6:00 p.m. Call Meeting to Order, Review Agenda, Public Comment (none), Review Minutes: 4/23/24, 4/24/2024
6:30 p.m. Annual Town Meeting—planning and review with Moderator, Town Clerk

• SB voted to approve the warrant articles. FinCom may add  final recommendations, but the articles are set.
• Moderator had input on Wheeler Road articles 26 and 27. If 26 is voted down then 27 becomes questionable.
• Discussed issues around where refreshments would be held so as not to interfere with the meeting.
• Moderator said he would put forth a motion to move all the school articles to the front of the meeting.   Sue Lively was concerned that it may take up too much time that would need to go to Town business.

Road side mower repair removed as not cost effective.  Chose to use ARPA money to buy a used mower/tractor combination.  Will Emmet and Jeff Johnston went to RI to look at a piece of equipment which they chose not to buy.  Will Emmet and Tim went to NY to look for another piece of equipment while Jeff stayed online at the auction site and won the bid for $12,200.
Other Business

• Accountant Position - 2 resumes have come in.  Discussed whether to have a town employee or work through an agency.
• Accountant Software Purchase—target for going online is July 1, money to come out of ARPA
• Salt Shed—Robyn and Jeff met and size was reduced from Cudnohufsky design, but larger than existing. Location to be current site with as few site changes as possible.
• Personnel Policy Updates
  • cannabinoids  have added complexity to the policy, Hilma added a section for this
  • SB voted to approve changes done to date
  • Review will continue after Town Meeting
• HYPA (Hilltown Youth Performing Arts) Lease of space at Jacobs Road
  • ​Modifications continue to be made while the tenant continues without a final lease. There is a verbal agreement on the rent amount of $24,000 [need to verify amt]
• Community Hall Windows Fundraising—update
  • Concert to raise funds to be held on Fri July 26 at Charlemont Federated Church
  • $1000 came in this week for a total of  $15,300
• Community Hall ceiling over the stage is done
• Political flyer policy - is handing out flyers at the transfer station allowed. There needs to be a consistent policy for any kind of soliciting on Town property whether political or not.  SB agreed with the Highway Superintendent  that for safety reasons and  efficiency people can not be  approaching others for non business purposes while vehicles are coming and going. 

Mail

• Stones at North cemetery need to be repaired and there is some money available in cemetery accounts from sales of plots and donations. There was a recent donation of $2,200.

6:00 p.m. Call Meeting to Order, Review Agenda, Public Comment (none), Review Minutes: 4/16/24
Select Board waived the rental fee at Jacobs Road for a Meet the Candidates event
6:15 p.m. BroadBand Update—MLP Manager, Sheila Litchfield, with MLB members

• Funds received from Wired West $78,821
• MLP Contribution to the Town $30,000
• Transfer from Buildout $40,000
• CAF II (Connect America Fund Phase II)
  • ​$168,000 is due in July of 2024 from this fund. MLP would like it to be used for broadband debt. This decision falls under the purview of the Select Board per DLS Bulletin 2024-3
• Discussion of pros and cons of Wired West versus going directly to Westfield Gas & Electric
  • There is a  benefit of shared administrative cost

7:06 p.m. MTRSD Agreement Articles—discussion with Finance Committee & Ken Rocke, vote possible

• The meeting with the district tomorrow is Heath's meeting even though taking place at the high school in Shelburne.
• Ken's Position on the response from the district:
  • We presented our questions in October, but now it's close to Town Meeting when the district finally responded.
  • Felt the district response was argumentative. Feel we have very different agendas for this meeting.
  • Heath wants to be able to tell residents how much the amendment will cost them.
  • "If we can't agree on the method for getting the numbers and the numbers themselves then there is not much to talk about."
  • Ken has not been able to set up a meeting where he can go over the numbers on the district spreadsheets.
  • Ken' s Goal: (1) It would be helpful if it was settled that Ken and Bill can sit together to go over their spreadsheet together.  Their spreadsheet does not contain formulas so Ken can does not have what he needs to do all the calculations.  (2) Would like to address the fairness issue. Rather than have winners and losers, Ken would like to a broader view. (3) Ken would like to see one district and not three.  We need to redirect our energy.  (4) Ken would like to vote it down at Town meeting. Dislikes how the Town has been characterized as only looking out for themselves.
  • There is a sustainability study taking place now  that should be completed before there is an amendment.

FY 2025 Budget Planning—with Finance Committee
Operating Budget (Article 3) -  FinCom approved Article 3 with 1 small change amounting to $1000 on Community Hall Maintenance & Utilities
Capital Expenses - Part of the Warrant
Annual Town Meeting Warrant Articles—vote possible

• Articles in questions are 4, 11, 13, all having to do with the school district.
• Article 4. FinCom did not recommend articles related to MTRSD at this time as there seem to be problems  related to how it is calculated.
• Article 11 Late Bus, not recommended by FinCom until we know how many average Heath students use the bus. No recommendation by the SB.
• Article 13 MTRSD Assessment Error payment. FinCom would like to split it from 1 to 2 payments.

Other Business
Grants --Approved by the Select Board

• Heath Woodlands Partnership—grant application support letter
• Woodlands Partnership--EOEEA grant application support letter
• Deerfield River Watershed Assoc.—grant application support letter

FRCOG--MVP grant application support letter, vote possible
Town Nurse Job Description—Not done
Community Hall Windows Fundraising—update: $14,302 on donations so far
New Items
Accountant has submitted a letter of resignation.  
Marie Forester resigned from the BUC due to a change in her schedule.
Heath Arts Exhibition requested to close the road in front of Community Hall for the Sunday of the Exhibition. SB approved.

