Minutes
Monday, January 10, 2022
TOWN COUNCIL Meeting
7:10 P.M.
ZOOM
Attachments can be found: https://clerkshq.com/barrington-ri
Video: https://vimeo.com/664644915
THIS MEETING WAS HELD VIA ZOOM:
Present: President Michael W. Carroll, Vice President Robert Humm, Councilman Jacob N.S. Brier, Councilwoman Annelise Conway, and Councilman Carl Kustell
Also, Present: Town Manager Phil Hervey, Assistant Town Solicitor Amy Goins, Business and Finance Director Kathy Raposa, Fire Chief Gerald Bessette, Library Director Kristin Chin Recreation and Senior Services Director Michele Geremia, Police Chief Mike Correia, Public Works Director Allan Corvi, Tax Assessor Ken Mallette, Town Planner Teresa Crean, and Town Clerk Meredith J. DeSisto
Absent: Human Resources Director Mari-Ann Oliveira
Council President Carroll called the meeting to order at 7:10 P.M.
President Carroll asked everyone to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.
(Councilman Jacob Brier read into the record.)
“Aquene (Peace) We recognize the unique and enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories. We acknowledge that we are in the ancestral homeland of the Pokanoket Trike within the original territory of the Pokanoket Nation. We commit to ongoing efforts to recognize, honor, reconcile and partner with the Pokanoket people whose ancestral lands and water we benefit from today. Aquene (Peace)”
· Honoring David A. Monti with the Department of Public Works for 40 years. His first day on the job was January 4, 1982
Motion by Vice President Humm and seconded by Councilman Kustell to adopt the resolution honoring DPW Sewer Foreman David A. Monti, as presented. The motion passed 5-0-0-0; in favor, President Carroll, Vice President Humm, Councilman Brier, Councilwoman Conway, and Councilman Kustell; no one opposed, no recusals and there were no abstentions.
DPW Director Alan Corvi said, “David Monti is a man that you can count on and is always there for the Town.”
Town Manager Phil Hervey announced the following:
· New Director of Planning, Building and Resiliency: Town Manager Phil Hervey introduced the new Director of Planning, Building and Resiliency Teresa Crean, AICP. Ms. Crean said that she is excited to work for the Town of Barrington. Mr. Hervey added that Teresa has extensive experience in coastal adaptation and resilience.
· 25 Watson Avenue Ad Hoc Meeting: Wednesday, January 19 and Monday, January 31, 2022. A joint Council-Planning Board-Housing Board and Ad hoc Watson Committee meeting is being scheduled to take place in late January.
· Tree Planting & Removal:
§ December 1, 2020 – November 30, 2021 – 80 trees removed/110 trees planted
· Martin Luther King Day: All Town offices and departments will be closed on Monday, January 17, 2022. Monday’s refuse will be picked up on Tuesday.
· All Boards and Commission meetings are held via Zoom. Please check the website:
All items with an asterisk (*) are routine by the Town Council and will be enacted by one motion.
President Carroll asked councilmembers if anyone would like to remove an item from the Consent Agenda. Councilman Brier requested to remove agenda item #7 Reappointments to Boards and Commissions for him to abstain from the vote.
Motion by Vice President Humm and seconded by Councilman Kustell to adopt the Consent Agenda (agenda items #6-13) except for items #7 Reappointments to Boards and Commissions. The motion passed 5-0-0-0; in favor, President Carroll, Vice President Humm, Councilman Brier, Councilwoman Conway, and Councilman Kustell; no one opposed, no recusals and there were abstentions.
Motion by Vice President Humm and seconded by Councilwoman Kustell to approve agenda item #7 Reappointments of the Boards and Commissions, as part of the Consent Agenda. The motion passed 4-0-0-1; in favor, President Carroll, Vice President Humm, Councilwoman Conway, and Councilman Kustell; no one opposed, no recusals and there was one abstention, Councilman Brier.
It was voted to accept the resignations presented. Please see the Consent Agenda motion above.
