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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1988-04-11 Adjourned Annual Town Meeting Minutes193 ADJOURNED ANNUAL TOWN MEETING FIRST BUSINESS SESSION Reading Memorial High School April 11, 1988 The meeting was called to order by the Moderator, Paul C. Dustin, at 7:45 P.M., there being a quorum present. The Invocation was given by the Rev. E. Lewis MacLean of the Church of the Nazarene, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and the Town Meeting Members Pledge. The warrant was partially read by the Town Clerk, Doris M. Fantasia, when on motion of Eugene R. Nigro, it was voted to dis- pense with further reading of the warrant, except for the officer's return, which was then read by the Town Clerk. Moderator, Paul C. Dustin, asked Town Meeting members to join him in the singing of Happy Birthday to our distinguished octogenarian, Benjamin E. Nichols. STATE OF THE TOWN ARTICLE 2. The following "State of the Town" report by Eugene R. Nigro was accepted as a report of progress. As we embark on our 244th Town Meeting, it is fitting that I review with you, in behalf of the Board of Selectmen, the high- lights of the past year and our vision of what challenges we face in the months ahead. March 1988 marked the second anniversary of Reading voters' approval of the Home Rule Charter. This Charter laid the founda- tion for restructuring town government and provided for the delivery of the majority of municipal services under the steward- ship of a Town Manager. Since the Selectmen's appointment of Peter Hechenbleikner one and one half years ago, we are seeing tangible evidence that the multi-headed "hydra" so often com- plained about in the past is giving way to a more unified, effi- cient and coordinated system of planning, budgeting and deliver- ing services. A study provided by state funds should further as- sist us in doing more centralized purchasing and enhance inter- departmental cooperation. Much good work has been done by the By-Law Committee to have the by-laws conform to the Charter and that work is continuing. We owe a tribute to those employees who gave their coopera- tion and helped make the transition a success without missing a step in providing services to the public. In other personnel matters, a needed.change in the Charter was approved by the voters in 1987 that eliminated the long delay in hiring new employees to fill vacated positions in day time government. This year, negotiations with five of the collective bargaining groups are either under way or will commence shortly. The Selectmen approved a personnel policy that marks the begin- ning of a good uniform personnel system. Approved by Town Meet- ing in November 1987, it has been incorporated into Article XXIV of the By-Laws. A policy recognizing outstanding employees has been approved and an Awards Selection Committee appointed. A salary and reclassification study of.the clerical level has been fully implemented. All of these changes and initiatives are only part of an overall effort of the Town Manager to strengthen in- terdepartmental cooperation and coordination with the goal of im- proved customer services to residents that includes support to the various volunteer boards, committees, commissions as well as preparing information for Town Meeting. 194 Adjourned Annual Town Meeting April 11, 1988 In the Human Services Department, we have seen some good ex- amples of inter and intradepartment cooperation and coordination. For example the Council on Aging members and elementary school children are engaging in intergenerational activities, adopting a grandparent and helping them with chores. The Health Department and School Department are coordinating preadolescent workshops, sponsored an outstanding Drugbuster program including the use of high school peer leaders to work with the younger children; the Health Department is working-with the Police and has provided Hepatitis B immunizations; it has established a relationship with Reading Clergy in order to reach residents who are unknown to Human Services, but who may need help.. Other examples of coor- dination is seen with the Recreation Department, the Conservation Commission, and Department of Public Works working together in programming activities such as cross-country skiing in the Town Forest. The relocation of the Department of Public Works garage has been completed and an open house will be held later this month. This major accomplishment took the persevering efforts of in- dividuals at all levels of government and should be applauded for closing another chapter to our space needs problems. Jack Rus- sell of our Board is to be singled out for his leadership in this project. The Department of Community Development directed by our new Planner, Jonathan Edwards, is providing valuable assistance to CPDC, The Conservation Commission and DPW. Through their ef- forts, CPDC is developing a better capacity to be more proactive in responding to developers' requests and site plan reviews. A good example is the Planned Unit Development concept approved by the 1987 Special Town