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March 16, 2015, Finance Committee Meeting. Minutes
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Town of Canton Finance Committee Minutes Voted on: 3/26/15
Meeting Minutes Vote: 9-0-0
Monday, March 16, 2015
Members Present:
Rob Barker, Sepp Bergschneider, Jim Casamento, Jerry Dorfman, Nichola Gallagher, Dianne Gustafson,
Stephanie Leach, Tim McKenna, Mark Porter, Barbara Saint Andre and Jim Sims.
Members Absent:
Diane Wolff.
Guests Present:
Jim Berish, Berish Properties, Inc.
George Comeau, Esq., Canton Community Preservation Committee (CCPC)
Pat Johnson, Capital Planning Committee (CPC)
Michael Khoury, Esq.
Gene Manning, Chairman, CPC; Chairman Economic Development Committee (EDC)
Bob Panico, CCPC, CPC and EDC
Jim Murgia, Finance Director
Ellen Jones, Finance Committee Secretary
Opening:
A meeting of the Canton Finance Committee was called to order at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, March 16, 2015
in the Salah Meeting Room of Town Hall.
A. Approval of Agenda
Chairman Porter reviewed the items on the agenda.
B. Announcements
There were no announcements made at the meeting.
C. New Business
Article 19— Recommendations of the Canton Community Preservation Committee (CCPC)
Mr. Comeau reviewed for the Committee the CPA projects completed to date and those CPA projects still
in progress. Mr. Comeau disclosed that he is the President of the Friends of the Little Red House, Inc.
(Tilden House). Mr. Comeau presented to the Finance Committee the CCPC's recommendations (see
meeting handout of CCPC minutes from January 5, 2015 CCPC meeting provided) that they would be
making at the Annual Town Meeting which included the following items:
• Tilden House Restoration -$414,150
• Ponkapoag Station Fire Bell Restoration -$15,000
• Veteran's Housing Project - $100,000
• Canton Corner Cemetery Receiving Tomb & Retaining Wall - $11,000
• Martha Howard Petticoat Restoration - $5,895
• Historical Document Master Plan - $10,000
• First Parish Unitarian Steeple and Spire Restoration - $99,120
Total CPA recommendations to be made to Annual Town Meeting: $655,165
CCPC Purchase of Open Space land at Plymouth Rubber Redevelopment Site
Mr. Comeau informed the Finance Committee that the CCPC and the Conservation Commission recently
had an appraisal done of the 7.45 acres at the Plymouth Rubber development site. The appraisal came
in at $1.38 million. CCPC and the Conservation Commission would be recommending at Annual Town
Meeting that the Town purchase this land. Since the appraisal, the CCPC has not taken a formal vote on
acquiring the open space. The total acreage of the parcel is 7.45 acres which includes the Rolling Mill,
the Revere Barn and the Paul Revere House. The developer has pledged 2.5 acres to the Town. If the
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Town purchases the remaining open space, the developer will reduce the project from 295 units to 272.
The CCPC would purchase this open space through borrowing.
Canton Corner Cemetery Receiving Tomb & Retaining Wall and Ponkapoaq Station Fire Bell
Restoration
The Finance Committee did not have any questions regarding the Canton Corner Cemetery Receiving
Tomb and Retaining Wall or the Ponkapoag Station Fire Bell Restoration projects.
Tilden House Restoration (Little Red House)
Mr. Comeau included a detailed budget estimate for the preservation and historic restoration of the David
Tilden House (Little Red House). Phase 1 restoration was approved by CCPC for $414,150. Mr.
Casamento inquired as to the cost of Phase 2. Mr. Comeau could not estimate the cost of Phase 2 until
Phase 1 was completed, as the house is over 300 years old and very little maintenance had been done to
the building. Because this house is owned by the Town through the Conservation Commission, prevailing
wages would apply.
A Finance Committee member inquired if the Tilden House would be available for full public use. Mr.
Comeau stated that that the Friends of the Little Red House would be advocating for its public use.
Ms. Gustafson inquired as to the preparation of the specifications for the bidding process. Mr. Comeau
stated that the Friends would be working closely with the Buildings Renovation Committee (BRC) on
preparation of these bid specs. The Friends would also be providing private funding of approximately
$60,000 towards the project.
First Parish Unitarian Steeple and Spire Restoration
The CCPC had approved a recommendation to Town Meeting for CPA funds of $99,120 for the
restoration of the First Parish Unitarian Church Steeple and Spire. The CPA grant would be disbursed to
the grant application through a tiered approach. Progress payments would be issued once the applicant
demonstrates that it can complete the project with the grant award.
