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Hopkinton Board of Selectmen Meeting Minutes March 2, 2011
TOWN OF HOPKINTON
Board of Selectmen
MINUTES OF MEETING
March 2, 2011
A meeting of the Hopkinton Board of Selectmen was held on Wednesday, March 2, 2011 at Town
Hall, 18 Main Street, Hopkinton, Massachusetts. Selectmen present: RJ Dourney, Todd Cestari,
Ben Palleiko, Michelle Gates and John Mosher. Officials present; Town Manager Norman
Khumalo, Operations Assistant Geri Holland, Town Clerk Ann Click, and Town Accountant Heidi
Kriger.
CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Dourney called the meeting to order at 5:00PM in Room 215 with
the Pledge of Allegiance.
PUBLIC FORUM: There were no citizen comments.
SPECIAL TOWN MEETING WARRANT: Mr. Khumalo reviewed the intent of the Special
Town Meeting as being to get the Town’s approval to appropriate funds to construct a new school
at Fruit Street. Two thirds of voters who attend Special Town Meeting must approve the project.
Because the project will necessitate a debt exclusion, a special election is required by
Massachusetts law. There is an agreement between the Town and the Massachusetts School
Building Authority (MSBA) that grant money will be available if the project is approved by the
voters. Mr. Palleiko noted that the footprint of the proposed building as described in Article 2 is
not situated exactly on tract 7 as initially planned. Mr. Khumalo said a portion of the proposed
field falls within the DPW tract. He said the article as written will adequately address this issue, as
well as the concerns of the Parks and Recreation Commission (P&R) with regard to oversight of
the two existing athletic fields, according to Town Counsel. Mrs. Gates said the original purchase
of the Fruit Street property utilized CPA funds for active recreation and observed that the fields
managed by P&R are shared with the school. She inquired as to how the issue fits in with the
article and asked if it will be included in the motion. Mr. Khumalo said he spoke with CPC
Chairman John Coolidge and was assured that the threshold set for the Fruit Street parcel based on
funding sources for the purchase were met without including the athletic fields. Mrs. Gates asked
if the dollar amount of the MSBA grant could change. Chairman Dourney responded that a 44.7%
reimbursement had been agreed upon and it would only change (be reduced) if the CM at Risk
methodology for construction was abandoned, which is unlikely. Mr. Mosher asked if there had
been any more discussion about a cooperative effort for field maintenance between the School
Department, P&R and the DPW. Mr. Cestari responded that Parks and Recreation Commission
Chairman Ken Driscoll is interested in pursuing such an effort.
Mrs. Gates said she’d received several letters from constituents regarding school districting,
specifically, why districting isn’t written into the article. Mr. Khumalo said the School Committee
has the discretion to establish districting in the Town. Chairman Dourney said that the School
Committee had decided to move to districting in 2002 and that the construction of the new school
would make implementation of districting practical. Mrs. Gates maintained that there is still
confusion as to why the issue is not included in the article. Mr. Mosher suggested that including
the term “districting” may change the scope of the project and said there is no intention to mislead
voters by omitting the term.
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Hopkinton Board of Selectmen Meeting Minutes March 2, 2011
MOTION by Mr. Palleiko that the Board of Selectmen vote to close and sign the Warrant for the
March 21, 2011 Special Town Meeting SECONDED by Mr. Cestari. VOTE to Approve:
Unanimous.
SPECIAL TOWN ELECTION WARRANT: Mr. Palleiko asked when a dollar amount would
be included in the ballot question. Mr. Cestari said that an exact amount won’t be known until the
interest rate of the bond is determined. MOTION by Mr. Palleiko that the Board of Selectmen
vote to sign the March 28, 2011 Special Town Election Warrant SECONDED by Mrs. Gates.
VOTE to Approve: Unanimous. Town Clerk Ann Click advised residents that, if they are
currently registered to vote, they don’t need to re-register for the Special Town Meeting and
Special Town Election. Unregistered residents must register by March 8 to be able to vote at
Special Town Meeting and in the Special Town Election. Those who register by March 11 will be
eligible to vote only at Special Town Meeting.
FY2012 BUDGET UPDATE: Mr. Khumalo reviewed that budget discussions assumed raising
the levy by the full 2 ½% allowed by law and utilizing one half of the Town’s excess levy capacity.
He said he and Town Accountant Heidi Kriger have been looking for more opportunities to cut
back. Ms. Kriger said the property tax estimate is $48 Million, which includes $529,000.00 for
debt service if the new school is supported by voters. Local receipts are estimated at $3.175
Million, Local Aid at $6.5 Million, Free Cash is $369,000.00, and the MSBA reimbursement is
expected to be $2.2 Million. Other available transfers are estimated to be $1.2 Million and there is
$250,000.00 in the Overlay Surplus Account. Ms. Kriger reported total budget requests to be
$59,294,000.00, leaving a deficit of $1.333 Million. She said that capital spending had been
reduced by half. Mr. Khumalo said the new numbers reflect adjustments made on the Town side of
the budget. Mr. Mosher said items that can improve operations should not be cut out of the budget.
Mr. Khumalo responded that he continues to try to move initiatives forward while containing costs.
Mr. Cestari noted that there will be a $1.1 Million increase in health insurance, adding that the
Town will negotiate with four unions this year. Mr. Palleiko said he is impressed with the level of
cost control and would like to see “miscellaneous expenses” broken down further. In response to
Mr. Cestari, Mr. Khumalo said he had designated Human Resources Director Maryrose DeGroot to
attend the State House hearing on the healthcare bill next week. A joint meeting between the
Board of Selectmen, the Appropriations Committee and the School Committee is scheduled for
March 3.
ADJOURN: Chairman Dourney entertained a motion to adjourn. So MOVED by Mr. Cestari and
SECONDED by Mr. Palleiko. VOTE to Approve: Unanimous. Meeting adjourned at 5:59 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Elizabeth Aghababian
Recording Secretary
Date accepted: 3/8/11