Monday, June 2, 2025, at 6:30PM
Amey Tucker Spencer Trust Fund Meeting
(Town Council Sitting in their Capacity as Trustees)
Followed by
Barrington Town Hall – Council Chamber (these minutes are separate)
Executive Session
Video: https://vimeo.com/showcase/9672722
Attachments can be found: https://clerkshq.com/barrington-ri
AMEY TUCKER SPENCER TRUST FUND MEETING
TOWN COUNCIL SITTING IN THEIR CAPACITY AS TRUSTEES
Present: (Town Council sitting as Trustees): President Jordan Jancosek, Vice President Liana Cassar, Trustee Braxton Cloutier, Trustee Kate Berard(arrived 7:00pm), and Trustee Kerry O’Neill.
Also, Present: Town Manager Phil Hervey, Assistant Town Solicitor Amy Goins, Town Clerk Meredith J. DeSisto and Deputy Clerk Stephanie Bernardo
President Jancosek called the AMEY TUCKER SPENCER TRUST FUND MEETING to order at 6:46P.M.
Motion by Trustee Cloutier and seconded by Vice President Cassar approved the minutes of the meeting of the Amey Tucker Spencer Trust Fund meeting on May 5, 2025. The motion passed in favor 4-0-0-0, President Jancosek, Vice President Cassar, Trustee Cloutier and Trustee O’Neill; no one opposed, no recusals and no abstentions. (Trustee Berard absent for the vote.)
President Jancosek re-ordered the agenda:
1. Budget Status: FY2025
Consulting Spencer Trust Administrator Karen Griffith, who is unavailable to attend this meeting, has provided a report on the status of the FY2025 Spencer Trust budget.
2. Non-Governmental Organizations Funding Requests for FY2026
· Application deadline: Friday, May 30, 2025
From Ms. Griffith:
The Town emailed a link to the Spencer Trust funding request application form (Word file and PDF) to previous funding recipients in early April 2025 and three reminders were sent in May 2025. The amounts below reflect the requests submitted by each organization.
· $5,000 – Tap-In: (Application #1)
· $5,000 – Meals on Wheels of RI, Inc.: (Application #2)
· $8,169 – Barrington Farm School: (Application #3)
· $18,416 – The Village Common of RI (Application #4)
o $20,000 Operating, $20,000 Crisis Fund – East Bay Community Action Program (EBCAP): (Application #5)
The FY2026 Spencer Trust budget table on the following page includes:
· Spencer Trust Programs and Operating Expenses, totaling $329,500
· Funding Requests from Non-Governmental Organizations, totaling $76,585.
Proposing to level fund the Super Senior Grant Program at $121,000, which was established this fiscal year. That program has a balance of $33,752 as of May 27th; applications will be accepted until the end of FY2025, or 6/30/25.
The number of home repair applications and the cost of projects increased in FY2025, with an unspent balance of around $10,500 out of $125,000 budgeted. Proposing to maintain the home repair budget at $125,000 for FY2026, which is significantly higher than what was budgeted in fiscal years prior to FY2025.
The number of projects handled by the consulting Spencer Trust administrator has increased, including managing more home repair projects and processing the Super Senior Assistance Program applications. Recommend increasing the consulting administrator budget from $30,000 to $35,000. In addition, the funding for the consultant position has been exhausted for FY2025 due to the additional assignments. Recommending an additional $5,000 in funding for the administrator consultant to cover her fees through the end of FY2025.
We are evaluating the status of the Spencer Trust funds to determine how much funding could be available for use in FY2026.
Proposed Motion 1: To approve the FY2026 Spencer Trust Budget [as presented / as amended]
Proposed Motion 2: To approve an additional $5,000 for the consulting Spencer Trust administrator for Fiscal Year 2025.