There was some discussion by the Finance Committee members as to the financial stability of the church.
Mr. Comeau stated that the CPA had discussed finances with the church to set up a fund for post work for
maintenance. Mr. Comeau would provide a budget detail of the CPA funds being used for the church as
well as the costs being borne by the applicant. Chairman Porter would inquire to see if the church had
filed a 501c3 990 tax filing. Negotiations are underway to accommodate a requirement for a public
benefit statement.
Historical Society & Public Library Historical Document Master Plan The goal of this project is to
—
digitize historical documents currently being maintained at the Historical Society for public access through
the Canton Public Library.
Martha Howard Petticoat Restoration and Preservation If this petticoat is de-accessioned, the grant
—
will be returned to the Town. The Finance Committee did not have questions on this grant.
Veteran's Housing Project Mr. Comeau explained to the Finance Committee that the CCPC was not
—
relatively happy that the Canton Housing Authority returned to the CCPC for additional grant money.
Approximately $100,000 had been approved at last year's Town Meeting for electrical and smoke alarm
work at the Veteran's Housing. The primary reason that additional grant money was being requested was
due to the cost of prevailing wages for the project.
Unfunded Canton Corner Cemetery Historical Database Mr. Comeau explained that the grant
—
application for the creation of a historical on-line database of all plots at the Canton Corner Cemetery was
not approved by CCPC because the CCPC determined that it was not within the scope of the CPA laws.
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Article 33 — Amend Zoning Board's Table of Use Regulations (Restaurant, Office and Commerical
and Retail Uses) Attorney Michael Khoury, a 25-year resident of the Town of Canton, represents Jim
—
Berish of Berish Properties, Inc. Mr. Berish owns approximately 6 acres next to a car wash on Rt. 138
and would like to develop the land.
Mr. Khoury stated that the purpose of Article 33 was to allow wider uses such as restaurants, office and
commercial and retail uses in a limited industrial area, specifically along Turnpike Street/Route 138 but
subject to a special permit by the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Attorney Khoury stated that not only would this mean increased tax revenue for the Town but
revitalization of Rt. 138 would help to provide service needs for the working population in businesses
along Rt. 138. The Planning Board voted favorably on Article 33.
A question was raised concerning the article's intention to change the table of uses for limited industrial
areas in the Canton Zoning By-Law, and at the same time apply it only to the Rt. 138 Limited Industrial
parcel.
Article 12— "Omnibus" Capital Outlay Program Gene Manning, along with Pat Johnson and Bob
—
Panico, presented to the Finance Committee their CPC recommendations with regard to the cash capital
requests and debt capital requests.
Mr. Manning stated that the CPC had voted to approve the Finance Department's capital request for
$25,000 for Cemetery Management Software. A CPA grant for this request had recently been denied by
the Community Preservation Committee. Currently, there is no mapping protocol in place for identifying
plots and markers at the Canton Cemetery.
Mr. Manning also stated that the Police Department had withdrawn their request for body cameras
because the cameras had not yet been fully vetted through the state. Instead the Police Department
would be requesting from Town Meeting dashboard cameras for those vehicles on patrol.
A total of $550,000 of cash capital requests for municipal departments had been requested for FY16.
Because the total debt capital requests of $491,000 had exceeded the available debt capital of $480,000
by $11,000 Mr. Murgia stated that the $11,000 would be taken from a future year for available debt
capital.
Several Finance Committee members expressed an interest in obtaining a 5-10 year master plan of water
and sewer projects as well as the master plan for road repairs. Ms. Gustafson made the suggestion of
having Mike Trotta, the Superintendent of Public Works, attend a future Finance Committee meeting to
discuss these matters.
Mr. Manning stated that the CPC was recommending to Annual Town Meeting the $550,000 of cash
capital requests made by the School Superintendent. There was some discussion by the Finance
Committee about the security camera upgrades being requested. These cameras are for forensic
purposes and are not intended for 24-hour monitoring.
The School Department is seeking $300,000 of debt for classroom interactive whiteboards as well as
$540,000 for the purchase of six school buses to be used in conjunction with the change in school start
times being proposed. CPC approved the buses contingent upon operational funding in the budget. Mr.
Murgia commented that he has not seen what the School Committee has proposed with regard to the
operational expenses related to running six new buses.
