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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-11-04 Select Board Minutes` RECEIVED Town of Reading TOWN CLERK i Meeting Minutes R-�AMNC,, MA. 2025 DEC -3 AM 9: 599 Board - Committee - Commission - Council: - Select Board Date: 2025-11-04 Time: 7:00 PM Building: Reading Town Hall Location: Select Board Meeting Room Address: 16 Lowell Street Session: Open Session Purpose: General Business Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: Chris Haley, Melissa Murphy, Karen Rose -Gillis, Carlo Baca, Karen Gately Herrick Members - Not Present: Others Present: Town Manager Matt Kraunelis, Assistant Town Manager Jayne Wellman, Chief Assessor Victor Santaniello, Fire Chief Rick Nelson, Operations Director Katie Gabriello, Thomas Wise, Erin Calvo-Bacci, Aaron Parry, William Crowley, Tony D'Arezzo, Angela Binds, Simeone Payment, Andrew Gregory, Angela Binds, Town Clerk Laura Gemme (Remote), Chief Financial Officer Sharon Angstrom (Remote), Computer Technician Tim Johnson (Remote), RCN Studios (Remote), Maria Morgan (Remote), Jaclyn Lee (Remote), ]on Asgeirsson (Remote) Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Madeleine Baptiste Topics of Discussion: This meeting was held in the Town Hall Select Board Room and Remotely Via Zoom. Chair Chris Haley called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM and provided a brief overview of the evening's agenda. Public Comment (For any items not included on the agenda) Aaron Perry of Hancock Street, member of the Reading Turnback Committee, thanked the Board for their leadership and vote of opposition to the proposed MBTA Turnback Track location at their previous meeting. He asked the Board to consider, if MBTA chooses to move forward with their current NOI, the possibility of Town Counsel becoming involved to assist in an appeal. Simeone Payment from the Reading Food Pantry expressed her gratitude for the community's generosity, recent donations, and support. She also noted the Food Pantry is experiencing challenges in their current space due to size and would like to be considered for use of the Pleasant Street Center in the Board's discussion on that agenda item. Andrew Gregory of Pleasant Street expressed that he would like to see the Board's meetings run more smoothly. Angela Birds of Orchard Park Drive stated that she attended the Select Board Retreat that was held and thanked Town Manager Matt Kraunelis and Assistant Town Manager Jayne Wellman for accommodating her. She also expressed concerns with some comments made by Board Members at the Retreat. Erin Calvo Bacci of Main Street encouraged the Board to consider keeping the tax rate as it is. Jeffrey Dietz of Orchard Park Drive expressed that he was made aware of discussions that took place at the Board's Retreat and expressed concerns with behavior of Board Members. Page 1 1 Town Manager Report Town Manager Matt Kraunelis stated that the Connected Reading Event was a success and thought that residents appreciated it. He noted that the Veterans Day Ceremony will be held on November 11' at 11:00 am at Memorial Park and encouraged the Public to attend. The Shop the Block Event will be held on December 4-from 5:00-9:00 pm. Mr. Kraunelis invited the Public to attend and support local businesses. He stated that the Massachusetts Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro visited Town Hall and met with him, Assistant Town Manager Jayne Wellman, and members of the Town's Procurement Team and plans to continue an ongoing connection with Mr. Shapiro and his office. Lastly, he informed the Board that Reading received a grant from the state for $100,000 for construction of the Pickle Ball courts and thanked everyone involved in that process. Assistant Town Manager Jayne Wellman noted that the Birch Meadow Park project webpage is updated on the Town Website under the Improving Reading section and that residents can find all other projects listed there as well. Ms. Waltman thanked everyone who participated in the Eastern Gateway Workshop and stated that it was well attended. Town Manager Matt Kraunelis congratulated Reading Police Department Officer Amr Hassan who will receive the AAA Award this year for his hard work and proactive efforts towards road safety and public education for safe driving efforts. He also congratulated The Tin Bucket for celebrating 10 years of business and wished them many more years of success in Reading. Chris Haley and Carlo Bacci recused themselves due to the appearance of conflicts of interest. Karen Rose -Gillis moved to open the Public Hearing. The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote of 3-0. Karen Rose -Gillis read the Public Hearing Notice. Board Member Karen Gately Herrick stated that there is a need for fairness in the tax burden distribution between residential and commercial properties. She suggested increasing the split rate to 1.2 or 1.21. Karen Rose -Gillis agreed that a split rate of 1.2 would be ideal but feels that there needs to be a strategy