HomeMy Public PortalAbout20210922 - Select Board - Meeting MinutesTOWN OF HOPKINTON
Select Board
Meeting Minutes – September 22, 2021
18 Main Street, Hopkinton MA - Lower Level Meeting Room 5:00 PM
Select Board Members Present: Irfan Nasrullah, Chair (participating remotely), Amy
Ritterbusch, Vice Chair (5:10 PM), Brendan Tedstone, Mary Jo LaFreniere (5:07 PM),
Muriel Kramer
Others Present: Jon Wortmann (participating remotely), Norman Khumalo, Town Manager,
Elaine Lazarus, Assistant Town Manager, Vasudha Dutta, Executive Assistant
CALL TO ORDER : Chair Nasrullah called the meeting to order at 5:05 PM. He confirmed that
he could hear and be heard.
SELECT BOARD WORK SESSION AND GOAL SETTING : Jon Wortmann reviewed the
goals for the meeting, noting that goals identify who members want the Board to be. He noted
that the “macros” and process goals are associated with a big goal. The Board discussed the
problem statements identified at a previous meeting and what each goal should be, then macros
and process goals for each.
Problem Statement:To adhere to a timely budget process,and what the goal should be.
The Board discussed ideas including communicating a timeline and insistence on adherence to it,
and presenting a budget with adequate time for the public to see it before town meeting. The
Board discussed the timeline required in the Charter. It was the consensus of the Board that the
goal should be:To have a complete and balanced budget 14 days before Town Meeting.
Macros and process goals discussed and identified included:
Macros:
1.Total adherence to the budget schedule - Town Manager budget to Select Board end of
January, Select Board send budget to Appropriation Committee mid-March, and
Appropriation Committee vote and deliver report 2nd week of April
2.Communicate budget to stakeholders in a user friendly way, 2 weeks before town
meeting.
3.Accessible communication
Process goals:
1.Coordination with School Committee
2.Communicate to stakeholders
3.Announce Appropriation Committee report when ready - user friendly communication
4.Accessible communication - written, electronic, large print, multi-languages, etc.
Problem Statement:Keeping people calm throughout the Main Street Corridor Project.
It was noted that communication at present seems to be working well, and one problem is that
there are multiple construction projects being done by different people going on at once
throughout Town, and the Town isn’t able to coordinate them. The Board reached consensus on
the following goal:Empower professional staff communication around highway/roadway
projects.
Macros:
1.Listen
2.Refer all complaints
3.Record the complaints
4.Police Dept. to capture safety complaints
Process goal:
1.Educate and inform.
Problem Statement:Provide inclusive transparent communication to all citizens.
The Board discussed increasing active communications on the Town’s most pertinent concerns,
and the importance of communications accessible to all. It was suggested that all
communications should be available to all residents on paper, electronic, phone etc., and the
Board discussed what communications should be made available as a matter of course. The
Board determined that legally required documents should be made available in multiple formats.
Goal:Inclusive transparent communication.
Macros:
1.All legally required communications to be accessible to all (paper, electronic, phone)
2.ADA compliant, translation friendly
3.Minutes/deliberative process information accessible to all
4.Enable keyword searchable documents
Process goals:
1.Easily searchable documents
2.An informed public
Problem Statement:Maintain everyone’s high quality of life during a time of increased growth
and development.
The Board noted that people are happy with the Hopkinton lifestyle, and this issue factors into
other goals and problems, including aspects related to the schools, facilities etc. The Board
discussed the issues of school overcrowding and managed tax impact associated with growth. It
was noted that this problem statement assumes that growth will continue.
Goal:Maintain everyone’s high quality of life during a time of increased growth and
development.
Macros:
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1.Maintain high quality schools and services
2.Manage tax impact.
3.Address structural deficit
4.Maintain safety
5.Maintain open spaces
Process goals:
1.Make Hopkinton an affordable town that we love and where people want to stay.
Due to time constraints, the Board assigned each member a problem statement for which to
identify the goal, macros and process goals:
●Increase public participation in visioning and strategic planning for the Town (Muriel
Kramer)
●Address climate change (Irfan Nasrullah)
●Increase DEI at all levels throughout the Town (Amy Ritterbusch)
●Address Town water needs (Brendan Tedstone)
●Develop relationship with Eversource (LNG Facility) (Mary Jo LaFreniere)
The Board determined that the problem statement previously identified regarding cohesion
between Select Board and School Committee relative to the budget had been captured in the
budget goal discussed this evening.
MOVED by Brendan Tedstone and SECONDED by Amy Ritterbusch to adjourn the meeting.
Roll Call Vote: Irfan Nasrullah-Yes; Amy Ritterbusch-Yes; Brendan Tedstone-Yes; Mary Jo
LaFreniere-Yes; Muriel Kramer-Yes.Vote to Approve:Yes-5, No-0.
Adjourned: 6:00 PM
Approved: October 5, 2021
Documents used at the meeting:
Problem Statement List, undated
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