Town Manager Hervey discussed the proposal of the 2026 Spencer Trust Budget Proposal. He explained that the Spencer Trust Administrator, Karen Griffith provided a report on the spending of the current year and agencies requesting support (see attachment in Clerkbase): https://clerkshq.com/barrington-ri
| TAP-In | $ 5,000.00 |
| Meals on Wheels, | 5,000.00 |
| Barrington Farm School, | 8,169.00 |
| The Village Common of RI, | 18,416.00 |
| EBCAP (East Bay Community Action Program)– Crisis Fund Grants | 20,000.00 |
Discussion ensued regarding the budget for the Spencer Trust Administrator. Trustee Cloutier noted that there seems to be an overbudget for the current fiscal year.
Town Manager Hervey explained the increase in her workload due to the Super Senior Grant Program and home repair projects and commented that the proposed $35,000 is the correct number at this time period. Discussion ensued regarding the possibility of a full-time administrator instead of a consultant.
President Jancosek commented that she would like to revisit the discussion before the end of 2025 and is looking for some metrics and to identify certain times of the year where the workload increases and other elevated workloads as super senior applications, home repair applications and the work increase when the Day of Caring is approaching. She said that this must be determined before June of 2026 and it would be best in November/December (2025).
Vice President Cassar stated that she appreciates the work done with limited resources and the support from various agencies. She asked if there are other FTE’s that we can match or they have an overlap of skills in which there are complimentary roles between one area and the Spencer Trust. She suggested that there is a growing conversation with regard to affordable housing and maybe the overlap could be with planning and building with an intersection of work.
President Jancosek opened public comment.
Director Megan O’Grady with Meals on Wheels (10 Briarwood Drive), highlighted the organizations impact and the challenges faced due to federal funding freezes. She stated that the Town of Barrington has 36 Barrington residents that receive Meals on Wheels. She explained that Meals on Wheels provide so much more than just a meal but does a lifesaving safety check, an opportunity for socialization as we also offer culturally responsive and medically tailored options as we help our seniors age in place.
Discussion ensued regarding how the federal landscape has changed and questioned if Ms. O’Grady was asking in a kind way that she needs more money.
Ms. O’Grady did say yes that we have requested $5000 but if there is an opportunity for the Council to double that request, we would absolutely be open to that.
Laurie Ward representing TAP-In (68 Adams Point Road) was thankful for the past support and hope that you will support us again. She stated that we had almost 8000 food pantry visits as we have served about 1400 households across the four towns with 10% of those are Barrington families.
President Jancosek asked if the federal funding has affected you, do you feel that $5000 is enough.
Ms. Ward stated that she feels that $5000 is enough however we do have concerns for our future funding as we do not write grants and we do count on others such as RI Food Bank and expect a change with the food stamp program affecting our clients.
Rita Capitano, Vice President of EBCAP, thanked the Council for their past support with both operating support and we manage the crisis funds that goes directly to residents in which it does not benefit EBCAP directly; as we distribute those funds. She echoed Ms. O’Grady’s comments on federal funding as we are the primary safety net for the East Bay.
Laura Cummings representing Barrington Village (14 Manor Drive) said that this is our first application for funds as we are a fairly new organization. She said that they provide services, mainly transportation (errands, shopping, rides to hairdresser, doctors etc.) as we are part of a larger umbrella organization called the Village Common (with a Board of Trustees, non-profit with funding assistance).
President Gail Read representing Barrington Farm School (226 Foote Street) thanked the Council for their support. She explained that we are ramping up our donations to be year-round as the grant landscaping is very tight. She said that your donations are appreciated and we thank you.
It was the consensus of the Town Council as they discussed increasing the budget for certain agencies emphasizing the importance of using funds for their intended purposes as the community grows in need of support.
Motion 1: by President Jancosek and seconded by Trustee Cloutier to approve the FY2026 Spencer Trust Budget as presented with the following allocations:
| TAP-In | $ 5,000.00 |
| Meals on Wheels, | 5,000.00 |
| Barrington Farm School, | 8,169.00 |
| The Village Common of RI, | 18,416.00 |
| EBCAP (East Bay Community Action Program)– Crisis Fund Grants | 20,000.00 |
The motion passed 5-0-0-0 in favor, President Jancosek, Vice President Cassar, Trustee Berard, Trustee Cloutier, and Trustee O’Neill; no one opposed, no recusals and no abstentions.
