(12/17/07)  The Select Board met Monday, December 10th at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Room at Town Hall.  Gerry Weiss, Rob Kusner, Alisa Brewer, Hwei-Ling Greeney and Anne Awad were present, as was Town Manager Larry Shaffer.  Gail Weston took the minutes of the meeting.

Announcements and Agenda Items

Mr. Weiss said that a letter was received from Town Counsel saying that the deadline had passed requiring sprinklers in bars with capacities of more than 100 patrons.  He said that as the licensing board, the Select Board can deny license renewals to those not in compliance, and asked Mr. Shaffer to provide a list with the status of all such businesses, including the progress toward compliance of those currently non-complying.  Mr. Shaffer said he would do so.

Ms. Greeney said that a letter had been received from the Shutesbury Town Administrator requesting that two or three representatives from each town – Amherst, Hadley, Leverett, Shutesbury, Pelham and Sunderland – meet to discuss Mr. Shaffer’s proposal for those neighboring towns to pay more for the fire and emergency medical service provided to them by Amherst.  She asked about the Town Manager’s status on that issue. 

Mr. Shaffer said that such contract agreements are the purview of the Town Manager, and said he is not in favor of negotiating with all the towns together.  He said that a separate relationship is required with each one, as well as a separate contract.  He said that issues such as the volume of fire and EMS service provided and the distance traveled for each emergency call varied with each of the towns, and because of the different circumstances of each town’s calls, it would be easier to handle each contract separately.  He said that Hadley’s call numbers and the related revenues to Amherst were more significant than those of the smaller towns. 

Ms. Greeney asked about anticipating the new revenue from these agreements in the FY09 budget.  Mr. Shaffer said that it would be premature to count any revenue until an agreement exists, and said that such agreements are closer with some towns than with others, and that some might be ready for inclusion in the proposed FY09 budget.

Mr. Weiss said he had made an error at last week’s meeting when talking about what the Budget Coordinating Group (BCG) was proposing as per the Select Board and Finance Committee receiving joint budget presentations.  He said that that was just for the school budgets, not those of all Town departments.  He said that he assumed that the Select Board would support such joint presentations for the schools, since it had supported the larger concept of all departments.  Mr. Kusner said concerns raised during the Select Board’s discussion of the issue regarding the effectiveness of such an arrangement and the different sorts of questioning by each group were shared by members of the Finance Committee.  Ms. Awad suggested that they have one Town department present to both bodies jointly to see how that works.  Mr. Shaffer said it was up to the Select Board and Finance Committee, and that he would be happy to comply with whatever is decided. 

Mr. Weiss said the BCG would also be considering the relative merits of possible override scenarios.  He said he hoped the Select Board might meet in early February, suggesting the first Saturday, to discuss such issues. 

Public Comment

No one sought to be recognized for public comment.

Automated Complaint Tracking System  (6:43)

Information Technology Director Kris Pacunas talked about the next iteration of the Town web site, and how among the many new functions it will have will be the ability to receive, assign, and track requests and complaints from members of the public.  He said that users will fill out an electronic form, choose options from menus regarding the specifics of the complaint or request, write additional comments if desired, and then submit.  He said that each topic would be pre-assigned to one or more individuals, and that they would be immediately notified of the request.  The person submitting the request would also receive a summary of his or her submission, a tracking number, and the information on who has been notified of it.  He said that staff in the Town Manager’s office have said that it would not represent a significant increase to their workload to enter in such info for individuals who call, come into the office, or send letters to describe their concerns.

There was discussion about different technical and usability issues for how the system would work, and how it can be fully-customized to meet any sort of need.  Mr. Pacunas said he hopes it will be operational in late winter or early spring.   

Ms. Greeney said that for the purpose of “accountability,” she would like Mr. Pacunas to update the Select Board about the progress of the system at the end of February.  Mr. Pacunas said he would be happy to do so.

Dissolution of the UMass Subprecincts  (7:07)

Mr. Weiss said that the UMass Student Government Association (SGA) was seeking to dissolve the four campus subprecincts, and said that because the Select Board had authorized their creation, they must also authorize their dissolution. 

Aaron Buford, SGA President, said that turnout at the subprecincts has been low due to voter apathy, and that they were not cost effective with such low participation. 

Sarah Littlecrow-Russell, Director of the Center for Educational Policy Advocacy, said that the trend among students who vote is to do so by absentee ballot in their home towns, in part, she said, because financial aid is tied to residency.  She thanked the Town of Amherst and Town Clerk Sandra Burgess for the assistance and collaboration. 

