Finance Committee Meeting - September 10, 2026

Um, I'd like to call the finance committee meeting to order at 5:00. Can you please stand and uh join me in the pledge of allegiance?

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. Uh please note that we're meeting in person and this meeting is being recorded.

And what do we have the preliminary warrant Gary?

So um thank you Madam Chair. So this is uh obviously we're we're um still about a month away a little bit over a month away from town meeting but uh the information has to get to the board of selectman on the 28th uh approved. So, we went over that schedule kind of last week a little bit and um talked about what some of those articles might look like. So, this is a list of the

preliminary articles. Um Cody might want to be able to go well both of us can can touch base on a lot of these um on the list.

So, um we can go through them. Put them up on the screen so everybody can see them.

Can I ask a question before we dive in it too deep? So there's no um skeletal structure of the normal format. None of that's been done.

No, it's done. I I'm just I I don't like to share it with anyone before the select board has a chance to review it.

No, because they warrant. So I'll get it to you.

Yeah. No, no, I get that Tuesday because they're reviewing it for the first time on Monday.

We'll have it next meeting.

Oh, you'll have it before next meeting.

It's only for my own selfish purposes of trying to get the ration in in the format. That's that's why I ask anyway.

Okay. So the first one is uh CPC recommended uh a million dollars. It's a joint application with the Buzzards Bay Coalition in the town of Dartmouth to purchase a conservation restriction on approximately 25 acres um at the site of the former Hawthorne Country Club. You may recall that a 40B comprehensive permit was approved for 138 uh single family homes at that location. Uh, our team has worked diligently with a

private developer in the Buzzards Bay Coalition to um bring a project forward that would bring 65 age restricted units instead of 138 uh single family homes and um and then essentially split the development area in about half preserving a really important piece of land in the back uh portion which is that 25 acres or so. The Buzzards Bay Coalition would own the property. They would purchase the property for $2

million. Uh $1 million of private funds that they would bring to the table. A million dollars of town funds which we would own the um the restriction on. The benefit to this is I mean it's expansive. We went through it in detail at the uh CPC meeting the other night.

Um you know this the the land is directly abuts our zone 2 aquifer all on the Pascomit River. um is also hundreds of acres along that corridor that are already um preserved in perpetuity. The developer is working with Buzzards Bay Coalition to come up with uh what would be a trail network. There were to be some parking area in there. Overall, we think it's a really great project. Um

and then that's kind of the preservation side on just the logical town development side. We have a concern obviously with impact on schools. This this negates about 95% of that impact because it's age restricted units. It's also only approximately 65 units instead of 138 units. Um the the one negative if if you want to look at it that way is we're not getting any affordable units towards our subsidized housing

inventory. However, um Hawthorne is was going to be a um for sale, right? They weren't renting the project. So under mass mass general law chapter 40b there's two types of 40bs. You either sell the units or you rent them for a town. The rentals you get a credit toward 100% of those units. So only 25% of them have to be affordable right in perpetuity. But we get credit for 100% of them being affordable. With for sale

units like the Hawthorne 40B was going to be you only get credit for 25%.

So the other 75% were market rate and we don't get credit for those. So, we're not losing a huge chunk, right, of potential affordable units with um the Hathaway project, which the the zoning board of appeals has not yet issued a decision, but should that be approved and the project on Old Westport Road approved, we are well above the 10% anyways, even with these units removed.

Um yeah, so overall, I think good project CPC, John sits on CPC, so we can certainly talk to that, but very supportive, unanimous, um decision in support of that.

I do have a question if I may. There's been an issue with people talking about traffic going in and out of Hawthorne.

We the consensus around the town is going to be chaotic and a mess. So would you happen to have any insight how that might be alleviated or we just have to live with it or I think 65 units of age restricted will generate a significantly less amount of traffic than 138 market rate.

Oh, definitely.

Yeah. I I it's already a lot of traffic over there, right? They did traffic studies as part of the 40B and showed that there would certainly be some an impact. Um but what what they noticed was there already is a a problem, right?

There's already an issue over there with traffic.

And so um it certainly would have would have added to that. It wasn't going to make a significant difference. So what I would say is is you know they they'll have to go through the permitting process. They'll have to go back before the zoning board of appeals before the planning board for this actual project itself, the 65 or so um units. But just from a logical point of view, 65 is

half, you know, a little bit less than half of 138 and age restricted. Um, you know, not as many families, no school buses. So, it's a it's a least impactful project. When we looked at this, something is going to be built there, right? That's that is what we have.

I mean, we couldn't afford to buy the whole parcel.

The pro the whole parcel is about $7 million. Um, we we weren't going to be buying the parcel ourselves. it didn't have enough um preservation or conservation value to spend $7 million on the whole parcel, but we do feel at least the lower portion there, that's the closest portion of the aquifer in in getting it in conjunction with a smaller impact on the town, it makes sense.

And you think that's buildable, that lower portion, because No, I mean it might not be.

I don't think so because that's okay. We don't want to build on it.

No, I used to play golf over hip boots, you know.

Yeah, it slants down quite It does. Yeah, the topography there is really um in this buildable under the 40B it was all Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. To an extent they have some drainage but John they got a permit to build on almost the entire bridge there. So the the town is purch uh a 40B will build on that bridge.

No, we have to it has to go through. It didn't sound like the traffic issues for Sherbrook or for um Tucker Road were going to stop the build. And when I read the story yesterday or whenever it was, I was so happy to see that because I think that there are a number of people in town that feel like the seniors are not being considered by the town for many things. And um and this is

something that really targets that population. So, I feel like that's a that's a good thing. I didn't realize that they're going to be rented, not bought. Oh, these ones will be bought.

No, these ones will be bought.

Oh, they will be bought. Okay.

Cuz even when we think about the possibility of renting, that would be nice, too. But it but they won't be affordable. There won't be any They will not. They'll all be market rate uh age restricted.

Yeah. I mean, I hear what you're saying, Bill. I just think half the number of of um uh properties that will be available and then the rest of it's going to be protected. I I don't think we could ask.

I don't know. I think it was a genius that can be done.

I'm just voicing what I've been hearing around town.

Sure.

major concern.

No, no, no. Thank you.

