The next year, I want to do it again.  This time, people start talking about the 2007 Red Sox, and how they won a championship too, so a celebration of that team should be included.  So I say, “No, no, I love the 2007 team too, but my parade isn’t about various championships – it’s just about the 2004 team.” 

Then other people start talking about the 1986 Red Sox, and how they almost won, and it shouldn’t just be about winning anyway, so they want that to be included too.  So I say, “No, no – my parade isn’t about great Red Sox seasons or the team in general, it’s just about the 2004 team.” 

Then the Yankees fans start talking about how many transplanted New Yorkers there are in town, and what would the Red Sox be without the Yankees anyway, so they want to include a celebration of the Yankees in the parade too, and this time they want A-Rod to be Grand Marshal.  So I say, “WHAT?!? Are you kidding me?  This is a 2004 Red Sox parade!  I don’t want to celebrate the Yankees and I sure as heck won’t have A-Rod as Grand Marshal.  This is ridiculous.” 

Then Milwaukee Brewers fans start talking about how the parade is a celebration of baseball and they want to be included too, along with special tributes to all the other teams.  So I say, “No – you don’t understand, this parade isn’t about celebrating baseball in general, this is just about celebrating the 2004 Red Sox.” 

The Town Manager tells me he is getting a lot of pressure from all these other fans.  They are putting the squeeze on him – especially those Yankees fans.  He is insisting that I include them, but I don’t want to – it would turn my parade into a different parade all together.  He says that I am attempting to stifle free speech and that I can’t have a parade about baseball without including all baseball perspectives.  So I say, “Can’t these folks have their own parades?  Why can’t we have different parades with different kinds of baseball themes?” 

He says that part of the problem is that my parade is held on the anniversary of Babe Ruth’s birth, and that that is a special day for baseball fans, so they all should get to participate.  “Come on now,” I say, “if it’s so special to them, why hadn’t they had a parade on that day before?  And there are lots of other special baseball anniversary days they could commemorate.”

Nope, he says.  These folks are very persistent.  Either they get to be in your parade, or the Town will take the parade over and turn it into a celebration of all things baseball.  And maybe soccer.  And bowling.  And probably any other competitive endeavor that wishes to participate.

And this is different from the Fourth of July Parade controversy how?

-- Stephanie O’Keeffe

www.StephanieOKeeffe.com

I hope to be able to write about other topics on inAmherst.com.  I will be completing the unfinished recaps here as soon as I can.

Thanks so much for your loyal readership of this site!  I hope the new site proves at least as valuable to you, and I appreciate your patience as I try to find the right focus and voice for both.

-- Stephanie O'Keeffe  

•    Warrant for the 4/28/08 Annual Town Meeting

•    Scheduled Town Meeting dates are: Monday, April 28; Wednesday, April 30; Monday, May 5; Monday, May 12; Wednesday, May 14; Monday, May 19; Wednesday, May 21; and Wednesday, May 28.

•    The Finance Committee’s Report for Spring 2008 Town Meeting

•    The Joint Capital Planning Committee’s Report for Spring 2008 Town Meeting.

•    The Town Manager’s FY2009 Budget.

•    The Amherst Elementary Schools’ FY2009 Budget.

•    The Regional School System’s FY2009 Budget.

•    The Library’s FY2009 Budget.

•    Town Meeting section of the Town web site, with additional information related to selected articles, lists of current Town Meeting members, past Town Meeting information and more.

•    Stephanie O’Keeffe’s Town Meeting blog.

•    ACTV Town Meeting rebroadcast schedule.

•    Town Meeting Tally Vote Database, with five years of voting history for all Town Meeting members.

•    Full results from the Spring 2007 Annual Town Meeting and the Fall 2007 Special Town Meeting.

Below is a summary of the recommendation process and current status of each article on the warrant for the Spring 2008 Annual Town Meeting. For each article on the warrant, the Select Board and the Finance Committee vote on what to recommend to Town Meeting with respect to the article; the Planning Board and School Committee do the same for zoning-related and school-related articles, respectively. The results of each board's decision with respect to each article is shown in the table below. 

Mouse over the votes for more info; Finance Committee votes link to the Finance Committee report to Town Meeting.

The trophy tour is made possible by a partnership between the Boston Red Sox and the Massachusetts State Lottery. 

