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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - AC - 03/08/2018 COHASSET ADVISORY COMMITTEE Regular Meeting Thursday, 8 March 2oi8 Cohasset Town Hall John Chapman,Chair,called the Cohasset Advisory Committee meeting to order at 7:15 PM Attending: Paul Carlson,John Chapman,Michael Dick, Richard Fitzpatrick,Leland Jenkins, Helene Lieb,Nancy A Roth Not Present: Tanya Bodell,Ralph Tulio Presentations by Chris Senior,Town Manager 1) Minutes of 15 Feb 2018 approved 5-0-1 (Roth abstained as she wasri t present at the meeting.) Minutes of 1 March 2018 reviewed,John Chapman pointed out that he had not asked that union negotiations be completed by the end of March 2018-minutes approved 5-0-1 (Fitzpatrick abstained as he wasn't present at the meeting.) 2) Water Department Budget preliminary review and discussion,presented by Don Piatt, Town Finance Director. Leonora Jenkins,Water Commissioner not present Questions:Why did hydrant fee go up?When will water rates drop as a result of debt rolloff?There were more questions on several line items but Commissioner not present to explain and Don Piatt not in a position to answer for her. Discussion covering Water Department: • Capital recovery fees • Use of debt service savings to cover operating expenses • Debt reduction over time and elimination from Town budget (debt rolloff) • Spending its retained earnings cushion on capital expenditures Nan Roth recommended adding current another column to the budget spreadsheet: add Current Fiscal Year Budgeted to go along with Current Fiscal Year Estimated Budget. Don Piatt advised against counting"Liens Added to Taxes" and dropping the line from the budget. Don Piatt recommends that sewer betterments should be shown in the Sewer Dep't spreadsheet. The Advisory Committee supports aligning Water and Sewer Department budget layout and formats. Don will take the lead to change and align the Water and Sewer budget formats with all Town Departments. 3) Large Home Review-Annual Town Meeting 2018 Warrant Article from the Town Planning Board,Peter Matchak,Town Director of Planning,led the discussion • Article is a Zoning By Law change,requires 2/3 vote to approve • Nan Roth asked if this article addresses subdivisions. The answer,no, subdivisions are covered by the Subdivision Review procedures. • Discussion on enforcement and appeals process • Advisory Committee will schedule additional discussions on Large Home Review warrant article after 21 March 2018. Notes by Michael Dick Page 1 of 2 COHASSET ADVISORY COMMITTEE Regular Meeting Thursday, 8 March 2oi8 Cohasset Town Hall 4) South Shore Vocational Technical School,Warrant Article,presented by Tom Hickey, District Superintendent and School Administrator The article seeks approval to amend the1960 Multi-Town Agreement that originally organized the SSVTS. Changes will remove obsolete language,add current practices, clarify budget process and voting approvals process,process to incur debt,define costs and apportionment. Only 3 Cohasset students attend SSVTS out of a high school population of several hundred. Discussion of raising Cohasset families' awareness of the benefits of an SSVTS education. 5) Marijuana Permitting Annual Town Meeting Warrant Article,discussion led by Chris Senior,Town Manager. Question on amending either the General By Laws or the Zoning By Laws to permit or prohibit growing,processing, grading, or selling marijuana in the Town of Cohasset. Or decide to place a moratorium on these activities. 6) Discussion of Town By Laws Codification,Annual Town Meeting Warrant Article 20 7) Advisory Committee,Meeting Calendar,March 2018 • Tuesday,3/13/18 -Joint meeting with Select Board to discuss Water Dept budget and Marijuana warrant article • Wednesday,3/14/18 -School Committee presents their FY 2019 budget in a public hearing • Thursday,3/15/18--Joint meeting with Select Board and School Committee to discuss their budget • Thursday,3/22/18 -Town Hall Building Committee to discuss their project MOTION TO ADJOURN: Passed, 6-0,at 9:30 PM Notes by Michael Dick Page 2 of 2