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February 25, 2019, Finance Committee Meeting. Minutes
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Meeting of the Canton Finance Committee Minutes Voted on: 3/27/19
Meeting Minutes vote: 7-0-2
Monday, February 25, 2019
Finance Committee Members Present:
Christos Arsondiadis, Rob Barker, Dan Cole, Cynthia Holcombe, Emilio Mauro, Tim McKenna, Barbara Saint Andre,
and Wai Wong.
Finance Committee Members Absent: Cindy Thomas.
Guests Present:
Ken Berkowitz, Police Chief
John Ciccotelli, Public Health Director
Liza Colburn (Article 27)
Charlie Doody, Fire Chief
Tammy Rose (Article 27)
Christine Smith, Esq.(Article 27)
Jennifer Wexler (Article 27)
Jim Murgia, Finance Director
Ellen Jones, Finance Committee Secretary
Opening: A meeting of the Canton Finance Committee was called to order by Chairman Barker at 7:01 pm. on
Monday, February 25, 2019 in the Salah Meeting Room of Town Hall.
A. Approval of Agenda
Chairman Barker reviewed the items on the agenda which included a review of the Police Department Budget with
Chief Berkowitz, a review of the Fire Department Budget with Chief Doody and a discussion with Christine Smith
and John Ciccotelli regarding Article 27.
B. Announcements
There were no announcements.
C. New Business
Discussion with Police Chief Berkowitz reaardina the Police Department FY20 Budget Requests
Chief Berkowitz presented the following information regarding a requested budget increase of $307,867 for FY20:
The Chief is requesting $53,000 to hire an additional School Resource Officer. Currently the Department
has three officers assigned as resource officers —one each to the Canton High School, Blue Hills Regional
Technical High School (BHRTHS) and the Galvin Middle School. This fourth resource officer would be
assigned to cover the elementary schools. The purpose of this fourth resource officer would help to
identify troubled youths develop strong relationships with the youngsters and have discussions regarding
stereotypes. During the summer these resource officers would be used for shifts to cover for vacations
and reduce overtime costs.
M r. Wong inquired if Canton was funding the cost of the resource office assigned to the Blue Hills School.
M r. Murgia confirmed that Canton is currently funding 100% of the cost of this officer and that he has
been in contact with the Superintendent of BHRTHS who would be agreeable to paying for a portion of
the cost of the resource officer's salary starting in FY21.
Chief Berkowitz explained that his $46,000 request for Quinn stipends is a contractual obligation for
officers that have achieved higher education. The Quinn Bill was passed in the 1970s to encourage police
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officers to further their education. Officers receive stipends as a percentage of their salaries depending
u pon the degree obtained: 10% for an Associate's Degree, 20% for a Bachelor's Degree and 25%for a
Master's Degree. The state used to reimburse Towns (if it had been adopted by the Town)for 50% of the
cost of these stipends; however, about ten years ago the state discontinued any reimbursement to cities
and towns. The Town continues to pay the percentages to employees that have been grandfathered in.
New employees receive a stipend specified in the contract.
The Police Chief is seeking an increase of $169,000 for his overtime budget.
Chief Berkowitz stated that Stacy Nee, the Animal Control Officer, is doing a great job and that they have
hired more on-call employees.
Article 24 —Adopt Municipal Modernization Act Pertaining to the Establishment of Speed Limits and Safety
Zones —Chief Berkowitz stated that he along with all the members of the Traffic Study Committee are in favor of
Article 24 in setting a speed limit of 25 mph throughout various areas in Town. Information about the change in
speed limits would be dispersed through advertising and social media.
Discussion with Chief Charlie Doody re~ardin~ the Fire Department FY20 Budget Requests
The Fire Chief presented the following information regarding a total requested budget increase of $255,883 for
FY20:
• Chief Doody stated his budget requests were broken down into two categories: 1) additions to the
budget based on the new collective bargaining agreement that was signed by the firefighters union last
month and 2) a $50,000 request to lease 4,500 sq. ft. of garage space (Article 23) for storing vehicles and
equipment.
