[Apologies for the extreme tardiness of this recap. -  S.O’K.] 

(8/13/07)  The Select Board met Wednesday, August 1st at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall.  Gerry Weiss, Anne Awad, Alisa Brewer, Hwei-Ling Greeney and Rob Kusner were all present, as was Town Manager Larry Shaffer.

Public Comment

Larry Kelley asked the Town Manager if he had been quoted correctly in an article in the Springfield Republican about the Cherry Hill Golf Course, in which Mr. Shaffer said that no tax payer money had been needed to sustain the course in FY07.  Mr. Shaffer said he had been quoted correctly.  Mr. Kelley asked about the inclusion of “hidden costs” in that determination, and Mr. Shaffer said there were no such costs.  Mr. Kelley asked why the Finance Committee had to make a $23,000 emergency fund transfer to the golf course on July 11th.  Mr. Shaffer said that the course had brought in $220,000 in income and had $212,000 in expenses for FY07, and said he was proud of the progress made there.  Mr. Kelley talked about the personnel and infrastructure costs associated with the course, and how those are dispersed among other areas of the Town’s budget, but should still be considered as golf course expenses.  With those included, Mr. Kelley said that the course cost taxpayers $24,000 in FY07, and said that it needed to take in $250,000 to break even for FY08.  Mr. Kelley said it would require an additional $30,000 in income, for a $280,000 total, to equal the rejected proposal by an outside company to manage the course for the Town.  Ms. Awad said she had heard a radio report on the situation and said that the implication was clear that the course finances were “in the black” for FY07, but that she thought it was unfortunate that the reporter had also “used that ‘in the red’ language” regarding $7,100.  Mr. Kelley and Mr. Shaffer disagreed about whether or not comparisons of past and current golf course finances were valid.

Announcements

Mr. Weiss said that the 7:00 agenda item for an election to fill the vacancy on the Amherst Redevelopment Authority (ARA) was being postponed until September, when a joint meeting between the Select Board and ARA would be held.  Ms. Awad expressed concern about the Select Board having voted at the last meeting to hold the election at this meeting, and suggested that a new vote was needed to undo or amend that action.  Mr. Weiss said that could occur at 7:00, when the issue will be addressed again. 

Mr. Kusner praised the Department of Public Works for painting new bike lane lines.

Mr. Weiss praised the garden and planting efforts around Town Hall.  Mr. Shaffer said those were done by Town staff, primarily Mary Decker, and he thanked her for the excellent job she has done.

Health Claims Trust Fund Status

Mr. Shaffer said that progress was being made in dealing with the shortfall problems that have plagued the Health Claims Trust Fund.  He said that the additional revenues collected through last July’s 15% increase in premiums, followed by the 12% increase in January were starting to result in surpluses on a month to month basis.  He said that revenues that were owed to the account, such as stop-loss reimbursements, had been aggressively pursued and that he was “guardedly optimistic” about the fund’s prospects. 

Sonia Aldrich, Comptroller, went over the details of a Trust Fund income statement and bar graph detailing the monthly revenues and expenditures for FY07, and answered questions about the particulars.  Most questions surrounded the end-of-FY07 shortfall of $111,893.20, which would be borrowed from Free Cash, and then reimbursed during FY08, as well as the $364,000 needed for the Department of Revenue assessment.  Mr. Shaffer said that rates would be increased again mid-year if that were required. 

Ms. Awad asked if the costs had been compared to a traditional insurance plan.  Mr. Shaffer said that the UMass business school had done a comparison of the rates for different models, and that the Town’s self insurance was still the least expensive.  He said the Town had also solicited prices from the private market and received one provider’s quote that would have been less money, but he said that the program’s coverage details were significantly different.  He said that the ability to change to a different type of insurance program was tied up in the collective bargaining agreement and needs to be negotiated.  He said that the flexibility to change insurance situations and to move to either the private market or the State’s program is an issue that is being pursued. 

Ms. Awad asked if the financial details were shared with the employees so that they would understand why their increased premiums were necessary.  Mr. Shaffer said that much information has been shared and that the employees know that it has been a crisis situation.  He said no one is happy about the surcharge increases, but that they are trying to do what is best for both the Town’s employees and its taxpayers.  He said that the plan is a partnership and that the costs are split 75% to the taxpayers and 25% to the employees.