Meeting. This approach to development en- sures greater protection to the Town by facilitating high quality developments constructed and sited in harmony with neighborhood surroundings. In addition, an agreement to have Reading become a Mass Housing Partnership Community has been recommended by the Reading Housing Authority and CPDC. The hope here is to provide more affordable housing to individuals with low income and spe- cial needs. In public safety, we received delivery of a new fire truck and were able to avoid the pitfall other communities faced in dealing with a company going into bankruptcy by careful scrutiny and monitoring by our Town Counsel and Fire Chief to ensure we had a valid performance bond. With the recommendation of the Police Chief and approved by Town Meeting, the Police Department is undergoing a nationally sanctioned accreditation process. This year we saw a doubling of traffic tickets in a never ending ef- fort to keep our roads safe and unclogged. A new animal control vehicle has recently been delivered. Plans for a new Fire Station are underway and a progress report on this project will be provided to you at this Special Town Meeting. Progress on the sale of town-owned real estate continues. The Community Center was rebid after a lower price was offered than that originally bid. Papers are in the process of being signed for its transfer to the Fafard Co. for a higher price than that originally offered. A purchase and sales agreement has been signed with Homart and Embassy Suites and the closing is scheduled for this October. Reaffirmation of Town Meeting's ear- lier vote to sell Bear Hill land will come before Town Meeting after a group of residents asked Town Meeting to reconsider its earlier vote. 195 Adjourned Annual Town Meeting April 11, 1988 A solution to the municipal space problem continues to be elusive. A progress report will be provided by the Municipal Space Committee. As the options narrow, we are hopeful that.a solution will be closer at hand. A permanent home for the Coun- cil on Aging must be found. The year has been a good one and the Board of Selectmen is cautiously optimistic about the future. There are challenges facing us. We have to protect our open space and protect our water supply. We are overwhelmed with commuters from out of town increasing our traffic headaches and endangering our school children's safety as well as for other pedestrians. We have a parking problem throughout the business districts but especially at the Depot by those, many of whom are out-of-towners, using the trains. We need to protect the quality of life in Reading. We shall fiercely protect what we have known to be a good place to live and raise our children. The Board pledges to work at all levels of state, county and other local governments to do it. We shall work closely with interested citizen groups such as The West Side Task Force. We shall reach out to those other com- munities similarly affected and engage in regional planning and in finding solutions. All of these efforts require our partnership here in Town. The strength of our success will depend on all of us doing our jobs. As Town Meeting members, you have a responsibility to keep in touch with your constituents, to attend Town Meeting faith- fully, and to be well prepared. You are the legislative body that provides overall direction and makes decisions on ap- propriating funds. You set the direction for the Board of Selectmen in our developing policies and making decisions that guide the Town Manager. In turn, he uses this information to es- tablish goals for each department under his control. He holds each employee accountable as we hold him accountable. We all -i have our job. Let's approach it by being well informed and par- i ticipating in the process with gusto and enthusiasm. As partners i in this great adventure, may all of us come away from this Town Meeting and be able to say "Job well done. I've contributed to the benefit of my community." Thank you. ARTICLE 2. The following report was presented by Donald C. Allen for the Finance Committee and accepted as a report of progress: FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT TO TOWN MEETING MONDAY, APRIL 11, 1988 The Finance Committee assumes that all Town Meeting members have read the Finance Committee Budget message. This is the first yellow page in the "Report on the Warrant". That being the case, rather than reread that report, I am going to expand on several subjects within that message. The Finance Committee, working with the Town Manager, has changed, somewhat, the format of this year's "Report on the Warrant". The Budget Format Committee, established by Town Meet- ing last year, provided the guidelines for this report. We hope J that this report meets the requirements of that Committee and of Town Meeting. If it does not, I am sure that your disapproval will be communicated to Fincom. The Town Manager and his staff, particularly Sally, Nancy and Sandy, deserve a great deal of credit for their efforts. They had to take the various components of this report in raw 196 Adjourned Annual Town Meeting April 11, 