I'm mad, too. I live across from Sherbrook. It's going to be ridiculous, but it is what it is.

Dear Joe, um I just had a question and then a comment. Um if I understood correctly, uh half the preserve will be 25 acres approximately. We're we're still working out exact acreage. It'll be somewhere plus or minus 25. Probably 25.

The other half is the other half the 65 homes.

It would be correct.

Okay. Thank you. Uh, and the comment regarding the aquifer, um, is you know how much I love my DPW meetings um, and so to protect the aquifer is just a phenomenal opportunity for Dartmouth. So I couldn't support it more.

Thank you.

Anybody else have uh, questions?

I have one. It's semi-related. How do we calculate the affordable rate when we do these project? I know this one isn't, but the actual like amount that someone were to pay on the like if I were to purchase one of those homes. Yeah. There's a a state formula that goes into it um in and they have to submit. So, for the purchase price, uh the state has a formula set out that goes by, um local

local income levels, uh local median home value, uh and there's a long calculation that gets done and the state gives us that number um of what the affordable home is. It depends on bedroom, square footage, things like as you know, many comment that say the figure is not affordable. That's that's the reason I ask about the calculation because everybody says that's not affordable. So

yeah, the sale of the home um would probably be in somewhere like the high 3s to low 400,000 range if you if they were selling market affordable homes that typically would have been market rate. That's probably where they would have been somewhere around there.

And that's the starter home for for Damoth.

And that's affordable. You have to you have to be income.

Still rare. Honestly, you don't see you don't see that.

No, no, you have to be income eligible for that. Um, as far as the rental units, any um um 40B has to come before the select board annually and they adopt the it's the board doesn't really have any discretion. It's just a process they have to go through to adopt the rental rates. It's another state formula goes on area median income. Um, and then they give allowances for things like electricity,

different utilities if if water's included or not included. And then the rent, total rent can't go over that amount.

So, does the state recalculate every year?

They do. Yeah.

Okay. Good. Because we all know some of those things. Utilities change dramatically.

Yeah. They still But but you're talking for um a twobedroom unit in Dartmouth.

I'd say around $2,000 a month would not be would be affordable. Considered affordable. You're not You're not talking I know that I hear I hear the comments when they see the rents and these places. It isn't. Not necessarily the new apartments. Some of the ones that I'll say used to be affordable that all of a sudden passed their time limit or whatever it's called and now they're for the market. It's like wow.

Yeah. These aren't federally funded um you know housing programs that some people think they are. It's it's totally different and it's just a subsidized there's state subsidizing agencies and they're not um yeah they're still not that cheap. I mean, and the and the limits are not incredibly low. These aren't we're not talking federal poverty limits. We're talking a family of four can make

$100,000 a year and still qualify for this. So, it's still Yeah, I get it. I was just trying to understand it because I mean, I don't know what the answer to it is.

Obviously, we're not going to get the state to change anything too rapidly.

Yeah.

We mean the buy our buy down program, I think, is great. You know, we're running that right now. We had a um I think it was Tuesday night. We had another open virtual open house. We just sold one unit where we it was a single mother um with two or three children. She qualified and we were able to give her two approximately $200,000 towards a down payment of her of her first-time

home. You have to be a first-time home buyer. So, it brought that $500,000 house down to an affordable 300,000. And then that also goes towards our affordable housing inventory. And that's forever affordable in perpetuity. So if if this individual goes to sell it in 10 years, we have to do out that formula and it there's a maximum that she can then sell it for. She still will be likely to make a profit because that

gets adjusted every year, but it's added to our inventory and we're also helping people buy single family homes in Dartmouth. It's great.

It's still tricky when you say the affordable 300,000.

Yeah. Right. I know. I know. That's an accomplishment for the pre-t that we're required to meet without with this change will be met with the other two.

Correct.

Once they're they're completed until 2030 at least because every it goes by the 10-year census. The the denominator, which is your year- round housing inventory, goes by your So, so we're going off of 2020's numbers. So, as our numerator increases, our denominator is staying the same. So, we're making, you know, progress. I don't think we'll have that much development in the denominator in 2030

where it'll push us because we'll have a pretty good cushion. Um, but there will be a readjustment in 2030 when that census comes out where that denominator will change. So, you have to reevaluate.

Your census is so critically important in so many different ways. when it just comes around, it's it just you wouldn't have thought that this would have been affected by a census that you get in the mail. But no, people should respond to it, of course.

Any more questions on this article or No, it you answered my question.

Okay, next one.

So yeah, uh the FY27 capital plan um as you as I mentioned last week uh last time we met uh the um capital improvement planning committee is meeting the um uh certification of free cash probably will be next week sometime later next week. Uh and uh they'll they've met with um schools DPW which includes water, sewer, solid waste.

They've met with um the uh police police parks and wreck. they have EMA and uh MIS to do uh coming up. So once that's done, we'll develop that. They'll make their recommendations on the last uh week that'll then go in front of the finance committee as uh they week before we um meet for the select board to approve the warrant. Um and then you you'll see what the uh the items are

that have been uh requested and then set forth by the CIPC. I mean, I can go over, we're not we don't have to go over every single request, but um this is what uh it it's, you know, every year what I do is I track this. So, this is the master capital plan. Everything in olive is what um and Terry's uh probably seen this in the too, but everything in

olive is what um is the request, the priority levels, and then they go out, we go out 10 years, and what they're what they're uh you know, looking at each department. So this year what I do is I break it down at the bottom and you know these numbers look large because they are large but most of them are bigger projects like the school and whatever. So uh all the priority one

uh level requests total about 119 million uh property uh excuse me priority level two 12.7 million and level three is 299,000. Now keep in mind this also includes you know the build out of of a brand new school. So we've asked them to put this in that in the 10 year because we're assuming that in the next 10 years these projects along with the larger projects like the like the water sewer treatment plant is going to

be um requested. So um obviously this is not what we are going to fund but it's good to see it in one big one big schedule.

Well schools you would know anyway because that most of that we well not most but some of it will come from the state. Right.

Right. So, if it's a $200 million school, what we've built in here is about $100 million uh as the we think we're going to be well 50/50 community.

Jim Kylie looks at what is being done by other districts to get that kind of ad for the ballpark.

Yeah. 100 is probably on the low side right now.

