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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-07-25 Board of Selectmen Minutes Town of Reading Meeting Minutes rCI v � TOWClr 'r?K READINCI, MASS. Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Board of Selectmen 10II SEP "I A 8: 3J Date: 2017-07-25 Time: 7:00 PM Building: Reading Town Hall Location: Selectmen Meeting Room Address: 16 Lowell Street Session: Purpose: General Business Version: Attendees: Members - Present: Chair John Arena, Barry Berman, Dan Ensminger, John Halsey Members - Not Present: Andrew Friedmann Others Present: Town Manager Bob LeLacheur, Miyares & Harrington Associate Ivria Fried, Executive Assistant Caitlin Saunders, Bill Brown, Stephen Crook, Dan Dewar, Michele Sanphy, Vanessa Alvarado Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Topics of Discussion: Chair John Arena called the meeting to order. Liaison Reports Mr. Ensminger noted he talked to Phil Pacino from the RMLD Citizens Advisory Board. He noted they are having a quorum issue and that is the reason for the hold up on their end. Mr. LeLacheur noted he talked to the other three Town Managers and they are not overly concerned about it. Mr. Ensminger explained that preparations for cable renegotiations are starting and encouraged everyone to help by take the survey RCTV has put out. He also attended the Board of Health meeting and noted at their last meeting they had an executive session without prior notice. He explained they are also refusing to appoint Laura Vlasuk as the Health Director. Mr. Ensminger expressed a need to have them in to see the Selectmen and talk to them. Mr. Berman noted he attended the wayfinding and branding subcommittee meeting with staff. Our Community Development Director was able to get us a grant for some professional consulting services. Public Comment Bill Brown asked what the update with Memorial Park and Oakland Road is. Mr. LeLacheur explained he has spoken with a third party but nothing has come of it right now. Mr. Brown also noted the wall in front of the Library looks nice now that the cracks have been fixed. Vanessa Alvarado thanked the Selectmen for being open at their last meeting about the survey and for listening to their comments about it. Page 1 1 Town Managers Report Mr. LeLacheur announced there will be an economic development forum at the Library in the Community Room. Mr. Berman noted he thinks it would be helpful if members of our development community were there to weigh in. . Hearing - FY18 Classification Plan Mr. LeLacheur explained he is asking to add a position to grade F. He noted it was left off the classification plan last time because they were unsure what grade the position was going to be at. The new position is going to be an administrative specialist in Community Development. The position is meant to have a flexible schedule to help with night meetings. Mr. Ensminger made a motion to close the public hearing on the FY18 Classification Plan. The motion was seconded by Mr. Halsey and approved with a 4-0-0 vote. Mr. Ensminger made a motion that the Board of Selectmen amend the FY18 Classification Plan as presented. The motion was seconded by Mr. Berman and approved with a 4-0-0 vote. Board of Selectmen Policies: Article 3 Licenses Mr. LeLacheur wanted to discuss with the board the language in 3.1.6 regarding delegating certain licenses to the Town Managers office. Right now the policy says the board needs to delegate out annually to the Town Manager. If they wish to just delegate it once and that be it, then they need to change the language. Mr. Arena suggested seeing new licenses for Motor Vehicle Class I, II, III and maybe any licenses that have any changes to them. Mr. LeLacheur expressed that it is time to look at and update our Entertainment License policies. There are a lot of new things that should be added in and changed. The board then went through and discussed which licenses they would like to see and which can stay delegated to the Town Manager. Regarding section 3.9 and waiving sales before 6 AM, the Board decided to keep those coming to the board so they can determine them on a case by case basis. The board had a discussion about section 3.11 regarding A- Frame signs. This is a lengthy section for such an item and Mr. Halsey explained this is far overregulated and should be condensed. The topic of Air BNB was brought up. Right now we have no regulations on it and are not exactly sure what we can and cannot regulate. The board decided to let Town Counsel explore options of how to proceed. KENO Policy Miyares and Harrington Associate Ivria Fried was present to explain the process of KENO licenses to the Board. The state is the one who actually issues the licenses. There are two types of KENO licenses. Someone who is a lottery agent can get one, which is typically a package store or convenient store and a restaurant. The applicant files an application directly with the state. The state is not required to notify the town about restaurant applications, however, they usually do. When someone applies to be a lottery agent the state will send the town a letter and give them time to object. The lottery commission can take into consideration the local board's recommendations but they don't have to. If the town wants to object to a lottery agent, the town must hold a public hearing and send the objection back to the state all within 21 days. Mr. Berman suggested just holding a hearing for every application but the Mr. Halsey noted he thinks that is unnecessary. The board discussed procedure and decided to determine whether they would hold a hearing on a case by case basis. If there are no objections from anyone on the board there is no Page 1 2 reason to hold a hearing. If there are some concerns, then the board can hold a public hearing and decide if they want to send an objection letter or not. Mr. Ensminger moved that the Board of Selectmen adopt the KENO policy as amended. The motion was seconded by Mr. Berman and passed with a 4-0-0 vote. Town Manager Goals Mr. LeLacheur presented the group with the finalized Town Manager goals for FY18. The group then discussed how they would like to break them up to be liaisons for. The determined they would all send Mr. LeLacheur their top preferences and he would delegate them as he saw fit. Board of Selectmen Survey The board reviewed the changed survey. It was noted they are going to use Survey Monkey to put it out. The board suggested instead of having some questions say check all that apply', they should change it to pick your top 3'. Question 8 the board decided to add another option to the possible answers. Vanessa Alvarado noted question 5 is hard to follow so the board decided to change the wording to be more clear. She also noted question 7 inquiries about people's children; however she wanted an option for people without children. The board then discussed the timeline and distribution of the survey. They want to get it out as soon as the changes are made. They will post the link on the website and in the newspaper as well as send it out through various other channels of communication like newsletters and such. Minutes Mr. Ensminger made a motion to approve the minutes of June 27th, 2017 as amended. The motion was seconded by Mr. Berman and approved with a 4-0-0 vote. Mr. Ensminger move that the Board of Selectmen adjourn the meeting at 9:31 PM. The motion was seconded by Mr. Berman and approved with a 4-0-0 vote. Page 1 3