1988 form and put them together in a coherent farm. No small task when working against a printer's deadline and with illness within their ranks. The Finance Committee wishes to publicly thank them for their assistance. Having stated that, please note that Fincom included a copy of one of our five year forecasts, which I am sorry to say, was placed in error, after the School Committee Budget. This is 11 pages from the Fincom Budget message. Several things should be noted with regard to that attached five year forecast worksheet. First and most important, the deficits indicated will not occur, since we must, by law, submit a balanced budget. The deficits would be addressed in three major ways. 1. Increasing income; 2. Reducing expenditures; 3. Using the Town's reserve funds . ) funds (free cash, real estate The Finance Committee does not advocate the third option. The effect of that option would be to use up all of our reserves containing expenditures which had never been controlled and a probable deficit of over 5 million dollars. This would require draconian cuts, with absolutely no reserves. There will be many difficult decisions in the next few years. The revenue side of the forecasts include interest earned on sale of real estate funds. This assumes that the Community Cen- ter, landfill, gear Hill, and Nike Site are sold as planned. We have also included the real estate tax revenue from development of those parcels. The impact of not selling surplus property can be understood by the example of not selling the Community Center. The Town would annually lose $124,000 in interest revenue and $25,000 in tax revenue. The net increase in the deficit would be at least $150,000 which would have to be made up by budget cuts. It becomes obvious, when looking at these figures, why Finance Committee advocates selling surplus property and protect- ing the funds from sale of real estate whenever possible. Large multi-million dollar projects such as a Town Hall con- nector would also add to the deficits in our forecast model. They would either increase our debt service costs or decrease in- terest earnings, depending on how the project is financed. This forecast includes only a ,new fire station and no other major project. Since the School Committee is not yet.in-a position to make a decision on releasing the Pearl Street School, the Fincom feels we should follow the following course relative to Articles 15 through 19: 1. Make a motion to increase the School Committee budget by $15,000 to enable the Superintendent's Office to stay in its present quarters for one more year. 2. Table or postpone Article 19, provided for move of School Department offices to the high school. Originally ap- proved by Fincom for $125,000 which the School Committee wants to amend to $200,000. 3. Table or indefinitely postpone Articles 15, 16, and 17. (Transfer Pearl Street to Selectmen and convert it to Town Hall or sell it.) - FIVE YEAR FORECAST _ F'T' 15►:;',a F'T' 1990 . F'T' 1991 FY 1992 FIT' 199:3 TOTAL TAX LE'%,'Y 17,826,2:34 1 r,.:, 4:; 6, e9O 19 J ;r 59 o :31;= 20;040,795 20,891,81" STATE AID 6, r:,%:1F3, 4:z 6 0 r , 13.9 7,435,481 7o844,43:3 8,275o876 1-.1-11rHL RE1-:E I PT: 4 0:334 , 415 4 J 26-4, 9!"-46 4,4-09o666 4,561,510 4;820.-874 FED. REN,'. SHARE. 12;000 0 0 0 a:; I-413TEL F:►JOM THr; 0 0 140,000 280,000 29 4, OOP- L:►:1RROW I NG 2,484,000 2,500,000 0 0 ua FREE CASH 764,783 500,1000 01;3, 001:1 500,000 500,000 TOTAL REVENUE 32,101,85e :32!Si;.i9,725 .31J 74.4J460 33J2=6!7::8 34,782,566 ErF='ENGITIJRE:a - ht :i►E:-J 17,776,54:3 1;-1, ~ 14, 2~ • 1,:' , 20,124,753 ''1, 1, ~ , r7.::? 22, 78:3, 15:3 ONT. RETIRE 1,664/ 510 1 , 74:3, 000 1 / ?+a 1 , 000 1 , 7813 ,x:100 11800,000 1,1,•J►::OMP, GEN INS o GROUP INS, ETC. 2,1•~88o 234 2,, 22e, 971 501-0, 11. t=om 2o699,171 _ OTHER F:.},PENS'ES 5o511,524 5, r-•.:' 1. ! 754 5, 7:34, V S10 5,848,87:3 5,965,851 STATE 8; C."OUNTY 589, 06 615057.5 643, 27 672,223 1v1i_1KE, TRASH, 1=BATE 1,251,645 1,314,227 1, 4.84, r:,',='5 1,55:B,856 1,636,799 SPEC. ARTS. 4:c4, OOO 2,700.-000 201-i J F:jM_iO 200,000 200,000 E;•.I ST L.••''T DEBT ;a69,r' 'r ..•51, r:,-M a'";~: 1 , V 1,240A585 w+75,5r'ar t3 2.a ,~r~ l 7; SHORT TERM DEBT - 215, 000 90.1000 25,17-i17-10 25,000 25, OO0 _ TOTAL EXPEh•IGITURES :32, 55►w~1, 443 ::1,-1•,,:;; 9., 461 • :3:3, 5'9?, 114 :35,01:3;:375 36o635,5425 ! - . :_;1JRPL1JS'-- ( GI EFEC I T 1 W5 -1J►J - 'r,,r~J r 7:36 . -1,852o.654 - --1,786,6:37 -1,853,360 F',, -'E I nt", . ►d 7': 448, 5E15 716 0 000 71 61 OP-10 7913 , 000 790 , 000 SURPLUS (DEFECIT> 0 -1,153,7:36 -1, i:36o65`'•~• - ----^9;x-16,637 --1.1063,360 t•-IEW DEBT .5m 1189 Pi 155, 000 475,500 450.-000 432,000 .'.5m "S-10 GEFECIT 0 -1, 3N:i>",?:36 -1,612,154 - - -lo44 ,,6:3? --1..495, 360 Notes to Five Year Forecast 1. T-Eo,--. l e-.,-1,-1 i r"~~~ 1 i,li~i •a. l Estate Ta.:•.:e orl C'oretmi. n i t,,, Cer"it et- a.nd Landfill site a.r d Ga.a.r Hill. Real Estate Interest ca:) mP uteri 1.21 fl i 1 l i i:)n from i C'Onln-'Utl i. t"' Cetltet- in 1511:-S J ,---:.2!5 Million f r•om L a,r-ldf i l l it) Na.,. 19:2-:9 and 1.0 h1i l l il:)n fr"•twci Be .