There was much discussion of how the accounting works and the timing issues of when revenues and expenses show up on the various documents, and how they are to be read.  There were also questions about how FY07 closed out in relation to expectations from the spring (a little better;) about how the new requirement for including actuarial information for retirement costs would affect the bottom line figures (it won’t;) and what kind of savings have resulted from the Canadian prescription drug program (slight.) 

Free Cash Update and the Elementary Schools

Ms. Aldrich presented a document that she said updated February free cash and stabilization fund (also known as Town reserves) projections for FY07, but was still “very preliminary.”  She said that free cash totals are typically not known until late September or early October, because they can still be off-set by grant reimbursements received through September 15th.  This preliminary estimate was for the Reserves to total $3,904,385, down from the $4,283,655 projection in February, with most ($235,893) of that difference coming from the free cash needed to fund the 3% Regional School budget, as voted by the recent Town Meeting. 

Mr. Weiss asked about the anticipated $120,000 turnback from the Elementary Schools budget.  Ms. Aldrich said that the Elementary Schools had turned back $135,000 so far, and that that amount was included in the General Fund turnback amounts along with those from the other general government areas, which as of that date, was net $95,000.  She explained that that net amount was lower than the schools’ figure because some departments had excesses while others had deficits, and said that those turnbacks were ongoing, and that these amounts were still preliminary.

Ms. Aldrich and Mr. Shaffer explained details of the various types of reimbursements, such as those from the Crocker Farm renovation, and the Health Claims Trust Fund, as well as the accounting that governs which fiscal year receives the accrual. 

Mr. Kusner said that the bottom line is that reserves increased from about $3 million at the end of FY06 to about $3.9 million at the end of FY07. 

Mr. Shaffer praised the work of Ms. Aldrich, Finance Director John Musante, and the rest of the Finance Department staff. 

Vince O’Connor referenced a memo he had submitted to the Select Board and spoke at length about specifics of the reserves and its expectations in the short and longer term, including details about reimbursements from the Health Claims Trust Fund; the goal of achieving reserve amounts equal to 8% of the operating budget by FY10; and details of the Governor’s Municipal Partnership Plan for tax relief and what it could mean for Amherst.  He said that the Elementary School budget was “the only unresolved issue” from Town Meeting, and said there had been “substantial” support for additional spending there, but that such increases had not passed.  He talked about five classes among the three elementary schools having class size and space issues, citing the specifics of each, and said that kids have better success in smaller classes.  He said he encouraged the Select Board to meet soon with the School Committee and Superintendent about these issues.  He said this was one area of the Town budget where additional spending might be justified, and said “Kids are very important.”  He said discussions need to occur before school starts, and reminded the Select Board that he had encouraged them at a Select Board meeting during Town Meeting to seek a Town Meeting vote to put additional Chapter 70 or reserve money toward reducing class size at the elementary schools.  He said that the Select Board is the body that receives the Town’s revenue information, not the School Committee, and said he urged them to present this information to the School Committee and Superintendent.

Ms. Brewer asked what the Select Board’s role was in this dialogue, beyond general discussion. 

Mr. Shaffer said that there are two sources of authority over the schools. He said the School Committee determines its policies and programs and that the Superintendent is the Chief Executive of the schools.  He said that Town Meeting appropriates money to the schools.  He said that according to the Town Government Act, the Select Board is responsible for Town policy recommendations, and said there is a presumption that they would be a “conduit of information” if they identify a policy need in the community, and would make recommendations accordingly. 

Mr. Weiss asked why the schools would turn back $135,000 when they had several oversize classes.  Mr. O’Connor said that is because they can’t spend last year’s money on this year’s staff, which he said the Regional Schools can do, but not the Elementary Schools. 

Mr. Kusner said that Mr. Shaffer had explained the formal roles of the different bodies and Mr. Kusner noted that another role of the Select Board is to call Special Town Meetings if necessary, and that they are the only ones with such authority.  He said he encouraged the School Committee and Superintendent to attend the next Select Board meeting to explore that option, and noted that it needed to happen soon because hiring is more difficult after the school year begins. 

There was additional discussion about the details of the free cash projections memo; Mr. O’Connor’s desire to establish a revolving fund for the schools to receive their Medicaid reimbursements; how that amount for FY08 would approximately cover the costs of two teachers and a paraprofessional; how such a fund could not be established for this fiscal year; and that those funds may or may not be being allocated to the schools this year anyway.