Mr. Manning explained that the School Committee did reach out to Connolly Bus Company for cost
estimates and that purchasing these buses was the most cost effective way to proceed at implementing
the change in start times. One option was to buy the buses and have Connolly Bus Company provide
drivers at a prevailing wage cost of approximately $60 per hour per driver. The life span of these buses
would be approximately 7-9 years. The CPC was concerned with liability issues and with bus
maintenance costs. If the School Committee does not go forward with the $540,000 purchase of six
buses at $90,000 each, the School Committee would redeploy this debt capital towards another request.
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Hansen Elementary Addition — $4.1 million — Mr. Manning explained that the Hansen addition would be a project similar to the Kennedy project. The CPC has not yet taken a vote on the Hansen project. The Finance Committee discussed having a cost analysis impact for a single family home included in the warrant. Mr. Murgia stated that the average cost impact would be $26.00 per year. Mr. Murgia would provide back up to the Committee. Article 36 — Amend Additional 43D Priority Development Sites — 10 Campanelli Circle Mr. Manning gave a brief overview of the 43D program to the newest Finance Committee members describing the 36-month expedited permitting process for properties identified as 43D priority development sites. Mr. Manning stated that the Economic Development Committee was recommending to Town Meeting that 10 Campanelli Circle be identified as a 43D priority development site. This property is located near the Canton Sportsplex and Route 139. Mr. Sims expressed concern at the remoteness of this location and how this remoteness would impact town services. Mr. Manning stated that this property was fully reviewed by the Fire Chief and is in compliance with life safety systems. This property could generate $88,000 of taxes per year. D. Old Business/Open Issues Liaison Reports — There were no liaison reports provided at the meeting. E. Approval of Minutes A motion made by Jim Casamento to approve the March 9, 2015 meeting minutes as written was seconded by Jerry Dorfman. Vote: 6-0-5. A motion made by Rob Barker to approve the March 12, 2015 meeting minutes as written was seconded by Sepp Bergschneider. Vote: 8-0-3. F. Next Meeting Date: The next meeting date would be Thursday, March 19, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. in the Salah Meeting Room of Town Hall. The Finance Committee would be meeting with the School Committee to discuss their FY16 budget as well as Town Meeting articles. The Finance Committee would be meeting with the Board of Selectmen on March 30. Chairman Porter would send out the most recent checklist for members to refer to for writing article discussions. Chairman Porter gave the Finance Committee three options for discussion of the Plymouth Rubber Redevelopment DIF: 1) No education on the DIF prior to the Finance Committee voting on it. 2) Education on the DIF prior to the Finance Committee voting on March 30. 3) Education on the DIF after the Finance Committee votes on the DIF. There was a consensus among the members that they would like to hear from Lisa Dickinson, the Town's Fiscal Advisor, on the DIF prior to voting. The Finance Committee is planning to vote the Special Town Meeting Articles on April 2 and the operating budget on April 9. Adjournment: A motion made by Barbara Saint Andre to adjourn the meeting at 10:32 p.m. was seconded by Sepp Bergschneider. Vote: 11-0-0. Minutes reviewed by: Sims Respectfully submit Mark Port Chairma9, Canton Finance Committee F1NCOM 03162015 MIN TES - js03232015.doc Page 4 of 5 03/23/2015
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Town of Canton
Finance Committee Meeting — March 16, 2015
List of Meeting Handouts
Please note: These meeting handouts may also be found on the Town's website under the Posted
Minutes section (Laser Fiche).
Agenda (1 page).
CCPC Article 19 for ATM 2015, Summary, dated 3/12/15, provided by Jim Murgia, Finance Director
(1 page).
Community Preservation Committee minutes of January 5, 2015, provided by George Comeau
(5 pages).
Article 19 — Budget detail — The David Tilden House — Preservation and Historic Restoration Project,
provided by George Comeau (2 pages).
Article 33 — Amend Zoning Board's Table of Use Regulations (Restaurant, Office and Commerical
and Retail Uses) — copy of Annual Town Meeting Article (1 page).
Municipal Cash Capital and Debt Requests for Fiscal 2016 (1 page).
School Cash Capital and Debt Requests for Fiscal 2016 (2 pages).
Hansen Elementary School Addition — Construction Cost Estimate - $4.1 million (1 page).
Municipal Capital Requests for Fiscal 2016 thru 2020 (2 pages).
Article 36 — Amend Additional 43D Priority Development Sites — 10 Campanelli Circle - copy of
Annual Town Meeting Article (1 page).
Article 36 — Information on 10 Campanelli Circle, provided by Gene Manning (4 pages).
Article 36 — Report of Economic Development Committee, provided by Gene Manning (6 pages).
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