Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-06-03 Board of Selectmen Handout - Part 1TOWN MANAGER'S REPORT Tuesday, June 03, 2008 • Downtown Improvement Project - "dummy demolition" June 15 • Trail Build June 7 • National Development MEPA Scoping session • Double utility poles • Federal Flood Maps • Comcast hearing - June 18 - 7:00 PM • MMA Action Alert • Joint meeting with School Committee re: World Cafe wrap-up and Executive Session re: litigation - June 17? • Paving - Sunnyside and Fairview - next week - then Colburn • Fence fabric being installed very soon at Tennis Courts • Site walk - Birch Meadow Master Plan Dates and Events: •40R meeting - CPDC and Board of Selectmen - June 2, 7 PM - Senior Center • Fox 25 "Zip Trip" June 13 .Friends and Family Day - June 21 .Special Town Meeting -June 30 0 some title Hechenblefter, Peter From: Tom Philbin [tphilbin@mma.org] Sent: Monday, June 02, 2008 8:51 PM To: Reading - Selectmen Subject: MMA ACTION ALERT Importance: High j - x 4 y n u.~ ~..ll . t r F~ ~ I 1 f 5 i v MassachuseRs Mum al.Ass i:itlon The Voice of Cities and Towns Legislative lvrt ww'w.t?1t19amrgr MMA ACTIONA.I,ERT LEGISLATIVE ALERT Contact: 6/2/08 Tom Philbin 617-426-7272 ext. 121 Massachusetts Municipal Association INCREASE IN COLA BASE WOULD COST CITIES AND TOWNS $2 BILLION: Legislators Section 15 of the Senate-passed state budget contains a provision that would increase the base for municipal pension cost-of-living-adjustments (COLAs) from $12,000 to $16,000. This change would increase the municipal unfunded pension liability by at least $2 billion, and cities and towns have no way of paying for this increased cost under Proposition 21/z. Please call your Legislators today and tell them of the impact on your community. Page 1 of 3 6/3/2008 some title Page 2 of 3 Retirees already receive annual pension increases, and that cost is built into the long-term funding schedule to eliminate the unfunded liability by 2028, at the latest. Updating the COLA amount is one of many pension issues that warrants examination and study. Yet there has been NO detailed actuarial study to determine the! actual overall statewide cost of Section 15, or the breakdown of cost to each city and town. Any state law change to increase the COLA should be considered only after extensive cost analysis, and the development of recommendations on how to fund the $2 billion cost. Otherwise, this provision only offers false hope to retirees, and provides no responsible funding options for cities and towns and local taxpayers. Please_ Call Your Legislators Today to Oppose Section 15 for Four Compelling Reasons: 1) Cities and towns do not have a funding source to pay for this new benefit. Given the strict revenue cap of Proposition 21/z, municipal government does not have the fiscal flexibility to pay for this benefit enhancement. For the past two years we have been told by the Legislature that additional revenue sources for cities and towns, such as a local option meals tax, a local option lodging tax, and a modernization of telecommunication taxes are off the table. If revenues are off the table then it stands to reason that additional benefits for employees and retirees, even on a local option basis, must also be off the table until a way is found to pay for the new benefit. 2) The costs are very large and are not precisely known for individual communities. The 85 individual municipal pension systems and the 266 communities in the 12 county/regional systems will have to undertake new actuarial studies to determine the precise cost of this new benefit. Then the municipal systems will have to detei-rnine how to pay for the new benefit. The least costly way would be to begin immediately to pay for these new costs by increasing the yearly pension appropriation paid by local taxpayers. Statewide, this would cost municipalities approximately $2 billion over the next 20 years. The most expensive way to fund the expanded COLA benefit would be to shift the costs off into the future by extending the unfunded liability schedule. This method of having future taxpayers fiend the higher COLA could double or triple the ove! rall cost of paying for the benefit, and would possibly have a negative impact on municipal bond ratings, especially for those localities forced to go beyond 2028. 