Motion 2: by President Jancosek and seconded by Trustee Cloutier to approve an additional $5,000 for the consulting Spencer Trust administrator for Fiscal Year 2025. The motion passed 5-0-0-0 in favor, President Jancosek, Vice President Cassar, Trustee Berard, Trustee Cloutier, and Trustee O’Neill; no one opposed, no recusals and no abstentions.
Amended Motion 1: by President Jancosek and seconded by Trustee Cloutier to approve the FY2026 Spencer Trust Budget as presented and amended with the following additional allocations:
| EBCAP (East Bay Community Action Program)– Crisis Fund Grants | $ | 25,000 |
| EBCAP Operating | 20,000.00 | |
| TAP-In | | 15,000 |
| Meals on Wheels, | | 15,000 |
| Barrington Farm School, | | 12,000 |
| The Village Common of RI, | | 20,000 |
| EBCAP (East Bay Community Action Program)– Crisis Fund Grants | | 25,000 |
The budget item line at a subtotal of $329,500.00 and the agency support as amended with an additional $30,415 was amended and adjusted within the agency support now subtotaling $107,000 for a grand total of : $436,500
The motion passed 5-0-0-0 in favor, President Jancosek, Vice President Cassar, Trustee Berard, Trustee Cloutier, and Trustee O’Neill; no one opposed, no recusals and no abstentions.
TM Comment: The Housing Board of Trustees is requesting revisions to the downpayment assistance program for first-time homeowners. The Board is also recommending an “Aging-in-Place Accessibility Program.” (See attached memorandum from the Housing Board).
The solicitor’s opinion, shared with the Trustees at the May 5th meeting, is that the Spencer Trust can be used to fund the revised downpayment assistance program. However, the $500,000 approved by voters at the 2021 Financial Town Meeting for affordable housing cannot be used because the units supported with that money must qualify as affordable based on the Low-Moderate Housing definition in State law.
1. Housing Board Proposal - Summary
First-Time Homebuyer Assistance Program (Revised)
The Board is proposing to revise the eligibility guidelines for the first-time homebuyer downpayment assistance program such that the unit to be purchased would not have to qualify as an official Low-Moderate Income Housing Unit based on State law, such that it would not count toward the Town’s 10 percent affordable housing target. To qualify as affordable, one of the requirements is a long-term deed restriction of at least 30 years.
The proposal calls for a 15-year deed restriction with conditions that could require repayment:
o If buyer stays in the home for 15 years, the deed restriction is voided, and no payment penalty is due at re-sale.
o If buyer sells the home before 15 years (from date of deed recording for original purchase) to an eligible income buyer with a new 15-year deed restriction, there is no payment penalty due.
o If buyer sells the home within 15 years (from date of deed recording for original purchase) to an ineligible buyer; full refund of the HBT subsidy will be due and payable upon resale.
· To access Spencer Trust funds, the homebuyer would need to be a current Barrington resident.
· To access the Town funds (the $500,000), there would be no residence requirement. (This requirement is not applicable since those funds cannot be used for the revised program)
Aging-in-Place and Accessibility Program
The memo describes this program as follows:
An aging-in-place and accessibility improvement program to use the Spencer Trust and Barrington Housing Board funds for home repair and improvement projects for individuals and families at or below 100% of AMI out of the scope (financially or otherwise) of the Barrington home repair program that currently exists, up to the amount of $50,000 as an interest-free forgivable loan based on a schedule (See Page 3 of the Housing Board memo).
Examples of proposals to be considered for this program: accessible showers, stair chairlifts, ramps, kitchen adaption for accessibility. This program will be subject to an earned income and asset-based eligibility qualification.
1) Spencer Trust
a. Current balance – 2016 appropriation by Trustees: Approximately $370,369. This is for current Barrington residents only, as per the motion of the Trustees below.
