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Home My Public Portal About07.12.23 FinCom PacketTown of Brewster Finance Committee 2198 Main St., Brewster, MA 02631 fincommeeting@brewster-ma.gov (508) 896-3701 MEETING AGENDA – Amended (07.11.23) Brewster Town Hall 2198 Main Street July 12, 2023 at 6:00 PM This meeting will be conducted in person at the time and location identified above. This means that at least a quorum of the members of the public body will attend the meeting in person and members of the public are welcome to attend in person as well. As a courtesy only, access to the meeting is also being provided via remote means in accordance with applicable law. Please note that while an option for remote attendance and/or participation is being provided as a courtesy to the public, the meeting/hearing will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast or affect remote attendance or participation, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda, which includes an applicant and its representatives, should make plans for in-person vs. virtual attendance accordingly. Members of the public who wish to access the meeting may do so in the following manner: Phone: Call (929) 436-2866 or (301) 715-8592. Webinar ID: 862 2956 9696 Passcode: 565167 To request to speak: Press *9 and wait to be recognized. Zoom Webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86229569696?pwd=MUhJNGpoU3VocTZ0cTU0VGpYcWdVQT09 Passcode: 565167 To request to speak: Tap Zoom “Raise Hand”, then wait to be recognized. When required by law or allowed by the Chair, persons wishing to provide public comment or otherwise participate in the meeting, may do so by accessing the meeting remotely, as noted above. Additionally, the meeting will be broadcast live, in real time, via Live broadcast (Brewster Government TV Channel 18), Livestream (livestream.brewster-ma.gov), or Video recording (tv.brewster-ma.gov). Finance Committee Harvey (Pete) Dahl Chair Frank Bridges Vice Chair William Meehan Clerk Andrew Evans William Henchy Alex Hopper Honey Pivirotto Robert Tobias Robert Young Town Manager Peter Lombardi Finance Director Mimi Bernardo 1.Call to Order 2.Declaration of a Quorum 3.Meeting Participation Statement 4.Recording Statement - As required by the Open Meeting Law, we are informing you that the Town will be video and audio taping as well as broadcasting this public meeting. In addition, if anyone else intends to either video or audio tape this meeting, they are required to inform the chair. 5.Public Announcements and Comment: Members of the public may address the Finance Committee on matters not on the meeting’s agenda for a maximum of 3-5 minutes at the Chair’s discretion. Under the Open Meeting Law, the Finance Committee is unable to reply but may add items presented to a future agenda. 6.Town Manager/Finance Director Report 7.Year-End Transfers – Fire Department 8.Re-organization of the Finance Committee 9.Update on Nauset High response to Select Board request to amend District Agreement 10.Update/Liaison Reports on Bay Parcel and Pond Parcel Planning Committee. 11.Select Board Strategic Plan 12.Liaison Reports and Assignments 13.Approval of Minutes 14.Request for agenda items for future meetings 15.Matters Not Reasonably Anticipated by the Chair 16.Next Finance Committee Meeting 17.Adjournment Date Posted:Date Revised:Received by Town Clerk: TOWN OF BREWSTER 2198 MAIN STREET BREWSTER, MA 02631 PHONE: (508) 896-3701 ExT 1147 FAx: (508) 896-8089 ACCOUNTANT@BRE WSTER-MA. GO V July 6, 2023 To: The Brewster Selectboard & the Brewster Finance Committee From: Mimi Bernardo, Finance Director RE: FY23 Year End Transfers per M.G.L. Chapter 44, Section 33B (b) OFFICE OF TOWN ACCOUNTANT Dear Brewster Selectboard & Brewster Finance Committee, I am writing to request authorization for transferring the following funds per MGL Ch44 s33B (b): TRANSFER TO: Fire Department Overtime $10,000 TRANSFER FROM: General Fund Health Insurance $10,000. Note: Amount transferred will be the actual deficit (not to exceed $10,000) when all FY23 expenses have been posted to the ledger; Final amounts will not be known until 7/15/23. The current available balance in the Health Insurance budget is $317,011.73. Thank you for your consideration. WWW.BREWSTER-MA.GOV FY23 Fire Department Budget to Actual Expenses as of 7/6/2023 Account Name Full Time Wages Overtime Wages Other Wages Outstanding Payroll Subtotal Wages Operating Expenses Outstanding Invoices Subtotal Expenses Grand Total Budget Expended Available Balance 1,902,053 (1,748,122) 153,931 424,700 (591,739) (167,039) 137,717 (85,380) 52,337 (45,614) (45,614) 2,464,470 659,350 659,350 (2,470,855) (657,717) (3,500) (6,385) 1,633 (3,500) (661,217) (1,867) $ 3,123,820 $ (3,132,071) $ (8,251) Brewster Fire Department 1671 Main Street Brewster, MA 02631 Phone 508-896-7018 Fax 508-896-4245 TO: Finance Committee FROM: Fire Chief Moran CC: Town Manager Peter Lombardi Finance Director Mimi Bernardo Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Varley DATE: 7/6/23 RE: Budget Transfer The fire department is requesting a transfer of funds to cover an unanticipated budget deficit of approximately $8,200.00 within our Fiscal Year 23 budget. Reasons for this request include. • Overtime: Increased overtime expenses directly linked to maintaining five person minimum staffing levels required to cover multiple vacant positions and member injuries. • Utilities: Increased utility costs. • Station R&M Building: Unanticipated HVAC repairs. • PPE: Purchase of safety gear for new hires including contractually obligated personal protective equipment (PPE), severe weather gear, and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) masks. (Approximately $6,500 ea.) • Medical Expense: Medical exams, background checks, specialist doctor costs for firefighter candidates and new hires. (Approximately $11,000.00) • Contracted Services: Increased costs related to record management system, fire and EMS reporting system, on-line training program, fire prevention and building code access, employee management software. �a�n�uuunwru,a �� eft E ws 1gi� x `� o` �:1 t t t _ a fio �4by ice f oe\\p May 9, 2023 Town of Brewster 2198 Main Street Brewster, MA 02631-1898 Phone: (508) 896-3701 townmanager@brewster-ma.gov Chris Easley Chair, Nauset Regional School Committee 78 Eldredge Park Way Orleans, MA 02653 Dear Chair Easley, Office of: Select Board Town Manager Please accept this correspondence as an official request on behalf of the Brewster Select Board to initiate amendments to the Nauset regional school agreement. The agreement has served our district very well, but it has not been revised in more than 20 years and much has changed in that time. We recognize that, ultimately, any such proposed amendments require Town Meeting approvals. Specifically, the Brewster Select Board is seeking changes to the methodology for calculating each member towns' capital and operating annual assessments. Per Sections IV D & E of the regional agreement, those amounts are currently based on each town's respective enrollment in the regional district schools on October 1 of the preceding fiscal year. Instead of basing annual assessments on a single year of student enrollment data, we propose calculating them based on a three-year rolling average of student enrollment. The Town Administrators in the Eastham, Wellfleet, and Orleans are all supportive of making this change. Superintendent Clenchy also initially indicated she would be supportive. Many other regional school districts in the Commonwealth have adopted this approach. By reducing the impacts of year-to-year shifts in student enrollment, it improves the ability of member towns to plan for and build their budgets. Its moderating effects also help avoid zero -sum scenarios between member towns. In addition to this requested change to the regional school agreement, the Brewster Select Board is also interested in the following: • Better understanding how transportation costs are apportioned to the member towns, particularly as it pertains to the transportation expenses of charter and school choice students. • The extent to which the current proportional representation of the Nauset Regional School Committee remains reflective of the student population in each of the member towns. The committee's current composition is based on student enrollment by town as of 2002. • Setting a mutually agreed upon schedule for reassessing and potential amending the regional school agreement — eg. every 5 or 10 years. This is a standard practice in Town charters. Finally, and most importantly, the Brewster Select Board strongly encourages the Nauset Regional School Committee to make all reasonable efforts to either seek amendments to the regional school agreement to include Provincetown and Truro in the district in FY25 or to update their tuition agreements, set to expire in June 2024, such that those towns would pay their proportional share of the region's debt effective FY25. On behalf of the Brewster Select Board, we appreciate your consideration of these requests, and we welcome the opportunity to speak further with you about them in the near future. Peter Lombardi Town Manager cc: Richard Draper, Nauset Regional School Committee (Brewster) Tom Fitzgibbons, Nauset Regional School Committee (Brewster) Cathryn Lonsdale, Nauset Regional School Committee (Brewster) Richard Stewart, Nauset Regional School Committee (Brewster) Brooke Clenchy, Nauset Public Schools Superintendent Eastham Select Board Jacqui Beebe, Eastham Town Administrator Orleans Select Board Charlie Sumner, Orleans Interim Town Administrator Wellfleet Select Board Rich Waldo, Wellfleet Town Administrator Select Board FY23-24 Strategic Plan FINAL APPROVED 08.22.22 Vision Building Block Goal #Goal Description Timeline Degree of Complexity Vision Plan / Local Comprehensive Plan FY22-23 SB Plan Primary Responsible Party Other Key Stakeholders Former Sea Camps Properties SC-1 Complete discovery phase, including building inventories/ assessments, and continue to implement interim property management plan FY23 Medium X Town Administration and Bay & Pond Property Planning Committees Town Staff SC-2 Continue to develop/refine and implement interim public access/use plans FY23-24 Higher X X Town Administration and Bay & Pond Property Planning Committees Select Board; BPPC & PPPC Liaisons, Representatives, and Town Staff SC-3 Launch community planning process, engage residents and stakeholders, determine support for constructing new community center on bay property, and develop long-term comprehensive plans for both properties FY23-24 Higher X X Town Administration and Bay & Pond Property Planning Committees Select Board; BPPC & PPPC Liaisons, Representatives, and Town Staff SC-4 Continue to explore potential short- and long-term partnerships that may mitigate acquisition costs or operating expenses and may provide enhanced services, programs, or amenities for residents FY23-24 Medium X X Town Administration and Bay & Pond Property Planning Committees Select Board; BPPC & PPPC Liaisons and Representatives, and Town Staff Community Character CC-1 Adopt and implement 5-year Community Preservation Plan and seek adoption of proposed bylaw amendments to support maximum flexibility to fund projects to meet community needs FY23 Lower X Community Preservation Committee Town Administration; Select Board; Finance Committee; Open Space Committee; Affordable Housing Trust; Historical Commission; Recreation Commission CC-2 Identify and evaluate benefits of introducing/ expanding targeted local tax relief options FY23 Medium X X Finance Team Select Board; Finance Committee; Board of Assessors; Brewster Association of Part-Time Residents CC-3 Complete sociodemographic study to inform next steps in crafting and advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives FY23 Lower X X Town Administration Select Board; Human Resources Dept; Town Staff Open Space OS-1 Complete design and implement updated Drummer Boy Park Master Plan Phase I improvements in coordination with Wing Island Boardwalk project FY23-24 Medium X X Town Administration Select Board; Natural Resources Commission & Dept; Department of Public Works; Brewster Conservation Trust; Brewster Historical Society OS-2 Identify and resolve private party encroachments on Town land FY23-24 Lower Town Administration & Natural Resources Dept Select Board; Conservation Commission; Water Commission & Dept; Brewster Conservation Trust Housing H-1 Develop five-year financial plan for Affordable Housing Trust and determine whether additional funding streams should be explored to support housing initiatives at a range of income levels FY23 Medium X X Affordable Housing Trust & Finance Team Select Board; Finance Committee; Housing Coordinator H-2 Begin implementing updated Housing Production Plan priority strategies FY23 Medium X X Affordable Housing Trust & Housing Coordinator Select Board; Planning Board; Housing Partnership; Town Administration; Planner H-3 Continue to provide support services to residents, including CDBG housing rehabilitation and childcare vouchers FY23-24 Medium X Housing Coordinator Select Board; Town Administration; Affordable Housing Trust; Human Services Committee; Council on Aging H-4 Advance Millstone Road Community Housing project FY23-24 Higher X X Town Administration & Housing Coordinator Select Board; Affordable Housing Trust; Community Preservation Committee; Planning Dept & Zoning Board of Appeals 1 Select Board FY23-24 Strategic Plan FINAL APPROVED 08.22.22 Vision Building Block Goal #Goal Description Timeline Degree of Complexity Vision Plan / Local Comprehensive Plan FY22-23 SB Plan Primary Responsible Party Other Key Stakeholders Local Economy LE-1 Define and provide necessary supports to effectively implement electronic permitting and invest in phased digitization of Town records FY23 Medium X X Town Administration Select Board; IT Director; Building Dept; Health Dept; Planning Dept LE-2 Continue to host semi-annual roundtable with Town officials, Chamber of Commerce, and local business community to build on increased outreach and communication developed during pandemic FY23-24 Lower X X Town Administration Select Board; Town Staff; Chamber of Commerce LE-3 Develop Guide to Doing Business in Brewster FY24 Medium X Town Administration Building Dept; Health Dept; Planning Dept; Natural Resources Dept; Town Clerk; Chamber of Commerce Coastal Management CM-1 Complete design and permitting of Wing Island boardwalk FY23 Higher X X Town Administration Select Board; Conservation Commission; Natural Resources Commission & Dept; Department of Public Works; Brewster Conservation Trust; Cape Cod Museum of Natural History CM-2 Consider merits of Cape Cod Commission's model coastal resiliency bylaws/regulations and potential implementation FY23-24 Medium X Planning Dept Planning Board; Town Administration; Board of Health & Health Dept; Conservation Commission & Natural Resources Dept; Building Dept Water Resources WR-1 Convene a new Water Resources Task Force and develop updated plan and timeline for advancing integrated water quality initiatives, to include addressing DEP’s proposed changes to Title V regulations and continuing collaboration with external stakeholders FY23-24 Higher X X Water Resources Task Force Town Administration; Select Board; Natural Resources Commission & Dept; Water Commission & Dept; Board of Health & Health Dept; Planning Board & Dept; Finance Committee; Brewster Ponds Coalition WR-2 Continue to educate public about new stormwater bylaw/regulations and consider refinements as needed FY23 Lower X X Planning Dept Planning Board; Town Administration; Conservation Commission & Natural Resources Dept; Building Dept Community Infrastructure CI-1 Determine support for advancing proposed Brewster Ladies Library renovation project FY23 Lower Select Board Town Administration; Brewster Ladies Library Association & Library Dept CI-2 Conduct a needs assessment and develop FY24-28 COA (Age Friendly) Community Action Plan FY23 Medium X Council on Aging Board & Dept Select Board; Town Administration; Bay Property Planning Committee CI-3 Work with Nauset School officials to clarify process and timeline of next steps regarding results of Elementary School Consolidation Feasibility Study, especially in relation to other potential Town & School capital investments FY23 Medium X X Select Board & Town Administration Brewster School Committee & Nauset Administration; Finance Committee CI-4 Complete Millstone Road project final design/ permitting and create Road Capital Prioritization Plan FY22-23 Higher X X DPW Director & Town Administration Select Board; Finance Committee CI-5 Develop policy to clarify provision of Town services on private roads and consider potential amendments to private road betterment bylaw FY23-24 Medium DPW Director & Town Administration Select Board; Public Safety Team; Planning Dept & Planning Board; Finance Team 2 Select Board FY23-24 Strategic Plan FINAL APPROVED 08.22.22 Vision Building Block Goal #Goal Description Timeline Degree of Complexity Vision Plan / Local Comprehensive Plan FY22-23 SB Plan Primary Responsible Party Other Key Stakeholders Governance G-1 Establish and communicate budget capacity to Nauset School officials based on the Town’s current and long- term fiscal sustainability FY23 Medium X Select Board & Town Administration Finance Committee & Finance Team; Nauset Regional School Committee; Brewster School Committee; Nauset School Administration; Nauset region Town officials G-2 Launch new Town website and identify preferred enhancements to current communications model FY23 Medium X X Town Administration Select Board; IT Dept; BGTV G-3 Establish process to revise Brewster Town seal & draft related use policy FY23-24 Medium Select Board Town Administration & Town Staff G-4 Evaluate potential amendments to noise bylaw and/or develop entertainment license regulations FY23 Lower Select Board & Town Administration Town Staff G-5 Finalize, adopt, and implement Local Comprehensive Plan and monitor progress FY23-24 Medium X X Vision Planning Committee, Select Board, and Planning Board Planning Dept; Town Administration; Town Staff G-6 Develop and launch capital budget and other transparency features of new online platform to continue to improve accessibility of Town finances FY23 Medium X X Finance Team Select Board; Finance Committee G-7 Support Human Resource Department by: 1. Continuing to implement findings from HR audit, including development of employee handbook 2. Continuing to monitor and support employee wellness 3. Creating programs to recognize Town staff/volunteers for their community service FY23-24 Medium X X Town Administration Select Board; Human Resources G-8 Identify priority areas to increase organizational capacity to meet enhanced service needs and expanded project demands and develop long-term financing plan to fund necessary personnel FY23-24 Medium X X Town Administration & Finance Team Select Board; Finance Committee; Town Staff G-9 Consider need for and structure of new Parks & Recreation Department responsible for management of Drummer Boy Park, former Sea Camps, Dog Park, and other existing recreational amenities/programs FY23-24 Higher X X Town Administration Select Board; Finance Team; Human Resources; Recreation Dept & Commission; Natural Resources Dept; Department of Public Works G-10 Develop standard criteria and process to evaluate potential land acquisitions and consider establishing municipal land acquisition committee FY23 Medium X Select Board Town Administration; Open Space Committee; Affordable Housing Trust; Water Commission Climate Mitigation & Adaptation CA-1 Develop and implement updated staffing and committee model that reflects the Town’s commitment to comprehensively advancing energy, climate change, and resiliency initiatives FY23 Medium X Town Administration Select Board; Energy Committee & Manager CA-2 Develop net zero energy roadmap FY24 Higher X X Town Administration Energy Committee & Manager; Select Board; Facilities Manager Solid Waste Management SW-1 Complete site assessment and determine next steps to improve Department of Public Works and Recycling Center property and facilities FY23 Lower X DPW Director Town Administration; Select Board; Recycling Commission SW-2 Continue hydration station installation project FY23-24 Lower X Water Superintendent Town Administration; Select Board; Recycling Committee; Water Commission; Facilities Manager 3 1 SUMMARY OF June 2023 VPC REVISIONS TO DRAFT LCP This memorandum summarizes and describes substanve revisions by the Vision Planning Commiee to the accompanying dra LCP (dated June 2023) since the September 2022 dra; various technical, formang, punctaon and grammacal issues were idenﬁed and edited as well, including revisions for clarity. OVERALL Simpliﬁed, clariﬁed, and streamlined language for improved readability and comprehension Added text to underscore the importance of two-way communicaon between government and residents, businesses, organizaons and other stakeholders Updated to reﬂect events and meline since September 2022 Changed the term “Town Center” to “town centers” for clarity, including for consistency with the intent of the concept from the 2018 Vision Plan Updated language about the Wing Island Boardwalk and Drummer Boy Park that were previously under consideraon, in light of the results and acons taken aer and in accordance with Fall 2022 Town Meeng and spring 2023 Special Town Meeng NOTE: The VPC will update demographic data and community engagement informaon throughout the dra in late August to ensure that most recent/ accurate data are included. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Revised language about potenal Cape Cod Commission cerﬁcaon and the CCC ’s role with LCPs Revised language to more fully describe stakeholders and stakeholder process Updated language about Fall 2022 Town Meeng and related adopon process and meline Secon 2: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Clariﬁcaon of “town centers” planning concept Secon 3: BUILDING BLOCKS “Recent Acons by the Town” were generally updated throughout the secon to reﬂect changes since September 2023. Community Character o will update the “Recent Acons” text in August 2023 about the COA Needs Assessment with some overall ﬁndings from the 2023 survey Open Space o added text regarding current status of Wing Island and Drummer Boy Park iniaves Local Economy Under “Key Issues Moving Forward:” o revised language about the zoning approach to support local businesses o clariﬁed that Brewster ’s housing needs include both year-round and seasonal workforce housing Coastal Management o updated data on coastal beaches/landings and parking spaces o added text about the 2022 Coastal Resilience Grant under “Recent Acons by the Town” Water Resources Under “Recent Acons by the Town:” o clariﬁed text about the local stormwater bylaw and regulaons 2 o added descripon of the Water Resources Task Force Governance o updated “Recent Acons…” to describe changes since September 2022 Community Infrastructure o updated “Recent Acons…” and “Key Issues…” to describe changes since September 2022, including about current status of Wing Island and Drummer Boy Park iniaves Solid Waste o “Recent Acons:” added text about ban on nips adopted at spring 2023 TM o “Key Issues:” added text about MA recent waste ban on texles o “Key Issues:” added text about the need for beer educaon for landlords and seasonal renters on waste and recycling Climate Migaon and Adaptaon Under “Recent Acons by the Town:” o added text about the recently established Town Energy and Climate Acon Commiee o added text about the new “low lying” roads planning/ grant iniave with the County Secon 4: ACTION PLAN Various provisions of this secon, associated with the Building Blocks below, have been edited for clarity, to beer arculate or emphasize desired intent, or to establish the appropriate level of speciﬁcity for the respecve goals, purposes and acons.In some cases, edits involved consolidang acons, spling an acon into mulple new acons, or reorganizaon: Community Character Revised Acons CC9 and CC10 Water Resources Reorganized subsecon and beer separated acons Deleted ‘Overarching Goal’ and integrated concepts into the purposes and acons of the secon Open Space Reorganized subsecon Revised “Purpose 3” to align with the proposed acons Housing Extended the me period set out in “Purpose 1” to align with ancipated LCP adopon date Coastal Management Consolidated various acons into a single acon- CM11 Local Economy Revised Acon LE6 Revised references from ‘small business’ to ‘local business’ for breadth of applicaon Governance Revised language to emphasize community engagement and parcipaon Community Infrastructure Relocated the ‘Overarching Purpose’ to the LCP’s ‘Implementaon’/ Secon 7 where its inclusion is more appropriate and more in keeping with the overall format and structure of the dra LCP. Revised Acon C13 re: Drummer Boy Park to reﬂect current status 1 Brewster Local Comprehensive Plan (LCP) VPC Revisions to Draft version 4.0: June 2023 2 Table of Contents Executive Summary Section 1 Brewster’s Vision Section 2 Community Engagement Section 3 Building Blocks - Existing Conditions and Issues •Brewster Today •Building Block Summaries ●Community Character ●Open Space ●Housing ●Local Economy ●Coastal Management ●Water Resources ●Governance ●Community Infrastructure ●Solid Waste Management ●Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Section 4 The Action Plan- Building Block Goals, Purposes, and Actions •Community Character •Open Space •Housing •Local Economy •Coastal Management •Water Resources •Governance •Community Infrastructure •Solid Waste Management •Climate Mitigation and Adaptation 3 Section 5 Capital Facilities Plan Section 6 Housing Production Plan Summary Section 7 Implementation and Performance Monitoring Section 8 Supporting Regulation, Plans and Policies 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The development of Brewster’s Local Comprehensive Plan was the result of the active participation, thinking and hard work of many people who value our community’s future. We would like to thank them for their time and efforts. Thanks to: ●The thousands of people who took part in the community survey (Brewster’s Next Steps), contributed comments on the drafts of this Plan, and who participated in the earlier Vision Planning process. ●The Town Department heads and staff who contributed their deep knowledge of Town services and the community’s service needs. ●Members of community organizations who contributed their ideas on the community’s needs and who are partners in implementing Brewster’s plans. ●The Brewster Planning Department which provided guidance and support throughout the process, especially Ellen Murphy, whose diligence, dedication, attention to detail, and ability to see the big picture kept us well-informed and on track through the many years of work. ●Tighe & Bond, who provided consulting services to the Town The Brewster Vision Planning Committee Sharon Tennstedt, Chair Amanda Bebrin, Vice Chair Andi Genser Patricia Hess Suzanne Kenney Fran Schofield Alex Wentworth Kari Hoffmann, Select Board Liaison Honey Pivirotto, Finance Committee Liaison Prior Brewster Vision Planning Committee members Hal Minis, Chair Emeritus Sue Searles Garran Peterson Kari Hoffman Paul Wallace Ned Chatelain, Select Board Liaison 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction: What is an LCP? Why have one? Brewster’s Local Comprehensive Plan (LCP) describes how Brewster looks today and where it wants to go in the future. The LCP is not law or regulation and does not itself create regulatory mandates or restrictions. It creates policy direction to help guide land use decisions and policies in the Town for the next 10+ year planning period. It has been developed with general guidance from the Cape Cod Commission according to its regulations, adapted to Brewster’s specific needs and circumstances. After its local adoption, a Town can choose to submit the LCP to the Cape Cod Commission for certification of the LCP’s consistency with the Regional Policy Plan. Potential benefits of Cape Cod Commission LCP certification include: the ability for the Town to enter into Development Agreements as a type of land use permitting; prioritization for planning technical assistance; and the establishment of the LCP as review criteria for Districts of Critical Planning Concern and Developments of Regional Impact. Certification would require that the Town regularly communicate progress on the LCP to the Cape Cod Commission, that the LCP be updated to remain consistent with updates to the Regional Policy Plan, and that the Town’s land use by-laws and regulations be consistent with the LCP. Brewster’s LCP has also been prepared and is intended to serve as a comprehensive land use plan under state planning law (MGL Chapter 41, Section 81D): similarly, after adoption, the Town can choose to file a copy of the LCP to the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development. Brewster first adopted a comprehensive land use plan in 1970. A prior draft LCP was completed in 1997 but was never brought to Town Meeting. The development of this LCP started in earnest with the 2018 Brewster Vision Plan. The Vision Plan process commenced in 2017, serves as a foundation for the LCP, and includes goals and actions for eight key issue areas (called ‘Building Blocks’). The LCP is structured along the same lines as the Vision Plan. It includes a Vision Statement and the eight Building Blocks: Community Character, Water Resources, Open Space, Housing, Coastal Management, Local Economy, Governance, and Community Infrastructure. The goals for each of these Building Blocks remain similar to those stated in the Vision Plan, with some modifications made to recognize changing circumstances and conditions in Brewster and beyond, and the goal statements and policies in the Cape Cod Regional Policy Plan. In addition, two new Building Blocks have been included in the LCP since the adoption of the Vision Plan: Solid Waste Management and Climate Mitigation and Adaptation. The Solid Waste Building Block recognizes both the Town’s efforts to decrease and manage the community’s waste stream and regional guidance from the Cape Cod Commission. The Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Building Block recognizes the major threat to the community posed by climate change and the efforts by the Town to mitigate or adapt to its effects. 6 The heart of the LCP is the Action Plan, which includes an ambitious list of strategies, policies, and actions associated with the Building Blocks. The Action Plan sets out these proposed strategies, policies, and actions to advance the vision, goals, and purposes of the LCP. The Action Plan calls for Town government, in partnership with its businesses, organizations and residents, to pursue a variety of initiatives over the next 10+ years. More broadly than Town government, the Action Plan is also intended to guide future decision-making and actions by community organizations, businesses, and residents. Brewster’s Vision The LCP is informed, but not limited, by the 2018 Vision Plan. In many ways, both Plans exist along the same planning continuum, although the LCP has been updated to reflect changed conditions (including an unprecedented world-wide pandemic and its associated social and economic effects on society) and input received through the entire planning process. The LCP includes a vision statement, similar to that of the 2018 Vision Plan, articulating at a high level a vision for Brewster’s future and the values held by the community. The Action Plan strives to achieve the vision. It is important to note that these values are not intended to conflict, especially in terms of implementing the related Action Plan, but should be viewed as complementary, mutually supportive and on equal footing with one another. The vision statement has also been prepared for consistency with the Cape Cod Regional Policy Plan. Community Engagement Processes for developing both the Vision Plan and the Local Comprehensive Plan were highly participatory. The Vision Planning process included three series of public workshops and a public survey. These events were accompanied by broad public outreach, including newspaper coverage and opinion pieces, postings on the Town website and through the Town email-list, distribution of announcements through the e-mail lists of approximately 10 local not-for-profit organizations and religious groups, local public television interviews and announcements, and document distribution at Town Hall, the Brewster Ladies Library, and the Council on Aging. A postcard to all property owners was also sent out for the public survey. The LCP process and its preparation has been shepherded by the Vision Planning Committee (VPC). The LCP planning effort began during the COVID pandemic, thus was constrained by restrictions on public meetings. Nevertheless, the VPC took a very similar approach to outreach for the LCP as they did for the Vision Plan, actively informing the Brewster public about the planning effort and soliciting their ideas and feedback. Most notable was the Brewster’s Next Steps survey to gauge support for over 65 proposed actions, to which over 2,300 people, broadly representing the community’s age and residential status profile, responded. The Committee used broad print and electronic media announcements, email lists, postcards to property owners, and pop-up events at Town locations to publicize the survey. A summary of results is available on the Town website. 