3) The "local option" in Section 15 is seriously flawed. The one-time "local option" provided for in Section 15 does not include the executive authority in the 85 individual municipal pension systems, and does not include the legislative authority in the 266 communities in county/regional systems. At a bare minimum the Board of Selectmen in a town and the Mayor or City Manager in a city must be part of any local option acceptance procedure, along with the council or town meeting in all communities. In addition, most cities and towns do not have direct control over the key administrative decisions of the pension boards, especially in the 266 communities in county/regional systems, and would have little ability to affect the pension schedule or other decisions that would determine the cost impact going forward. Further, it i! s very fair to ask how authentic any local option is when communities are not offered responsible and adequate ways of paying for the higher COLA. 6/3/2008 some title Page 3 of 3 4) There are many other significant problems with the pension system. Providing a COLA is just one of many issues facing the Massachusetts pension system. The contribution rate for new employees is very high, the system is not portable, the system can be unfair to those employees who are not going to spend their careers in the public sector, and questions abound about funding future health care costs identified through GASB 45. Rather than dealing with these issues piecemeal, we urge you to undertake an independent, comprehensive study of the system to address all of these problems and devise ways to appropriately, fairly and adequately pay for any changes and benefit enhancements. PLEASE ASK YOUR LEGISLATORS TO OPPOSE SECTION 15 and HAVE THEM COMMIT TO GO ON RECORD WITH THE HOUSE AND SENATE B! UDGET CONFEREES TO OPPOSE SECTION 15 as an unaffordable provision that offers false hope to retirees, and instead ask for an independent, comprehensive review of the pension system to address all of these problems and issues, identify the full cost to the taxpayers, and develop methods to pay for future changes, including COLA adjustments. Please Call Year Lec pisoat®rs Today We would also ask you to please follow up your phone call with a letter. To download a sample letter. please click here. If you have any questions please contact the MMA's Legislative Division at any time (617- 426-7272), and ask for Legislative Director David Baier (ext. 120) dbaier@mma.org or Deputy Legislative Director John Robertson (ext. 122) jrobertson@mma.org To view the MMA's letter to the Legislature. click here. ! Forward this emai This email was sent to selectmen@ci.reading. ma. us, by tphilbinOmma.orn Undate Profile/Email Address J Unsubscribe J Privacy Policy. Massachusetts Municipal Association ) One Winthrop Square, Boston J Boston J MA 102110 3~ 6/3/2008 READING POLICE DEPARTMENT 15 Union Street - Reading, Massachusetts 01867 Emergency Only: 911 - All Other Calls: (781) 944-1212 - Fax: (781) 944-2893 PRESS RELEASE: FROM THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF POLICE Released on 612108 The Reading Police Department Detectives Unit conducted alcohol compliance checks on Saturday May 31, 2008. Officers monitored licensed package stores in Reading. This operation did not involve underage operatives. During this operation, one underage individual allegedly procured alcohol using a fraudulent out of state driver's license at one local establishment. The underage individual was charged with minor in possession of alcohol and minor procuring alcohol using fakelfalse identification. The police department will present the Local Liquor Licensing Board with the alleged violation for further review. The Reading Police Department will continue to monitor local liquor establishments. The department believes that by conducting such programs, it will help to avoid the problems that come with underage drinking. Communities that have reduced the availability of alcohol to underage drinkers have experienced fewer crashes and fewer crimes. Preventing underage drinking is everyone's responsibility! Page I of 2 Hechenblefter, Peter From: readingma_notes-bounces@mm.windigicert.com on behalf of Reading Notes [readingma_notes@mm.windigicert.com] Sent: Friday, May 30, 2008 4:47 PM To: readingma_notes@mm.windigicert.com Subject: Fwd: On-site EPA review of former Addison Wesley site: June 3, 10:00am Attachments: ATT137258.txt The office of the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Act (MEPA) will conduct a scoping session of the former Addison Wesley site on June 3, 2008 at 10:00am. Interested parties should meet at that time in the first parking lot on the right off Jacob Way. A copy of the Expanded Environmental Notification Form (ENF) is available for review, 7:30am - 5:00pm, Monday through Friday, at the Community Services Counter, Town Hall. The deadline for comment on the project is end of business June 20, 2008. Comments should be submitted in writing to Holly Johnson Environmental Analyst, MEPA Office Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs 100 Cambridge Street Boston, MA 02114 Email from Holly Johnson, sent 5/28/2008: Notice of MEPA Scoping Session To: Distribution From: Holly Johnson, MEPA Unit Subject: Reading Woods - READING EEA 14252 An Environmental Notification Fonn (ENF) has been submitted to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) office for this project. The project includes the construction of 202 apartment units in accordance with the Commonwealth's 40R Smart Growth Zoning, 160 senior independent and assisted living units, 16 townhouses, and 160,000 square feet of Class A office space on Jacob Way in Reading. The site is presently occupied by the vacant Addison-Wesley Longman office/warehouse complex, comprised of 208,000 sf of office/warehouse space in six buildings. The project site is located adjacent to Route 128, proximate to the Route 28 interchange (exit 38). Estimated project impacts on the 24.8-acre site include: 1.5 acres of new altered land, 2.1 acres of new impervious area, 3,890 new vehicle trips per day, 392 new parking spaces, 56,430 gallons per day of additional new water . usage, and 55,930 gallons per day of additional new wastewater generation. The project will require an indirect access permit from MassHighway, and may require a sewer connection permit from MassDEP. The project also must obtain an Order of Conditions from the Reading Conservation Commission and a NPDES constniction general pen-nit from the US EPA. This project requires a mandatory Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The proponent has requested that the subsequent EIR be reviewed as a Single EIR in lieu of a separate Draft and Final EIR. The 6/2/2008 0 Page 2 of 2 project will be receiving state funding, therefore MEPA jurisdiction is broad. A consultation session will be held to receive advice and comments from agencies, officials, and citizens regarding which environmental issues, if any, are significant for this project. Opinions as to the extent and significance of possible environmental impact will be welcome. The meeting is scheduled as follows: Date: Tuesday, June 3rd Time: 10:00 am Location: Meet at project site on Jacob Way, Reading. Meet in first parking lot on the right. Comments on the project will be welcome in writing prior to June 20, 2008. A Certificate on the ENF will be issued on June 27, 2008. Project Contact: Doug Vigneau, VHB, 617-924-1770 Pursuant to the requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act, this Meeting Notice is available in alternative fonnats upon request. Questions on the meeting may be answered by contacting Holly Johnson, MEPA Analyst at (617) 626-1023 Holly Johnson Environmental Analyst, MEPA Office Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900 Boston, MA 02114 (617) 626-1023 (617) 626-1181 (FAX) holly. sJ91111son a state.ma.us 6/2/2008 6A, KOI/V TOWN OF READING NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING l~ REGARDING THE OF RENEWAL OF CABLE TELEVISION LICENSE OF COMCAST OF MASSACHUSETTS I, INC. (Wednesday, June 18, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.) The Town of Reading, by or on behalf of the Board of Selectmen as the Cable Television License Issuing Authority, will conduct a public hearing on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 at 7:00 pan. in the Selectmen's Meeting Room of the Reading Town Hall, 16 Lowell Street, Reading, Massachusetts 01867, pursuant to 207 C.M.R 3.05 and any applicable cable television renewal license, laws, regulations or requirements, regarding the grant or preliminary denial of a cable television renewal license currently held by a Comcast of Massachusetts I Inc. Any relevant applications, reports, statements and/or amendments in the possession of the Town to be considered at the hearing shall be available, upon completion, for public inspection, and reproduction at a reasonable fee, at the Board of Selectmen's Office. BOARD OF SELECTMEN TOWN OF READING June 3, 2008 June 10, 20087 ICMA Web Site ti ;'t J Page 1 of 2 ICMA > Results Networks > Center for Performance Measurement ICMA Center for Performance Measurement The ICMA Center for Performance Measurement is dedicated to helping local governments measure, compare, and improve municipal service delivery. ICMA's Comparative Performance Measurement Program currently assists over 220 cities and counties in the United States and Canada with the collections, analysis, and application of performance information. The Center builds on work begun in 1994 by the Comparative Performance Measurement Consortium, a initial group of 44 cities and counties whose managers identified a need for accurate, fair, and comparable data about the quality and efficiency of service delivery to