Yeah. Like some of these prices you see on the new that time. Yeah.

600. It's a good conversation though because we have two new members and new members ask good questions, things that you don't, you know, you you forget that when you first come on the committee.

Um, there's a lot to think about. So, the conversation's been very good conversation.

So, yeah, the uh they'll vote on that in in the next couple of weeks and then make the recommendations I said and then you'll have the warrant article to vote on.

Oh, next week after next week, uh something you'll have that for the your 24th meeting.

All righty.

Anybody have any questions?

No.

Okay.

Yeah.

Okay.

Uh yeah. Uh this is you see this typically every fall. We will be recommending another $250,000 likely to our stabilization fund. Um you know, our stabilization fund is at a very healthy amount right now, but we talk about borrowing, we talk about some large scale projects coming up. We want to continue to show the rating agencies that we're making contributions that we can keep up making contributions to our

STAB fund. So, uh, we think we've ratcheted it down. You know, a couple years ago, we were putting in 5600,000 a year because we were trying to get to that 10%, a little over that 10%. We're there. And so, uh, it's just good to show it's a good faith effort to show that we can still contribute to our stab fund and and build that up. So, it 250 is what we did last year. Uh, based on

what Gary and I have discussed, we'll be recommending 250 again this year.

Yeah. So there's a there's about a $14 million balance in that account. 14.1 million. This would bring up to like 14.3 million roughly. Um and uh if you had seen the last select board meeting with the audit, they also mentioned that uh it is very important and it's critically important that we continue to fund these accounts because um when the rating agencies, as Cody said, come in, they want to make sure

that we have healthy reserves.

Uh and most of the most of that funding has been through free cash. Most all of it's been through free cash over the years. So, we've grown that balance to a point where we're at, you know, we have our financial policies that we follow and we're at a we're at a level right now that we, like Cody said, we ratcheted it down. We're putting a million dollars in at one time just to

try to get it up there. But, uh, we're in good shape and good position with with the stabilization fund right now.

Did you have a question?

Um, I did. With respect to the the the next three bullets, I'm assuming these appropriations are out of free cash that's waiting to be certified.

Yeah, free cash will be certified next week.

Okay. And what's the certification amount?

Um, we don't have any we don't have it yet, but we have a we have an estimate.

So, we're we're about probably going to be a little over $5 million.

Okay. And our total budget general fund was 110 113 113 plus Yeah. general fund stabilization has 14. Awesome. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Anyone else have questions on that?

Next, collective bargaining stab fund. This is another one. You know, we collective bargaining is a cycle. So, we want to continue to fund this. This will be a a smaller amount. Um we're still once we have the full certification from uh do we'll be able to recommend an amount, but thinking probably in the $100,000 range to to keep this going. Um the next art Oh, sorry. Are there any questions on that one?

Anybody? No. Those are standard things we see on every long-term capital.

Oh, yeah. Long-term capital stabilization. This is another one we want to continue to try to build up. Um, we replenished it last year as after it was utilized to some extent. So, this is it's good to have particularly as we start talking about the need for potentially a new middle school. I think that's coming. We we um we did apply to the MSBA for um consideration. We had a meeting with them last week. last week

um over at the middle school and um you know the process for that is essentially step one like the roof you have to fund a feasibility study if you're accepted in but as you would imagine if a roof feasibility study is a couple hundred thousand a school feasibility study is in the millions range so um we were in a pretty good financial spot but I would envision if we're in a couple years we

may be able to use that to fund the feasibility study and not have to borrow you know $2 million for instance for the feasibility study of a school and then you only have to borrow once for the actual construction. So one example, we may use it for something else, but we just want to continue to build make some progress there.

Questions?

Uh funding of FY27 collective bargaining agreements. So as you recall, as we went through the budget for this year, we had not settled our collective bargaining agreements. We are um in tenative agreement with one of our groups and I anticipate we'll be in tenative agreement by the end of next week with um two more of our groups. So we plan to have the funding of three of our four

collective bargaining agreements on um for this fall town meeting. So I don't have the figure to publicly share yet.

Um but it's um it's it's what Gary and I were anticipating in the budget.

Good. All right.

Tow service provider bylaw. So right now um this is regarding who the police uses for tow service. If if you your vehicle if you get pulled over and you have to we have to tow your vehicle. Uh right now we we have somewhat of a process in place but there isn't a a hard kind of we we need to clean up our process for how we changing providers or changing who's eligible. Um because essentially

we want to make sure we have, you know, good legitimate toe companies and um it's almost like a permitting process essentially, right? Because we're we're going to say that you need to meet certain criteria um that the police chief is able to define and so there'll be more detail on this, but right now we don't have any sort of bylaw to back that process up. So if somebody did want to challenge the way and the

requirements, they they could because we don't have a bylaw. So we're just it's it's a cleanup thing. Um but we need to have a bylaw in place. Do you write that bylaw in conjunction with the police? Is that how that worked or?

Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Brian's been working um the chief has been working with uh with council on that and then there would be regulations that he would be able to update but the select board would be able to update with his with him uh in the future. But it gives us a standard for essentially a permitting process I'm calling it because it's similar to a permitting process because

we don't just want to allow anyone to do tow service, right? We want to make sure they're legitimate companies. They meet certain thresholds. Um, yeah.

So, it's almost like this is part of your review of absent policies that might not be Yeah. an overall review as we're as we work with departments, things we're trying to clean up um and and just make sure that we're, you know, providing the best service that we can for the community and we're doing it the right way.

Anybody questions?

Hearing none.

Okay. Uh, water department rules and regulations. I believe I had mentioned this previously, but the um water department rules and regulations were previously adopted by town meeting in 2008. And so because that's the route we went at that time for one reason or another, anytime there needs to be an update to those rules and regulations, they need to go back to town meeting.

It's just not an effective way for us to govern, particularly when they have a independent board. We have um a provision our charter that requires a 90-day posting period. So there's a lot of safeguards in place. Mhm.