7 In addition, the Committee partnered with Town Management to organize workshops of Town staff, officials and key local organizations to review and comment on a draft Action Plan. The Committee announced a public comment period on the LCP that included the draft Action Plan in July 2022. The Committee reviewed the comments received during the comment period and revised the Action Plan to reflect many of the public comments. A final draft LCP was recommended by the Vision Planning Committee and endorsed by the Select Board and Planning Board following a public hearing in October 2022. In November 2022, the LCP was presented to Town Meeting. Primarily because of concerns about a potential Wing Island Boardwalk project and its reference in the LCP, Town Meeting voted to remand the draft back to the VPC for further re-study and re-drafting. With an eye towards completion and adoption of the LCP, the Select Board revised the VPC’s charge in March 2023, and the VPC re-commenced its work on the LCP. The VPC anticipates completing a final, recommended draft LCP for Town Meeting to consider in Fall 2023. Building Blocks - Existing Conditions and Issues This section contains an overview of existing conditions in Brewster organized by Building Block and based on summary papers that have been prepared for all Building Blocks. Each overview includes background information, recent actions by the Town, and key issues moving forward. These existing conditions summaries detail circumstances in the town and identify town assets, strengths, concerns and related challenges and opportunities. The summary papers prepared in 2017 for the original eight Building Blocks of the Vision Plan have been updated to reflect changing conditions, evolving issues, and implementation of actions to date. In addition, summary papers have been added for the new Building Blocks, Solid Waste and Climate Change. The section begins with a description of ‘Brewster Today’ focusing on demographic and land use issues and drawing on the Land Use summary paper. Interpretive maps are also contained throughout the LCP to depict certain concepts or conditions. The Action Plan – Building Block Goals, Purposes, and Actions The goals and purposes for the LCP are organized by Building Blocks, a concept originated in the 2018 Vision Plan. They have been slightly modified in the LCP to reflect changing conditions in Brewster and to align them with the goals of the Cape Cod Regional Policy Plan. The Action Plan is proposed to advance the LCP vision, goals, and purposes over the next 10+ years. The list of actions is not intended to be a complete list of all that the Town could do but does include the most important actions essential to advancing the identified goals. While a large and ambitious number of actions are presented, priorities for implementation will be identified during the Select Board’s annual strategic planning exercise. Each action serves as a jumping-off point that will trigger its own process of consideration, discussion, and refinement by the appropriate Town Departments, Board/Committee, community groups, and the general public. Any program, project, or activity decision must be representative of the will of Brewster residents and the circumstances then present. The list of actions has been drawn from numerous sources including the following: ●Actions from the Vision Plan that have not yet been implemented; 8 ●Recommendations from stakeholders about current needs; ●Recommendations from the Vision Plan Summary Papers about trends and needs; and ●Results of the Brewster’s Next Steps survey gauging public support for individual actions. As the final phase of Action Plan development, the draft list of actions was reviewed and refined by workshops of key Town Departments and local organizations to assess the accuracy, relevancy, and feasibility in implementing each action. This vital part of the process helped ensure the ability, capacity, and commitment to implement the Action Plan and is subject to future adjustments that will make the LCP a “living” plan. Capital Facilities Planning In this section, the LCP aligns and cross-references capital investments contemplated in the Action Plan with the Town’s on-going capital facilities planning. This analysis ensures that the capital requirements necessary to implement the LCP are planned for and met. Housing Production Plan Summary The Town has recently completed, and the State has approved, the 2022-2027 Housing Production Plan (HPP), which principally deals with provisions for affordable housing in Brewster. This section includes a summary of the Town’s 2022 plan. The full HPP can be accessed on the Town website. Implementation and Performance Monitoring The prioritization of undertaking LCP actions will be set primarily through the Select Board’s annual strategic planning. Monitoring and reporting to the community are crucial to the successful implementation of the LCP and are described in this section. A copy of the Select Board’s current Strategic Plan for FY23-24 is included in the LCP Appendices. Inclusion of any LCP action in the Select Board’s strategic planning begins the community conversation with applicable stakeholders, including year-round s and seasonal residents, businesses, community organizations and relevant Town Boards, Committees, and Departments, to discuss what, if any, program, project, or action the community wants to pursue. Supporting Regulation, Plans and Policies The LCP references other existing Town land use plans, policies, bylaws and regulations that both inform, and will be informed by, the LCP. Many of the LCP’s actions deal with potentially updating and amending these documents to advance the goals and vision of the LCP. It is important to note that, under the current zoning bylaw, consistency with the comprehensive plan is a criterion of approval for certain permits and proposed developments. 1 SECTION 1: BREWSTER’S VISION The LCP’s vision for Brewster’s future, as articulated below, is grounded in the Town’s Vision Planning process, which began in 2017. The Vision Plan, completed and approved in 2018, serves as a foundation for the LCP. The LCP’s vision statement is also informed by the shared experiences of the community since that time including, among other things, an unprecedented world-wide pandemic and its associated social, political and economic effects. This vision statement is a product of significant community input. It reflects the shared values of the Brewster community related to, among other things, future growth and development and resource protection in the town. The vision also harmonizes with the regional vision articulated in the Cape Cod Regional Policy Plan. In particular, the Town’s visioning process involved discussion of “town centers”: identifying existing centers of concentrated activity, development and infrastructure in the town that might accommodate expanded future housing and economic opportunities. This vision serves as the backdrop and reference point for the ‘Building Blocks’ and their associated goals, purposes and actions set out in the LCP. The multiple values and interests articulated in the vision statement are mutually dependent, complementary and on equal footing with one another. In practical application, the vision requires that these values and interests be reconciled or compromised with one another. In order to fulfill and realize the vision, it is necessary to advance all of these constituent values and interests. Brewster is a welcoming community that celebrates our special character and strives for greater social diversity and inclusiveness. We preserve our historical setting and seek to protect its contribution to our town’s character. We work to preserve the rural, small town feel of Brewster while recognizing opportunities for growth, which adds to our shared quality of life. Brewster has been, and will continue to be, a leader in open space planning and protection, which contributes to protecting water resources and sensitive natural habitats and provides scenic areas for recreation and contemplation. In the context of coastal change, we protect our natural bayside coastline, which defines our sense of place and provides special recreational and economic opportunities. We are committed to address climate change, one of the great global challenges of our day, locally by reducing our contributions to carbon emissions and continuing to support practices that take up and store carbon through natural processes. We honor our history as a working community and partner with Brewster businesses and other organizations that support residents and visitors by providing high-quality products, services, and experiences built on our character and environment, and that offer local social, economic, and employment opportunities that help sustain the community. 2 We support growth that is appropriately scaled and sited within the context that it is proposed. As a commitment to the social diversity we value, we seek to support housing production tailored to the changing needs of the community, including housing that is affordable to current and future residents of all ages and economic standing. Within our fiscal capabilities, we strive to provide the infrastructure necessary to ensure public health and safety and to support the ability of our entire community, from older people to families with children, to live, work, learn, recreate, and gather in the town. The communication methods and practices that we set in place encourage and promote public discourse and collaboration. We look to successful models in other communities and organizations as examples to manage and guide our approach to change in our town. We are committed as we move forward, through careful planning and coordination, to improve our community and honor what we value about Brewster, and ensure the town’s continued social, economic, financial, and environmental sustainability for present and future generations. 3 SECTION 2: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (NOTE: To be updated for outreach activities) Processes for developing both the Vision Plan and the LCP were highly participatory. The Vision Planning process included three series of public workshops and surveys. These events were accompanied by broad public outreach, including newspaper coverage and opinion pieces, postings on the Town website and through the Town email-list, distribution of announcements through the e-mail lists of approximately 10 local not-for-profit organizations and religious groups, local public television interviews and announcements, and document distribution at Town Hall, the Brewster Ladies Library, and the Council on Aging. A postcard to all property owners was also sent out for the public survey. The LCP planning effort began during the COVID pandemic, thus was constrained by restrictions on public meetings. Nevertheless, the Planning Committee took a very similar approach to outreach for the LCP as they did for the Vision Plan, used many of the same outreach efforts to actively inform the Brewster public about the planning effort and to solicit their ideas and feedback. Most notable was the 2022 Brewster’s Next Steps survey to gauge support for over 65 proposed actions, to which over 2,300 people, broadly representing the community’s age and residential status profile, responded. The Committee used broad print and electronic media announcements, email lists, postcards to property owners, and pop-up events at town locations to publicize the survey. A summary of results is available on the Town website. The survey results were fundamental to drafting the Action Plan. A draft of the Action Plan and an Overview of the LCP were made available to the public during a 21-day public comment period from July 25 to August 12, 2022. Comments and feedback were reviewed carefully by the VPC and revisions were made as appropriate. Brewster’s Select Board, Planning Board and Vision Planning Committee held a joint public hearing on the draft LCP in October 2022 prior to advancing a recommended draft to Town Meeting in November 2022. The LCP vision statement is a product of significant community input: it reflects the shared values of the Brewster community related to, among other things, future growth and development and resource protection in the town. The Town’s vision statement also harmonizes with the regional vision articulated in the Cape Cod Regional Policy Plan. In particular, the Town’s visioning process involved “town center” discussions: identifying existing or potential centers of concentrated activity, development and infrastructure in the town, outside of large, unfragmented, natural resource corridors, that might accommodate expanded future housing and economic opportunities. The Brewster’s Next Steps survey queried residents about the possibility of designating or recognizing “town centers”. While 20% of survey respondents preferred no designated “town center”, the area around Foster Square was identified most frequently (44%) as a potential “town center” (see Figure 1 below). Other frequently mentioned areas were along Rte. 6A/Main Street from Rte. 124 near the Brewster General Store to Ellis Landing Road (25%) and Rte. 6A/Main Street from Underpass Road to Ocean Edge Resort (23%). Respondents would prefer sidewalks, bike lanes/paths, small parks, and small-scale commercial development in these areas. There was strong support for regulations such as architectural design controls, height limitations and landscaping improvements, consistent with maintaining Brewster’s small town and historic character. Support for housing, including mixed-use residential use, was moderate. Overall, there was widespread concern about increasing traffic on Rte. 6A/Main Street, including impeding access from residential side streets. Preference for locating commercial and industrial development on Underpass Road or Freemans Way was frequently mentioned in respondent comments. Discussions around the concept of a “town center” have since revealed confusion as to the meaning or intent of this term, for example, that a center does not necessarily connote the geographic center of town or a ‘downtown’; that there can be more than a single “town center”; or that 4 areas deemed “centers” are more significant or important than other areas not deemed centers. Therefore, going forward, the Plan refers to such areas as “town centers”. For purposes of the Plan, “town centers” is defined as “a distinct geographic area - sized to be walkable but which could range from a single parcel to a neighborhood or district - that attracts people for its concentration of economic, social, civic, recreational and/ or cultural vitality that owes to the mix of uses, development, amenities, infrastructure, activities and services present. Pie chart here based on the above percentages. 5 [Brewster LCP Potential Town Centers – Panel 1] 6 [Brewster LCP Potential Town Centers – Panel 2] [insert photo of flyer prepared for 2021 survey] In addition, the Committee partnered with Town Management to organize workshops of Town staff, officials, and key local organizations to review and comment on the draft Action Plan. In anticipation of the possibility of Cape Cod Commission (CCC) LCP certification, the Town communicated and worked with CCC staff iteratively and collaboratively throughout the development of the LCP, providing draft sections of the LCP for review and comment at various stages: ●CCC staff completed a review of the LCP’s goals for consistency with RPP goals and provided feedback to the Vision Planning Committee on ways to align the LCP’s goals with RPP goals. A comparison table of RPP goals and LCP goals was prepared to assist in this review. ●CCC staff provided general input and guidance during preparation of the draft LCP on compliance with the CCC’s LCP Regulations. ●CCC staff gave a presentation on the Cape Cod Climate Action Plan at a meeting of the Vision Planning Committee in August 2021. ●CCC staff completed reviews of the Building Block summaries and draft Action Plan, and provided recommendations on additional or revised content. These recommendations were reviewed by the Vision Planning Committee and incorporated into the LCP as appropriate. 7 SECTION 3: BUILDING BLOCKS - EXISTING CONDITIONS AND ISSUES (Note: update data in Fall 2023) This section contains an overview of existing conditions in Brewster organized by Building Block and based on summary papers that have been prepared for all Building Blocks. Each overview includes background information, recent actions by the Town, and key issues moving forward. The summary papers prepared in 2017 for the original eight Building Blocks of the Vision Plan have been updated to reflect changing conditions and actions that have been recently implemented. In addition, summary papers have been for the new Building Blocks, Solid Waste and Climate Mitigation and Adaptation. The section begins with a description of Brewster today focusing on demographic and land use issues and drawing on the Land Use summary paper. “Existing conditions” include physical and socioeconomic conditions; existing assets and resources; and the identification of associated concerns, challenges, strengths, and opportunities. Taking stock of these existing conditions assisted the Town in establishing its planning vision, goals, and actions. Brewster Today The Town of Brewster is characterized by its small town, rural and historic qualities, with an abundance of natural resources, protected open space and miles of both coastal and freshwater shoreline. About 80 freshwater ponds cover some 1,700 acres. The majority of developed land within the Town consists of single-family, residential development and small-scale commercial development concentrated along Rte. 6A/Main Street, a nationally designated scenic byway and the largest historic district in the U.S. Additional small-scale commercial areas are located on Underpass Road, and at the Route 137/Millstone Road intersection. The Town also includes an approximately 245-acre industrial district in the southeastern section of Town. The Town has been committed to the protection of its valuable natural resources for decades. The Town has largely retained its small-town character through its efforts to protect open space and historic resources. According to the Brewster Open Space and Recreation Plan, updated in 2021, the town includes within its boundaries over 2,200 acres of State and non-profit open space and recreational holdings, such as Nickerson State Park, State-acquired Camp Monomoy land, Brewster Conservation Trust lands, Orenda Wildlife Trust lands, and the Cape Cod Rail Trail (CCRT). Brewster itself has made major open space investments. The Town, through the Conservation Commission, owns approximately 882 acres of permanently conserved land, and about another 1,000 acres of open space held by other entities like the Select Board. The Town has an ongoing program where it formally transfers tax title and other Town-owned land appropriate for open space use to the care and custody of the Brewster Conservation Commission for permanent conservation. Since 2012 alone Brewster has acquired or transferred approximately 200 acres of open space for permanent conservation purposes and has acquired conservation restrictions or easements on another approximately 121 acres. 8 Historic Development Patterns Since 1633, Brewster has been home for small business entrepreneurs since the opening of the first grist mill on what is now Stony Brook. Relying on the land and sea, business has always supported the natural setting and rural nature of the town. Perhaps the most notable of Brewster’s entrepreneurs were the sea captains. From the 18th to 19th centuries, as many as fifty sea captains lived in Brewster, building stately homes along Rte. 6A/Main Street, adding a sense of elegance to the community. Today, many of these sea captains’ homes are still occupied by entrepreneurs. Business continues to support the small-town setting of Brewster by creating services for residents and visitors and at the same time maintaining many important historic buildings and the natural surroundings. Current Land Use Patterns The most recent version of the Mass Audubon study, “Losing Ground”, Sixth Edition 2020, calculates that 34% of Brewster is permanently conserved, 26% is developed, and 40% remains undeveloped as natural or open land but is not permanently conserved. **INSERT ZONING FIGURE – ADD KEY TO THE FIGURE As stated in the 2022 Brewster Housing Production Plan, nearly 75% of the housing stock in Brewster is in the form of detached single-family homes. Mixed-use development is not currently allowed under the Brewster zoning bylaw, although development in commercial districts is allowed to have an accessory residential unit by special permit. Cluster residential development and planned residential development (PRD) are only allowed by special permit, and both have significant minimum land area requirements. There are also 145 properties along Rte. 6A/Main Street where business activity is taking place. Most of these businesses are in the Residential (R- M) zoning district. 9 [Figure # - Land Use] 10 Recent Trends A December 2021 Elementary Schools Master Plan completed for the Town of Brewster indicates that the seasonal population in Brewster, when averaged over a full year, is nearly double the number of full-time residents. The increase in seasonal population places stress, not only on the town’s natural resources and recreation facilities, but also on its infrastructure. Based on 2019 American Community Survey (ACS) data of housing market trends compiled by the Cape Cod Commission, the median value for a single-family home in Brewster in 2019 was $442,000 while the median sales price in July 2022 was $711,000 for single-family homes and $455,500 for condominiums (Cape Cod and Islands Association of Realtors- CCIOAR). Under the 2022 HUD-defined Barnstable County Area Median Family Income ($115,600), a family could affordably purchase a home at a maximum of $420,579, significantly less than the median single-family home sales price. As of July 2022, there is an inventory of only 15 single-family homes and 2 condominiums for sale in town (CCIOAR). The Census Bureau classifies nearly 44% of all housing units in Brewster as vacant most of the year and held for seasonal or recreational use (ACS data). Today, there are 15 lodging businesses and one resort on Rt. 6A/Main Street, with all but one in residential zones. In addition, there are 18 eating establishments on Rte. 6A/Main Street, with 75% in residential zones. Numerous other existing businesses are located on Rte. 6A/Main Street. Expansion or change to these businesses require a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals. Recent Actions by the Town The Town has adopted strict regulations to protect public drinking water supplies, manage land use and preserve open space within the town by managing land use within Brewster’s Zone IIs (drinking water supply areas in East and West Brewster) and Pleasant Bay and Herring River watersheds. In 2021, the Town purchased a total of 121 acres of Cape Cod Sea Camps property, including the 66-acre Long Pond Property and 55-acre Bay Property that stretches from Rte. 6A/Main Street north to Cape Cod Bay. Acquisition for public use is aligned with community priorities identified in this LCP and resident feedback from other recent strategic planning initiatives. Detailed comprehensive plans for each property will be developed and brought to a future Town Meeting for subsequent voter adoption. [insert photo of Sea Camps property] Key Issues Moving Forward The Town has implemented specific land use controls and protected open space to minimize the impacts of future development on natural resources and protect the character of the community. The LCP also recognizes the need to evaluate policies and zoning bylaws that would support more housing choice. The 2022 Brewster’s Next Steps survey included questions on potential locations for identification or designation of “town centers” in Brewster. Consideration of appropriate locations for mixed-use and/or additional residential density will be needed in order to meet the town’s future housing needs while continuing to meet other community goals of protecting water quality, natural resources, and community character. 11 The Brewster Chamber of Commerce has cited the need for the Town to support and design vibrant and diverse business and cultural centers that offer more walkable, mixed-use options with affordable living units. However, a change in zoning or an overlay district would be required for mixed-use or to streamline local permitting for expansion or substantial change to businesses along Rte. 6A/Main Street. 12 Building Block Summaries Community Character Background and Current Status The Community Character Building Block encompasses both Brewster’s physical and social character. Community Character is closely inter- related to several other Vision Building Blocks including Open Space, Local Economy, Housing, and Community Infrastructure. Positive actions on those Building Blocks will also have a positive impact on Community Character. Physical Character - Brewster has a large collection of significant historic properties, with the great majority located along Rte. 6A/Main Street and Stony Brook Road. The town has two large National Register Historic Districts: one includes historic buildings along Route 6A/Main Street and Lower Road, roughly from Paine’s Creek to Sea Pines Drive; the other includes structures along Stony Brook Road in the vicinity of the Grist Mill. Most of Brewster’s historic resources are within the Old Kings Highway Historic District, which also includes properties along the town’s old roadways including Rte. 6A/Main Street, Lower Road, Stony Brook Road, as well as Satucket Road, Route 137/Long Pond Road, Tubman Road, and several smaller connecting roads. The Old Kings Highway Historic District Committee has authority to review and approve all exterior alterations and demolition proposals. In the early 1900s, as automobile ownership grew, summer tourism became a major economic force and residential construction consisted mostly of summer cottages and summer cottage communities such as Brewster Park, Pineland Park, and Ellis Landing Colony. These cottages are now 75-100 years old, and some are considered of historic value. The Brewster Historical Commission continues to work with a preservation consultant to document the architecture and history of significant houses built prior to1925. The four small Village Business zones are located along Rte. 6A/Main Street near Betty’s Curve, Underpass Road, Villages Drive, and at the Orleans town line. The larger Commercial zone is centered along Underpass Road. Many of the town’s distinctive antique shops, inns, galleries, and other small businesses along Rte. 6A/Main Street are outside of the commercial zones and operate as home occupations within residentially zoned areas. [Figure 4 – Historic Resources] 13 All construction along Rte. 6A/Main Street requires review by the Old Kings Highway Historic District Committee. Much of the Commercial (CH) district on Underpass Road is outside the historic district and is primarily governed by Planning Board Site Plan Review and, as applicable, Special Permit review. Certain uses such as multi-family residential, outdoor commercial, and accommodations uses are allowed only in the Commercial district by special permit, which requires specific criteria to be met. Restaurants and drive-through banks are allowed by Special Permit in both the Village Business and the Commercial districts. The Town has well-developed Site Plan Review standards dealing with, among other things, site design, transportation and access issues for commercial, multi-family and industrial uses. While the Town’s current dimensional regulations practically limit building size and scale on most small to medium size lots, they still allow larger buildings on larger lots. The Town has walkable clusters of commercial development in each of the Village Business zones, but no focused “town center” or downtown. The Town’s institutions are located along Rte. 6A/Main Street—the Brewster Ladies Library, Senior Center, Town Hall, and the Eddy Elementary School. Formula retail businesses are expanding in many communities on the Cape, submitting proposals to expand existing structures or rebuild. In Brewster, Cumberland Farms applied to significantly increase building size and expand the range of products they offer. After considerable public debate, the expansion was approved in 2017, but with fewer gas pumps than originally proposed. The 2017 Brewster Vision Planning workshops identified the preservation of community character as an important issue, with responses like ‘small town feel,’ ‘historic charm,’ ‘scenic Rte. 6A,’ and the landmark ‘Grist Mill Herring Run’ appearing in 36% of comments about town “Treasures.” Community Character also played a major role in comments relating to the vision for Brewster’s future. While community character was primarily interpreted to mean the physical fabric of the community—its buildings, landscapes, and neighborhoods—workshop participants also acknowledged the town’s diverse residents, social challenges, and a desire to be more connected with each other as part of the social character. Social Character - Brewster’s population is changing in ways that are similar to the Cape in general. The 2020 US Census showed that Brewster’s population has increased by 5% over the past 10 years. The population of residents over 65 was projected to grow from 42% of the population in 2020 to 53% in 2030. By 2022, the 65+ Brewster population has increased to 43% of the population (2022 Town Census). Brewster’s high-quality schools are an important factor in attracting young families with diverse backgrounds. This younger population (i.e., age 25-49), many with school age children, currently accounts for 22% of the Town’s population (2022 Town Census), already lower than the US Census (2020) projected decrease to 38% in 2030. The US Census also projected that the number of school age children 5-19 would fall from 11% in 2020 to 9% of the population in 2030 but has already decreased to 8% in 2022 (2022 Town Census). Recent Census data also shows while Brewster is predominantly white (91.4%), the Town has seen a significant increase in racial diversity over the past decade with the minority population increasing from 3.3% in 2010 to 8.6% in 2020. (US Census 2010 & 2020) Housing is critical to support a diverse population, and the Town has been proactive in pursuing affordable housing to address both the needs of older residents as well as focusing on attracting young families, including amendments to the accessory dwelling by-laws to allow greater opportunities for year-round rental options and home ownership. Brewster is also pursuing several projects to expand affordable single-family homes, rental units, and housing for older adults. 14 Seasonal workers come from a variety of countries and add to the vibrancy of the town. The Town continues to work to find housing for the seasonal workforce, with consideration being given to structures on the Bay Property for this purpose. Brewster also provides a variety of social services to families and individuals in distress. Most of these services are provided through not-for-profit service organizations. Recent Actions by the Town As noted in the Open Space and Water Resources summaries, the Town has had a long-standing commitment to purchase open space for its inherent value as well as to protect the town’s drinking water and surface water quality. In 2021 the citizens of Brewster overwhelmingly voted to purchase the Cape Cod Sea Camps properties of over 100 acres. The Town is now working with citizens to determine how best to use both parcels. A 2016 Brewster Council on Aging needs assessment found that the typical older adult wants to stay in Brewster and is aging with sufficient resources and social support. However, there are segments of this population that struggle to age in place. Transportation, caregiving services, and health and wellness programs were seen as priorities. Most older adults think that the current COA building/senior center is inadequate for community needs and supported the creation of a multi-generational community center. This finding mirrors many statements in the 2017 Brewster Vision Planning workshops about the value of a multi-generational community center to meet the needs of Brewster’s diverse population and a place that would bring all age groups together. Key Issues Moving Forward As noted in the summaries for Community Infrastructure and Local Economy, there are several areas in town where maintaining community character is a key issue, including potential “town centers” along Rte. 6A/Main Street, the Bay Property and Long Pond Property, and a potential multigenerational community center. Important to these and all planning considerations, including to changes in zoning bylaws and regulations, is maintaining Brewster’s historic and small-town, rural character. To help accomplish this, zoning Site Plan Review and Special Permit criteria could be evaluated and amended to provide enhanced landscape, architecture and building design standards. 15 [Figure # - Priority Natural Resource Areas] 16 Open Space Background and Current Status Open Space figured prominently in the 2017 Vision Planning workshops. As a treasure, participants valued protected open space because of its contribution to Brewster’s rural character, low density, tranquility, protection for the town’s drinking water supply, recreation, and preservation of natural habitat. The single highest scoring action in the 2018 Vision Plan survey was “Identify and protect priority parcels in sensitive natural resources areas, particularly in designated drinking water supply areas”. Similarly in the 2022 Brewster’s Next Steps survey, acquiring land to protect drinking water supply and critical habitat rated among the top scoring actions. Land protection in drinking water supply areas (Zone IIs) has become a major criterion for land acquisition for both the Town of Brewster and Brewster Conservation Trust land acquisition projects. In addition to the contributions to Brewster’s character and recreational opportunities, open space contributes in many ways economically and financially to the town. Forested open space also acts as a carbon sink by capturing and sequestering carbon emissions. In contrast to other Cape towns, Brewster’s past open space investments have, in part, allowed the Town to avoid the high cost of sewering large areas of town in sensitive watersheds. While Brewster residents and visitors appreciate the rural feel and low-density development, it is important to recognize what is “open space”. Many people may perceive much of the undeveloped land in Brewster as permanent open space, but in fact much of it is not formally restricted for such purpose. A study by Mass Audubon in 2020 characterized Brewster as 34% protected open space, 26% developed, and 40% vacant or undeveloped. In comparison to Brewster, 40% of Barnstable County is protected open space according to the Regional Policy Plan. A recent analysis of the conversion of “vacant land” in Brewster from 2013 to 2020 indicated that an equal amount of land has gone from vacant to developed as from vacant to conservation – 158 acres. The Town’s Open Space and Recreation Plan 2021 Update provides a detailed summary of currently protected lands, but a partial list includes: 2,200 acres of state and non-profit protected lands, 1,000 acres of Town owned lands, and another 822 Town-owned acres controlled by the Conservation Commission. The not-for-profit Brewster Conservation Trust owns 636 acres of permanently protected land and an additional 246 acres through conservation restrictions on private land. Orenda Wildlife Land Trust owns another 27 acres, and the Brewster Conservation Commission also has conservation restrictions on a limited number of privately held properties. The Town’s commitment to open space started many years ago with the purchase of over 800 acres in the Punkhorn Parkland in the late 1980s and early 1990s to protect the wellfields in West Brewster. During the same period, the Town also purchased several hundred acres in south-east Brewster to protect wellfields in that part of town. Even though water supply protection has been an important criterion for land acquisition in recent years, only approximately 40% of the “Zone II” (area of draw-down around Town wells) is currently protected. As a heavily used public park and scenic vista, Drummer Boy Park represents a unique asset in Brewster. In spring 2023, the Town established the Drummer Boy Park Advisory Committee to re-assess the master planning conducted and adopted to date for Drummer Boy Park . Wing Island is another open space asset cherished by those in town and beyond. The Town has decided not to pursue an elevated boardwalk system to Wing Island as had previously been discussed but instead will pursue more formal recognition of Wing Island as protected for conservation and open space purposes. 17 Recent Actions by the Town Brewster’s Open Space Committee completed an update of the Town’s Open Space and Recreation Plan (OSRP) in 2021. The Plan identifies the following overarching goals: 1.Protect the town’s drinking water supply to meet the needs of residents today and in the future. 2.Provide open space and recreation opportunities that maintain Brewster’s rural character and small coastal community identity and support a sustainable local economy as a center for eco-tourism 3.Preserve and enhance habitat diversity and protect marine and fresh surface water resources to maintain their ecological functions and values to the community. 