The Rochester Finance Committee Monday night continued reviewing the proposed FY24 town budget as it wrestled with whether to add new positions despite a $155,000 shortfall between revenue and money requests.

            Highway Surveyor Jeff Eldridge made the case for a new, full-time mechanic that several departments, including his will share, costing his budget an additional $59,946. Eldridge explained that nowadays he and his other employees handle most of the mechanical work themselves, and he and the fire chief help each out in that area as well. But the work takes him and his employees away from other duties. A couple of these veteran employees may soon retire, and the jobs they cannot fix themselves are expensive. His example: $185 for a department truck’s single visit to an expert repair shop.

            “I can save a lot of time by having this person,” Eldridge said. “Hopefully we can have someone like this in the building every day. We haven’t had a new employee since 1997. We’ll share this mechanic with other departments.”

            Fire Chief Scott Weigel said he’s the only one who regularly mans the fire stations. That’s why he would like to add $34,000 to his budget for a new part-time, assistant firefighter. His plan, he said, would be to use two to three part-timers for 8:00 am to 4:00 pm shifts Sundays through Saturdays.

            “It’s becoming too difficult to be just a one-person department,” Weigel said, noting that since January alone the department has fielded 149 calls. He said this new position would be able to help him call runs, do inspections and maintain the equipment.

            Eldridge, who is also the Fire Department’s deputy chief, pointed out the problem with call departments. “You don’t know who will show up,” he said. “This will be a better way.”

            Financial Director Suzanne Szyndler provided the caution on these plans. She reported that the town has had some good years revenue-wise in the past few years but that this budget year is not one of them. New-growth (tax levy that supports the budget) has gone from $400,000 in FY23 to an estimated $175,000 in FY24, she said. “So we are losing revenue,” Szyndler said. “This is very concerning to me; I am struggling with this budget.”

            Town Administrator Glenn Cannon then made an announcement that may alter some salaried positions as the budget process moves forward. The new Town Counsel (Mead, Talerman & Costa, LLC) has informed him that the new Personnel Board does not have the authority to make grade changes for particular employees, a task this new board had set about doing under its goal to achieve a more equitable compensation system.

            Szyndlar said this new information will change some departments’ salary proposals, but she has been careful to keep those proposals out of the department budgets the Finance Committee has been given for its review.

            The Finance Committee ultimately voted to recommend the $737,939 Highway Department budget that includes the new mechanic and the $418,365 Fire Department budget that includes the cost of the part-time firefighter assistant. However, committee members agreed to revisit these budgets as the town budget process plays out.

            The committee agreed to meet next on Tuesday, March 7, at 7:00 pm at Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.

Rochester Finance Committee

By Michael J. DeCicco

            Tuesday night’s meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board found the members reviewing potential warrant articles for the May 8 Annual Town Meeting. The list of potential articles from Town Administrator Mike Lorenco contained proposed bylaw changes, property sales and even the acquisition of the iconic Ned’s Point Lighthouse.

            Select Board member Jordan Collyer said on Tuesday night that Coast Guard Auxiliary member Joseph Dawicki brought to his attention months ago that the auxiliary wishes to sell the structure. Much-needed money for such things as regular maintenance and neglected repairs plague the lighthouse, and no financial support from the federal government can be expected, reported Collyer, who cautioned the board of the potential loss of the lighthouse through a private-party sale and/or deterioration.

            The overall Mattapoisett operating budget for FY24 now stands at $32,405,000, a 4% increase over FY23. “We have a levelly funded budget,” Lorenco stated during Monday’s working session of the Select Board and department heads.

            On Tuesday night, Lorenco listed potential warrant articles brought to his attention, including: a nip-bottle ban, a veteran’s tax work-off program, the need to transfer funds from the sale of the Water Department building on Church Street to the Water Enterprise Fund, funding the Old Colony feasibility study, adding scenic-roadway status to the town’s General Bylaw, establishment of alternate members for the Planning Board and Capital Planning Committee, establishing a cemetery commission and the sale of town-owned properties.