their citizens. Consortium members asked ICMA to coordinate their work and then undertook the challenges of narrowing the choices of services to be measured, identified desired outcomes of service delivery, defining indicators, and collecting data. Today, the Center continues its work to administer and refine the Comparative Performance Measurement Program. This includes: ■ Providing on-site training for new participants ■ Coordinating meetings for both managers and departmental specialists Participants ■ Refining data collection templates based on suggestions from program participants click here to loa into the ® Collecting and "cleaning" program data to ensure the validity of interagency comparisons Web site for the Center ® Compiling information regarding best practices among program participants for Performance ■ Publishing an annual program report, and Measurement ® Providing participants with raw data for customizing their own comparisons, graphs, and reports. The Comparative Performance Measurement Program has since expanded to over 220 communities, with data collection continuing to provide the ability for interagency benchmarking as well as internal performance improvement comparisons. With the continued growth of the program, participants have the freedom to compare to the full sample or to use the online database to customize their own comparisons based on population, climate, urban density, method of service provision, community demographics, and other characteristics. Service areas evaluated under the program include: ■ Code Enforcement ■ Facilities Management ® Fire and EMS v Fleet Management ® Highway and Road Maintenance ■ Housing ® Human Resources ■ Information Technology ® Library Services ® Parks and Recreation o Police Services s Purchasing ■ Refuse and Recycling ■ Risk Management o Youth Services littp://www.icma. org/main/be. asp?ssid 1=2470&ssid2=2540&ssid3=2540&from=search&hsid=12&tpid=1 1 5/30/2008 ICMA Web Site Leaders at the Core of Better Cmmani€ios News A Roadmap for Measuring Performance Page 1 of 2 There can be little dispute these days among state and local government officials about the importance of communicating accurate, fair, and comparable data about the quality and efficiency of service delivery to citizens. Performance data is essential to developing strategic plans, measuring progress toward goals, assessing policy alternatives, and making sound management decisions. Since 1994, the Center for Performance Measurement, created by ICMA, has helped participating jurisdictions Improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their public services through the collection, analysis, and application of performance information. The ICMA center and other organizations have helped local governments to implement the following best practices: Citizen participation. A diverse collection of local governments now routinely use citizen surveys to establish priorities, get feedback from residents regarding city services, and examine community perceptions regarding quality-of-life indicators. Budgeting for performance. Other jurisdictions have effectively implemented broad performance measurement and management as a permanent tool when developing the annual budget-linking strategic goals with departmental objectives, establishing specific performance objectives, and identifying and adhering to best practices. Long-term and cross-agency measurement. Some jurisdictions use performance management to align department services and programs with strategic priorities, report on service efforts and accomplishments, conduct multiyear comparisons, and provide quantitative Information regarding the economic, financial, and demographic status of the jurisdiction. Despite the Increasing and successful use of performance management among state and local governments, there exists no commonly accepted framework or guidelines. In response to this challenge, 10 leading, state and local government organizations have joined forces to create the National Performance Management Advisory Commission.