Mr. Kusner said that when the voting equipment was leased to the SGA, it was for a five-year deal for $56,000, which he said the SGA has paid in full.  He said that the lease agreement had stipulated that the equipment could be used for SGA elections in addition to the Federal, State and local elections, and asked if that had been done.  Mr. Buford said that his understanding was that the equipment had not been used for SGA elections.

Mr. Buford said that the SGA is burdened by other costs associated with the subprecincts, and said that employing students to staff each election, purchasing insurance, and buying food for the participating students costs about $16,000 per year, and said that only a very small number – he said 13 – might vote in that time. 

There was some discussion about previous voting locations on campus, and the problem of apathy being greater than access.  Mr. Buford said that different ways of approaching that issue were being considered. 

There was discussion about the specifics of turnout for each of the four elections held at the subprecincts in the two years since they were created.  Ms. Littlecrow-Russell said that the election for Governor had about 500 voters, while other elections had single-digit and low-teen turnout per precinct.

Ms. Burgess said that there may be legalities of the agreement that Town Counsel should consider in its dissolution.  Mr. Shaffer said that he assumed there was no assumption by the SGA that the Town would be refunding any of its lease money, and would instead “consider it a wash.”  Ms. Littlecrow-Russell said there was no assumption of money being returned, and that it was clear to the SGA that the voting equipment belongs to the Town.

Mr. Kusner asked if the equipment would be useful to the Town.  Ms. Burgess said that the Town has all the equipment it needs, plus two spare sets, and said that adding the four sets from the SGA would be too much, and that further discussion would be needed as to whether they might best be sold or kept.

In separate votes for each subprecinct, the Select Board unanimously voted to reverse its votes from December 19, 2005, which had established subprecincts 3A, 4A, 9A and 10A.

Budget Priorities  (7:28)

The Select Board members each read or spoke about the budget priorities they wanted the Town Manager to consider in his budget preparation.

Mr. Weiss read from a document he had prepared.  He said he wanted the Town Manager to prepare the FY09 budget with the projected funds available and without use of reserves and without use of an override.  He said that he doesn’t believe the Select Board has the knowledge necessary to determine staffing levels in any department, and said that because staffing is the primary expense factor, it is up to the Town Manager to determine how best to distribute those funds.  He said that the Select Board can ask the Town Manager to keep Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) below historic numbers, which Mr. Weiss said has been 3% in recent years.  He said that to continue the COLAs at such levels while laying off teachers and Town employees was not fiscally prudent in the long run.  He said he would continue to advocate for comprehensive reviews of each department to see how services are delivered and whether reorganization is needed.  He said he believes that the Select Board can make recommendations about Human Service spending.  He said that entails payments to human service agencies, the swimming pools, LSSE subsidies, and senior services.  He said he would like to maintain funding to human service agencies at last year’s levels or to increase that amount.  He said he would like to keep both pools open, and to keep the social service subsidies.  He said that these elements represent a “miniscule” portion of the budget, and said human service agency funding represented less than half a percent of the Town budget, and about one-tenth of a percent of the full budget including Schools and Libraries.  He talked about growing economic inequality, reduced Federal support for social services, and said that the State is not filling in the gaps and that private fundraising is not enough.  He spoke of poverty in Amherst and how it causes many problems that most don’t see.  He said that this is a generous town and Town government, and that he wants to keep it that way.  He said that there is growing national sentiment that “someone else should provide for all our residents,” and that he didn’t want that notion to apply here.  He said that schools, public works, police and fire protection are all socialized and that social services should be part of that mandate as much as roads and public safety.  He said that Requests for Proposals (RFPs) should be sent immediately to the human service agencies requesting that they specify clearly what the money would be used for in Amherst and how many people would be served by it, and what would be not be provided if the agency did not receive the Town funds, and not simply to answer that it helps fund the agency’s operating budget.  He said he would welcome proposals for removing the agency funding from the general budget, and possibly covering the funds with Community Development Block Grants (CDBGs) or other options, but said that until then he wants that funding covered in the budget. 