            The Select Board also met with Dr. Dale Leavitt of Blue Stream Shellfish. Leavitt said that in spite of predation from the Eastern Oyster Drill, a type of snail with the capacity to drill through the shell of oysters after secreting an enzyme that softens the shell, 2022 was a good year. He therefore requested the release of another 20 acres of aquaculture area in Brandt Cove. That was quickly approved. He also asked the Select Board to consider letting Blue Stream pay the $200 per acre fee in oysters that the town could plant for the benefit of the residents. The board took that request under advisement.

            The Select Board made two appointments on Tuesday of Thomas Simpson as a civilian paramedic and Norman Lussier as plumbing inspector.

            Lorenco shared that a recent meeting between several towns had taken place on the topic of a broadband-aggregate program. He will attend future meetings to get further details for the Select Board to consider. He said he also attended a state Department of Transportation meeting in which the DOT sought input from towns regarding Route 6 modifications. More details will follow, including how the public can get involved.

            On Monday, the Select Board members met at the Fire Station to continue ongoing working sessions with department heads as FY24 budgets are reviewed and refined. They met with Fire Chief Andrew Murray, Police Chief Jason King, Recreation Department Director Greta Fox and Water and Sewer Superintendent Henri Renauld.

            The proposed Fire Department FY24 budget stands at $931,320.

            Murray made the case for a third daytime-staff firefighter. While debating the pros and cons, including Murray’s assertions of the importance of having another firefighter immediately available to operate apparatus, it came to light that the $50,000 requested was already in the budget. Lorenco said he would work with Murray reallocating that sum to the proper spreadsheet column.

            The Select Board also heard that an increase of $12,500 in the on-call column from FY23 (from $250,000 to $262,500) for FW24 was necessary. Murray said it was difficult to control the number of on-call firefighters who respond to incidents, especially on nights and weekends. Lorenco said covering the budget overage has not been an issue.

            Murray defended his request for a new SUV for $55,000, reminding the Select Board that the current vehicle in service has mechanical issues and that in all the years he has been associated with the department, “We have never asked for a vehicle.”

            The estimated FY24 Police Department budget is $2,613,080, and the Ambulance Service is $481,700.

            King thought that his request for a new domain server and radio console (totaling $145,000) could be funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant. After discussing the request and the importance of effective communications equipment, the board pondered next steps to effectuate the request. Lorenco will follow up on the process for using funding in this manner, including consultation with the Finance Committee.

            King reported that other grants funded the purchase of bullet-proof vests and body cameras. He said he is only requesting one new cruiser for FY24.

            Receipts from the Ambulance service have reached a point where that department can fund its own operation, King commented. Further review is expected.

            King and Lorenco confirmed a grant will pay for an emergency utility, all-terrain vehicle, augmenting emergency responses in wooded or inaccessible locations. The Ambulance service is run by the Police Department, and all police officers are EMT’s.

            Fox’s time with the board was brief, given few if any changes from FY23 to FY24. The FY23 and FY24 budget requests were and are $58,600. She said all camps and programs fill up quickly and that financial aid is available for Mattapoisett residents wishing to have their children enrolled in summer camp.

            The Water Enterprise fund’s FY24 budget is $2,339,820, and the Sewer Department lists $2,198,376.

            Renauld talked about upcoming infrastructure projects such as Oakland and Pearl Streets, and the plan to approach the residents of Peases Point and Hollywoods neighborhoods for a sewer betterment project. Some 130 homes would be impacted, Renauld said. He also briefly discussed the Eel Pond sewer-line replacement project and the intention to have that project funded through grants with a cost estimate of $3,000,000 listed on the Capital Plan. Also listed on the Capital Plan is $3,700,000 for piping and plant upgrades for the Fairhaven sewer treatment plant.