· Economic Development Commission: Michael Brito effective immediately.
It was voted to reappoint members to boards and commissions as presented. Please see the Consent Agenda motion above.
· Housing Board of Trustees:
· Shayla Simmons reappointed for a full term to expire January 31, 2025.
ON DECEMBER 6, 2021 AND NOVEMBER 16, 2021 (TC SC Legislative Breakfast Meeting)
It was voted to adopt the Town Council minutes on December 6, and November 16, 2021. See Consent Agenda motions above.
It was voted to adopt the following monthly department reports: Business and Finance Director, Fire Chief, Human Resources, Library Director, Police Chief/Animal Control Official, Public Works Director, Planner/Building and Resiliency, Recreation and Senior Services Director, Tax Assessor and Town Clerk. See Consent Agenda motion above.
It was voted to accept the Abatement List in the amount of $7,277.00 and as described therein. See the Consent Agenda motion above.
It was voted to accept the correspondence. See Consent Agenda above.
· Brickyard Parking: A. Caracuzzo
· Shoreline Parking: K. Block
· Sidewalks: County Road-Massasoit Avenue to Walker Farm: Charlie Maher
· Duck Hunting: M. Freij
It was voted to appoint Francis E. Charette, Jr. as the Tree Warden. See Consent Agenda motion above.
It was voted to receive the minutes of the Rayner Refuge Management Committee. See Consent Agenda motion above.
TERESA CREAN, DIRECTOR OF PLANNING, BUILDING AND RESILIENCY:
It was voted to appoint the Planning Board Administrative Officer, Director of Planning, Building and Resiliency Teresa Crean. See Consent Agenda motion above.
BY UP TO FOUR (4) MEMBERS, TO INCLUDE UP TO THREE (3) NEIGHBORHOOD REPRESENTATIVES AND ONE (1) BARRINGTON LAND CONSERVATION TRUST REPRESENTATIVE:
TM Comment: Requesting Town Council endorsement of the expansion of the 25 Watson Avenue Ad Hoc Committee to include three additional neighborhood representatives, plus one representative from the Barrington Land Conservation Trust.
Three residents who live next to or across the street from the Carmelite Monastery property have accepted my invitation to join the Committee. David Butera of 275 Nayatt Road, Mary Grenier of 10 Watson Ave., and Diane Lipscombe, 6 Watson Ave., have all agreed to join the 25 Watson Ave. Ad Hoc Committee. Separately, the Town’s consultant team recently held a stakeholder meeting via Zoom with the Barrington Land Conservation Trust. The Land Trust expressed an interest in having greater involvement in the planning process, to include representation on the Ad Hoc Committee. I have reached out to Ian Donahue and Melissa Horne with the Land Trust; they will be sending me the name of the Land Trust representative.
The motion below is consistent with the motion approved on September 13, 2021, in which the Town Council voted to endorse the Town Manager’s establishment of the Committee, along with adding two additional members.
Motion by Vice President Humm and seconded by Councilman Brier to endorse the Town Manager’s expansion of the Ad hoc 25 Watson Avenue Development Committee to include three (3) additional representatives from the neighborhood (David Butera of 275 Nayatt Road, Mary Grenier of 10 Watson Avenue, and Diane Lipscombe, 6 Watson Avenue) and one (1) representative from the Barrington Land Conservation Trust (to be named later). The motion passed 5-0-0-0; in favor, President Carroll, Vice President Humm, Councilman Brier, Councilwoman Conway, and Councilman Kustell; no one opposed, no recusals and there were abstentions.