• The Chief is looking for 2%and 3% to some of the salary line items such as overtime. When the salaries
i ncrease, the overtime costs must as well. The overtime request of $25,000 is directly related to
i ncreased salaries.
• The collective bargaining agreement requires the Town to pay for paramedic stipends ($70,000) and EMT
stipends ($25,000). At 2018 Annual Town Meeting the Fire Chief received approval to hire four additional
firefighters. The paid holiday's line item was increased to accommodate for these new employees.
• Included in his budget is a $50,000 request to lease garage space to store fire department equipment.
This is a short-term fix to a long-term problem. Alternatives would be to add on to Station #1, add onto
Station #2 or build a Station #3. The Chief is proposing to store the fire alarm boom truck, a service truck,
emergency lighting and the air cascade trailer. The space would be outfitted with a mechanics bay so
repairs could be done, thus freeing up a bay at the headquarters.
• A request of $18,000 is being made for exam expenses. OSHA has added additional requirements on fire
inspections and physical exams. Current exams are in the contract for every other year but two are on an
annual basis. Donations have covered training expenses in the past. Training is done for 13 employees in
a group per year, on a rotating basis with the other groups of 13. Pump testing is required annually.
• A $12,290 increase is being requested to cover overtime for the ambulance budget. This is due to an
i ncrease in the cost of living for salaries.
• The firefighter's salary line item of $2,530,810 is the current straight salary for firefighters. At the time
the budgets were being put together the firefighters had not received their FY19 raise yet. There is
$185,599 being carried in the Contract Provisions line item for raises.
Article 27 —Acceptance of Proposed New By-Law Re~ardin~ Plastic Shopping Bag Reduction -Discussion with
Christine Smith, Proponent of Article 27 and John Ciccotelli, Public Health Director
Christine Smith and Liza Colburn, speaking on behalf of a group of citizens organized as Canton Residents Toward
an Equitable, Sustainable Future, stated that they had some changes to the warrant article after having spoken
with John Ciccotelli, Public Health Director. Ms. Smith distributed a revised copy of the article which had minor
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changes in it. Ms. Smith and her group of citizens would be meeting with the Board of Health and the Board of
Selectmen within the next few weeks, who could also have changes to the by-law.
Chairman Barker confirmed with Ms. Smith that there would be further additional changes to the language of the
motion that was presented to the Finance Committee at the meeting.
Ms. Smith gave a PowerPoint presentation regarding Article 27(see meeting documents) which include some of
the following highlights:
• If Article 27 is approved at 2019 Annual Town Meeting, Article 27 will eliminate thin-film plastic bags at
retail establishments in Canton six months after approval.
• 91 Towns are regulating single use shopping bags.
• Implementation considerations: Town of Mansfield, with a comparable population &land area, has not
needed to hire additional staff to manage their Bag Reduction By-law.
• Canton Residents Toward an Equitable, Sustainable Future will prepare fact sheets &deliver notification
to retail establishments, Newspaper articles (business and consumer education), Educational presentation
to the public, Town Website, Signage and Social Media.
• Implementation would be effective six months from Town Meeting (Nov 2019)for large establishments
and up to 12 months for small merchants.
• Enforcement - BOH would respond to violation complaints submitted via phone or email, issue warnings
and subsequent fines.
Ms. Smith indicated that one change to the motion would be the definition of a small retail establishment. Small
establishments would have a full year to implement the bag change. A large retail establishment would be for an
establishment with floor area equal to or exceeding 3,500 sq. ft. or at least two locations under the same name
within the town.
Canton has not had any load violations for any rejections of recycling. Ms. Colburn indicated that as of January
2018 the China sword regulation has been a lot stricter in the types of recycling it accepts from the United States,
w hich could have an impact on the recycling structure and costs for the Town. They are only accepting 24 types of
recyclables and have a stricter contamination law in place.
Chairman Barker indicated that he did not believe the Finance Committee had the proverbial "dog in this fight" but
hoped that Ms. Smith and her group has an opportunity to present this before Annual Town Meeting.
The Finance Committee had a few questions regarding Article 27 as follows:
• Ms. Saint Andre complimented Ms. Smith and her group for this great initiative. She hopes that the group
goes forward with working on more of the recycling issues. She also spoke in favor of eliminating single-
stream recycling. She questioned if the penalties were intended to be non-criminal or criminal or both.
