Monthly Archives: January 2016

2 selectman candidates

vote.2

Town Clerk, Carol Myer, reported last week that Warrant Committee members Mike Marcucci and Barbara Gips have both pulled nomination papers for selectman.

Still no one running for the empty seat on the Board of Assessor.

BoS agenda for 1/26

cropped-medfield-town-house1.jpg
Tuesday January 26, 2016 @ 7:00 PM

AGENDA (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

7:00 PM  EPA Stormwater Permit Workshop, conducted by
Ian Cooke, Executive Director, and Sarah Bounty I Neponset River Watershed Association;  Martin  Pillsbury, MAPC

The goal of this workshop is to raise awareness of the new requirements for the MS4 permit, answer questions and concerns Medfield may have about stormwater issues

At the end of this meeting the Board of Selectmen will vote to close the 2016 Annual Town Meeting Warrant


EPA Stormwater Permit Works op for Town of Medfield
AGENDA

Goal: Raise awareness of the new MS4 permit among key board members who will be affected, but who may not deal with MS4 issues on a day to day basis. Encourage inter-board/department discussion on  key issues.

3 min             Ian Cooke: Welcome and introductions, overview of agenda

10 min           Sarah Bounty: Overview of the Stormwater Challenge in Medfield
• Stormwater basics
•  Medfield’s stormwater infrastructure
• Water quality and impaired waters in Medfield

16 min             Ian Cooke: Overview of Requirements in the New Draft MS4 Permit
• Overview
•  Six minimum control measures, TMDLs and reporting requirements
• Potential implementation costs

8 min                Martin Pillsbury: Progress to date
• Overview of work already done by Medfield and regional partners
• Review key tasks completed to date

35 min                Discussion Questions
• What will the biggest impact on your department be?
• How should various departments coordinate their efforts?
• What new resources will be needed?
• Is outside help is needed (i.e training,analysis or implementation)?
• Where could joint efforts by multiple towns help?
•  What is the best way to fund any increased costs?

5 min               Next Steps and
Evaluation/Suggestion Forms

ATM warrant articles

2014 -town meeting

2014 -town meeting

The selectmen will close the warrant for the annual town meeting at our meeting tomorrow night.  Mike’s email below circulated some (but not all) of the current warrant articles for the town meeting on April 25.

After those, at the bottom, you can see my email back to Mike and town counsel about the two articles that I have asked to be included, that would clarify the town zoning relating to siting of assisted living facilities in residential zones, given the way in which the 2012 ATM vote about that issue happened.

 


 

 

The following articles should be voted on at the Board’s January 26, 2016 meeting if you wish to place them on the ATM warrant. If there are additional I left out, please also vote on those. If you do not wish to place any of them on the list don’t vote to do so for those particular articles. Thanks. Mike


 

Article 15.   To see if the Town will vote to fix the salary and compensation of the following elected officers: Moderator, Town Clerk, Selectmen, Assessors, School Committee, Trustees of the Public Library, Park and Recreation Commissioners, Planning Board, Housing Authority and Trust Fund Commissioners, or do or act anything in relation thereto.

  Officer

Present Salary

W.C. Recommends

  Town Clerk $66,000 $       ?
Selectmen, Chairman        900          ?
Selectmen, Clerk        900          ?
Selectmen, Third Member        900          ?
Assessors, Chairman        900          ?
Assessors, Clerk        900          ?
Assessors, Third Member        900          ?
Moderator            0          0
Housing Authority            0          0
School Committee            0          0
Library Trustees            0          0
Planning Board            0          0
Park & Recreation Commissioner            0          0
Trust Fund Commissioner            0          0

 

(Board of Selectmen)

 

Article 17. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate and/or transfer from available funds sums of money requested by the Selectmen or any other Town Officer, Board, Commission or Committee to defray operating expenses of the Town for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2016, or such other sums as the Town may determine, as required by General Laws, Chapter 41, Section 108, or do or act anything in relation thereto.

(Board of Selectmen)

Article 20. To see if the Town will vote to appropriate a sum of money and determine in what manner said sum shall be raised for the purpose of preparing a Capital Plan for the Town, or do or act anything in relation thereto.

(Board of Selectmen)

Article 21. To see if the Town will vote to appropriate a sum of money and determine in what manner said sum shall be raised for the purpose of preparing a Town-wide Master Plan, or do or act anything in relation thereto.

(Board of Selectmen)

Article 28. To see if the Town will vote to appropriate a sum of money and determine in what manner said sum shall be raised for the purpose of purchasing and installing traffic signals and associated traffic markings and signage at the intersection of South Street and Spring Street (route 27) and/or for the purpose of making improvements to the traffic signals, markings and signage at the intersection of West Street and North Meadows Road (Route 27), and to authorize the Chief of Police to apply for and accept grants and to expend funds for such purposes, or do or act anything in relation thereto.

(Board of Selectmen and Chief of Police)

Article 31. To see if the Town will vote to appropriate a sum of money and determine in what manner said sum shall be raised for the purpose of providing ongoing maintenance and security at the site of the former state hospital, or do or take any action in relation thereto.