TM Comment: On April 6, 2020, the Council approved changing the name of the Ad Hoc Recreational Trail-Link Committee to the Open Space Committee, with 10 members as follows (current members are in parentheses):
· Two (2) Town Council members (Councilor Kustell and Councilor Conway)
· Park & Recreation Committee Representative (Thomas (TR) Rimoshytus)
· Conservation Commission Representative (OPEN)
· Harbor Commission Representative (James Forster)
· Barrington Land Conservation Trust Representative (Ann Brouillette)
· Planning Board Representative (Ron Pitt)
· Resilience and Energy Committee Representative (Magnus Thorsson)
· Two (2) Members of the Public-At-Large (Kelly Chinners Reiss (Chair), and OPEN)
· Ex-Officio Members: Town Planner, BPS Athletic Director and DPW representative
The Committee has had difficulty meeting due to an inability to make quorum. Reducing the number of seats on the Committee would help fix this issue. The Board currently has two vacant seats.
Discussion ensued regarding reaching a quorum at the Open Space Committee meetings. Councilman Kustell discussed that it is sometimes difficult for him and Councilwoman Conway (she was given the responsibility of attending more committee meetings) to attend the Open Space meetings. This has caused a quorum issue when a vote is needed because they both are voting members. He said that with the consensus of the Open Space committee, he is requesting to reduce the council seats to one or remove the voting rights of the council members.
Councilman Brier asked the rationale behind the voting rights with council members. Councilman Kustell said that the Town Solicitor thought that more “weight” could help the committee.
Councilman Brier suggested to have one (1) Council seat converted to an alternate.
Town Manager Hervey clarified the vacancies on the board. He said that the charge has two (2) members from the public at large, one of those members is Kelly Reiss and the second position is vacant, and he said, that the Conservation Commission representative is open.
Motion by President Carroll and seconded by Councilman Kustell to revise the seats on the Open Space Committee as follows: To remove one town council member and convert that seat to an alternate member, and that Councilman Kustell will remain as the one (1) Town Council member. The motion passed 5-0-0-0; in favor, President Carroll, Vice President Humm, Councilman Brier, Councilwoman Conway, and Councilman Kustell; no one opposed, no recusals and there were abstentions.
· Board of Library Trustees: (1 vacancy: 1 full member with an expiration date of December 31, 2024)
o Interviewed: Kelly Freeman, Kristi Green, Drew Nederpelt, Martha Rush-Mueller and Chris Watson
Councilwoman Conway said that she serves as the Council Liaison to the Board of Library Trustees. She said that after careful review by the Library Director (Kris Chin) and Chairman of the Board of Library Trustees Vince Wicker that they have recommended Chris Watson as the full member.
Motion by Councilwoman Conway and seconded by Councilman Kustell to appoint Chris Watson as a full member to the Board of Library Trustees with a term to expire on December 31, 2024. The motion passed 5-0-0-0; in favor, President Carroll, Vice President Humm, Councilman Brier, Councilwoman Conway, and Councilman Kustell; no one opposed, no recusals and there were no abstentions.
· Resilience and Energy Committee: (2 vacancies: 1 full member with an expiration date of November 30, 2024, and 1st alternate with a term expiration date of November 30, 2023)
o Interviewed: Courtney Fairbrother (not in attendance), Michael Kadish and Cristina Watkins (not in attendance)
Motion by President Carroll and seconded by Vice President Humm to appoint Michael Kadish as the full member to the Resilience and Energy Committee with a term to expire on November 30, 2024. The motion passed 5-0-0-0; in favor, President Carroll, Vice President Humm, Councilman Brier, Councilwoman Conway, and Councilman Kustell; no one opposed, no recusals and there were no abstentions.
(two-minute statement) - To the public: This agenda item is for members of the public to speak regarding a topic that is not already on the agenda.
TR Rimoshytus, 1 Howard Street requested that during zoom meetings that he would like to be able to view the list of all participants.
TM Comment: On March 4, 2019, the Town Council established the Ad Hoc Advisory Athletic Field Committee with the following Purpose and Charge:
Purpose: A joint committee which will provide short- and long-term recommendations to the Barrington Town Council and to the Barrington School Committee on how to improve and maintain the athletic fields as well as to increase field access.
