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Home My WebLink About2022-12-13 Select Board Packet Town of Reading Meeting Posting with Agenda This Agenda has been prepared in advance and represents a listing of topics that the chair reasonably anticipates will be discussed at the meeting. However the agenda does not necessarily include all matters which may be taken up at this meeting. Page | 1 2018-07-16 LAG Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Select Board Date: 2022-12-13 Time: 7:00 PM Building: Reading Town Hall Location: Select Board Meeting Room Address: 16 Lowell Street Agenda: Revised Purpose: General Business Meeting Called By: Caitlin Nocella on behalf of Chair Mark Dockser Notices and agendas are to be posted 48 hours in advance of the meetings excluding Saturdays, Sundays and Legal Holidays. Please keep in mind the Town Clerk’s hours of operation and make necessary arrangements to be sure your posting is made in an adequate amount of time. A listing of topics that the chair reasonab ly anticipates will be discussed at the meeting must be on the agenda. All Meeting Postings must be submitted in typed format; handwritten notices will not be accepted. Topics of Discussion: This Meeting will be held in-person in the Select Board Meeting Room at Town Hall and remotely on Zoom. It will also be streamed live on RCTV as usual. Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88064549575 Meeting ID: 880 6454 9575 One tap mobile +16465588656,,88064549575# US (New York) +16465189805,,88064549575# US (New York) Dial by your location +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) +1 646 518 9805 US (New York) Meeting ID: 880 6454 9575 Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kPDenQQK5 PAGE # 7:00 Review Town Department FY24 Budgets • Public Library • Facilities • Finance • Shared Costs • Budget Summary 9:00 Approve Meeting Minutes 9:05 Discussion on ideas about and potential sites for a new Town of Reading Meeting Posting with Agenda This Agenda has been prepared in advance and represents a listing of topics that the chair reasonably anticipates will be discussed at the meeting. However the agenda does not necessarily include all matters which may be taken up at this meeting. Page | 2 senior/community center/municipal building including any possible new alternatives, and potential vote to authorize town manager to expend funds to explore any such sites. 9:30 Discussion on the Purchase of Real Property for Municipal Use, including an Executive Session (Purpose 6) to discuss the acquisition and value of 17 Harnden Street LEVEL 1 FY24 Reading Public Library Budget Prepared: Amy Fang Lannon (she/her) Library Director 1 STRATEGIC PLAN (readingpl.org)2 Evolving together to strengthen communication, equity, collaboration, and learning. Education Equity Accountability Access Customer convenience through improved access to collections and resources, both physical and digital. Address diverse needs of the community, especially those of typically marginalized. VISION VALUES STRATEGY #1 Community learning and engagement with the Library as partner and participant. Learn and collaborate to strengthen the Reading community. STRATEGY #2 Optimize the library as “Space and Place,” fulfilling the library’s potential as a community asset. Improve equitable access to library services. Support and enhance essential community services. STRATEGY #3 LIBRARY VALUE 3 $1,931,950 $8,465,151 FY22 BUDGET FY22 VALUE MEASURABLE RETURN OTHER: •Free Fax/Scan services •Free WiFi (62,200+ sessions) •Free public computer use (4000+ sessions) •Minimal fees for printing Transactions Library Service Total Value Avg. Value 102,545 Adult Books Borrowed $2,050,900 $20.00 15,075 Young Adult Books Borrowed $286,425 $19.00 175,690 Children Books Borrowed $2,635,350 $15.00 23,490 eBooks Downloaded $258,390 $11.00 11,377 Audiobooks & Music Borrowed $113,201 $9.95 13,301 Audiobooks Downloaded $199,515 $15.00 27,139 Movies Borrowed $108,556 $4.00 7,166 Magazines Borrowed $35,830 $5.00 30,403 Interlibrary Loan Requests $760,075 $25.00 2,022 Adult In-person Programs Attendance $24,264 $12.00 420 Young Adult In-person Programs Attendance $4,200 $10.00 3,048 Children's In-person Programs Attendance $15,240 $5.00 936 Museum Passes Borrowed $18,720 $20.00 139,514 Online (news, language, learning, legal, research)$1,743,925 $12.50 21,056 Reference Assistance $210,560 $10.00 Total $8,465,151 13,939 Reading Library Card Holders TOTAL $2,095,025 Increase 3.75% FY23 FY24 % Administration $342,900 $359,650 +4.9% Equity & Social Justice $79,150 $85,075 +7.5% Collection Services $514,100 $538,625 +4.8% Public Services $683,700 $714,800 +4.5% General Expenses $139,500 $124,500 -10.8% Materials $259,950 $272,375 +4.8% TOTAL $2,019,300 $2,095,025 +3.75% 4 SUMMARY Salaries* $1,698,150 +4.8% General Expenses $124,500 -10.8% Materials $272,375 +4.8% *Step + 1.25% COLA with placeholder salary for one vacancy. PAY AND CLASS: The salary budget corrects non-union rates to the 75th percentile among peer communities as recommended by 2022 Pay & Class study by GovHR and the Town of Reading. Expenses -0.6% (combined) Category FY23 FY24 % Change LIBRARY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT $16,500 $10,000 -40% LIBRARY PROGRAMS $4,000 $4,000 0% LIBRARY SUPPLIES/EQUIPMENT $13,500 $11,500 -15% LIBRARY EQUIP CONTRACT/REPAIR $23,000 $22,000 -4% LIBRARY SOFTWARE LICEN $70,500 $69,000 -2% LIBRARY TECHNOLOGY EQUIP $12,000 $8,000 -33% LIBRARY MATERIALS $259,700 $272,375 4.8% $299,450 $296,875 -0.6% 5 General Expenses -10.8% Materials +4.8% Expenses Goal: +2% combined = $10,000 are Overview of Services Hours Monday 9:00 AM —9:00 PM Tuesday 9:00 AM —9:00 PM Wednesday 9:00 AM —9:00 PM Thursday 1:00 PM —9:00 PM Friday 9:00 AM —5:00 PM Saturday 9:00 AM —5:00 PM Sunday 1:00 PM —5:00 PM (Oct-May) ➢60 hours per week (64 w/ Sundays) ➢4 evenings and Saturdays 6 Staffing Programming •Over 500 programs in FY22 •All ages and abilities and interests •Author visits •Climate Education •Community Conversations •Concerts •LGBTQ+ Support •STEAM Programming •School 6th Grade Library Tours •School Visits 24.5 FTE (w/ Sundays) •30 Regular Employees* •4 Pages •10 Substitute/Sunday staff * One vacancy Overview of Services In-Library Services •Books, Magazines, Music, DVDs, and Audiobooks •Library of Things •PCs (in-library) •Chromebooks and Hotspots (take-home) •Wi-Fi •Fax/Copy/Scan •On-site/remote printing •Study and soft seating (189 seats total) •Meeting room rentals 24/7 Virtual Library •Libby/Overdrive (all MA) •Hoopla •Kanopy •Mango Languages •Brainfuse Help Now Tutoring •LearningExpress ³ Test Prep … and 7 •Consumer Reports •Valueline Digital •Ancestry.com •My Heritage •New York Times online •Wall Street Journal online •Learn to Code (Fiero) •Community Resources Page •Digital Literacy Resources •…. And more ³ ACT®, SAT®, AP®, DAT®, GRE®, GMAT®, LSAT®, MAT® and MCAT®, GED®, Occupational Certification Exams, U.S. Citizenship FY21-FY25 Strategic Planning Projects 8 IMPROVED ACCESS COMMUNITY LEARNING SPACE & PLACE 1. Library Services App Development COMPLETE ✓✓ 2, Secure after-hours pick up lockers COMPLETE*✓✓ 3. Microfilm digitization PARTIALLY COMPLETE*✓✓ 4. EV Charging Parking Spaces PARTIOALLY COMPLETE ✓✓ 5. Phone Privacy Pods COMPLETE ✓✓ 6. Accessibility and Diversity Audits (FY23-FY25)✓✓✓ 7. Sustainable outdoor green learning space (FY24-FY25)✓✓✓ Ques tions? QUESTIONS? •Step + 1.25% COLA •Pay & Class Study Adjustments •13% Materials Budget •Measurable ROI •Community-focused projects •Readingpl.org 9RPL IS YOUR SPACE FOR Borrow the Unexpected Chromebooks Hotspots Slide/Negative scanner Oculus Yard Games Community Partnerships New Resident Open House Wellness Wednesdays (PCS and Public Safety Clinician) Vaccine clinics, blood pressure and hearing screenings (Health Department) Garden Club –Memory Tree Reading Art Walk TOWN OF READING FACILITIES FY24 REQUESTED BUDGET 12/13/22 Agenda –FY24 Requested