* The work of the Performance Commission will build on the successful model of the National Advisory Council on State and Local Budgeting, which was established In 1995, and whose three-year work plan produced a comprehensive set of budgeting principles and practices that has become the guide for state and local governments..The Performance Commission's two-year mission will be to design a voluntary, comprehensive framework for performance management that supports and guides state and local government efforts in accessing and implementing performance management and measurement systems. These guidelines will identify general approaches and practices that are characteristic of successful performance measurement and management; emphasize the value of evidence-based and data-driven decision making in delivering effective government services; and provide a flexible framework that is adaptable to the unique and diverse environments of state and local government. It is imperative that these guidelines reflect the issues and challenges associated with development and implementation of performance management systems from a broad range of perspectives, including elected and appointed officials and program and operational managers The resulting framework will help state and local leaders assess existing performance management and measurement systems and design new ones. The guidelines will not be prescriptive. Rather, they will be principles both general and flexible enough for state and local government organizations to adapt to their unique and diverse environments, while providing a common frame of reference and an arsenal of examples of leading practices. The Performance Commission held an organizational meeting in early February, in Denver, and the first meeting of the principals will take place in the spring. The group's work over the next two years will revolve around four phases that focus on identifying critical http://www.icma.org/main/ns_search.asp?nsid=3680 5/30/2008 ICMA Web Site Page 2 of 2 issues and challenges; researching best-practice case studies; producing a set of recommendations and a final report; and developing the tools, resources, and training opportunities state and local governments can use to implement performance management systems. The National Performance Management Advisory Commission guidelines will significantly advance the state of the practice of performance management among state and local governments. I encourage you to learn more and to follow the Commission's progress by visiting its Web site at htto://www.omcommission.ora.. Reprinted from Governing magazine's March "Management Insights" column by ICMA Executive Director Robert J. O'Neill Jr.. *The commission will be composed of elected and appointed officials representing each of the 10 sponsoring organizations: Association of School Business Officials International; National Association of State Budget Officers; Council of State Governments; Government Finance Officers Association; International City/County Management Association; National Association of Counties; National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers, and Treasurers; National Conference of State Legislatures; National League of Cities; and U.S. Conference of Mayors. The group also will engage leaders in the fields of management, research, and academia. @ 2008 International City/County Management Association ICMA is the leading organization for information on professional local government management. Its membership includes city managers, county managers, and other chief appointed officials and assistants in local governments throughout the world. ICMA's mission is to create excellence in local government by developing and fostering professional local government management worldwide. http://www.icma.org/maiii/ns_search.asp?nsid=3680 5/30/2008 Sun Mon Tue Wed 1 2 3- 4 Joint Board of Board of Selectmen and Selectmen CPDC meeting re Meeting 40R 8 9 10 11 Board of Selectmen Meeting 15 16 17 18 Cable TV Hearing 22 23 24 25 Board of Selectmen Meeting 29 30 Special Town Meeting 0 Thu Fri Sat 5 6 7 12 13 14 Zip Trip - Fox 25 Y i:,Flrl 1. rl 19 20 21 Friends & Family Day 26 27 28 Rtty.Philip F.Sullivan Fax:9784701583 JOAN A. HOYT 89 Oakland Road. Reading, MA 41867 June 3, 2008 Peter I. Hechenbleikner Town Manager Town of Reading 16 Lowell Street Reading, MA 01867 Re: Reappointment to Town Forest Committee Dear Mr. Hechenbleikner: Jun 3 2008 13:08 P.01 Due to a conflict with another meeting tonight, I will not be able to attend the reappointment this evening at the Town Hall. It is my desire to continue as a Member on the Town Forest Committee as my work with the Northern Area Greenway Committee and now the Reading Trails Committee has been very rewarding. I appreciate the opportunity to volunteer with these committees as I strongly believe in the conservation of the "green areas" of Reading and enjoying the open space that we have left. If I can learn and continue to contribute to this effort it is to my benefit. Sincerely yours, d'oanA. Hoyt BRACKETT & LUCAS COUNSELORS AT LAW 19 CEDAR STREET WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS 01609 GARY S. BRACKETT 508-799-9739 OF COUNSEL JUDITH A. PICKETT Fax 508-799-9799 ELAINE M. LUCAS JAMES T. MASTERALEXIS STEVEN C. FLETCHER* WINCHESTER OFFICE ELLEN CALLAHAN DOUCETTE HEATHER