Ms. Smith responded non-criminal. Ms. Smith also indicated that the penalties were revised after having
spoken with the Health Department. The original proposed article addressed fines and penalties be
handled through district court but was revised because the sentiment was that the Town would not want
to spend the money in implementing this through court. Ms. Saint Andre recommended to Ms. Smith
that she check with Town Counsel on the wording for non-civil fines and penalties.
• Ms. Saint Andre also had a question about the post-consumable recyclable language. Ms. Smith stated
that they had found at Stop and Shop in Stoughton 100% post-consumer recyclable (PCR) bags. Ms.
Colburn was encountering at various stores 60% PCR bags and 100% PCR bags. She was unsure as to the
cost to the retailer.
• Ms. Saint Andre also stressed the importance of reaching out to the merchants in Town and the business
community because the details of the motion are important. She also stated that she is fully in support of
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this article but wanted the language to be worked out in hopes that it would not get turned down at Town
Meeting.
M r. Ciccotelli, the Director of Public Health, offered the following comments:
• Mr. Ciccotelli has had several conversations with Ms. Smith since the article had been proposed
to them.
• The regulation had been proposed after the last Board of Health Meeting on February 4th so the
BOH has not had time to officially address it. There have been informal discussions by the BOH.
• He anticipates that the BOH will have many more questions about the regulations but will
support it.
M r. Ciccotelli has concerns about the enforcement and penalties of the regulation. With regard
to enforcement, the by-law is being "dumped in the BOH's lap" and they have had no prior
notice about this. They will be more than happy to do the work but they need to know that
other departments will be working with them. One of the bigger issues is that he only has so
many hours of time that he can dedicate to performing the duties as the Board of Health Agent,
w hich schedule is quite full at the present time. The current version of the regulation would
require him to take some of his Agent hours and devote them to enforcing this regulation. The
Board of Health would most likely be meeting with Ms. Smith's group sometime around March
4cn
The other issue that he has are regarding the penalties, especially with regard to enforcing the
collection of the fines and the possibility of having to go to court for enforcement. His
suggestion was to make the fines so that they do stand on their own and that they are not just
the cost of doing business but that businesses will want to avoid. His Board needs to discuss
fines further.
Chairman Barker encouraged Ms. Smith's group meet with the BOH so that as much collaboration goes
into this regulation. The more that can be addressed prior to Town Meeting the better.
M r. Ciccotelli stated he was unsure how recycling is handled in other towns but that in the Town of
Canton the BOH does not implement recycling and that it is a function of the Department of Public
Works.
Chairman Barker thanked Mr. Ciccotelli and Ms. Smith.
D. Other Business/Open Issues
The Finance Committee voted on the following articles:
Article 1— Elect a Moderator —The Finance Committee did not have to take a vote on Article 1.
Vote -Article 2 —Adopt Rules to Govern Town Meeting
Motion 1 - A motion made by Ms. Saint Andre that this 2019 Annual Town Meeting shall meet on
consecutive Monday and Wednesday evenings (but not including Monday, May 27t'') in the Morse
Auditorium, on the grounds of the Canton High School until the business of this Annual Town Meeting
has been concluded, each such session to begin at 7:00 o'clock P.M. and to adjourn at 11:00 o'clock
P.M., or as near that hour as may be feasible, according to the nature of the business pending at the
said hour was seconded by Ms. Holcombe. Vote: 8-0-0.
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The Finance Committee did not take any action on Article 2 Motion 2 (non-residents listing). They decided to take
this up at a future meeting in case there were more names that needed to be added to the list.
A motion made by Ms. Saint Andre to recommend Article 2 Motion 3 as printed in the warrant was seconded by
M r. McKenna. Vote: 8-0-0.
Vote -Article 3 —Hear Reports of Committees Appointed at Prior Town Meetings
A motion made by Ms. Saint Andre that reports of the following committees appointed at previous Town
Meetings be heard: Economic Development Committee (ATM 2004, Article 14), Community
Preservation Committee(ATM 2011, Article 39) and Town of Canton Substance Abuse Committee (ATM
2016, Article 32) was seconded by Mr. McKenna. Vote: 8-0-0.