4.Provide a variety of recreation and open space opportunities to promote active and healthy lifestyles for Brewster residents, ensuring equitable access for all users and abilities. 5.Support coordination and communication of regional open space and recreation needs. Between 2018 and 2020, 13 parcels totaling 133 acres in the drinking water supply areas have been protected, often through a partnership of Town and Brewster Conservation Trust. The Brewster Water Commissioners have also recognized this priority and have created funding within their tariff structure for land protection. Much has also been accomplished to improve access to open space and recreation resources. The Town expanded the satellite parking lot at Crosby Landing, and a new access linking the Cape Cod Rail Trail at Nickerson State Park to the bayside at Linnell Landing has been designed and permitted. This multi-use trail will provide walking and bike access to a large stretch of state-owned beach. In addition, the Town and the Brewster Conservation Trust have opened up new public trails and published an updated guide to Brewster’s walking trails. Key Issues Moving Forward Acquiring and managing open space to protect water resources and provide outdoor recreation will continue to be an important goal for the Town and other organizations, such as the Brewster Conservation Trust. The acquisition of the former Cape Cod Sea Camps properties presents enormous possibilities for the expansion of open space and passive and active recreation. The Town has established planning committees for both the Bay and Long Pond Properties, each charged with the development of a comprehensive plan for the respective properties. The planning committees for the properties will consider all potential uses for the properties to develop a comprehensive plan consistent with community needs and interests. 18 Housing Background and Current Status The cost and availability of housing in Brewster was identified as the largest single challenge at the June 2017 Vision Planning Workshops, with an emphasis on how the lack of affordable housing impacts young families. Workshop participants saw housing as key to allowing young families to stay in Brewster, maintaining the diverse community that residents value, and providing the workforce that the local economy needs. “Affordable Housing” is a term defined under state and federal law and policy meaning housing affordable to low- and moderate-income households, i.e., households earning no more than 80% of the area median income (AMI) for the county. In contrast, “attainable” or “workforce” housing is not a formally defined term. It refers to housing affordable for households whose incomes are too high for “affordable housing” but are priced out of the market i.e., households earning between 80-120% AMI. In either case, households should not be required to spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs. Affordable housing identified by workshop participants as the biggest challenge facing the Town. While those with the lowest incomes face the greatest housing need and challenges, the cost and availability of housing, both for year-round rentals and ownership opportunities, is an issue as well for many households who do not qualify for affordable housing, making it challenging for both younger families and older residents to remain in town. Brewster, like the rest of the Cape, is facing housing issues that are common to a number of resort, tourist-based areas throughout the country that have a significant percentage of seasonally-used housing stock (44% in Brewster). These areas all have high housing costs, in part because the average income of second homeowners is greater than that of year-round residents, which can drive up the cost of housing. Brewster’s housing stock primarily consists of detached single-family homes (75%). Brewster has twice the percentage of residential condominium units (11%) than in Barnstable County towns on average (ACS 5-Year Estimates, 2016-2020). Environmental and infrastructure factors also contribute to the higher cost of housing in Brewster. According to the Cape Cod Commission, one of the affordable housing challenges is the gap between the Cape’s comparatively low wages and high housing costs. While wages have remained relatively stagnant, housing costs have risen dramatically. Brewster’s housing problem is also exacerbated by its aging population, with few young people and limited local workers. As for affordable housing, the town has 327 units or 6.8% counted as affordable and needs to add 153 affordable units to meet the 10% goal. The 10% metric, however, understates the range of housing needs that exists in town. Currently, 260 of the affordable units are rental units. In 2021, 31% of all rental units in Brewster were deed restricted affordable housing units. This is reflected in the median Brewster rent of $1,097, which was artificially depressed by the percentage of subsidized housing. The median rent in 2021 was $1,340, a 22% increase in 2 years. A challenging housing situation has worsened dramatically since 2017. Intensified with changes associated by the COVID pandemic, the cost of housing has increased along with a sharp decrease in the number of properties for sale. Additionally, there has been a reduction in the number of homes used for year-round rentals. In 2022, the median sales price of a single-family home in Brewster was $775,000, an increase of 44% over $540,000 in 2020, and an 99 % increase from the original Housing Summary statistic of $389,750 in 2015. The affordability gap has also grown tremendously. The 2022 HUD-defined Barnstable County Area Median Family Income ($115,600) could affordably purchase a home, with current tax and mortgage rates, at a maximum of $420,579. 85% of Brewster year-round households own their own homes, 31% of which are 19 housing-cost burdened (paying over 30% of their income on housing), while 64% of Brewster year-round rental households are housing cost burdened. Recent Actions by the Town Over the past six years, a clear pattern has emerged in Brewster’s housing response. Town support has resulted in a number of housing initiatives and their corresponding Community Preservation Act (CPA), budget, and free cash funding. Creative collaboration, supportive teamwork, and resident involvement have exponentially increased the Town’s efforts. Many of the strategies identified in the Town’s 2017 Housing Production Plan (HPP) have been implemented. In 2017, the Town hired a part-time housing coordinator with CPA funds to coordinate the remaining strategies identified in that Plan. The Town then created a Municipal Affordable Housing Trust, supported with CPA funds and free cash allocations. In 2021, the Select Board adopted a policy to allocate 50% of the forecasted new short-term rental revenue to the Housing Trust. In 2017, Ocean Edge Resort received a special permit to create seasonal workforce housing on their property. In 2018, Town Meeting amended the zoning bylaw with new Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) provisions. ADUs are a way to utilize current infrastructure, assist homeowners, and create environmentally friendly housing. Approximately 16 accessory residential units, which includes ADUs, have been permitted since 2018. The Town has initiatives to both preserve housing and support housing without new construction. In 2021, along with Dennis and Wellfleet, Brewster was part of a $1.3-million-dollar regional Housing Rehabilitation and Childcare Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). As the lead community, Brewster was awarded another $1.3-million-dollar regional CDBG grant to continue the program in 2022. In response to the high price of rental housing and impact of COVID pandemic on workers, the Housing Trust created a rental assistance program funded with a CPA grant and managed by Housing Assistance Corporation. The Town also continues to operate an affordable home ownership buydown program funded through the CPA. Partnerships with non-profit organizations and effectively using Chapter 40B Comprehensive Permits were additional strategies in the HPP. In 2018, the Town used CPA funds to purchase an access parcel and officially designated the 16 acres of Town-owned land off Millstone Road for community housing. Upon the recommendation of the Brewster Housing Trust, the Select Board accepted a proposal to build a compact grouping of 45 energy efficient affordable rental apartments which leaves most of the property untouched. Partnerships with non-profits and effectively using Chapter 40B Comprehensive Permits were additional strategies in the Housing Production Plan (HPP) that have been pursued. Brewster Woods, comprised of thirty affordable rental apartments for those in the low to moderate income bracket on Housing Authority land off Brewster Road, opened in February 2023. Elevation Financial, working in partnership with the Town, redeveloped the former vacant Wingate Rehabilitation Center into Serenity at Brewster with 132 apartments for people aged 55 and over. Construction was completed in July 2022. 20% of the units are deed restricted affordable for households up to 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). In 2022 Brewster completed an update to its 2017 Housing Production Plan (HPP). This plan assesses the community’s housing needs, sets goals, and guides the implementation of Brewster’s Housing Program over the next five years. The HPP aims to produce 24 units of affordable housing a year as Brewster works towards the state mandated 10% affordable year-round housing stock. Brewster’s 2017 HPP met this production goal twice and is currently certified by the state until May 15, 2023. Funded with a Community Preservation Act grant, the 2022 HPP was prepared by Barrett Planning Group with a robust outreach process led by the Housing Partnership. The Select and Planning Boards approved the HPP update in July 2022; state approval followed in August 2022 20 Key Issues Moving Forward There is no single solution that will provide all the needed housing options for our residents and workforce. While the unanticipated pandemic has shown how housing intertwines with physical, economic, and community health, the 2021 Cape Cod Sea Camps purchase demonstrates the Town’s ability to mobilize around a common goal. Looking forward, the Town updated the Housing Production Plan in 2022. The updated HPP will help the Town better understand the impacts of the pandemic, reassess the housing needs, and retool strategies for the next five years. A summary of the 2022 HPP is provided in Section 7. The lack of a centralized or smaller scale wastewater treatment infrastructure limits the development potential of available land. Rehabilitation and support programs will also be needed to both create and preserve housing. Opportunities ahead for increasing housing options include expanded collaboration with Town and community entities, as well as an ongoing commitment to funding. Additional possibilities exist for joint work with conservation and environmental groups as well as businesses and the Chamber of Commerce. Zoning remains an area of potential housing opportunity, including reassessing the current ADU bylaw provisions. 21 Local Economy Background and Current Status The 2017 Vision Planning workshops defined a sustainable local economy as one that builds on Brewster’s natural and human assets, addresses the needs of small businesses, and provides year-round employment for Brewster’s young families. Specifically, the workshop participants wanted to see: •A greater focus on building a “green economy” based on the town’s natural beauty and resources •An economy that fosters the growth of small business that are compatible with the town’s character; and •Growth of a more sustainable year-round economy that encourages small businesses and better supports Brewster’s workforce. Regional Economy - According to the 2019 Cape Cod Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), the dominant industries in the region are related to Cape Cod’s seasonal economy and retiree population: 17% in healthcare, 16% in accommodations and food services, and 16% in retail trade (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017 ES-202 data via the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. http://lmi2.detma.org/lmi/lmi_es_a.asp).Just under a quarter of jobs on Cape Cod are in emerging industry sectors including creative economy sectors, financial and information sectors, and professional services and technical services sectors, with wages around or above the average for the region (Cape Cod Housing Market Analysis. 2017. www.capecodcommission.org/housing). Based on the 2017 Cape Cod Housing Market Analysis, average wages in all of the top seven Cape Cod sectors—accommodation and food services, retail trade, healthcare, professional and technical services, construction, local government, and administrative/waste services are below the amount of household income per year required to afford a median priced house in the region. Only the highest paid employees within the county’s major employment categories were able to afford owning a house in 2015 (Cape Cod Housing Market Analysis. 2017. www.capecodcommission.org/housing). Household income has not kept up with rising costs of homeownership or rental housing on Cape Cod, an issue that will be greatly exacerbated given the forecasted trends in population and employment, Local Economy - According to the 2019 CEDS, Brewster’s top three employment sectors are in education and health services (39%), leisure and hospitality (22%), and construction (9%). Based on the Cape Cod Commission’s Data Cape Cod portal, Brewster’s 2019 median household income was $75,321. The unemployment rate in 2019 was 2.9% with average wages at $44,979. Forty-six percent of Brewster’s workforce was employed in management, professional, and related industries, in comparison with the County at 36.7%. Brewster had a total of 314 business establishments with average wages of $44,998. The majority (68.5%) of these establishments employed 1–4 employees. Local Demographics - Brewster, like much of Cape Cod, is populated by a mixture of working families, retirees, summer residents, and visitors. Brewster’s median age is 54.3 years, compared to 53.3 for Barnstable County as a whole. In 2022, Brewster’s population is 9,716 (2022 Town Census, Town Clerk, 8/15/2022) with a total of 8,243 housing units. As noted in the Land Use section, Brewster has one of the highest percentages of total units that remain vacant for seasonal or recreational use at 46% in 2022, compared to 42% for Barnstable County as a whole. Forty-three 22 percent of the year-round residents in Brewster are over 65 years old. With many adults now working up to age 70, the working age population (between 25-70 years old) accounts for 55% of the total population. Brewster has many defining elements that make it an attractive place for retirees, seasonal residents, and visitors as well as the working residents that support them. Like the rest of Cape Cod, the business and job mix in town is heavily influenced by the non-working populations. Economic growth and new opportunities depend in-part on bringing resources/money from outside the area into the area, which is what retirees, second- home owners, and tourists do for the region. Defining Brewster as a place, and investing in the elements that define that place, is essential to building a strong local economy. Recognizing that much of Brewster’s economy is based on its natural assets, the Chamber of Commerce’s Sustainability Strategy promotes Brewster as an eco-tourism center and builds on “green” opportunities such as recycling and biking. As noted in the Climate Mitigation and Adaptation section, the Town has taken important steps in creating many elements of a green economy through its policies and initiatives. Recent Actions by the Town The FY21-22 Brewster Select Board Strategic Plan included actions under the Local Economy Building Block to complete and launch an electronic permitting platform and guide to doing business in Brewster to assist residents, contractors, and businesses in navigating local permitting processes. In addition, the FY21-22 Strategic Plan included an action to consider designating Underpass Road as a District of Critical Planning Concern with the Cape Cod Commission. This action would allow the Town time to plan for the future development and redevelopment of this area as an economic development district. In addition, the Town acquisition of the Cape Cod Sea Camps properties gives the Town control over future land uses and economic opportunities for these key assets. Key Issues Moving Forward Brewster has an opportunity to review and revise local bylaws and investment strategies to meet its economic and community goals. With a clear vision for a sustainable economy, the Town can align its public policies, public investments, and private efforts to build on and protect its assets. One of the approaches the Town could take to support its economy and local businesses, while also supporting Community Character, is considering, in appropriate areas, zoning that focuses more on the physical form rather than on specific uses. Further evolution of “town centers” with the necessary infrastructure, services, and mix of uses can help to maintain Brewster’s community character, protect natural resources, and open space, and provide opportunities for local businesses that provide basic necessities for residents as well as visitors. Planned or proposed public facilities, including a multigenerational community center, will also play a key role in supporting town center” Brewster’s economic challenges include the high cost of housing, low wages, and funding for appropriate infrastructure, including green infrastructure investments to protect natural resources. Addressing Brewster’s housing needs, including year-round and seasonal workforce housing, will require multiple strategies including implementation of the updated 2022 HPP. The lack of existing centralized or smaller scale wastewater treatment limits the development potential of available land and will require creative solutions by the Town to focus physical infrastructure in locations where it can be supported without compromising natural resources or community character. 23 [Economy Graphic?] [Figure # - Coastal Resources] 24 Coastal Management Background and Current Status Brewster’s residents recognize the importance of the town’s coastal resources to both residents and visitors. They provide access to a range of summer and year-round activities, including swimming, boating, commercial and recreational shell fishing, walking on the flats, watching sunsets, and other recreational activities. In the 2017 Vision Planning workshops, the town’s beaches were identified as the second most important treasure, and directly linked to the highest ranked treasure, the overall character of the town. Town residents want to preserve and expand access to the shoreline while also preserving and protecting the natural resources that make the coast so special. The town’s public access points are threatened by storms, which can damage both the beaches and their access points, and by the increasing impacts of climate change. Nor’easters have damaged parking areas and eroded the coastal dunes and beaches in some of these locations, prompting improvements to Paine’s Creek, Ellis Landing, and Breakwater Landing facilities over the last decade. Concerns over repetitive storm damage and planning for these improvements led to the creation of the Brewster Coastal Advisory Group and the development of the September 2016 Coastal Adaptation Strategy to address future management of Brewster’s shoreline. The Strategy presumes a sea level rise of one foot in 20 years. Building on the Coastal Adaptation Strategy, the Brewster Coastal Committee completed the Brewster Coastal Resource Management Plan (CRMP). Phase I has specific recommendations on improving and protecting coastal access, incorporating the guiding principles, and employing a robust public involvement process to help refine specific plans. The Brewster Natural Resources Advisory Commission, established in 2021, is charged with overseeing the implementation of the CRMP. The Town owns 11 coastal beaches or landings on Cape Cod Bay, all with public parking areas, including the resident-only First Light Beach. Figure 1 shows the 7 miles of Brewster shoreline. 25 [insert graphic of beaches] 26 From an access standpoint, the Town maintains approximately 349 parking spots across all coastal beaches and landings and 50 interim spaces at First Light Beach, including dedicated handicap parking spaces and bike racks and other facilities during the summer months. Unfortunately, during summer peak season, demand can be greater than the available access, and additional parking opportunities are limited. The beaches and their access points are vulnerable to erosion from coastal storms and require frequent maintenance and investment by the Town. Impacts to the landings are expected to increase over time due to rising sea levels and the potential for stronger, more frequent storms. In response, the Town is adapting to recurring and increasing erosion and storm damage through retreat, such as at the Paine’s Creek, Ellis, and Breakwater Landings where pavement was moved further from the ocean edge. In February 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its Sea Level Rise Technical Report. Based on NOAA’s analysis, the Town’s planning scenario of 1 foot rise in sea level in 20 years for Brewster’s coastline is quite possible. Extensive sections of Brewster’s seven miles of coast have historically and recently been exposed to storm surge impacts, including dune wash over, flooding, and significant erosion. Based on the Center for Coastal Studies’ 2015 Century Scale Sediment Budget, it is not clear if the tidal flats will remain exposed at low tide under future sea level rise scenarios. Lacking the buffering capacity of the tidal flats, Brewster’s beaches and dunes would likely experience significant erosion and storm surge during serious weather events. Recent Actions by the Town As noted in the Background section, the Town developed a consensus-based coastal adaptation strategy to identify priorities and principles for future action. Survey results from the 2016 Coastal Adaptation Strategy confirmed broad support for the Brewster’s coastal resources among all age groups and resident status. The Town has added 80 parking spaces (for total of 138 spaces) for access to Crosby Landing Beach. The Town replaced an unsafe footbridge over the Freeman’s Pond creek to facilitate access to the large Town-owned beach located between Mant’s Landing and Paines Creek. Finally, in 2021 the Town purchased the former Cape Cod Sea Camps bayside property, with 800 feet of shoreline that extends to the Spruce Hill beach. Public access to this beach for residents was established in 2022 along with an interim parking area. The Town also completed a Hazard Mitigation Plan Update in 2021 that was approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). As a result, the Town is eligible for funding under FEMA guidelines for mitigation measures that reduce disaster losses. In November 2021, Brewster Town Meeting approved a new stormwater bylaw to better manage parcel-specific stormwater changes associated with development and to meet the Town’s “MS4” permit requirements under state and federal law. At this same Town Meeting, voters approved changes to the town’s floodplain district incorporating state planning guidance. The Town, jointly with Dennis and Orleans, is also the beneficiary of Coastal Resilience grant in 2022 from the Massachusetts a Coastal Zone Management office to develop a comprehensive shoreline management plan and database for the 14.5-mile shoreline between Bass Hole and Rock Harbor for the purpose of addressing the impacts of climate change. A potential follow-up grant could fund a public data portal and mapping for the data collected. 27 Key Issues Moving Forward Existing and future coastal and climate processes indicate that Brewster’s coastal resources are under threat. The Town is faced with the challenge of accommodating access to its coastal resources that has been impacted and could potentially be reduced by coastal and climate processes. Ongoing development and redevelopment of existing properties along the shoreline is also a concern. With the projected significant acceleration of sea level rise in the next 30 years, it is not clear if Brewster’s tidal flats will remain exposed at low tide under future sea level rise scenarios. Lacking the buffering capacity of the tidal flats, Brewster’s beaches and dunes would likely experience significant erosion and storm surge during serious weather events. The Town could consider updating the 2015 Century Scale Sediment Budget (prepared by the Provincetown center for Coastal Studies) in collaboration with Dennis, Orleans, and Eastham. Brewster also participated in a 2021 effort by the Cape Cod Commission to review current land use regulations and to develop a model coastal resiliency by-law. The Town is heavily involved in maintaining and increasing access to existing beach facilities. Impacts to the landings are expected to increase over time due to rising sea levels and the potential for stronger, more frequent storms. A number of these landings are important for access to private beaches and the Town’s aquaculture sites as well as for emergency vehicles. 28 [Figure # - Water Resources] 29 Water Resources Background and Current Status Brewster residents value the town’s water resources and recognize that they are an integral part of the community’s character. In the 2017 Brewster Vision Planning workshops, residents especially identified Brewster’s freshwater ponds as important assets to the town for their aesthetic and recreational values. Residents also recognized the importance of clean drinking water and the relationships between protecting open space and preserving water quality throughout the town. Over the last 40 years, the Town has made a concerted effort to protect groundwater quality. The Town has purchased significant areas of open space to protect the Town’s ponds and drinking water, particularly in the zones of contribution to its six municipal wells. The Town has also developed land use management policies and regulations to prevent development activities from harming water resources, including new water quality performance standards in the Town’s Water Quality Review Bylaw. In 2015, the Town completed an Integrated Water Resource Management Plan (IWRMP). A 2022 IWRMP update indicates that Brewster’s drinking water is consistently excellent and has won two awards from the New England Water Works Association as the best tasting water in New England. More than forty percent of the land area that contributes water to the Town’s drinking water wells is protected open space. Nitrogen concentrations in the Town’s water supplies are consistently below 1.0 mg/L, well below the federal standard of 10 mg/L. This is a direct result of the limited development in the vicinity of the wells. However, developed land uses (housing, industrial uses) without proper management may threaten the quality of drinking water. There are about 80 freshwater ponds in Brewster. Based on the last summary of pond water data from 2009 developed by the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology along with the Cape Cod Commission (SMAST and CCC, September 2009), five of these ponds have excellent water quality while approximately 15 are classified as impaired due to nutrient inputs, predominantly phosphorus, which contribute to excess algae growth in the ponds. Phosphorus enters the ponds from septic systems, stormwater runoff, and fertilizers applied to lawns and gardens. Portions of Brewster lie within the watersheds to Pleasant Bay and Herring River. Nitrogen inputs from septic systems, stormwater, and fertilizers within Brewster have contributed to water quality impairments in these estuaries. While Brewster only has limited access to these coastal resources, the Town has an obligation to reduce nitrogen inputs to support the restoration of the estuaries. Recent Actions by the Town The Town continues to actively manage its water resources. Collaboration with the Brewster Conservation Trust and the Brewster Ponds Coalition expands the Town’s ability to manage and protect its water resources. Specific actions over the last five years related to the implementation of the IWRMP and other Town initiatives are summarized below: The Town, in collaboration with the Brewster Conservation Trust, continues to actively pursue open space preservation in the wellhead protection areas that contribute water to the Town’s wells. Between 2018 and 2020, an additional 113 acres of land was preserved to further protect drinking water quality. In addition, the Town is monitoring drinking water quality for per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that that have been found 30 in other drinking water systems on Cape Cod and are associated with a variety of sources, including firefighting foams, food packaging, skin care and clothing products. To date, none of the PFAS compounds have been detected in water pumped from the Town’s water supply wells. In 2016, the Town developed a Water Resource Atlas for 43 of the freshwater ponds in Brewster. The atlas highlights the sensitive areas around each pond, including the surface watershed, the groundwater recharge area to each pond, and the septic buffer around each pond. The atlas allows residents to understand the land use around each pond that affects water quality. The Mill Ponds Management Plan developed by SMAST (November 2014) provided an overall strategy for the restoration of Walker’s Pond, Upper Mill Pond, and Lower Mill Pond, including recommendations for weed harvesting in Walker’s Pond and an alum treatment in Upper Mill Pond to trap phosphorus in the sediments on the pond bottom, that were implemented by the Town. These measures are helping to restore water quality in both Upper and Lower Mill Ponds. Brewster continues to work with Orleans, Chatham, and Harwich to implement the Pleasant Bay watershed permit and reduce its nitrogen load to Pleasant Bay. A study, begun in August 2021, is evaluating fertilizer application leaching rates at the Captains Golf Course to inform nitrogen management decisions. In November 2021, the Town adopted a stormwater bylaw that will improve how stormwater is managed across Brewster. The bylaw will help ensure that stormwater is treated prior to discharge, using best management practices to treat for nutrients and other pollutants that could drain into nearby surface waters or groundwater. It also assists the Town in maintaining compliance with MS4 permit requirements under the Federal Clean Water Act. Regulations and guidance documents that explain how the bylaw will be implemented have been adopted and promulgated by the Town. In 2023, consistent with the Select Board’s strategic plan, the Town established a Water Resources Task Force, a technical working group made up of Town staff and certain other ex officio members, which aims to coordinate the multi-pronged, water resources work in the town. Key Issues Moving Forward In addition to the low-cost nitrogen management practices being adopted at the Captain’s Golf Course to lower the nitrogen threshold, the Pleasant Bay Watershed Permit requires that remaining load reductions required can be met through the construction of a neighborhood wastewater treatment plant for a portion of the watershed, the use of nitrogen reducing onsite system treatment systems, or a nitrogen trade with another watershed town. This cost could be reduced based on the results of the golf course fertilizer leaching rate study which will be completed in 2023. The Pleasant Bay Watershed Permit also requires that the Town address nitrogen inputs from future development in the watershed. Options to manage future nitrogen inputs include amendments to Town bylaws or regulations. For the Herring River watershed, there is no need to reduce the current nitrogen inputs to meet the total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) established in the watershed under state and federal law, but future inputs from increased development will need to be managed. The Town continues to monitor drinking water quality for per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that that have been found in other drinking water systems on Cape Cod and could begin development of a response and remediation plan for any future detections. 31 The Town is currently working to develop an updated summary of water quality in the major ponds in Brewster, utilizing the annual monitoring data that has been collected since the last summary report in 2009. In 2016, the Town, through Board of Health Regulations, established a minimum 300’ septic leaching system setback from ponds. The Town could consider further policies and regulations related to pond setbacks in the future. The Town could also consider pilot programs for innovative alternative septic system technologies that treat for phosphorus in contributing areas around ponds. 