Road parcelvoted · 2:25 long · town departments
6. ▶ 1:00:09Article 8: sewer service area extension at 189 Cross Roadamendment failed, article passed · 1:03:54 long · water sewer, planning and zoning
7. ▶ 2:04:03Article 9: salary administration plan amendmentsvoted as amended · 8:02 long · personnel, contracts and unions
8. ▶ 2:12:05Article 10: warrant closing datevoted · 1:23 long · town meeting, policy
9. ▶ 2:13:28Article 11: earth removal and fill bylawdefeated · 43:31 long · planning and zoning, policy
10. ▶ 2:56:59Article 12: accept Butterfly Lanevoted · 16:26 long · roads and dpw, planning and zoning
11. ▶ 3:13:25Article 13: non-binding vote on demolishing the old primary schoolvoted · 28:41 long · facilities, capital
12. ▶ 3:42:06Articles 14-15: liquor license home rule petitionsvoted · 3:54 long · legal, economic development

What the captions could not carry

• Exact vote counts were not given for voice votes.
• Article 3: the Select Board's recommendation was garbled.
• Article 11: the Planning Board's recommendation was not given.
• Article 14 and 15 recommendations were partly garbled.
• Article 12: the Select Board roll call words were partly garbled.

Reports this meeting suggests

Our reading of the discussion: questions where numbers were in play and a page laying them out would have helped. Every meeting’s suggestions are merged into one register.

• ▶ 3:17:56Old primary school demolitionWhat would it cost to repair, demolish or reuse the old primary school at 30 School Street?
• ▶ 33:44Saliba land purchase costWhat is the net cost to the town of buying the Saliba land after state grants, and how will the bond be paid?
• ▶ 1:11:09Sewer service area expansionHow do sewer service area extensions affect development and who pays for them?
• ▶ 2:06:33Salary Administration PlanWhat do the new positions and grade changes cost in dollars?already answered: thread:sap-rewrite

Written 2026-11-04 by scripts/write_recording_minutes.py (sonnet) from sources/data/youtube-transcripts/town-meeting/2019-11-12-qocEWxrTeug.json — 4,911 caption segments, sha256 b81fccd2e884…. All recorded meetings.