Budget FY24 Requested Core Facilities Budget Summary FY24 Requested Town Facilities Budget Summary FY24 Requested Core & Town Facilities Budget Totals Work Orders by Location Work Orders Staff & Vendor Comparison Facilities Preventative Maintenance Program Facilities Organizational Chart Questions FY24 Requested Core Facilities Budget Summary The salaries for administrative staff include steps plus 1.25% COLA The salaries for Licensed Maintenance Staff reflect steps plus 2.75% COLA per collective bargaining agreements Maintenance overtime reflects increase in hourly wages and non billable event coverages FY21 ACTUALS FY22 ACTUALS FY23 BUDGET FY24 BUDGET REQUESTED PCT CHANGE Facilities Administration Staff 313,966 332,355 334,600 351,100 4.93% Licensed Maintenance Staff 294,326 305,820 316,600 326,000 2.97% Maintenance Overtime 29,756 25,846 25,000 36,300 45.20% CORE Facilities Wages 638,048 664,021 676,200 713,400 5.50% FY24 Requested Core Facilities Budget Summary Continued Accommodated Expenses are projecting an increase in consumption as well as utility rates Elevator increase is due to new state inspection requirements Alarm increase is driven by the addition of building security system repairs and maintenance contract Pest Management increase is a result of adding additional services as well as rate increases Maintenance/Repairs and Misc. Expense increases are a result of higher vendor wages and material cost FY21 ACTUALS FY22 ACTUALS FY23 BUDGET FY24 BUDGET REQUESTED PCT CHANGE CORE Accommodated Expenses 1,257,746 1,360,557 1,750,000 2,079,250 18.81% CORE Maintenance & Repairs 351,063 638,435 384,300 414,800 7.94% CORE Electrical Expenses 22,266 22,425 44,500 44,500 0.00% CORE Elevator Expenses 34,235 49,826 49,500 59,400 20.00% CORE Alarm Expenses 70,044 63,658 34,900 84,900 143.27% CORE Fire Equipment Expenses 6,352 6,098 35,000 35,000 0.00% CORE HVAC Expenses 85,598 211,138 221,500 221,500 0.00% CORE Pest Management Expenses 9,066 11,157 10,200 14,280 40.00% CORE Plumbing Expenses 19,808 34,525 31,500 31,500 0.00% CORE Miscellaneous Expenses 126,254 76,971 46,000 49,000 6.52% CORE Facilities Expenses 1,982,432 2,474,789 2,607,400 3,034,130 16.37% CORE Grand Total Wages & Exp.2,620,480 3,138,810 3,283,600 3,747,530 14.13% FY24 Requested Town Facilities Budget Summary Wages show an increase of 17.66% Driving factors are: ➢Steps and cola increases per collective bargaining agreements ➢Adding an additional full time custodian position for Senior Ctr. coverage All other expenses are level funded The Town Facilities budget has a total requested increase of 12.46% FY21 ACTUALS FY22 ACTUALS FY23 BUDGET FY24 BUDGET REQUESTED PCT CHANGE TF Custodian I 211,231 215,195 225,100 285,000 26.61% TF Custodial Overtime 19,282 28,912 27,500 27,500 0.00% TF Vac/Sick Buyback 0 0 13,000 0 -100% Town Facilities Bldg. Wages 230,513 244,107 265,600 312,500 17.66% FY21 ACTUALS FY22 ACTUALS FY23 BUDGET FY24 BUDGET REQUESTED PCT CHANGE TF Outsourced Cleaning Services 81,500 81,500 93,725 93,725 0.00% TF Building Supplies 11,675 13,825 17,225 17,225 0.00% Town Facilities Bldg. Expenses 93,175 95,325 110,950 110,950 0.00% Town Facilities Grand Total 323,688 339,431 376,550 423,450 12.46% FY24 Requested Core & Town Facilities Budget Totals Total Core and Town budget increase is $510,830. or 13.96% FY21 ACTUALS FY22 ACTUALS FY23 BUDGET FY24 BUDGET REQUESTED PCT CHANGE CORE Grand Total Wages & Exp.2,620,480 3,138,810 3,283,600 3,747,530 14.13% TF Grand Total Wages & Exp.323,688 339,431 376,550 423,450 12.46% School Buildings See School Budget Facilities Dept. Expenses Totals 2,944,168 3,478,242 3,660,150 4,170,980 13.96% WORK ORDERS BY LOCATION In FY21 there were 2,933 work orders and FY22 there were 3,493 an increase of 560. WORK ORDERS STAFF & VENDOR COMPARISON These graphs illustrate a comparison of work orders assigned in FY21 and FY22. The Facilities Department continues to maintain the majority of work orders completed by in-house staff. In FY22 the