Charge:
1. To explore the improvement, maintenance, and acquisition of athletic fields and to provide a detailed report and recommendations to the Town Council and to the School Committee and to conclude their business in one year.
2. To research the cost, environmental and health impacts of artificial turf field and to provide a detailed report and recommendations to the Town Council and to the School Committee and to conclude their business in one year.
The Council voted to create the Committee with the following membership:
· 2 Members of the Town Council – 1 to serve as Co-Chair
· 2 Members of the School Committee – 1 to serve as Co-Chair
· 3 Members of the Park and Recreation Committee
· 1 Member of the Conservation Committee
· 1 Member of the Community appointed by the Town Council
· Up to 5 Members as appointed by the School Committee
The Committee held eight meetings between May 2019 and October 2021. The Committee formed several work groups studying specific issues: Field Use and Scheduling; Maintenance and Acquisition; Artificial Turf; Financing and Fees. On October 21, 2021, the Committee voted to approve the 44-page final report (attached) and send the final copy to the Town Council and School Committee.
The report has a thorough discussion of the issues studied by each Work Group, with the most in-depth section written by the Artificial Turf Work Group. The Full Committee’s recommendations (Page 38 of the pdf) are as follows:
1. Natural Fields: With a long-term lease of Haines Park in place, develop two full size, multi-use fields and renovate the baseball diamond known as Harrington Field. (Note – the Town recently submitted an Outdoor Recreation Grant application to RIDEM for $400,000, to help cover a portion of the $1.5 million+ estimated cost of the Haines Park project. A decision on the grant likely will take a few months.)
2. Artificial Fields: The report recommends developing conceptual plans to install artificial turf on the fields on the east side of the High School campus along County Road between Federal Road and Lincoln Avenue. The report acknowledges questions “still remain as to certain health and safety issues given the inconclusive nature of existing studies.” The cost is estimated at $10 per square foot, totaling $3 million to $4 million, plus lights at $80 per pole.
If a decision is made to proceed with the artificial turf in this location, the report recommends hiring a consultant to develop the plans.
(Note: The summary does not mention who makes that decision. Since it’s the High School and involves school athletic fields, this should be a decision of the School Committee.)
3. Tracking and Scheduling. The report recommends utilizing software to “allow leagues and potentially members of the public to reserve fields, amend their reservations and view what fields are available at a given time.” It would help “maximize the use” of the fields while improve the scheduling of resting fields to avoid overuse. (See Page 4 of the report for examples of software used by other towns.)
4. Apply fees to reservations. It concludes that a “league athlete should not have to pay an additional fee that an unaffiliated athlete does not have to pay.” However, if a league wants to “reserve exclusive use of a field,” a fee should be charged.
5. Establish a Capital Campaign Committee. The report suggests launching a fundraising campaign through a capital campaign committee.
President Carroll introduced Ad Hoc Athletic Field Committee Co-Chair Steve Boyajian. Mr. Boyajian summarized the turf field report. He first described that the committee consisted of 21 members and created sub-committees: Finance, headed by Councilman Jacob Brier, Maintenance and Acquisition headed by Anna Clancy, Scheduling was headed by School Committee Chair Gina Bae and Mr. Boyajian headed the committee on Artificial Turf. Mr. Boyajian said that they began by understanding the demands for fields. He said that weekday evenings in the Spring have the highest demand for field use (soccer, lacrosse, little league, etc.). He said that the Scheduling Committee’s findings are for two (2) large multi-use fields with one field at rest (take “off-line” for the year) and then the other field would be in full swing. Mr. Boyajian said that the sub-committee of Maintenance and Acquisition’s findings is to develop these fields at Haines Park and to reconfigure Harrington Field. He discussed that the committees suggested for the youth sports leagues use the same field scheduling software as the high school. He said that this will allow for less scheduling conflicts.