Ms. Greeney said that enough time had been spent on Mr. O’Connor’s memo, and that they weren’t ready to discuss whether or not the Select Board should call a Special Town Meeting on this topic.  She suggested it be put on the agenda for the next meeting, and to move on.

Mr. Kusner said that the School Committee and Superintendent should be encouraged to address this issue prior to the next Select Board meeting, and for them all to address it together then.

Ms. Greeney said that she was concerned that such a discussion would be premature since the reserve projections were preliminary and wouldn’t be finalized until September or October.  Mr. Kusner said that it was important to talk to the School Committee and Superintendent to see if this needed to be addressed before the numbers are finalized.  Ms. Brewer sought to clarify the intent of that meeting, saying that the numbers wouldn’t be any different, but that the goal was to see if the School Committee considered the necessity of hiring more teachers, and seeking more funds to do so through a Special Town Meeting, worth pursuing before the reserve totals are finalized.  Mr. Kusner agreed with her summary and said the situation was a question of risk to kids versus risk to finances.  

Mr. O’Connor went over the reserve projections again and said that the Town is on track to surpass the goal of 8% by FY10, and said that doesn’t even include potential money from the colleges and university.

There was discussion about the logistics of inviting the School Committee and scheduling that discussion on the August 13th agenda, how the discussion might still be premature due to the preliminary numbers, and the details of possibly scheduling a Special Town Meeting for the purpose of allocating more money to the schools. 

Mr. Shaffer said that it had to first be determined if this was a program need of the schools; that the School Committee had to be consulted to see if they have other solutions for dealing with such a need; and to then decide what the best option would be providing such funds.  He said that programs should drive appropriations rather than appropriations driving programs.

The Select Board voted unanimously to invite the School Committee and the Superintendent to the August 13th meeting to discuss the issues of class size, the cost of addressing class size needs, and the possibility of scheduling a Special Town Meeting for that purpose. 

ARA Election

Mr. Weiss reiterated his earlier point about the ARA election being postponed until September, and referenced Ms. Awad’s earlier suggestion that they take action to offset the July 23rd vote that had scheduled the election for this date and time. 

Mr. Shaffer apologized for the confusion and miscommunication behind this issue, and said it was no fault of the ARA.  He said that the ARA had signed a written notification of the vacancy on July 10th in order to schedule a joint meeting with the Select Board to fill that seat, and that it had ended up in Town Hall but didn’t reach the Select Board office until July 25th.  He said it was a perfect storm of e-mail problems, the ARA Chair being on vacation, and the ARA’s letter being misdirected in the building.  He called the situation a “snafu” on the Town’s part, and said the ARA had taken action to participate in the process. 

There was discussion with ARA Chair Fran VanTreese about e-mail problems and the availability of ARA members, and ultimately, 7:00 on September 17th was approved by unanimous Select Board vote as the scheduled time for the joint meeting and election to fill the ARA vacancy. 

Liaison Assignments and Reporting

Ms. Greeney talked about the need to consider committee assignments, as that had not been done since Ms. Brewer’s election to the Select Board.  She brought up the suggestion she had made at a recent meeting regarding having a standing agenda item for members to report on the work being done by the committees to which each is a liaison or representative, in order to keep the full Board informed.  After some discussion about having Mr. Shaffer vet the committee list of any which are inactive, Ms. Greeney recalled that she and Mr. Kusner had previously volunteered to do that task this summer.  Ms. Brewer asked if that would involve contacting Town staff or calling committee chairs, and Ms. Greeney said it would be primarily by her and Mr. Kusner pooling the knowledge both gained from their recent stints as Committee Appointments Clerk.  Mr. Kusner said they would bring initial recommendations to the full Board and that additional information would be required to determine for certain that a committee was no longer functioning.

Chapter 40B – Affordable Housing Inventory

Mr. Weiss asked Mr. Shaffer for a report on Amherst’s subsidized housing inventory. Mr. Shaffer reviewed with them a staff document from June 20th.  He said that the key points were that the Town needs to make sure the inventory of subsidized units is up to date, and that the State is made aware of all of them.  He said that no updates have been sent to the State since 2005, so that needs to happen.  He said the other key point was to negotiate with the owners of the current subsidized units to find ways of maintaining their affordability, and he said such efforts should start now.  He explained that Amherst’s percentage of affordable units would be counted in the 2010 census, but that the report on the Town’s status wouldn’t come out until 2011 or 2012.  He emphasized the importance of coming to an agreement in the near future with Rolling Green, for which the affordability requirement expires in 2013, because if no agreement can be reached, he said a new approach to maintaining 10% affordability will be necessary.  He said an agreement now would be the cheapest and most efficient way of maintaining that threshold. 