Vote -Article 7 -Set Salaries of Elected Officers
Article 7 Motion 1 - A motion made by Ms. Saint Andre that the salary and compensation for the Town Clerk
be fixed at $92,780 for the 2020 Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020 was
seconded by Ms. Holcombe. Vote: 8-0-0.
Article 7 Motion 2 - A motion made by Ms. Saint Andre that the salary and compensation for all part-time
elected officials of the Town be fixed for the 2020 Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2019 through June 30,
2020, as follows:
Board of Assessors $2,400.00, for each member
Board of Health $600.00,for each member
Board of Selectmen $1,400.00, for each member, with an additional
$200.00 to chairperson
Planning Board $0.00
School Committee $0.00
Library Trustees $0.00
was seconded by Mr. McKenna. Chairman Barker spoke against this motion. He stated that he "fails to
understand why some elected officials receive a stipend and others do not, such as the School Committee
members". Ms. Saint Andre stated that in the past she has voted against this motion. Historically, the Board of
Assessors was responsible for conducting assessments and valuations of properties but these functions are now
being conducted by full-time Assessing Department staff. The Board of Assessors are still receiving a yearly
stipend. Vote: 7-1-0. Chairman Barker would be writing the minority discussion.
Vote -Article 14 —Approval of Funding for the Annual 4`h of July Community Celebration
A motion made by Ms. Saint Andre that the sum of Thirty Five Thousand Dollars ($35,000) be transferred
from Free Cash (Undesignated Fund Balance) to be expended by the Finance Director as Chief
Procurement Officer, with the approval of the Board of Selectmen, for the July 4t'' community
celebration in 2019 with the intent that said funds shall be available in FY19 in anticipation of July 4,
2019 was seconded by Ms. Holcombe. Vote: 8-0-0.
Article 19 -Recommendations of the Community Preservation Committee
Vote -Article 19 Motion 1 - A motion made by Ms. Saint Andre that the sum of Thirty Thousand Dollars
($30,000) be appropriated from the FISCAL YEAR 2020 Community Preservation Fund revenues for the
administrative expenses of the Community Preservation Committee in FISCAL YEAR 2020 provided
however, that any amounts not used during the year for administrative expense shall roll over to the
general CPA fund at the end of Fiscal Year 2020 was seconded by Ms. Holcombe. Vote: 8-0-0.
Vote -Article 19 Motion 2- A motion made by Ms. Saint Andre that the following fund transfers be hereby
made in FISCAL YEAR 2020 as recommended by the Community Preservation Committee:
A. Sixty Five Thousand Dollars ($65,000) be transferred from FISCAL YEAR 2020 receipts
of the Community Preservation Fund into the Fund Balance Reserved for Open Space;
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B. Sixty Five Thousand Dollars ($65,000) be transferred from FISCAL YEAR 2020 receipts
of the Community Preservation Fund into the Fund Balance Reserved for Historic
Resources;
C. Sixty Five Thousand Dollars ($65,000) be transferred from FISCAL YEAR 2020 receipts
of the Community Preservation Fund into the Fund Balance Reserved for Community
Housing; and
D. Four Hundred Twenty Five Thousand Dollars ($425,000) be transferred from FISCAL
YEAR 2020 receipts of the Community Preservation Fund into the Undesignated Fund
Balance Reserved for Community Preservation Act.
was seconded by Ms. Holcombe. Vote: 8-0-0.
Vote -Article 19 Motion 3- A motion made by Ms. Saint Andre that the sum of Two Hundred Ninety
Thousand Dollars ($290,000) be appropriated to be spent by the Chief Procurement Officer with the
a pproval of the Board of Selectmen for debt service and expenses associated with the open space land
acquisition at the Paul Revere Heritage Site and to fund this appropriation Two Hundred Ninety
Thousand Dollars ($290,000) be transferred from the Undesignated Fund Balance Reserved for
Community Preservation Act was seconded by Ms. Holcombe. Vote: 8-0-0.