%r"' Hill, 1, 19:54::.1 at 7.5.x,. :11. New Debt i 1.,,-2 11i l 1 ix)n f oi- Sahcx) l s . in 1. w• 813, and 2.5 Million fi~r^ Fir"•~e Station in i.9913. . TAX RATE CALCULATION As Fixed As Fixed Est. FY87 FY88 FY89 Appropriated Annual T.M. & Special T.M. 32,550,440 30,069,264 33,779,166 Offsets 550,532 462,895 410,705 County Charges 258,825 252,627 17,495 State Charges 502,828 592,641 571,572 Overlay Reserve 731,943 671,597 390,000 GROSS AMT. TO BE RAISED 34,603,434 32,049,024 35,168,938 . LESS RECEIPTS & REVENUES FROM OTHER SOURCE Borrowing 5,102,000 160,000 21484,000 Free Cash 0 545,837 Available Funds 326,336 439,826 458,000 Revenue Sharing 220,000 148,936 12,000 Sale of Real Estate 115,000 0 0 Local Receipts 5,900,000 6,662,500 7,347,790 State Receipts 6,449,775 6,928,065 7,091,131 TOTAL RECEIPTS & REVENUES 18,123,111 14,885,164 17,392,921 Net Amount To Be Raised by Taxation 16,480,353 17,163,860 17,776,017 Valuation 1,299,721,400 1,317,257,100 1,324,000,000 Tax Rate 12.68 13.03 13.43 Maximum Levy Limit Prior Year Tax Levy 15,694,378 17,171,936 17,171,936 Plus 2.5% 392,338 429,298 429,298 New Construction 400,000 131,000 174,783 Levy Limit 16,468,716 17,732,234 17,776,017 197 Adjourned Annual Town Meeting April 11, 1988 4. Approve Article 18 in the amount of $50,000 (minimum repairs to Town Hall). The effect of the above is to keep the School Department at Gould Street for a year; to make minimum repairs to Town Hall, without tripping the Architectual Barriers Law; to postpone the decision on a Town Hall connector/Pearl Street until Fall when the School Committee will have reached a decision on Pearl Street. Another item which has a large effect on the Town's Finances is the retirement system costs. This year we have funded the first year in a forty (40) year program to eliminate the Town's estimated 16 million dollar unfunded liability. This will also help improve the Town's Bond rating. As most of you are probably aware, the State recently passed a Pension Reform Act which among other things would assist Towns in reducing their unfunded liability with funding grants. If Reading were to adopt an ap- proved funding schedule, the grant to Reading in 1990 is es- timated at $91,000. However, as with most State grants, there are requirements which may be very costly and outweigh the advan- tages of joining the program. The Retirement Board, Town Ac- countant, Fincom and Treasurer are reviewing this and will report to Town Meeting when the numbers are firmed up. The Finance Committee has also started to investigate the advantages of a real estate tax classification system. This could be a possible way to increase income to the Town and slightly reduce the tax burden on the average homeowner. The im- petus to address this soon is self-evident. New construction falls outside the 2 1/2% provision in the law in its first year on the tax rolls. If commercial property were taxed at a higher rate this could yield considerable additional income. All one has to do is note the new commercial projects scheduled for Reading to understand that this could be a considerable advantage to the Community. Finance Committee hopes to meet later on this with the Assessors and other interested parties in order to gather more information. Finance committee is an advisory committee to Town Meeting and attempts to give Town Meeting sound financial information. We attempt to view issues from a financial aspect and not in an emotional or political manner. I would once again like to ex- tend an invitation to all citiizens to attend our meetings or contact any member with questions or requests. We hope that this statement has indicated some of the Finance Committee's concerns and possible actions. Thank you for your attention. ARTICLE 2. The following Final Report of the Task Force on Relocation of the Board of Public Works, presented by John H. Russell, was accepted as a job well done and voted to discharge the Task Force: REPORT UNDER ARTICLE 2 1988 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING FINAL REPORT - DPW RELOCATION The DPW has been relocated!!!! The facility is fully func- tional and there are only a few corrective items remaining for the general contractor to do. 198 Adjourned Annual Town Meeting April 11, 1988 Our DPW personnel are completing those items which are not the responsibility of the general contractor, such as paving of the personnel parking lot, and loaming, seeding and landscaping both on site and along Newcrossing Road. Final grading and planting of the retention area will be done as soon as the area is dry enough to work. The emergency generator is the last major piece of equipment to be installed, and it will be delivered by the end of April and will be installed during may. Formal dedication of the facility will be held on Saturday, April 23, from 9 to 12 a.m. and all of you are invited to attend. Do come and see what we agonized over for so long. From a financial standpoint, the facility, crossing and access Road have been completed about $164,000 under budget. But unfortunately, we cannot give this back yet. When we began removing the eleven fuel oil tanks from the old facility, contamination