            In closing out the meeting, Lorenco noted that the Veterans Office is seeking the expansion to two full-time employees from two part-time employees. He said Veterans’ Agent Chris Gerrior is reaching more veterans than ever before, linking them to more services and proposes more outreach and networking opportunities. The position is shared through the Tri-Towns, thus splitting the proposed cost increase of $14,700 three ways if all towns agree. Collyer asked for a report from Gerrior outlining his plans and goals.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, March 7, at a time to be determined.

Mattapoisett Select Board

By Marilou Newell

            The Rochester Select Board’s February 21 meeting began with word that Town Clerk Paul Dawson won’t be seeking reelection and a suggestion the position should change to be appointed instead of elected.

            Town Administrator Glenn Cannon revealed Dawson’s recent letter stating that “serious health matters” in his family have made the time he has been able to spend at his job uneven. For that reason, Dawson said in his letter, “I will not seek reelection as town clerk.”

            Select Board Chairman Woody Hartley responded there is still time for other candidates to sign up for the 2023 Town Election ballot. But he emphasized another point, that it might be time to look into making town clerk an appointed position. “Paul has done a good job for us as town clerk,” Hartley said. “But it is a job requiring a lot of professional skills.”

            Hartley said that is why someone appointed rather than elected every three years would be a better fit for the job of being Rochester’s town clerk. The board then agreed to discuss the matter further at its next meeting on March 6.

            Next, Personnel Board Chairman Adam Murphy provided an update on the new panel’s main goal, which is to rewrite and improve the town’s Personnel Bylaw. Murphy said the amount of work that reaching this goal demands means a new bylaw won’t be available for a Town Meeting vote until the fall.

            If a Town Meeting is scheduled for October, Personnel Board member Kristine Nash said that would give the town enough time to integrate changed job and salary classifications into the town budget.

            Murphy explained a total of 24 employees fall under bylaw provisions that he says should be revised. He said new job descriptions need to be written before a fairer-pay compensation plan can be written. Meanwhile, descriptions for new jobs have had to be created, he said, such as for the newly full-time Zoning Board of Appeals clerk position that the town is on the verge of filling.

            Cannon noted the Highway Department is looking to hire a new mechanic, a position that will also need possible reclassification. Because of the work the Personnel Board has done on these new job descriptions, Cannon praised their help for being so good at “meeting our needs, with new positions written and filled.”

            William Chamberlain of the town Republican Committee then asked the Select Board to recommend that every town panel recite the Pledge of Allegiance before every meeting. “Either by a citizen petition or the selectmen asking all boards do it,” Chamberlain said. “We are looking for the board’s guidance.”

            Cannon reported that town counsel has told him the Select Board cannot mandate that town boards enact such a practice. Hartley said it is a matter of free speech.

            Board member Paul Ciaburri proposed the solution, drafting a motion to “encourage” all boards to start their meetings with the Pledge of Allegiance. Hartley agreed.

            The board then approved a new Town Counsel policy. To better control how town departments and boards access the town’s legal adviser, such requests must be delivered in writing to the town administrator. A board’s request for opinion and/or use of town counsel must be approved by a majority vote of that board. Requests to initiate litigation or defense will require approval of the Select Board.

            The board also approved two athletic events that will travel through town: the Annual Patriot Half-Marathon on June 17 and the Buzzards Bay Coalition’s 17th annual Watershed Ride on August 17.

            The board also agreed not to exercise the town’s right of first refusal (to purchase) property at 0 High Street, which is being taken out of Chapter 61A agricultural land protection to site a wireless communications tower there.

            Next, the board supported a letter that will permit the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) to test the water flow at Snipatuit Pond. A flow gauge would be installed, Town Planner Nancy Durfee said. ARPA funds totaling $20,000 will fund the beginning of the project, but the measurement project will take one to two years, she said. So more money, Municipal Vulnerability Funds, will be sought later.

            Hartley said this will be a way to see if the City of New Bedford is withdrawing too much water from the pond.

            The Select Board scheduled its next meeting for Monday, March 6, at 6:00 pm at Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.

Rochester Select Board

By Michael J. DeCicco