32 Governance Background and Current Status In 2016, the Government Study Committee completed its 2-year review of the Town’s organizational structure, duties and responsibilities of various Boards and Departments, and overall methods of communication. The Committee’s final report identified recommendations for the Town to consider, ranging from the form of governance to the number of boards and committees with overlapping charges. Primary themes that emerged from the 2017 Vision Planning workshops relative to Governance included: •A desire for government to be more transparent and customer-service oriented, and to further embrace technology to better communicate and engage citizens in town-wide decision-making processes. •A highly valued school system that is treasured by existing residents and one that attracts people to Brewster; and •An opportunity to more proactively engage both Brewster’s skilled retiree population and general citizens of every age in Town affairs. Recent Actions by the Town The Town established a Charter Committee in 2019 to address the structure and powers of Brewster town government. The Charter was approved by the Select Board, then by Town Meeting vote in Spring 2021 followed by state approval in January 2023. The Select Board develops an annual Strategic Plan with goals linked to the Vison Plan Building Blocks/Goals to keep work aligned with the Vision Plan. The Plan’s goals inform the Town’s ongoing and upcoming policy and operational initiatives. A monitoring matrix with general timeline, priorities, responsible parties, and key stakeholders for each goal facilitates accountability and tracking of progress. Significant progress has been made on many priorities identified in the Vision Plan as a result of this coordinated effort. The Strategic Plan will similarly continue to incorporate and implement the LCP Action Plan. Several initiatives have been undertaken to expand and improve communication with residents about Town initiatives, plans and progress. Town Website - The Town has long maintained a website where current information is posted by Department, as well as developed bulletin boards, informational brochures, and an email list with more than 1000 current subscribers. The Town has also created dedicated webpages such as Water Planning and Bay and Long Pond Parcels where interested persons can learn about specific projects. In response to public input, a more user-friendly website was designed and developed, with launch in March 2023. Expanded Use of Media and Social Media - The Town requires all Board and Committee meetings to be presented live and/or recorded for viewing on Government Channel 18 and online in an effort to increase transparency and better inform the public of governance processes and decisions. The Town made the BGTV media resources available by downloading the “Cablecast” app. Town livestream and media are now available on various platforms. Announcements are frequently posted on the Town’s home page with links to recorded board and committee meetings and posted on social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter. Beginning with the start of the COVID pandemic in 2020, the online meeting platform ZOOM was used initially for purposes of remote, and now hybrid, board and committee meeting participation that is open to the public for viewing and participation as appropriate. Viewing is either live or by recording. The option of in-person attendance at these 33 meetings was reinstated in March 2023.In order to reach a wider group of older residents, the Council on Aging and Brewster Ladies Library expanded its online offerings through taped presentations on BGTV and LCTV, continuing after in-person participation was resumed. Other Online Communication Tools - Starting with FY23, the Town began publishing the annual budget in a user-friendly online format. The OpenGov platform provides a dynamic, visual representation of Town finances for citizens to better understand where Town funds are being spent. Residents can view budget details by department as well as current year accomplishments and goals for the coming year. The capital planning process transitioned to this platform in FY2023. Use of this platform is intended to enhance transparency and public engagement. Citizens Forums - The opportunity for residents to raise issues and make announcements at many Town Committee meetings was introduced through inclusion of a “Citizens Forum” item on many standing meeting agendas. While the Committees are unable to respond to public comment, issues raised can be placed on future agendas for further discussion with the public. Most Town Committees now have an associated email address so that residents can provide comments and questions directly to a Committee. Use of Public Forums - To improve communication and community engagement around important issues and projects, Town Management regularly hosts public forums. The purpose of these sessions is two-fold: first, to present information and/or progress reports, for example, providing overviews of warrant articles prior to Town Meeting or project updates on public works efforts. The second purpose is to provide an avenue for the public to give their input and insight on those same matters for consideration and incorporation moving forward. Similar informational sessions are provided through other community groups like the Brewster Chamber of Commerce and League of Women Voters. Other Efforts - The vast majority of Town Committees and Boards are staffed by volunteers. Volunteers also help make Town Department programs very successful. The Select Board has implemented procedures for Standing Committee appointments to increase volunteerism. A future “Citizens Leadership Academy” is planned to support volunteer recruitment and enhance volunteer contributions. Managing volunteer programs requires staff resources. A “Serve Your Community” form to recruit new volunteers is available on the Town website and maintained by individual Town Departments and Committees, but there is no central database of volunteers. A central database of volunteers would offer many advantages. The Town has launched several initiatives to strengthen the customer service approach to Town services, including staff training in customer service, the 2021 adoption of a pledge and training for Town officials to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion for all. This is reinforced through Town Manager quarterly meetings with staff and monthly meetings with Department heads. Town Management and the Brewster Chamber of Commerce cohost biannual meetings with local business owners. Town Management and the Select Board also started holding public office hours in 2023. The Town launched an electronic permitting platform to replace its paper-based applications for Building, Health, and Planning Departments. Online applications for beach, recycling, and shellfish permits have been implemented along with the FY23 use of license plate reader technology. To facilitate resident or business owner communication with the appropriate Department, a seasonal, volunteer Town Hall “Greeter” position was instituted in 2019. After being discontinued due to the pandemic, the position was reinstated in 2022. Key Issues Moving Forward While the Town has made substantial progress since the 2018 Vision Plan, enhanced communication, transparency, customer service, and identifying methods for engaging residents of all ages continues to require attention and efforts. The Government Study Committee recommended 34 creating a consolidated “Inspectional Services Department” or a “Community Development Department”, which may help to serve small business interests and deliver more efficient customer service through consolidated permitting and inspections. The Town may want to consider such a consolidated department model for Brewster. 35 Community Infrastructure Background and Current Status The term “community infrastructure” is meant to encompass the variety of physical infrastructure and facilities that the Town and other community organizations provide for public purposes. Comments received in the June 2017 Vision Planning workshops demonstrated the considerable value of community infrastructure for recreation, public gatherings, and alternative transportation. The most frequently mentioned infrastructure need was for a multigenerational community center combined with a new location for the Council on Aging. Bike trails and sidewalks for recreation and as a means of alternative transportation around town were the second most frequently mentioned infrastructure need. A survey of Eddy School students also identified the need for active recreation sites such as skateboard parks and swimming pools. Community Infrastructure supports many of the other Building Blocks, particularly Community Character, Local Economy, and Coastal Management. This section will focus on the issues of a potential multigenerational community center, bike and pedestrian ways, and active recreation as high priorities. A variety of facilities are currently used for public meetings and gatherings, including the Ladies Library, Brewster Baptist Church, Council on Aging, and Eddy and Stony Brook Elementary Schools. Town Hall is used primarily for official board and committee meetings. There is no multi- purpose facility which allows a variety of uses and interactions for all generations. The Cape Cod Rail Trail (CCRT) stretches 7 miles from south central Brewster to the northeast line with Orleans, connecting to the entire 25 miles of paved bike/pedestrian trail. Maintained by the Commonwealth’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), the CCRT is one of the most actively used recreational facilities in Brewster and serves as a centerpiece of Brewster’s “green economy.” In the summer, it also serves as a way for visitors and summer workers to get around the town. A new access linking the CCRT at Nickerson State Park to the bayside at Linnell Landing has been designed and permitted, but funding sources are yet to be determined. DCR also maintains the numerous bike and hiking trails in Nickerson State Park. There are 7 miles of sidewalks along Rt. 6A/Main Street from Nickerson State Park to Stony Brook Road. Re-paving of Underpass and Snow Roads also extended sidewalks and created narrow bike lanes. Millstone Road design work also includes pedestrian and bike improvements. Chapter 90 funds will target Rte.137 from Rte. 6A/Main Street to the intersection of Rte. 124, including re- surfacing, drainage improvements and accommodating bike and pedestrian traffic. The main challenge to expanding bike and pedestrian ways is the narrow width of Brewster’s roads and the extent of wetlands. Speed limits also dictate design standards on major roads and require separation of vehicles and pedestrians or bicyclists. Creating public access on Brewster’s private roads can also be a challenge. 36 [Figure # - Transportation Resources] 37 Town facilities for active recreation are spread out throughout the town, including baseball and athletic fields, community tennis and pickleball courts, and playgrounds are located at Drummer Boy Park, the Eddy Elementary School, and Stony Brook Elementary School. Captain’s Golf Course is a significant Town-owned community recreational facility and a visitor attraction with public meeting space. Recent Actions by the Town A 2021 School Consolidation Study proposed three options for consolidation of the Eddy and Stony Brook Elementary Schools and housed at an expanded Stony Brook School. This would make the Eddy School available for repurposing. Further action will be determined by the School Committee. As of 2023, in light of increased enrollment, the School Committee voted to table the discussion of consolidation until enrollment levels necessitate a change. The recent purchase of the former Cape Cod Sea Camps properties, particularly the Bay Property on Rte. 6A/ Main Street, offers significant potential as a location for a multigenerational community center, as well as beach access and a variety of recreation activities. The Town established Planning Committees for both the Bay and Long Pond Properties at the end of 2021 to develop comprehensive plans. A consultant team was hired in 2022 and the public engagement process to inform long-term planning began in the Spring of 2023. In the interim, the Recreation Department has been using the Bay Property for a number of programs, First Light Beach opened to residents in 2022, and the Brewster Community Pool opened in June 2023. The Town updates and implements a Pavement Management Plan (PMP) on a regular basis to prioritize funding for improvements to Town roadways including bicycle and pedestrian facilities. As supported by the PMP, in Spring 2023, the Town received $186,000 in Winter Recovery Assistance Program (WRAP) funds to resurface Foster and Breakwater Roads to ensure safe usage by vehicle, cycle, and foot travelers. Additionally, the Town coordinated with the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA) to add a bus stop at the newly-constructed Brewster Woods housing complex on Brewster Road in FY23. A 2016 report prepared by the Brewster Bikeways Committee identifies alternative biking routes for transportation and recreation, proposes safety improvements, and recommends public education measures. In 2017, Town Meeting approved $100,000 for the installation of warning lights at the four Cape Cod Rail Trail (CCRT) crossings in town to enhance safety at the crossings. The Town also completed a Beach Access strategy, which includes expanding bike and pedestrian access to Town landings as a way to reduce the need for more beachfront parking. A CCRT spur from Nickerson State Park to Cape Cod Bay is also planned to expand bike and pedestrian access to the beach. In January 2020, the Select Board approved a Complete Streets Policy to accommodate all users by creating a context-sensitive roadway network that meets the needs of individuals utilizing a variety of transportation modes. The Policy directs decision-makers to consistently plan, design, construct, and maintain roadways to accommodate all anticipated users. Private ways may be exempted from this requirement upon approval by the Select Board with consultation from appropriate Town Departments. An updated Master Plan for Drummer Boy Park was approved by Town Meeting in Fall 2021. In Fall 2022, Town Meeting voted to remand the Plan back to committee for further study rather than move forward with its implementation, due in large part to concerns over a potential elevated boardwalk to Wing Island referred to in that plan’s appendix. The Select Board approved the charge for the new Drummer Boy Park Advisory Committee in March 2023. Member selection for that Committee is expected to conclude in June 2023. Town Meeting also approved funds to improve accessibility at the Freemans Way fields. As noted elsewhere in the LCP, the Bay and Pond Properties represent a significant opportunity for active recreation facilities, and the Recreation Department is making use of existing fields and facilities for interim programming. 38 Key Issues Moving Forward Priority community facilities and infrastructure needs for the coming years include reevaluation of the Master Plan for Drummer Boy Park; future consideration of consolidation of the Eddy and Stony Brook Elementary Schools; and identification of a location for a multi-generational community center. The Bay and Pond Properties offers a unique opportunity for the Town to consider a variety of potential uses for the property to meet multiple Town needs. Continued expansion of bike and pedestrian trails and paths to provide alternatives to automobile travel as well as recreational opportunities for residents and visitors is a key component of Brewster’s vision and goals. The Town will continue to consider the Complete Streets design as appropriate in future repaving projects. 39 Solid Waste Management Background and Current Status Solid waste management is a critical activity designed to protect human health and the environment while providing a service at a reasonable cost and supporting the economy. Many municipalities, including Brewster, have assumed this important management role by providing either a transfer station or curbside collection. New regulations adopted at the state level resulted in the Town initiating the lengthy process of closing its landfill. The current transfer station building was built in 1988 and designed for trash hauling. The SEMASS Partnership Agreement signed in 1985 by the Town of Brewster with other Cape Towns reduced the amount of greenhouse gas emissions attributable to trash disposal while generating electricity. The initial 30-year contracts required that all waste be delivered to SEMASS either via the “trash train” or by direct haul. The SEMASS Partnership Agreement was originally due to expire in 2015. The SEMASS facility was constructed, owned, and operated by Energy Answers Corporation until it was acquired by Covanta in 2008. In 1990, the MassDEP introduced waste bans on many recyclable items as well as those containing toxic materials. Once introduced, the Town began its recycling program in earnest, while continuing to send its residual, non-recyclable waste, to SEMASS for energy production. In parallel with negotiations with SEMASS for a new agreement in 2010, the Recycling Commission began discussing ways to reduce how much of Brewster’s waste was sent to SEMASS. The new contract negotiated by the Town and effective January 01, 2011, allowed for any legitimate waste reduction, reuse, or recycling program to be implemented with no penalty. The Town chose to renegotiate 5 years early to keep future tip fees in check by providing stable, below market rates until 2030. In addition, commercial waste haulers were prohibited from using the transfer station effective January 1, 2011. Recent Actions by the Town The Town implemented Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) in 2013 as a means of increasing recycling and decreasing the volume of trash for disposal and re-branded the transfer station to the Brewster Recycling Center. During the first full year, the PAYT program resulted in a 47% reduction in waste for transport to SEMASS for energy recovery and an increase of 26% recycling. Since the introduction of PAYT, the Town has continued to derive benefit from the program, despite COVID and the increase in the Town’s population. The Town has added organics recycling, to help decrease the amount of material that is sent off-site for combustion. and separation of newsprint and glass to save money and better manage these materials. Collections for e-waste, hazardous waste, mattresses, and yard waste continue to be successful and desired by permit users. The Swap Shop rules were re-drafted, resulting in more materials being diverted from Brewster’s waste stream. Waste practices at all Town offices and facilities were evaluated, and a recycling program was established at all beaches and recreational areas. Several Town bylaws have been passed including a ban on single-use plastic bags and the sale of single-use plastic bottled water by Brewster businesses, and a ban on single-use bottled water by Town Departments. The 2023 Spring Town Meeting approved a ban on the sale of miniature single use containers, i.e., “nips”, effective on January 1, 2024. Prior to the pandemic, the Brewster Recycling Commission was continually active in community outreach to promote better management of household waste. 40 Key Issues Moving Forward There are two major challenges facing good solid waste management in Brewster: 1.Changes in the recycling industry as to what and how to recycle; and 2.Re-education of patrons regarding the importance of these changes. The recycling industry must continually adapt to new materials and new ways to manage those materials. To process materials effectively at MRFs (Material Recovery Facilities), a combination of mechanical and human separation is necessary. For the system to work effectively, residents must follow the Recycling Guide to maximize what can and should be recycled. As an alternative to providing solid waste management through the Recycling Center, the Town could choose to use total curbside collection for trash and recyclables, and compliance could be better. However, there is a significant cost to town-wide collection and a feeling of loss of control by homeowners. To maximize recycling, reuse activities, and reduction of the amount of waste generated by Brewster’s homeowners, the following can be considered: 1.Recycling Center user-wide survey (based on permits) to determine the most effective method of communication so that changes in procedures can take quickly place when most economically advantageous to the Town; and 2.A local on-going multi-media campaign covering what, why and how to recycle typical household materials. In November 2022, Massachusetts extended its waste ban to include textiles. This provides the Town and private markets opportunities to address textiles in reuse or recycling. It has been recognized that better education is needed for landlords and seasonal renters regarding waste and recycling, including available facilities and services. 41 Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Background and Current Status According to the July 2021 Cape Cod Climate Action Plan, climate change is an unprecedented challenge that is transforming Cape Cod. Rising seas and changes to the coastline are the most dramatic evidence of climate change, but a changing climate is also impacting every facet of Cape Cod’s natural, built, and community systems. Our land use patterns and way of living dictate our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the leading cause of the climate crisis. Dedicated and immediate actions at the state, regional and local level are necessary to slow the effects of climate change and improve the region’s resiliency to its impacts. By the end of the century, damage to Cape Cod’s buildings and land lost to inundation from sea level rise alone could total over $30 billion. In response, the Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan and climate policy call for dramatic reductions in GHG emissions including a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and a net zero carbon emission target for 2050. The Cape Cod Climate Action Plan and 2018 Cape Cod Regional Policy Plan identify goals and policies as well as strategies and actions to reduce GHG emissions for Cape communities and enhance local and regional resiliency to present and future climate threats. The Town of Brewster has taken important steps in adopting local policies designed to support attainment of statewide GHG targets and regional goals for climate mitigation, specifically addressing the municipal stationary and transportation energy sources. The Town adopted a Climate Change and Net Zero Emissions Resolution in October 2020, to reduce net greenhouse gas and the Town’s vulnerability to climate change. Brewster’s 2019 Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Summary of Findings report documents climate and weather-related challenges in recent years. Intense rainstorms in 2017 and 2018 caused street flooding, coastal flooding, coastal erosion, storm surge, power outages and major travel disruptions. Low lying roadways and access points to Town beaches often flood during king tides (e.g., especially high spring tide). Brewster can expect to experience more severe events in the years to come in addition to rising sea levels due to climate change. Recent Actions by the Town The following are specific actions the Town has taken to support the newly adopted Brewster Climate Change and Net Zero Emissions Resolution and Town policy objectives on reduction of GHG emissions and to address the town’s vulnerability to climate change. Energy Reduction Measures •Board of Building Regulations and Standards Stretch Energy Code (2019) minimizes the life-cycle cost of new construction by utilizing energy efficiency, water conservation and other renewable/alternative energy technologies. The Stretch Energy Code applies to all new residential and commercial construction in the town. •The Town-Wide Energy Reduction Plan includes a summary of municipal energy uses and short- and long-term plans for municipal energy reduction. The majority of energy consumed is by municipal buildings (60%). The remaining usage includes vehicles (30%) and utility pumping (10%). The goal is to reduce baseline energy consumption by twenty (20) percent by FY2023. •The Town established the Energy and Climate Action Committee to evaluate the economic and practical feasibility of all energy- related projects and climate change-related activities on Town municipal property, including energy efficiency, energy conservation, 42 and greenhouse gas reduction. Committee work includes review of Town bylaws, regulations and policies as well as educational outreach to residents and businesses on climate change mitigation and adaptive strategies. The Committee is also charged to lead Town efforts to address climate mitigation and adaptation goals, as identified in the Town’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Hazard Mitigation Plan, Climate Emergency and Net Zero Declaration, Local Comprehensive Plan and Select Board Strategic Plan. Green Communities Designation •Brewster was designated as a Massachusetts Green Community in 2020 under the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) Green Communities Act of 2008. Grant funds through the Green Communities program were awarded for energy conservation measures such as programmable thermostats, an energy management system, heat pump water heater, and demand control ventilation in Municipal Buildings. •The Town has completed several solar projects with funding from the Cape and Vineyard Electric Cooperative, including 3.18628 total MW of solar generating facilities located on four municipal properties: the transfer station, the Stony Brook and Eddy Schools; and the Captains Golf Course and driving range. The total revenues and savings to the Town through leases and off-taking arrangements with other municipal facilities is approximately $273,772.06 (FY22). The total energy savings to the town from the rooftop solar installations on Stony Brook and Eddy Elementary Schools is 256,345.61 kWh (FY22). Carport solar canopies over the golf course parking lots produce an estimated 740,291 kWh annually, saving approximately 523 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent and providing the Town with more than $40,000 annually in revenue. •The Town’s long-standing commitment to open space protection has helped sequester carbon by protecting forested lands as a natural carbon sink. Complete Streets •Brewster adopted a Complete Streets Policy in 2020 to encourage safe and accessible options for all modes of travel including less personal vehicle travel, a significant source of GHG emissions, and more opportunity for walking, biking, and transit. Low Lying Roads •In partnership with the Cape Cod Commission, the Town has established a regional initiative supported with state Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant funds to consider traditional, green, and hybrid solutions and associated cost estimates for three low-lying road segments (Betty’s Curve at Route 6A/Lower Road, Lower Road at Freemans Pond, and Route 6A at the Dennis town line). Key Issues Moving Forward The Town is in the process of converting municipal vehicle fleets to electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles or vehicles using cleaner fuels. For municipal vehicles that will not be converted to electric in the near-term, the Town could also consider the use of hybrid vehicles or cleaner fuels, 43 as available. The Town is also reviewing methods to convert the conventional heating system in the Stony Brook School to cold weather heat pumps. There are three private electric vehicle charging stations in Brewster. The Town could pursue resources and programs to support additional electric vehicle charging stations in appropriate locations to help reduce the local GHG emissions in support of State goals. One of the ways the Town can consider mitigating climate change while simultaneously addressing other Building Blocks is by focusing future development in previously developed areas of the town with infrastructure capacity, served by transportation routes conducive to walking, biking, transit or the like. The Town employs a part-time energy manager through Cape Light Compact to analyze the energy uses of the Town and finding ways to save money and reduce dependency on fossil fuels as appropriate. The Town could consider performing energy assessments on all municipal buildings and work with the Cape Light Compact to access available programs. The Town could also consider pursuing adoption of small-scale community solar at appropriate locations. The CCC created an online screening tool to identify areas in Barnstable County that may be appropriate for large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) projects and those areas that may be less appropriate due to potential impacts to natural resources. This tool could be used as a starting point to help inform the siting of potential solar PV projects. More information on the solar screening tool can be found here: https://www.capecodcommission.org/our-work/solar-screening-tool/. The Commission has also prepared a model bylaw for large-scale, ground mounted solar arrays:https://www.capecodcommission.org/our- work/model-solar-bylaw/. Brewster is also working with the Cape Cod Commission on updating and strengthening local bylaws to better address coastal development and redevelopment with the goal of building coastal resiliency, including participating in the regional Low Lying Roads project to examine vulnerabilities in the roadway network and identify adaptation alternatives, with funding support provided by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) and the Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program. 44 SECTION 4: THE ACTION PLAN - BUILDING BLOCK GOALS, PURPOSES, AND ACTIONS The following Action Plan is proposed to achieve Building Block goals over the next 10+ years. The actions, strategies and policies identified are not intended to be a complete list of all that the Town could do but does include the most important actions essential to advance the corresponding goals. While a large and ambitious number of actions are presented, priorities for implementation will be identified during the Select Board’s annual strategic planning exercise. The list of actions has been drawn from numerous sources including the following: ●Actions from the Vision Plan that have not yet been implemented. ●Recommendations from implementing stakeholders and public comments about current needs. ●Recommendations from the summary papers about trends and needs; and ●Results of the Brewster’s Next Steps survey gauging public support for individual actions. Actions were also established and included in consideration of: ●Presenting a level of specificity appropriate for a high-level land use plan, i.e., enough specificity to provide policy direction for future implementation, but with sufficient flexibility not to impede or foreclose successful future implementation. ●The feasibility of implementation. ●A fair representation of the full spectrum of comments and opinions received throughout the entire comprehensive planning process; and ●The opportunity to provide benefits across multiple Building Blocks. As the final phase of Action Plan development, the draft list of actions was reviewed and refined by workshops of key Town Departments and local organizations to assess the accuracy, relevancy, and ability to implement each action. This vital part of the process helped ensure that the capacity and commitment to implement the Action Plan will make the LCP a living plan. The Action Plan is presented by Building Block, a concept established by the 2018 Vision Plan, with corresponding Community goals, purposes, and a broad array of proposed actions to achieve those the Community’s vision, goals and purposes. While the Building Blocks are presented separately, the Town recognizes that they are, in fact, highly interrelated and should not be treated in a stove-pipe manner. Action in one Building Block should help advance the goals of the others. At the same time, given the breadth of Brewster’s goals and the large number of actions to achieve them, there will be inevitable tensions or conflicts between actions. It will be the responsibility of the Select Board and other commissions and committees to strike the necessary balance to 45 resolve those tensions and achieve the community’s vision for the future. Further, the actions presented in this plan will require discussion among Town decision-makers and other stakeholders as to how and when specific actions are implemented. These discussions will take into account changing circumstances, available Town resources, the regulatory framework, and other conditions and challenges. COMMUNITY CHARACTER (CC) GOAL: Sustain and foster Brewster's historic and archeological values, rural nature, small town feel, and socially inclusive spirit and vitality PURPOSE 1: Provide social opportunities and services for all Actions: CC1.Expand, enhance, and support social opportunities, recreational activities and services for all at the Bay and Long Pond Properties, Brewster Ladies Library and a potential multi-generational community center. CC2. Identify, develop, and support new services as needed to strengthen diversity, equity, and inclusion. CC3. Ensure that school facilities and activities meet the needs of young families. CC4. Increase accessibility to all Town activities and facilities. CC5. Evaluate provision of financial support for Pre-K programs to attract and retain young families. PURPOSE 2: Maintain Brewster’s historic heritage and style Actions: CC6. Support existing regulations and educate the public on building and site design along Rte. 6A/Main Street and in the historic district to preserve historic character. CC7. Incorporate sensitivity for historic resources into the design of Town projects. CC8. Investigate the need for a Demolition Delay Bylaw and implement if supported and feasible. PURPOSE 3: Maintain Brewster’s small-town feel and scale through appropriate planning and design Actions: CC9. Explore and support the designation of “town centers”, including identifying what uses might best support such areas. CC10. Explore and establish, as desired and appropriate, building design standards and enhanced site design standards in the zoning bylaw for commercial areas. 46 WATER RESOURCES (WR) GOAL:Protect Brewster's groundwater, ponds, wetlands and their buffers, and marine watersheds PURPOSE 1: Preserve an adequate quantity and the high quality of our drinking water Actions: WR1. Continue land purchases to protect drinking water. coordinate aquifer protection with neighboring towns. WR2. Consider further strengthening drinking water supply protection in industrial zones. WR3. Evaluate actions to limit further development in drinking water supply areas. WR4. Evaluate the feasibility of testing for PFAS and other contaminants of emerging concern. WR5. Continue to educate and communicate with the public about water conservation practices and programs. WR6. Continue to update and implement the Integrated Water Resources Management Plan. PURPOSE 2: Maintain and improve pond water quality Actions: WR7. Promote, research, and pilot innovative alternative septic systems and other non-traditional wastewater solutions. WR8. Explore the feasibility of cluster sewage treatment systems for multifamily housing areas and neighborhoods that will impact pond water quality where supported by sufficient density. WR9. Fully implement the stormwater bylaw and share further information with the public. WR10. Continue to update pond water quality data and report to the public. WR11. Educate the public on pond water quality issues and what people can do to make a difference in their own homes. WR12. Pursue land acquisition to protect pond water quality. WR13. Research and consider the feasibility of the Town offering public incentives and financing for their use, including upgrades of existing systems in order to encourage innovative alternative septic systems and other non-traditional wastewater solutions, WR14. Research and consider the feasibility of centralized operations and management models for innovative alternative septic systems. WR15. Continue to update and implement the Integrated Water Resources Management Plan. 47 PURPOSE 3: Protect and restore water quality in the marine watersheds to which we contribute Actions: WR16. Evaluate the maximum build-out in the Pleasant Bay and Herring River watersheds and its impacts on water quality; consider regulations to mitigate build-out impacts. WR17. Promote, research, and pilot innovative septic systems and other non-traditional wastewater management models WR18. Explore the feasibility of cluster sewage treatment systems for multifamily and other neighborhoods that will impact marine watershed water quality, where supported by sufficient density. WR19. Continue exploring nitrogen reduction practices on golf courses. WR20. Pursue land acquisition to protect marine watersheds water quality. WR21. To encourage innovative alternative septic systems and other non-traditional wastewater solutions, research and consider the feasibility of the Town offering public incentives and financing for their use, including upgrades of existing systems. WR22. Research and consider the feasibility of centralized operations and management models for innovative alternative septic systems. WR23. Continue to update and implement the Integrated Water Resources Management Plan. 48 OPEN SPACE (OS) GOAL:Maintain and expand open space assets to provide passive recreation, protect fragile plant and wildlife habitat, protect water resources, and contribute to carbon sequestration PURPOSE 1: Improve public access to, and expand recreational area use of, open space as appropriate Actions: OS1. Consider an integrated trail system for the Long Pond Woodlands and the abutting Pond Property. OS2. Continue to improve public education and information, including guides and signage, about access to, accessibility improvements, and locations of town open space assets. PURPOSE 2: Prioritize environmentally sensitive areas for conservation Actions: OS3. Continue to prioritize land acquisition in public drinking water supply areas. OS4. Emphasize and educate about the importance of open space for pond and fragile habitat protection. OS5. Revise regulations and bylaws to direct growth toward developed areas of the town with infrastructure, public services, economic activities, and transit, and away from environmentally sensitive areas. OS6. Develop design standards to prevent fragmentation of environmentally sensitive areas. PURPOSE 3: Document the process for the acquisition and maintenance of open space to better engage and educate the public Actions: OS7. Develop and maintain an inventory of all protected open space in town. OS8. Develop and implement stewardship plans for Town-owned open spaces. OS9. Formalize the criteria to evaluate open space acquisitions and use, recognizing and balancing varied purposes such as the importance of recreation, the potential for establishing or extending trail networks, habitat benefits and the positive effect of woodlands in climate mitigation as criteria for land acquisition. 