Vote -Article 19 Motion 4 - A motion made by Ms. Saint Andre that the sum of Fifty Five Thousand Dollars
($55,000) be appropriated to be spent by the Chief Procurement Officer with the approval of the Board
of Selectmen for the installation of interpretive signage at the Paul Revere Heritage Site and to fund
this appropriation Fifty Five Thousand Dollars ($55,000) be transferred from the Fund Balance
Reserved for Open Space and Recreation was seconded by Ms. Holcombe. Vote: 8-0-0.
Vote -Article 19 Motion 5 - A motion made by Ms. Saint Andre that the sum of Sixty Two Thousand One
Hundred Seventy One Dollars and Fifty Six Cents ($62,171.56) be appropriated to be spent by the Chief
Procurement Officer with the approval of the Board of Selectmen for Phase One design and engineering
services for the Earl Newhouse Waterfront and to fund this appropriation Ten Thousand Dollars
($10,000) be transferred from the Fund Balance Reserved for Open Space and Recreation and Fifty Two
Thousand One Hundred Seventy One Dollars and Fifty Six Cents ($52,171.56) be transferred from the
U ndesignated Fund Balance Reserved for Community Preservation Act was seconded by Mr. Holcombe.
Vote: 8-0-0.
Vote -Article 19 Motion 6- A motion made by Ms. Saint Andre that the sum of Fifty Thousand Dollars
($50,000) be appropriated to be spent by the School Committee for refinishing the basketball courts
and installing new fencing at the John F. Kennedy Elementary School basketball courts and to fund this
a ppropriation Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000) be transferred from the Undesignated Fund Balance
Reserved for Community Preservation Act was seconded by Ms. Holcombe. Vote: 8-0-0.
Vote -Article 19 Motion 7 - A motion made by Ms. Saint Andre that the sum of Eighty Thousand Dollars
($80,000) be appropriated to be spent by the Chief Procurement Officer with the approval of the Board
of Selectmen for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of baseball and softball fields at the Duggan,
Decembrele, Gibson, Walsh, Ponkapoag, Sullivan and Ruane fields and to fund this appropriation Eighty
Thousand Dollars ($80,000) be transferred from the Undesignated Fund Balance Reserved for
Community Preservation Act was seconded by Ms. Holcombe. Vote: 8-0-0.
Vote -Article 19 Motion 8 - A motion made by Ms. Saint Andre that the sum of Thirty Five Thousand
Dollars ($35,000) be appropriated to be spent by the School Committee for the construction of a SHINE
embankment slide at the Dean S. Luce Elementary School and to fund this appropriation Thirty Five
Thousand Dollars ($35,000) be transferred from the Undesignated Fund Balance Reserved for
Community Preservation Act was seconded by Ms. Holcombe. Vote: 8-0-0.
Vote -Article 19 Motion 9 - A motion made by Ms. Saint Andre that the sum of Two Hundred Thousand
Dollars ($200,000) be appropriated to be spent by the Chief Procurement Officer with the approval of
the Board of Selectmen to fund costs to replace the Bolivar Pool and to fund this appropriation Two
Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000) be transferred from the Undesignated Fund Balance Reserved
for Community Preservation Act was seconded by Ms. Holcombe.
The Community Preservation Committee is supposed to be checking with Town Counsel to see if the motion needs
to be worded contingent upon a debt vote. Ms. Saint Andre withdrew her motion. No vote was taken.
