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Home My Public Portal About20190305 - Select Board - Meeting Minutes TOWN OF HOPKINTON Board of Selectmen Meeting Minutes – March 5, 2019 Town Hall, 18 Main Street, Hopkinton MA 6:30 PM Board of Selectmen Members Present: Claire Wright, Chair, Brendan Tedstone, Vice Chair, John Coutinho, Irfan Nasrullah Board of Selectmen Members Absent: Brian Herr Officials Present: Town Manager Norman Khumalo, Director of Land Use and Town Operations Elaine Lazarus CALL TO ORDER: Ms. Wright called the public meeting to order at 6:30 PM in Room 215/216 of the Town Hall with the Pledge of Allegiance. PUBLIC FORUM: There were no public comments. HOPKINTON 101 EVENT: Heather Backman, Library Director, and Jessi McCarthy, Public Library, announced the second annual Hopkinton 101 event on March 30 at the Library, and encouraged the participation of town boards and organizations. DEPUTY POLICE CHIEF CEREMONY: Police Chief Edward Lee recommended the promotion of Lt. Joseph Bennett to Deputy Police Chief, and outlined his contributions and service to the community since 1993. Lt. Bennett thanked his colleagues and family for their support and stated he looks forward to new challenges and opportunities. Board members thanked him for his service to the Town. MOVED by Mr. Coutinho and SECONDED by Mr. Tedstone to promote Lt. Joseph Bennett to Deputy Police Chief, effective March 5, 2019. Vote to Approve: Yes-4, No-0. CONSENT AGENDA: MOVED by Mr. Coutinho and SECONDED by Mr. Nasrullah to approve the following Consent Agenda items: 1) approval of the Minutes of the 2/26/2019 Board of Selectmen meeting; and 2) approve a Parade Permit for Max Performance Triathlon Events on 5/11/2019 and 9/8/2019. Vote to Approve: Yes-4, No-0. The Board reviewed a Parade Permit application for the Jimmy Fund Walk on 9/22/2019. Ron Foisy, representative, stated that the route will be patrolled after the event to remove any litter. MOVED by Mr. Coutinho and SECONDED by Mr. Nasrullah to approve the Parade Permit for the Jimmy Fund Walk on 9/22/2019. Vote to Approve: Yes-4, No-0. SISTER CITY PROPOSAL, CITY OF LIMASSOL, CYPRUS: 1 Tim Kilduff, 26.2 Foundation, described the history of marathon-related activity in Hopkinton. He noted that Hopkinton has a sister city relationship with Marathon, Greece, and the city of Limassol, Cyprus, has a connection to the life of Stylianos Kyriakides. He noted that the Mayor of Limassol is interested in the sister city relationship, given the Town’s marathon history. Mr. Kilduff stated that he will be traveling to Limassol in March, and would like a letter of introduction and interest from the Board to bring with him. The Board thanked Mr. Kilduff for his efforts and his passion for marathoning. MOVED by Mr. Coutinho and SECONDED by Mr. Tedstone to send a letter from the Chair of the Board of Selectmen to the Mayor of Limassol, Cyprus, to initiate discussions regarding the creation of a sister-city relationship between the Town of Hopkinton and the City of Limassol. Vote to Approve: Yes-4, No-0. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: Senate President Karen Spilka and Representative Carolyn Dykema joined the Board. Sen. Spilka noted that state revenues in February were under benchmark, so they are being cautious because of that, with respect to the FY20 budget. She stated the state’s fiscal health remains strong, noting that costs associated with health insurance, English language learners, and special education are continuing issues for communities. She stated that her priorities include education, climate change, housing, health care, transportation infrastructure, and mental health care. Rep. Dykema noted that transportation is a focus of hers, including commuter rail reliability and frequency. She noted that her office shepherded the Town’s senior property tax exemption special legislation through the process, and it was signed by the Governor in 2018. She noted that her areas of focus include veterans services and funding for the needs of veterans. She stated that issues relating to the natural gas infrastructure are also a focus, and she recently filed legislation to provide for more inspectors. Ms. Wright thanked Sen. Spilka and Rep. Dykema for their assistance in working with Eversource on the gas gate proposal, and asked for continued assistance in dealing with Eversource so that they will be more responsive. Mr. Tedstone noted that health care and health care costs are issues he is concerned about. PUBLIC HEARING - AMENDED LICENSE FOR UNDERGROUND PROPANE STORAGE - FAITH COMMUNITY CHURCH, 146 EAST MAIN STREET: MOVED by Mr. Coutinho and SECONDED by Mr. Tedstone to open the public hearing and continue it to the conclusion of the Legislative Update. Vote to Approve: Yes-4, No-0. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE, CONTINUED: Mr. Coutinho cited concerns with Eversource and the carte blanche it receives from the Dept. of Public Utilities when the Town pushes back. He stated he wants to make sure that they adhere to modern standards. Mr. Nasrullah noted it might be more reassuring if Eversource had more community meetings and took comments from the public. Nancy Richards-Cavanaugh, Chair, School Committee, cited concerns with unfunded mandates and the ability for schools to deal with growth. She referred to Hopkinton’s school space needs, and referred to the Elmwood School SOI which has been submitted to the MSBA more than once 2 but has not been successful. Meenakshi Barath, School Committee member, raised concerns with respect to children with mental health needs. Jennifer Devlin, School Committee member, cited concerns with unfunded mandates, including special education. Mr. Khumalo thanked the Senator and Representative for the work of their teams, who are responsive and professional. He noted that the Town’s local aid has not increased despite the rapid growth, and asked if there will be FY20 local aid numbers soon. Sen. Spilka stated that the legislature will likely increase local aid if they can, but using the Governor’s proposal would be the conservative approach. PUBLIC HEARING - AMENDED LICENSE FOR UNDERGROUND LP-GAS (PROPANE) STORAGE - FAITH COMMUNITY CHURCH, 146 EAST MAIN STREET: Marjorie Sellman, Faith Community Church, described the need to bring paperwork up to date with respect to an additional tank added when an addition was built. In response to a question, Stephen Slaman, Fire Chief, stated that the propane company and the Fire Marshall monitor propane tanks. There were no public comments. MOVED by Mr. Coutinho and SECONDED by Mr. Tedstone to close the public hearing. Vote to Approve: Yes-4, No-0. MOVED by Mr. Coutinho and SECONDED by Mr. Tedstone to approve the license for the underground propane storage tanks at Faith Community Church, consisting of five 1,000 gallon tanks. Vote to Approve: Yes-4, No-0. PUBLIC HEARING - AMENDED LICENSE FOR UNDERGROUND LP-GAS (PROPANE) STORAGE - HOPKINTON COUNTRY CLUB, 204 SADDLE HILL ROAD: MOVED by Mr. Coutinho and SECONDED by Mr. Nasrullah to open the public hearing. Vote to Approve: Yes-4, No-0. A representative of the Hopkinton Country Club described the need to bring the paperwork up to date with respect to an additional tank for the cell tower on the property. Fire Chief Slaman stated he has no concerns with the application. There were no public comments. It was clarified that Mr. Tedstone, who is a member of the club, has no financial interest in the matter, and may vote on the application. MOVED by Mr. Coutinho and SECONDED by Mr. Nasrullah to close the public hearing. Vote to Approve: Yes-4, No-0. MOVED by Mr. Coutinho and SECONDED by Mr. Tedstone to approve the license for the underground propane storage tanks at the Hopkinton Country Club, consisting of three 1,000 gallon tanks at the clubhouse, one 1,000 gallon tank at the pool, and one 500 gallon tank at the cell tower. Vote to Approve: Yes-4, No-0. FY20 COMPREHENSIVE BUDGET AND CAPITAL BUDGET HEARING: Mr. Khumalo stated that on Jan. 28 he presented an $81.4M budget including additional spending to account for inflation, modest salary increases, and a small number of new initiatives. He noted that $1.9M was anticipated from state aid and receipts, leaving $4.4M to be raised from new property tax sources. He noted that since then, he has listened and subsequently recommended several reductions, including in employee health care costs and shifting 3 police cruisers from the operating budget to pay-as-you-go funding. He stated that today the Town received notice that its Keefe Tech bill will increase by $142,000 above the budget working estimate, due to increased enrollment by Hopkinton students. He noted that to compensate for this increase, he recommends reducing the OPEB contribution by $100,000 and reducing the 3 contribution to the stabilization fund by $42,000. He noted that with these revisions, the new increase need is $4M, which is $452,000 below the increase recommended in January. He noted that new growth would contribute