49 HOUSING (HO) GOAL:Provide more affordable, attainable, accessible, safe, and fair housing, and support residents to maintain and preserve their current housing in order to remain in the community PURPOSE 1: Achieve the Commonwealth’s goal of 10% affordable housing by 2029 Actions: HO1. Implement the 2022 Housing Production Plan (HPP) Update. HO2. Collaborate with existing local and regional groups to conduct public forums educating the general public on what affordable housing is and why it is important in Brewster. HO3. Work collaboratively with other towns to increase opportunities for affordable housing. PURPOSE 2: Establish attainable housing by promoting housing choices to allow families, single individuals, older adults, and seasonal and year-round workers to live, work, and prosper in the community Actions: HO4. Review and consider revising, as appropriate, the zoning bylaw to clarify/allow mixed use developments. HO5. Evaluate the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) bylaw provisions to improve efficacy, explore incentives for a greater number of ADUs, and connect owners to community resources to provide support and assistance in developing ADUs. HO6. Support creative funding and collaborative partnerships (public/private) in the development of community housing, including incentives for year-round rentals. HO7. Work collaboratively with other towns to increase opportunities for attainable housing. HO8. Review and evaluate the zoning bylaw with the aim of promoting more opportunities as appropriate for various types and forms of housing, including two-family residential/duplex; multi-unit/multi-family residential; and mixed-use residential development. HO9. Prioritize and incentivize the adaptive reuse of existing buildings for housing. HO10. Evaluate the use of Town-owned properties for creative housing solutions, including reuse of Town-owned buildings for housing. HO11. Evaluate the acquisition of land by the Town for housing, including for joint purposes such as open space uses. HO12. Encourage housing in areas near transportation, public services, and economic activities. HO13. Explore potential housing programs, opportunities, and funding for those earning 80% to 120% of Area Median Income (AMI). 50 HO14. Consider programs and regulatory amendments to allow for and support seasonal workforce housing. PURPOSE 3: Preserve existing year-round housing Actions: HO15. Promote ability for residents to transition to different forms of housing and remain in Brewster over a lifetime by providing a wide range of housing choices. HO16. Explore solutions to allow residents to age in place, including funding or subsidizing building adaptations, support programs, co- housing, and co-pairing situations. HO17. Evaluate the ADU bylaw provisions to improve efficacy, explore incentives for a greater number of ADUs, and connect owners to community resources to provide support and assistance in developing ADUs. HO18. Support creative funding and collaborative partnerships (public/private) in the preservation of community housing, including incentives for year-round rentals. HO19. Analyze the impacts of short-term rental operations in town and consider adopting policies, regulations, or programs to govern or document short-term rental operations. 51 COASTAL MANAGEMENT (CM) GOAL: In the context of coastal change, preserve and protect Brewster’s coastal resources, expand public access, and minimize the vulnerabilities from coastal hazards PURPOSE 1: Protect coastal resources in ways that preserve coastal ecosystems and the character of the town and coastal neighborhoods Actions: CM1. Evaluate and implement local coastal resiliency by-laws and regulations to protect or preserve the scale of development, visual character and resources in the town’s coastal areas. CM2. Establish a uniform definition of the 100-year coastal floodplain for local regulations. CM3. Increase public awareness of the importance of healthy coastal wetlands and natural processes, and of the need to protect these resource areas. PURPOSE 2: Maintain and expand public access to the coast Actions: CM4. Explore and evaluate the need for, and feasibility of, alternative transport and off-site parking options for the town’s coastal beaches and landings. CM5. Evaluate, explore, and advance opportunities to preserve or enhance public access to the shoreline and coastal beaches. CM6. Complete long-term plan for beach access at First Light Beach. CM7. Support those with mobility challenges by preserving public viewsheds and vistas to coastal resource areas and by evaluating opportunities for enhancing mobility access at beach landings. PURPOSE 3: Adapt to climate change projections and advance adaptation and resiliency techniques that are financially and environmentally sustainable Actions: CM8. Periodically assess coastal resource conditions for comparison to baseline conditions and on a regional scale, including sediment budget update, storm tide pathways, and a regional framework for resilience. CM9. Explore regulatory options for managed retreat of existing development from high-risk coastal resource areas. CM10. Explore and evaluate the need for, and feasibility of, potential retreat parking, including for Paine’s Creek and Mant’s Landings. PURPOSE 4: Provide access for coastal water dependent activities 52 Actions: CM11. Provide access and opportunities for commercial aquaculture by updating regulations, evaluating the designation of an Aquaculture Development Area, and analyzing the costs and benefits of expanding shell fishing and aquaculture. CM12. Expand propagation and other activities to support recreational shell fishing. CM13. Manage competing uses at town landings and mooring areas. 53 LOCAL ECONOMY (LE) GOAL:Promote a sustainable economy that builds on Brewster’s natural and human assets, addresses the needs of local businesses, and provides year-round employment opportunities PURPOSE 1: Preserve and enhance Brewster’s economy based on the Town’s natural and cultural resources Actions: LE1. Develop an economic development strategy that builds on Brewster’s natural, cultural, and human resources and aims to maintain existing and attract local businesses LE2.Work proactively with the Brewster Chamber of Commerce and other stakeholders to refine a common marketing strategy. LE3. Provide more information, including signage and online material, to help visitors find their way to public resources, businesses, and other amenities in town. LE4. Support identified or designated “town centers” through Town or other public capital investments. PURPOSE 2: Maintain and attract local businesses and promote year-round employment Actions: LE5. Review and potentially revise bylaws and regulations to allow a greater variety of small businesses throughout town, including in-home businesses. LE6. Review and potentially revise use regulations in the commercial and industrial zoning districts. LE7. Develop a guide to doing business for local businesses in Brewster, including permitting guidance. 54 GOVERNANCE (GO) GOAL:Provide an inclusive Town government that encourages participation by all residents by engaging in communication, expanding volunteer opportunities, and providing customer friendly service PURPOSE 1: Continue to communicate Town plans and activities to, and engage with, residents Actions: GO1. Develop a written Communications Plan to better inform residents and local businesses about Town affairs and opportunities for the public to participate. GO2. Continue to provide news and announcements on the Town website and through social and other media. GO3. Continue to provide updated and relevant information on the Town website, including Town finances, projects, permitting processes, and other initiatives. PURPOSE 2: Expand the volunteer base to increase the use of citizen expertise and build diversity in decision-making Actions: GO4. Develop and launch a Citizens Leadership Academy to help introduce residents to government services and volunteer opportunities. GO5. Continue the use of town-wide activities and ad hoc committees to engage residents in Town affairs. GO6. Develop a central database of volunteers to assist with recruitment of qualified volunteers across all Town Departments and appointed Committees. GO7. Acknowledge contributions of Brewster residents to Town or public affairs and recognize volunteers when they complete their commitment or at other important junctures of volunteer life. GO8. Continue to partner with community organizations on matters of public importance. PURPOSE 3: Continue to strengthen the customer service approach to Town services Actions: GO9. Develop a resource section on the Town website that includes educational materials, including videos (e.g., by link to Vimeo, BGTV or LCTV files) and fact sheets on topics such as responsibilities of Town Departments, zoning, permitting, ADUs, and other matters of high interest. GO10. Develop a ‘How-to Guide’ for homeowners to explain permitting processes. 55 COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE (CI) GOAL: Maintain and enhance town infrastructure in an environmentally and economically sustainable way that supports government services, opportunities for community interaction, the local economy and culture, public health, safe multi-modal transportation options, and expanded recreational opportunities PURPOSE 1: Plan and design Town building and construction projects to benefit the broad cross-section of all users and interests in the community Actions: CI1. Include enhanced universal accessibility where feasible on Town properties and projects. CI2. Conduct a needs assessment for a multi-generational community center, including considering reuse or redevelopment of other Town facilities/properties. CI3. Re-evaluate Drummer Boy Park master planning to date. CI4. Complete the comprehensive planning processes for and begin implementation of the plans for the Bay and Pond Properties. PURPOSE 2: Provide enhanced and safe multi-modal opportunities, access, and facilities for all, including for recreational purposes Actions: CI5. Develop a town-wide plan for expanding bike and pedestrian paths and sidewalks. CI6. Pursue the development of the Cape Cod Rail Trail (CCRT) extension from Nickerson State Park to Cape Cod Bay including the consideration of alternatives for crossing Rte. 6A/Main Street. CI7. Continue to coordinate with the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA) on additional bus routes and stops. PURPOSE 3: Plan and design traditional infrastructure projects like road improvements and maintenance to best serve the needs of the overall community, limit environmental impacts, and balance fiscal impacts Actions: CI8. Factor, budget, and set aside long-term improvement and maintenance costs in the funding for capital projects. 56 SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT (SW) GOAL: To manage a municipal solid waste system that protects public health, safety, and the environment, optimizes financial methods, communicates effectively with users, and employs innovative strategies to reduce solid waste and related costs PURPOSE 1: Reduce the waste stream Actions: SW1. Implement an ongoing multi-media public education campaign to reduce the waste stream, including re-purposing and re-using items and optimizing recycling. SW2. Enhance and publicize regional waste collection initiatives such as hazardous waste collection. SW3. Further investigate opportunities between Brewster and regional initiatives for solid waste management. PURPOSE 2: Improve the efficiency of the solid waste facility Actions: SW4. Enhance communications with the public concerning Recycling Center operations, practices, and policies using a variety of print and electronic media channels. SW5. Conduct a Recycling Center study and site analysis including traffic circulation, optimal use of space, safety, and potential re-use options. 57 CLIMATE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION (CA) GOAL: Support and advance the Commonwealth’s greenhouse gas reduction goals, including promoting sustainable energy use and renewable energy that protects the Town’s natural resources PURPOSE 1: Reduce the Town’s contribution to and vulnerability to climate change Actions: CA1. Develop a Net Zero Energy Roadmap for the Town’s assets and operations. CA2. Implement the MEMA/FEMA approved 2021 Local Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan. CA3. Consider specific actions for reducing energy use, including completing energy audits in all Town buildings; specifying actions regarding increased energy efficiency in existing and newly constructed Town buildings; locating solar panels/arrays on Town buildings and facilities; and purchasing alternative energy Town vehicles when due for replacement. CA4. Encourage roof mounted solar panels on buildings and on parking lot canopies/carports. CA5. Consider provision of incentives and/or assistance, including financial, for installation of solar panels on private homes. CA6. Work with private entities to install public charging stations at appropriate municipal or publicly accessible locations.CA7. Modify or re- locate Town infrastructure and buildings to reduce the potential damage due to climate change such as flooding. PURPOSE 2: Review and update Town bylaws and regulations to mitigate projected climate change impacts Actions: CA8. Review zoning bylaws and develop amendments for consistency with this goal, including small-scale solar installations, and the promotion of compact, walkable and bikeable development patterns. CA9. Clarify design guidelines for the Historic District regarding installation of renewable energy options. CA10. Review and consider revising existing Town bylaws and regulations dealing with the use of chemical fertilizers. CA11. Foster natural carbon sequestration by amending Town bylaw to limit the clearing of forested land, including for solar farms, and exploring opportunities to restore degraded native plant communities. PURPOSE 3: Build awareness about the nature of climate change and Town efforts to mitigate climate change Actions: CA12. Develop an Education and Preparedness Campaign for the general public and the business sector that includes guidance and checklists for reducing fossil fuel use, as well as recommendations to increase community resilience to the impacts. 58 SECTION 5: CAPITAL FACILITIES PLAN In this section the LCP will align, and cross-reference capital investments contemplated in the Action Plan with the Town’s on-going capital planning. This analysis ensures that the capital requirements necessary to implement the LCP are planned for and met. The LCPs Capital Facilities Plan (CFP) outlines the key capital facilities and infrastructure considerations raised in the Action Plan, intended to support, and advance Brewster’s LCP vision and goals. The CFP includes a spreadsheet that identifies these capital projects, and other capital needs, with associated funding information. The CFP also contains a spreadsheet that describes the Town’s existing capital facilities, assets and infrastructure. Infrastructure needs, challenges and constraints informed the preparation of the Action Plan and are discussed in the ‘Existing Conditions’ section of the LCP. The Town of Brewster, through its Town Manager and Select Board, engage in both an annual Strategic Planning Process and annual Capital Planning Process. The Strategic Plan is arranged by the Building Blocks in the Town’s Vision Plan, which was a precursor to the LCP. Going forward, the Strategic Plan will be arranged by the LCP Building Blocks. The Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) provides a blueprint for planning all the community's capital expenditures by aligning the Town’s priority capital needs with available funding sources. It includes programming and budgeting functions, allowing for project scheduling and financial adjustments over a 5-year planning horizon. The CIP culminates in the upcoming year's spending plan for capital items/ appropriations presented to Town Meeting for approval. The current CIP is for FY20-24. The LCP, specifically through its Action Plan and Capital Facilities Plan, is the intersection between the Town’s Strategic Plan and CIP. The Strategic Plan is the primary way through which the LCP Action Plan will be implemented, and its constituent actions prioritized. Although not every item on the CIP is represented in the Strategic Plan or in the LCP, many Town initiatives and projects appear in all three planning documents. The CFP does not supersede the Town’s normal capital budgeting process represented in the CIP. All Town capital projects, whether in the LCP or not, must be included on the CIP. The CIP and Strategic Plan contain more detail about estimated capital costs, funding sources and timing. The CIP includes many operational or customary items outside the scope of the LCP that are necessary to run the Town effectively. The CFP represents ongoing or proposed capital projects related to the LCP Action Plan that are currently on or might advance to the CIP, and from there to the Strategic Plan for implementation. The Town, through its Finance Team and directed by financial policies established by the Select Board, dedicates a portion of its certified free cash to fund annual capital requests. In addition to the free cash allocation, capital is funded through a variety of grants funds, community preservation funds, debt exclusion, overlay, and capital stabilization. The Golf and Water Departments, which have enterprise funds, pay for their own respective capital items. The Town of Brewster has worked diligently to ensure that the CIP, the Select Board Strategic Plan and the Local Comprehensive Plan are aligned, inform each other, and address and account for consensus community needs and future growth, and collectively provide an implementation framework to support achieving the community’s LCP vision. 59 [to be appended- allow 4 more pages for spreadsheets] 60 SECTION 6: HOUSING PRODUCTION PLAN SUMMARY This section summarizes the 2022 Town of Brewster Housing Production Plan (HPP) Update, which was approved by the Commonwealth in August 2022. The Housing Production Plan’s (HPP) goal is to help the Town make steady progress towards the 10% statutory minimum of affordable housing under Chapter 40B. Every community in Massachusetts is mandated to have 10% of total year-round housing units as deed- restricted to be affordable for low- or moderate-income households. The HPP includes a housing needs assessment, housing goals, and implementation strategies. Brewster’s 2022 HPP is an update to the 2017 HPP which has guided the Town’s Housing program over the past 5 years and is currently certified, meaning the Town has met its housing production goal for the present year. Housing Needs Assessment Key findings of the housing needs assessment include the following: ●Brewster’s population increased by 5% between 2010 & 2020 Census, despite projections forecasting a potential decline. ●Over the past decade, the population under 54 years old has decreased, and the population over 55 years has increased. ●Older adults living alone are the most likely household type to be low–to-moderate income, under 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). ●Housing sales prices have jumped significantly since 2020 and continue to rise. Rental opportunities are limited, particularly for market rate units. The share of housing units for seasonal recreational, or occasional use has increased, while the share of year-round renters has decreased. Housing Production Goals The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) HPP guidelines require that the goals include both qualitative and quantitative outcomes based on community and regional needs. Brewster’s mandated quantitative goal is to produce 24 new units of Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) eligible affordable housing units a year. The Town identified four major qualitative goals: 1. Increase and diversify year-round housing options in Brewster for a range of income levels and household types. 2. Prevent displacement of current residents and facilitate housing mobility for households looking to move within or into Brewster. 3. Align development with the principles of the Town’s Local Comprehensive Plan/Vision Plan 4. Continue to build capacity to produce housing through staffing, funding, regional partnerships, advocacy and education, and relationships with nonprofit and for-profit developers. 61 Housing Production Plan Implementation Strategies Brewster has made significant progress implementing its 2017 Housing Plan. This includes hiring a Housing Coordinator, creating a Housing Trust, adopting Accessory Dwelling Unit Bylaws, obtaining housing funding, receiving a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for housing rehab and childcare, accepting a proposal to build rental housing on Town land, redeveloping a vacant building for housing, permitting 59 units of affordable housing, and twice certifying the Housing Plan. The 2022 HPP includes the following Implementation Strategies to meet the 10% DHCD affordable unit goal: Regulatory Reform - Involve tools that make permitting more efficient, allow more housing development, and allow more types of housing in Brewster. Strategy 1: Re-evaluate the existing ADU and ACDU bylaws and other references to accessory apartments; explore amendments to streamline these provisions and improve their efficacy. Strategy 2: Amend zoning to clearly allow mixed uses that include housing in business-zoned areas. Strategy 3: Re-evaluate the existing multifamily dwelling bylaw (Section 179-34) and consider changes and other regulatory measures to facilitate multi-unit residential development. Strategy 4: Explore measures to require or encourage the inclusion of affordable units in residential developments over a certain number of units. Strategy 5: Allow and incentivize the adaptive reuse of existing buildings for the creation of affordable and mixed income housing. Strategy 6: Utilizing the findings of the ongoing Integrated Water Resources Management Plan, continue to identify appropriate wastewater treatment systems to enable the creation of denser housing developments that can support the inclusion of affordable units. Funding and Assets - Protect existing affordable housing and pursue specific ways to expand local funds. Strategy 7: Continue to work with nearby communities on the Cape by pooling CPA funds and other resources to construct affordable housing in suitable locations throughout the region and meet regional housing needs. Strategy 8: Develop a five-year financial plan for the Brewster Affordable Housing Trust and determine whether additional funding streams should be explored. Strategy 9: Based upon the BAHT five-year financial plan, explore other funding opportunities to support housing initiatives at a range of income levels. Strategy 10: Explore local property tax incentives for the creation of affordable housing, such as offering a reduction of property taxes to an owner renting an affordable unit. Strategy 11: Develop criteria for assessing a property’s suitability for the creation of affordable and attainable housing. Strategy 12: Inventory existing Town-owned land using the criteria developed to determine suitability for housing; develop and issue an RFP for the development of affordable and attainable housing on properties identified as suitable for housing development. 62 Strategy 13: If deemed necessary based upon the findings of the Town-owned land inventory, develop and issue an RFP for the acquisition of privately held land for the creation of affordable and attainable housing. Education and Advocacy - Capture key stakeholders most at risk from the effects of limited housing choices. Strategy 14: Develop a collaborative housing education plan that connects to the Town’s Local Comprehensive Plan. Strategy 15: Continue to ensure regular participation by staff and members of Town bodies in available training on housing-related issues including fair housing, local and regional housing needs, comprehensive permit administration, and other relevant topics. Local Planning and Policy - Pursue partnerships and create a more welcoming environment for housing development. Strategy 16: Continue to make good use of Chapter 40B, including the Local Initiative Program (LIP), as a vehicle for creating affordable housing. Strategy 17: Encourage public/private partnerships to facilitate the collaborative production of affordable housing to meet a range of community needs. Strategy 18: Continue to monitor the impacts of short-term rentals on the availability of year-round rental units; review and consider changes to local policies accordingly. Strategy 19: Increase housing staff capacity to ensure continued and consistent collaboration with the Building, Conservation, Health, and Planning Departments. Community Resources & Local Support – Ensure needs of the program benefactors are met. Strategy 20: Continue the CDBG-funded housing rehabilitation program to enable income-eligible homeowners to make critical home repairs. Strategy 21: Evaluate current CPC-funded housing initiatives and consider adjusting to meet current needs. Strategy 22: Explore other opportunities for direct support for eligible households, including partnerships with local non-profits and housing assistance providers. 63 SECTION 7: IMPLEMENTATION AND PERFORMANCE MONITORING An overarching consideration of implementation is to align the LCP, the Town’s Capital Plan, and the Select Board’s Strategic Plan. Implementing the LCP will be the responsibility of numerous Town Boards and Departments and organizations in the community. The Select Board will oversee implementation, including delegating responsibilities and identifying priorities. The primary vehicle for LCP implementation will be the Select Board’s annual rolling strategic planning exercise which, since its start in 2019, has been structured around the goals of the Vision Plan. The Select Board’s Strategic Plan is updated on an annual basis with input from Town Boards, Committees and Department Heads. A copy of the most recent Strategic Plan is included in this section. The Select Board will balance the various Building Block goals seeking to identify consensus priorities in carrying out its strategic planning. The Select Board will also coordinate LCP actions with the implementation of other actions contained within the Strategic Plan or of public importance, e.g., proposed regulatory changes to forward particular LCP goals would not only be coordinated with one another but with any broader efforts to review and revise Town regulations or bylaws. The LCP will be the framework to ensure the alignment of the Select Board’s Strategic Plan and the community’s vision. In addition to the Select Board, the Planning Board will play a key role in implementing the LCP, particularly those elements related to land use policy and reforming the Town’s bylaws so that they become better adapted tools for achieving the vision and policy directions of the LCP. Monitoring progress and reporting to the community will be another important aspect of the implementation process. To assist in understanding the process by which the Town will implement action items, there is a diagram depicting the relationship between the LCP, the Strategic Plan and the Capital Improvement Plan included herein. After LCP adoption, the Strategic Plan will, among other things, incorporate LCP Building Block goals and actions as a means of implementing the LCP. In terms of implementation, the Strategic Plan assigns timeframes and responsible parties to undertaking actions, which is a particularly effective process in ensuring that the LCP is implemented successfully and with the best available information. Monitoring progress and reporting to the community will be another important aspect of the implementation process. In 2021, the Vision Planning Committee produced a report on the implementation of the Vision Plan that was well received by the public and Town government. With the LCP becoming the framework for the Select Board’s Strategic Plan, monitoring LCP implementation becomes an integral part of that annual process. This will include publishing reports on implementation progress for the Select Board’s internal use and reporting to the public on progress in achieving the community’s goals. If the Town elects to pursue LCP certification, the Town will also provide the Cape Cod Commission this annual report to communicate progress on the LCP. 64 [Insert Select Board Strategic Plan FY24-25 here] Next Page: Revise Implementation Diagram to detail/ include community input 65 66 SECTION 8: SUPPORTING LOCAL PLANS, REGULATION AND POLICIES Community Character ●Historical Commission Survey of Brewster Houses, 2016 Open Space ●Town of Brewster Open Space and Recreation Plan Update, 2021 Coastal Management/ Climate Adaptation ●FEMA CRS Program, established 2018 ●Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan 2021 ●Coastal Resource Management Plan (Phase I), 2019 ●Coastal Adaptation Strategy, 2016 ●Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Plan, 2019 Water Resources ●Horsley Witten Group, Inc. January 2022. Integrated Water Resource Management Plan 2022 Update ●Horsley Witten Group, Inc. January 2013. Integrated Water Resource Management Plan Phase II Report ●CDM February 2011. Integrated Water Resource Management Plan Phase I Report – Needs Assessment ●Horsley Witten Group, Inc. 20216. Water Resource Atlas Fresh Water Ponds, Brewster, Massachusetts. ●University of Massachusetts School for Marine Science and Technology and Cape Cod Commission. Brewster Freshwater Ponds: Water Quality Status and Recommendations for Future Activities. ●University of Massachusetts School for Marine Science and Technology. November 2014. Mill Ponds Management Plan - Walkers Pond, Upper Mill Pond, and Lower Mill Pond. ●Solitude Lake Management. January 30, 2020. Alum Treatment Final Completion Report, Upper Mill Pond January 2020. Governance ●Town of Brewster Annual Strategic Plan, adopted by Select Board ●Select Board Policy #58 (Public Engagement) Community Infrastructure/ Capital Facilities ●Town of Brewster Community Preservation Plan, FY23 – FY27. 