Mr. Kusner said he had not written up his priorities, and instead spoke about them.  He spoke of a graph created by the Massachusetts Teachers Association that he said showed that the fraction of residents’ income that gets paid to the State and municipalities has declined over the last two decades.  He said that the public sector is being starved of revenues needed to serve the public.  He said that public transportation and the PVTA are being starved of funds, and that funding for roads and bridges is a problem nationally, and noted that local taxes don’t pay for that.  He spoke about the Governor’s plans to use revenues from casinos for that purpose, and how that was contrary to advice the Governor received that such costs could be covered by “a very modest 11 and a half cent per gallon motor fuels tax.”  He said that this trend is damaging to the public sector and he hopes that Mr. Shaffer would consider it as he prepares his budget.  He said that there are many necessary things that government has to do, including the human service work Mr. Weiss mentioned.  He said that he has seen programs offered by the schools decline in quality and the breadth of offerings, and said that that needs to be addressed. He said he would not be one seeking to not have an override and said he wishes he had spoken more firmly last spring.  He said he doesn’t think enough is being raised in taxes.  He said that while property tax is regressive and not very fair, that a 2.5% increase per year is not sufficient due to inflation, and said that more needs to be raised in local taxes.  He said that the Town Manager is responsible for budgeting only with the available money.  He said that if we continue to starve the public sector, the Town will no longer be able to provide necessary services and “will become different,” and that he doesn’t like the future he envisions under those circumstances.  He said he supported the priorities Mr. Weiss had outlined, with the addition of public transportation, which he said was supported by fees rather than taxes.  He said that there is an “absolute need to bring more revenue to the Town” which he said includes increasing taxes to near the inflation rate, and not limiting the increase to an arbitrary 2.5%.

Ms. Greeney had written up her priorities and distributed the document to the Select Board, and she read from that.  She said that anticipated reductions in State aid and the slow-down in local development will result in reduced funding for the Town.  She said she is committed to providing excellent public education and services to citizens despite having less funding available.  She said that to accomplish that requires “creative thinking,” and said that the “same old, same old” was not sufficient.  She said that her suggestions were to consider the possibilities for regionalization of services, suggesting dispatch service with UMass and police service with neighboring towns as options.  She suggested merging similar departments within the School and Town administration, and suggested that merging human resources, business, and information technology be explored with the School Superintendent.  She said she agreed that the Town Manager’s budget should not require an override or the use of reserve funds, and should conform to the Finance Committee’s budget guideline.  She said that the Town Manager needs to participate in good-faith bargaining, and said that the combination of COLAs and step increases has historically amounted to 6-7% salary increases for employees.  She said she doesn’t think that that can continue and said that employees in the public sector don’t get that amount of increase and hence would object to Town and School employees receiving such.  She suggested that increases of half that amount or 3% be considered.  She said that that was a general recommendation and would not harm good-faith negotiations.  She said that she was pleased with “the pre-emptive move” for cost-sharing of emergency services with the surrounding towns, and hoped that that could be finalized in time for the FY09 budget.  She said she supports negotiations about emergency services payments with Amherst College and Hampshire College, and said she will work to ensure Select Board support of those negotiations.  She said that she would like the Town Manager to study factors that “contribute to the disproportionate growth in fire and emergency costs.” She said she had spoken with Fire Chief Keith Hoyle and that he had said that many calls are for false alarms in apartments, and she said there might be more efficient and cost-saving ways of dealing with those.  She said her document contained a priority list that she would not read, and said she hoped the Town Manager would consider her suggestions to regionalize services and merge departments.  She said she appreciated the 95 surveys returned by Town Meeting members and members of the public regarding budget priorities, which she said she relied on in creating her priorities, and said without those, hers would be “baseless.” She thanked Mr. Weiss for spearheading that process, and said she hopes such a survey will be continued in the future and that its results can be tracked and analyzed.