Mr. Boyajian spoke about the committee’s findings on artificial turf. He said that they began with three (3) questions: cost, environmental considerations and health and safety. Mr. Boyajian said that the committee met with experts in artificial turf, they tried to determine the cost, approximately $10.00 a square foot and reviewed potential locations. He said that they determined that the best location would be at Barrington High School running from County Road between Federal Road and Lincoln Avenue approximately 380,000 square feet (8 acres). Mr. Boyajian discussed the work involved, the cost for a project of this size approximately $3-4 million and the constraints. Mr. Boyajian said that the committee discussed the environmental logistics with artificial turf, the amount of plastic, the cost, the recyclability, and lighting. Mr. Boyajian said that the summary for lights is incorrect, it is not $80 a pole but $80,000 a pole. He stressed that a turf field without lighting does not serve the purpose if one is going to install artificial turf, and, not to mention that the lighting could be upsetting to the neighbors near-by. Mr. Boyajian stated that these fields do not truly see action until 3:00pm because most of the year and most of the day the students are in school. He continued to discuss the cost if there was vandalism to the turf field. Mr. Boyajian explained the high cost regarding maintaining artificial turf ($100,000-150,000 a year with capital reserves and the need to replace the surface every 10 years). However, Mr. Boyajian said that artificial turf could be used around the clock, but we must be considerate to the neighbors. The suggestion is to shut the lights down at 9:00pm. He discussed the health and safety of turf fields; many reports are inconclusive because injuries are hard to measure. He said that it is hard to control what happened with a particular injury (abrasions may be the result of playing on artificial turf) such as injuries of twisted ankles or torn ACL’s. Mr. Boyajian said that there are very pessimistic studies that say that injuries on turf could be as high as 58% and questioned the type of footwear (turf cleats/grass cleats).
Mr. Boyajian said that there is no recommendation to build a turf field or not to build, but this is to give you considerations of the Committee’s findings.
President Carroll thanked Mr. Boyajian and all the members of the Committee. He appreciated that the report includes all of the findings for the town to determine but the suggestion to put an artificial turf field is not part of the Council’s jurisdiction.
Councilman Kustell questioned the vote of the Committee 8-0. Mr. Boyajian said that for those members that were there, it was a unanimous vote. Discussion ensued regarding the case studies in which various conditions, sport, footwear, weather, games vs. practice sessions resulted with injuries on artificial turf. Mr. Boyajian discussed surface quality – a turf field is trying to imitate a grass field We cannot compare the quality of a high school field vs. that of a professional field.
TR Rimoshytus, 1 Howard Street and a member of the Ad Hoc Athletic Field Committee discussed further artificial turf concerns with injuries and types of artificial turf and the number of additional fields that the town needs.
Mr. Rimoshytus requested (throughout the discussion) a joint meeting of the Town Council and the School Committee and that the Ad Hoc Committee spent many hours on research and discussions.
Don Denham, BHS Boys Soccer Coach and a member of the Ad Hoc Athletic Field Committee discussed that on turf fields you wear regular cleats. He explained because more and more fields for high school players are being changed over to artificial turf you will see a spike in injuries. Therefore, the large percentage of injuries (58%). He discussed the advantages of how youth sports could benefit with an artificial turf field because our grass fields must shut down when it rains. Mr. Denham discussed the opportunities that would come with an artificial turf field – more playing time, more multi-use, lighting. He said that we need a larger conversation with the Town and the School because the benefits outweigh the costs (the town will get more fields to allow for more playing time). Mr. Denham suggested that if we had artificial turf, it may be a chance to rent to other organizations to help towards the costs. Discussion ensued regarding playing hours, grass is approximately 20-25 hours a week, artificial turf could have playing hours at approximately 58 hours a week.
Scott Pickering, is in favor of additional fields and making the changes to Haines Park. He said that most towns have large sports complexes with at least one field with turf. Mr. Pickering said that adding a turf field at the high school should be a Barrington School initiative. It shouldn’t be the Town Council leading but the School Committee should be leading the efforts.