department increased the number of in-house work orders by 10%. Total In-House 77% Total Vendor 23% FY21 Work Order Assignments 2,933 FY21 Total In-House Total Vendor Total In-House, 87% Total Vendor, 13% FY22 Work Order Assignments 3,493 FY22 Total In-House Total Vendor Facilities Department Preventative Maintenance Program 17 Buildings Maintained ➢55 Roof Top Equipment –Serviced 2-3 times/year ➢336 Exhaust Fans –Serviced annually ➢41 Boilers Serviced annually ➢299 Unit Ventilators –Serviced three times/year ➢12 Elevator and Lift Services –Serviced monthly ➢9 Emergency Generators –Serviced twice per year ➢11 Grease Traps –Serviced annually ➢2 Acid Waste Tanks –Serviced annually ➢17 Locations –Pest Control Services ➢13 Locations –Sprinkler/Fire-Serviced Annually ➢15 Locations –Fire Alarm–Serviced three times per year ➢17 Locations –Fire Extinguishers/Fire Suppressions –Serviced annually ➢17 Locations –Exit Signs and Emergency Lighting –Serviced annually Facilities Department Organizational Chart Director of Facilities Administrative Specialist/Rental Billing Administrator Assistant Director School Facilities Manager Rental Coordinator Maintenance Technicians (4 FTE’s) Town Custodians (4 FTE’s) HVAC; HVAC Controls; Fire Alarm; Fire Suppression; Elevator; Roofing: Pest Mgmt; Boiler; Sprinkler and Access Control/ Camera Repair & Maintenance School Custodians (18 FTE’s) Event Technicians Cleaning Contract Courier (.5 FTE) FY24 Requested Budget 12/13/22 Questions Thanks! TOWN OF READING FY24 Finance Budget Chief Financial Officer/Town Accountant Treasury Collections Assessors Finance Department Accounting Assistant CollectorAssistant Treasurer Administrative Assistant *AssessorSr. Admin. Assistant Administrative Assistant Assistant AssessorCommissioners of Trust Funds Board of Library Trustees School Committee Board of RMLD Commissioners Audit Committee Select Board Board of AssessorsTreasurer/ Assistant CFO Finance CommitteeAdministrative Secretary Clerk *regionalized with Wakefield Collector Assistant Town Accountant Clerk FINANCE DEPARTMENT DIVISIONS •General Finance 5.43 FTEs Accounting 4.0 FTEs Assessing 2.5 FTEs GENERAL FINANCE KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Payroll –Biweekly (approx. 1,300 employees) Cash Management and Reconciliation State and Federal Reporting Debt Issuance Quarterly Property Tax Billing ( approx. 9,327 properties) Quarterly Utility Billing Manage Tax Title Accounts Payment Processing (129,000 payments per year) ASSESSING KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Valuation of all Real and Personal Property Field Review, Data Collection & Data Entry of Property Info Administration of Statutory and Local Property Tax Exemptions Motor Vehicle Excise Billing (approx. 24,000/year) Motor Vehicle Excise and Property Tax Abatements Maintenance of Property Tax Records Tax Classification Presentation to SB and General Public Advertise & Admin Sr. Tax Relief Program ACCOUNTING KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Invoice Processing & Payment (approx. 26,000/year) Monthly Budget Reporting to Department Heads Budget Oversight and Support MUNIS Support and Security Settings Tax Recap –sets the tax rate Free Cash Calculation Schedule A Reporting Financial Analysis and Reporting Compile Audit Requests FINANCE BUDGET SUMMARY FY23 REVISED BUDGET FY24 LEVEL 1 PROPOSED BUDGET PERCENT CHANGE Accounting $338,750 $366,950 8.3% Assessing $175,200 $178,300 1.8% General Finance $528,750 $540,300 2.2% Finance Total $1,042,700 $1.085,550 4.1% FINANCE SALARIES BUDGET FY23 Revised Budget FY24 Level 1 Proposed Budget Percent Change Accounting $333,750 $361,250 8.2% Assessing $72,400 $75,300 4.0% General Finance $480,900 $489,850 1.9% Finance Salary Total $887,050 $926,400 4.4% FINANCE EXPENSES BUDGET FY23 Revised Budget FY24 Level 1 Proposed Budget Percent Change Accounting $5,000 $5,700 14% Assessing $102,800 $103,000 .2% General Finance $47,850 $50,450 5.4% Finance Salary Total $155,650 $159,150 2.2% Town of Reading FY24 Shared Costs Shared Costs ($ millions) Purposefully high figure for Capital + Debt: extra Free Cash added to fund this to not detract from the funding of the Operations of the Schools or Town FY23 FY24 Change B99 Benefits $19.84 $20.66 +4.2% C99 Capital 3.09 2.96 -4.0% D99 Debt 5.98 6.07 +1.5% E99 Vocational Schools 0.87 0.90 +4.0% F99 FINCOM Reserves 0.20 0.20 0% Shared Costs $29.98 $30.79 +2.7% FY24 Benefits ($ millions) Employee & Retiree Benefits $20.66 + 5.1% Retirement $ 6.68 + 6.0% •Pension Assessment 6.14 + 6.1% •OPEB 0.50 +0.0% •Other 0.04 + 0.0% Medicare $ 1.05 + 0.5% Health Insurance $ 12.38 + 3.8% Worker Compensation $ 0.39 + 1.3% Indemnification $ 0.14 + 3.8% Unemployment $ 0.08 + 0.0% FY24 Capital •$ 50k Permanent Building Committee •$ 140k Rise Playground Improvements •$ 163k Arc Flash Hazard Study -Schools •$ 65k Car readers for all schools •$ 10k Telephone system upgrades for schools •$ 100k District-wide Technology projects for the schools •$ 100k Technology projects –Town •$ 10k Library Equipment •$ 65k Fire passenger car •$ 480k Two Dump Trucks –Public Works •$ 235k Pickup/Cars/Vans (3 vehicles) –Public Works •$ 280k Loader to replace Sicard •$ 225k Blower unit for Loader •$ 16k Trailer –Public Works •$ 24k Mower SKAG 61” -Public Works •$ 50k Fence Improvements •$ 200k Field, Playground and Court Improvements •$ 100k Rock Wall Repair Program •$ 25k Parking Lot Improvements •$ 100k Sidewalk/Curb/Pedestrian Safety •$ 100k Skim Coating & Crack Seal Patch •$ 425k Road paving Proposed Capital spending $2,963,000 -4.0% FY23 Debt Debt Service $6,066,806 +1.5% debt premiums paid $ 3,407  within levy $3,380,694 School buildings $ 916,688 All buildings –energy/safety $ 1,242,831 RMHS Turf II & Turf I $561,025 Police Station/Public Health $ 182,250 Community Improvement $337,500 Roadway Improvements $ 140,400  excluded from the levy $2,686,112 Schools (ends 2024)$1,357,012 Library (ends 2025)$1,329,100 Vocational Education & FINCOM Reserves Vocational Education $904,800 +4.0% This figure annually estimates enrollment, and sometimes needs to be amended at a future Town Meeting. FINCOM Reserves $200,000 +0.0% Select Board Draft Minutes 11/15/2022 KH via Zoom Public Comment Bill Brown noted the cemetery department would love some ARPA money if there is any left. Tim Twomey wanted to note some concerns about the proposed new baseball field the board is hearing about tonight. His main concerns are parking and access to the field. Liaison Reports McCarthy thanked the Town Clerks staff for a great election day. She thanked the Veterans Agent and staff for a great Veteran’s day celebration. The board of health has an RFP out for consultants to do a community needs assessment. Covid numbers are down and they will continue to do vaccine clinics. VASC had a lot of great candidates. Haley echoed McCarthy’s statement about the VASC. Veteran’s Day was a great turnout. He noted his frustrations with the fact that the town spent money and got lawyers involved to ask about a sign on someone’s private property which clearly falls under freedom of speech. Bacci also noted the fantastic Veteran’s Day celebration. The historical commissions are still discussing 186 Summer Ave. A new project on Village Street was approved by CPDC. Common District Meeting House is doing work and hopes to open by January. Herrick attended a DI event at the High School. RMLD has promoted Greg Phipps as the new GM. The School Committee has a new pathways program to expand offerings that fall between tradition high school and vocational schools. The program will match students with local businesses for capstone projects and internships. She attended a joint Historical meeting about 186 Summer Ave. The Pleasant Street Center is doing their annual thanksgiving dinner to which the board is invited to. Dockser noted the Council on Aging met and is already putting their ARPA money to good use. ReCalc met again in regards to 17 Harden and the