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Home My WebLink About2021-05-06 Annual Town Meeting MinutesANNUAL TOWN MEETING Virtual Town Meeting May 6, 2021 via Zoom Webinar The meeting was called to order by the Moderator, Alan E. Foulds, at 7:32 PM, there being a quorum present. The Pledge of Allegiance was said by all. ARTICLE 16: Continued: Move that the Town approve the proposed FY 2022 Budget as presented for Line Item L91 (Library Wages): $3.544.550 and Line Item L92 (Library Expenses): $387.400, with the amount appropriated to be provided as follows: Lines L91 and L92 - from property taxes, State aid and non -property tax local receipts Motion made by Ed Ross, Precinct 5 to move the Question and end debate on the amendment 2/3rd Vote Required in the affirmative in the negative 184 Town Meeting Members remotely in Attendance Motion Does Not Carry Motion made for a Roll Call Vote for the Vote of the Amendment Roll Call Vote as Follows: P First Name MI Last Name Roll Call Vote Article 16 End Debate Annual Town Meeting 2021-05-06 8:38 PM 1 John J Arena No 1 Roy A Ben amin _ No 1 Lorenzo Colomba _ No 1 John L Corbett No 1 John M Devir Abstain 1 Linda Snow Dockser No 1 Mark L Dockser No 1 Nancy A Docktor No 1 w Meoan Fidler -Carey _ No 1 Giuseppe Ciro Fodera No 1 Ronald P Fotino No 1 Diana L Halsey Absent 1 John R Halsey Absent 1 Deborah D Hattery No 1 Bernard R Horn No 1t Page ANNUAL TOWN MEETING Virtual Town Meeting via Zoom Webinar P Fist Name MI Last Name Roll Call Vote Article 16 End Debate Annual Town Meeting 2021-05-06 8:38 PM 1 Kevin Leete No 1 James V Martin Yes 1 Sheila M Mulmy No 1 Shaun C Neville No 1 Brian P OMara No I Paula J Perry No 1 David W Pinette No 1 James F Reichardt No 1 Sheilah Reichardt No 2 Alan D Beaulieu No 2 Donna M Beaulieu No 2 Francis P Burke No 2 Eric J Burkhart No 2 Howard D Cohen No 2 Susan S Craven No 2 AnthonyD'Arezzo No 2 David J Feierabend Absent 2 Vicki I Ellen Fortin No 2 Denise M lozzo No 2 Karen T Janowski No 2 Gaetano Man aniello Absent 2 Matthew W McLeod No 2 Kaitlyn C Mercurio No 2 Sean P OConnor Abstain 2 Thomas B ORourke No 2 Simone R Payment No 2 John A Sasso No 2 John R Scott No 2 Allison L Sillers No 2 1 Emily I K Sisson No 2 Christine L Steck No 2 Mark Salvatore Ventura No 2 Laura Faye Wilson No 3 Eric J Bergstrom Yes 3 John D Breslin No 3 Tony R Capobianco No 3 Audra M Cashin Absent 3 Jason FC Clarke No 3 Daniel John Dewar No 3 Laura M Fusco No 3 Fausto J Garcia No 3 Rachelle A Garcia No 3 Tara Anne Giardina Abstain 3 Michelle R Greenwalt No 3 Kristen I M LaChance Abstain 3 Stephen F Leahy No 3 Marianne M Mclaughlin-Downtng No 3 Carla J Nazzaro No 3 Daniel V Pastore No 3 Joseph J Sarofeen Yes 3 Michael J Shimansky No 3 Paul J Sylvester NO 3 Jessica LB Tran No 3 Nancy J Twomey No 3 Heidi M Wise No 3 Thomas F Wise No 3 Meredith Logsdon Yoder No 2IPage May 6, 2021 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING Virtual Town Meeting via Zoom Webinar P Find: Name MI Last Name Roll Call Vote Article 16 End Debate Annual Town Meeting 2021-05-06 8:38 PM 4 Barry C Berman Yes 4 Samh H Bmkllacchio No 4 Lynne H Cameron No 4 Richard H Coco No - 4 Ann M Cruickshank No 4 Chrimcer Scott Feudo No 4 Andrew 5 Friedmann No 4 Enc J Gallen No 4 Erin E Gaffen No 4 Thomas D Grant No 4 Jeffrey P Jadul Yes 4 Emily G James No 4 James T Maughan No 4 Richard E McDonald No 4 David W Mclsaac No 4 David Alan Murdock No 4 John F ONelll No 4 Mary Ellen ONeill No 4 1 Chuck I Robinson No 4 Elizabeth C Shurland No 4 Harry M Simmons No 4 Marianne R Tompkins No 4 Karin Elizabeth Whltelam No 4 Steven L Zessis No 5 Vanessa I Alvarado No 5 Cano A Bacci No 5 Jonathan E Barnes No 5 Angela F Binda No 5 Lorraine ConwayNo 5 Annemarie C Cary No 5 1 Robert J Ferrari No 5 Michael Giacalone No 5 Nathan Thomas