By Beth David, Editor
The Acushnet Selectboard had a jam-packed agenda on Tuesday, 3/3, including budget reviews, Town Meeting article reviews, and two appointments. The board also reorganized, as it was the first meeting after the election. Mike Cioper is the new chairperson, although he wasn’t voted in as such until the end of the meeting. He was late, so Kevin Gaspar ran the meeting. Mr. Cioper will take up the gavel at the next meeting.
The board voted to approve an article for $80,000 by the Fire Chief for the new ladder truck. The truck cost $40,000, and the town used reserve funds to buy it. Chief Gallagher said the article is to replace that money, and also to make repairs.
Selectboard members said they realized that the low price of the truck meant it would also need some repairs. The $80,000 price tag is still a deal, they said.
The 18 year old vehicle should serve for “easily” 10 more years, said the Chief, noting that Fairhaven’s ladder truck is 37 years old.
“It will be the single most complex piece of machinery the town of Acushnet owns,” said Chief Gallagher.
The board voiced support for the department’s other requests, but did not vote. This year, the fire and police department requests will be in public safety article.
Other requests included a hazardous waste disposal machine, defibrillators, and radios for each air pack.
“Nobody should go into a building without being able to contact command,” said Chief Gallagher.
The board did not vote on the Golf Club Budget, mostly due to a sticking point with “indirect costs.”
Mr. Gaspar said the $52,000 was not a realistic number, that it was too low. Edward Isaac, speaking for the Golf Committee agreed the budget was not complete. He said they needed to meet with the Finance Committee again.
Indirect costs are charges associated with a department that are not directly paid by them, such as payroll, which is handled by the finance/accounting department. The Mass. Department of Revenue has been pressuring towns to be more specific in identifying indirect costs, and in having those charges reflected in budgets by departments that have enterprise funds, such as water and sewer. The Golf Course collects fees and has its own fund.
The Selectboard voiced support for the Golf Course, but Mr. Gaspar was skeptical of the revenue projections in the budget.
“We will find a way to make that golf course work,” said Selectboard member Roger Cabral. “The golf course has gotta work. It’s gotta work.”
Mr. Gaspar also voiced support for the golf course, but said he felt it would “self destruct,” if the budget was not well planned. He said the indirect costs need to be phased in with realistic numbers. He said he has not seen any breakdown that explains where the $52,000 figure came from.
Mr. Gaspar suggested that the indirect costs not be included in this year’s budget to give the department time to figure it out. They have never been included before, he said, and it should not be rushed.
The board did vote to approve rate increases for the golf course.
The board also raised concerns about a proposal by the Buzzards Bay Coalition which is seeking Community Preservation funds to buy a 33-acres off Mattapoisett Road. Additional acreage on the parcel is in Fairhaven and the BBC is also working with Fairhaven to acquire it.
The cost of the Tripps Mill Brook property is $376,000. The BBC is seeking $70,000 from Acushnet, of which $35,000 will be reimbursed by a grant that is already guaranteed.
The BBC will own the property, the Conservation Commission will hold a Conservation Restriction (CR) on most of it. The town had the right of first refusal, because it was 61A property, meaning it got reduced taxes for being farmland. The town signed its right to buy the property to the BBC.
The concern is that the CR is only on 27 acres. The BBC has carved out a six-acre parcel that would be suitable for house lots. Allen Decker, speaking for the BBC said the organization is not able to find public funding sources to buy the property, so it may have to sell some of it to get the money to buy the rest of it.
Mr. Gaspar said that if the town knew the BBC was going to make house lots, maybe they would not have agreed to the deal.
Mr. Decker insisted that the BBC does not want to create house lots on the property, but it may have to. He said five or six houses on the property is better than 17.
“That bothers me a little bit,” said Mr. Cabral.
“We’re not in the business of creating house lots and selling them off,” said Mr. Decker, adding that the BBC simply has not been able to find funding sources for this particular project, so it will have to be paid for with private funds.
“We love the work you do,” said Mr. Cabral, but added he supported the transfer of the land not knowing it would have house lots created.
“It’s not what I thought we were endorsing when we transferred our rights to you,” said Mr. Cabral, adding he voted, “assuming it would all be preserved as open space.”
The board did not vote on the measure.
In the end, the board decided to hold an extra meeting on April 11 to finish up their recommendations on the budget and the TM articles.
The board also met with Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical School District Superintendent Aaron Polansky, and School Business Manager Sarah Griffith, who presented details on the funding and spending by the district.
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