Library Board meeting this afternoon with the Privatization Committee

The Library Board of Trustees will meet at 4:30 this afternoon at Southworth Library to hear a presentation from the Privatization Committee on contracting out library services.

That's all folks, sorry for not posting this sooner.
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Select Board met on Thursday (UPDATED!)

The Select Board will have a working session meeting on Thursday at 4PM in Room 301 of the Town Hall. I will include the agenda in the comments of this post when I receive it. I got the agenda at the meeting The first item was an update on the meeting between the Library Board and Privatization Committee. The Library board was receptive to the ideas from the Privatization Committee and will be working on a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit companies for the purpose of running our library. The next item on the agenda ...
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was a discussion of the vacancy in the Building Department for an assistant building inspector. The town will advertise the position and hope to have someone soon. The permitting process is being delayed by the lack of this person despite efforts to streamline the process. The town will look to find someone with zoning enforcement as well as building inspection background.
On a side note, I asked about the Shakespeare production at Running Brook vineyard and what the problem was. It seems that the vineyard was required by their original permit to install toilet facilities. They have not completed that work despite having an extension on the original permit to complete it. That is the reason that the building department would not sign off on their event permit, outstanding and overdue completion on required work.
A question was brought up as to how the board wanted to handle the auto sales at the North Dartmouth Mall parking lot. The discussion was that the dealer should apply for a license in Dartmouth that would have to be approved by the Select Board. There are car dealers in Dartmouth who pay taxes and wages in the town. I would be interested to hear what you think about this practice at the mall.
Hawthorn Medical is going to further expand their facility on Faunce Corner Road. This will require approval from the Select Board. The question was posed, Should we require them to install a traffic signal at their entrance. We decided to ask SRPEDD, the regional transportation group, to look at the traffic patterns and give us a recommendation. I think that we should, at minimum, require the infrastructure (Conduits and such) that would allow the future installation without having to dig up the road. If we decide against a light now, perhaps we can have a bond posted to pay for the future need. I still need more information to decide.
We went into executive session to discuss litigation and contract negotiations and then adjourned.
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Pay as You Throw in the news

The Wall Street Journal has an article today about Pay As You Throw being proposed in Plymouth. Seems it is not being well received. The numbers in Dartmouth are excellent with...

... nearly a 50% reduction in trash sent to the landfill. I think that alone makes the program an unqualified success. I still would like to see private haulers investigated to reduce the cost. Mr. Michaud is working with the county sheriff on ways to increase the value of our recyclables by further sorting using inmate labor. That could also help to bring down the cost. Thanks to Norm P. for the tip on the article.
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Beach sticker dust up

Last week I posted here and questioned why the cost of beach stickers was not reduced. This is an interactive blog without any restriction on who can comment. I don't think that my original post in any way impugned the Park department, but apparently some there have taken offense. There was none intended. I asked a question, stated my view and asked for comment. Anyone can then comment and can set me straight if I have made an error. That's how this works. In a letter in today's S-T, ...

...a member of the Park Board sets out the facts. As it turns out, revenue was increased, but as was originally stated, fewer people are using the public beach. The fees do not completely cover the cost of running the town beaches, so some taxpayers are supporting the park department without receiving any benefit. I think that if we can find a way to allow more people to enjoy the town beaches, that is a good thing. Especially since the taxpayer who does not pay the fee is still footing at least some of the bill. Reading through the comments here, the consensus opinion is that the $70 fee is OK but the day pass fee is too high and discourages occasional users. So i would propose the day pass fee be lowered while retaining the annual fee the same. It may result in increased revenue from day passes. What do you think?
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Schools, books, and appropriations

I was surprised to hear at the last School Committee meeting that they had not selected the reading series that they had asked the Finance Committeeto to fund by Reserve Fund transfer.
This leads to a couple of interesting questions? If they don't know what they are going to buy, how did they know what would it cost? If the money is not spent or at least committed by the end of the FY08 fiscal year which closed on July 15th, then why wouldn't the funds be returned to the town's general fund as free cash? The same is true for the $40K that the school department said they had left at the end of the year. I asked our Budget Director about that last night and he indicated that ...