So what the the the town meeting article will essentially be to resin that and make and give the authority back to the board of public works following all the other provisions of the charter. Um we this came up because we recently had a an instant where someone tapped the water man without permission. Um and our bylaw only allowed for a very the regulations only allowed for a very

small fine for them doing that. And it was very obvious that they did it to be malicious. It wasn't an accident. They knew what they were doing. um they didn't like that they had to follow the process and so you know we said well there should be implications of that and as we looked our implications weren't weren't that um I'm sorry so they tried to tie in or they were trying to destroy

they did oh they tap they tie in when I say tap in I mean tie into the water man yeah um and you find it uh it was reported someone a DPW employee actually drove by knew that they hadn't gotten permission yet and saw a car wash running and you need water to run a car wash um some people.

Yeah. So the point is is the the fee was very small and we said well we need to look at that regardless and it's in the regulations. So now we you know it and then it brought up well why can't the board of public works just make this amendment? It's it's under their purview.

The charter gives us those safeguards of a 90-day period and then we realized it was adopted by town meeting initially which I'm sure in 2008 the board of public works existed. I'm just curious why they went that route. I know you don't know you weren't here. Yeah, I'm not that was going to be my question. 2008 wasn't that long ago and this question is going to come up. So I think we should

find an answer. What was the rationale back in 2008 that was presented to town meeting to do this in the first place?

There must have been something.

So they were originally adopted in the '9s by town meeting and then most recently they were updated in 2008 by town meeting.

Well, even in the '9s I mean the town has records.

Absolutely. nice to go back and see what was the rationale back in the '9s to do this. Um I guess what I I mean I look at it that this seems so much better. Frankly, I don't even know if I care.

You know, I'm sure that was opinion of someone that was doing it back then. So why was it being done back then and we're going back? It just interesting. No, it's a I went through this working for a big corporation. We were always running around in circles just you know who was town administrator years later come right back here would have been was it David Cresman just be curious you

know because it's going to come up it could be that uh that it's when the uh you know those enterprise funds started and it probably was you know they were trying to get their I don't want to sound crazy but feet wet and how the was going to even operate but who knows if the the I mean because even like on the billing side all the rules and regs it's very antiquated and

you know It's something that that's been in place for years and years. But yeah, it's a good it's a good question. I've asked it Tim Barber to see if we can get any information on it.

Um we don't have anything on on our side.

Um and and we looked quickly at the meeting minutes from town meeting from that time and there wasn't a rationale of why they went that route, but I'll you know, it's a good question because I anticipate it coming up.

Yeah. Yeah. No doubt.

You can anticipate John Souza asking that question.

That's right. Yeah. I already put him on the spot. I won't do it until you won't do it again.

Somebody else will though. I know it's going to come out.

It will. Yeah.

Any other questions on that?

Okay. Snow removal bylaw. This is just an update, a followup from the June town meeting um where we we got the feedback.

So, we've made some changes to that. I think that the um the community will be happy with based on the feedback that we got.

You can settle it now at this town meeting.

I hope so. That's the goal. Yeah. I think we were we're confident.

I didn't expect it the last town meeting.

That took a while.

Could I ask a snow related question?

Yeah.

I've gained any this year.

That too. That too. Uh I was wondering if we received FEMA money for last year's storm. They didn't did they was denied by the federal government.

How much?

Uh gosh.

Sorry.

It was it was 600,000.

So mass so 600,000 for Dartmouth.

Correct. So $600,000 for Dartmouth for a FEMA repayment for the storms for dust Dartmouth was $600,000.

But the entire state of Massachusetts was denied FEMA reimbursement by the Trump administration.

So that's why I asked the question. I thought it was 130 for some reason, but 600,000.

We did get um book it as a receivable or how do you handle that?

This um we we're um we're putting it on the recap. Yeah.

Yeah. We're going to raise We're going to raise appropriate on the recap. We did get uh $400,000.

The state did give us a $400,000 supplement towards our snow and ice budget. So, we were in a deficit of eight approximately $800,000. So, the state gave us uh four. So we essentially were about $400,000 we had to raise on the recap or we will raise on the recap.

Thank you.

Questions anybody?

Okay.

Uh the next one is the next few are being presented by the board of health.

Um a locally funded betterment program for upgrading failed septic systems and connection of properties to sewer. So uh this will likely be an appropriation from free cash. We're still again once we get a certified we'll determine an amount. It's it's essentially just to start a local program for exactly this.

Um, individuals who have a field septic system um and either need a new system or or have the ability to connect to sewer um gives them an option and essentially you pay the money out.

there's a small interest um that is applied to it and then it's repaid through a betterment and then that money goes back in and we're able to continue utilizing similar to how those of us who once upon a time connected into the sewer and had to pay over x number of years.

Yes.

Yeah. So this is more on a case by case basis rather than you know when when DPW goes down and there's a betterment it's a whole neighborhood for instance this may be this is oneoffs essentially. So there may be sewer down the street. I have a septic I never tied in. My septic has failed. There's a cost related to to tying in. So this would be things like that. We would be able to fund that

through a a loan essentially that they would pay back through a betterment program.

That's good because we all know the price of those has gone skyhigh with the requirements. Now are you able to offer that as a better interest rate? Is that the incentives?

Okay.

Right. Good.

Because it's like 2%.

Yeah. We're not looking. It probably would be about 2%. We're not looking to make money on it. We just need to cover like our basic administrative costs for it's a good incentive for people to do it too.

Yeah, that's we just want compliance at the end of the day.

Well, they don't have a lot of choice if their system failed, unfortunately.

Yeah.

Yeah. Um uh article I'm sorry. Were there any other questions?

Yeah. Anybody?

No.

I know quicky though on title five that's been kicked around for a while.

Do we know what the status is on that at all? What's going on with that as far as as far as the nitrogen removal systems?

Yeah.

I mean, it was applied down the Cape and the and it was not, you know, Dartmouth except right.

Yeah. Right. Um, so it's kind of in limbo right now.

Push back.

Yeah. I mean, it we aren't facing it right now. Not to say that it won't change in the future.

That's what I was wondering. Okay.

But there's no active proposal.

No, I understand that. I just want to know, you know, what right now it's in limbo and nothing going on right now.

No, but we're behind the scenes of kind of planning. So, the water quality committee is looking at doing a watershed management.

So, you anticipate down the road there might be could be potential. You're just preparing for the storm so to speak.

