Jean Perry, Neighb News Correspondent
The 2021 Fairhaven Annual Town Meeting Warrant was closed and signed during a short meeting of the Selectboard on May 14 when the board wrapped up its recommendations for the remaining few articles totaling 61 altogether.
The meeting is set to beging on Saturday, 6/12, at 9 a.m. via Zoom. Interim Town Administrator Wendy Graves asked the board to approve continuing Town Meeting into Monday, June 14, and possibly Tuesday, June 15 as she anticipates it could likely spill into two more evenings. If it does, Town Meeting will reconvene at 7:00 p.m.
The board will be recommending the Indefinite postponement of article 19, which was to transfer a sum of free cash to the capital stabilization fund. Ms. Graves said it would not be funded this year, and the board made the recommendation.
During its May 10 meeting, the board held off on making a recommendation on part C of Article 23, the Community Preservation Program appropriations, where it would appropriate $80,000 to fund the Academy Building “front door.”
On 5/10, Selectboard Chairperson Daniel Freitas wanted to find out what the Town would be getting for $80,000, an amount he thought seemed high for a door. On 5/14, he read an email explaining that in addition to a custom solid oak door and solid wood exterior storm door, the sidewalk would be upgraded, the entrance improved to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) specifications, custom trim, wiring, decorative lighting for nighttime safety, and new uniform steps.
The board voted to recommend adoption.
At Ms. Graves’s advice, the board will make its recommendation for Article 33 at Town Meeting, which is for the land acquisition and engineering design services for a public safety facility at 172 Bridge Street through a land swap of the pier, formerly a public landing, boat ramp, and 49 rods at the west end of Bridge Street.
Ms. Graves said the deal is still in the preliminary stages of negotiation, and the board may have further information at its next meeting on June 1 if the other party’s attorney responds to town counsel before then.
Ms. Graves also advised the board to wait until Town Meeting for its recommendation on Article 45 to transfer money from surplus revenue for the reduction of the tax levy. She said, at this time, the town does not have any surplus revenue.
The board then voted to make its recommendation at Town Meeting on Article 57, which would address funding for rehabilitation of the newer wing of Rogers School to lease the space to the Southeastern Massachusetts Educational Collaborative (SMEC). Right now, the article serves as a placeholder until reliable financial data can be obtained.
The board will also hold off until Town Meeting for its recommendation on Article 58 to purchase or take via eminent domain property referred to as 0 North Street to address drainage. Ms. Graves said the years-long process still has some steps to complete before the board can make a sound recommendation.
Before closing the warrant, Mr. Freitas motioned to reconsider the board’s prior votes on Articles 49, 52, and 53, which in a 2-1 vote (Selectboard member Bob Espindola dissenting), the board recommended passing over the three citizens petitions.
Ms. Graves said Town Counsel Tom Crotty suggested the two boards change its recommendation to indefinite postponement instead. The night before, on 5/13, Finance Committee Chairperson Padraic Elliot questioned Ms. Graves about the Selectboard’s recommendation to pass over the three articles, saying that he did not believe the board could do that.
As he recalled, Mr. Elliott said, whenever the town administrator said “pass over” at Town Meeting, there was no vote, and the article was simply skipped because it was the board petitioning the article. With a citizens petition, a resident is the petitioner.
Article 49, petitioned by former Health Agent Mary Freire-Kellogg, proposes establishing an ethics committee. Mr. Freitas commented on 5/14 that since the town already has “human resources,” it does not need an ethics committee.
Article 52, also petitioned by Ms. Freire-Kellogg, proposed amending the town’s recall election bylaw to reduce the required petition signatures from 20% to 10% of registered voters.
Article 53, petitioned by Planning Board member John Farrell, suggests the same but proposes increasing the allowed time to gather signatures from 14 days to 30 days.
Mr. Espindola again voted against the recommendation favored by Mr. Freitas and Selectboard member Keith Silvia, saying he preferred to recommend yielding to the petitioner, given that they are citizens petitions and will still be heard at Town Meeting regardless of how the Selectboard votes.
He suggested the board simply allow the discussion to “play out” on the virtual Town Meeting floor instead of interfering and essentially recommending “that we don’t want to hear that.”
The Finance Committee on 5/13 saw several votes that were not unanimous on several articles, some as split as 5-3, which Mr. Elliot said is significant enough to warrant a minority report should the dissenting side so choose. One such article was number 28, proposing $43,000 for two boat engines for the harbormaster, in favor of recommendation.
FinCom also saw 5-3 votes to recommend Articles 39 and 45, $25,000 requested from the Historical Commission for historical street lamps in the center, and $10,000 to fund a nine-member town charter study committee, respectively.
The FinCom held off on making a recommendation on item G of Article 14, the capital planning article that includes a $20,000 plotter scanner. A plotter scanner is a large-format scanner suitable for scanning large documents such as blueprints; however, the FinCom’s concern is that this would likely result in the need to hire contractors to help operate the scanner. Mr. Elliot said he is reluctant to support purchasing a piece of equipment that current employees might not be able to operate and would result in more exenses. He suggested a proposed plan for its use should accompany a request such as that.
Ms. Graves said the scanner would help free up space used for storing years of blueprints.
“I do think we are owed some sort of a plan of how it’s going to be used,” said Mr. Elliot. He said a money request could even include training for staff if that were an option.
The committee will make its recommendation at Town Meeting.
FinCom will also make its recommendation at Town Meeting for the following articles: Articles 33 and 45 (as did the Selectboard on 5/14 the following day), Article 55, a citizens petition from Board of Public Works member Robert “Hoppy” Hobson requesting two street lights on Saltmarsh Road (the numbering of the poles appears to be inaccurate), Article 57 about the Rogers School new wing renovation, and Article 58 about the North Street land acquisition.
The FinCom will be issuing a statement about Article 47, a citizens petition submitted by School Committee member Donna McKenna proposing to increase the Selectboard from three to five members. The statement will mention that the FinCom would support setting aside only $25,000 for Selectboard salaries in future budgets, which would equal $5,000 annually per board member. Selectboard members are currently paid $6686 a year.
Click here for the 6/12/21 TM Warrant.
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