... if the money is not spent or encumbered by a purchase order, then it should be returned to the General Fund for appropriation by Town Meeting just as any remaining funds from another department must be. That seems to me to be a correct and reasonable assumption. Town Meeting has the sole authority to appropriate funds of the town. The Finance Committee had exercised their prerogative over distribution of the Reserve Fund to transfer money in that account, but that and the remaining school funds are all FY08 money. Once the fiscal year is closed, the books have to reconciled, excess funds are then certified as free cash, and the balance is available to be re-appropriated by the Town Meeting usually in the fall. I will inquire as to whether that money has been encumbered and report my findings in a later post.
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Vacancies and appointments to town boards

Several people have inquired about openings and appointments to town boards, commissions, and committees, so here is a list of them. I have listed those who are up for reappointment and vacanies according to a list I received from the Select Board office. These will be attended to at the next Select Board meeting on ...

...July 21st. Here is the listing

Organization______________Up for (re)appointment

Agricultural Commission_____Sandra Gosselin, Eric Perry, Susan Guiducci (all current members)

Alternative Energy Committee_____Scott Taber (new appointment)

Board of Public Works_____Richard Medeiros (re-apptmnt), Mark Nunes (seeking apptmnt)

Conservation Commission_____ one vacancy, Patricia Sweriduk, Richard Mallen (re-apptmnt) Richard Golen, Joan Underwood (seeking apptmnt)

Council on Aging__Two vacancies, Mariel Houle, Catherine Scott, Teri Bernert, Thomas Lindsey (re-apptmnt) Eleanor White, Karen Leary (seeking apptmnt)

Dartmouth Affordable Housing Comm____Cecil Bettencourt (re-apptmnt)

Emergency Management________Edward Pimental (re-apptmnt)

Greater NB Refuse District_____ Richard Medeiros (re-apptmnt)

Russells Mills Historical District______Betsy Powell, Kim Smith, Joe Michaud (re-apptmnt)

Historical Commission________Paul Levasseur, Jean Larrivee, Judith Lund (re-apptmnt)

Recreation Commission_______two vacanies, Paul Coucci, Jr., Cynthia Karl, Cynthia Shorrock (re-apptmnt)

Registrar of Voters______________Thomas Brooks (re-apptmnt)

Sealer of Weights and Measures______________Theodore Machado (re-apptmnt)

Town Counsel______________ Anthony Savastano (re-apptmnt)

Veterans Advisory Board______________ Adelino Oliveira, Charles Lally, Donald Normore, James Collins, Joseoh Toomey, Manuel Silvia, Jr., Norman Barrett, Oscar Stebenne, Robert Carney, Thomas Imbeau, William O'Connor, William Whipp, Doreen Tetreault, Frank Allen, Joseph Michaud (re-apptmnt)

Waterways Management Commission_______ one vacancy, Chris Hemingway (re-appmnt)Michael Gill (seeking apptmnt)

Youth Commission______________Debra Brejcha, Lorraine Gagne(re-apptmnt)

If you would like to be considered for appointment, contact the Select Board office at town hall here or apply online here.
A word on how to read this. I have listed those up for reappointment and seeking appointment. If I listed vacancies, the total number of positions up for appointment equals the number up for reappointment plus the number of vacancies. Foe example the Conservation Commission has two seeking reappointment and one vacancy, so there are three appointments available.
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November override

Ellen Hamilton asked for my position on an override for this November in the comments of another post and I feel it is important enough to bring out to a post. Here is what Ellen said;

To Bill from Ellen-Would you consider supporting an education override targeted at text and tech question 1 and MALL (music back in 3rd grade and Kindergarten, art materials and back to old level for K, languages back in 7th grade, and school libraries with SAILs and more resources and a shared elem. librarian professional who floats between Quinn, Potter, DeMello) Please share your thoughts...I think the override total would be around $100on avg.