Discussion ensued regarding additional field space. Vice President Humm questioned if the Ad Hoc Athletic Committee has formally presented their findings to the School Committee. President Carroll said that he had reached out to School Committee Chair Bae, and she said that the Committee presented their findings to the School Committee. Vice President Humm questioned if Chianese Field has other options to improve those fields.
President Carroll discussed the restrictions that exist at Chianese. He explained that the field is a capped landfill and irrigation is not possible. Councilman Brier spoke of the restrictions at Haines Park.
Will LoVerme, Youth Sports Coach, said that there is only one point – the availability of fields is needed, and the Town needs to improve their fields.
Councilman Brier and Ad Hoc Committee member discussed the maintenance costs and the usage fees per player. He suggested transitioning to a “field rental fee model” based on the amount of time the leagues use the fields. Councilman Brier discussed funding, and whether it would come from taxes, grants or other opportunities. He said that they discussed creating a fund-raising committee that may have sponsorships or donation recognition for large capital investments with construction of new fields.
Mr. Rimoshytus stressed the need for an additional joint meeting, but President Carroll said that he sees no benefit in having another meeting.
No action was taken.
NEAR WOOD’S POND (SOUTH OF TOWN HALL DRIVE AND COUNTY ROAD INTERSECTION: (J.BRIER)
TM Comment: Councilor Brier has submitted a proposal to establish a passive park near County Road south of Town Hall Drive and near Wood’s Pond. Development of plans for this space would require the services of a design professional. I have reached out to a landscape architect to get an idea of the cost to come up with concepts, to include public meetings and a presentation to the Town Council. Based on my experience with similar projects, the cost would be below the amount where the Town would need to advertise for bids. The use of funds from the Council Contingency account would require approval of the Town Council.
Before the Town hires a consultant to assist with the project, the Council could request input from the Open Space Committee and the Park and Recreation Commission and consider how to move forward at a future Council meeting (date TBD).
Councilman Brier proposed the creation of a park at a meeting of the Town Council on December 6, 2021. He said that we need to look at more ways to bring the community together.
Vice President Humm questioned the cost. Councilman Brier said that he had spoken with the Town Manager Phil Hervey and that he estimated approximately $100,000.00. He suggested that the Park could be created a section at a time.
Motion by Councilman Brier and seconded by Vice President Humm to refer the proposal to develop a park near Wood’s Pond to the Open Space Committee and the Park and Recreation Commission, with input due to the Town Council for consideration at the March 2, 2022 Town Council meeting.
Discussion ensued that the committees may not have enough time to review.
Amended Motion by Councilman Brier and seconded by Vice President Humm that the committees will have until May 2, 2022. The motion passed 5-0-0-0; in favor, President Carroll, Vice President Humm, Councilman Brier, Councilwoman Conway, and Councilman Kustell; no one opposed, no recusals and there were no abstentions.
· Department of Public Works: Revised Cost (original motion October 4, 2021 at $176,544.27) with A.T. Norther Warwick, LLC regarding 41,000 GVW Dump Truck with Plow Surcharge is an Additional Cost of $3,000.00 total cost: $179,544.27
TM Comment: DPW Director Alan Corvi is requesting approval of an additional $3,000 to cover the cost of a surcharge added by the vendor to offset higher costs due to supply chain issues. The vendor was the only bidder that submitted a bid when advertised previously. The Solicitor has advised that, because the Town had received just one bid, the Town can work with the bidder to make this adjustment.
Motion by Vice President Humm and seconded by Councilwoman Conway to approve adding $3,000.00 to the original approved bid award for a new total of $179,544.27, to complete the purchase of a 41,000 gross vehicle weight dump truck with plow from A.T. Northern Warwick, LLC. The motion passed 5-0-0-0; in favor, President Carroll, Vice President Humm, Councilman Brier, Councilwoman Conway, and Councilman Kustell; no one opposed, no recusals, and no abstentions.
o INTRODUCTION: (none)
o PUBLIC HEARING:
v 2022-1 Renewal of Ordinance DECLARATION OF EMERGENCY
TM Comment: Renewal is requested for two reasons:
1. To allow for future emergency funding reimbursement opportunities due to the continued Emergency Declaration. RIEMA advises that it is unknown if future stimulus packages would require an active emergency declaration to qualify for fiscal support.