Mr. Kusner brought up the suggestion that had been made at Town Meeting about providing incentives for apartments that are not part of the official affordable housing inventory to become so, such as by using Town money to make repairs and renovations in return for securing an affordability clause.  Mr. Shaffer said that both tactics could be useful for meeting the Town’s goals.

Mr. Shaffer said the problem with the 40B law is that there are drastic repercussions associated with falling below 10%, and that no allowance is made for a community that falls slightly below versus one that has never achieved the 10% at all.  Mr. Weiss said that the point behind the Walpole initiative that they had discussed recently was to seek more leeway in the law regarding that issue.

Ms. Awad asked whether several existing and planned units were included in the report from Mr. Shaffer, and he said that they were not but needed to be.  Ms. Awad also suggested that legal amendments be sought to include units funded by Section 8 vouchers, which she said are not currently countable under 40B, and said that would help many communities.  She said that Amherst had successfully sought to make UMass’ North Village Apartments countable in the past.

Ms. Brewer suggested that the Hosing Partnership/Fair Housing Committee would be a good resource for a comprehensive list of the affordable inventory.  She asked about the reliability of the Federal census in accurately recording the Town’s inventory, referencing Amherst’s reported loss of population and how that was questionable.  She then asked how the planned negotiations with Rolling Green would occur, who would participate, and how long they might take.  She also asked about feasibility of the idea Mr. Kusner had suggested regarding investing in existing non-counted units in exchange for making them countable. 

Mr. Shaffer said he wary about being too specific about options, but that sources such as “small cities funding” could be available, and that once an availability amount was known, consideration could be made about how to subsidize the rehab of some units in return for making them officially “affordable.”  He said he would work with Community Services Director Roy Rosenblatt and the appropriate committees to determine which units might be appropriate and the length of time for which affordability might be secured.  He said that repairs wouldn’t necessarily have to focus on the units, but could include roofs or heating systems or other ways of reducing operational costs for construction projects.  He said they would need to develop tactics and determine what resources might be available.

 61A – Market Hill Road Update

Mr. Shaffer said he had been in touch with the attorney representing the property owners for what he described as a one-acre portion of a seven-acre parcel, in proximity to the Atkins Reservoir watershed.  He said the Town was notified that the owners had a purchase and sale agreement for that portion.  He said he had inquired with the attorney about the possibility of them selling not just Lot 1, but also Lot 2, and perhaps the entire parcel to Amherst, but had not heard back. 

Mr. Kusner said that the parcel was in the watershed of the Town’s main drinking water reservoir, and that it was in the Town’s interest to protect the raw water before it goes to the treatment plant, because its quality before treatment is key.  He said that preventing a mess was easier than cleaning one up.  He said that he had contacted colleagues from the five colleges and found several geoscientists who might be interested in serving on a task force regarding this and other watershed land.  He said that much of it had already been studied by the local colleges and that a task force might be able to locate existing information.   He said that such information would help them to create policy for similar situations and asked if the Town Manager or the Board would want him to pursue that. 

Mr. Shaffer said he would want the information if it is available, even apart from this particular case because of the importance of the watershed.  He said he had asked Conservation Director David Ziomek and Water Resources Director Robert Pariseau about obtaining such a study, and that they had estimated it might cost $5,000 to $10,000 to hire a geologist for that purpose.  Mr. Shaffer said that Mr. Pariseau said that with tight resources, and without knowing the hydrology of this parcel, that other parcels with streams which are known to flow directly into the reservoir might be a higher priority, and Mr. Ziomek agreed, and Mr. Shaffer said he was impressed with that argument.  Mr. Shaffer said that a way should be found to target those properties for acquisition, regardless of the decision made about the parcel in question.

Mr. Kusner noted the potential impact of development on the reservoirs and emphasized the cost savings of acquiring an undeveloped parcel versus a developed one.  He said that this is the parcel that currently has development pressure and should be prioritized. 