For those who missed it, she is refering to an letter to the editor that she wrote on July 3rd. You can read it here. At Monday's meeting, Ellen brought the subject of this override up to the School Committee. Curt Brown of the S-T wrote about that here. The chairman said ...

... that they would be discussing that with the Select Board in a joint meeting of the two boards that is being planned tentatively for August. Since overrides are a political hot potato, I don't see the Select Board bringing forward a proposal for one without a request from the School Committee detailing the amount needed and its intended use.
My feeling about an override request is that it is a tough time to be asking people to raise their taxes. November should be about the time many have filled their oil tank for winter and the shock from that is going to be fresh in their minds. Add to that the continuing rise in gasoline and it makes for bad timing which may doom any request. The Finance Committee has just appropriated the balance of the FY08 Reserve Fund ($300,000) to the schools. Link here. I would like to hear from the School Committee on what steps they have taken to provide the books and materials that our students need. I know that they are spending some money but not what is needed. So my question will be, What is the school department doing to resolve this situation? I would like to see them place a high priority on funding textbooks and technology. If they are unwilling to reallocate funds within the school budget to these needs, I would be reluctant to support an override request.
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Police contracts

Curt Brown has details of a tentative contract between the town and the Police Brotherhood on his blog and in an S-T article. Links here and here. The contract is for two years and covers FY08 (the police have worked without a contract in FY08) and FY09. The contract will expire at the end of FY09 at the same time as other union contracts allowing the town to negotiate them at the same time. It has been signed by the Select Board. The contract is tentative because it must be funded by Town Meeting in order to take effect. The appropriation will be on the warrant for the Fall Town Meeting. The terms are similar to the current in most aspects. Compensation will be increased by 2% for each year of the contract. There is no provision for a cost of living increase(COLA). The pay increases are 2%. The other changes were ...

... a uniform allowance which the Brotherhood waived for this contract and a change in wording regarding overtime pay in leap years which had been a source of contention and may have been headed to arbitration.
The Select Board has also agreed to a contract with the Chief of Police. That contract is for three years and covers FY08,09,and FY10. The Police Chief had also been working without a contract. The Chief will not receive a pay increase over his present compensation. His contract is essentially unchanged. The Chief has indicated that he plans to retire at the end of his contract.
In other news about the police department, the General Court recently passed special legislation reorganizing the Dartmouth Police Department and the governor has signed that legislation. A special act was required to do this because the department is organized under civil service law. The new organization will have a Chief, a Deputy Chief, one captain, three patrol lieutenants, three patrol sargeants, and patrolmen. The current force has two captains, no deputy, and two lieutenants, I think. The upshot of the reorganization is that the town stands to save money on overtime and it provides a streamlined chain of command. Kudos to Chief Pacheco for his leadership in getting this done.
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Round Hill stickers

A friend of mine pointed out that the Park Department is making the same amount by selling beach stickers at $70 as they did when the cost was $35. The difference is that only half as many residents can now go to the beach. He wanted to know why ...

... the cost isn't set back to $35 so that more people could go. That's an excellent question. I think that the price should be reduced again and more stickers sold. Discuss in comments as usual.
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State to open parole center on State Road

Curt Brown has a post on his blog (link here) about a new parolee center to be opened on State Road in Dartmouth. Some comments there seem to think this is a bad deal. What do you think?

Add your commnets below.
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Lincoln Park Project redux

As promised, here is more on the Lincoln Park project. I had posted about it here and this is a continuation.
First, let me detail the roadwork that must be completed as part of Phase 1. A primary driveway will be located opposite the driveway to Caddy Shack, Route 6 will be widened to accommodate 2 through lanes and a left turn lane in each direction as well as an eastbound right turn lane. The site driveway will have two exiting and one entry lane. Traffic signal conduit and pull boxes will be installed. All work subject to Mass Highway approval. An east site drive will be constructed and consist of one lane entering and two exiting. This driveway will be restricted to right turn only for entry and exit. At Route 6 and Route 177 intersection, ...

