Town of Otis
Select Board Meeting Minutes
November 13, 2018
Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 7:02 pm in the Town Hall conference room. It’s being recorded and a quorum is present.
Present: Selectman Gary Thomas, Selectman Bill Hiller, Town Administrator Becky Stone, Dave Conklin, Michael Ernst, Roberta Sarnacki, Dave Sarnacki, Dan Hamill, Lisa D’Orazio
Approval of Minutes: All meeting minute approvals were tabled as there was no quorum to approve them since Bill was not in attendance at those meetings.
Board of Health: The Title 5 penalties were reviewed but both Gary and Bill decided to table their decision until Don was back and they could get his input. The last page was the addition of penalties to the existing
Resignation: Charles Rosenblum’s resignation from the Historical Commission was accepted. No one has asked to be reappointed as yet.
Police Dept. Staffing: One officer has requested a leave of absence and another one has limited availability due to classes, so Dan is requesting we advertise for two additional part-time Police Officers so he can cover shifts. These positions would only be for a few hours each week and/or month. The board unanimously agreed it was okay to post the open positions.
Deadline for Citizen’s Petitions: Lyn requested a deadline be set so petitions could arrive in time to be added to the Town Warrant or Town Election ballot as needed. She suggested a date of May 1, 2019 and that date was unanimously approved by the selectmen. The 2019 annual town meeting and annual town election dates were discussed.
Set December Meeting Schedule: The December All Boards meeting falls on Christmas Eve and the last Select Board meeting falls on Christmas Day. Both meetings will be cancelled and posted as such. The December 11, 2018 Select Board meeting will be handled as per usual.
Other:
FY ’17 Audit: Becky needs to sit with Finance and discuss findings with Accountant and Treasurer.
Housing Rehab Block Grant: Housing rehab programs are available. This will require the town to begin an ADA transition plan in order to be eligible for this grant.
Personnel Policy Manual Changes: There is a Pregnant Worker’s Fairness Policy Act that needs to be included as well as other changes.
Tyringham Road: Becky tried to get a response from MassWorks in Boston but we have not received an answer as to our grant application yet. Other towns have already been notified of awards.
Berkshire County Retirement: They want to come in and discuss post-employment benefits the town could be offering. Otis is one of the few towns that do not offer OPEB benefits.
FY2018 bills: Some bills were overlooked before FY 2018 was closed out and will need to be voted on for payment at a Town Meeting.
Reservoir Road Grant: The grant application is still pending and we probably won’t hear about this until mid-December.
Marijuana Information Meeting: Lisa mentioned a lot of residents had asked if there was going to be a general information meeting regarding marijuana in town. Gary and Bill both felt there wouldn’t be any meeting until a specific application came to the town.
Adjournment: The Select Board unanimously adjourned the meeting at 7:26 pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Lisa D’Orazio
Selectmen’s Secretary
Town of Otis
List of Documents
- A copy of the resignation email from Charles Rosenblum will be filed with these meeting minutes.
- A copy of the draft for the Title 5 penalties will be filed with these meeting minutes.