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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1979-06-18-BOS-min y SELECTMEN'S MEETING JUNE 18, 1979 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, June 18, 1979, at 7 30 p.m Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson, Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs. Banks, Assistant to the Town Manager; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk, were present Transp Mr Fred Rosenberg, Chairman of the Transportation Advisory Committee, Adv Com.- met with the Board He said that the minibus will start in September and Minibus - one of the problems we saw all along was that we have no service to MBTA Hartwell Avenue as (1) it is at the edge of town; (2) it is difficult to Hartwell include in a half-hour minibus route. At Town Meeting's suggestion, we looked into how to service Hartwell Avenue and suggested to the MBTA the possibility of re-routing the Five Forks bus to operate from Lexington Center to Bedford Street to Hartwell Avenue, thereby eliminating service to Five Forks We received a letter from the MBTA with the proposal of still running the bus to Five Forks but instead of running it directly to Five Forks, to run it down from the Center, up Bedford Street, up Hartwell Avenue to Wood Street and around to Five Forks and back into town again; in the evening, to run the reverse loop This would mean about. $3,000 111 more on our MBTA assessment We also had the possibility of changing the Bedford bus to go down Hartwell Avenue but the committee didn't think it was a good idea because of turning the bus around at the end and also be- cause of the time factor; this would cost us less money To serve Hartwell Avenue with a minibus, it would just about make it to go Bedford Street and back; the estimated annual cost would be about $15,000 for that number of hours, probably a little less In response to the suggestion that the Transportation Advisory Com- mittee investigate the possibility of increasing the minibus loop from 30 to 45 minutes to serve commuters in some of the industrial areas, Mr Rosenberg said that there are about 200 Lexington residents that work in, the area and it is not optimistic that they would use the service We had taught about trying some special service for the commuters in the Spring Street area On Hartwell Avenue, we could do it in the morning but the problem is getting them home in the afternoon During the afternoon, the regular routes would be necessary, where we really expect the highest levels of travel, so we felt that wouldn't be a possibility. Chairman Miley said the intent of Town Meeting was for commuters to use the minibus not only to go to the express bus but also to get to work within the town She felt the committee was right in trying to work out a commuter ride for people within the town, and suggested the committee keep trying to get the people back and forth to work in the morning and afternoon. Mr Rosenberg said he didn't see how they could get extra buses into an area they wouldn't normally be serving Mr Kent said that Town Meeting's very positive response to the busing program and the amendment, increasing it so substantially, did directly relate to the use of the buses for commuter purposes, and that is one reason why you are addressing the Hartwell Avenue problem If it can be solved L. Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - June 18, 1979 more effectively through the tie-in with the MBTA rather than the use of Minibus the minibus, that is fine, but he felt that in the formulation of our (cont'd ) est minibus routes, consideration be given to some service into the area. Mr. Hutchinson said that Lexington's MBTA assessment is in excess of $500,000, before the adjustment of a $26 million deficit The operating deficit was $264 million, certified by the MBTA, of which one-half is picked up by the town; if the news is correct about the $26 million we will have to pick up one-half of that He was concerned about making a commitment at this time as we do not have the experience of the minibus program. Assuming there will be successes and failures, and one is a dismal failure, you might want to change one route to go into an area such as Hartwell Avenue There is that flexibility before we pick up another $3,000 assessment Mr Rosenberg said that if we were going to readjust the routes, he thought it would be more cost effective to let the MBTA pick this up for actually what we think is a very low figure than if we picked it up If we just eliminated one group, we would be saving more than $3,000 Mr. Hutchinson said it would be premature to make a commitment to increasing the assessment in any fashion to the MBTA, including serving Hartwell Avenue Mr Busa agreed with the Manager,v.and:isaid we should have some history and experience with the minibus Mr. Hutchinson recommended that the Transportation Advisory Committee work with the MBTA on what might be done in the interim about getting into Hartwell Avenue The Board agreed to Mr Kent's recom- I mendation that the committee take another look at its route structure to see if there is any possibility of working out another route to go to Hartwell Avenue Mr Rosenberg informed the Board that a very qualified person has been hired by the Manager to coordinate the minibus program Also, bids for the minibus transportation service will come in next Friday Mr Louis Zehner, Town Treasurer, informed the Board that Smith Treasurer- Barney, Harris Upham and Co Inc of Boston, with its bid of 4 85 per- Bond Sale cent, was the low bidder on the June 14 sale of Lexington's $795,000 bond issue. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the following certifications prepared by Bond Counsel a Sale to Smith Barney, Harris Upham Co Inc of the $795,000 issue dated June 18, 1979 as outlined in the Proposal of Sale dated May 30, 1979 b. Authorized use of the facsimile signatures of the Selectmen to be engraved on the bonds e. Approved the "Signature and No Litigation" certificate identified as SRH/RPV, Rev May 24, 1977 d Approved the "No Arbitrage" certificate idendified as Rev. March 22, 1979 Copies of the certificates are on file in the Selectmen's Office. Mr. Zehner stated that he and Mr Perry would sign a joint official statement certifying to the complete disclosure in the Proposal of Sale of all rele- vant facts of the sale. Mr Zehner and Mrs. McCurdy, as Clerk of the Selectmen, would sign a joint statement certifying to the complete ob- servance of all aspects of the so-called "Sunshine Law " Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - June 18, 1979 Appt Chairman Miley read a letter from Mr Fred Bailey requesting Hanscom the Board to reverse his and Mrs Jacqueline Smith's roles on the Adv Com. Hanscom Advisory Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Mrs Jacqueline Smith as Lexington's representative on the Hanscom Advisory Committee, and to appoint Mr Fred C Bailey as the alternate member representing Lexington. Abatement Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to abate the Water Bill water bill submitted to Berman's Package Store Inc , 55 Mass Avenue, in the amount of $2,739 60, defective register on meter, as re- quested by Mr Warren Empey, Acting Director of Public Works Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the minutes of Selectmen's meetings held on January 24, 27, 29; March 5, April 9, 1979 (Executive) Sewer Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the Orders Orders for Construction of Sewer on the following streets Allen Street, Boulder Road, Lowell Street, Patricia Terrace, Pleasant Street, Waltham Street ALso,sigu Order of Sewer Taking on Wadman Circle; Mr Kent did not participate and abstained from voting The Board approved Town Counsel's requests for the following Conserve- Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the deed tion Land to transfer 20 lots of land to the Conservation Commission, as authorized under Article 48 of the 1977 Annual Town Meeting Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the Order of Taking, by eminent domain, of four lots for Conservation purposes subject to receiving the request of the Conservation Commission; as authorized under Article 48 of the 1977 Annual Town Meeting Easements- Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the taking Sewer & of sewer and drain easements from Burlington Street to Boulder Road, as Drain - authorized under Article 19-Sewers of the 1977 Annual Town Meeting, and Boulder Rd Article 17-Drains of the 1973 Annual Town Patricia Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the order Terrace of taking of sewer and drain easements on land located in Lexington on Patricia Terrace Wadman Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the order Circle of taking of sewer and drain easements on Wadman Circle Mr Kent did not participate and abstained from voting I Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - June 18, 1979 Ms Martha Wood, Mr William Page, Chairman, Ms Sandra Small and Mr Howard Cravis, CATV Com. members of the Cable Television Advisory Committee met with the Board Mr Page said the last decision of the Board was to give the committee permission to talk with cable television companies, not to start the offi- cial franchising program but to get some idea about the match between what Lexington would expect from cable television and what the companies would be willing to provide The Board also asked us to sound out the town again with a questionnaire The results of the 250 questionnaires received were 87% would like cable television; 11 5%-No; 1%-undecided 70 5% would pay $2-10 more per month for movies uncut by commercials; 15 5%-No; 14%-unde- cided We talked with five companies and three of the five are interested in a franchise in Lexington; the fourth is interested in a regional ar- rangement with adjacent towns There are some people who are very in- terested in getting cable television in Lexington, and once in town about 40% would subscribe and 80% of those would pay more The committee's recommendation is that you ask us to come back to you in late August for a proposal for starting the franchising process You will still be deciding at that time whether you want to proceed or not but what you would have before you at that time is what it means to start the franchising at that time; how long it takes to complete