...new curbing, traffic signs and markings, and sidewalk improvements will be installed. At Beeden Road and Route 177 intersection, new curbing, traffic signs and markings, and sidewalk improvements will be installed. At Beeden Road and Reed Road intersection, traffic signs and markings be installed, and vegetation will be cleared to improve visibility at the intersection. These improvements are to be complete within 1 year of the occupancy.
The permit requires that the development forever remain private and the Town will not ever be responsible for roadways or parking areas, storm water management facilities, snow plowing, landscaping, Trash and recycling removal, street lighting, building maintenance or sewer and water services beyond the individual meter pits.
Two waivers (variations from the record plans) were approved by the permitting authority for Phase 1. The first waiver grants commercial use in Subzone A which was not allowed in the original plan. The second waiver allows building a portion of buildings B and C in subzone B without mixed use (i.e. residences).
Since the town is under obligation under Chapter 40R to produce affordable housing by April 2010, the following schedule is required of the developer by the permitting authority.

By May 1, 2009. the developer must submit application for Phase 2 development to contain at least 16 dwelling units.
By Sept 1, 2009, the developer must obtain approval from the permitting authority for Phase 2,
By January 15, 2010, the developer must obtain a building permit for the dwellings.

Failure to meet this time line allows the town to seek relief under Mass General Law Chapter 40A or Chapter 40R or the permitting authority may elect to require the developer to convey one acre of the property to the Dartmouth Housing Authority or other designee to allow them to obtain a permit for Building H on that acre.
There are many other provisions which I won't go over here. This post is long enough. If you have a specific question, ask it in comments and I'll answer there.
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Select Board and Personnel Board meet

This afternoon the Select Board and Personnel Board met jointly to discuss possible changes to the personnel bylaws. Some on both boards felt it was advantageous to get a sense of where the Select Board wanted to go with these changes. The Personnel Board could then fill in the details of the policy. The discussion was fruitful, in my opinion, and I think real progress was made. Generally, the majority of the Select Board felt that we should transition to benefits that more closely parallel those in private companies where we are able to do so. Some benefits such as vacation time, pensions, holidays, and others are mandated to some degree by state law. A brief summary of ...

... of the items discussed include vacation, sick time, longevity bonus, Sick leave incentive and tuition reimbursement.
As the town transitions to at will employment of managerial personnel, changes will have to be made to the personnel bylaws in order to bring about change in personnel practices. That will be the focus of the Personnel Board's efforts over the next few months. The hope is to have a personnel bylaw revision ready for the Fall Town Meeting. I will get to the specifics which were discussed now but I want to add a couple of cautions; these are not adopted policy but points for research and further discussion as we go forward and secondly, the changes discussed would not affect employees covered by collective bargaining. The employees affected are a small number, some of whom currently have personal contracts with the town. The feeling is that we have to make the changes to the bylaw and the employment terms of the non-represented employees before the town can ask for any change from the collective bargaining units. I agree that with that assessment.
State law requires that municipal employees receive up to 4 weeks vacation. Our current bylaw allows for up to 6 weeks. The consensus was to change to a maximum of 4 weeks off.
Employees currently earn up to 15 days of sick leave every year. The consensus was to reduce sick days to 6 per year and perhaps transition to Paid Time Off (PTO) rather than sick days. The details of that transition would have to be worked out.
The longevity bonus was debated and some members felt that some sort of bonus was warranted, similar to what private companies called a Christmas bonus. I do not support keeping longevity bonuses. The consensus was to look into some sort of optional bonus based on the fiscal situation of the town.
Sick leave incentive bonuses are paid to employees who do not use their sick leave. The consensus was that, since we also pay them for accumulated sick days upon leaving the town's employment, this amounts to double payment. A majority supported a different approach such as granting an additional paid day off to employees who do not take sick time.
Tuition reimbursement changes would pay more to employees earning an A in an approved course (100%, rather than the current 80%, 90% for a B instead of 60%) but less for a C (0% instead of 40%).
The discussion on how to transition to these benefits included starting new hires at the lesser benefits, and reducing benefits of current employees over a period of years, perhaps 10, while providing some sort of compensatory salary increase or bonus during that period. It was pointed out that even with these compensatory payments, the town could realize savings as employees spend more days of the year on the job which would boost productivity without added people.
Once more I want to emphasize the caveats that all of these changes will require a vote of the Town Meeting on personnel bylaw revisions and they affect only those employees not under a collective bargaining contract.
My hope would be that, after the changes are made to the personnel bylaw and implemented for non union employees, the union employees would entertain some or all the changes in order to avoid reduction in the workforce. That discussion will have to be reserved for the future, if and when it comes to that.
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Finance Committee year end transfers