Yeah, I wouldn't say it's priority number one, but we're working toward it particularly with our water quality committee. Uh we're planning to apply for a grant um within the next couple of weeks to develop a watershed management plan and that goes kind of handinhand with that.

That would help us to have that they they required a a 20 or 30-year plan and so that's would almost like step one of that if we were to have to comply.

Okay. If this account is approved by town meeting, is it something that could be used to because when we when there was that emergency process and we were all talking about what would people do who have to put in a $30,000 septic system there part of the conversation was is there some way that the town could help people, you know, with not paying for it but offering them a lower interest um is this something

that could kind of be made available at some point? It probably needed. Yeah, the parameters could certainly expand if it needed to. Uh, right now the goal is really for fa essentially failed systems. Um, and and it would it would have to be a lot bigger conversation cuz you would be speaking of um a lot of properties that would have to come into compliance and we're talking about maybe allocating

like a hundred or $200,000 initially to this.

Yeah.

So it certainly would be a very different conversation fast if it was.

Yeah. I think the average cost is about 50,000 45 to 50,000.

Yeah. for those ideas.

If that happened, I bet you the state would make some some funding available.

Hope they would have some pity on people.

The problem with these state programs is the the administration of it is and that's one of the reasons that we, you know, we want to administer this locally with local funds is we can administer it without all of the the the reporting requirements of the state that are going to take almost a part-time job or full-time job to report. we can do it within our existing structure so that

the state does have some sometimes good resources but then we have to weigh okay we we can run this program and get the funds from the state but all the requirements and the reporting requirements and the documentation we either have to add staff or we have to find someone or pay someone a consultant to do it and it and that isn't always cost effective.

Okay.

All right. Chapter 87.

So this is our soil conservation board.

Um right now our soil conservation board is made up of various members of each group. I actually believe there's a finance committee member that sits on this. So um it's it's really a unique makeup. Uh Mr. Misho sent out an email to the existing group. Um in it in most communities it is just made up of a group. So either conservation commission serves as the soil board, the board of

health serves as the soil board. It's really difficult. They haven't met in quite some time. Um but if a project were to come up, they have to be able to meet and get on it. And so in conversations with Mr. uh Misho, we think it would be more effective uh for it likely to be absorbed just by the board of health. And it's just to be another function of the of the board of health.

Oh, so no soil conservation board.

Yeah. That the board of health would serve as the soil conservation board essentially.

So John can't complain how busy he's been.

Just checking.

You might run for board of health.

There you go. I was on that board for 10 years. Probably 20 years ago, 25 years ago. We met quite often. We were quite active.

Yeah.

John about it. Yeah. We talked about the the pits and the excav Yeah. All that stuff.

Had a bunch of them.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

All right.

No more questions. All right.

Uh the n the next one is a uh an article for a noncriminal citations for the sales of nitrous oxide. This just gives us enforcement um for the board of health implemented a ban of the sale of nitrous oxide. And so this would give us a non-criminal citation for allow us to to noncriminally site um places that violate that.

It was a criminal offense before. No, it just right now the board of health has banned it. Um, but this would give us the ability to to get issue citations, not criminally go citations.

Citations with a fee.

Yeah, correct. Yeah. Incon consistently with our bylaw. So, um, this has been a a big thing lately. Um, up until I think early last week or the week before, they were allowed um, in Dartmouth. And so, um, you know, unfortunately, people were using them to for the wrong reasons. And so you'd go into gas stations and they were to be big cans of nitrous oxide and I don't think people were using them to

blow up balloons for birthday parties.

So and there was a significant um concern with a lot of youth using them um in town.

I was going to ask what it was.

You don't know what it's for balloons.

Yeah.

Yeah.

It's actually used for um to enhance like performance on vehicles too.

Yeah. Right. like through collaboration and all that.

Yeah.

So, I mean, so it's not it's allowable for still in Dartmouth if you have a garage or something um where it's it's banned for um like at gas stations and things like that.

And this would allow us to give citations for it.

I can see that having a few questions at town meeting.

Yeah.

Okay.

Where are we?

uh article for non-criminal citation for violations of the board of health tobacco and restricted products regulations is is right in line with um the nitrous oxide. The board of health has um regulations regarding um certain restricted tobacco uh items and so this just gives us the noncriminal citation route for those. So it's already a a not an allowed item. This allows us. So, we

have to go through the the criminal disposition process right now if we want to issue a citation because it's not within our bylaws as a noncriminal citation.

May I ask what the restricted products are?

We we'll certainly get to that. It's a it's a it's a comprehensive list. Yeah, it's a comprehensive list. So, one of them is um the state just um um is that I think it's called. Yeah, we we banned that in Dartmouth a long time ago. It it comes from a a plant in um Korea.

Yeah, I think Terry seems to be informed.

Yeah. So um and and again it was being sold at gas stations.

Told me I have a headful useless information.

So it was being sold Sorry, I never heard of it.

Yeah, I Yeah, I hadn't either. um it was being sold at gas stations and and essentially we felt or the board of health felt targeted towards youth and it was a way to get um some sort of high and so Dartmouth banned it a while ago and then the state just took action to ban it but we were ahead of the curve by years. Um so like that would be one of

the items that's on the restricted.

Is it something that people I'm just curious now do you inhale it? Do you smoke it?

I think it's a leaf is what Chris was telling me. What's it like?

Terry Terry Terry Bord like Marijuana. I think it's more like that. But let me see. I'll look it up.

It's a tropical evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia. Um right. But it's but they it it comes in um cap um capsules. I think it's an herbal substance that has a stimulant and opioid like it.

I'm sorry. Was it sold over the counter and grocery stores or something?

Gas station.

Oh, in gas stations.

Oh, yeah. I mean other places too. Smoke shops, but gas stations were a big um gas station.

Places when I go to gas stations obviously, but not to shop usually.