it; what ex- penses would be if you did start it; what the advantages would be to the town of starting it The town would be in more control of the process as it could put the request out for franchise proposal submissions and get a much wider choice of companies coming in to look us over and make proposals It takes between nine and eleven months for a typical town to start the licensing franchising process, to come to the point of public hearings, two sets of submissions, and then to the point of making deci- sions The town, after all this, is not obligated to choose the cable company The company has the legal right to request further considera- tion but there is not a decision needed With all the work which has gone into this for several years, we think we are in good shape for your recom- mendation to start as we feel a significant proportion of residents are interested in cable television We have written specifications and have reviewed them with you. He submitted to the Board eopies of an abbreviated procedural set of regulations, showing the licensing process as it now operates Mr Page said that 10 months from the time that request for submistion of proposals, the time st is then You officially put out a .request for proposals,that's 0 on 10 ino�tths, so if°q�Ve roughly June or July of 1980 when you could have made a decision; then the clock starts running on the 15 months Mr Busa did not see the need for cable television as only 250, of the 4,000 homes receiving the newspaper, had returned the question- naire and 211 showed interest in having it There has been no growth in CATV since 1972 and for us to get the ball rolling too soon, we might in the distant future be tied to a company that would be obsolete In the area, Woburn has had it the longest and still has only 40% subscription There are parents who are having problems with their children watching movies when they are not at home He saw no benefit to the town other than recreational II Selectmen's Meeting - 5 - June 18, 1979 Mr Crain said that while he shared Mr Busa's concerns, he sees it 111 differently The time line is extended from the period that we suggested interest and the potential of selecting someone for a franchise is a year away He was concerned that we drag our feet in the natural building blocks that are required to reach that point -- then he thought the Board should consider every aspect He felt the implications of the energy crisis carry with it significant impacts on the potential of television, and par- ticularly interactive He would like to see them progress along the build- ing block approach to reach that point where the Board could make the hard decision, and not lose any time to reach that Mrs Battin said she understood Mr Busa's concern that the Board not proceed too hastily The committee has worked very carefully and thought- fully and she agreed with Mr Crain that the process is important and that by starting it ourselves, we control it in essence - and it's a year before we make the decision As Mr Crain said, the importance is the interactive; it's more than recreational It would be useful when people can't get to town hall She hoped the Board would proceed as the committee had recom- mended Mr Kent moved, Mrs Battin seconded the motion, and it was voted to request the Cable Television Committee to proceed with the formulation as outlined by the committee this evening The committee is to meet with the Board in late August Mr Kent temporarily left the meeting to attend the Board of Health meeting Hinchey Rd Mr Hutchinson requested that he be authorized to act as the Board's Property - agent in entering into an agreement to sublet property on Hinchey Road Sublease Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize the Town Manager to enter into an agreement for the subleasing of the Hinchey Road property that is currently the subject of a lease between the Town and MBZ-Lex Trust Tax Mr Hutchinson requested authorization to negotiate with Mrs Erin Title - O'Brien, 34 Homestead Street, on an appropriate price dealing with the O'Brien conveyance of the property she had asked to purchase from the town This land is located on Edna Street and abuts her home Chairman Miley requested that this item be tabled for one week as the Planning Board is discussing this evening some further criteria that they may be interested in or considering for tax title lots This is as a result of a meeting between Mr Cohen and Mrs. Wheaton of the Planning Board Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table for one week the matter of the Erin O'Brien request to purchase land on Edna Street Mr Hutchinson agreed to Mr Busa's request that he pursue the request of an abutter to purchase land at Laconia and Woburn Streets I s�9 Selectmen's Meeting - 6 - June 18, 1979 Mr Hutchinson requested authorization for replacement of a 30" cor- Drain rugated metal pipe across Massachusetts Avenue at #40 in East Lexington Project - The Highway Division of DPW has reported that this aged pipe has rotted Mass Ave and begun to collapse, creating a potential hazard and drainage problems during moderate and heavy rains Engineering has designed a replacement culvert and Great Northern Constructors has •gudted a price of $5000 to complete this work, exclusive of any ledge which may be encountered Ledge would be paid at the Crescent Road Area Contract unit price of $20 00 per cubic yard Approval is requested for an extra work order in an amount not to exceed $5,500, which will cover replacement of 60 feet of pipe, two catch basins and any ledge excavation. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize an extra work order to Great Northern Constructors, in an amount not to exceed $5,500, for the drain pipe project across Massachusetts Avenue at #40 in East Lexington Mr Hutchinson recommended awarding the contract to Boston Mutual, Employees' the lowest bidder on the ,$2,000 life insurance policy for employees Insurance and retirees. The town would continue to contribute one-half the premium cost We may look into the expansion of the policy up to $5,000 at a later time, subject to the Board's direction and working with the appropriate committees, i e., the Personnel Advisory Board Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to award a 3-year ' contract to the Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company in the amount of $19,272+ per year covering the employee/retiree insurance policy Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the amount of 73 cents per month per $1,000 life insurance for emiiloyees. and retirees Mr Hutchinson requested approval of appointments Appointments Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Town Town Mgr 's Manager'ls, re-appointment of the following members Roy Weinstein and Shirley Goodwin from June 1, 1979 to May 31, 1982 as members of the Council on Aging Alice Hinkle dud Judith Uhrig from April 1, 1979 to March 31, 1982 as members of the Recreation Committee Paul Rif fin from April 1, 1979 to March 31, 1982 as a member of the Conservation Commission Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that he had re-appointed James Scanlon a member of the Permanent Building Committee for a term ex- pring April 30, 1982; also, Mr John J McWeeney a member of the Board of Assessors for a term expiring April 1, 1982 Mr Hutchinson recommended that Boston Edison ,be:,audhorized :to Pole Re- relocate one pole and install one new pole in the Waltham Street park- location ing lot, as requested by the town. This work will be done at no cost Waltham St to the town, and removal of the street light will constitute an annual Parking Lot saving of $50 52 Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to_autborize the Boston Edison Company (1) to remove a pole and street light in the sidewalk at Peking Garden; (2) to relocate the overhead cable which currently is supported by this pole Selectmen's Meeting - 7 - June 18, 1979 Sewer Mr Hutchinson requested approval of the request from Mr Santosuosso Washington for an extension of the sewer in Washington Street, at his expense, to ser- Street- vice his vacant lot on Washington Street (future home to be built) A Santosuosso report from the Engineering Division states that the plan has been re- viewed and, as designed, meets Engineering's requirements for sewer construction. However, prior to the start of construction and the is- suaince by DPW of a street opening permit, the contractor who will be doing the work must meet the approval of Mr Warren A. Empey, Acting Director of Public Works The amount of surety necessary to guarantee completion of this project has been estimated by the Engineering Division to be $5,550 00 Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant permission to Mr Santosuosso for an extension of the Washington Street sewer, at his expense and at no expense to the town, subject to Mr Empey's approval of the complete project July 4th Mr Hutchinson recommended that the Lions Club permits for the Carnival July 4th carnival be signed Licenses Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize the Chairman to sign the Sunday lidensesofor .concessions at the Lions Club carnival; licenses to be forwarded to the State Department of Public Safety for approval Center Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that he had executed the agreement Pool with the swimming pool contractor, who expects to start construction within the next two weeks and complete by June 30, 1980 111 Woburn St Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that a letter had been received Barclay from Mr Robert L Barclay, 295 Woburn Street, requesting that the Town-owned dirt road between 295 and 303 Woburn Street be closed off In 1974 and 1976, the town had authorized the road to be closed off but it had not been done Mr Hutchinson said that Public Works has now blocked off the road but we are not sure how it will work out Town Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that the Board of Assessors had Revalue- voted on June 11, 1979 to recommend that the revaluation job for the tion Town of Lexington be awarded to Patten Appraisal Associates, Inc , Contract 160 Fox Street, Portland, Maine, subject to finalization of a satis- factory contract Mr Hutchinson said that the Assessors are com- pleting the ocntract and more information will be given in the future Stop Chairman Miley read a