The Finance Committee met this evening and transferred Reserve Fund monies to cover various shortfalls in the FY08 budgets of town departments. Transfers are customary following the end of the fiscal year(which ended June 30). The final transfer was not of this customary sort, but fulfilled the Finance Committee's desire to transfer some of the reserve fund to the school department for textbooks. This transfer was endorsed in a sense of the Town Meeting vote at the Spring Town Meeting. After voting to approve transfers for departmental year end shortfalls,...

...the balance in the Reserve Fund stood at just over $305K. The Finance Committee chair read a transfer request for $275K for the schools. I am not sure who that came from. After some discussion, the Finance Committee voted to transfer $300K to the school department for textbooks. The remaining $5K will be held over for any unidentified costs that may come up before the books are closed for Fy08 on July 15.
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Lincoln Park project

The developers for Lincoln Park have been granted approval to construct commercial buildings on the site as Phase I of the project. Five commercial buildings will be built along Route 6. As part of the project, the developers will have to make improvements to Route 6 and other roadways around the parcel. These include ...

... turn lanes in the east and west bound directions of Route 6, curbs and other improvements. The new entrance will be directly across from the entrance to the golf driving range on the opposite side. Eventually, there will be a traffic light installed at the location.
Drainage and retention ponds will also be required in this phase of the project. I will post more about the project over the next few days.
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Nitrogen Pollutant Committee formed

At last night's Select Board meeting, the Board upon recommendation by the Conservation agent and others, voted to form a committee to advise the town on measures to control and reduce pollution caused by nitrogen in our waters. Nitrogen pollution causes increased algae growth. The algae saps the oxygen from the water..

...which kills or drives out other species. Entire streams, bays and even the Gulf of Mexico suffer from dead zones caused by nitrogen loading. Much of the nitrogen in our waters comes from fertilizers used on lawns and crops. Many in our community depend on the bay and its sea life for their livelihood, not to mention recreational uses. A Buzzard's Bay without stripers, quahogs and lobster would diminish our lives in many ways. If you would like to serve on this committee, contact the Select Board office at town hall here or apply online here
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Back again

Sorry for the paucity of posting lately. I have been away on vacation and did not have access to a computer as much as I usually do. Also being away, (I went to Washington DC, great fireworks on the National Mall!) I was not in touch with local news. I see that the Select Board meeting is at least posted on the town website but ...

... the agenda is not. There will be an Executive session at 5:30PM followed by the public meeting at 6:30PM in Room 304 of the Town Hall.

Items on the agenda are

- Application by Thai Taste to move a victualers license from 387 to 634 State Road.

- Appointment with the Harbormaster re: appointment of a new ass't harbormaster

- Application of Lloyd Center for a 1 day liquor license

- Appointment with the Budget Director on Group Health insurance for employees and the new lockbox service for the town collector

-Appointment with the Executive Administrator on upcoming appointments to boards and commissions and overview of a new on line volunteer application process

- Renewal of a Constable License for Mr. Wayne Vandal

- Renewal of a Taxi License for Mr. Ronald Reis

- Renewal of Surety Bond for the Ass't town treasurer

- Petition of NStar to obstruct and disturb various streets

- Letter fro the Conservation Agent re: Nitrogen pollution in Dartmouth
-Approval of minutes

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