Public Comment

David Keenan expressed appreciation for the Select Board office providing Select Board meeting packets to the Select Board candidates.  He said the practice of having the packets delivered to the homes of Select Board members by the Police Department is a “gross misuse” of Town resources, and said that was something he had spoken against when he was on the Select Board in the past.  He noted that most of the packet material was generated on computer and could probably be distributed electronically, and he suggested posting those materials on the Town web site so that the public could access them as well.  He said that he had requested that the packet that gets mailed to him as a candidate instead be held at Town Hall for him to pick up.  He suggested that changing the practice of the Police delivering packets could result in cost savings, and asked the Select Board to consider that and inform him about a decision on the issue.

Ted Jarowski of Hazel Avenue talked about concerns related to parking, emergency vehicle access, snow removal access and protection of the new landscaping work that Amherst College has done on that street, which he said is a dead end with access to the bike path.  He had brought his concerns to the Select Board in October after having sent a letter on the same subject.  He was seeking “No Parking” signs for certain areas of the street, which required coordination with other property owners.  Mr. Shaffer said that he and Department of Public Works (DPW) Superintendent Guilford Mooring would meet with Mr. Jarowski to determine the best way to address the concerns with the new information provided regarding lack of agreement among the property owners on the street for making one side a “No Parking” zone.  Ms. Greeney expressed appreciation for Mr. Jarowski’s patience, and concern that the issue wasn’t being addressed promptly, which she said highlighted the need for a complaint tracking system.

Farmers Market – Closing Spring Street Parking Lot  (6:45)

The Select Board approved the request to close the Spring Street parking lot for the Farmers Market on Saturdays from May 3rd to November 15th, for 7:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  The vote to approve the request was 3 in favor, 2 absent.

Taxi License  (6:50)

The Select Board approved a taxi driver and chauffeur license for Bob Thun.  The vote to approve the license was 3 in favor, 2 absent.

Special Liquor Licenses

The Select Board approved special liquor licenses for four events at Hampshire College, seven events at UMass, and one event at Amherst College.  The single vote to approve all the licenses was 3 in favor, 2 absent.

Complaint Management System  (6:57)

Information Technology Director Kris Pacunas talked about the “request tracker” system that would be part of the Town’s new web site.  He said that the request tracker would include complaints as well as other questions and issues, and said it would allow those submitting requests to be able to track them, see who was assigned responsibility for handling them, and receive status updates.  He said the Select Board would be invited to give feedback on the system, and said he hoped it would debut June 20th.

Mr. Pacunas explained, as he had at the December 10th Select Board meeting, that those using the system would choose from a list of categories and check boxes that would route their issue to the appropriate person and department, and that all parties would receive e-mail status updates, and would also be able to access the status on-line using the number assigned to the request.  He spoke again of the ability for Town staff to enter requests received by letter or phone into the system, and how that was not expected to represent an increase in workload over the current system of processing such requests. 

Mr. Shaffer praised the system and the work of Mr. Pacunas and the I.T. Department.  He said that work still needed to be done, and that a complicating factor is routing and coordination of issues that involve multiple departments, such as public right-of-way issues which he said can involve the Police Department, the DPW, the Select Board and the Town Manager’s office and others.  He said consideration of how to handle such issues in the new system is still underway.

Mr. Pacunas said that the request tracker is part of a comprehensive make-over of the Town web site, which he said was necessary to address accessibility compliance issues. 

There was discussion about various meetings for the new system that Select Board members might opt to participate in, and that the system would debut at a Select Board meeting before its official public launch.

Public Works Update – Atkins Corner  (7:12)

Mr. Mooring presented visuals to illustrate the status of the Atkins Corner redesign project.  He had made the full presentation on the project to the Select Board on January 14th, but technical difficulties precluded access to the visuals that night.   

Mr. Mooring sought a letter from the Select Board to Mass Highway, expressing support for the project, the desire for it to be done promptly and to come in within budget.  There was discussion about how communities involved in State-funded projects such as this one need to agree to cover cost overruns, and how working closely with the State can help prevent the delays that lead to such overruns. 

The vote to authorize the Select Board Chair to notify Mass Highway of the Select Board’s support for the project and plan was 3 in favor, 2 absent.