Ms. Awad had not prepared a document and spoke about her priorities.  She praised Mr. Shaffer for starting his job last July and being able to create a budget within the Finance Committee guidelines for submission in January.  She said he could not have arrived during a more difficult fiscal situation, and said that ten years ago the Town was “flush,” and said that when she started on the Select Board, they “sailed through budget discussions every year because there was plenty of money.”  She said that things turned bad in 2002 and 2003 and have gotten harder each year.  She asked that the Town Manager honor the Finance Committee’s guidelines and not use any reserves.  She said that she doesn’t think the Town Manager’s budget could assume funds from an override, and said that that would be a subject for the Select Board to consider “if there is an obvious budget gap,” because it is the body that puts the override question on the ballot and picks an election date.  She said that everyone could remember last year’s Select Board meetings about the override, and said that every seat was filled in the audience and that it was tense and “an anguishing experience.”  She said that there was pressure to hurry the decision about putting the override question on the ballot for the Town election.  She said that the Select Board had resisted that because there was not enough information available “to inform the vote.”  She said that the override vote was held May 1st and was narrowly defeated.  She said it was a “divisive issue” for the Town, and said there were “nasty incidents” including sign destruction, and said that people were hurt, including candidates in the Town election.  She said she doesn’t know if there will be an override this year, and said that if so, she hopes people will work together to create an override that people will be willing to “sacrifice and pull together to support.”  She said that that was not meant as instruction for the Town Manager in creating the FY09 budget, but rather, was “therapy for last year.”  She said she thought regionalization was a good idea, and said she supported the possibility of regionalizing Veterans Services if that would be legal.  She said that the Franklin County Council of Governments works well and said inspections services there are done at the county level and that member towns pay into the system based on their populations.  She said that during the ambulance discussions with Hadley about ambulance services, it might also be found that they would be interested in sharing inspection services, and said that together they could be a pilot program.  She said that several years ago, a truck washing facility was a big issue and that Town Meeting approved it, and that one of the arguments in favor of it was that there was not such a facility on the east side of the river.  She said that the facility should be promoted for use by other towns for a fee, or that the cost and ownership should be shared among multiple towns.  She said by way of illustration that everyone in a neighborhood doesn’t need to own an extension ladder and suggested that the cost of rarely-used items be shared.  She said that she supports the departmental assessment already begun at Bangs Center, and would like to see more of that, and hopes its efficiencies can be incorporated into the budget. 

Ms. Brewer read from the document she had prepared for the October budget priorities meeting.  She said she wants the FY09 budget to include funding for a Revenue Development Coordinator, who she said would report to the Town Manager and receive clerical support from the Town Manager’s office.  She said that that person would have economic development experience and would be the point person for such issues that the Town Manager didn’t have time for, including regional efforts.  She said the person in that position could work with the departments “to ensure that maximum fees for services” were being received, and she said that that would free the Town Manager from that task.  She said she would like to see benchmarks developed for tax collection rates and how those might be improved.  She said that that would help show residents that the Town has its “house in order,” and would help counter people’s anecdotal stories about others who “didn’t pay their fair share.” She said that her experience on the School Committee makes her curious about how School and Town IT and HR departments might be combined, and said that perhaps it could play to both organizations strengths to have the Schools handle human resources, and to have the Town handle information technology, and said that such a merger would be “a huge cultural change.”  She said it is worth exploring and talking about, but said such a change would not be able to be implemented in FY09, but that it will be good to be able to tell the public what the status is of such a consideration.  She said she wants to maintain the Animal Welfare Officer position.  She said she is concerned about discussions about contract negotiations and called the system of step increases “entrenched,” and something that would not change overnight.   She said there seems to be a sense that the financial situation will improve, and said she doesn’t agree with that.  She said the Town needs to take care of itself and if it can’t collect more in taxes that Amherst will become “a different community.”  She said it is already changing and will continue to do so, and many can’t afford to stay here now.  She said she doesn’t think there is hope of having things the way they were ten years ago.   She said there is no expectation of an increase in lottery aid; there would not be a meals tax this year; and there would not be health insurance reform probably for several years.  She said we should not assume that we will get any of those soon, and said that we have been “guilty of that as a community in the past.”   She said she has doubts about getting the neighboring communities “to pay their fair share” for emergency service in FY09.  She said that regionalization could be an excellent opportunity, and said it needs to be considered why the Hampshire County Council of Governments fell apart and why the Franklin County one is effective.  She said that she agreed that the Select Board should not be making recommendations on staffing numbers, and said that they end up focusing on pools, trails and human service agency funding instead.  She said it is important to remember that there are three pools at issue, not two.  She said that it is helpful to share as much information as possible with the public about what cost savings attempts have been tried and implemented, what improvements have been made, and what the status is of issues like insurance and changes to the permitting system.  She said that will show that Town government is functioning and doing a good job.  She said that because that is not always obvious, some people think that giving more tax money to the Town is a reward, and so she said she would like to see more transparency with the process.

Mr. Weiss asked Mr. Shaffer if he had any questions for the Select Board.

Mr. Shaffer said the Select Board had been very clear and that he appreciated the members’ time and effort.  He said he would “do everything in (his) power not to disappoint the Select Board and the community.”  He said that departmental budget reviews have been completed and that there is both good and bad news.  He said he has no intention of creating a budget that uses reserves or infers an override.  He said the question of an override is the community’s decision.  He said that there have been interesting developments as well as additional challenges beyond those originally projected, and that he looks forward to reporting on those and working together on the budget.