Some people use opioid addiction, but it's not regulated at all. So, is it addictive?

an opioid I would say I don't know not sure but that's I know that's just one item on the list we can get you the full regulations it was a curiosity Chris and I were just more that they really good at at finding dealing with these things yeah way ahead of the curve too like he's on top of these things we're we're fortunate um two other items that aren't on this list that recently were added

the first one is an amendment uh to our um domestic animal fines So right now if an if an animal gets out um our bylaws say that it's a $50 fine per occurrence. So you could have 30 cows get out and it's a onetime $50 fine. Um we've had a lack of compliance with that uh in a number of farms and um to be quite honest that with a $50 fine

to some people it's it it's not worth going the extra effort to make sure it doesn't happen. We recently had a police cruiser that was actually totaled. Um there was a cow that got out. It was in the road and the and the police officer was was not injured fortunately, but the cruiser was almost a brand new cruiser and was totaled.

Um and we can only assess a $50 fine for that. So we're looking to probably go somewhere more in the $300 fine per cow.

Yes. Right. Per Yep.

I know they get out on 195 because that's always a story when they're out.

Is it only cows?

No. No. It's it's Nope. It's for domestic animal violations.

So a dog. So, um, each violation shall be a subject $300 fine. Um, any domestic animal. Yeah.

So, I mean, we would again like like there is with everything, a police officer or any enforcement, there is discretion. Um, we can't just say cows in a in a bylaw course, but it's just like when a police officer if you're speeding pulls you over, there's discretion. Or just like with the sidewalk bylaw, there's discretion.

Right now, it's written as $50 per domestic animal. I not many people are getting $50 fines if their dog gets out, right? It goes back to there's discretion and reasonable. Your dog keeps getting out, you may get a fine, right? That's and particular if your dog unfortunately bites or harms someone, that's not a good thing.

We just had a police officer who got um attacked and bitten by a dog in Dartmouth and and had to get several stitches.

Cody, on these bylaws, after the select board reviews them on Monday, will they be sent to town council right away?

because we tend to get really council's already um reviewed that.

Okay. We get really bogged down on these and then we're like under the gun to try to get a uh an answer from the finance committee at the very last minute and people get stuck on the language a lot of times. So, the sooner the better we get that council's already reviewed that.

And then the other article is uh an authorization to borrow. We're going to be recommending a borrowing from the water enterprise fund for um up to $1.6 million for the Route 6 water main um replacement. So, MASDOT is um going to be bidding out the um Hathaway Road Route 6 project that has been in the works for a long time. Uh in the spring, as part of that, they um we need to

upgrade the water man along Route Six there.

They are willing to essentially include it as part of their project if we pay for it. It It's a significant savings to us because there's no mobilization. uh they're going to bid it out and also um we're not having to pay to repave roads, dig up roads or anything because it's already going to be dug up. So we were just the section of that the intersection there between halfway.

No, it goes um it's in that area and then it goes down past the um the the little bridge there over the Pascamit um over Fox Con. Yeah. Yep.

Yeah.

We'll have the act Tim can when we go over capital Tim will have the linear feet and stuff with that. And this 1.6 million is coming from what fund did you say?

Well, it's an authorization to borrow.

So, we would borrow the money.

Borrow paid back by water.

Paid by paid back by water enterprise fund. Um, our goal would be to not go to long-term borrowing. We have to get authorization to borrow anytime we borrow, which allows us to longterm if we want to. But at 1.6 million, it's not worth going longterm. long term you have to go a minimum of 10 years at interest rates you it's not worth I think uh we could pay this back through bans rolling

over bans probably within three three or four years this doesn't affect fees we have capacity within uh within the current fee structure to to pay for this one of the reasons we had to go up you know on I realized I'm just asking we're going to have no no we're not see we're not anticipating any spikes that's one of the reasons we've really been working hard to level out those um fees and

build in some capacity for things like this.

Good.

Do you have an idea of what we because we're including this or it's being included, what we're saving in the long term by doing it now by borrowing a few hundred,000. So, we had um we had the actual project estimate is 1.2, but you always want to include a buffer zone, right? So, that's why we're going to get authorization to borrow up to 16.

We anticipate it'll come in closer to one two. And and if we weren't doing it as part of this project, it would be north of 1.6. So, you know, for in today's dollars, four or $500,000.

Nice.

And you use you won't use the authorization.

You'll use the 1.2, not the whole 1.6.

You'll just use the authorization you need.

Yeah. You know how things are when we bid them out. Yep. And the timing of this is we we don't want to be in a situation where mass dot bids this out, say comes to us and says, "Okay, it's going to be 1.3 million." And then we go, wait, we need to wait till town meeting and they need to execute their contract. So, we're we're doing it in preparation for them going to bid in the spring.

Maybe we could have made it work in June, but it just doesn't make sense to to make that risk.

We won't actually borrow though until until we go out and it'll be a short-term borrowing and one of the anticipated questions would be why isn't the developer paying?

Has nothing to do with development?

Nothing.

No, we we had to do this regardless.

This has been on it's that's why it's fully designed. We've been in this has been in the works for a number of years.

The main needs to be updated. Um thank you.

Yeah, it doesn't it's not project specific.

It's not project specific. It's it's it's our main it's one of our main water lines.

You're going to do it anyway with Yeah. And that's and that's why it's someone's going to ask.

So that's my point in regards to the savings. So we're saving by doing this.

Kudos to you for jumping on it.

Kudos DBW for jumping on it. Tim, the whole team. And by doing it, getting the authorization, buffing the authorization to make sure the timing is right.

Construction and tariffs are going crazy right now. So, kudos to you guys for making that happen.

Do we anticipate any more articles? I mean, that's not bad. 15.

Yeah, it's not very low.

All right. Good. Anybody have any questions on any of them?

I want to go back to the very first one if I may.

Of course.

Um, yeah. You mentioned about when you had this example, this woman that had a $500,000 unit and she got it for $300 and the $200,000.

We were able to give it to her. What how did what mechanism did we use to give her the $200,000?

Sure. So, we have what's called an affordable housing trust. Um, it's a trust fund. Okay.

Yep. It's a trust that's funded primarily through community preservation funds.

So, we've we have gotten some other um money sent in into the trust. So, Lincoln Park, when Lincoln Park was first developed, they gave uh some money into the affordable housing trust. Um, and we've done some various different things with that. We've given um loans through that that are forgiven after a number of years for affordable units.

We've done the buy down program. This is either our third or four fourth home that have been has been purchased through the buy down program um through the affordable housing trust.

All right. So these funds you guys fund like Lincoln project. What were the other examples you might have with this primarily single family homes? Yeah.