Public Works Update – University Drive  (7:22)

Mr. Mooring repeated his explanations from the January 14th meeting regarding University Drive work, and how it is divided in to three sections – the Big Y entrance, the Amity Street intersection, and the middle span between the two.  He said that final design plans are complete for the Big Y part, redesigning that to a “T” intersection with a traffic light.  He said that conceptual plans for adding left turn lanes at the Amity Street intersection rather than creating a roundabout there were complete, but that there were still issues to finalize there.  He said that there was not agreement yet on a recommendation for the middle section, which he thought would ultimately be a hybrid of the “boulevard” concept with a treed center island, and the center turn lane concept, but that consideration of those options was ongoing.  He said that going forward with the Big Y and Amity Street plans would not impact or limit the options for the middle section.

There was discussion about the goal of the Amity Street intersection redesign being to address issues of severe back-ups caused by vehicles making left-turns from University Drive as traffic leaves UMass in the afternoons.  Mr. Mooring said the new configuration would help that, but would not affect morning traffic en route to UMass going through neighborhoods, because he said that is a result of people seeking alternate routes to bypass Route 9 back-ups of cars turning left on to University Drive. 

The Select Board voted to approve going forward with the plans to redesign the intersection of Big Y plaza and University Drive, and to support continued development of the plans for left-turn lanes at the intersection of Amity Street and University Drive, in a vote of 3 in favor, 2 absent.

Public Works Update – Middle Street Stop Signs 

Ms. Awad said that consideration of Middle Street stop signs would be deferred until Mr. Weiss could be present.

Public Works Update – Downtown Sidewalks and Trees  (7:49)

Ms. Awad said there had been concern about downtown trees, and that one in front of the Post Office had died.  She spoke about structural soil and larger root areas, and said she was concerned that the Select Board had authorized a design with flawed tree wells. 

Mr. Shaffer noted that Tree Warden Alan Snow was present, and would be addressing the Select Board.  Mr. Shaffer said that Town administration, including the DPW Director, was “in 100% agreement” with the Tree Warden’s recommendations.  He said that all involved are committed to strong, healthy trees to beautify downtown, and he said that he looked to the Tree Warden to determine what was needed to ensure that.  He said that Town administration is committed to carrying out the Tree Warden’s recommended course of action, and said “I think it’s important for the Select Board to hear that message.”

Mr. Snow said the he and the Public Shade Tree Committee had worked with Mr. Mooring and Town Engineer Jason Skeels on sidewalk reconstruction plans, and he said that all the elements they discussed were incorporated into those plans.  He talked about structural soil and continuous soil volume extending beneath the sidewalk to allow tree roots to grow laterally.  It was noted that the surface opening of the tree well is approximately the same size as in the past, but that the soils extend to a larger area underground.

Ms. Awad asked about the trees in front of the Post Office.  Mr. Snow said one showed some decline and that a small gas leak had been identified nearby, which he said is “very detrimental to trees.”  He said that one tree was dead and would be replaced in the spring, and talked about the importance of follow-up care for the first three years of a replanted tree’s life, in terms of extra watering and mulching.  He said that current DPW staffing would only allow for adequate follow-up care for ten new trees, and said that as more trees are planted, community volunteers will be recruited and trained in how to water, mulch and prune new trees.  He said that the Public Shade Tree Committee will be kicking off this “Neighborhood Tree Steward Program” on Arbor Day, Saturday, April 26th.

Ms. Awad asked if Mr. Snow felt that the design plan was adequate to address the stresses on trees in a downtown environment.  Mr. Snow said that it is a “great plan for street trees,” and said that Mr. Mooring had been very cooperative in these efforts.

Ms. Awad asked if the previously-planted trees could be dug up to have structural soils added, and Mr. Mooring said that that would not work. 

Mr. Snow said that there is no money available yet to purchase new trees for this section of North Pleasant Street.  He talked about pursuing fundraising and other capital options, and said that a campaign seeking 250 trees for the town’s 250th anniversary would also be launched on Arbor Day.  Ms. Awad noted that Nancy Gordon had established a small tree fund to assist with tree purchases for the west side of North Pleasant Street.

Mr. Mooring said that plans are underway for the west side.  He noted that there is not much opportunity to plant trees from the Amity Street corner down to Amherst Brewing  Company, and that three trees are planned in front of the former D’Angelo’s/Via-Via building.  He said that discussions are still underway with property owners to the north, for the CVS and Roberts buildings. 

