1993-01-12 Board of Selectmen Minutes

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Board of Selectmen Minutes January 12, 1993 7:30 p.m. The meeting was convened at 7:30 p.m. in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, 16 Lowell Street, Reading, MA. Present were Chairman Dan Ensminger, Vice Chairman George Hines, Secretary Sally Hoyt, Selectmen Bill Burditt and Eugene Nigro, Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner and the following list of interested parties: Jim Keigley, Gary Demopoulos, Annette Flanagan, Richard Foley, Beth Klepeis, Deidre Hanley, Steve Thomases, Tom Stohlman, Richard Radville, Tim Twomey. The Board of Selectmen reported on their attendance at the MMA meeting last weekend. Bill Burditt indicated that he had at- tended the Legislative Update session, session on lottery, and a session on Property Tax Ballot Questions. He also attended the Opening Session, the Selectmens Annual Meeting, the Business Meeting, and the Banquet. He felt the program was very worthwhile and distributed materials that he had picked up par- ticularly in the legislative updates session. Sally Hoyt indicated that she had attended the School Committee meeting and gave copies of the MMA policy on education to the School Committee. Eugene Nigro distributed material that he picked up from the To- tal Quality Management Program. He also attended a session on managing Worker' s Comp cases where they emphasized a treatment plan, educational counseling, immediate care, and case manage- ment. He was particularly interested in Scott Harshberger's com- ments that law enforcement alone will not deal with crime problems. Education is needed. George Hines attended sessions on neighborhood traffic control, cable TV law and regulations, David Osborne's session on rein- venting government related to customer service, and Senator Kennedy's insight into the new Clinton Administration. Dan Ensminger attended the Selectmen' s session, the Business Meeting, and sessions on labor relations and update on urban law. In the various sessions he learned that the Town can put condi- tions on liquor licenses; that the Town should look out for gifts of land because of potential 21E problems; that the best method of zoning enforcement is to go through the district court; and the collective bargaining agreements are valid upon signing by the negotiating authority. Ensminger indicated that we need to watch the local aid picture and in the School Committee's presen- tation last night they did not mention local aid. . The Town Manager reviewed the FY94 Budget presentation. Specifi- cally, he went through the status of the FY93 Budget. Revenues are tracking in accordance with the projections. He went through a number of potential expenditure problem areas, none of which are huge. He expressed a need for a 53rd payroll either this year or next year and the Board asked if that can't be spread out over five or six years rather than facing it as a lump sum.