needs assessment. Trust Commissioners met to look at a new or revised program for the Reading response assistance system. More discussions taking place on lot 5; they did a tour and scouted out some lot lines. He also mentioned a wonderful Veterans Day celebration. Town Manager’s Report Maltez noted that Town Meeting is off to a great start and they got thru 6 articles night one. He noted he is continuing to meet with our trash contractor to make sure things stay on track as they seem to be at the moment. He did mention they are falling behind with leaf pickup but trash and recycling are on track. He noted there have been several resident complaints about a flag on private property. There is nothing the town can do about that; it is freedom of speech on private property. Public Hearing – Traffic Improvements Lt. Jones was present to answer any questions. The request is for two stop signs; one on Copeland Ave at Prescott Street and the other on Hillcrest Road at Prescott Street. He noted PTTTF has already reviewed and approved the request. Haley moved to close the hearing on the Traffic and Parking regulations. With a second from Bacci the motion approved with a unanimous roll call vote. Haley moved to approve Safety Amendment 2022-20 as presented. With a second from Bacci the motion approved with a unanimous roll call vote. Haley moved to approve Safety Amendment 2022-21 as presented. With a second from McCarthy the motion approved with a unanimous roll call vote. Accept Gift – Baseball field at Joshua Eaton President of Little League Baseball Jose gave a presentation about their gift of a new baseball field at Joshua Eaton. The presentation can be found in the Select Board packet on the town website. Mike Coleman from the Recreation Committee noted the committee feels this is a great idea and approved opening it. There would only be two games at one time to try and offset parking issues. Bacci asked about recent incidents Reading Little League and it was noted those behaviors will not be tolerated and they are being taken care of. He also suggested having PTTTF look at parking ideas. Tim Twomey noted his concerns again about parking and specifically about emergency vehicles not being able to get through when parents park on both sides of the road for games. Ed Hackett noted he is a neighbor to the new field and also expressed his concerns about safety vehicles being able to access those houses and parking. Haley moved to accept the gift of a baseball field at Joshua Eaton from Reading Little League as presented. The motion was seconded by McCarthy and approved with a unanimous roll call vote. Pickleball Discussion Jenna Fiorente gave the board a presentation about pickleball. The presentation can be found in the Select Board meeting packet on the town website. The board discussed the current interest level in pickleball, the current court locations and some potential new court locations. It was also noted that 8 new courts are already in the Birch Meadow Master plan. Reading Ice Arena Discussion on Lease Renewal Carl McFadden, the representative to the board from the Reading Ice Arena Board of Directors, spoke about the authority, how it was set up by Nelson Burbank and looking ahead to renewing the lease. He noted the roof needs to be redone soon but they can take on that expense with their ‘rainy day fund’. Herrick had a number of questions about past audits, their website and publicizing more information for the public. She also believes their roof quote is inaccurate. She mentioned RMLD would be interested in putting solar panels on their roof as well. SWEC Representative The board noted they assumed Bacci would be taking this role because this committee was his idea. Bacci noted he would love to be the representative and nominated himself. Herrick seconded the motion and it was approved with a unanimous roll call vote. Haley then moved to appoint Bacci as the SB Representative on the Symonds Way Exploratory Committee. The