Glacalone No 5 Laurence F Hayes Abstain 5 Laura A Joelson Yes 5 Helena Marie Johnson No 5 Janice M Jones Abstain 5 Dianne P Kennedy No 5 Anne DJ Landry No 5 Christine T Lusk Abstain 5 Eileen A Manning No 5 Patrick P OSullivan No 5 Philin B Pacino No 5 Joseph Pa Iluca No 5 Edward J Ross Yes 5 David A Talbot No 5 Jeanne Thomases No 5 Nancy 3 Ziemlak No 6 Geoffrey C Beckwith Yes 6 lames E Bonazoli I No 6 Jeanne M Borowski No 6 Joseph Clinton Carnahan No 6 Brendan J Carroll No 6 Steven Cool No 6 Robert Coulter Absent 6 Ronald E Derosa No 6 1 Jessica I A Franklin No 3lPage May 6, 2021 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING Virtual Town Meeting via Zoom Webinar P FIM Name MI Laat Name Roll Cell Vote Article 16 End Debate Annual Town Meeting 2021-05-06 8:38 PM 6 Kelly A Malone No 6 Robert L Mandell No 6 James Gordon McIntosh No 6 John M Miles No 6 Alan S Mosler No 6 Etain ODea No 6 Pa aal K Patel Absent 6 Kern Lynne Perry No 6 Thomas A Perry No 6 Michele S Samphy No 6 Greg F Selvitelli No 6 Grego R Stapler No 6 Cynthia A Tozian Cool No 6 John F Weaver No 6 Drucilla Wood -Beckwith No 7 Carl F Anderson No 7 Jesse D Arnold No 7 Lisa Beth Bibeau No 7 Nicholas t M Boivin No 7 Brandon P Chapman No 7 Heather A Clish No 7 Geoffrey J Coram Yes 7 Charles V Donnelly -Moran No 7 Marcel A Dubois No 7 Kerry C Dunnell No 7 Daniel A Ensmin er No 7 Jennifer C Hillery No 7 Norman R Kozlowski No 7 John A Lippitt Abstain 7 Joanne E Manville No 7 1 Hillary G Mateev No 7 Jacqueline Renee McCarthyNo 7 Gina Beck McCormick No 7 James C Satterthwaite Yes 7 Jeffrey W Struble No 7 John Brendon Sullivan No 7 Erin E Tierney No 7 Karl Weld No 7 Carolyn R Whiting No 8 Shawn Brandt No 8 Ian Charles Brown No 8 Peter A Brown No 8 William C Brown Yes 8 Amy B Cole No 8 Kendra JG Cooper No 8 Sasha P Corken No 8 Sarah Maxam Doane No 8 William O Finch Abstain 8 Kathleen O Goldlust No 8 Karen Gately Herrick No 8 Stephen W Herrick No 8 Peter McNeill Kamer Absent 8 Eileen Shine Litterio No 8 Patricia Jean Lloyd No 6 Bruce A Mackenzie No 8 Todd Merkle No 8 1 Martha I E Moore No alvage May 6, 2021 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING Virtual Town Meeting via Zoom Webinar May 6, 2021 P First MI Last Roll Call Vote Name Name Article 16 End Debate Annual Town Meeting 2021-05-06 8:38 PM 8 Melissa L Murphy No 8 Thomas C OConnor No 8 Vanessa Silva No 8 Kenneth R Tucci No 8 Theresa AC Wiggins No 8 Alicia F wiliams No Roll Call Vote 11 in the affirmative 164 in the negative 9 Abstain 8 Absent 184 Town Meeting Members remotely in Attendance Move that the Town approve the proposed FY 2022 Budget as presented for Line Item M91 (Core Facilities): $3.184.100with the amount appropriated to be provided as follows: Line M91 - $100,000 from School Rental Revolving Fund; and the balance of line M91 from property taxes, State aid and non -property tax local receipts Move that the Town approve the proposed FY 2022 Budget as presented for Line Item M92 (Town Buildinas): $348.150with the amount appropriated to be provided as follows: Line M92 - from property taxes, State aid and non -property tax local receipts Move that the Town approve the proposed FY 2022 Budget as presented for Line Item U99 (School Department): $49.695.998with the amount appropriated to be provided as follows: Line U99 - from property taxes, State aid and non -property tax local receipts Move that the Town approve the proposed FY 2022 Budget as presented for Line Item W99 (Water Enterprise Fundl: $7.662.625, with the amount appropriated to be provided as follows: Lines W99 - $1,000,000 from Water Reserves and the balance from user fees and other charges Move that the Town approve the proposed FY 2022 Budget as presented for Line Item X99 (Sewer Enterprise Fund): $7.300.0755, with the amount appropriated