2. Requirement to have the ability to instantaneously enact emergency orders for the health and safety of the Town of Barrington residents.
If renewed, the Declaration of Emergency would expire on February 15, 2022. Any further renewal would be determined at the February 7, 2022, Town Council meeting.
President Carroll opened the public hearing for 2022-1 Renewal of Ordinance DECLARATION OF EMERGENCY. No one from the public wished to speak.
Motion by Vice President Humm and seconded by Councilwoman Conway to adopt 2022-1 Renewal of Declaration of Emergency, as presented. The motion passed 5-0-0-0; in favor, President Carroll, Vice President Humm, Councilman Brier, Councilwoman Conway, and Councilman Kustell; no one opposed, no recusals and there were no abstentions.
TM Comment: This item was included on the agenda at the request of Councilman Brier.
Councilman Brier stated the following:
Our government operates at its best when it operates transparently, inclusively, and equitably. We’ve each been elected with an expectation to deliver that. Recent events have made it clear that our local government would benefit from additional guardrails to ensure that delivery. Regardless of the people serving in Barrington’s government, whether it is us or people in the future, our neighbors should be able to have confidence that the people they elect are equally informed about town matters.
Councilman Brier said that he had a conversation with Solicitor Ursillo. The Solicitor suggested that an appropriate way to give the town this confidence is to add two (2) items to our Rules of Procedure. One, to codify an expectation that general, town relevant information share by the town administration is provided to all members of the Council. The other is that each Council member has the right, without special permission from the Council President, to send Open Meetings Act compliant memos to the Council, through the Clerk’s office.
Discussion ensued. Vice President Humm said he did not feel that the discussion was appropriate. President Carroll said he does not prevent members from sending memos to the Council; he mentioned one incident where he asked one of Councilman Brier’s memos be amended to remove references to the member’s political website. Councilman Kustell stated that his view is that the performance of the Town Manager is an issue for the Town Council to consider in executive session.
No Action Taken.
TM Comment: A goal-setting retreat with a facilitator would help the Council establish goals for 2022, ideally held in person while the Town Budget is still being developed. However, due to the omicron variant a retreat held via Zoom is recommended.
The last goal-setting session was held in November 2019 at the Trust. I am researching options for a facilitator to come up with a budget for this session (will update the Council at the meeting). Recommend using funds from the Council Contingency account, which has a balance of $10,000.
Town Manager Phil Hervey suggested that the retreat could be led by Facilitator Emily Morash and said that the cost of the retreat could cost between $1,200.00 – $2000.00. He said that the virtual retreat would be approximately three (3) hours. Councilwoman Conway thought this could be fruitful and creative.
Motion by President Carroll and seconded by Councilwoman Conway to authorize up to $1,500.00 from the Council Contingency Fund to cover the cost of a Town Council goal-setting retreat. The motion passed 5-0-0-0; in favor, President Carroll, Vice President Humm, Councilman Brier, Councilwoman Conway, and Councilman Kustell; no one opposed, no recusals and there were no abstentions.
· Introduction: Ordinance Amendment on Short-Term Rentals
· Good Energy Jamie Rhodes – Electrical Aggregation: Terms of the Agreement(s)
· Sr. Services Advisory Board – Mission Statement
· Liquor License with Prince Ali’s Kebab (C. Kustell)
· Enabling Legislation for ISP (C. Kustell)
Motion by Councilman Brier and seconded by Councilman Kustell to adjourn the Open Session at 9:52 PM. The motion passed 5-0-0-0, in favor, President Carroll, Vice President Humm, Councilman Brier, Councilwoman Conway and Councilman Kustell.
_____________________________
Meredith J. DeSisto, CMC
Town Clerk