Mr. Shaffer said the Planning Board had recommended not exercising the Town’s right of first refusal on the parcel in question, and that he would continue to gather information on the subject.  Mr. Shaffer said that despite some concerns about procedural flaws in the notification letter, for practical purposes, he was considering the 120 day window of opportunity to date from that letter in June and to expire October 24th. 

Mr. Kusner said the Planning Board’s report and recommendation was not based on watershed concerns, and said that their opinion reflected the fact that there was nothing in the zoning bylaw that merited acquiring the property or not.  He said the Water Commission’s opinion would be more relevant. 

Mr. Weiss asked if action should be taken regarding the task force idea and the gathering of existing academic study information.  Mr. Shaffer said he would like to have the information if it exists, and said it could be integrated into the GIS system for easy accessibility.  Mr. Shaffer said he would like to coordinate with Mr. Kusner about the task force idea and then bring a recommendation to the Select Board.

Select Board Meeting Schedule   

The Select Board discussed meeting dates and the merits of starting the meeting at 6:15 versus 6:30.  During this discussion, Ms. Greeney asked about the Board’s progress on dealing with the summer agenda items they had each suggested. Mr. Weiss said that they were making progress and chipping away at that list.  Ms. Greeney talked about a regional homelessness study that is taking place through December, and she said it seeks to put together a 10-year plan for ending local homelessness.  She said that Mr. Rosenblatt is participating as a Town staff representative, but that she didn’t feel there was sufficient citizen participation from Amherst, and that she wanted that to be on the August 13th agenda.  Mr. Kusner suggested that the Homelessness Task Force members be encouraged to participate.  Ms. Greeney said that members of that task force were welcome to participate, but that she didn’t know if they were doing so, and that at the August 13th meeting she would like to discuss other participation because she said she didn’t want to miss such an opportunity for Amherst participation.  Ms. Brewer suggested that the Town Manager or the liaison to the Homelessness Task Force encourage that body’s participation, and said she wasn’t clear on why the Select Board would need to discuss that. 

Mr. Shaffer said that the mayors of Northampton and Holyoke had called together the chief executives of the area communities to talk about the regional nature of homelessness.  He said he attended the first meeting in Holyoke, and that it had featured a presentation about the necessity of taking a regional rather than community-by-community approach to the issue.  He said that dealing with homelessness requires collaborations at many levels, including community governments, hospitals, churches and universities.  He said that he asked Mr. Rosenblatt to represent Amherst on the committee.  He said it was important for the Select Board to know that Amherst was involved in this regional effort through himself and Town staff, that he takes it seriously and the Town will continue to participate, and that he is open to all suggestions from the Select Board. 

Ms. Awad suggested that the full meeting schedule of this regional group be obtained and distributed to members of the Homelessness Task Force, and posted at places such as the Bangs Center, the Amherst Survival Center, and the libraries, in order to attract other interested residents.  Ms. Greeney said she would forward the schedule as suggested, and noted that the Homelessness Task Force’s charge had expired at the end of June, and that their specific task was consideration of emergency homelessness issues.  Ms. Greeney suggested that expanding that charge could be discussed at the next Select Board meeting.

They then returned to the discussion of dates and times for Select Board meetings.  Ms. Awad raised an issue she termed “delicate,” and talked about the amount of participation by interested and concerned citizens.  She said that meetings are structured such that people who are present can comment, but that it needs to happen in a way that doesn’t unduly lengthen the meetings. 

Ms. Brewer said that Ms. Awad’s phrasing of the issue was more diplomatic than her (Ms. Brewer’s) e-mail on the subject.  She talked about her experience with public participation on the School Committee, and how that body had a document that spelled out expectations, including asking people to try to limit their comments to three minutes.  She said that such expectations provide guidance and consistency, and that without them, people couldn’t know what is expected.

Ms. Awad said that she wanted to stress that the Select Board is accessible to citizens and that she doesn’t want to close off their opportunity to be heard.  She said that a time limit would be helpful, and suggested prioritizing that all Select Board members be heard from on a topic before those in the audience are recognized to speak.  She said that the Select Board members are elected officials, and that it becomes confusing to the public when citizen comments and Select Board comments are mingled together.    