to be provided as follows: Line X99 - $800,000 from Sewer Reserves and the balance from user fees and other charges 51 Page ANNUAL TOWN MEETING Virtual Town Meeting May 6, 2021 via Zoom Webinar Move that the Town approve the proposed FY 2022 Budget as presented for Line Item Y99 (Storm Water Enterprise Fundl: $535.378with the amount appropriated to be provided as follows: Line Y99 - $90,000 from Storm Water Reserves and the balance from user fees and other charges Move that the Town approve the proposed FY 2022 Budget as presented for Line Item Z99 (PEG Access): $611.500with the amount appropriated to be provided as follows: Line Z99 - from user fees and other charges Move that the Town approve the proposed FY 2022 Budget, exclusive of State and County assessments: $124,971,354 + $80,000 = 125,051,354 • Representing the total of all motions made under ARTICLE 16 as amended • Funds are to be provided as set forth in said motions as amended Presentation given by: • Bob LeLacheur - See Attached • John Doughty - See Attached Finance Committee report: Please see the FY22 Spending Scorecard for the votes of the Finance Committee on line items in the FY22 budget. The Finance Committee recommends the subject matter of Article 16 as explained by these votes at their meeting on March 17, 2021. Bylaw Committee Report: No report John Doherty Comments: I want to close my presentation with a final set of comments. This is my final budget presentation to Town Meeting as Superintendent of the Reading Public Schools. Since this will be my last opportunity at Town Meeting to publicly make a comment, I want to thank Town Meeting for all of their support of our schools and our students and staff over the last 12 years. During that time, Town Meeting and the Community has always had the best interest of our children in mind, even during some of the lean budget years. To digress, I started my Superintendency during the great recession of 2009 and 2010 and I am ending with the pandemic of 2021. During that time, Town Meeting has been supportive of many projects including, but not limited to a Proposition 2 1/2 override, curriculum initiatives for science, 9 modular classrooms to alleviate space constraints, a security project to protect our staff and students, numerous capital projects including Turf 2, multiple roofs and window replacements, new boilers, technology hardware, phone systems and performance contracting. You have been extremely supportive during this pandemic, approving resources for us to use to keep our schools running strong. You have supported the Reading Coalition Against Substance Abuse, now known as the coalition, and School Resource Officers, valuable pieces of our school culture. You have always valued public education and I am appreciative of that. That commitment is the investment in our future. I have always said that what makes Reading unique is the collaboration between town departments and schools. It has been so evident during this pandemic with our weekly Command meetings of Bob Lelacheur, 6 1 P a g ANNUAL TOWN MEETING Virtual Town Meeting May 6, 2021 via Zoom Webinar Chief Clarke, Board of Health, Greg Burns, Jean Delios, Mark Dockser, Paul Jackson, and Gail Dowd. It is that secret sauce over the years that has allowed us to maximize our resources in the best interest of the Community. To that end, I want to thank the town officials that I started with, Peter Hechenbleikner and Chief Cormier who welcomed me and mentored me when I became Superintendent and Bob Lelacheur and Chief Clarke who are supporting me on my way out. I also want to thank Chief Burns who has been the constant steady leader throughout my 12 years. Your collaboration, support, and guidance has been invaluable throughout the years. I also want to thank the