W. KINGSBURY 165 WASHINGTON STREET JASON D, GROSSFIELD WINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS 01890 M. YVONNE GONZALEZ** 781-729-1500 Fax 781-729-5444 *Also Admitted in ME and CO E-Mail: ECDoucette@BrackettLucas.com **Also Admitted in CT RESPOND TO WINCHESTER OFFICE March 10, 2008 VIA ELECTRONIC AND FIRST CLASS MAIL Peter I. Hechenbleilmer, Town Manager Town Hall 16 Lowell Street Reading, MA 01867 Re: Reading Ice Arena Authority - Extension of Lease Dear Peter: You forwarded to my attention a copy of the minutes from the April 27, 1992 Special Town Meeting wherein the town voted to accept a gift from Mr. Nelson Burbank, i.e., the Reading Ice Arena. Within that vote, Town Meeting also authorized the Board of Selectmen to enter into a lease with "a term of not less than ten (10) years with one or more five (5) or ten (10) vear extension options". (emphasis supplied) The authority to let the arena is very generous and in my opinion, most certainly authorizes the Board of Selectmen to enter into another five (5) (or even a ten (10) year) lease with the Reading Ice Arena Authority. Because the Reading Ice Arena Authority intends to expand the arena, regardless of how minor that expansion is, I also have the following (unsolicited) suggestions/comments. Without question, any expansion of the leased premises is an expansion of the town's.property. Thus the Board of Selectmen must authorize the expansion. All real property improvements will belong to the town. To the extent that the current lease describes the leased premises, the lease as extended should be revised to include reference to the expanded premises. 19 APPLICATION FOR APPOINTMENT TO BOARDS/COMMITTEES/COMMISSIONS Name: n1 eye (Last) .(First) (Middle) Address: ~73 Occupation: J_/ /owe va Date: Tel. (Home) Tel..(Work) (Is this number listed?)_),~v. s # of years in Reading:. Are you a registered voter in Reading?/ves e-mail address: olrv~is"-~.,/;~ll~v~ Place a number next to your preferred position(s) (up to four choices) with #1 being your first priority. (Attach a resume if available.) Animal Control Appeals Committee Aquatics Advisory Board Audit Committee Board of Appeals v' Board of Cemetery Trustees. .Board of Health Board of Registrars Bylaw Committee' Celebration Committee Cities for Climate Protection Commissioner of Trust Funds Community Planning-& Development Comm. Conservation Commission Constable Contributory Retirement Board Council on Aging. Cultural Council Custodian of Soldiers' & Sailors' Graves Economic Development Committee Finance Committee Historical Commission Housing Authority Human Relations Advisory Committee Land Bank Committee MBTA Advisory Committee Metropolitan Area Planning Council c Mystic Valley Elder Services c Recreation. Committee . RMLD Citizens Advisory Board . Telecommunications and Technology . Advisory Committee Town Forest Committee Trails Committee' West Street Historic District Commissi on Other Please outline relevant experience for the position(s) sought: o U AllC h2.-Z r .,r c ~n i*fi/.(,~ ~/ii ..w,~~z•_-., s~~~~o,~/> s~yC> NrPr ~P~/ ~i~/ ~o.a~.o~.or>ws ~io``-',31~ U .2 C~ v~ Ua ~3/ DS Board of Selectmen Town of Reading 16 Lowell Street Reading, Ma 01867 Subject : Funding for land on North Main Street At your last meeting the Town Manager suggested a debt exclusion to purchase the property on North Main Street for use in the Northern Area Greenway , given the instructional motion by Town Meeting to fund roads without an exclusion I do not feel such an exclusion would pass , in any case such a vote could not occur before next spring An alterative would be to exercise the right given to the Board by a vote of Town Meeting in 1937 and sell the land on Oakland Rd. The land contains approximately 157,000 Sq. Ft . and is zoned as S 15 , or 10 house lots , without an appraisal I suggest it would bring $ 2,000,000. Chapter 30 B Section 16 requires that because of the Sq. footage two appraisals and that it be posted in a local paper twice and in the central register for thirty days prior to the sale. If the Board where to vote tonight or next week the sale could take place within the next 60 to 90 days . In his presentation the Town Manager implied a sense of urgency to acquire the land before it is lost to development, if the sale was successful an article or articles could be placed on the fall Town Meeting to seek approval of Town Meeting to purchase them. Any remaining funds could be set aside in a fund to develop the Greenway or the water treatment plant site . Sincerely William C. Brown 28 Martin Rd. Reading, Ma. 01867 781 944 2807 T FO E~?~ OF SELECTMEN HEFTING , g.TS 910N~IN SIIEE DATE: ADTjRESS. NAME. (Please print) Av-e P~ b e. 33 J s