an estimated $2M and the existing taxpayer base would fund $2M which would consist of $1.6M from the 2.5% proposition limit and $500,000 from a net of drawdowns of unused levy and the payoff of some excluded debt. He stated that the combined impact on the existing taxpayer from all of these changes is 2.92%. Ben Sweeney, Procurement and Grants Manager, reviewed the methodology for calculating tax impact, which is consistent with the method used last year and with Mass. Dept. of Revenue figures. He stated that different denominators were used over the years, and he has made adjustments for consistency. The Board discussed methodology, periodic property assessments, and how tax rates are affected. Mr. Tedstone suggested seeking creative ways to get the 2.92% to 2.5%. The Board discussed how free cash is generated from controlled spending during the fiscal year, and its importance to overall fiscal health. The Board discussed population growth and how it is affecting the needs expressed in budget requests. In response to concerns expressed relative to the increase in the value of real estate and associated tax bills, it was noted that the Town has no control over market forces and the real estate market. The Board expressed concerns with respect to the tax impact on seniors. MOVED by Mr. Tedstone to pass the budget on to the Appropriations Committee with the condition that tax impact not exceed 2.5% and there is no use of the excess levy. The Board discussed issues including funding of capital projects and using free cash to fund operating expenses. It was stated that the difference between 2.92 and 2.5% is about $287,000. The motion was not seconded. MOVED by Mr. Coutinho that the 2.92% increase be reduced down to 2.5% as much as possible. After discussion, the motion was amended as follows: To forward the FY20 Comprehensive Operating and Capital Budget dated 3/5/2019 to the Appropriations Committee with the caveat that the Town Manager will work with stakeholders to reach tax impact net of new growth of 2.5%. SECONDED by Mr. Nasrullah. Vote to Approve: Yes-3 (Wright, Coutinho, Nasrullah), No-1 (Tedstone). Mr. Tedstone suggested that there could be an underride this year. MOVED by Mr. Tedstone to authorize Town staff to prepare a report on an underride. Mr. Khumalo noted that staff could report at the next meeting. It was noted that an underride requires a ballot question and does not need to be an article on the annual town meeting warrant. SECONDED by Mr. Coutinho. Vote to Approve: Yes-4, No-0. 2019 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING: It was noted that the Board will review the draft ATM warrant at its next meeting. TOWN MANAGER REPORT: There was no Town Manager report. LIAISON REPORTS: Mr. Coutinho stated that the Chamber of Commerce would like to attend a Board of Selectmen meeting to introduce their new economic development committee. 4 FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: The following agenda items were suggested: Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Committee; budget process and general municipal finance. MOVED by Mr. Coutinho and SECONDED by Mr. Nasrullah to adjourn the meeting. Vote to Approve: Yes-4, No-0. Adjourned: 10:06 PM Approved: March 19, 2019 Documents used at the meeting: 1.Minutes of the 2/26/19 Board of Selectmen meeting 2.Application for Parade Permit, Jimmy Fund Walk on 9/22/19 and supporting documents 3.DMSE Sports, Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk, Parade Permit, Permitting Team Comments 4.Application for Parade Permit, Max Performance Triathlons, 5/11/19 and 9/8/19, and supporting documents 5.Max Performance Annual Triathlon Events, Parade Permit, Saturday, May 11, 2019 and Sunday, September 8, 2019, Permitting Team Comments 6.Application for License, Massachusetts General Law Chapter 148 § 13, 146 East Main Street, First Congregational Church of Hopkinton, dba Faith Community Church, and supporting documents 7.Faith Community Church, Application for Amended Underground Storage License, Permitting Team Comments 8.Application for License, Massachusetts General Law Chapter 148 § 13, 204 Saddle Hill Road, Saddle Hill Country Club Inc./Rebel Hill LLC, and supporting documents 9.Hopkinton Country Club, Application for Amended Underground Storage License, Permitting Team Comments 10.Untitled, undated list of 5 points reviewed by Norman Khumalo, relative to the FY20 comprehensive budget 11.Town of Hopkinton, Sources & Uses - General Fund Budget, dated March 5, 2019 5