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Vote -Article 19 Motion 10 — A motion made by Ms. Saint Andre that the sum of Seventy Four Thousand Dollars ($74,000) be appropriated to be spent by the Canton Housing Authority for the purpose of replacing siding at the Brayton Circle Housing complex and to fund this appropriation Seventy Four Thousand Dollars ($74,000) be transferred from the Fund Balance Reserved for Community Housing was seconded by Ms. Holcombe. Vote: 8-0-0. Vote -Article 19 Motion 11— A motion made by Ms. Saint Andre that the sum of Twenty Eight Thousand Dollars ($28,000) be appropriated to be spent by the Department of Public Works for the purpose of replacing the copper roof at the Town Hall and to fund this appropriation Twenty Eight Thousand Dollars ($28,000) be transferred from the Fund Balance Reserved for Historic Resources was seconded by Ms. Holcombe. Vote: 8-0-0. Vote Article 19 Motion 12 — A motion made by Ms. Saint Andre that the sum of Thirty Seven Thousand One Hundred Twenty Dollars ($37,120) be appropriated to be spent by the Canton Historical Society for the purpose of repairing, preserving and digitizing the documents in Volume 1 of a collection entitled Ancient Stoughton Records and to fund this appropriation Thirty Seven Thousand One Hundred Twenty Dollars ($37,120) be transferred from the Fund Balance Reserved for Historic Resources was seconded by Ms. Holcombe. A Finance Committee member stated that she would like to make sure that these records would be available for the public. As a former CCPC member, Mr. Mauro said that private projects can only receive CPA funds if they serve some public purpose and that issue is usually vetted by the CCPC in the pre-application process because public access to a CPA funded project proposed by a private applicant is a requirement of eligibility and determining that eligibility is one of the purposes of the pre-application stage." Mr. Mauro also confirmed that in the pre-application information that it stated these documents would be made available for inspection by the public. Vote: 8-0-0. Vote -Article 19 Motion 13 — A motion made by Ms. Saint Andre that the Board of Selectmen, with the a pproval of the Community Preservation Committee be hereby authorized in connection with Motions 2 through 12 above to acquire such real property and property interest in the name of, or enforceable by the Town, including conservation restrictions and to dispose of town property or portions thereof or interests therein as may be necessary pursuant to the Community Preservation Act or appropriate to carry out the recommendations of the Community Preservation Committee was seconded by Mr. McKenna. Vote: 8-0-0. E. Approval of Minutes A motion made by Mr. McKenna to approve the minutes for February 11, 2019 as written was seconded by Ms. Holcombe. Vote: 7-0-1. Ms. Saint Andre abstained. A motion made by Mr. McKenna to approve the minutes for February 13, 2019 with one minor correction was seconded by Ms. Holcombe. Vote: 7-0-1. Ms. Saint Andre abstained. F. Next Meeting Date: The next Finance Committee meeting would take place on Thursday, March 7, 2019. Adjournment: A motion made by Mr. McKenna to adjourn the meeting at 9:15 p.m. was seconded by Ms. Holcombe. Vote: 8-0-0. Minutes reviewed by: Dan Cole Re pectfully s bmit d, \ _ _\ Rob Barker Chairman, Canton Finance Committee FINCOM 20190225 Minutes Page 7 of8 3/17/19
Source page 8
Canton Finance Committee Meeting
Monday, February 25, 2019
Meeting Documents
Please note: Some meeting documents may be found on the Town's website under the Posted Minutes section
(Laser Fiche).
Some of the Municipal and School Department budgets or Annual Town Meeting documents referred to in
Finance Committee meetings maybe found on the Finance Committee page of the Town's website.
Agenda for February 25, 2019. (1 page).
Finance Committee Voting Checklist(2 pages).
Finance Committee Liaison List(1 page).
Massachusetts Water Resources Authority —Preliminary FY20 Water and Sewer Assessments, dated 2/20/19
(1 page).
Enterprise Funds Operating Budgets dated 2/20/29(1 page).
Article 2 —Adopt Rules to Govern Town Meeting —draft motions(2 pages).
Article 3 —Hear Reports of Committees Appointed at Prior Town Meetings (draft motion)(1 page).
Article 7 —Set Salaries of Elected Officers —draft motion (1 page).
Article 14 —Approval of Funding for the Annual 4`h of July Community Celebration —draft motion (1 page).
Article 19 —Recommendations of the Community Preservation Committee —draft motions (5 pages).
Article 23 — Authorize a Five (5) Year Lease for Fire Department Equipment Storage (3 pages).
Article 24 —Adopt Municipal Modernization Act Pertaining to the Establishment of Speed Limits and Safety Zones
(1 page).
Article 27 —Acceptance of Proposed New By-Law regarding Plastic Shopping Bag Reduction (1 page).
Revised Article 27 —Provided by Christine Smith.
Article 27 — PowerPoint Presentation provided by Christine Smith (10 pages).
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