2018-03-07 BOS-min - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

Selectmen – March 7, 2018 Page 2 of 14 Appropriation Committee were discussed for potential inclusion in an Annual Town Meeting 2018 Consent Agenda. Charles Lamb, Capital Expenditures Committee Chair, and John Bartenstein, Appropriation Committee Chair were present to explain their committees’ recommendations or objections. Article 6: Appropriate for Senior Service Program: Indefinitely postponed. Article 7: Appropriate for Advice and Analysis-Getting to Net Zero: All agreed it can be placed on the Consent Agenda. Article 10a: CPA Conservation Land Acquisition: Will probably be indefinitely postponed. Article 10c: Archives and Record Management/Records Conservation & Preservation: All agreed. Article 10k: CPA Debt Service: All agreed. Article 10l: CPA Administrative Budget: All agreed. Article 15: Recreation Capital: All agreed. Article 16a: Hydrant Replacement: Added by Capital Expenditures. Board of Selectmen agree to include. Appropriation Committee to meet and discuss. Article 16d: Town-wide Culvert Replacement: All agreed. Article 16g: Sidewalk Improvements: All agreed. Article 16m: Transportation Mitigation: All agreed. Article 17: Water Capital: Appropriation Committee to discuss. Article 18: Wastewater Capital: Appropriation Committee to discuss. Article 20b, c, e, g, i: All agreed. Article 27: Appropriate to Stabilization Fund: Will probably be indefinitely postponed. If that comes to pass, the Appropriation Committee and Capital Expenditures Committee are likely to support. Article 28: Appropriate from Debt Service Stabilization Fund: All agreed. The proposed Consent Agenda will be updated when Appropriation Committee decisions are confirmed. The list will be reviewed again at a future Selectmen’s meeting. Update—ATM 2018 Warrant Article 21—Appropriate to Reimburse Resident for Sewer Backup Dan McGrath, 11 Cherry Street, presented information about citizen’s Article 21 that requests the Town to cover damages incurred to his property due to a blockage in the sewer main. Costs include: reconstruction $14,240; decontamination $15,723; and miscellaneous $590. Mr. McGrath described the circumstances of the sewer blockage, saying his home sustained the full impact because it is the lowest property on the sewer main and because he discovered the back-up before it affected other homes. When Mr. McGrath attempted to file for damages, his insurance claim was denied because the Town was not found to be negligent; negligence is the only basis on which a municipality can be held responsible. Mr. McGrath indicated he was previously unaware that “negligence” is the only way a claim of this type can be successfully made. Mr. Valente verified that Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 258 stipulates that a town has no authority to spend taxpayers’ money for claims other than negligence; similar claims in Lexington have been handled this way. It is unclear if Town Meeting has the authority to appropriate funds in this instance. Selectmen expressed their sympathies to Mr. McGrath.