Mr. Weiss asked if Mr. Shaffer would be offering a “sneak preview” of the budget at the next meeting, and Mr. Shaffer said that he hoped to do so.

Ms. Greeney said that she had neglected to mention the need for stability and predictability in the budget process, and said that she believes that that requires three-year financial projections.  She said it was important to look at implications of FY09 spending in FY10 and FY11.  She said it was important to look at how staffing levels and salary costs would grow in those years, and said that it involved multi-year planning.  She said that what she is describing is different than the multi-year plan that was proposed last year which she said had required override revenue be put aside in order to provide revenue stability.  She said her suggestion is to predict the level of service available without an override.  She said that would help the community answer the question of whether or not an override is needed. 

Mr. Weiss said that the BCG has asked Finance Director and Assistant Town Manager John Musante for three-year projections for the late January BCG meeting that he said would inform the Select Board’s early February meeting on the topic.  Ms. Greeney said they had been given those projections in October.  Mr. Weiss said they would be updated in January, and both agreed the projections would probably not change much. 

Mr. Kusner said that the group was only looking at the dollar figures, and said that the taxes collected are limited by an arbitrary formula.  He said that less and less “collective resources of our community, our State and our nation” are being made available for the necessities of government.  He said that a smaller fraction of the overall wealth is available for public purposes.  He said while the focus is on numbers and formulas, “Rome” “is burning” and said that the situation needs to be looked at in a different way.  He said that it had been mentioned that the Town employee COLAs are higher than those in the private sector, and said that if the private sector is making more money and less of it is going to the public, someone is getting that money, and it isn’t the public sector.   He said we need to readjust the tax system to make it fairer, and said that the public sector is being starved of its fair share of what is needed for the “common weal,” and called that a “big problem.”

Ms. Awad said that she couldn’t believe she would speak in favor of Proposition 2 ½, which she said she vehemently opposed when it was enacted.  She said that it had been a reaction to property tax inequities, and said that increase of 5% and 7% were a burden to property owners on fixed incomes.  She said that the State is “relatively stagnant” and not bringing in new wealth.  She said that Proposition 2 1/2 has prevented property tax lawsuits that have occurred in other states.  She said that until the Federal tax code and its “trickledown” to States and towns is looked at, she said she “would leave Proposition 2 ½ alone.” She said people should complain about the war and other factors that stifle needed resources.   

Mr. Weiss suggested that they save additional discussion on this topic for the February meeting, and said that talk of Proposition 2 ½ would not help Mr. Shaffer create the budget. 

Mr. Kusner said that he agreed with Ms. Awad particularly about focusing attention on the State level. 

Ms. Greeney said that she agreed with Ms. Awad about the Franklin County Council of Governments as a regionalization model.  She said that she supports and Economic Development Director position and suggested it might be one that could be shared jointly among neighboring towns.  She said that “downsizing” the Planning and Conservation departments could help pay for an economic development position.  She said it was important to try new things and to “think outside the box” and stressed the need to maintain the Town’s quality of life and school quality. 

Mr. Kusner said that an Economic Development Director might be tasked with redevelopment of local brownfield sites.  He said that that would require environmental remediation and technical skills that would be different than the “cheerleader skills” that he said an Economic Development Director would need in a role of promoting the Amherst for business development.  On the subject of the Hampshire and Franklin county governments, he said that Franklin County might be different because it has one natural hub and many smaller towns.  He said it might be possible to make Amherst a hub, and said he hoped that some regionalization might be possible.

Ms. Brewer said she objected to the characterization of an Economic Development Director as a cheerleader position.  She said that she agreed that someone focusing on brownfield redevelopment would need specific skills and suggested that such a role might be more appropriate to be funded by a grant.  She said that a Revenue Development role is one that would be needed on a permanent basis, and she was unsure of whether such a position could be shared among towns.  She asked if the budget plan was shaping up to be a one-year plan or a three-year plan, and asked about what percentage of the tax levy is being considered for capital support. 