Ms. Greeney asked about the planters in front of CVS, which she said were an “eyesore.” Mr. Mooring said that they were slated for removal in spring of 2009, and Ms. Greeney recommended that the Select Board consider accelerating that removal plan.  Mr. Shaffer said that he would like to discuss the matter with the DPW and bring back a recommendation, noting that there were related issues such as patching the pavement for pedestrian safety that needed to be considered. 

Town Manager’s Report – Budget Update  (8:11)

Mr. Shaffer said that the Budget Coordinating Group (BCG) is working on a process for fact-finding and gathering public input to create a long-term financial plan covering three to five years.  He said that the BCG would make a presentation at the next Select Board meeting and would be seeking the Select Board’s input and endorsement before moving forward. 

Review of Town Meeting Article List  (8:12)

Ms. Greeney asked about the status of the social host nuisance bylaw proposal being reviewed by Town Counsel, noting that it was not included on the list of Town Meeting articles.  Mr. Shaffer said he would check on that.  Ms. Greeney and Ms. Awad both emphasized that the UMass Campus Community Coalition had intended that the article be on the spring warrant.

Ms. Brewer asked when the Select Board would start hearing from different departments regarding the budget.  Ms. Awad said that would begin in the next week or two, and that Mr. Weiss was working on it.  Ms. Awad noted that the Fire Chief and Firefighters Union were scheduled for the next meeting, and thought that the fire budget might be handled then.  Ms. Brewer said that that would be March 24th, and that there would be no meeting on March 17th.  [Note:  this is now in question, and the expectation is that there will be a meeting on March 17th.]

Liquor License Renewal – Cherry Hill  (8:17)

The Select Board voted 3 in favor, 2 absent, to renew the seasonal wine and malt license for Cherry Hill Golf Course.

Committee Appointments (8:18)

Ms. Brewer recommended the appointment of Tony Maroulis to the Town Commercial Relations Committee. The vote to approve the appointment was 3 in favor, 2 absent.

The meeting adjourned at 8:19 p.m.  The next meeting of the Select Board is expected to be Monday, March 17th at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall.

-- Stephanie O’Keeffe

Public Comment

Mr. Weiss announced that construction would begin in mid-March on a bridge on East Leverett Road, and would last 15-21 months, and he said that the bridge would not be open for travel during construction.  He said that this is a State project, and that updates from the State were expected.

David Clooney, President of the Amherst Firefighters local 1764, said that many union members had been troubled by discussion at last week’s meeting about emergency services revenue from other towns.  He said that he would like to be recognized at a future meeting along with Fire Chief Keith Hoyle to present alternate models of ambulance call costs.  He said that it is important for the Select Board, the Town Manager and the public to understand that any decrease in minimum staffing levels compromises the department’s ability to provide firefighting service to Amherst.

Mr. Weiss said that this would be made a scheduled agenda item, probably for the March 17th meeting. 

John Root asked that the Select Board consider supporting and promoting “Earth Hour,” at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 29th, when cities and towns across the world will voluntarily turn off lights, to highlight the need for reducing energy use and to think creatively about how to do that.  Assured that participation was not mandatory, that street lights could stay on, and that it was up to individual residents and businesses to determine how many if any lights to turn off, the Select Board voted 4 in favor, 1 absent to support the event. 

Special Liquor Licenses  (6:39)

The Select Board voted 4 in favor, 1 absent to approve special liquor licenses for a Hitchcock Center event in March to be held at Amherst College, and a UMass event in April.

Committee Appointments

Ms. Brewer recommended the appointment of Michaela DeAngelis to the Committee on Homelessness.  Her appointment was approved in a vote of 4 in favor, 1 absent.

Select Board Representation at Zoning Sub Committee Meetings (6:41)

There was discussion about the possibility of other Select Board members attending the next couple of Zoning Subcommittee meetings, due to Mr. Kusner being away in March and Ms. Awad not being available for the next couple of weeks.  No one volunteered, and Ms. Awad requested that she receive a packet of the subcommittee’s work, as has occurred in the past when she has not been able to be present.  Mr. Musante said he would follow up on her request.

Taxi License  (6:45)

The Select Board approved a taxi driver and chauffeur license for John Howard Rae, who will drive for Celebrity Cab Company.  The vote approving the license was 4 in favor, 1 absent.