was found surrounding ten of the eleven tanks. These tanks, some of which date back to the original street railway operation, contained heating oil, diesel oil, gasoline and waste oil. The waste oil tank did not cause any contamination, but contamination has been found around all the other tanks, most severely around the heating oil tanks at the front of the building. We are working with both a consulting engineering firm and the State Department of Environmental Quality Engineering to define the best approach to clean up this contamination. The full scope of the clean-up effort will not be defined for several weeks so we don't know at this time just how much of the surplus money will be needed. My best guess at this time would be that we will still have a $50,000 to $75,000 surplus when all is said and done. See you all at the dedication on April 23rd. J. H. Russell ARTICLE 2. The `following report, presented by john H.Russell, on the Sale of the Landfill, was accepted as a Report of Progress: REPORT UNDER ARTICLE 2 1988 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING SALE OF THE LANDFILL . This is a Report of Progress on the sale of the landfill to Homart and Embassy Suites. The conceptual design for both the Homart and Embassy Suites development has been completed and formal planned unit develop- ment application to the Community Planning and Development Com- mission is expected by the end of this month. The application to the Massachusetts Environmental Protec- tion Agency will be completed in May and this will include a draft environmental impact statement. After state evaluation of the draft, a final environmental impact statement will be sub- mitted for approval. It is anticipated that the whole environ- mental process will be completed by the end of September with final PUD approval within 30 days. 199 Adjourned Annual Town Meeting April 11, 1988 We have made application for a Public Works Economic Development Grant to cover signalization and widening of Walkers Brook Drive and some minor improvements, such as repaving and curbing, of portions of John Street, Village Street and Washington Street. The amount of the Grant is $572,000 with the local share of $173,000 coming from betterments assessed to the local commercial abutters. We have met with Commissioner Garvey of the State DPW and feel we have a good chance in the next round but it will be two to three months before we know for sure. . In summary, our goal is to close with both Homart and Em- bassy Suites in late October or very early November so that we may come to the Fall Town Meeting with some recommendations as to how to best utilize it. J. H. Russell ARTICLE 2. The following report, presented by George V. Hines for the Community Planning and Development Commission, was accepted as a Report of Progress: 1987 ANNUAL REPORT COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION To the Citizens of _Reading: The second year of the Community Planning and Development commission was one of both substantial change and challenge. In last year's report, the Commission concluded that the effort required to both deal with responsibilities assigned us by the Charter and maintain a proactive agenda to deal with Reading's many growth and development issues would require dedicated professional planning staff. That situation was affected when after an extensive recruiting effort, the Town Manager with input from CPDC members hired Jonathan Edwards as the Town's first Director of Community Development. In his brief tenure, Mr. Ed- wards has been a positive force in the effort to provide profes- sional management and planning for the community. The Commission itself changed composition during. 1987, with George Hines being appointed to the remainder of the term of David Goodemote, who resigned, and the notice that CPDC members William Griset and Molly Jenks would not seek re-appointment at the conclusion of their terms. The Commission is thankful for the substantial contributions made by Mr. Goodemote, Mr. Griset, and Ms. Jenks. In July, the Selectmen appointed Thomas Stohlman and Mark Favaloro to three year terms on the Commission. Mr. Stohlman, an architect, and Mr. Favaloro, a lawyer, and Mr. Hines, a former Planning Board member and a former Charter Com- mission member, have provided the Commission with valuable skills in the dispatch of our responsibilities. The challenge facing the CPDC in 1987 consisted not only of the numerous site-plan review hearings, subdivision-control hear- ings, and zoning by-law hearings, but also the Commission's proactive agenda of beginning the important Master Plan develop- ment process, revision of site-plan and subdivision-control regulations and the development of a major new zoning regulation - Planned Unit Development. After an open competition the Com- mission chose the firm of Rizzo Associates and their sub- consultant, Wallace Floyd Associates, to conduct a study of the 200 Adjourned Annual Town Meeting April 11, 1988 applicability of the Planned Unit Development concept to our In- dustrial Zone. Utilizing an extensive community involvement program, the