Ms. Greeney agreed that it was a good issue to discuss, and suggested they consider what the public’s role is at the meeting.  She said that input is welcomed, and suggested that perhaps five minutes at the beginning and end of the meetings would be sufficient, and would allow the Select Board to move more quickly through their own deliberations.

Mr. Kusner said he liked the idea of a short time for public comment but said he was concerned that if it was limited to the beginning of the meetings, that they might lose a valuable resource.  He said that public comments often help the Select Board’s discussions, and that he has learned much from them.

Mr. Weiss said that they had to be careful not to react too much to that night’s situation, which he said had been “quite long.”  He said that some nights there is none, and suggested not responding to that night’s occurrence by creating rigid guidelines. 

Ms. Brewer said that fall Town Meeting issues would be before the Select Board soon, and that certain individuals have sought to comment on every Town Meeting topic.  She said that it would be good to have written expectations in place before the work of Fall Town Meeting begins. 

Mr. Weiss urged citizens who wish to make full-scale presentations to the Select Board to contact the Select Board office by 4:30 on Thursday afternoons in order to get on the agenda of the next meeting. 

Ms. Greeney said she liked the idea of a time limit and suggested a time-keeping device similar to the ones used at Town Meeting. 

It was then moved to hold meetings at 6:30 p.m. on the following dates:  September 10th, 17th and 24th, October 1st, 15th, 22nd and 29th.  The vote in favor was unanimous. 

Select Board Reps/Liaisons to JCPC and the Chamber’s Govt. Affairs Committee

Finalizing the details of previous discussions, it was decided that Mr. Weiss and Ms. Greeney would be liaisons to the Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee, and that Ms. Greeney would be the lone representative to the Joint Capital Planning Committee (JCPC) with Mr. Weiss as the alternate, and that Ms. Awad would serve as a second representative to JCPC if that group would move its meetings to 5:00 p.m.  

Ms. Greeney reiterated her suggestion that liaison reports be a standard agenda item.  Mr. Kusner said that particularly made sense for the Chamber committee because it was not a regular Town committee, and urged that members read the Chamber’s newsletter. 

Consent Calendar

The Consent Calendar consisted of ten special liquor license requests for UMass events, and the vote to approve was unanimous.

Approval of Past Minutes

With discussion and corrections, the minutes of the July 23rd meeting were approved in a vote of 4 in favor, 1 abstaining, with Ms. Greeney abstaining because she had been absent for that meeting.

Ms. Brewer expressed concern that details and language included in the minutes of the April 27th joint meeting with the School Committee differed significantly from what is typically included in the Select Board minutes.  She said that she would either like to have some of that language removed, or alternatively, would like more detail added to provide additional information she considered important.  Ms. Awad said she felt strongly about the inclusion of some details as a potential for guiding future Select Boards, but that she was willing to remove other parts.  Once certain deletions were agreed to, the approval of that meeting’s minutes was unanimous. 

Special Liquor License

Mr. Weiss said a special wine and malt license was added to the agenda for a New England Organic Farming Association event at Hampshire College.  The vote to approve the granting of that license was unanimous. 

Closing Details

Mr. Weiss said he had decided to have the public comment regarding the Town Manager’s evaluation distributed to all the Select Board members.  Ms. Awad suggested that the Select Board’s evaluation materials be sent to Mr. Weiss electronically so it would be easier for him to compile.  Mr. Weiss said he would seek an electronic version of their form.

Mr. Kusner said he had no committee appointments that night and that Ms. Awad was taking over as Appointments Clerk.  He encouraged citizens to participate on committees by submitting the Citizen Activity Form on the Town web site. 

Ms. Brewer asked the Town Manager for an update on the Planning Board appointments.  Mr. Shaffer said he had interviewed three candidates for the two open positions, and had decided on one and was still considering the second, and said he hoped to have a recommendation at the August 13th meeting. 

Mr. Kusner said that an interesting letter had been received providing a different perspective about the Kanegesaki Sister City Committee.  He said that all the Select Board members had it in their packets and he encouraged them to read it.

Ms. Brewer asked when the Select Board’s evaluations of the Town Manager are due, noting that the public comment is due August 24th.  Ms. Greeney asked if public comment should be considered by the Select Board, and Mr. Weiss said yes.  It was decided that the Select Board’s evaluations would be due August 31st.

The meeting adjourned at 9:15 p.m.  The next Select Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 13th at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall.

-- Stephanie O’Keeffe