Mr. Shaffer said that the Town Government Act requires a one-year budget, and said it anticipates future budgets.  He said he wouldn’t submit a budget “seeded with problems for the future.”   He said that there are two “themes” to the budget for the Select Board and Finance Committee to consider:  reorganization and the use of present surpluses to reduce future year obligations in the General Budget.  He said he has been “pleasantly surprised” with the results of those initiatives.  He said he is confident that the community will be able to resolve its budget issues because he said it has resources and assets beyond many other communities in the region.

Ms. Brewer asked again about the capital budget.  Ms. Greeney said that she (Ms. Greeney) and Ms. Awad are representatives to the Joint Capital Planning Committee (JCPC,) and that that committee would not meet until January, and that there would be no new information to report until then.

Mr. Kusner said that the four portable classrooms for Mark’s Meadow approved at the fall Town Meeting would have other costs associated with them, and cited teachers as key among those expected new costs. 

Mr. Weiss said that they could have a preliminary discussion about capital spending at the February meeting. 

There was much discussion about the optimal timing for when the Select Board should take up the budget, in relation to when the Town Manager submits it and when other groups meet to consider and make recommendations about it.  Ms. Greeney suggested that another meeting be scheduled before the January 28th meeting.  Others felt that the January 28th meeting was well-timed and that an additional meeting was not necessary.

Select Board Meeting Schedule  (8:44)

The Select Board voted unanimously to set the following Monday meeting dates:  January 7th, 14th, and 28th; February 4th, 11th and 25th, all at 6:30 p.m., as well as Saturday, February 2nd at 2:00 p.m. 

Special Liquor License

The Select Board voted unanimously to approve a special all-alcohol license for a December 11th event at UMass.

Annual License Renewal

The Select Board voted unanimously to approve the renewal of seven Common Victualler licenses for businesses not specified. 

Ms. Awad questioned a sandwich board outside of Subway, wondering if the sandwich board itself was properly permitted, and whether the 2:00 a.m. closing time it featured had been approved.  Ms. Weston said that the closing time had been approved.  Mr. Weiss said that sandwich boards were “proliferating” and making the downtown look “shabby.”  Mr. Shaffer said he would check into that situation.  Ms. Brewer said she wanted to make it clear that the Select Board supports visibility for the businesses, but that once one business puts out a sandwich board, others feel pressured to do so as well.  Mr. Weiss said that they want to help the businesses advertise without using sandwich boards. 

Environmental Bond Bill  (8:50)

Mr. Weiss said that Mr. Kusner sought to have the Select Board endorse an environmental bond bill put forth by the Massachusetts Audubon Society.  The vote to sign a letter of support was unanimous.

Town Meeting Dates  (8:53)

There was discussion about when to begin Town Meeting and the possibility of starting it in the middle of April and not meeting during school vacation week.   A letter to the Select Board from the Finance Committee requested that it not start early, but the sense of the Select Board was that as long as budget articles weren’t addressed in the early sessions, then it shouldn’t be a problem.  People expressed various preferences and concerns regarding different scheduling options.  Ms. Weston said that she would check to see if April 14th and 16th were possible start dates. 

Committee Appointments  (9:08)

Ms. Brewer recommended the appointment of John Tobiason to the Water Supply Protection Committee.  Mr. Kusner said he wanted to disclose that he has known Mr. Tobiason for a long time, and that their sons know each other also.  Ms. Greeney said that she wanted to disclose that Mr. Tobiason is a strong supporter of the Not Bread Alone program, with which Ms. Greeney is employed.  The vote to approve the appointment was unanimous.

Ms. Brewer recommended the appointment of Jesse Schwalbaum to the Water Supply Protection Committee.  Mr. Schwalbaum has been a member of the Aquifer Protection Committee, which is being subsumed by the Water Supply Protection Committee.  The vote to approve his appointment was unanimous.

Ms. Brewer recommended the appointment of Lyons Witten to the Water Supply Protection Committee.  Mr. Witten has also been a member of the Aquifer Protection Committee.  The vote to approve his appointment was unanimous.

Mr. Kusner said that the new committee now has four members, enough for a quorum.  He said that an additional member is the State geologist, and that there are two more slots that could be filled by members of the Agricultural Commission, the Conservation Commission, or the Planning Board, which he said were optional, and said he hoped those with geosciences expertise might apply.

Executive Session  (9:15)

Mr. Weiss said that the Select Board would go into executive session to discuss non-union employee compensation, and said they would not return to open session.  The roll call vote in favor of going in to executive session was unanimous.

The open meeting ended at 9:16 p.m.  The next Select Board meeting will be held Monday, December 17th at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall.

-- Stephanie O'Keeffe