(Board of Selectmen)

Article 32. To see if the Town will vote to appropriate a sum of money and determine in what manner said sum shall be raised for the purpose of hiring consultants, engineers and/or attorneys to assist the Town with ongoing preparation of a master plan for reuse of the former hospital and surrounding areas and to advise the Town on matters concerning the site’s disposition, reuse and environmental remediation, said funds to be expended under the direction of the Board of Selectmen, with the understanding that the Board of Selectmen may authorize any other Town board, commission, committee or department to expend a portion of said funds for such purposes, or do or act anything in relation thereto.

                                                                                                           (Board of Selectmen)

Article 34. To see if the Town will vote to appropriate a sum of money and determine in what manner said sum shall be raised for the purpose of making improvements to the downtown, or do or act anything in relation thereto.

(Board of Selectmen)

Article 39. To see if the Town will vote to accept Sections 3 to 7, inclusive, of Chapter 44B of the General Laws, otherwise known as the Massachusetts Community Preservation Act, by approving a surcharge on real property for the purpose permitted by said Act, including the acquisition, creation and preservation of open space, the acquisition, preservation, rehabilitation and restoration of historic resources, the acquisition, creation, preservation and support of community housing, and the rehabilitation and restoration of such open space and community housing that is acquired or created as provided under said Act; to determine the amount of such surcharge on real property as a percentage of the annual real estate tax levy against real property and the fiscal year in which such surcharge shall commence; to determine whether the Town will accept any of the exemptions from such surcharge permitted under Section 3€ of said Act; or do or act anything in relation thereto.

(Board of Selectmen and Community Preservation Act Study Committee)

 

Article 40. To see if the Town will vote to accept as public ways all or a portion of the following streets:

Rockwood Road from Station   .00 to Station   .00.

Quarry Road from Station   .00 to Station   .00.

Erik Road from Station   .00 to Station   .00.

 

, or do or act anything in relation thereto.

(Board of Selectmen)

Article 41. To see if the Town will vote to amend the Code of Medfield Regulations, Chapter 150 Historic Preservation, Article II Demolition Delay to establish a procedure for handling appeal of a decision by the Medfield Historic Commission to the Board of Selectmen, by adding a Paragraph   to read as follows:

 

(under discussion with Town Counsel and Historic Commission)

 

,or do or act anything in relation thereto.

(Board of Selectmen and Historic Commission)

 

 


 

 

Mike and Mark,

Please know that I have removed my fellow selectmen from receiving this email because I am not allowed to communicate with them outside of a posted meeting about matters of substance, under the  terms of the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law.

I see two things needing to be done.

  1. Since I do not approve of a process at a ATM where one has to make a separate trip to the town clerk’s office to read the item being voted, I feel that needs to be corrected – maybe by re-voting the same item with a proper description; and
  2. If Mark is legally correct that assisted living is now allowed in residential zones based on the 2012 ATM vote, I would also like to also see a second item to give the residents the opportunity to undo that vote, if that is their wish, even knowing that would not affect the pending LCB petition.

Thanks in advance.

 

Best,

Pete

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8.9% health insurance rate increase

The MMA runs an insurance company, MIIA, from which Medfield buys insurance for the town – health insurance, workers compensation, and property/casualty.

At the MIIA annual meeting today MIIA announced that is health insurance rate increases will average 8.9%.

Opiates

Both senators focused on opiate deaths. 80% of heroin deaths in US are people who started with a prescription for opiates. Need for money for treatment beds. Marley proposes $1 billion per year Federal spending to combat the problem. More people dying each year than died in Vietnam or will ever die from ISIS.

MMA is focused on the opiate problem.

Senator Markey

Massachusetts is the”brain state.” We get 10% of the NIH research budget, and they fight to avoid budget cuts.

On a personal level, he reports it recently took him 5 hours to get home from the Congress when DC had one inch of snow.

Great quote he says was from President Johnson – “thank God I do not have to run something complicated like a town. ” Well received by those municipal leaders in this room.

[End]

Best,Pete

Osler L. Peterson, Esq.
PETERSON | Law
580 Washington Street, Newton, MA 02458-1416
66 North Street, PO Box, 358, Medfield, MA 02052-0358
617.969.1500 W
617.969.1501 Direct
617.663.6008 F
508.359.9190 M
Osler.Peterson@OslerPeterson.com

Sent from my phone – please excuse any typos.

M. E. O’Brien & Sons

Nice to see a great local Medfield business at the MMA trade show.

Senators Warren & Markey

Update on Federal matters. No shutdown and budget passed.

CPA

Lexington used its CPA (Community Preservation Act) funds to build its community center and a performing arts center (Carey Hall). Both looked great, and both the community center and COA were building renovations and reuse.

CPA allows one to get the state matching money that we have been leaving on the table, and yet we are still paying our share in which goes to the towns that have adopted the CPA.

Not adopting the CPA remains a missed opportunity for Medfield.

Lexington Facilities Dept.

This is how Lexington staffs it facilities Department.