Approval of Meeting Minutes  (6:46)

With some corrections and amendments, the Select Board approved the minutes of the December 10th, 2007 meeting, in a vote of 3 in favor, 1 absent and 1 abstention, with Ms. Brewer choosing to abstain.

Police Fees for Common Use  (6:50)

Mr. Weiss explained that there had been concern about a new policy to charge groups for police details for events on the Town Common that are determined to warrant that protection.  He said that the policy and the concerns had been relayed to Town Counsel, who had determined that such fees may be considered unconstitutional, and restraining free speech.  Town Counsel indicated that more information was needed before a formal decision could be reached, and Mr. Weiss said that the Town Manager expects to instead just end the policy.  There was brief discussion as to whether or not the policy needs to be removed from the books or whether it was not to be in effect unless and until it was found to have legal backing anyway. 

Town Manager’s Report – Pelham Road Mail Boxes  (6:52)

Mr. Musante said that Mr. Shaffer had been in touch with the Post Master regarding the issue of people on Pelham Road needing to cross the street to get to their mail boxes, and the Post Master said that a petition was needed from residents seeking a change in mail box location.  Mr. Musante said that staff is gathering information and will survey the neighborhood to determine if residents desire such a change, before forwarding the request to the Post Master. 

Town Manager’s Report – Budget Update  (6:53)

Mr. Musante said that there is consensus among the members of the Budget Coordinating Group (BCG,) made up of representatives from the Select Board, Finance Committee, School Committee and Library Trustees, to develop a multi-year financial plan and to engage the community to determine desired service levels and how those would be funded.  He said that the focus is two-part: on FY09 in the short term, and on FY10 and beyond in the longer term. 

He said that elements of the long-term plan include:  establishing financial policies; finding efficiencies across the Town, School and Library budgets; pursuing economic development; strengthening partnerships with UMass and the colleges; being aggressive with legislative strategy in pursuit of revenue-sharing and local option taxes; staying current with the capital plan; developing a strategy regarding use of reserves; aidentifying desired services level and determining how to fund any gap that might exist.   

For FY09, he said that once all the local taxes and receipts, new revenues from UMass and Amherst College for emergency services, and State aid projections are considered and compared to the current draft budgets from the Town, Schools and Libraries, the initial gap is $1.45 million.  He said that the Schools would be presenting a budget on March 4th with revised projections, lowering their rate of spending increase for FY09 from 8.4% to less than 5%.  He said that with the Town and Library budgets coming in “at or near” the Finance Committee’s 2% guideline, and with capital plan investment remaining at the FY08 level of 7% of the tax levy, that would reduce the gap to less than half a million dollars. 

He said that amount might decrease further.  He said that recent trends related to the Health Insurance Trust Fund showed decreased claim levels, and that he expected to soon recommend that the projected expense increase be reduced from 12% to 6% or 8%. 

Mr. Musante said that a consideration could be to use a small amount of reserves to fund the gap, while still allowing overall growth in reserve levels.  He said that the Finance Committee is evaluating that possibility, and might reluctantly consider it, if it were to be a bridge to a longer-term financial plan. 

Mr. Musante said that next steps for looking at FY10 and beyond include more assessing of community priorities and community preferences for different options such as: maintaining or reducing service levels, or seeking new services and restorations for the future.

 Regarding the long-term plan, he noted:

• That much progress had been made in developing a comprehensive set of financial policies with input from the Select Board and other bodies, and that the community now needs to be educated about them and what they mean.
• That an area he would be looking at for increasing revenues and decreasing costs would be user fees, and where they can be implemented and at what levels.
• That a “blue ribbon panel” was analyzing where efficiencies might be found and consolidations might occur among the Town, School and Library management structure, and that benchmarking Amherst’s performance to that of peer communities would be sought.
• That appropriate economic development opportunities are being pursued in the near-term for the North Amherst Professional Research Park parcels; on University Drive; with the Lord Jeff renovation and the expansion of the downtown business district on Spring Street; with the Veridian Village project at Hampshire College; with the Atkins Corner redevelopment project; and through other opportunities that might be brought forward.  He said that it makes sense to establish specific targets and goals for these efforts, and said that Mr. Shaffer has talked about aiming to increase the tax base by 10% or $200 million over the next ten years.
• That progress was made through the Strategic Partnership Agreement with UMass and emergency services discussions with Amherst College, and its gift of $120,000; that discussions are on-going regarding partnering with UMass on economic development, and with engaging all the schools about opportunities to collaborate via college-owned lands.
• That legislative opportunities include pursuit of establishing a local-option meals tax and increasing the lodging tax; acquiring the ability to charge property taxes to utility companies for their utility poles; expanding the senior “circuit breaker” tax credit; and assessing how Amherst is working with legislative colleagues to increase State educational and non-educational aid.