Three three or four three others I believe single family homes that have been purchased.

Right. But this affordable trust fund if you will. Some of the money came from the Lincoln Park project.

Yeah. Primarily CPA funds. CPA funds.

Do they give you money every year?

No, we apply. So, we have a need of replenishment per project or whatever.

Yeah. So, the CPA had funded um you know close to 500,000 for the the buy down program which in in theory paid for the administration of the program and two buy downs. So we we had been at this the u putting this back out in late 2019, early 2020 and then when COVID happened obviously kind of the market went crazy so we put it on hold. We put it out

again in 23 I believe and didn't get any anyone interested. We put it out again um you know a few months ago and had one qualified interested person. So they that's the one that went through. We just did another public information session and so essentially it'll be a first come first- serve basis for if people apply and they're eligible they will they'll get the Where are these public information? Uh

yeah, it's all it's been through shared through our social media on our website.

Um the consultant that we're utilizing also uses several resources through through um first-time home buyer programs that the information gets shared in um yeah and all the application material and stuff's available on our website.

Good.

Very nice.

Good program.

Yes.

Very nice. Is that it? Anybody? We'll have time again, I'm sure, when we see more detail on them.

Sure.

Okay. Where are we?

Town administrators update.

Um, no. I don't I don't really think there's much to update on. Um, I got a question for co if I may. Uh getting back to the council on aging kitchen and the I will say fiascoal that's going on with the uh company that's apparently backed out of the bid. Where is that going right now?

What's how what progress is being made on that?

I can't discuss it in an open meeting.

Okay.

Due to potential litigation.

Okay.

That's where we stand. All right. Good enough.

I it's it's um it's looking positive is what I can say.

Well, good.

Yeah. Be nice to see that kitchen come.

It's only been around us for how many years?

Two. Too many years. It's unbelievable.

It's been a while. John, did you have a question?

Yeah. What's the status of the um town administrative assistant? Where uh we hired someone and she begins on uh in two weeks. I think it is September 20th.

She um she is currently the DPW business manager for the city of Brockton.

Oh, nice.

That'll be good. We could really I'm sure you could use another person.

Good. Yep. And we're excited um move forward on more things.

Yes. We're filling up staffing um pretty well. We uh my office has also been down administrative assistant. So uh we're hiring a new administrative assistant starts next week. Our building department just filled one of their permit facilitator positions. Um our HR director started last Monday. Uh so the team's coming together.

Good knock on wood.

Good news. We like good news.

Good news. Yeah. All right, liaison reports.

Let's not all jump up. Okay, dear Joe.

Um, I have a DPW liaison report. Uh, as usual, um, DPW just went from a three- member board to a five member board. It is so very exciting under Rob Alme's leadership pushing that, moving that forward.

The five member committee right now has about 150 years of professional technical experience and that our first meeting, their first meeting, they broke into two subcommittees which they can now meet without violating the open meeting law and they're already off and running with your comprehensive our comprehensive uh wastewater program review for water sewer wastewater and that they broke up

this group broke up to water water quality and some of the things we were talking about with the aquifers. So it very very exciting from that perspective. Um they have a new business manager. We've been waiting for that.

They've announced the new business manager who's now working and we had been waiting for the new business manager to come on board for the operational study. Now, there was a joint meeting with the board and DPW and there was a discussion about a $60,000 operational study and that cost versus waiting for the business manager to do the operational studies. So, there was discussion at the meeting about scope,

taking a look, working with you guys about the number of personnel studies that are ongoing out there. you've just completed your comprehensive uh HR study on on uh compensation.

So, let's kind of take a look there to see what they might need. $60,000 every time a department head wants to do a study. I'm not sure um what we might be able to just kind of pull back and say here's what the needs are within these departments for these kinds of studies.

Um so, I wanted to make sure that I I mentioned that. Also, Mr. Ron Label has retired from that board and has done just yman's work on the board of DPW. So he retired right when it went to five.

So I just kind of wanted to mention his service and recognize his commitments to the department as well.

That's my report.

Excellent.

The operational study is a scope that I developed with the select board. Um so it's it's definitely necessary. Uh we we we've scaled it back just a little bit and we're I reviewed a proposal today for $45,000 from a very um trustworthy vendor uh who I think will be a good fit.

Thank you.

We'll be we'll be moving on that very soon.

Thank you for that.

Brian, I'm going to call on you for as the vice chair of the budget advisory group.

I'm sure you want to give an update.

I will give you an update.

Hot seat. So after not meeting for a while, we had a meeting uh yesterday in fact and what is circulating now is a request for a proposal uh with specific regard to the schools.

Uh and what it's designed to do is to figure out uh how much the budget should be going forward as far as maybe out as far as 10 years. uh how do we know when we get there which will be essentially um metrics and then finally uh when you put all that together what kind of impact will that have uh on the town's finances going forward so what's going to happen next is people

are actually reviewing that amendments I guess will be paid and hopefully um when that's completed we'll be uh looking for companies that uh do consulting work in this area and um have no affiliation with the state so that when the results are tendered uh it will be an objective um study uh that will be revealed to all uh and people will have the data uh with sources uh to make a decision on how

much to fund the schools and um what would look like going forward and where the money will come from to do that?

Yes.

Yes. Did she committee make any uh recommendation studies on time timelines for an RFP or an RFQ and a deadline when a study may be done?

Yes, we the embedded in that request for proposal is a proposed timeline uh that um is essentially sequential and I can make it available to you. No, I'm just curious. And did the committee s a deadline for themselves to uh well finish this task? How close are you? Is everybody on board?

What we'll be doing the next time we meet is to get everyone's uh ideas on uh what the specific proposal will look like and what the next steps will be.

Speaking of something else, there are some outstanding issues.

But in good news, we have actual schedule of meetings because we've been hasn't been very consistent, I'll say.

So, now we have a schedule of at least four meetings going out.

So, that's a plus.

Yeah. I will say, you know, if the there's some um the where it was left was there needs to be more consensus into what what we're looking for with the school department and making sure that they're on board with it as well.