to get to that rate in increments, so that it would be an easier adjustment as opposed to jumping to it now. She suggested going to a split rate of 1.13 and increasing by.02 each year. Matisse Murphy agreed with Karen Rose -Gillis that there needs to be a strategy to increase and stated by jumping to 1.2 that would increase commercial tax bills heavily. She also added that it is important to support small businesses as they contribute to the Town and she would not want to see businesses leave due to an increase. She concluded by noting that she would like to see a change in legislation to be able to tax small businesses differently than large commercial businesses. Ms. Murphy suggested increasing the split rate to 1.12. Karen Gately Herrick noted there is no connection between commercial tax rates and businesses coming to or leaving Reading. She also noted that when residents feet that their budgets are tight they stop dining out at local restaurants. During Public Comment, Carlo Bacci of Main Street noted the Town Assessor, Victor Semeniello, does utilize a strategy of small, incremental increases overtime. He encouraged the Board to keep the rate the same or slightly increase it. Andrew Greogry of Pleasant Street expressed his thought that the tax rate does not factor into the reasons why businesses leave Reading. Angela Binds of Orchard Park Drive expressed her thoughts that the tax rate does not have anything to do with attracting businesses to Reading and that the rates need to increase for commercial businesses and residential to equalize the burden. Tony D'Arezzo of John Street encouraged the Board to focus solely on numbers while making their decision. Chris Haley of Tennyson Road provided examples of different tax bills for commercial and residential with the rate at 1.11 and noted if the Board increased the rate, it would significantly increase commercial rates. He concluded by stating that he is meeting with state legislators on November 7 to discuss changing the tax rate for small businesses. Page 1 2 Mariana Bits of Strawberry Hill Lane expressed her thoughts that the tax rates do not bring in or drive out businesses in Reading. Ms. Bits expressed concern with two Board members recusing themselves due to conflicts and then commenting as members of the public on the agenda item. Bobbi Botticelli of 58 Chapel Hill Drive stated she is a business owner who also lives in reading and her experience with tax rates. She concluded by asking if this discussion could waft until after November 70 when there is more information. KRG moved to close the Public Hearing regarding the FY26 Tax Classification close public hearing. The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote of 3-0. Melissa Murphy noted that Mr. Haley and Mr. Bacci left the room and will not be participating in the votes for this agenda item. Karen Rose -Gillis moved that the Select Board not grant an open space discount for Fiscal Year 2026. The motion was seconded by Karen Gately Herrick and approved by a vote of 3-0. Karen Rose -Gillis moved that the Select Board not adopt a residential exemption for Fiscal Year 2026. The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote of 3-0. Karen Rose -Gillis moved that the Select Board not grant a small commercial exemption for Fiscal Year 2026. The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote of 3-0. Town Manager Matt Kraunelis explained that the three voting Board Members must be unanimous on their vote regarding the residential factor this evening. The Board Members debated different tax rate splits at length with suggested rates varying between 1.12 to 1.21 and were looking to compromise to achieve a unanimous vote. Karen Gately Herrick noted that she would be willing to compromise at 1.15. Melissa Murphy stated that a takeaway from the discussion is that Reading needs more commercial businesses and projects like Eastern Gateway. Karen Rose -Gillis suggested a split rate of 1.14 because it seemed like a reasonable place to meet in the middle and Board Members agreed. Karen Rose -Gillis moved that the Select Board adopt a residential factor of 0.990861 for Fiscal Year 2026. The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote of 3-0. The Board recessed briefly at 8:50 pm for two minutes. Discuss and Vote Mystic Regional Emergency Planning Committee Proclamation Fire Chief Rick Nelson stated that Reading is a member of the Mystic Regional Emergency Planning Committee (REPC) due to regulations around Emergency Planning. He further noted that by being a part of this group, the Town gets access to data on local emergency planning resources and information on hazardous materials. He concluded by stating that this needed to come before the Board to allow the Town to re-sign the contract and continue being a part of the Mystic REPC. Karen Rose -Gillis moved to approve the Joint Proclamation for Mystic Regional Emergency Planning Committee as presented. The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote of 5- o. Qiacuss and Vote