letter from State Department of Public Works Signs requesting that every signalized intersection in the town be inspected Signalzd and any stop signs found are to be removed as these signs are superfluous Inter- and confusing Mr Hutchinson said there are number of stop signs at sections intersections and we are moving forward as part of the work program to to review them and take them down Some question was raised on right-on- red turns and none of our lights that are under control of the town apply; they all have pedestrian walks with them as well Also, all of the state lights are limited in the sense that they can't have a right-on-red 111 Mr Hutchinson agreed to pursue Chairman Miley's request to in- vestigate the possibility of having 4-way stop signs,. i a Adams and North Streets 651 Selectmen's Meeting - 8 - June 18, 1979 Mrs Battin discussed suggestions which Mrs Joyce Hals is drafting Gasoline for the state concerning the gasoline situation, by limiting the hours of gas sales; stations in the same general area staggering the days they are closed; minimum/maximum volume or dollar limitations; adoption of the flag system; establishing a local telephone number for information on staticuns that are open and the availability of gasoline, and identifi- cation of the person who would coordinate efforts The state is starting to put a plan in action in case it is needed, and Mrs Hals thought the Board and the Manager might like to make suggestions Some of the towns are getting in touch with the gas station operators, by sending someone out or telephone from the Manager's office on options of handling the situation Mrs Battin said that she was not suggesting the Board try to regulate the hours but to have a central place to pull it all together Mr Hutchinson said that he would work with the retailers on gas and there might be something the Chamber of Commerce would be interested in. The Board agreed that the Chamber of Commerce should be contacted The Board and Mr Hutchinson agreed to review the Carr Lynch report Pln Bd / on Hanscom Field and Its Neighbors for input to be submitted to the Carr Lynch Planning Board Regarding the parking problem in the Center, Mr Busa informed the Center Board that he had talked with one person and will meet with her and other Traffic interested groups He recommended that another committee not be established as the Planning Board has a committee studying the situation, and he would talk with the groups and then coordinate the information with the Planning Board The Board agreed Mr Kent came back into the meeting at 9 05 p.m. Mr John Butler, Chairman, Ms Joanne Small, Mr Frank Hazel met with Personnel the Board to discuss the role of the Personnel Advisory Board A state- Adv Bd went, dated May 30, 1979, summarized the view of PAB; that the time had come for an evaluation of performance and reaffirmation or revision of the charter We are a creation of the Board of Selectmen and have a prdmary relationship with that body; but we also are a resource to the Town Manager when it seems to be useful We consult with other Town Com- mittees as requested, notably the Appropriation Committee A potential relationship with the School Committee remains problematical From our perspective, a drifting has occurred within the last few months and the purpose for the PAB is less and less clear to us We seem to be becoming a vehicle for displacement of concerns rather than effective catalyst or contributor to their being confronted and resolved Little of our energy is now directed to long-term personnel issues relating to human resource planning and development Our view of the functions of the PAB can best be described as a three-level role (1) Advice on maintenance/ operational questions as brought to the PAB by the Town Manager's Office/ Board of Selectmen (2) Advice and/or technical assistance on specific tasks or issues (3) Advice and assistance to the Board of Selectmen in conceptualizing the philosophical and policy issues inherent in a personnal system. SSS Selectmen's Meeting - 9 - June 18, 1979 Mr Butler said that the statement has been discussed in full mem- bership and reached this point of common understanding as to what seems to be the current expectations with respect to the PAB There have been concerns by individual PABrmembetra whether or not the immediate past is indicative of the kind of role and responsibility that best utilizes their talents as they see them What we have presented to you is an attempt to analyze the situation and to look at the various ways which we feel different groups within town government and the town look to PAB, and the different levels of functions of the board which, from time to time, we are called upon to render Mr Busa said that he had no problem with Mr Butler's statement He was ampmber of the Board at the inception of the Personnel Advisory Board and he thought it was to be an advisory board, to review and give information when the Board of Selectmen and the Town Manager requested it. There had been some reference to getting into negotiation and col- lective bargaining Mr Butler said there was some reference in the early history The sense of the current board is not one of looking