School Committee, Finance Committee and the Select Board who have been very supportive of our schools and the Town Department Heads and Town staff for their collaborative approach in solving problems. Finally, I want to thank the Finance and Operations team of Joe Huggins, Kevin Cabuzzi, Gail Lapointe, Sharon Angstrom, and Gail Dowd who have made me look good over the last several years. I will miss working with all of you. Finally, I want to thank you, Town Meeting members and the Reading Community for all of your support. I have had many of you as parents, some of you even as students either at Coolidge or in the district. I have had great memories that I will never ever forget. As I begin to pass the torch over to Dr. Milaschewski, who will be an outstanding addition for this community and our school district, I wish the Town of Reading and the Reading Public Schools a positive future ahead. Thank you for your support and the opportunity to be a member of this community for 34 years. Counted Vote 159 in the affirmative 9 in the negative 184 Town Meeting Members remotely in Attendance Motion Carried as Amended ARTICLE 5: Motion made by Finance Committee that the Town vote to amend the Town's Operating Budget for the Fiscal Year commencing July 1, 2020, as adopted under Article 17 of the Annual Town Meeting of June 15, 2020 and amended under Article 4 of the Subsequent Town Meeting of November 9, 2020; and to raise and appropriate, borrow or transfer from available funds, or otherwise provide a sum or sums of money to be added to the amounts appropriated under said Article, as amended, for the operation of the Town and its government: General Fund - Wanes and 7l Page Account Line 29111laugfigall,s I B99 - Benefits OPEB allocation +$693,400 $456,600 wages & expenses 111F Pending Retirement $150,000 (Fire $93k) and (Police $57k) Health Insurance Premiums -$500,000 Health Insurance Offsets -$800,000 E99 - Regional Essex North Voke $25,000 $35,000 Vocational Education Minuteman Voke $10,000 G91 - Elections $10,000 $10,000 Administrative Services Wages ANNUAL TOWN MEETING Virtual Town Meeting via Zoom Webinar May 6, 2021 unt Line D ri Decrease Increase G92 - Legal $45,000 +$13,600 OPEB allocation $65,000 Administrative Postage (elections) $20,000 +$3,500 OPEB allocation Services Expenses Y99 - Storm Water EF expenses +$1,200 OPEB allocation H92 - Public Veteran's Benefits -$40,000 $40,000 Services Expenses I91 - Finance Accounting OT $3,000 $3,000 Wages I92 - Finance Assessors revaluation $70,000 (now $70,000 Expenses every five ears 791 - Public Safety Fire buyback $53,000 (retirements) $157,000 Wages Dispatcher OT $50,000 Police buyback $54,000 retirements K93 - Public Works estimate as of 3115121 $50,000 Snow & Ice Subtotals $496,600 $390,000 Net Operating Expenses $106,600 From Free Cash $0 Transfer to Enterprise Funds $18,300 Transfer to RMLD OPEB Trust $88,300 Enterprise Funds - Wages and Expeniii Account Line Description Decrease Increase W99 - Water EF Expenses +$13,600 OPEB allocation $13,600 X99 - Sewer EF Expenses +$3,500 OPEB allocation $3,500 Y99 - Storm Water EF expenses +$1,200 OPEB allocation $1,200 Transfer from General Fund $18,300 Counted Vote 162 in the affirmative 3 in the negative 184 Town Meeting Members remotely in Attendance Motion Carried Fausto Garcia, Precinct 3 moved to adjourn the 2021 Annual Town Meeting to continue Town Meeting via Zoom Webinar on May 10th at 7:30 PM. Town Meeting adjourned at 10:19 PM with 184 Town Meeting Members remotely in attendance. Counted Vote 86 in the affirmative 8i Page ANNUAL TOWN MEETING Virtual Town Meeting via Zoom Webinar 80 in the negative 184 Town Meeting Members remotely in Attendance Motion Carried A true copy Attest: Laura A Gemme, CMC /CMMC Town Clerk 91 Page May 6, 2021