Commission, working with Wallace Floyd Associates, determined that the P.U.D. concept was the best means for Reading to control the development of our Industrial Zone. Wallace Floyd Associates assembled a draft by-law which was modified by com- munity input and Commission review and ultimately adopted by Town Meeting in the November session. The P.U.D. zoning by-law provi- sions will apply to an overlay district in the Industrial Zone, and will provide the Town with an excellent tool to control the development of our former landfill and bordering industrial land. The Master Plan process was begun with the formation of the Master Plan Advisory Committee and the appointment to this com- mittee of eighteen citizens who were interviewed by the Commis- sion and appointed by the Selectmen. The MPAC under chairmanship of Commissioner Favaloro has begun the important process of help- ing the Commission assemble the document which will chart the fu- ture course of development and change in our community. This im- portant work will progress using a process of extensive community involvement to which the Commission is firmly committed. During the past two years, CPDC has made a valiant beginning in the proactive challenge to balance preservation of the charac- ter of Reading that we enjoy, with reasonable growth and develop- ment. However, we recognize that it is only a beginning, and the completion of our Master Plan is an important foundation for us to build on the additional structural elements of modernized zoning by-laws, improved site-plan review, fine-tuned subdivision-control regulations, and prudent management of developable and re-developable land. All this must be done with a firm grasp and both eyes trained on the continuing development around us and within our borders. The Commission is committed to these tasks and with community involvement, we are certain Read- ing will successfully meet this challenge. Respectfully submitted, Community Planning & Development Commission George V. Hines, Chairman Daniel A. Ensminger, Secretary Richard D. Howard Thomas J. Stohlman Mark Favaloro ARTICLE 2. The following report of the Town Manager, Peter I. Hechenbleikner, was accepted as a Report of Progress: At the suggestion of several people who thought it would be helpful to Town Meeting, I would like to report on the status of Instructional Motions that Town Meeting has passed. I hope to do this on a regular basis so these things don't get lost in the shuffle. With some help from our favorite researcher, Ben Nichols, and others, we have identified some of the past Motions and also some of the more recent ones. A couple of years ago, Town Meeting established a Traffic Advisory Committee as an Instructional Motion. The Committee was advertised broadly over at least a year, and frankly, we had very few applicants for the position. It is hard to believe due to the interest in traffic nowadays. However, the Master Plan Advisory Commission that George Hines mentioned as part of the planning process, has really assumed much of that traffic ad- visory function. We would hope they would be considered sub- stituted by Town Meeting for a formal Traffic Advisory Committee as a separate entity. 201 Adjourned Annual Town Meeting April 11, 1988 There is an Instructional Motion, from some years ago, for By-Law Committee to review the issue of reconsideration and votes needed for reconsideration. That has been passed along to.the By-Law Committee for consideration and comment this Fall. -There was a Motion last Fall that Town Meeting members receive material at least three meetings ahead of time. Hope- fully we have met most of that. Although I know we are still giving you handouts, we are trying to get the material to you as much ahead of time as possible. There is also an Instructional Motion to have further Town Meetings held in the High School. I am assured by the Superin- tendent of Schools that we will block out our best estimate of sessions needed for the High School on an annual basis. The next item was that there be no public hearings, which I extended to mean public meetings, on Mondays and Thursdays during Town Meeting. A memo to that effect has gone to all Boards, Committees, and Commissions of the Town so we shouldn't have that kind of conflict. However, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are going to be very busy during the next month or so. There is an Instructional Motion on Article 8 from Sub- sequent Town Meeting last Fall, instructing Town Counsel to review the issue of whether or not changes were made to the or- ganizational chart in a legal manner. Town Counsel has reviewed that. A copy of his letter has gone to the maker of that motion and the organizational chart, as developed, was appropriately done. In fact, it is to be found on page 278 of your Annual Report. Under the heading of miscellaneous, there are a number of issues.., some of which have been mentioned briefly. The State Pension Reform Bill, adopted by the State Legislature this year, is a local option. The financial people within the Town includ- ing the Finance Committee will be reviewing