3/23/22 Adopted by the Select Board 08/08/2022 ●Pavement Management Plan, 2022 ●FY22-26 Capital Improvement Plan ●Drummer Boy Park Master Plan update, approved Fall 2021 Town Meeting ●Select Board Policy #61 (Complete Streets Policy) ●Biking Brewster: A Strategy to Enhance Biking in Brewster, prepared by Brewster Bikeways Committee. March 2016 67 Solid Waste ●Pay As You Throw (PAYT) Report, August 2014 Climate Mitigation ●Town Climate Change and Net Zero Resolution, 2020 ●Energy Reduction Plan (Green Community Designation), 2020 Housing Production Plan ●Town of Brewster Housing Production Plan 2022 – 2027 Other Housing/ Local Economy ●American Community Survey 2019 Data, 5-year estimates ●Brewster Community Preservation Plan FY23-FY27 ●Cape Cod & the Islands Association of Realtors 2021 Annual Report & December 2021 Brewster Local Market Update ●US Census 2020 Brewster Code (selection, Bylaws) ●Chapter 17, Community Preservation Committee ●Chapter 18, Affordable Housing Trust Fund ●Chapter 83, Staff Review ●Chapter 100, Flooding ●Chapter 112, Water ●Chapter 115, Illicit Connections and Discharges (note: MS4) ●Chapter 119 Fertilizer Nutrient Control ●Chapter 135, Pollution and Environmental Hazards (note: single use plastic bags, etc.) ●Chapter 152, Single Use Plastic Water Bottles ●Chapter 157, Streets and Sidewalks ●Chapter 159, Stretch Energy Code ●Chapter 171, Water Betterments ●Chapter 172, Wetlands Protection ●Chapter 179, Zoning ●Chapter 272, Stormwater Management ●Chapter 290, Subdivision Rules and Regulations Brewster Wetlands Protection Regulations 68 Brewster Stormwater Management Regulations Board of Health Regulations & Policies (Selections) ●I/A Monitoring Regulation ●Nitrogen Loading Regulation ●Percolation Rate Regulation ●Private Well Regulation ●Inspection Maintenance Program Regulation ●Small Wastewater Treatment ●Substandard Septic System Upgrade Regulation ●Leaching Facility Setback Regulation ●Water Quality Report Regulations ●Disposal Construction Limit Regulation ●Recycling Center Regulations ●Zone II Deed Restriction Regulation ●Sand & Gravel Mining Regulation ●Septic System Betterment Regulation ●Designation of Wetlands Conservancy District Policy ●Board of Health Policy on Single Cesspools ●Soil & Percolation Observation Policy ●Bedroom Definition ●Septic System Inspection Requirement for Variance Applications Policy ●In-House Septic Local Upgrade Approval Policy Town of Brewster 2198 Main Street Brewster, MA 02631-1898 Phone: (508) 896-3701 www.brewster-ma.gov Select Board 2.27.2023 www.brewster-ma.gov Page 1 of 8 Office of: Select Board Town Manager MINUTES OF THE SELECT BOARD MEETING REGULAR SESSION DATE: February 27, 2023 TIME: 5:30 PM PLACE: Remote Participation REMOTE PARTICIPANTS: Chair Whitney, Selectperson Bingham, Selectperson Chaffee, Selectperson Hoffmann, Town Manager Peter Lombardi, Assistant Town Manager Donna Kalinick, Finance Committee Members: Pete Dahl, Andrew Evans, Alex Hopper, Honey Pivirotto, Robert Tobias, and William Meehan, Eric Orcutt, Amanda Bebrin, Human Resources Director, Susan Broderick ABSENT: Selectperson Chatelain Call to Order, Declaration of a Quorum, Meeting Participation Statement and Recording Statement Chair Whitney called the meeting to order at 5:30pm, declared a quorum by stating that all members of the Select Board are present via zoom and read the meeting participation and recording statements. Executive Session  To discuss strategy with respect to litigation, as an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the litigating position of the public body and the chair so declares: Federal Multidistrict Litigation vs. CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Teva, and Allergan  Review & Vote on Executive Session Minutes Selectperson Hoffmann moved to enter executive session. Selectperson Bingham second. A roll call vote was taken. Selectperson Chaffee-yes, Selectperson Bingham-yes, Selectperson Hoffmann-yes, Chair Whitney-yes. The Board vote was 4-Yes, 0-No. The Board returned to regular session at 6pm. Consent Agenda a. Meeting Minutes: February 8, February 9, February 10, and February 13, 2023 b. Appointments: Pond Property Planning Committee- Tim Hackert, Brewster Affordable Housing Trust, voting member and Suzanne Kenney, Vision Planning Committee liaiso n c. Intermunicipal Agreement with Falmouth to Purchase Oyster Seed d. Department of Public Works Request for Fee Waiver e. One Day Liquor License Application; Brewster Sportsman’s Club f. Pass Through Town Permission; Second Summer Cycle, LLC/ Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce Selectperson Hoffmann moved to approve the Consent Agenda of February 27, 2023. Selectperson Chaffee second. A roll call vote was taken. Selectperson Chaffee-yes, Selectperson Bingham-yes, Selectperson Hoffmann-yes, Chair Whitney-yes. The Board vote was 4-Yes, 0-No. Public Announcements and Comment: None Doc ID: b42e238c78cddd2aa92eaa0ed61f507f8a069bb7 Town of Brewster 2198 Main Street Brewster, MA 02631-1898 Phone: (508) 896-3701 www.brewster-ma.gov Select Board 2.27.2023 www.brewster-ma.gov Page 2 of 8 Office of: Select Board Town Manager Select Board Announcements and Liaison Reports Selectperson Chaffee announced that there will be a “Fix-it” Clinic hosted by both the Recycling Commission and the Brewster Ladies Library on March 11, 2023, from 1pm – 4pm at the library. The clinic is open to residents that have a household item that needs repair, appointments can be made through the Brewster Ladies Library website. If anyone would like to volunteer their time on the Fix-it team, please reach out to Recycling Commission Chair, Meg Morris at brewster.recycling@gmail.com. Town Manager’s Report Mr. Lombardi noted that there is a Special Town Meeting on Monday March 6, 2023, at 6pm (check in starts at 5pm) at Stony Brook Elementary School. Warrants are available on the Town website and in hardcopies at several Town Buildings and a handful of local businesses. Review Annual Liquor License for BANDG, LLC d/b/a Apt Cape Cod and Vote on Request for Prorated Refund Ms. Kalinick reviewed that the property owners at 2149 Main Street were granted an 8-week Annual Liquor License allowing them the opportunity to complete a sale of the property and transfer the license. The owner, Art Arnold notified via email to the Town that they will be giving the liquor license up. Mr. Arnold has requested a prorated refund of the fee for the Annual Liquor License. The amount for the 8-week period would be $285 and a refund of the balance for the remainder of the year to be approved by the Select Board. The Kitchen Café has provided an application to the Town Manager’s office for a change of classification. After the resolution of tonight’s agenda item, the Town will move forward with the process for setting a public hearing for the new license. Danielle Panzica, owner of the Kitchen Café, joined the meeting and expressed her interest in the Annual license. Selectperson Hoffmann moved to refund the amount of $1,565 for the Liquor License issued to BANDG LLC d/b/a Apt Cape Cod. Selectperson Bingham second. A roll call vote was taken. Selectperson Bingham-yes, Selectperson Chaffee-yes, Selectperson Hoffmann-yes, Chair Whitney-yes. The Board vote was 4-Yes, 0-No. Vote to Place Article Seeking to Ban the Sale of Nips on Spring 2023 Annual Town Meeting Warrant Mr. Lombardi reviewed that the Recycling Commission has recommended to bring a bylaw to Town Meeting to ban the sale of nips. The Select Board held a public hearing giving residents and business owners the opportunity to provide feedback before deciding whether to place an article on the warrant. Selectperson Chaffee recommends that we use the suggested wording for the warrant article that was recommended by Town Counsel with a slight correction. Selectperson Chaffee moved to use the recommended language and place the article on the warrant. Selectperson Hoffmann second. A roll call vote was taken. Selectperson Chaffee-yes, Selectperson Bingham- yes, Selectperson Hoffmann-yes, Chair Whitney-yes. The Board vote was 4-Yes, 0-No. 6:15PM Public Hearing: Annual All Alcoholic Beverages Package Store License Transfer, Pledge of Inventory and Pledge of Collateral – KMKB Inc. d/b/a Brewster Village Marketplace Doc ID: b42e238c78cddd2aa92eaa0ed61f507f8a069bb7 Town of Brewster 2198 Main Street Brewster, MA 02631-1898 Phone: (508) 896-3701 www.brewster-ma.gov Select Board 2.27.2023 www.brewster-ma.gov Page 3 of 8 Office of: Select Board Town Manager Selectperson Hoffmann moved to open the public hearing. Selectperson Chaffee second. A roll call vote was taken. Selectperson Chaffee-yes, Selectperson Bingham-yes, Selectperson Hoffmann-yes, Chair Whitney-yes. The Board vote was 4-Yes, 0-No. Gregory Demakis who represents the petitioner, Brewster Market and Liquors Inc., who have entered into an agreement with the seller to purchase the real estate at 1760 Main Street. The sole stockholder is Tapan Patel, a very experienced operator. The manager of the store will be Raj Patel. Mr. Demakis noted that the operation and trade name will remain the same. The store will be open 7 days a week from 7am until 11pm, the hours of liquor sales will be 8am until 11pm Monday through Saturday and Sundays from 10am until 11pm. Selectperson Hoffmann moved to approve the All-Annual Alcoholic Beverages Package Store License Transfer, Pledge of Inventory and Pledge of Collateral for KMKB Inc. d/b/a Brewster Village Marketplace with the change of hours as mentioned. Selectperson Chaffee second. A roll call vote was taken. Selectperson Chaffee-yes, Selectperson Bingham-yes, Selectperson Hoffmann-yes, Chair Whitney-yes. The Board vote was 4-Yes, 0-No. Selectperson Hoffmann moved to close the public hearing. Selectperson Bingham second. A roll call vote was taken. Selectperson Chaffee-yes, Selectperson Bingham-yes, Selectperson Hoffmann-yes, Chair Whitney-yes. The Board vote was 4-Yes, 0-No. Presentation and Discussion on Proposed FY24 Cape Cod Regional Technical High School Budget- Erin Orcutt, CCT Finance Director (Joint with Finance Committee) Finance Committee Chair Pete Dahl called the meeting to order at 6:18pm, declared a quorum by announcing all Committee members present: Andrew Evans, Alex Hopper, Honey Pivirotto, Robert Tobias, and William Meehan Erin Orcutt reviewed the FY24 Operating budget for the Cape Cod Regional Technical High School presentation, some of the highlights included:  FY24 Enrollment by Town; up 11 students for a total of 664 students. Brewster has 53 students enrolled, down 6 from FY23.  The FY24 Budget has been approved at a 3.86% increase: an increase of $623,000 over the FY23 Budget. The total operating budget is $16,750,000.  The money comes from; Assessments ($12,491,079), State Aide ($3,593,921) and Local Revenues ($665,000)  In the review of what the money is used for the largest percentage is teachers’ salaries at 34.7% and second largest is insurance benefits at 11.4%.  FY24 Capital Debt Assessment is $471,498 and the operating assessment is $992,867 which totals $1,464,365. Members of the Select Board and Finance Committee asked questions regarding the presentation, questions Doc ID: b42e238c78cddd2aa92eaa0ed61f507f8a069bb7 Town of Brewster 2198 Main Street Brewster, MA 02631-1898 Phone: (508) 896-3701 www.brewster-ma.gov Select Board 2.27.2023 www.brewster-ma.gov Page 4 of 8 Office of: Select Board Town Manager included the State’s free breakfast and lunch program, mental health services for students, enrollment comparted to the capacity of the school (building was designed for 650 assuming an 85% capacity figure, Ms. Orcutt noted the school is comfortable in enrollment and could push another 35-45 students) and the Excess and Deficiency fund. Mr. Lombardi noted that the Town expected between a 2.5-3% increase from Cape Cod Tech, between the combination of the enrollment decline and the application of the additional State funding, our assessment from FY23 to FY24 is set to go down a little over 10%. Adding that there is $100K in savings to the Brewster budget for the Cape Cod Tech assessment for their operating budget for next year. Update on FY24 Nauset School Budgets & Potential Operating Override(s)- Select Board FY23-24 Strategic Plan Goal G-1 Mr. Lombardi noted that the Town has been working under the assumption that we could accommodate a 3% increase to both the Nauset District assessments and the Brewster Elementary Schools budget and have about $75K in excess levy capacity on a $55M budget. There have been several changes to the budgets in the Towns favor in providing a little bit more capacity, two major drivers are a significant de crease on the Cape Cod Tech assessment and our net State Aid which resulted in an increase of about $130K in levy capacity. The Town is now in a position to be able to support a 4% increase in the schools’ budget and still have a little excess levy capacity. The Nauset Regional Assessment for Brewster is currently projected to increase by 10.6%, the Stony Brook Elementary School is at least 6.5% to 7.2% increase and the Eddy Elementary School is a 7.8% increase. Mr. Lombardi stated that if these budgets remain constant from where they are today, we are looking at a deficit of approximately $1.1M. About $325K is related to the combined elementary school budgets, another $800K needed to fully fund the Region over the 4% that we can afford above the levy. Operating overrides would require both majority votes of our local town meeting and at the ballot. In meeting with Town Managers of district Towns, all four Towns will need to bring forward operating overrides to fund their share of the Nauset District budget if there are not significant decreases. Members of the Select Board and the Finance Committee provided their feedback, concerns and comments on the information provided. Mr. Lombardi noted that Nauset leadership will be attending the March 20 Select Board meeting and the March 29 Finance Committee meeting. Mr. Lombardi also shared what happens if the override did not pass, noting that the Town is governed by State regulations in terms of approvals of regional school district budgets. Finance Committee member Tobias moved to adjourn. Second by member Meehan. A roll call vote was taken. Member Evans-yes, Member Henchy-yes, Member Hooper-yes, Member Pivirotto-yes, Member Tobias-yes, Member Meehan-yes, Chair Dahl. The vote was 7-Yes,0-No. Discuss and Vote to Accept FY22 Audit- Honey Pivirotto, Audit Committee Chair Ms. Pivirotto shared that the Audit Committee reviewed the listing of grants totaling $878,738. 68 (included in the packet) for which the compliance report was prepared and approved. The Committee voted to recommend acceptance and approval of the audit and the compliance report which was permitted for this Doc ID: b42e238c78cddd2aa92eaa0ed61f507f8a069bb7 Town of Brewster 2198 Main Street Brewster, MA 02631-1898 Phone: (508) 896-3701 www.brewster-ma.gov Select Board 2.27.2023 www.brewster-ma.gov Page 5 of 8 Office of: Select Board Town Manager year in lieu of a single audit for this period. Ms. Pivirotto reviewed the highlights of the audit, which includes that the audit was accompanied by a “clean, unqualified opinion” which is the most optimal audit letter the Town can receive. This indicates the auditor’s belief the Town’s financial statements fairly present its financial results, financial position and cash flows. Financials are in good order and reflect a healthy position for the Town. Assets of the Town exceeded liabilities by $77.36M. Ms. Pivirotto shared that the Town was determined to be fully compliant with the terms of the grants based on the auditors review of the requirements of each and every grant. For this year the compliance report by the auditors will fulfill the Town’s reporting obligations. Selectperson Bingham moved to accept the Audit as presented. Selectperson Hoffmann second. A roll call vote was taken. Selectperson Chaffee-yes, Selectperson Bingham-yes, Selectperson Hoffmann-yes, Chair Whitney-yes. The Board vote was 4-Yes, 0-No. Discuss and Vote on Recommended Summer 2023 Community Pool Program and Fee Structure- Amanda Bebrin, Bay Property Planning Committee Chair (Select Board FY23-24 Strategic Plan Goal SC-2) Ms. Bebrin noted that the slide deck from the January 17, 2023 public pool forum is included in the packet to provide information about the facility and the plans to open for the summer. The Bay Property Planning Committee (BPPC) voted on the following:  The pool would be from June 26, 2023 through August 15, 2023.  Hours will be from 8am until 6pm operation, there is intent to open the pool at 7am.  Membership will be for residents only, with 5 membership tiers: o Individual Senior aged 70+ = $75 o Two-person household of which one must be 70+ = $125 o Individuals = $100 o Two-person households = $150 o Families = $200 The BPPC voted to support the Recreation Department and Commission in their efforts to provide programming that consists of lap swim, open swim, swimming lessons, water aerobics and group activities. The schedule and details will be completed by the Recreation Commission. Residents who have purchased a pool pass will have an option to purchase guest passes for up to 10 guests for a cost of $50. Another offering for residents is 4 drop-in days at $5 a swim. Ms. Bebrin noted that the most frequent response from residents was concern for fellow residents who may not be able to afford the pool memberships, the Good Neighbor Fund will be an option to apply to for help with membership costs. Mr. Lombardi explained that generally speaking the Town would need about 1000 residents to purchase some form of membership to reach the goal of self-sufficiency for the pool this season. Adding that we have the initial appropriation for $200K that was approved and was intended to cover first year costs. It was reviewed that the Town is recommending that there will be a limit of 100 persons at the facility at any Doc ID: b42e238c78cddd2aa92eaa0ed61f507f8a069bb7 Town of Brewster 2198 Main Street Brewster, MA 02631-1898 Phone: (508) 896-3701 www.brewster-ma.gov Select Board 2.27.2023 www.brewster-ma.gov Page 6 of 8 Office of: Select Board Town Manager one time, this is consistent with staffing needs and the required lifeguard to swimmer ratio of 1 to 25. The Town will be using the same system as we did last year with First Light Beach, when capacity is met, the ga te keeper will be notified for anyone entering the property. Mr. Lombardi shared that the regulations for the pool are being developed and the Recreation Commission will be adopting them in the next month or so. Also planning on having dedicated staff at the pool who aren’t lifeguards who will be checking people in and responsible to track the number of people in the pool facility and ensuring regulations are being followed. Selectperson Chaffee moved to approve the recommended summer 2023 Community Pool program and fee structure. Selectperson Hoffmann second. A roll call vote was taken. Selectperson Chaffee-yes, Selectperson Bingham-yes, Selectperson Hoffmann-yes, Chair Whitney-yes. The Board vote was 4-Yes, 0-No. Discuss and Vote to Change COVID Relief Fund to Good Neighbor Fund- Susan Broderick, HR Director Susan Broderick provided background of the COVID Relief Fund, which was established in the summer of 2020 to assist residents who were directly impacted by COVID 19. Ms. Broderick reviewed the committee make up and the application process, the committee reviewed just over 20 application and awarded a little over $27K. There is currently $16,480.16 remaining in the fund. The criteria for financial assistance were reviewed. Ms. Broderick shared that the committee recommends that this fund become the Good Neighbor Fund, which would allow more residents in need to apply. Noting that the committee would like to keep the AMI requirements at 110% and the award amount at $1,000. The application process would remain the same with Town staff reviewing applications and making recommendations on other programs the applicant may be eligible for as well as the Good Neighbor Fund. All committee members are willing to serve on the Good Neighbor Fund Committee and significant donors from the COVID Relief Fund are supportive of the change. Selectperson Hoffmann moved to approve the change the name of the Covid Relief fund and the purpose to the Good Neighbor Fund as presented. Selectperson Chaffee second. A roll call vote was taken. Selectperson Chaffee-yes, Selectperson Bingham-yes, Selectperson Hoffmann-yes, Chair Whitney-yes. The Board vote was 4-Yes, 0-No. Citizen’s Request to Shift Future Town Meetings to Saturdays Brewster residents Devin Maguire, Casey Chatelain, Marissa Cyr, and Sarah Nitsch joined the meeting to raise the issue of accessibility of Town Meeting, which they believe is suffering due to the current schedule. They urge administrators to consider rescheduling Town meetings to make sure that engagement is accessible as possible to the greatest number of residents. Ms. Maguire went on to review recent Town Meetings on weeknights that can create a number of barriers for residents. There was mention of challenges for young families, young professionals, and the elderly population. The group proposed the possibility of moving Town Meetings to Saturdays, additional childcare options, as well as other ideas that have been presented in a letter that is in the packet. Doc ID: b42e238c78cddd2aa92eaa0ed61f507f8a069bb7 Town of Brewster 2198 Main Street Brewster, MA 02631-1898 Phone: (508) 896-3701 www.brewster-ma.gov Select Board 2.27.2023 www.brewster-ma.gov Page 7 of 8 Office of: Select Board Town Manager Selectperson Chaffee thanked the group for bringing this topic up and noted that it has been discussed many times. The Town’s goal is to have as many people participate in Town Meetings as possible so decisions reflect the broadest community views. Selectperson Chaffee mentioned that research has shown that there is not a perfect time or day as there will always be a barrier for someone. Mr. Lombardi shared that what really impacts attendance at meetings was not when it is held, but the issues that are on the warrant. Administration and the Select Board will continue to explore the option to hold T own Meetings on Saturdays, possibly as early as November 2023 and look to expand childcare services. Review and Potential Votes on Spring 2023 Annual Town Meeting Warrant Articles Mr. Lombardi reviewed the updated list of articles that we are anticipating will be on the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting on May 1, 2023. Some of the articles include:  Placeholder for operating overrides for both the Elementary schools and Regional High School budgets  Proposed amendment to create two new revolving funds to Town bylaws, a Community Garden Revolving Fund and Wetland Protection Revolving Fund.  Placeholders for article related to Wing Island Access and related to Wing Island long-term protection in the form of a Conservation Restriction and/or transfer of care, custody, and control of the Island and changes of use. These are pending the outcome of the Special Town Meeting.  Prohibition of the sale of nips  3 Citizens Petitions: o From sustainable practices, which is taking a Cape-wide initiative to prohibit plastic food containers and utensils. o Require Town Meeting approval of all projects over $100K regardless of appropriation. o Place conditions on the Select Board acceptance of anonymous gifts.  Working with Brewster Conservation Trust to determine if we an article of a release of easement for a portion of Great Fields Road. FYIs None Matters Not Reasonably Anticipated by the Chair None Questions from the Media None Next Meetings March 6 (Special Town Meeting), March 13, March 20, April 3, and April 24 2023 Adjournment Selectperson Chaffee moved to adjourn at 8:36pm. Selectperson Bingham second. A roll call vote was taken. Doc ID: b42e238c78cddd2aa92eaa0ed61f507f8a069bb7 Town of Brewster 2198 Main Street Brewster, MA 02631-1898 Phone: (508) 896-3701 www.brewster-ma.gov Select Board 2.27.2023 www.brewster-ma.gov Page 8 of 8 Office of: Select Board Town Manager Selectperson Chaffee-yes, Selectperson Bingham-yes, Selectperson Hoffmann-yes, Chair Whitney-yes. The Board vote was 4-Yes, 0-No. Respectfully submitted by Erika Mawn, Executive Assistant Approved: __________________ Signed: _________________________________________ Date Selectperson Hoffmann, Clerk of the Select Board Accompanying Documents in Packet: Agenda, Consent Items, Annual Liquor License packet, Liquor License Transfer packet, FY24 CCRT operating budget, FY24 Nauset School Budgets, FY22 Audit packet, Summer 2023 Community Pool information, Good Neighbor Fund, Citizen’s request, Potential article to ban the sale of nips, Spring ATM Warrant articles, FYIs. 03 / 13 / 2023 Doc ID: b42e238c78cddd2aa92eaa0ed61f507f8a069bb7 Approved Meeting Minutes- 2.27.23 SB 02.27.23.doc b42e238c78cddd2aa92eaa0ed61f507f8a069bb7 MM / DD / YYYY Signed 03 / 14 / 2023 13:47:50 UTC Sent for signature to Kari Hoffmann (khoffmann@brewster-ma.gov) from emawn@brewster-ma.gov IP: 131.109.131.20 03 / 14 / 2023 15:21:38 UTC Viewed by Kari Hoffmann (khoffmann@brewster-ma.gov) IP: 131.109.131.20 03 / 14 / 2023 15:21:51 UTC Signed by Kari Hoffmann (khoffmann@brewster-ma.gov) IP: 131.109.131.20 The document has been completed.03 / 14 / 2023 15:21:51 UTC Finance Committee Minutes February 15, 2023 Page 1 of 6 TOWN OF BREWSTER FINANCE COMMITTEE Date: February 15, 2023 Time: 6:00 PM MEETING MINUTES Present: Chair Pete Dahl, Vice Chair Frank Bridges, Clerk Bill Meehan, William Henchy, Honey Pivirotto, Andy Evans Also present: Peter Lombardi, Town Manager; Debra Johnson, Friends of Wing Island; Jillian Douglas, Friends of Wing Island; Brenda Locke, Friends of Wing Island; John Depuy, Friends of Wing Island Absent: Bob Young; Robert Tobias (at a Nauset Budget Committee Meeting); Alex Hopper; Mimi Bernardo, Finance Director The Chair called the meeting to order at 6:03 pm and announced a quorum. Pursuant to Chapter 107 of the Acts of 2022, this meeting will be conducted in person and via remote means, in accordance with applicable law. This means that members of the public body may access this meeting in person, or via virtual means. In person attendance will be at the meeting location listed above, and it is possible that any or all members of the public body may attend remotely. No in-person attendance of members of the public will be permitted, and public participation in any public hearing conducted during this meeting shall be by remote means only. Additionally, the meeting may be viewed by: Live broadcast (Brewster Government TV Channel 18), Livestream (livestream.brerwster-ma.gov), or Video recording (tv.brewster-ma.gov). 1.Public Announcements and Comment- none 2.Town Manager/Finance Director Report Peter Lombardi said there was nothing further from the budget meetings they have been having over the last several days. 3.Presentation of March 6, 2023 Special Town Meeting Warrant Articles - Debra Johnson Bill Henchy addressed the committee – he filed a disclosure with our appointing authority because he had discussions with this group regarding the Special Town Meeting Warrant Articles and participated in their development and wanted the committee to know. He has no financial interest in the outcome, is not representing anyone, is not being paid by anyone, and has no property that will be affected. Pete said he did talk with Bill about this disclosure and since he has no financial interest and was pursuing this as a member of the community, he had every right to participate in discussions. Pete then asked Debra Johnson to go through the articles that the friends of Wing Island have put together. She said as you know this was submitted as a citizen’s petition. The other members of the steering committee are: John Depuy, Mary O’Neil, Brenda Locke, Jillian Douglas, and Kerry Noise. She didn’t come in with a planned Approved: VOTE: Finance Committee Minutes February 15, 2023 Page 2 of 6 presentation as she believed the committee had read the warrant articles. She asked if it was necessary to read them again. Pete said it wasn’t necessary to read them. Debra Johnson said the first article would be to stop the funding for the project to build a boardwalk to Wing Island. They feel this is a discretionary spending item. They feel they have committed $26M to the Sea Camps and millions to the Nauset High School project. They do not feel it’s necessary to spend money on this project. They have the Sea Camps property down the road which has fully accessible beach front property so why do we need to spoil a fragile barrier property by doing this. We feel we need to stop this spending. Pete said that looking at this first – there would be no funds expended, inclusive of staff time. Pete said they do have opinions from Town Counsel that this is not specific enough and money has already been spent. Debra Johnson said they have counsel opinions as well. She said they feel everyone has opinions. Andy asked if this were to pass, how would this work financially. From what he read, there may be other expenses if we have to remove existing planks – would it cause more problems if it were to pass. Peter Lombardi said that in their forum about the upcoming Town Meeting, the town has expended a full $70,000 on the project so far and about 2/3 of the gift through the donation from the BCT for design and permitting. Those funds have been expended and identified in Article 1. We have learned that the town doesn’t have a Chapter 91 license, we would have to decide to leave those planks there, knowing they are not in compliance, or have them removed. The funds were there from the vote in 2021 for design and permitting and would not be allowed to be used for this purpose. Debra Johnson said the article only talks about future spending from March 6th forward. Pete said the question still remains if there were other bills that would have to be paid. Peter Lombardi said the town doesn’t have any further appropriation besides that initial $50,000 appropriation. We can terminate those agreements but have to pay for all services provided to date. There are challenges in terms of how the article was written, in terms of what needs to be paid. Frank asked what the reason was for the timing of the Special Town Meeting they are proposing? Debra Johnson answered the timing is because they were frustrated and felt the town was not listening even after Town Meeting where we voted not to fund the Phase One Drummer Boy Park Master Plan. Frank asked what the reason was for picking a Special Town Meeting before the spring Town Meeting when the town had said they would put this up. Debra Johnson answered because they lost trust in the Select Board. Debra Johnson said with respect, she believes that issue is beyond the scope of the Finance Committee. She said with the Aug. 2021 presentation where the town took improving access to Wing Island and showed us the terrible idea of the 12- foot-high boardwalk. The scope and scale were far beyond what we consider improving access. Also, the Vision Planning Committee met with the Select Board and many people from the Friends of Wing Island spoke at that meeting. And the plan was approved even though so many people called in with issues to this plan. We have felt all along that the Select Board has not taken us seriously. Frank asked why we wouldn’t wait for the scheduled May Town Meeting to discuss this issue. He thinks he heard this group was frustrated. He attended several of the Drummer Boy Park open meetings. He didn’t hear any comment regarding this plan at any time. Brenda Locke said all along they referred to it as a potential walkway to wing island, but they feel it was very misrepresented. Bill Meehan said he will vote not to recommend these articles. He expressed empathy to the Friends of Wing Island. In his opinion, many of the public presentations have followed far wide of the truth. He doesn’t have a dog in the fight about the boardwalk to Wing Island. He would like to wait it out, listen, participate in a debate, and decide when there is a firm proposal. He will oppose all three articles. He thinks “sense of the meeting” articles are universally a waste of time, and if they were to become law, they would almost always be bad law. Finance Committee Minutes February 15, 2023 Page 3 of 6 Frank asked what the plan would be for Wing Island if this project is halted since the state has said the current planks are not permitted. Debra Johnson said this is a citizen’s petition. Over 700 people signed the petition. There were high emotions with bad information passed around. This happens normally when emotions are high, especially on social media. Friends of Wing Island (FOWI) are not the 700 community members that signed this petition. Frank asked if the petitioners have a plan for the existing boardwalk? Is there an alternative plan? Jillian Douglas said she participated in plans going back to 1991 for Drummer Boy Park, the issue is the plan being dramatically changed by this project. You have 700 citizens that were seeking to have the Town Meeting decide what the plan should be – not the Select Board, not FOWI. It’s intended to bring about a broader public process in the planning of this valuable natural resource. Bill Henchy said we had this lengthy opinion from Town Counsel that these are Sense of the Meeting Articles and he does not agree. With regard to Article 1, it plainly not only prohibits the spending already appropriated, it also plainly states there should be no staff time spent. The intent of the Article, not only says the town cannot use any monies previously appropriated, it also seeks to disapprove any monies spent for staff time – a clear attempt to instruct the town to not have any member of the town spend time on the design and permitting of the project. With regard to Chapter 91, he disagrees that DEP will not approve the planks. It appears that based on a conversation he had, the planks are exempt from permitting. Mass DEP wasn’t running around the town to tell them to pick up planks. He believes there should be a minimal boardwalk that provides access to Wing Island. He feels the Select Board insists on going down the road of this instead of working to come up with a compromise. He will vote for Article 1. He shares the view that the Select Board is not paying attention. A little creativity and collaboration will go a long way. Frank asked if the Museum of Natural History has a right to cross the marsh under current law? Peter Lombardi said the planks and the access parcel next to the museum are public property. The marsh has a conservation restriction that is held by the state. Frank asked if the state allowed people to cross the marsh at any location at will. Peter Lombardi said the conservation restriction doesn’t place restrictions on activity/foot traffic on the marsh. Bill Henchy said the marsh was acquired in 1979 for conservation purposes. The marsh is owned by the town and there was a conservation restriction placed on it later on. Frank asked whose jurisdiction access was – Bill Henchy said the right would be in the Town Conservation Commission subject to whatever limitations placed by the Conservation Restriction. Frank said if the town decided the plank walkway as not permittable through DEP, had to be removed, could the town restrict access to Wing Island through the marsh. Bill Henchy said the town would have the same rights to restrict access as they would with any other parcel of land it owns. Andy said at the end of paragraph two – discussing other modification or redesign for existing access to Wing Island, that is a problem. Pete said that restricting all funding and access to Wing Island would put the town in a very bad position. Back when this property was acquired, the town in 1961, the first Open Space acquisition, was acquired for a certain purpose. None of these people who signed the petition were there at that time. In his sense trying to honor what people in the past have spent their tax dollars on, he doesn’t think these are good articles. Jillian Douglas said that article is drafted with the intent where the Select Board has said in May the Select Board intends to put in Town Meeting. This was a temporary article at best and this was to stop the project for the period of time from Special Town Meeting until Annual Town Meeting. At that time, citizens would be given an opportunity to take further action in relation to this issue. Pete said this article is flawed. Peter Lombardi said the Select Board pledged in November that they would bring an article to the Town Meeting in May. We cannot say whether that is accurate now that we have a Special Town Meeting called with these 3 Citizen’s Petitions. The main reason why they made that pledge in November, they had heard from many citizens specifically requesting that in the absence of being able to vote directly on that issue, they would vote down the Master Plan to assert their position on the Wing Island boardwalk issue. That is why the board planned to bring the article to the May Town Meeting. Bill Henchy said he thinks a major concern in the fall and continues now, was the anonymous donor, absent a need for further appropriation, it was up to the Select Finance Committee Minutes February 15, 2023 Page 4 of 6 Board to make the decision with or without a Town Meeting vote. In fairness, it will clearly be the Town Meeting vote on the matter. Peter Lombardi said this was following up on the language that Andy had raised and Jillian’s follow up comments. None of us can say here today whether there will be any future Town Meeting discussions after this Special Town Meeting. Bill Meehan said he claims privilege as a senior member on a historical observation. Temporary laws are oxymoronic. Once on the books, laws are hard to dislodge, as are temporary taxes. Bill Meehan MOVED to approve Article 1 as stated in the Citizen’s Petition Warrant. Frank Bridges second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – no, Frank Bridges – no, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – no, Andy Evans – no, Chair Pete Dahl– no The Committee voted: 1-yes 5-no Article 2 – this is about the transfer to the Brewster Conservation Commission. It is still confusing. He would like to hear from the citizens’ group and then the committee. Debra Johnson said when the town acquired this land, it was purchased as a public beach and recreation area. Since that time, it has been used mainly as a conservation area. At that time, the Brewster Conservation Commission did not exist, so it went to the Select Board. We no longer think that is appropriate for Wing Island. It should not be used as a public beach area. We will have the Sea Camps that will have an accessible beach area. Andy asked if there were other lands like this that remain in the town’s control, and if so, why wouldn’t we do that all together. Debra Johnson answered we are here to discuss this one thing. Pete said if your point is to look at conservation areas that should then be under the care of the Conservation Commission, it might be a good idea to look at this in broader scope. Andy said we have acquired the Sea Camps, and it might alter our ideas for other properties, and this would then bind us in a way we do not want. Jillian Douglas said the point is well made. The town has lots of open space and conservation lands that are managed and used differently. The reason the citizens felt the need to protect this now, is it appears there is the capability to develop this property in a way no one considered. It seemed very important to intercede at this time to bring control of this property to the Conservation Commission. Frank said there is no