6:00 p.m. Call Meeting to Order, Review Agenda, Public Comment, Review Minutes: 4/2/24, 4/9/24
6:15 p.m. Parks & Recreation Committee—Mike Cucchiara, warrant article, current projects

• Working with Rowe on the Mohawk Trail Woodlands Partnership (MTWP) Project
• Mapping Grant: $45,00 to flesh out a trail route. Completed.
• Implementation Grant: $50,000 to start talking to landowners for access. FC Land Trust has been hired. Need to spend the money as fast as possible as grant ends on June 30.
• Warrant article of $15,000 for perpetual trail easement for key property on 4 Vincent Rd.

Town Nurse Job Description—updates suggested, will require more modifications
FY 2025 Budget Planning

• $160,000 available for offsetting broadband debt (anticipated revenue).

Operating Budget (Article 3) 
Capital Expenses 
Employee Wages - salary changes are part of the latest budget
Annual Town Meeting Warrant Articles 
Budget Discussion with Finance Committee, as needed.

• FinCom to meet on Friday with their final recommendations

Other Business
MTRSD Agreement Articles:

• Meeting is unlikely as the district has not provided the numbers need to make a decision

Hilltown Youth Performing Arts—review of lease status, Tabled 
Community Hall Windows Fundraising

• Benefit Concert on July 26 at Federated Church in Charlemont
• Donations to date: $12,492

Community Hall/Sawyer Hall —Mold Remediation update

• ​Donnelson Contractors are currently working to replace the stage area ceiling in CH
• Elevator in CH needs repair, needs new battery/battery pack 
• Painting is done in Community Hall

Select Board and FinCom left as friends despite some hotly discussed items.

Items
6:00 p.m. Call Meeting to Order, Review Agenda, Review Minutes: 3/26/24

6:05 p.m. FY 2025 Budget Planning—with Finance Committee and Accountant
Operating Budget (Article 3)

• Proposal to payoff tractor notes from free cash 
• Proposal to reduce Special Projects from $15,000 to $5000

Capital Expenses
There was a lot of discussion about how to fund these expenses and below have not all been finalized.

• Add money to stabilization accounts: IT ($10,000), Audit ($5,500) Accounts -  account leaving remainder of Free Cash to go into General Stabilization to go towards the Salt Shed.
• Truck $100,000 
• Road Side Mower - take out of Free Cash
• Leaf blower - approx. $4000:  take from Free Cash
• Storage container - suggest hold until next year
• New school phone safety system:  Raise and appropriate (school item)
• Ambulance - separate article for discussion
• Accounting software - come out of ARPA
• Late bus - Raise and Appropriate approx. $6000. Rowe has been paying the full cost and now would like Charlemont and Heath to share.  The payment is for the service not the number of students served. 
• Salt Shed - FinCom and SB suggested to set aside $100,000 of Free Cash, Chapter 90, or ARPA funds in an account for the salt shed.  Money is needed in an account right now to start the planning process—create an RFP.  Recommendation to spend the ARPA money first.

Employee Wages

• Discussion as to how to recognize employees above the cost of living bump which is not really a merit raise.
• Discussion on how to include the value of benefits in calculating salary  increases

Annual Town Meeting Warrant Articles

• DRAFT reviewed

Other Business
MTRSD Agreement Articles & possible meeting

• So far the SB has been unable to get the numbers they need to make a decision despite asking for many months. Without the numbers there is no point meeting.

Mail
Sue Lively attended a meeting of a newly forming group, A Coalition for Rural Community Stability.  This is an important effort focused on bringing the issues facing rural communities to the state legislature.  [Add a draft letter]

To be verified
​Left in accounts to use:
$164,000 ARPA
$60,00 Free Cash
$200,000 Chapter 90

These notes are skimpy, I recommend listening to the audio, or at a minimum to the Natalie Blais portion. SB 2024-04-02 N BlaisSectionofAudio.mp3
Full meeting audio: SB 2024-04-02 Audio.mp3
​
6:00 p.m. Call Meeting to Order, Review Agenda, Review Minutes: 3/26/24
6:00 p.m. Meeting with State Representative Natalie Blais
​​

• Sue expressed concern that Mass does not consider ambulance an essential service
• When Colrain bills insurance, they only get what the insurance wants to give. This causes  financial hardship that impacts the ability to keep people.

Natalie's Initiatives/focuses

• educational aid for rural communities
• transportation: https://www.mass.gov/northern-tier-passenger-rail-study​
• ​more involvement by younger people in community service

Issues raised by FinCom and Select Board with Natalie

• educational costs
• infrastructure costs
• rural communities can not do what is dictated by the state, we can not be treated the same by the State Legislature as non-rural communities.

7:00 p.m. FY 2025 Budget Planning—with Finance Committee
Recommendations:

• Fund salary increases
• Fund Colrain ambulance service, $22,000
• Fund replacement truck from stabilization
• Fund new leaf blower rather than repair existing as that would not be cost effective (made in Italy, expensive repair, not a long term solution.)
• Fund storage container

Other Business

• ​MTRSD Agreement Articles & possible meeting: no response from the district
• Community Hall Windows Fundraising—update:  $10,677,
• Community Hall/Sawyer Hall—Mold Remediation update: Tim continuing to paint in CH. When done he will call Hartnet to reinstall plumbing. Contractor to get back to Tim with quote on replacing the ceiling. Current ceiling tiles are no longer available. SH to be painted next.
• CH Repairs needed: facia boards, cupola repairs
• Town Report Dedication:  Hilma did not have time to write

New Business

• COA wants to do a bake sale at ATM, SB voted to approve.