that Pension Reform Bill, especially as the details become better known. They will have recommendation to Town Meeting in the Fall as to whether or not that Bill has been accepted for the Town. There are some positives and there are also some negatives. Several years ago, Town Meeting instructed Town Counsel to review the Trust Funds the Town holds and to try to modify those Trusts so that the interest earned on the principal could be used for other purposes. These are the Hospital Trust Funds specifi- cally. I am happy to report the legal work has been completed, the appeal period has expired, and in fact, the Town's petition on the Trust Funds has been approved. That Trust Fund modifica- tion will allow the interest on the investment of the Trust Funds to be used for transportation purposes to get people to and from medical care and also to be used for home health care. During the past year, Town Meeting should be aware that the Town has been able to develop a temporary disability insurance program for Town employees, available at employee's expense. Prior to this there was no short term or temporary disability program available to the employees of the Town unless they pur- chased it at their own cost and on their own. There is no Town involvement in this, other than a payroll deduction program and it is a service we have been able to offer to our employees. 202 Adjourned Annual Town Meeting April 11, 1988 Next, Gene Nigro indicated the Town has developed an Employee Award Program. This program has been put into effect by the Board of Selectmen through the adoption of a policy and a committee has been formed. The committee is functioning and, in fact, we have just received our first application under the program. We feel that this will be a positive program for rewarding good performance on the part of deserving employees. Finally, I have been asked to report to Town Meeting that the Retirement Board voted today to participate in the PRIT Pen- sion Investment Trust program. This is a Pension Reserve Invest- ment Trust operated by the State and available to any community who wants to sign up for it. Their record of investment, and this is an investment tool for the pension system, has somewhat exceeded the Town's own investment program over the last several years. It is a simpler program to administer for the Town and there is no sacrifice in terms of rate of return on investment. Finally, one of the attempts that has been made by my office and I think by all of the employees and Department Heads of the Town this past year, has been to improve the quality of material presented to various Boards, Committees, Commissions, and espe- cially to Town Meeting. We put a great deal of effort into the warrant report this year. I am sure there are some comments. I have some changes myself but hopefully, it is a more usable document for Town Meeting to refer to as they go through Town Meeting. The same kind of effort has gone into the Town Report which you received tonight. We actually found it was more cost effective to print it in the larger format and also. found it to be more readable. Finally, I would like to introduce Department Heads who are here tonight and thank them for their support this past year. ARTICLE 2. On motion of Eugene R. Nigro, it was voted to lay Article 2 on the table. ARTICLE 3. On motion of John W. Price, it was voted that this meeting instruct the Board of Selectmen, that before they present any of the articles regarding the Fire Station to Town Meeting, that they contact:'ISO - Commercial Risk Service and have a written report completed on what effect the moving of the Central Station, and the .,closing of the West Side Fire Station, with an increase of the-exposed area of the Town, will have on the insurance rates for,the Town. 72 voted in the affirmative 62 voted in the negative ARTICLE 3. On motion of Eugene R. Nigro, it was-voted to lay Article 3 on the table. ARTICLE 4. On motion of Elizabeth W. Klepeis,'it was voted that the Town authorize the Town Treasurer-Collector, with the approval of the Board of Selectmen, to borrow money from time to time in anticipation of the revenue of the financial year begin- ning July 1, 1988, in accordance with the provision of the General Laws, Chapter 44, Section 4 and to issue a note or notes therefor, payable within one year and to renew any note or notes as may be given for a period of less than one year, in accordance with the General Laws, Chapter 44, Section 17. ARTICLE 5. On motion of Mary S. Zeigler, it was voted that the Town indefinitely postpone the subject matter of Article 5. 