FINCOM 20230323 Mintues

Source page 1

Canton Finance Committee Minutes Voted on; 5/9122 
801 Washington Street Vote: 6-0-0 
Canton, MA 02021 
Meeting Minutes 
March 23, 2022 
Finance Committee Members Present: Dave Clough, Dan Cole, Tom Emery, Karen Foley, Emilio Mauro, Tim 
McKenna, Reuki Schutt and Cindy Thomas. 
Finance Committee Members Absent: All members were present for the meeting. 
Guests Present: 
Shaun Chu, Co -Chair, Canton Community Preservation Committee (CCPC) 
Ellen Jones, Finance Committee Recording Secretary 
Steven Larabee, Resident (Article 23) 
Lisa Lopez, Chair, Canton Affordable Housing Trust 
Gene Manning, Chair, Economic Development Committee (EDC) 
David McCarthy, Chair, Planning Committee 
Patricia McDermott, Planning Board Member 
Randy Scollins, Finance Director 
Laura Smead, Town Planner 
Call Meeting to Order: Chair McKenna called the virtual meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. 
Discussion - Article 23 (Acquire Easement for 148 Sherman Street) and Article 28 (Amend By -Laws for 
Canton Affordable Housing Trust Fund — Contract Authority) — Mr. Scollins stated that Articles 23 and 28 would 
be deferred to the Finance Committee meeting on March 30. These articles are still in discussion with the Select 
Board and Affordable Housing Trust. 
Discussion -Article 3 — Hear Reports of Committees Appointed at Prior Town Meetings — Mr. Manning, Chair 
of the EDC presented a PowerPoint report to the Finance Committee. Some of the highlights of that discussion are 
as follows: 
• Mr. Manning made note of Emilio as a key support member of the EDC. 
• The Committee was formed at ATM in 2008 and has an aggressive approach for attracting businesses to 
Canton and for keeping them in Canton. 
• Even during COVID the EDC was able to implement the sale of the former Reebok/Adidas property to 
Points 32 Health Care Headquarters and the implementation with the Select Board of the PILOT agreement 
(Payment in Lieu of Taxes Agreement) for Harvard Pilgrim/Tufts. Amazon opened a regional site with 83 
vehicles that Canton receives the property taxes as well as the excise taxes from. Trillium Brewing 
Company opened their corporate headquarters at 100 Royall Street with a brewery and restaurant. 
• Gene reviewed for the Committee the priorities and goals of the EDC as well as stating that the EDC follows 
the Master Plan as outlined by the Town. 
• He addressed the impact of economic development on the Town of Canton with the Department of Revenue 
being the source of his information. Business Taxes contributed $29 million in taxes in FY21 which is 35% 
of the Town's revenue. 
• Mr. Manning also serves on the Board of Assessors. The tax rate dropped because property valuations 
increased. With Canton's split tax rate the residential rate dropped to $11.35 and the commercial rate 
dropped to $24.18 for FY22. 
• Canton's Commercial/Industrial Tax as a percent of total levy is 38.95% and is higher than some of the other 
Norfolk County communities such as Dedham, Stoughton, Quincy, Randolph, Sharon and Milton. Mr. 
Manning stated that Canton's commercial tax revenue is outstanding. 
• The EDC takes pride in having businesses that they have attracted practicing community responsibility and 
outreach. 
• EDC is a member of the Canton Association of Businesses and Industry (CABI) who will be celebrating its 
40'h anniversary with a celebration at the Paul Revere Heritage Site. 
• In the midst of COVID, many businesses in other communities have laid off employees, moved or closed 
their businesses. EDC is proud of the businesses that have remained in Canton with very few requests for 
abatements, given that the valuations are up. 
FINCOM 20220323 Minutes RS.docx Page 1 of 9 4/6122