Regarding the capital plan, he said there is a long list of capital needs relating to infrastructure, facilities, equipment and technology.  He said that capital investment as a percentage of the levy had been reduced in the last few years, and that that category had the biggest reduction when the override was defeated last year, and that more than $400,000 was taken from capital to balance the budget.

Regarding reserves, he said the total is just under $4 million, and is 7% of operating revenue.  He said that the Finance Committee recommends increasing that to 8% for FY10.  He said that reserves are needed to create a buffer against significant reductions in State and local revenue during an economic downturn; to provide emergency funds, and to protect a strong bond rating which affects the cost of borrowing. 

Mr. Musante said that the process of community engagement was beginning in order to help determine priorities and desired service levels over the next few years.  He said a plan would not presume an override was necessary to fund those service levels, and that a multi-year plan would be developed with a number of funding options, depending whether desires were for maintaining the status quo, enhancing or reducing services.  He said that citizen input would help to create models representing different options, from which recommendations would be developed.

Mr. Musante said there were several areas to focus on to address the FY09 budget, and that in the meantime, a longer-term process would begin for creating a multi-year plan.

Ms. Greeney asked how the schools would be lowering their budget gap in their new proposal and where that money would come from.  Mr. Musante said he expected that reducing the rate of the health insurance increase would help the Schools as well as the Town and Libraries, but that otherwise, he did not know because the new School budget proposal hadn’t been presented yet.  Mr. Weiss said that the School Committee Chair had indicated that the Schools were reducing the health insurance increase from 12% to 8%.

Mr. Musante said that with many budget factors still in flux, it was hard to be more specific with figures, but that the different concepts were what were important to understand now.

Ms. Greeney referenced a document she had provided to the Select Board outlining her proposal to close the half-million dollar Elementary School budget gap by reducing the Town budget increase from 3.1% to 2% and using that savings, along with the $140,000 from the Strategic Partnership Agreement with UMass and the $120,000 of the Amherst College gift, for that purpose.  She said she was concerned about using one-time funds from reducing capital spending and use of reserves to pay for on-going Elementary School costs.  She reiterated her frequent points about reducing LSSE tax support, and the Town subsidizing belly dancing at the expense of school funding. 

Per the extra revenues that the Town Manager has calculated to justify increasing the Town budget by 3.1%, she said those revenues should be made equally available to the Libraries and Schools, and not set aside for Town use.  In addition to recommending LSSE cuts, she suggested cuts be made in the Planning and Information Technology departments, and said that the specifics of those could be at the Town Manager’s discretion.  She spoke to the importance of not deferring capital spending and not using reserves.

Ms. Brewer said that she wanted to clarify that the belly dancing and tango classes often cited in such discussions are not subsidized by taxpayers, and rather that the full-fees paid for those classes provide the subsidies for children’s art classes and the like.  She said that that needs to be made clear in the LSSE budget so that people understand that better.  Ms. Brewer said that she was also not happy about the 3.1% Town budget increase, but cautioned against separating the new revenues from the emergency services for which reimbursement had been sought. 

Ms. Awad said that while Ms. Greeney had offered some good ideas, Ms. Awad didn’t want to deal with such specific recommendations when so much of the budget process remained fluid, and discussions would be ongoing among the Town, Schools and Libraries regarding “ways to share.”   She said she didn’t believe the emergency services money from UMass and Amherst College was ever explicitly intended to support those services, and noted that no reductions to public safety are being sought. 

Mr. Weiss said he had spoken with LSSE Director Linda Chalfant about LSSE programs, and categorized the adult enrichment classes as “esoteric.”  He had asked about the effect of eliminating all of them, and said it could result in the reduction of one Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) staff position, because that much labor is needed to arrange those programs.  He said that there would be a corresponding loss of revenue from those classes, resulting in some savings, but he said it would not be a large amount.  He said more information was needed about the funding of the different LSSE programs and how they impact each other.    