203 Adjourned Annual Town Meeting April 11, 1988 ARTICLE 6. On motion of Mary S. Zeigler, it was voted that the Town adopt the Capital Improvement Program as presented, as provided for in Section 7-7 of the Reading Home Rule Charter. ARTICLE 7. On motion of Mary S. Zeigler, it was voted that the Town table the subject matter of Article 7. ARTICLE 8. On motion of Eugene R. Nigro, it was voted to lay Article 8 on the table. ARTICLE 10. On motion of John L. Fallon, Jr., it was voted to lay Article 10 on the table. ARTICLE 11. On motion of Carol S. Lyons, it was voted to indefinitely postpone Article 11. ARTICLE 12. On motion of George J. Shannon, it was unanim- ously voted that the Town raise by borrowing, as provided under Chapter 44, Sections 7 & 8 of the General Laws, the sum of $227,000, (Two Hundred Twenty-seven Thousand Dollars) and ap- propriate said sum for the purpose of replacing the roof and the roof drainage system at the Reading Memorial High School Field House, 62 Oakland Road, Reading, Massachusetts; such appropria- tion to include all engineering fees and preparation costs required to complete the purpose of this Article, all monies to be expended under the direction of the Reading School Committee. e 2/3 vote required ARTICLE 13. On motion of Allan E. Ames, it was voted that the subject matter of Article 13 be referred to the Municipal Light Board, and the said Board be,. and hereby is authorized to install such additional street lights as in its judgment are required, and to make such changes in the size, type and location of existing street lights as it may deem advisable, the expense of the same to be paid from the income of the plant. ARTICLE 14. On motion of John H. Russell, it was voted that the Board of Selectmen be authorized to sell, or exchange, or dispose of, upon such terms and conditions as they may determine, the following items of Town tangible property: 1. a 1950 12-ton Roadway Roller 2. a Xerox 860 Word Processor. 3. a 1975 Ford LTD ARTICLE 27. On motion of Russell T. Graham, it was voted to indefinitely postpone Article 27. ARTICLE 28. On motion of Russell T. Graham, it was voted that the Town accept and adopt the provisions of Clause Fifth B of Section 5, Chapter 59 of the General Laws, as recently amended by Chapter 499 of the Acts of 1987. ARTICLE 29. On motion of John H. Russell, it was unanim- ously voted that the Town authorize the Board of Selectmen to convey and/or abandon certain rights of easements in Reading, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, situated on Lot 3 as shown on a Plan entitled "Plan of Land, Reading, Mass." dated June 24, 1986 that were conveyed to the Town in an "Order of Taking" document dated October 14, 1957 and recorded in the Middlesex South Dis- trict Registry of Deeds in Book 9051 Page 179; to establish the 204 Adjourned Annual Town Meeting April 11,1988 minimum amount to be paid for such conveyance and/or abandonment, at $1 (One Dollar); and that the Board of Selectmen be authorized to convey or abandon all or any part of said right of easements for such amount or larger amount and under such other terms and conditions as the Selectmen shall consider proper; and to deliver a deed therefor if necessary. 2/3 vote required ARTICLE 30. On Motion of John H. Russell, it was voted that the Town authorize the Board of Selectmen to convey and/or aban- don certain rights of easements in Reading, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, situated on Lots 8A, 8B, A, B, 12A, and 12B as shown on a Plan entitled "Definitive Plan Avalon Estates, Read- ing, Mass." dated June 25, 1987 that were conveyed to the Town in a "conveyance of easements and utilities - Hopkins Farm" document dated November 29, 1984 and recorded.in the Middlesex South Dis- trict Registry of Deeds; to set the minimum amount to be paid for such conveyance and/or abandonment at $1 (One Dollar) and that the Board of Selectmen is hereby authorized to convey or abandon all or any part of said right of easements for such stated amount or larger amounts and under such other terms and conditions as the Selectmen shall consider proper; and that the Board be authorized to deliver a deed therefor if necessary. 110 voted in the affirmative 2 voted in the negative 2/3 vote required ARTICLE 31. On motion of John H. Russell, it was unanim- ously voted that the Town authorize the Board of Selectmen to convey and/or abandon a portion of certain rights of easements in Reading, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, being a part of the "Quannapowitt Drainage System" and shown on the Reading Assessors' Plat 57 as Lots 20, 22, 23, 24, and 26 dated January 1, 1985 and Plat 68 Lot 7 dated January 1, 1978; to es- tablish a minimum amount of $1 (One Dollar) to be paid for such conveyance and/or abandonment; and to authorize the Board to con- vey or abandon all or any part of said rights of easements for such amount or larger amount and upon such other terms and condi- tions as the Selectmen shall consider proper; and to authorize the Selectmen to deliver a deed therefor if necessary; and to authorize the Board of Selectmen to petition the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Legislature, or other appropriate State agency, if necessary, to abandon or approve the abandonment of any such easement rights taken or held by the Commonwealth. 2/3 vote required On motion of Gerald A. Fiore, it was voted that this meeting stand adjourned to meet at 7:30 P:M. on Thursday, April 14, 1988, at Reading Memorial High School. Meeting adjourned at 9:42 P.M. 134 Town Meeting Members were present. A true copy. Attest: Q Doris M. Fantasia Town Clerk