Proclamation tar SEPAC Awareness Month Tom Wise, School Committee Member, stated that the Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) helps students become recognized, spreads awareness in the Town and provides public education materials for the community. Mr. Wise noted that the School Committee already passed this proclamation by a vote of 6-0 and the proclamation in this evening's packet needed an amendment to make it the Select Board proclamation and not the School Committee's. He concluded by thanking the Select Board. Maria Morgan of Lee Street thanked everyone involved in the SEPAC Process and said awareness for everyone is important. Karen Rose -Gillis read the proclamation. Chris Haley suggested to amend the language from "November 2025" in the Motion and just have "November". The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote of 5-0. Karen Rose -Gillis moved that November be recognized as Special Education Parent Advisory Council Awareness Month in the Town of Reading. The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote of 5-0. Public Hearing: Transfer of Annual Wine and Malt Liouor Licansa for Rangkok Rnraa LLC drhra Karen Rose -Gillis read the Public Hearing Notice and opened the Public Hearing Page 1 3 Attorney Joseph DiBlasi, representing Bangkok Spice, stated to the Board that the applicant has worked in the restaurant for the last thirteen years and plans to be an active and involved manager if approved by the Board. Mr. DiBlasi asked the Board to consider waiving some of the fees as per the timing of this license transfer, annual liquor licenses are being renewed at the same time. Karen Rose -Gillis moved to close the Public Hearing regarding the Transfer of the Wine and Malt Liquor License for Bangkok Spice. The motion was seconded by Karen Gately Herrick and approved by a vote of 5-0. Karen Rose -Gillis moved to approve the Annual Wine and Malt Restaurant Liquor License for Bangkok Spice LLC d/b/a Bangkok Spice, Located at 76 Haven Street. The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote of 5.0. Discuss and Vote Procurement Option for Pleasant Street Center Town Manager Matt Kraunelis noted that the memo included in this evening's packet includes options for leasing or selling the Pleasant Street Center (PSC) building and that he would lean towards leasing due it being a valuable historic building. Assistant Town Manager Jayne Wellman noted that this procurement process is very detailed, and she is seeking feedback from the Board. She continued to say there will be a needs assessment completed by speaking with department heads and the community and providing opportunities for Public Comment sessions. She added that along with Operations Director Katie Gabrello, they will seek input from the Select Board, Finance Committee, Community Planning and Development Commission, School Committee and the Housing Authority. With the data that they gather from this, they will present their findings to the Select Board and make a recommendation. Ms. Wellman concluded by noting that once a lease or sale is determined, that will initiate next steps, and she provided a timeline laying out the steps she described this evening between now and April of 2026. Operations Director Katie Gabriella noted that there is flexibility on how to use the land that the PSC is located on. She also stated that the needs assessment will help determine what is most beneficial to the Town, whether it be to extract maximum value from the space or a need for more community centric use. The Board expressed wanting to maximize use of the PSC and shared that they value it. The Board noted that they potentially want to see a hybrid approach of supporting more than one group in the space. Karen Rose -Gillis thanked Town Staff in advance for the hard work they will do for this. Board Members expressed their surprise by the low appraisal value of the property. Ms. Wellman concluded by saying she will bring options to the Board and will give weight to community and nonprofit use when crafting the RFP at the wishes of the Board. Discuss and Vote on Amendment to Select Board Potty Section 3.2.2.114; Hours of Operation (permitted Sale of Alcoholl The Board discussed amending the Select Board Policy on alcohol sales hours, specifically changing Sunday brunch hours to 10 am. The Board could not vote on this matter tonight, as they first need to include it in the April Town Meeting warrant to allow the adoption of a state provision before they can change the hours. The Board agreed to this plan and concluded the discussion by asking Town Manager Matt Kraunelis to work on this further. Discuss and Vote META Letter The Board discussed sending a letter to Secretary Eng at the MBTA regarding their stance and vote of opposition on the proposed Turnback Track location. Karen Gately Herrick expressed that the Board should be more engaged and collaborative with the MBTA Advisory Board. Mr. Kraunelis noted that the MBTA Advisory Board will be meeting with him next week at Town