Ms. Greeney said that her specific example may have distracted the Select Board from her larger point, which she said was that the “supplemental education” of LSSE was being funded at the expense of the “obligatory” education through the schools.

Mr. Musante said that the discussion had not referenced restoration of funds to the two programs the Select Board had previously identified as its priority:  funding the human service agencies and the War Memorial Pool.  He also noted that LSSE had made significant changes resulting in elimination of one full-time position, and had increased fees, such that tax support was reduced by 17% for FY09, and he said that tax support to the department was reduced by about 25% over the last couple of years.  He said that there needs to be consideration of a broader goal, and whether that really is to eliminate all tax support, and said that considering the low-income subsidies and special needs programs, that might not be wise.  He said that the LSSE department and commission were asked to provide more information about the philosophy of each program to help inform a larger discussion about what the town should offer through LSSE and how to pay for that. 

Mr. Weiss said the War Memorial Pool costs were commonly referred to as $55,000, but said that once its revenues are considered, the net costs are closer to $24,000.  He said that uses last year’s figures, which he said had lower revenue due to the late opening of the pool, so the net costs in a full season could be less. 

Diana Stein said that she had spoken with Ms. Chalfant and learned that the pool fees had not been increased in a long time, and could be, further reducing the net cost. 

Ms. Brewer reiterated her past request for better information about the LSSE fee increases so Town Meeting and the public will understand what programs are affected.  Mr. Weiss said that the LSSE budget is “mysterious” to people and requires more explanation. 

There was more discussion about LSSE:  Mr. Musante said the department was analyzing all its programs and considering if subsidies are appropriate.  Ms. Greeney suggested cutting LSSE staffing in half and concentrating on “basics” like baseball, soccer and basketball.  Mr. Musante said he thought that was the wrong approach and said the first question is to determine what the community wants and is willing to pay to have. Ms. Greeney said she didn’t believe there was currently public input on the LSSE offerings. 

Draft Article – Rights of Non-U.S. Citizens (7:41)   

Mr. Weiss spoke of a draft article in the Select Board packets that he had created regarding a bylaw change proposing that Amherst Police not participate with enforcement of Federal immigration law.  He talked about a recent deportation of a mother who was in this country illegally, and how that occurred shortly after her daughter had recently been smuggled into the country to join her here.  He said there are many local undocumented workers and said that it creates a dangerous situation if they need to be afraid of cooperating and complying with local laws.  Mr. Weiss and Ms. Awad talked about the dangers and difficulties of such lives.  Mr. Weiss said they would discuss whether the Select Board would support or sponsor the article at another time, but that he wanted them to have the draft now.

Committees and Liaison Assignments  (7:50)

Ms. Greeney said that she was trying to complete the work she and Mr. Kusner had begun regarding the removal of dormant committees from the Town web site and the Citizen Activity Form.  A lengthy discussion about this resulted in deletion from the list of:  the Emergency Homelessness task force, because its charge had expired; the Community Dialogue Task Force, also for an expired charge; the Community Problem Solving Partnership, whose charge has been incorporated into the Campus Community Coalition; and the Town Committee Evaluation Task Force, because its charge had expired.  Others were determined to need additional information, were worth maintaining even in a dormant state, or couldn’t be deleted because they were the creation of Town Meeting, and hence need Town Meeting approval to disband them. 

There was brief discussion about whether the listed liaison assignments were correct and who might cover Mr. Kusner’s assignments in March.

Reaffirmation of Election Calendar  (8:14)

There was some confusion as to whether or not the Select Board had approved the full election calendar at a previous meeting, including the deadline for citizen petition articles.  It was determined that all dates had been approved, and that the calendar stands.

Reminder about Town Meeting Family Care Stipend  (8:17)

Mr. Weiss read the press release that was sent out regarding last week’s action to provide a family care stipend to Town Meeting members who need it in order to attend Town Meeting, up to $20 per session.

Draft Letter Supporting Atkins Corner Project  (8:19)

The Select Board had a draft letter in its packet to be sent to Mass Highway expressing support for the Atkins Corner project.  Once the Select Board reviews the letter and makes and revisions, a new draft will be prepared for members to sign.