motion was seconded by Herrick and approved with a unanimous roll call vote. Discuss Menorah on Town Common Dockser noted he requested a menorah be placed on the town common to be more inclusive. He explained that lots of neighboring towns already do it and feels there is a lot of interest doing it here. He noted that the menorah is not a religious item. Haley asked how this is different from flying the pride flag in which they discussed this past summer. He noted he supports putting a menorah up but also feels they are opening a door to any other requests. He also asked if the board should be approving the tree lighting that the Chamber puts on. Bacci asked how the menorah is not a religious item when it is for Hannukah which is a Jewish holiday. He suggested putting a Christmas tree next to the menorah. Herrick asked if they put the menorah on the common if that would then change how they handled the pride flag request. She feels the board should discuss tonight but wait and hear public input before voting and vote at the next meeting. Marianne Downing noted she read the case law about this. She is not sure how a menorah is not considered a religious symbol. She feels the packet should have had more information for the public. Town Counsel noted it is really important to convey these are not religious symbols but celebrations of the holiday season. The board needs to handle this as ‘government speech’ meaning the board wants to put the menorah out to make people feel more inclusive. This is not a private request; this is something the board wants to do. Haley moved to approve placing a menorah on the town common. The motion was seconded by Bacci and approved with a unanimous roll call vote. Letter of Support for Safe Routes School Grant Maltez noted there is a grant opportunity that is available every other year. McCarthy noted they need to do better notifying the neighbors. Haley moved to approve submitting a letter of support for Safe Routes to School Grant. The motion was seconded by McCarthy and approved with a unanimous roll call vote. VASC McCarthy noted they had great candidates for a number of open positions. Haley noted there was a few candidates for Council on Aging and he explained why the chose who they did for the full positions vs the associates. Haley moved to appoint: o Karen Janowski as a member of the Council on Aging, term effective immediately and expiring June 30, 2025 o Nancy Tawadros as a member of the Council on Aging, term effective immediately and expiring June 30, 2024 o Nancy Ziemlak as an associate member of the Council on Aging, term effective immediately and expiring June 30, 2023 o Jean Prato as an associate member of the Council on Aging, term effective immediately and expiring June 30, 2023 o Melissa Pucci as a member of the Recreation Committee, term effective immediately and expiring June 30, 2025 o Tim Kirwan as an associate member of the Trails Committee, term effective immediately and expiring June 30, 2024 The motion was seconded by McCarthy and approved with a unanimous roll call vote. Tax Rate Re-Vote Maltez noted that the board needed to vote a more exact number to ensure the split is where they intended it to be. Haley moved that the Select Board adopt a residential factor of .996452 for Fiscal Year 2023. The motion was seconded by McCarthy and approved with the following roll call vote: Haley – no; McCarthy -yes; Dockser – yes; Bacci – yes; Herrick – yes. Future Agendas The board discussed future agenda items. Minutes The board edited previous meeting minutes. Haley moved to approve the meeting minutes of October 11th, 2022 as amended. The motion was seconded by McCarthy with approved with a unanimous roll call vote. Haley moved to approve the meeting minutes of October 25th, 2022 as amended. The motion was seconded by McCarthy with approved with a unanimous roll call vote. Herrick moved to adjourn at 10:34 PM. The motion was seconded by Bacci and approved with a unanimous roll call vote.