at the past or the evolution of the body, but what is the role of the PAB? We are advisory to the Selectmen and the Manager, and what is the charter, the role you wish fulfilled? The other body that was party fo those original negotiations between the Board of Selectmen that created the PAB, the Appropriation Committee,has a different view of what role we should be playing There has to be clarity in instructions if what we kind of sense in the way in which the PAB has moved is not consistent with the direction you wish The PAB had a 5-year history with an unusual beginning and whatever it is you wish to have, let's say for the next 5 years, it should be rather clear Based on that, individual members of the PAB can determine whether or not it is something they feel at this time they can participate in effectively, or if there are others who can more effectively do that Mr Crain said his impression was that the PAB felt they were seem as a body which should be responsible to the Board of Selectmen and the Town Manager Appendix A captures what he understood to be, and what he would encourage to continue to be, the charge That specific activi- ties with the number of action phrases like, "review," "Initiate studies of, or review and make appropriate recommendations " That is the way he would identify with the proper role of the committee, in addition to being responsive and available as a resource to us. With this ap- pendix, to be able to determine its priorities where it would take actions, obviously subject to the Board of Selectmen's review, and make conclusions Mrs Battin agreed That the PAB review when something is brought to their attention, but they also initiate where they see a need exists Initiating doesn't mean that you proceed on the review but you propose to us that you undertake something Being lay people, we often don't know enough about it to come to you; you probably see, where we don't, where you ought to be involved %IS:3 Selectmen's Meeting - 10 - June 18, 1979 ' Chairman Miley said that the Personal Advisory Board's initiative in the affirmative action program is a perfect example of how well they brought that to us and how well they dealt with it It was adopted by the town and, as a result, we are one of the few towns that really got going on this, and people are copying it Ms. Small said she would like some help on the question of agenda set- ting. Now, we have a professional in the Town Manager but the professional management of the town is different than it was 5 years ago when the charge was written It becomes a question of what do we initiate, what do we re- view, and how does the process happen? Within what parameters do we initiate? Affirmative action and the way we set our agenda several years ago was based on some very clear needs and mandates All of these would have to be re- viewed, and is it still important to do all of these things? How do you and the Manager feel about it, and where are we in it? Mr. Crain said that he sees it as a committee of resource, a committee rich in professional background; that in addition to responding to specific directions and requests, they might seize upon something like an area of employee total communications and say in your priorities you are going to spend some time analyzing where the town is on total employee communica- tions, conceiving what you would recommend and improve that process Making that available with the Manager and then reviewing with us. (We might just say, thank you but it's too sophisticated) Mr Crain said that he would like to see the PAB working calmly on some priority that's not a response to a minor crisis or an immediate focus Mr Kent asked if, therefore, there is a need for the Board to outline in the charge, at least in general terms, the areas in which the Board would hope the PAB would do that? As he heard Mr Butler, there is essentially a pleas for the Board to delineate anew the charge to this Board. Mr Butler said the PAB needs clarity as to wheh you want us to move on You have used us in a response mechanism; therefore, we understand that is what you would like, and that's part of the frustration One other point is, if the expectation of the Town Manager is not the same as the Board of Selectmen, then there is further conflict We are trying to respond We can initiate but our purpose isn't to initiate He would not want to initiate something, put effort into it, and then hear that it was a good idea but the Board of Selectmen didn't want to do it Mrs. Battin said that we have used you to respond to things when we had a crisis. We did think that if you saw a need to initiate, you would do so- and if you hadn't then there was nothing you saw particularly necessary and needed at the time There are areas that we and the Manager don't know about and we'd like to have you come in and say you would like to work on a particular thing What we need to do, with all of us agreeing, is to re-write the charge Mr Hutchinson said that his concept is similar to the Board's There is one area he felt is inappropriate at this time, and it is not necessary to have a member of the PAB costing out fringe benefit demands. However, looking at all of the contracts is