Approval of Meeting Minutes  (8:20)

With discussion, revision and amendments, the Select Board approved the minutes of the following meetings:  December 17, January 7, January 14, February 4 and February 11.  All were approved with votes of 3 in favor, 1 absent, and 1 abstention, with Ms. Brewer opting to abstain. 

The meeting adjourned at 8:37 p.m.  The next Select Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 10th at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall.

-- Stephanie O’Keeffe 

Announcements

Mr. Weiss announced that this would be Mr. Kusner’s last meeting, because he will be away on sabbatical in March.  Mr. Weiss thanked Mr. Kusner for his service and hard work, and said he would be missed.  Mr. Kusner thanked the Select Board and former member Robie Hubley, from whom he said he had learned a lot.

Public Comment

Nancy Gordon talked about the history of the Gallup Poll and her experience working with that organization.  She said she learned that it was important to not let one’s survey respondents be self-selecting, and that how questions are phrased is important, though she said she didn’t know how to address that.  She said that she controlled for the self-selection by systematically choosing without bias recipient names from a voter list.   She said her survey this year had three questions, was sent to 330 people, and that she had received 55 responses thus far.  She said the effort cost her $300.  She gave the survey questions and current results to the Select Board.

Rob Crowner spoke about the Public Works Committee having received many complaints about the condition of Pelham Road.  He requested that the Select Board consider the recommendations that committee had made a year ago on this matter.  Mr. Weiss asked that Mr. Crowner send those recommendations to the Select Board again, and said that the topic would be addressed in the next couple of weeks.

Vince O’Connor said that the DPW Superintendent had been unresponsive to his requests for information about surveying and paving plans.  Mr. O’Connor said that the DPW was prioritizing its paving and drainage projects inappropriately and said that the Public Works Committee needs relevant information in order to do its job.  He said that if the current process doesn’t work, the alternative was that a Board of Public Works could be created by statute which he said would take such matters out of the Select Board’s hands.

Promotion of Police Officer Scott Livingstone  (6:45)

Police Chief Charles Scherpa said that Scott Livingstone had been on the police force for more than 25 years, and that he was recommending his promotion from Lieutenant to Captain.  Mr. Shaffer praised the officer and concurred with the recommendation.   The Town Clerk was not available for the swearing-in, so that would not occur at the meeting.  The Select Board congratulated and shook hands with Captain Livingstone. 

Global Climate Change  (6:48)

Ms. Greeney spoke of the high attendance and good discussion at the January 30th climate change forum.  She said the webcast that had been scheduled for that night was oversubscribed, and could not be viewed, so there was only discussion with officials from UMass and the Town about progress both entities had made in reducing carbon dioxide emissions.  Ms. Greeney proposed that a second such forum be held March 12th to focus on the progress made by the Amherst public schools and by Amherst and Hampshire Colleges.  She proposed that a third forum be held April 22nd to focus on efforts by citizens and businesses. 

The sense of the Select Board was that the March forum date was too soon, and would occur during a busy time for all concerned.  It was suggested that an April date, and perhaps a fall date, be pursued instead.  Ms. Greeney agreed and moved that the Select Board support holding a forum on April 16th to showcase carbon dioxide emission reduction efforts at Hampshire College, Amherst College, the Amherst Elementary Schools and the Amherst Regional Schools, and to do a fall event focusing on residents and businesses.  The vote in support was unanimous.

Taxi Licenses  (7:07)

The Select Board approved taxi driver licenses for two men to drive for Gotta Go taxi service.  The vote to approve the license was unanimous.

Tamara Rutland-Mills asked if the men were U.S. citizens, and they said yes.  The Select Board said that citizenship was not relevant to such licenses.

Special Municipal Employee Status – Water Supply Protection Committee

Lyons Witten appeared before the Board to seek Special Municipal Employee (SME) status for the Water Supply Protection Committee.  A letter had been submitted seeking the status, which Mr. Weiss and Ms. Awad both noted agreement with, and the vote to grant SME to the committee was unanimous.

Special Liquor License  (7:10)

The Select Board unanimously approved a special liquor license for a UMass event at Memorial Hall. 

Parking at St. Brigid’s  (7:12)

Mr. Kusner spoke about a letter the Select Board had received regarding concerns about selective enforcement of parking and traffic laws, citing cars parked on Cowls Lane during Sunday Mass at St. Brigid’s church.&nbs