conservation restriction on Wing Island. The town has never proposed to do that. The town hasn’t restricted bathing on wing island. The town hasn’t done anything with Wing Island since 1961, but to imply the town wanted to treat it as conservation land is erroneous. Jillian Douglas said the article is meant to get an opinion from Town Meeting and direct it to do something. John Depuy said he would underscore that and commented that isn’t that why we have Town Meeting, to have it be committed and not simply advisory. Andy said this is a Special Town Meeting with only one focus and prejudices that conversation in some ways. John Depuy said he tried to speak earlier and will point to the fact that over 700 Brewster residents where such an action has been taken because it is so important. We hear to things very clearly - we don’t want the boardwalk and we believe in democracy – our vote counts. Peter Lombardi said Brewster has a long tradition of offering citizens access to town counsel so the intent and goals of their petition to be put in the proper format for Town Meeting to act. As soon as we heard of the possibility, we did offer those services and, unfortunately, the petition had been drafted and circulated before that point. Our responsibility is to put the Town Meeting in a position to be able to act and not have these kinds of discussions around interpretation of article being in the proper form or not. John Depuy said he disagrees, it was not a satisfactory experience in the past. We consulted 3 different attorneys, and they all had the same opinion as to how to proceed. Is there some edit that you would be satisfied to the intent of these articles, and then allow them to be binding. Would you support that? Frank said any article presented can be subject to amendment at Town Meeting. Peter Lombardi said it is not his position to say whether any amendments would be constructed in such a way to make the articles more than a Sense of the Meeting, nor whether any amendment would be in the scope of the articles. This determination would be first Town Counsel and second the Moderator. Finance Committee Minutes February 15, 2023 Page 5 of 6 Bill Meehan MOVED to approve Article 2 as proposed for the Special Town Meeting by Citizen’s Petition. Andy Evans second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – no, Frank Bridges – no, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – no, Andy Evans – no The Committee voted: 1-yes 4-no Chair Pete Dahl was not in the room at the time of the vote. Article 3- rescind vote of the 2021 Master Plan for Drummer Boy Park Jillian Douglas said the reason we felt it important to rescind the previous approval was that so many of the actions of the town are relying on that approval. The plan included a Phase 2 which included additional parking and the boardwalk to the island. This is to rescind the remainder of that plan. This should have a standing committee as it requires public input. Peter Lombardi said the 1st phase looks at improvements to pedestrian access, to make stormwater improvements, and to make modifications to existing parking. Phase 2 included upgrades to the playground area, the gazebo, and to removing the old storage building to create a shade pavilion picnic area. Neither of those include reference to construction of a boardwalk. There was a reference to a potential elevated boardwalk connecting the Cedar Ridge property to Wing Island. There was nothing explicit in the plan to a boardwalk. Bill Meehan agrees with the Chair’s opinion that rescission votes on matters that have been voted on at a Town Meeting. Rescission after the fact is a very extreme measure. He is very opposed to this article. Bill Henchy said he is in general agreement with his colleagues here. If it were not for the fact that the approval of this plan has been plainly and clearly used by the town as a justification for this boardwalk that no one wants. In this case, he suggests it has been used in a way not intended. It has been used in a way that people object to. Pete said the fact that the Town Meeting voted unanimously to approve this is a fact, not an opinion. Bill Henchy said on a good day, the boardwalk itself was an afterthought. He will vote yes, with respect to his colleagues’ opinions. Frank said he doesn’t believe in polling, that is through voting. There was a vote back in September on this project and for halting funding on this project. He dislikes the fact that this article will come before a small number of our community in March where we are likely to have ½ of our voters in town, and this group will be imposing their will. He will vote no on this article. He is in favor of a boardwalk to improve access to Wing Island. John Depuy said each of us have our own vote and opinion, but he would say that law or laws, upon further examination, that trigger an overwhelming majority of opinion are simply worthy of a re-vote. There are at least 700 people who think this was very flawed. Pete challenged all those people to attend the May Town Meeting. He must also commend the people bringing this forward, he likes to see these tools of the town bylaws exercised from time to time. The main reason he will vote against this is the rescission of a previous Town Meeting vote. Debra Johnson said she has a copy of the Drummer Boy Master Plan – it proposed raised boardwalk to Wing Island. You can’t tell me there was no intent to have a boardwalk. If people aren’t here for a March meeting, they aren’t here for a November meeting either. Len Egert, 92 Sixpenny - said he agrees with what many people are saying on both sides. He thinks that would have solved this issue. What is frustrating is that at the prior Town Meeting, we had to show opposition to this boardwalk. It would behoove everyone to get one article on the warrant that would decisively put an end or present the majority’s view on this issue. There’s confusion over what these articles will mean. There is no guarantee if these are not binding. It is very frustrating having to go through a Special Town Meeting to vote on something town counsel is saying is advisory. He hopes the taxpayers can just vote on this one issue. Finance Committee Minutes February 15, 2023 Page 6 of 6 Peter Lombardi said Monday night the Select Board closed the Warrant because they are required to post 21 days in advance of that meeting. It left very little time to add any additional articles. That warrant is closed and posted. Bill Meehan MOVED to approve Article 3 as proposed for the Special Town Meeting by Citizen’s Petition. Frank Bridges second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – no, Frank Bridges – no, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – no, Andy Evans – no, Chair - no The Committee voted: 1-yes 5-no Frank Bridges MOVED to rescind the vote on Article 2 as proposed for the Special Town Meeting by Citizen’s Petition to permit a re-vote. Bill Meehan second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Chair- yes The Committee voted: 6-yes 0-no Pete wanted the full Committee vote to be recorded Bill Meehan MOVED to approve Article 2 as proposed for the Special Town Meeting by Citizen’s Petition. Frank Bridges second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – no, Frank Bridges – no, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – no, Andy Evans – no, Chair - no The Committee voted: 1-yes 5-no 4.Liaison Reports and Assignments - defer 5. Review and Approval of Minutes – defer 6. Request for agenda items for future meetings – please email Pete 7. Matters Not Reasonably Anticipated by the Chair- none 8. Next Finance Committee Meeting – Joint Meeting w Select Board Mon, 2/27 6PM Cape Cod Tech Budget & Audit Presentation 9. Adjournment Bill Meehan MOVED to adjourn the meeting at 7:37 PM. Frank Bridges second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes. The Committee voted: 6-yes 0-no Respectfully submitted, Beth Devine Packet of supporting materials on website for public review. Finance Committee Minutes March 8, 2023 Page 1 of 7 TOWN OF BREWSTER FINANCE COMMITTEE Date: March 8, 2023 Time: 6:00 PM MEETING MINUTES Present: Chair Pete Dahl, Vice Chair Frank Bridges, Clerk Bill Meehan, William Henchy, Honey Pivirotto, Andy Evans, Alex Hopper, Robert Tobias Also present: Peter Lombardi, Town Administrator; Donna Kalinick, Assistant Town Manager; Mimi Bernardo, Finance Director; Victor Roberts, Sustainable Practices Group; Madhavi Venkatesan, Executive Director of Sustainable Practices Group; Meg Morris, Recycling Commission Absent: Bob Young The Chair called the meeting to order at 6:02 pm and announced a quorum. This meeting will be conducted in person at the time and location identified above. This means that at least a quorum of the members of the public body will attend the meeting in person and members of the public are welcome to attend in person as well. As a courtesy only, access to the meeting is also being provided via remote means in accordance with applicable law. Please note that while an option for remote attendance and/or participation is being provided as a courtesy to the public, the meeting/hearing will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast or affect remote attendance or participation, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda, which includes an applicant and its representatives, should make plans for in-person vs. virtual attendance accordingly. Additionally, the meeting may be viewed by: Live broadcast (Brewster Government TV Channel 18), Livestream (livestream.brerwster-ma.gov), or Video recording (tv.brewster-ma.gov). 1.Public Announcements and Comment John said Monday night was an historic and monumental night and validated the disconnect between the voters of the town and the town leadership. It is understandable to have differences, but everyone is glad there was a clear demonstration and display of the overwhelming feeling of the Town of Brewster. His read is it will take time to rebuild the trust. He pledges to work to bring both groups together. He believes civility rules all the time. The Finance Committee’s treatment of three women representing very bravely the views of an overwhelming majority of the town. We know those petitions were more impactful than any of us thought. When these issues were debated and discussed, the treatment was rude, unprofessional, and uncalled for. He would like to encourage this board to apologize formally to the Friends of Wing Island. Pete said he understands and if anyone felt they were not treated respectfully, he will apologize on the behalf of this committee and will look forward to correcting any behaviors from that evening. He was a little surprised at the turnout and congratulated the group on their efforts. John said they are satisfied, and the matter is closed. Glenn Casey – 288 Fletcher Lane, 30 years in program management – he waited patiently to be heard last week, the Chair lost track of where he was and didn’t address Agenda number 4 & 5. He is calling to talk about the Millstone Affordable Housing Project. He has heard there is a significant crisis. More than 75% of the applicants came from outside the town of Brewster. Only 40 units had any local preference - both at Brewster Woods and Serenity. It is not for our town to solve the affordable housing crisis. We don’t have a housing crisis in the town of Brewster. The residents are generous, but they are not foolish. He would implore the board and Approved: VOTE: Finance Committee Minutes March 8, 2023 Page 2 of 7 the town to go back to POAH/HAC to get updated numbers. How they could produce a slick RFP response and they can’t modify a one-page spreadsheet, he doesn’t understand. He feels this is abusive. This is a boondoggle. The town needs to back away from this. This doesn’t work in this community anymore. Don’t do this to maintain a safe harbor – use this money 100% for Brewster. We have a seasonal unemployment housing issue. Bill Henchy said in next week’s discussion, he saw the CPC proposals. There’s one he will fully support, there are others that will send money for affordable housing to other communities. He would like to have the board discuss taking CPC money and sending it to other towns where Brewster doesn’t get local preference. He supports affordable housing in Brewster and having a local preference. Pete said we will put that into an agenda for another meeting. 2.Town Manager/Finance Director Report - none 3.Spring Town Meeting Warrant Articles – Discussion and Vote Prohibition on sale of Nips – Recycling Commission Plastic Food Container & Utensil Ban – Citizen’s Petition Town Meeting Approval of $100K+ Projects – Citizen’s Petition Conditions on Select Board Acceptance of Anonymous Gifts – Citizen’s Petition FY24 Town Operating Budget – Department Budgets Prohibition on sale of Nips – Recycling Commission Meg Morris addressed the committee. She said they are a quick drink, generally used while driving and being easily tossed out if being pulled over. They are also smuggled into bars. Drunk driving is one issue. From the recycling perspective, they are not recyclable, and they are just litter. It has gotten worse instead of better. Since 2019, we started counting them - 1000 in 2019, 3300 in 2021, 2700 in 2022. In looking at other municipalities on the Cape, they are enforcing their nips ban. Chelsea was one of the first to impose a nip ban. Wareham is thinking about it. Bourne as well. We looked at options, there are two ways – municipal licensing authority can ban the sale; the second way is to go to Town Meeting, and we recommend we go to the Select Board and take this to Spring Town Meeting. Falmouth used this method. Mashpee used the liquor license. The number of nips on the side of the road has decreased. The Recycling Commission opted to bring it to the Town Meeting. She made a presentation to the Select Board. They adopted a very short prohibition based on what is done in other towns. Meg Morris then read what the Select Board wrote. It is simple. There is not a real need for them, they are not recyclable, and we are tired of picking them up. Pete wanted to also mention that Meg Morris is presenting on the behalf of the Brewster Recycling Commission. He thinks it is overdue. The presentation to the Select Board was in the packet tonight. Andy is completely in support of this – is there any evidence that those who are buying the nips are buying them in other towns. What is the evidence? Meg responded that their best reference town is the town of Falmouth. They have a Litter Free Falmouth group. They have documented for a mile on Main Street how many nips they have picked up month to month. The challenge is they can be bought in different towns, but they have noticed a decrease in the number of nips. Chelsea also noticed nip reduction and litter reduction as well as a decrease in drinking and driving. Frank said as the liaison for the committee, he commends them for the great work they do. He read there was a town on the Cape that passed a ban and reversed it. He knows the Commission has reached out to the merchants, what did we hear from them? Meg Morris answered it was the bottle ban that a couple of towns reversed, but not a ban on nips. As to the second question, she thinks 4 of the owners were at the public hearing and she tried to keep an open mind, but unfortunately, the rationale is not something that someone who Finance Committee Minutes March 8, 2023 Page 3 of 7 throws these out the window of their car is going to obey. Such as trash cans all along main street. Another wanted to put a deposit on it. People don’t pick up cans now. She didn’t hear anything innovative. The person who is doing this does not care. Frank said whether other towns decide to go this course, it is difficult to tell whether there is a reduction, he thinks Brewster should ban these nips. It is the right thing to do. Honey wondered what Orleans, Dennis, and Harwich are doing in this regard. Meg Morris said she thinks they are talking behind the scenes on this. The main issue that comes up is that the liquor stores will lose money. They pay property tax, but we don’t get a cut of the sales. Look at the lives you can be damaging. She can’t help but think of that. They don’t have anything on the table yet. Alex said this is an issue he has thought about a lot over the years and has seen a lot of nip bottles. It is a difficult issue for him to consider. Unfortunately, this might be an example of a situation where there is a group of people that choose to litter with these nips, yet there are practical uses for nips. Such as cooking with a smaller volume; going to the beach to make cocktails; he’s just not comfortable deciding based on the actions of some of a town and not all. He has also seen a lot of disposable THC cartridges and cigarette butts and feels nips might be unfairly singled out in this situation. Peter Lombardi said the Commission presented this to the Select Board in early January. The Select Board was sensitive to the potential economic impact, they held a public hearing, advertised publicly, sent out correspondence to all liquor licensees in the town, and there were only 4 in attendance. The Select Board did decide to bring this forth on the Warrant to Town Meeting. The Cape and Islands municipal leaders meet monthly and last month they talked about creating the regional efforts that might make sense to work around town lines and this specific ban has come up. Pete said some of the articles written, they have had this conversation repeatedly and had 0 help from the retailers. They felt they would go in the direction of a ban. Bill Henchy MOVED to recommend the bylaw as recommended by the Town Manager. Alex Hopper second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Alex Hopper – no, Chair Pete Dahl– yes The Committee voted: 7-yes 1-no Plastic food container and utensil ban Victor Roberts said he is part of the Sustainable Practices Group interested in protecting the environment and sustainable ways of living. Presenting this petition is their Executive Director Madhavi Venkatesan. Another study came out on plastics and how it affects our oceans – 170 trillion plastic particles floating around in the ocean referred to as plastic smog now. The increase in our oceans is rapid and unprecedented since 2005; without urgent action, the rate of which plastics enter the ocean could increase by another 2.6x between now and 2040. There is a lot of concern and what we can do to curtail plastics. Along that line, we have put forward this petition. He then read the petition. Bill Henchy MOVED to recommend passing the petition article Plastic Reduction as proposed. Alex Hopper second. Bill Henchy is fully in support of this effort. The amount of plastic in the ocean is remarkable. Brewster has banned single use water bottles, but you walk in and there are all kinds of beverages in plastic bottles. Why limit this only to water? Madhavi Venkatesan said water bottles constitute 60% of the beverage market. What you’re seeing is the market is reacting to the ban by pushing substitute products out. This is a greenhouse gas producing agent at the point of creation of plastic, it has unlimited and unknown health impacts at the point of consumption. We are trying to focus on the entirety of the lifecycle. We need to complete one thing before adding another. This makes it much more pervasive on the Cape. Victor Roberts said the municipal ban is on all plastic bottles; the town ban, the commercial ban, is just on water bottles. Part of the reason is how the town Finance Committee Minutes March 8, 2023 Page 4 of 7 will embrace this idea. Bill Henchy followed up with regard to the article, in Brewster, the committees are appointed by the Select Board, not the Town Manager. Might add in something in the petition with different language. Bill Meehan asked if any research regarding the impact on town merchants has been done, is there some sort of financial analysis? Madhavi Venkatesan said, of course there will be impacts, one the dispensing of cutlery is a cost to businesses, and in terms of if there is a substitution, there is. There are companies providing reusable take out materials where those things get collected. That would be a next step. Bill Meehan asked if they had worked with the Recycle Commission – Madhavi Venkatesan said, this is not a recycling issue. Bill Meehan will vote yes. Honey asked about enforcement or compliance with the bylaw. Where would this be taking place? Who is enforcing the other ban? Peter Lombardi said the enforcement authority is within our office; his ability to delegate authority to delegate certain tasks. Donna Kalinick said she has gone out on the single use water ban and the plastic bag ban and talked to local retailers trying to educate and work with them. Peter Lombardi said it has worked well enough; they have been responsive. It has mostly been about education. Donna Kalinick said we will have to delegate that for restaurants, so it is really TBD. Honey asked what kind of hearing has been held where we heard from the restaurants in the community? Peter Lombardi said they have not – the petition was received a few weeks ago, but it will go on to Town Meeting. They did hold a hearing on the nips ban because it was a town-initiated ban. Frank will support this wholeheartedly. He wondered about the cornstarch variants we have seen. There are many merchants who use cardboard instead of plastic containers. There doesn’t seem to be a huge cost differential there. The cutlery problem might get more pushback. Is there anything in the market as alternatives for that? Madhavi Venkatesan said there are alternatives that could be reusable. We are trying to encourage reusables instead of substitutes. Reuse changes behavior and is really what we are advocating for. Pete said he appreciates their efforts. They have learned a lot about plastics and every piece of plastic still exists and most of them don’t get recycled. It is time to look at this. These things are damaging us. We know this and we still go buy them. Bill Henchy said it gets put on a barge, gets towed out to sea, and gets dumped. Victor Roberts said we need to start thinking about adopting some sort of closed use system. There are businesses and grocery stores that only have closed loop systems. Peter Lombardi said this petition is part of a Cape-wide initiative. With that, the petitioners didn’t consult with Town Counsel, but we did have them review it. That article is proposed to take effect Sept. 1, 2024. Is there interest in having it take effect at the start of a calendar year – local businesses are stocking for the summer and their season is wrapping up at the end of summer, September/October at the latest. Madhavi Venkatesan said we kept the date of September because some may have already purchased their inventory. We would love to have it earlier, but we are uncomfortable with that without active support. Peter Lombardi was suggesting January 1, 2025. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Alex Hopper – no, Chair Pete Dahl– yes The Committee voted: 7-yes 1-no Town Meeting Approval of $100K+ Projects – Citizen’s Petition Proposing two articles under one Citizens Petition. Peter Lombardi said in both instances, Town Counsel has opined that both are seeking to having the legislative body restrict the executive body in exercising statutory authority and are flawed because of that. Finance Committee Minutes March 8, 2023 Page 5 of 7 Bill Henchy MOVED to approve the first of the two articles regarding the $100,000 in value improvements. Alex Hopper second. Pete said this requires any improvement or alterations to land that exceeds $100,000 has to come back to Town Meeting for approval. Bill Meehan said he makes the assumption that this is a reaction on the part of the people who were passionate about the Wing Island Boardwalk. He would suggest there is a process called elections. Vote them out. Do not use the citizen’s petition process to make bad unenforceable laws. He will vote no. Frank said he will also vote no. He believes the Select Board and Administration of this town has not betrayed the trust of the community. He does not want to restrict the Administration or Select Board’s ability to conduct business as they are empowered under the laws of MA. Alex will vote no. It seems reactionary and implies a great sense of mistrust. This is not necessary in the Town of Brewster. Robert said if a tree came down on Town Hall, you would need to do something about that immediately. Does this stop the spending to correct a damage? Pete said that is a good question, in an emergency situation, would this stop that? Peter Lombardi said he appreciates interest in looking at different scenarios, but absent of an appropriation, the town wouldn’t have that money just lying around. He doesn’t understand what the definition is of improvement or alteration to land. Also, does the value apply to the land itself or to the improvement or alteration? Bill Henchy said there is no intention as it applies to repairs, it is to improvements. Rather than characterize this as a reaction, he thinks it is a response to something most people didn’t understand – that under certain circumstances, the Select Board has the legal right to go ahead and make those improvements provided it receives the money from a grant or similar. The realization this is true revealed a crack in this process because most people assume we have to vote on everything. This seeks to have the legislative body impose limits on the executive branch, that is right. His own view being a large fan of Town Meeting is that it is good that any board wishing to do something with town owned land should go to Town Meeting whether they are explicitly required or legally obligated to do so. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – no, Frank Bridges – no, Robert Tobias – abstain, Andy Evans – no, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – no, Alex Hopper – no, Chair Pete Dahl– no The Committee voted: 1-yes 6-no 1-abstain Budget Articles Peter Lombardi said we made a couple changes from what was originally presented - Moderator line was increased to $750, the Moderator has asked that we level fund to $300. We increased the Select Board/Town Administration line by $4300 - we added a part-time town hall administrative assistant, and we needed to make an adjustment up. Just a few small changes from what was originally presented. Town expenditures are increasing by 3.9%. Bill Henchy MOVED to approve the $3,061,488 for General Government under FY24 recommended budgets. Alex Hopper second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no Bill Henchy MOVED to approve $7,335,122 under the Public Safety subtotal for the FY24 recommended budget. Alex Hopper second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes Finance Committee Minutes March 8, 2023 Page 6 of 7 The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no Bill Henchy MOVED to approve the $2,458,941 for the FY24 recommended department budget under the Public Works subtotal. Alex Hopper second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no Bill Henchy MOVED to approve the $1,021,262 for the subtotal of Culture and Recreation in the FY24 recommended department budget. Alex Hopper second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no Bill Henchy MOVED to approve the $2,957,645 Debt Service total under the FY24 budget. Alex Hopper second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no Peter Lombardi wanted to clarify that the $20 million in excluded debt that Brewster overwhelmingly voted for has come on-line. It has increased the tax rate by approx. 17 cents in this budget total. Pete asked if this included the Sea Camps. Peter Lombardi answered yes. We are seeing that now in 2023. The High School debt, whether that comes online in FY24 or FY25, has not hit the tax rate yet. We are trying to navigate the market the best we can and are looking at a funding schedule for the projects. That debt amount has not been 100% guaranteed. Bill Henchy MOVED to approve the $6,229,863 under subcategory of Insurance and Fringe Benefits under the FY24 budget. Alex Hopper second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no Bill Henchy MOVED to approve the $1,250,567 in the other operating expenses and assessment subtotals in the FY24 budget. Alex Hopper second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no Bill Henchy MOVED to approve the $2,897,932 for the Water Enterprise Fund Operating Budget for FY24. Alex Hopper second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no Bill Henchy MOVED to approve the $4,386,855 for the Golf Enterprise Fund Operating Budget for FY24. Alex Hopper second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes Finance Committee Minutes March 8, 2023 Page 7 of 7 The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no 4.Liaison Reports and Assignments - Robert said the Nauset Regional School Committee has a meeting tomorrow night at Nauset Middle and on Zoom where they will discuss the budget and be holding a public hearing where they will land and vote. All are welcome to attend. 5. Review and Approval of Minutes – defer 6. Request for agenda items for future meetings – please email Pete 7. Matters Not Reasonably Anticipated by the Chair- none 8. Next Finance Committee Meeting – March 15, 2023 9. Adjournment Bill Henchy MOVED to adjourn the meeting at 8:25 PM. Alex Hopper second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes. The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no Respectfully submitted, Beth Devine Packet of supporting materials on website for public review. Finance Committee Minutes March 15, 2023 Page 1 of 8 TOWN OF BREWSTER FINANCE COMMITTEE Date: March 15, 2023 Time: 6:00 PM MEETING MINUTES Present: Chair Pete Dahl, Vice Chair Frank Bridges, Clerk Bill Meehan, William Henchy, Honey Pivirotto, Andy Evans, Alex Hopper, Robert Tobias (Clerk Meehan and Chair Dahl remote) Also present: Peter Lombardi, Town Administrator; Donna Kalinick, Assistant Town Manager; Sean Parker, Health & Human Services; Faythe Ellis, CPC; Jay Coburn, CDP (remote); Bud Noyse owner of JT’s; Rob Slavin owner of Cobey’s; Glenn Casey community member (remote); James Barber owner of Café Alfresco (remote) Absent: Bob Young The Vice-Chair Frank Bridges called the meeting to order at 6:02 pm and announced a quorum. This meeting will be conducted in person at the time and location identified above. This means that at least a quorum of the members of the public body will attend the meeting in person and members of the public are welcome to attend in person as well. As a courtesy only, access to the meeting is also being provided via remote means in accordance with applicable law. Please note that while an option for remote attendance and/or participation is being provided as a courtesy to the public, the meeting/hearing will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast or affect remote attendance or participation, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda, which includes an applicant and its representatives, should make plans for in-person vs. virtual attendance accordingly. Additionally, the meeting may be viewed by: Live broadcast (Brewster Government TV Channel 18), Livestream (livestream.brerwster-ma.gov), or Video recording (tv.brewster-ma.gov). 1.Public Announcements and Comment Bud Noyse, owner of JT’s, lives at 34 Russett Road and Rob Slavin, owner of Cobey’s, lives at 3238 Main Street - All the restaurant owners in Brewster are in favor of omitting plastic and Styrofoam, but it will be a significant hardship to eliminate plastic utensils. It was brought up to use bamboo, and that would be a 100% increase in cost to us. We are looking for a consideration on either eliminating that part or looking for alternatives. Rob Slavin – we are not anti-environmental at all; it is just going to take us time. The people who provide us with utensils are just not there yet. From their perspective, they don’t have to be. That is the reality for us. Frank said it is not on the agenda, but they appreciate the gentlemen for appearing in front of the Committee. Bill Henchy asked if this would be a possible agenda item, as there might need to be a re-vote for the Finance Committee? Pete said he thinks we could have a re-vote and would have to put that on one of the next meeting agendas. Glenn Casey (remote) – 288 Fletcher Lane – follow up on the Affordable Housing Project - was dismayed at the tone of the meeting, talking about Millstone. The attorney was very condescending and rude to a couple of Board Members. It was a simple discussion on the size and number of parking spots. At the first meeting, he said the numbers I gave him were fabricated. I told him those numbers came out of the POAH/HAC numbers. Approved: VOTE: Finance Committee Minutes March 15, 2023 Page 2 of 8 What he doesn’t get is that they are trying to turn this from a town affordable housing crisis into a regional housing crisis. We have $400K CPC requests. There are other CPC requests coming from other communities that will not benefit the town whatsoever. One last concern is there are no endangered species, but the maps they were referring to only looks at state owned properties. There ARE endangered species – box turtles, long and short eared owls. You can’t rely on maps. They were not treating our Zoning Board respectfully last night. James Barber (remote) – Café Alfresco, 1097 Main Street – appreciated everyone’s time on this subject. We completely support the environment. Regarding plastic utensils, as a licensed take-out business, if you ban plastics, it has to be banned across the board. Why should schools or healthcare facilities be able to use them? This seems discriminatory. 