Hall. Melissa Murphy agreed with Ms. Gately Herrick and suggested taking the language regarding alternative locations out of the proposed letter. Ms. Murphy added that she thinks train riders need to be involved in conversations regarding alternate locations. The Board agreed to remove the language from the letter as suggested. Aaron Perry of 55 Hancock Street suggested language changes by amending "hundreds" to "thousands" of residents because he felt that better represented the amount of people. He also suggested that the Board ask the MBTA to withdraw its current NOI instead of asking them to withdraw the proposal. Page 1 4 Mark Agami of Lee Street thanked the Board for their vote of opposition at their special meeting and noted that November 1 V is the deadline for the MBTA to rescind their current NOI. Mr. Agami urged the Board to send their letter as soon as possible. Lucas Prato of 85 Hancock Street thanked the Board for allowing the Reading Tumback Committee to speak to the community at the Board's special meeting and expressed that he wants the MBTA to be brought in on the Eastern Gateway project. The Board concluded by agreeing to strike the line from the letter regarding alternative locations and change the wording from hundreds to thousands of residents. The Board noted that they plan to include the petition signatures provided by the RTC when sending the letter to Secretary Eng. Karen Rose -Gillis moved to approve the MBTA Letter as amended today. The motion was seconded by Karen Gately Herrick and approved by a vote of 5-0. Town Manager Matt Kraunelis stated his thoughts that the retreat worked out well with both the facilitator and location. He noted that he was pleased with the discussions and thinks that this should be an annual process. Assistant Town Manager Jayne Wellman said she concurred with Mr. Kraunelis and thought the Board addressed important topics and would like to see them do goal setting at another session. Board Members Mr. Haley, Ms. Murphy, Ms. Rose -Gillis, and Mr. Bacci agreed that they were happy with the venue and expressed appreciation for the facilitator Jeff Nutting and how well of a job he did. They noted that the day felt productive, positive, and was overall successful and they hope to implement tools provided by Mr. Nutting going forward. Karen Rose -Gillis attended several meetings including the Eastern Gateway meeting, Special Select Board MBTA Turnback Track meeting, and Housing Authority meeting where they discussed upcoming capital projects. She attended both the Eastern Gateway Forum and the Bylaw Committee Snow Shoveling Forum. She participated in the Autumn Moon Festival at the Library and the Connected Reading Event and attended the Board's retreat. Karen Gately Herrick attended various meetings and forums includingthe Eastern Gateway forum, MBTA Tumback Track Meeting, Finance Committee meeting, and an MMA fiscal policy committee meeting. She noted that her upcoming Office Hours will be on November 1 & from 12:15 pm-1:15 pm at the PSC and the following hour Senator Jason Lewis will have office hours. She also expressed her appreciation for military veterans and their families because November is Veterans and Military Families Month. She thanked all those who are veterans and their family members in the community for their service. Melissa Murphy attended several meetings including School Committee and Conservation Commission where they discussed an opportunity for a grant to design a trail behind the Reading Center for Active Living. She also attended the Board's retreat and MBTA Tumback Track meeting. She participated in an RCN contract meeting as well as attended the RCN Board Meeting. Carlo Bacci attended the Board's MBTA Turnback Track meeting and retreat. He also participated in the Autumn Moon Festival, the Connected Reading event, and the Snow Shoveling Bylaw Forum. Chris Haley noted that he was proud to be a part of the MBTA Tumback Track meeting. He attended the Connected Reading event and said that he enjoyed speaking to all the different boards and committees who attended. He concluded by noting that the Reading Memorial High School Football Team made it to the playoffs. The Board reviewed the agenda for the next meeting, including approval of annual liquor licenses, a review of the 2026 meeting schedule, and the Town Manager evaluation. Other future agenda items include department budget presentations. Karen Rose -Gillis moved to approve the meeting minutes of October 16, 2025 as presented. The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote of 5-0. Karen Gately Herrick suggested changing "worth" to "value" in the October 21 draft minutes in the section that discussed valet parking. The Board agreed to this suggested edit. Karen Rose -Gillis moved to approve the meeting minutes of October 21, 2025 as amended. The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote of 5.0. Page 1 5 Carlo Bari moved to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote Of 5-0. The meeting adjourned at 10:01 PM. Page 1 6