The Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee and Capital Planning Committee convened on Zoom June 8 for a vote on the 20 warrant articles to be presented at Rochester’s June 22 Town Meeting.
Most of the articles had been talked out in prior meetings with the Select Board, FinCom, and some with Capital Planning. Clarifications were sought and obtained, and votes were cast.
Article 10 was of particular interest to the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee, as the Board of Assessors has proposed $15,000 to fund state Department of Mandates for revaluation costs. This is an increase over the $10,000 requested in 2019, the first year of the program.
“They’re building up a little mini-fund so they did not use the $10,000 from last year,” explained Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar.
Town Counsel Blair Bailey explained that Principal Assessor Charles Shea will retire (on April 1, 2021) and the Board of Assessors expects it will need to outsource much of the work he has been doing over the past decade-plus. “(Spending) might end up actually being more than ($15,000),” said Bailey.
FinCom Chairman Kris Stoltenberg cited the potential of other departments “saying the same thing” creating an overall trend toward circumventing the budget process. “I have real hard time jumping into this with both feet,” he said.
“I’m not a fan of building a war chest, then we feel like we have to spend it,” said FinCom member Peter Armanetti.
Shea went to work for the town in 1988 as a contractor and at a time when revaluations were required every three years. In the computer age of annual revaluations, he has been working for the Board of Assessors in a full-time, appointed position.
“Assessors put in countless hours,” said Assessor Jana Cavanaugh. noting that Marion and Mattapoisett put aside greater amounts to outsource such work. Cavanaugh said that five years ago all such work was done in house, but other towns now hire out to do commercial and residential inspections and building permits.
FinCom member David Arancio said, “We have limited commercial property so it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison to other towns.”
A year from now, Rochester’s Board of Assessors will be without Shea and, despite the forecast of a replacement, is seeking more in the way of financial backing. Cavanaugh said that to find someone with Shea’s expertise and willingness to tackle the jobs he does is not available at the salary that Rochester currently pays its principal assessor. “If the town does not want to do this, fine. But when it occurs, it could be substantial, it could be $40, $50, $60,000,” she told the meeting.
“I think we should have a plan that designates how all of this is going to go down,” said Selectman Woody Hartley. “I will make a motion to support this (article) this year with the understanding that we have a plan next year.”
The Board of Selectmen voted to recommend the articles, but FinCom held back its approval.
The selectmen and FinCom voted to recommend the FY21 Annual Town Meeting operating budget (Article 4) as presented at a total of $22,522,236, representing a 1.97 percent increase over FY20. Szyndlar said that the state Department of Revenue had approved Rochester’s one-twelfth budget as a back-up plan should Town Meeting not be held for whatever reason.
After discussion, the Board of Selectmen, FinCom, and Capital Planning Committee all approved $99,900 from free cash for a highway excavator and related costs for the Highway Department, but the article may be pulled on the floor of Town Meeting pending further discussion. Szyndlar said the funding for the excavator was originally meant to be a Capital Planning project, but there was no funding source.
“I know we need this, but do we need it (now as opposed to in the fall)? I will support at this time,” said Board of Selectmen Vice Chairman Brad Morse.
Stoltenberg said it would be prudent to hold until the fall town meeting unless the need is urgent this summer, and the committee also voted to recommend with the understanding that the article will be pulled from the warrant on the floor of Town Meeting should it be decided that there is no immediate need.
Article 11, Capital Plan Funding at $97,476 for Rochester Memorial School ($26,776 for the second phase of its tech upgrade and $16,000 for an HVAC upgrade), $7,000 at town hall, $16,550 for a public message board, $14,000 for a freezer at the Council on Aging and $9,315 for a gas furnace and air conditioning upgrade at the COA) was approved by the selectmen, FinCom and Capital Planning.
Articles pertaining to town employees include: Article 3, a personnel bylaw amendment changing the classification and compensation of van drivers up by 2 percent to minimum wage ($12.75/hour from $12/hour); Article 7, OPEB (other post-employment benefits) funds for future obligations at $15,000, the normal annual amount; Article 8, an actuary audit every two years to fund post-employment at $6,300.
In an update to the general bylaws, Article 5 was voted for the recommendation of departmental revolving fund authorizations including an arbor fund from the fees paid by Planning Board applicants to invest in planting and other funds applicable to waste and recycling, fees for stickers for supplies, funds, and contractors. The fund would be annual with potential spending capped at $203,500.
Article 14 is a Walnut Plain Construction Project vote for $345,769 for all non-town sources to fund a construction restriction over all portions of land associated with the WPCP. The article may be pulled at Town Meeting, but it was put in the warrant.
Two articles were pulled from the warrant.
One is the call firefighters’ service credit, which has been postponed to a subsequent town meeting. The other, the FEMA maps flood-plain district amendment, was pulled by the state. Szyndlar said that towns have been told to cease efforts to put that article on town meeting. FEMA, she said, will issue new effective dates, then towns will have to update their maps. Board of the Selectman Chairman Paul Ciaburri said it’s looking like that will not happen until the annual spring town meeting in 2021.
Both the selectmen and FinCom voted against recommending Article 20, a citizens’ petition proposing the transfer of $50,000 from free cash to reduce the tax rate.
Before FinCom adjourned, Stoltenberg said he hopes the selectmen will address Town Meeting on the matter, as will FinCom. “I do think it needs to be explained to the town… not at this time,” he said, citing the financial uncertainty that has come with the coronavirus pandemic. “Now that we’re into this situation where we don’t know what the state is going to do, it doesn’t make sense.”
The selectmen and FinCom recommended Article 9, a proposed increase to the elderly tax exemption from $750 to $1,000, as put forth by the Board of Assessors.
The Board of Selectmen voted to sign the warrant as presented.
In other business, Hartley’s plan for vehicle and foot traffic in and out of Town Meeting (Monday, June 22 at Rochester Memorial School) was discussed with a walkthrough planned for June 9.
Town Clerk Paul Dawson reported that, as of June 8, Rochester had received 432 vote-by-mail applications, which accounts for 9.7 percent of the town’s active registered voters.
The next meeting of the Board of Selectmen is scheduled for Monday, June 15, at 11:00 am with a plan to vote on road-acceptance articles.
Rochester Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee, Capital Planning Committee
By Mick Colageo