2.Town Manager/Finance Director Report Peter Lombardi said the new town website launched this week. We are trying to get as much information out to residents as quickly and accurately as possible on a site they can navigate easily. If people find any issues, please give us a head’s up. 3.Spring Town Meeting Warrant Articles – Discussion and Vote CPC Article and Funding Requests – Faythe Ellis HHS Budget Presentation – Sean Parker Conditions on Acceptance of Select Board Acceptance of Anonymous Gifts – Citizens Petition FY24 Town Operating Budget HHS Budget Presentation – Sean Parker Sean Parker addressed the Committee and went through the HHS Budget Presentation. We recommend funding for an incredible array of 17 non-profit agencies that support the town of Brewster. Honey asked why Gosnold dropped out. Sean Parkere answered he did not know. To the best of his knowledge, they are still doing great work on the Cape. Peter Lombardi said they are taking a similar approach to funding from other towns. They have a lot of funding sources they have to manage and for whatever reason, they felt the reporting requirements were more than they wanted to take on. It is not unique to Brewster. Bill Henchy said he was so impressed at the number of Brewster residents that they serve. It is a modest request for a lot of return to Brewster residents. Robert Tobias wondered if specific citizens could contribute to this fund? Peter Lombardi said there are numerous opportunities for residents to donate in town. It would be best to talk with Mimi about specifically funding the HHS Budget. Bill Meehan said the presentation was crisp and comprehensive and he appreciates that. This budget represents about 2/10’s of 1% of the Town Budget. This is a budget that reaches out to every member of the town, and he couldn’t be more supportive of that. Frank said some of these numbers are staggering as to the number of Brewster residents that these organizations support. We should all keep that in mind. Finance Committee Minutes March 15, 2023 Page 3 of 8 CPC Funding Requests – Faythe Ellis Faythe Ellis addressed the Committee and went through all the CPC Funding Requests one by one. Items 1a, 2a, and 4b are transfers in accordance with the allocations listed at the top of the article. Item 4a sets aside the allowable funding for CPC administration and operating expenses, also listed at the top of the article. Item 3a is also a regular part of this annual article and it authorizes payment from FY24 revenue and Open Space reserves for payment of principal and interest on open space acquisitions in West Brewster that were financed via long-term bonding. ($2.5 M for 50 acres in West Brewster by Mother’s Bog and Walkers Pond and $675,000 for 36 acres in the Punkhorn) We are recommending that all the projects in Section 5 be funded from CPA carryover reserves: 5a Outdoor Furniture. This recreation item was requested by the Brewster Council on Aging and will fund the cost of 8 weather resistant accessible benches and 2 picnic tables at Freeman’s Way fields. The installation will increase accessibility and enhance the improvements for this complex planned by the DPW and Recreation Department. The Recreation Commission recommended approval of the requested amount to the CPC. The CPC voted 8-0-0 to recommend funding of $9,670 for this project. Item 5b will provide funding for the salary portion of the part-time Brewster Housing Coordinator position. Town meeting voters have supported CPA funding for this position since 2017. The hiring of a housing coordinator was identified as a key strategy in the Brewster Housing Production Plan. The Housing Coordinator holds hours for the public weekly, supports multiple town committees, including the Housing Trust and Housing Partnership, and works with regional housing agencies and organizations in town to promote housing choice. The Housing Coordinator is an integral part of the Town housing efforts by helping to acquire, create, preserve and support community housing. The FY24 request is to fund the position at 30 hours per week with the CPC award providing funding for the salary and the Town providing funding for all benefits of the position. Our housing program continues to be a partnership of many town entities. The Brewster Housing Partnership reviewed the application and recommended that the CPC approve the request. The CPC voted 9-0-0 to approve the request and is recommending voters award $70,580 for the Housing Coordinator salary. The next three items are CPC recommendations to fund regional housing projects. Even though CPA is adopted and implemented on the local level by individual municipalities, the state encourages towns to consider regionalization of CPA projects. The next 3 projects are for regional housing projects. 5c. Friends or Relatives with Autism & Related Disabilities (FORWARD) - FORWARD at the Rock Phase II - This $120,000 request will help fund new construction of eight affordable and supportive one-bedroom apartments at 131 Hokum Rock Road in Dennis to be completed in 2024. The housing is for Cape Codders with autism and related disabilities who can live independently. These individuals still need supportive services, health and safety supervision and access to 24-hour emergency response, but do not require a congregate setting with round-the-clock staffing. All Finance Committee Minutes March 15, 2023 Page 4 of 8 apartments will be built at ground level, and all will be barrier free, fully accessible, and designed to accommodate the sensory needs of residents with developmental disabilities. 5d. Housing Assistance Corporation (HAC) – 107 Main Street, Orleans Affordable Rental Housing – The project at 107 Main Street in Orleans will be a high-quality affordable rental community with 14 rental units in a single structure with three sections in the style of a historic Cape Cod home. It is scheduled for completion in 2023. All 14 units will be affordable to households earning up to 80% of area median income, in accordance with applicable state regulations and guidelines. The proposed project is well designed both architecturally and environmentally and fits well within the context of the area in which it will be located; the location is an excellent smart growth site close to downtown Orleans and various amenities. HAC did not originally intend to request CPA funds from surrounding towns, but construction cost escalation over the past year created a funding gap on the project. 5e. Preservation of Affordable Housing Inc. (POAH) and Community Development Partnership (CDP) – Juniper Hill in Wellfleet - POAH and CDP submitted an application requesting $100,000 in Brewster CPA funds for Juniper Hill in Wellfleet. This proposed development of 46 affordable housing units located at 95 Lawrence Road in Wellfleet is scheduled to be completed in 2025. Juniper Hill will be the first such housing development in decades in Wellfleet that can provide affordable housing and stabilize the regional economy. The Town of Wellfleet recognized this need as it released a 9-acre town owned lot for development in 2021 and designated POAH and CDP as joint developers in December 2021. The property will be divided into 2 parts: an Upper Village of 22 two-bedroom and three-bedroom town homes oriented for family housing, and a Lower Village with a multifamily elevator building consisting of 24 one- and two-bedroom flats. 35 of the 46 apartments will be targeted for families earning at or below 80% area median income (AMI), with the remaining workforce apartments intended as “workforce” housing for households earning up to 120% AMI. Andy asked, among these very worthwhile projects, are data kept about Brewster residents specifically benefiting from the lottery? Donna Kalinick said in the February 15th memo, we work hard to keep back up data on all programs. She doesn’t know if other towns have the lottery data, we would have to make a request for it. The data we have is for lotteries in Brewster. Peter Lombardi said, to be clear, these are proposed projects, and we wouldn’t have that data yet. Honey said first and foremost, it is amazing what you do to put your presentation together. It is extraordinary and very comprehensive. She recognizes the state’s encouragement, and she thinks there is great value in regional collaboration. She is puzzled by which towns are asked. How do they determine not asking certain towns and asking other towns. It concerns her. She would have thought the Outer Cape Towns and the Lower Cape Towns would have come together to say we would work collaboratively to do this to support housing in these locations. It seems like it’s the contractors who decide on which towns to approach. Faythe said she would like to ask project representatives to answer that question. Jay Coburn is here from the CDP. Jay Coburn said this is a complicated question – he would like to address it less as an applicant but more in his advocacy for affordable housing in working with all Lower Cape Towns in advancing housing production. The town of Brewster raised the issue and requested the CDP have regional discussions. We did that and an initial meeting was organized, but this was during COVID. It is a worthy goal to try to come up with a regional plan or understanding. It started back in 2016 where there were very few projects in the pipeline and towns were trying to figure out where to spend considerable funds they were sitting on. Finance Committee Minutes March 15, 2023 Page 5 of 8 It is now worth revisiting. All of us are facing big challenges in closing funding gaps in trying to build affordable housing. Honey followed up with, usually when you give money, you get something. She doesn’t see anything here specifically for Brewster. The HAC project and the Wellfleet project do not have a commitment with how Brewster residents are addressed within that lottery. Donna Kalinick said local preference is a very complicated subject. The way it works, the town, through a policy making board, can ask for up to 70% local preference made to Housing and Community Development, and it is up to them to decide yes or no. It applied to those who live in the town, people who have children in the school system, or people that work in the town. Regional is different. For the Orleans Project, because the middle school is physically in Orleans, then the Nauset preference (having kids in the Nauset HS or Middle School) would fall into the local preference pool. For Wellfleet that is not the case because they do not have a school within the region. There is a potential to ask for a regional preference, the only time she has seen this was when Eastham was building Nauset Green - first time funding was given for something not for a specific demographic – for Orleans and Wellfleet. They were able to get 10% of the local preference ask for those towns. This whole line of questioning came up last year when the CPC funded the Pennrose project. We reached out to DHCD, they said they would consider regional requests on a case-by-case basis and there was no guarantee. Part of the disconnect is that developers are putting in the request to other towns because they are responsible for financing the project, but the town is the one that asks for local preference. That has to be done within 90 days of the comprehensive plan being approved. Some of those requests have not been made yet, and it takes DHCD a long time to make that approval. There are many projects not done with a lottery. The only project our town has given money to is Pennrose and the lottery has not occurred. Honey followed up with when she tried to calculate what the cost per unit is on these projects, how does this work in terms of examining the cost per unit. Faythe said the application packets didn’t include the proformas, she can ask the folks here. We do look at it in our evaluation process. Honey asked if the developers were asked those questions. Faythe said, yes, and she thinks we could probably do better at it. There is a road to go and learning to happen. Honey asked if there were any advisors regarding construction costs. Faythe answered they do usually. They would have asked Jill Scalise but were unable to do so at this time. Bill Henchy said items 5d & 5e – as committee members know, he sent an email included in the packet. As to the two projects, he is familiar with the Wellfleet project. It is magnificent, well done and well designed. He thinks the cost is reasonable. The one in Orleans is creative. These are two laudable projects. We are sitting here as members of the Finance Committee talking about making a recommendation to fund developers. The developer will acquire funds and allocate the construction costs. He thinks the local preference issue works against the developer, limiting the pool of applicants in the initial lease up. Communities will require local preference. For Brewster residents – in the case of Orleans because there is a school in Orleans, Brewster residents will be eligible for participation in the local preference pools if they have children in that school. Would a Brewster resident who has children in the Tech school be eligible? Donna Kalinick answered no. What about Brewster residents who go to the charter school in Harwich or Hyannis. Donna Kalinick said she would think the same because it is about where the school is located. Bill Henchy said his issue is we are taking CPC funds and giving them to a developer in Wellfleet to build affordable housing in Wellfleet, but Brewster residents get no benefit. In the case of Orleans, it is a little better if they have children in school in that town. But with little to no benefit to Brewster residents. He really thinks this is a substantial and a serious policy question to consider as we use these funds. These projects are vetted to be financially viable, but that doesn’t mean you get the best deal. Finances become relevant. Finance Committee Minutes March 15, 2023 Page 6 of 8 Robert said he is the liaison to the BAHT, and he views the housing shortage as a regional problem and needs to be solved regionally. He would love to see some structure as to how much the town will contribute to each project. He would love to be more subjective than objective. The comment about the homeless prevention council – 256 clients is an indication of the large number of Brewster residents who are housing constrained paying more than 30% of their income to housing. He wishes we could set a local preference, but the rules are constrained. Even in the absence of local preference, it is important to fund other housing solutions. He would love to see more of a structure in giving. Peter Lombardi said looking at the broader issue of local preference, there was a joint meeting a couple years ago where Mass Housing Partnership gave a presentation to our Housing Partnership, the Housing Trust, CPC, and Select Board – an 82-slide presentation on local preference and Fair Housing. It is complicated. It is going to continue to ban an issue every year. We have tried to be proactive in looking for strategies and solutions. We need to continue to advocate for that in a way that provides some clarity to the residents so there is some consistency as opposed to taking it project by project year by year. Jay Coburn said in looking at the construction costs, the economies of scale, which is 3x larger, the costs are significant. We need to be building larger units, so we achieve better economies of scale. Robert Tobias MOVED to approve Article 9, section 1 as presented in the Warrant. Bill Henchy second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no Robert Tobias MOVED to approve Article 9, section 2, Community Housing as it appears in the Warrant. Bill Henchy second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no Robert Tobias MOVED to approve Article 9, section 3a, Open Space & Recreation as printed in the Warrant. Bill Henchy second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no Robert Tobias MOVED to approve Article 9, section 4a, Budget Reserve Administrative Expense as printed in the Warrant. Bill Henchy second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no Robert Tobias MOVED to approve Article 9, section 4b, designated for budgetary reserve as printed in the Warrant. Bill Henchy second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no Finance Committee Minutes March 15, 2023 Page 7 of 8 Robert Tobias MOVED to approve Article 9, section 5a, Brewster Council on Aging as printed in the Warrant. Bill Henchy second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no Robert Tobias MOVED to approve Article 9, section 5b, Town Administration Housing Coordinator. Bill Henchy second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no Robert Tobias MOVED to approve Article 9, section 5c, FORWARD at the Rock Phase Two as printed in the Warrant. Bill Henchy second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no Robert Tobias MOVED to approve Article 9, section 5d, HAC 107 Main Street Orleans project as printed in the Warrant. Bill Henchy second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Bill Henchy – no, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes The Committee voted: 7-yes 1-no Robert Tobias MOVED to approve Article 9, section 5e, Preservation of Affordable Housing Juniper Hill in Wellfleet as printed in the Article. Bill Henchy second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Bill Henchy – no, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex Hopper – abstain, Chair Pete Dahl– yes The Committee voted: 6-yes 1-no 1-abstain Robert Tobias MOVED to approve this section Subtotal Human Services of the Town Budget in the amount of $955,583 to Town Meeting. Bill Henchy second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no Citizens Petition – defer Frank said we did discuss this in part at our last meeting. Operating Budget - defer 4.Liaison Reports and Assignments - defer 5. Review and Approval of Minutes – 12/28/22; 1/11/23 Joint w/SB; 2/8 & 2/10 SB approved Joint Finance Committee Minutes March 15, 2023 Page 8 of 8 Bill Henchy MOVED to approve the 12/28/22 Minutes as written. Robert Tobias second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no Robert Tobias MOVED to approve the 1/11/23 Joint w/Select Board Minutes; 2/8/23 Minutes; and the 2/10/23 Minutes as written. Bill Henchy second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Bill Henchy – abstain, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes The Committee voted: 7-yes 0-no 1-abstain 6. Request for agenda items for future meetings – please email Pete Discussion of local preference Citizens petition on plastic 7. Matters Not Reasonably Anticipated by the Chair- none 8. Next Finance Committee Meeting – next week 9. Adjournment Bill Henchy MOVED to adjourn the meeting at 8:04 PM. Robert Tobias second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes. The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no Respectfully submitted, Beth Devine Packet of supporting materials on website for public review. Finance Committee Minutes March 29, 2023 Page 1 of 5 TOWN OF BREWSTER FINANCE COMMITTEE Date: March 29, 2023 Time: 6:00 PM MEETING MINUTES Present: Chair Pete Dahl, Vice Chair Frank Bridges, Clerk Bill Meehan, William Henchy, Honey Pivirotto, Alex Hopper, Robert Tobias, Bob Young Also present: Peter Lombardi, Town Administrator; Donna Kalinick, Assistant Town Manager; Mimi Bernardo, Finance Director; Brooke Clenchy, Nauset Superintendent; Arlynn Consiglio, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent; Giovanna Venditti, Nauset Director of Finance and Operations; Steve Guditus, Principal Eddy Elementary School; Katie Jacobus, Chair Brewster Elementary School Committee; Chris Easley, Chair Nauset School Committee; Tom Fitzgibbons, Nauset School Committee Absent: Andy Evans The Chair called the meeting to order at 6:03 pm and announced a quorum. This meeting will be conducted in person at the time and location identified above. This means that at least a quorum of the members of the public body will attend the meeting in person and members of the public are welcome to attend in person as well. As a courtesy only, access to the meeting is also being provided via remote means in accordance with applicable law. Please note that while an option for remote attendance and/or participation is being provided as a courtesy to the public, the meeting/hearing will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast or affect remote attendance or participation, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda, which includes an applicant and its representatives, should make plans for in-person vs. virtual attendance accordingly. Additionally, the meeting may be viewed by: Live broadcast (Brewster Government TV Channel 18), Livestream (livestream.brerwster-ma.gov), or Video recording (tv.brewster-ma.gov). 1.Public Announcements and Comment Glenn Casey – 288 Fletcher Lane, last week you were reviewing some of the undesignated CPA requests, regarding the $315,520 undesignated funds and concern around affordable housing – we are getting into a new area using our community funds in regional projects. He feels moving funds into private trusts like the Brewster Affordable Housing Trust, that we are talking about funding with $1M, is not in the best interests of the town. The causation is that the Trust may share in similar guidelines, once the town moves this into a trust, the Trust can do with it what they will. The funds are no longer under the town’s control. He would implore the Finance Committee to go back to POAH/HAC to do a proforma. He asked them for an updated proforma. He thinks the town needs to get new numbers from when they first gathered them. It is two months since he asked them to update this one-page proforma. He implores the Finance Committee to take this up on their next agenda. 2.Town Manager/Finance Director Report - none 3.Brewster Elementary School Department Budget – Presentation and Vote Brewster Approved: VOTE: Finance Committee Minutes March 29, 2023 Page 2 of 5 Brooke Clenchy, Superintendent of Schools – would be discussing the elementary budget and the regional budget; Katie Jacobus, Brewster School Committee, and Steve Guditus, Principal Eddy Elementary School discussing the elementary budget - Steve Guditus addressed the committee to speak on Eddy Elementary and Stony Brook Elementary. Brooke Clenchy said the budget begins the summer before and by the end of January we have our first version out; in February we look at greater detail; in March we have public hearings and then vote on our budgets. Steve Guditus posted the current enrollment in pre-K through 5 – the pre-K program is growing; it is pretty stable up through Grade 5. Current enrollment is 433. He then went through a breakdown of where the funds are going – the lion’s share goes to our people. Also, utilities, transportation, and labor have all gone up greatly recently. We have been relying on Federal funding - particularly around Information Technology – using grant funding. At Eddy we are proposing an additional classroom teacher in the 5th grade. Along with that comes a little bit of furniture and technology. We are seeing increased special education costs. Those are big drivers for what our budget proposal looks at. Bottom line for the Stony Brook total is a 7.7% budget increase and for the Eddy it is an 8.06% budget increase - combined totals is a 7.89% increase. Chair Jacobus – thanked the committee, she wished they had better news. We are fully aware that the town was hoping to come in at a lower percentage but feels this is a very responsible budget. From the perspective of mental health, since the pandemic, there has been some de-stigmatization of mental health issues, and a lot of need is coming forward. Our bottom line is higher than we would like, however, it is fully in line with what is happening in other areas. We are not the only ones seeing these increases. This is the first year we have gone with a full day pre-K which was very well received. We have had many grants coming in as well. Brooke Clenchy said this year we have someone in place who is a Grant Administrator who looks for grants full time. These monies are targeted, which are more for enhanced learning. Chair Jacobus then brought up elementary and secondary school emergency relief – ESSER as well. Robert Tobias commented that he will be fully supporting these budgets. Alex asked about the social and mental needs being increased. Chair Jacobus said her understanding is that there are two interventionists who help kids with self-regulation. They do a great job moving around between classrooms. It is a very tight schedule. Brewster houses the Sail Program, those with the most need. This is a program where some other towns send kids to Brewster. The sending town pays for the ed assistant and pays the tuition here. There are a couple of kids coming in like that specifically for those services. Steve Guditus then added that at both Stony Brook and Eddy, we house the Sail Program that works with highly autistic children. That they are able to remain within the town and the district is important for their families, and also a cost savings to the town. Bob Young as if pre-K was within the budget. Steve Guditus said it is within the budget in terms of salaries. Giovanna Venditti said that for each of the schools, we charge the pre-school programming, it is allocated out to the three elementary schools. Brooke Clenchy said we would be happy to take this offline and provide more information if you’d like. It is a great program. Bob Young followed up by saying that the operating expense is going up and enrollment is going down – so operating is up 32% to about $39K per student. He’s trying to see where this goes – so the notion is to add a 5th Grade teacher and maintain an underutilized Kindergarten teacher with enrollment going down and teacher expense going up. Steve Guditus said as we look at what the needs are of our learners, and it’s changed over time – society, technology, many factors. When we look at the census data, it is difficult to recruit, attract, and attain well qualified staff. Brooke Clenchy said we are experiencing that in the region as well. When you look at the next year and see the need, we are trying to maintain strong teachers in the classroom and make sure this is stabilized. A big part of the increase is the special education as well. Chair Jacobus said we are looking at our resources, and we are reallocating positions. Finance Committee Minutes March 29, 2023 Page 3 of 5 Bill Henchy asked about using the override for the budget. He doesn’t know if this is the night to go over this, but it needs to be discussed. One of the reasons we can’t attract the best teachers is the cost of housing and taxes in the region. Maybe we can schedule a time with the School Committee to have this discussion. Peter Lombardi said in the past 30 years, we have had 10 overrides – all $100,000-$300,000. The last significant override was in 2004. We do have a history, the track record is that all those overrides have been approved by the Brewster taxpayers. Frank said we have to focus on planning. We have demographic information for quite some time that show our enrollment is declining over time while the costs to educate those students is going up every single year. We have to start forecasting. Some of those decisions are going to be difficult to make. We need to incorporate some planning into this process at the elementary level and the regional level. Pete said he thinks the problem is that you have to service everyone who walks in your door not knowing what challenges they are walking in with. He said operating an override for just one year just doesn’t make sense. This is problematic for the town and from a planning perspective. 4.Elementary School Department Capital Requests – Discussion and Vote – no discussion 5.Nauset Regional School Department Budget – Presentation and Vote Brooke Clenchy said to Mr. Henchy and Mr. Bridges, we think about all those things as well. She wanted to give credit to our Town Manager who is incredible to work with, all the Town Managers are wonderful. I can’t tell you how often we have asked them to meet, and they come in right away to have that meeting. They have been so helpful and guided us along the way. The final thing – there is always going to be a natural tension because we serve a different constituency. Finding our way through that has been really good. We are here representing children tonight. Chris Easley thanked the committee. He said there are several items to pay close attention to – the school committee is an elected body to develop and address budgets. The responsibilities of public education has grown. It looks at the whole individual. We look to develop them. There have been many deficits and challenges brought on by the pandemic. We have seen them largely in areas of mental health and learning loss. These are monumental challenges. Education itself is in crisis as are our students. It is how we respond to this crisis that will determine how we come out of this. We need to invest in people, programs, and services that will make the largest impact. Brooke Clenchy said she would go through the slides quickly because they have already been presented previously. You have heard us talk about the mental health of students and behavioral health – at the high school level has somewhat stabilized, not the middle school. Student self-regulation, we are seeing this more so at the middle school level. We added an adjustment counselor. We instituted support systems. There is a focus on restorative justice. We increased staff of professional development working with inclusivity and diversity – belonging with dignity. We also introduced student screeners. Transportation continues to be a problem. We are desperate for drivers. We have worked hard to be clear and transparent about all these costs. We have done a full-scale review of our technology. We have got rid of old and brought in new with federal funds as much as possible. We put in place an evergreen plan – planning ahead for next year. She continued by going through all the slides in the presentation. Benefits continue to come in above 2.5%. SPED costs have risen dramatically, far beyond 2.5%. Increased costs for students attending the Collaborative and Out-of-district facilities (14%). SPED transportation costs have risen dramatically. Contractual obligations continue to exceed 2.5%. Utilities budgets were increased significantly due to ongoing volatility cost challenges. Student Charter School/School Choice decisions continue to impact. Staffing challenges continue across NPS, at every level. Finance Committee Minutes March 29, 2023 Page 4 of 5 Chris Easley showed the Region only Budget on the screen and went through the sheet. Honey asked if we could verify what the override amount is. Peter Lombardi said, right now, we have a $647,000 operating override to support the budget. Honey said, once again, she would urge them to have dialogue regarding strategies about the cost shift with social, behavioral, and mental health issues that are now sitting in your budget. What is being discussed about educating our leadership in the state? Brooke Clenchy said there are some specific things happening right now, we don’t have it quite as bad as other areas. There is constant letter writing campaigns happening. We have great legislatures down here who are acutely aware of what is happening on the Cape. Honey asked if there were any strategies to address this burden. Brooke Clenchy answered she couldn’t express a specific strategy right now. Honey will not support either of the budgets because she feels they need to provide the revenue through the programs we already have that can reimburse those services. It is not for lack of supporting children or appreciating what has been presented to us. Bill Henchy said he was struck that you are losing students to other schools, to Monomoy, the Tech, and Charter Schools. He wondered if they had any idea why? Tom Fitzgibbons said could be the renovation, some stigma to the modulars, and the pandemic kept people home. Some people on the boarder were closer to Harwich and migrated over. One other issue we’ve heard has to do with wanting a little more intimate/smaller setting for their children with possibly less intimidation. People have choices. We are trying to compete. Mental illness, security – the burden ends up on the schools. When we try to combat that, we don’t get the support we need. Pete said one of the common issues in all of this is School Choice. You choose to be part of that. It seems to be working against you. Maybe this isn’t the savior you thought it was. Your predictability would be a whole lot better if that wasn’t involved. Bill Meehan said that in Mr. Easley’s remarks, it was declared they served a different constituency – constituents vote and pay taxes – they are the people from the 4 communities you serve. You serve them. Bob Young went through his graphs starting on page 121 of the public packet. The first page talks to the gap he spoke of earlier. Operating expense up and enrollment down. He went through the details of the numbers on the next slide. The drop in enrollment hasn’t just been since the building project started. He went on to slide 125 – high school enrollment only. Page 126 talks about the future. This is stark in his mind. 199-person drop in just a couple of years in elementary schools. This trend seems to be inexorable and perhaps even accelerating. We can’t keep having continued drops in enrollment and operating expense increases. Given all that, his question is to explain why they told the Select Board you can’t compile multi-year forecasts. The trends demand a comprehensive strategy. How is it financially responsible not to have a multi-year plan? Please explain why that is responsible financial management. Chris Easley shared his screen next. Going to the far right, these are DESE numbers. Your graphs aren’t based on the numbers that are out to Charter Schools, to Cape Cod Collaborative, etc. The decrease in the number of students are nowhere near as dramatic. They are still being paid for in our budget. 130 in 2017 under 100 2018 just under 100 in 2021. It’s part of why those graphs look so challenging. Bob responded by saying that the enrollment is from the district, and he understands the point. FY21 DESE per pupil expenditure is for kids educated within the district and he knows the numbers aren’t DESE numbers, but it is less than 2% off. Brooke Clenchy said some of those things are predictable, many are not. There are some years you can predict the number of retirements. The notion of trying to stay within that 3.45-4% is by doing cuts. If that is the wish of the voters, know that is going to mean bumping and riffing. She is prepared to do this if necessary. Please know the education you are seeing in your schools will look markedly different next year if that is the case. Rob Tobias said he has to differ with his colleague regarding constituents – the schools have multiple constituents. Priority by statute is to serve the students. They can’t ignore the voters, but they serve the students. Finance Committee Minutes March 29, 2023 Page 5 of 5 That is what they signed up for. He will support the budgets and the increases. The budget reflects the resources the school feels they need, and it is at a high cost. There is always room for improvement, and I know they will continue looking at getting their arms around staffing and programs to meet the needs of their students. He believes the budget committee worked very hard. He does support multi-year planning into the future. He believes there are opportunities. Frank asked if in the event the voters vote down the budget and override, would the voters in Brewster have a chance to reverse their vote? Peter Lombardi answered with the regional assessment, if two towns were to not fully fund their share of the budget, then that budget is considered failed. Then it would go back to the school committee to produce a new budget. Then it would go back to special town meetings and special town election. If Brewster were the only town to reject, we would have to make the cuts on our side of our budget or we could go back to the voters knowing then that our options would be to cut the town budget to approximately $650,000 and ask them to vote again – STM and Special Election. Brook extended her appreciation to the committee. It makes us stronger when they come together. Pete thanked them for coming and said he appreciated their comments. 6.Discuss and Potential Re-vote on Plastic Food Container & Utensil Ban- defer 7.Discuss and Vote on Annual Town Meeting Articles- defer a. Cape Cod Technical High School Budget b. Free Cash Appropriations c. Special Revenue Fund: Cable Franchise Fee d. Town Bylaw Amendment: Creation of New Community Garden and Wetlands Protection Revolving Funds e. Town Bylaw Amendment: Building and Needs Assessment Committee f. Citizens Petition: Conditions of Select Board Acceptance of Anonymous Gifts 8.Liaison Reports and Assignments - defer 9. Request for agenda items for future meetings – please email Pete 10. Matters Not Reasonably Anticipated by the Chair- defer 11. Next Finance Committee Meeting – next week 12. Adjournment Frank Bridges MOVED to adjourn the meeting at 9:05 PM. Alex Hopper second. Roll Call Vote: Bill Meehan – yes, Frank Bridges – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Bob Young – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes. The Committee voted: 7-yes 0-no Bill Henchy left the meeting before the vote was taken. Respectfully submitted, Beth Devine Packet of supporting materials on website for public review.