something he would welcome; if someone is interested in working on that or making suggestions to him or the Board, fine, but not to become part of the bargaining process itself He would like to see some of the initiation that has been raised by the Board, and the PAB did raise it to him about training. We have a very limited capability in training and we are not doing what we should be doing r 0 Selectman's Meeting - 11 - June 18, 1979 Mr Crain asked if Mr Hutchinson saw the PAB as a natural and con- tinuing resource with whom he would interface as he approached final stages of bargaining? Mr Hutchinson said he did, and he had akked about the wage policy Mr Butler said the way in which we can be helpful is in the policy areas, not on a day-to-day basis We can't be a substitute for a per- sonnel department in the town Mr Kent said that only one person can conduct collective bargain- ing negotiations The Manager conducts (according to thecstatute), and he was perfectly content to have him do that Is there any utility in the PAB - someone knowledgeable in collective bargaining - is there an advisory relationship to the board in regard to the board's general assessment of the Manager's conduct of this particular aspect of per- sonnel work where the PAB could be useful? Mr Crain said it is suggested to be evaluative, he would have a concern because unless one sits at the table (he was not recommending anyone sit there other than the key person), one really doesn't know except if the treatment is harsh or unfavorable But, in terms of a resource available to us in addition to the Manager - advisory as to strategy - he could see that PAB It was agreed that Mr Hutchinson, Mr Buse, and Mr Butler would Revised work on a draft of a revised charge to the Personnel Advisory Board, Charge to be submitted by the first part of August Mr. Htttthinsan,:saidlhe. felt that Items 1 and 2 of the PAB state- went are agreed upon, but Item 3-Advice and assistance to the Board of Selectmen in conceptualizing the philosophical and policy issues inher- ent in a personnel system, these are addressed perhaps not as well as we might Mrs Battin recommended that this area be spelled out as part of the charge - as to how it gets started, how it gets done, and what it entails Ms Small supported this recommendation. When Nancy Banks was re- writing the personnel policy and brought it to the PAB, some of us had a lot of difficulty because we didn't know what the philosophy behind is the policy was The Board noted Mrs Battin's recommendation. Mr Kent said that one important aspect to this re-draft is that we have clear indications of the relationship between the Per- sonnel Advisory Board and the Appropriation Committee, and at some point to have some discussion with Dick Perry and Don White He requested that this subject be specifically and thoroughly addressed The Board agreed Mrs Miley thanked the Personnel Advisory Board members and they agreed. te-meet,wimh the-Board in Executive Session this evening .r$.S" Selectmen's Meeting - 12 - June 18, 1979 IIIThe Board discussed the communication from the League of Cities and Mass League- Towns requesting the Board to sign the proxy for the special meeting on Mass.Municp June 27 regarding the Massachusetts Municipal Association, Inc The Assoc , Inc letter stated that, based on the advice of counsel, it has been decided to retain the existing articles of organization of the League of Cities and Towns, and to change its name and structure The special meeting is to be held to go through a formal voting and meeting process in order to change the name to the Massachuset Mun$cipal Association, Inc and to permit the Board of Directors to e t blip and ame the new by-laws During discussion, the Board agree to go on record as strongly opposing Article II, section 1(b)-Participating Members, in the proposed by-laws, which allows a county government to become a voting member of the Associa- tion The Board felt it inappropriate to involve as voting members another level of government whose interests may often be at variance with municipalities Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to request Mrs Battin to convey to the appropriate Directors of the Massachusetts League ,af Citd.ea add-.Tovins the view of this Board that county govern- ment should not be a voting member of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, Inc Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the proxy for the special meeting of the Massachusetts League of Cities and Towns on June 27, 1979 to vote (1) For amendment of Articles of Organization; (2) For amendment of the Articles of Organization to authorize the IIIDirectors to make, amend or repeal the By-Laws Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5..0 by roll call Executive vote - Mrs Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain - to go Session into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing strategy with respect to collective bargaining, with no intention of resuming the open meeting After discussion, it was voted to go out of Executive Session Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 10 45 p.m A true record, Attest Executive Clerk, Selectmen l