On March 1, 2016, the Spencer Trustees approved a motion “to place $400,000 of accumulated income from the Amey Tucker Spencer Fund into a restricted Spencer Trust Fund to be used for the poor and unfortunate who are, at the time of their application, residents of the Town of Barrington, for the purpose of home ownership, repair, and related issues and to authorize the Finance Director to disburse for such purposes those funds to be administered by the Town Manager or his designee or to the Housing Board of Trustees or their designee provided that any grant over $50,000 must first be approved by the Amey Tucker Spencer Fund Trustees and the Town Council and further that any funds so disbursed which are repaid shall be returned to that restricted account.”
b. Current balance 2021 appropriation by Trustees: Approximately $75,981. No Barrington residency requirement (see motion below).
Amended Motion by President Conway and seconded by Trustee Carroll to add $75,000 to the Home Buying Down Payment Assistance Program without the conditions that existed for the 6/2/2025 Spencer Trust Meeting Memo 3 previous allocation of funds. The motion passed in favor 5-0-0-0, President Conway, Vice President Kustell, Trustee Brier, Trustee Carroll, and Trustee Humm; no one opposed, no recusals and no abstentions.
According to the Solicitor memo, there is “no restriction on using the Spencer Trust funds in the manner suggested by the Housing Board. So long as the down-payment assistance program continues to have income qualifications that limit the program to those the Council, sitting as the Board of Trustees, considers poor and unfortunate, then there is no requirement that the Spencer Trust funds be used to create LMI housing. Thus, the Council, sitting as the Board of Trustees, could approve the use of the Spencer Trust fund to implement the changes to the downpayment assistance program recommended by the Housing Board.”
President Jancosek announced the next agenda item regarding the Housing Board’s Proposal to Revise First Time Homebuyers Assistance Program Guidelines.
Town Manager Hervey stated that the Solicitor’s office shared an opinion at the May 5th meeting:
The Spencer Trust can be used to fund the revised downpayment assistance program. However, the $500,000 approved by voters at the 2021 Financial Town Meeting for affordable housing cannot be used because the units supported with that money must qualify as affordable based on the Low-Moderate Housing definition in State law.
Vice Chair Chris Brady of the Housing Board of Trustees graciously answered questions regarding the history of the down payment program for the last five (5) years.
He said that in order to qualify and to count as low moderate-income units, the income level could only be 30% of their income for their housing costs which capped housing prices well below the market and therefore could not get anyone to participate in the program since there isn’t anyone willing to sell at that cost.
Mr. Brady explained that the proposal includes flexibility to use a 15-year deed restriction instead of a 30-year restriction and to underwrite up to 38% of people income. He explained this is the percentage that the FHA uses and that we are asking for flexibility to add the Aging in Place improvement provisions what we do with the Spencer Trust – keeping in mind that Spencer Trust funds are restricted to Barrington residents.
Discussion ensued regarding the potential impact of the proposed changes and the importance of supporting local residents.
President Jancosek opened public comment.
Tom Rimoshytus, 1 Howard Street questioned the use of funds and the clarity of the Housing Board’s proposal.
President Jancosek clarifies that the funds being discussed are from the Spencer Trust and not the $500,000 appropriated for low moderate-income housing.
Vice President Cassar and Trustee Berard expressed support for the proposed changes and the need for further discussions with the Housing Board of Trustees.
Motion by President Jancosek and seconded by Trustee Berard to approve the Housing Board of Trustees proposal to amend the Spencer Trust funded first-time homebuyer assistance program parameters as presented.
The motion passed in favor 5-0-0-0, President Jancosek, Vice President Cassar, Trustee Berard , Trustee Cloutier and Trustee O’Neill; no one opposed, no recusals and no abstentions.
No one wished to comment.
President Jancosek adjourned the meeting of the Spencer Trust at 7:33 PM. The motion passed in favor 5-0-0-0, President Jancosek, Vice President Cassar, Trustee Berard ,Trustee Cloutier and Trustee O’Neill; no one opposed, no recusals and no abstentions.
Meredith J. DeSisto, CMC
Barrington Town Clerk