But if this gets completed, you know, we're in the process of uh getting the DPW study out. We're going to be working on the uh assessment over at the police department. We did a a really thorough um evaluation of health insurance last year. So if you put right these are our three biggest departments plus health insurance it essentially means we'll have done a full assessment of about 90% of our budget

in the past two years which I think is great. I mean that's a that's a good thing. Um but it sounds like there's consensus to do a study details need maybe depending on what's in we're still working that level of detail out. No, I wouldn't say there's Well, there's a I think there might be a um a consensus that something has to be done.

True. It's more about the content of it, I think, is probably the question that's still out there is what will be in that.

Madam Chairman, Madam Chair, you ask me.

I'm sorry.

Please go ahead, Brian.

I think there's a consensus that a study should be done, but what exactly u uh has to be in it is still outstanding. I now yield the floor.

No, I have nothing left to say, Brian.

Okay.

At least one hurdle it sounds like, has been.

Yeah.

Jumped at it.

Yeah.

Everybody's on a strong word should be done.

I think something I think the consensus something should be done.

Uh what that exactly is is still floating around. Terry and I'm not on the committee, but I was at the meeting and I think it's fair to say that there's consensus that it would be helpful to everybody if there was an objective point of view um that was shared.

I think where people get bogged down, I think the school committee feels like they have four audits a year and kind of where does that fit in? So I believe the school committee is going to ref it at their next meeting and get back to you.

This is not an audit anymore. I'm sorry.

This is not an audit.

Can you send it to me once it's complete?

I didn't want to see that.

Any more questions?

Any more liazison reports?

Uh I Well, I missed the last meeting at the council on Asian, but I did ask uh Cody what's going on with the kitchen.

So, that's the only essential update that I have on them. They have another meeting coming up um later on this month which I will be attending.

Okay. So, that's it for me. I do have a question for Brian though. Um, and perhaps Gary and Cody. Way back when we was an issue I was working on with school busing and perhaps fees and this the feasibility of it. Okay. I know it's not the most popular subject in town and I will uh concure with that but was there any discussion on that Brian Law because that was handed to them last spring.

not as part not as not per se as part of the uh request for a proposal, but it could be included uh because it has an impact on the town and how things are paid out. Um so I would suggest and it's a fairly nice chunk of change. So if it wasn't in there, then I would feel very strongly it should be in there. I think there's a reference to it, but I've seen

so many flavors of this. I may be referring to another word.

No, it's it it's very omnibus in terms of all the expenses in the budget, but as it becomes more and more known, I would think people uh like yourself could inject that sort of a question Sure. into uh what should be in the actual Well, I missed I missed this last meeting, but I'll be more than happy to attend the next one.

All right, we welcome your petition.

Recorded.

Why?

You can sit up late tonight with your popcorn.

I'll do the best I can. It's past 10:00.

I can't promise though.

Well, if you get when you get home from here, you'll have time.

Uh needs to say something.

You've been away. I know. Terry, did you have any leases on her? just what I said about the capital meeting that it was a good conversation and John um CPC as Cody stated CPC voted on the uh Hawthon recommending the million dollars that is the only thing article the CPC will put forth at this town meeting.

Okay, good.

I don't think we have any minutes at this point in time.

Um just one comment for me. I asked Gary and he was incredibly quickly got this done with Chad. Our finance committee page is updated. We have a I know that's exciting. We have a full board yay of nine people. They're all all the names are there. They're all listed. So that's the exciting news. And you know Gary and Chad did it in like 30 minutes after I asked. So couldn't ask for better service.

Yes, sir.

So I think uh Cody, thanks for getting that information on uh Cody. Yeah.

Um, yeah. Shocking. I don't know if anybody saw it.

I did.

Uh, the phase, the attorney fees. I was like, "Wow." I I I don't remember that first year, but first year. Yeah, that's really First one was a huge one.

We actually made payment today, which is excellent. So, payment wire went out this afternoon uh to the federal government and um that chapter is closed at least on those properties.

And that's the Bliss Bliss corner settlement. Yeah, that's the one that includes uh good the street off of uh Milton, right?

Where sh president? Yeah, includes a couple of streets over there.

Yeah.

Uh next meeting is the 17th, right?

At 5:00.

And we anticipate having the warrant in a different format to review at that point.

We'll have it Tuesday. Gary can send it out to you on Tuesday. Yeah.

Okay. So 17 is next Thursday 5 o'clock and I'm not sure who's writing well is it Carrie that usually writes the le the um rational the ration can you say that again?

Carrie Carrie writes the rational Carrie would but she's not going to be here. So Oh, she's not.

So somebody's going to I'm only going to be here for the 17th. I won't be here after that.

John, was that you offering?

Yeah.

I'm sorry. I'm out of here.

Not that a gun to your head, right?

Janine has the template. So, I do. I can help you.

It'll get done.

Janine, I can type it, too. If you grab the template, it will make it easy. I can That's why I ask ahead of time for the because it's a lot of cut and paste from the previous thing. And yes, we have a template and a lot of it's cut and paste on some of these articles because they only the figures of the change every year.

There's a couple new ones here, but it's a shorter um warrant than some years.

Oh, and we are looking to do a pre-town meeting. I was just gonna ask that in the about a mailing y the 13th of October. So, a week before town meeting. October or 20th is town meeting. We're looking to do it on the 13th. Still just need to confirm that the moderator is available, but um that is the tenative date.

October 13th is a Tuesday.

It is 6 p.m.

Not to beat a dead horse, but do you think you'd be doing something about the accomplishments that the town?

Yeah, we could probably put something together, a quick overview. You know, you don't like to brag, but I think it's a good thing for people to hear everything. So much has been accomplished. Like just think about the change in the town meeting hours, how that process went, made available to everybody. It was a pilot, you know, did it work? Didn't it work? It ended up working. So that makes the town

aware. It makes the people who work here happy.

Yeah.

It's really process is very important. I think you do a great job with process.

One woman's opinion.

Oh, yeah. I got to make sure Jimmy one is a head full of information.

The location will that be the high school?

I need to confirm the high school is still available. This is this when I say um we just came up with this. We just came up with it this afternoon. So I need to confirm you'll have the confirmation at the next meeting, but just want to get it on your radar.

Yes. No, of course.

It'll be interesting. Anything else?

Does somebody want to make a motion to adjurnn?

Second and a second by Patrick. All in favor?

Any opposed?