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It being 701 September 22nd, 2026. I call the Board of Selectmen meeting for the town of Oxford to order. First item on the agenda. If you just join me in a pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag.

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Of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

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Thank you. In accordance with Mass General Laws, chapter 38, section 20. I'm advising all those in attendance this evening that this meeting is being recorded by the town of Oxford.

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Uh, we're going to postpone the public hearing to a future date. Uh, the it's not ready for evaluation, so we're going to skip over that. The next item on the agenda is discussion of possible vote reduction in person, early ballot hours for the first week of voting. And we have our town clerk, Michelle Jenkins.

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Mr. chair, before you go.

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Oh, public pardon me, is there anybody here for public comment? I didn't see anybody. I guess not.

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And the minutes.

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In the minutes, the minutes were going to table the minutes.

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Do we need to vote on that or I would maybe make a motion to.

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Make a motion to table.

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I make a motion that we table the minutes from September 8th, 2026 until a further date. Seconded.

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All those in favor? Aye.

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Aye.

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Good. All right. Now we're there. Michelle.

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Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Members of the board. I'm here tonight to ask for you to vote to reduce the number of hours for the first week of in-person early voting. Per the Votes Act of 2022, it's mandatory to have two weeks of in-person early voting, which we hold at the senior center. Um, but we are allowed with the vote of the board to reduce the hours to half of the regular business hours, which I'm requesting to do. I think it's the hours are in your packet. I'm requesting Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 10 to 3. Wednesdays, 1 to 6. Um, but please keep in mind we still will be working Saturday, both Saturdays, um, 10 to 4 for in-person.

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And the second.

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The second week is regular business hours and the Saturday.

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And the Saturday.

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So it's over 40 hours during the week and over six hours on that Saturday.

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Okay. Board. Have any. I'll entertain a motion to reduce.

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I move that the Board of Selectmen approve the reduction of in-person early voting hours during the first week of early voting.

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Second.

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Second.

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Second.

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All right. Discussion. Board members, any discussion of Michelle's proposing on the first week of reduction? If not, we'll take a vote.

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Aye.

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Aye.

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Aye. Aye.

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All right. Michelle, get your reduction in that first week.

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Thank you. Thank you Michelle.

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Okay.

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Next item is, uh, discuss the goals for the our police chief.

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Chief Garnett, do you want to run up and.

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Make a motion just to get things going. Uh, I move that the Board of Selectmen approve and accept the evaluation document for the police chief and corresponding goals. Second, open for discussion.

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Oh, we got a second. All right. Open for discussion. Go ahead. Go ahead.

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Sure. Okay. Uh, thanks for having me tonight. So, um, as you recall, when, uh, you and you first appointed me to the position, we discussed an annual evaluation and goals for the PD. These are, you know, group for the group of us. These are community wide goals. And we would set them in writing and we would discuss the evaluation instrument and the goals themselves. So Justin and I have worked we've gone back and forth. We've met in person. We've, uh, we've come up with the document for the evaluation that we've agreed upon. And then also the goals that are, uh, in the department. There's four goals that are spelled out, but which I tried to prioritize. Of course, there's many more, but for very important things as we're moving and restructuring over the next the next year. So, um, what we've come up with, and I believe you have in front of you is, uh, the town of Oxford Police Chief annual performance evaluation. And if we take a look, I think as it was originally presented, Justin and I sat down and went over some of the categories. Some of them maybe seemed a little bit duplicitous. So we were able to condense it.

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Um, as far as the categories go, S2:

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Anybody have any questions?

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No questions. But I just think that this is a a great improvement for not only you, but the department. I think it's a great way to start. And after the first year, if we need to tweak some things and we will. But I think it's very well written.

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Written through the chair to to Mr. Rose point. Um, I know this is something that the board is looking to do for the town, and I think it's a, it's a great tool and it keeps us in communication, especially through Justin, but down, you know, and through the board. John's been very, uh, intimate to everything as it as it moves along, very communicative. And I think this is actually a great thing for, for us to be on board together as we move and for the department goals. But the community goals I like, you know, how Mr. Ewell states that this isn't just my goals for the PD, it's our goals, and it's all of our goals for what we see as a, you know, professional and modern and highly functioning police department. So I welcome this. And you, you will all remember in executive session when it was brought up, um, I think that it's a great, a great idea and I'm of course open to it. So going forward, I think it's a great thing for the town to do for, for every department head to have. It's important when you're in a leadership role to give your subordinates feedback, right? Like, okay, if I'm not doing something or we're not on the same page with something, how do I know? And this is feedback and this is communication. So, um, and it's in a structured formal tool. So, uh, I, I thank Justin and Mr. Ewell for being open minded about it and looking at the big picture for the community in that, in that instrument. Um, so any other, if there's any other questions.

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Well, we're going to, as we outline the goals throughout the year, we're going to be, there's a dialog going on between us. I think there's so many months, I think it's six where we're going to have a where we're touch base to make sure we're all on the same page. So it's, it's fluid. Uh, the one thing that I, I didn't see in the packet I have here because we had are the actual goals. And I apologize to the other board members. And you probably want to go over the actual goals, but I didn't see it in your packet and I apologize. We should make sure that each board member has these.

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Just take a quick look over here.

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Um.

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Go ahead chief, if you want to speak to the goals.

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Yeah, but.

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Sure.

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Go ahead. See if we can get Justin if you want to make copies or.

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It's so part and parcel to this evaluation, it's important to have, um, identified and formalized goals. So I came up with I could come up with many as, as the department is growing and we're restructuring. There's a lot of things. Uh, I'll, I'll go right to the end real quick. As I was reviewing the document today, I just want to say something up front because some of the, you know, the things you see out there for a police chief, a goal, community engagement and agency culture. And I thought that that was that comes that goes without saying. So I didn't include that as one of my goals. I included more mechanical things that we need to work together and collaborate and, and work to get to. I think community engagement and agency culture, uh, you need that, that comes, that goes without saying. And it's, you know, it's an obvious one. So I didn't include that. So, but I said that in the end.

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At the end in summary.

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Right. In summary of the goals. So, um, so to my, I'll read a little bit to the letter, um, to Mr. Ledoux and I had, we had a formal command staff meeting on July 8th. That was after the promotion of Lieutenant Burnette, when we could get on the same page and talk about the vision and the goals before we sat down with the entire command staff, which consists of about ten people now. Um, you know, I remember staff meetings when we only had 3 or 4. So we have the corporals, the sergeants, lieutenants, and we all get together and we talked about these things among many others for the department for the next year and even further. So number one, rebuild the rank structure with continued focus on professional development. Rebuilding the rank structure by replacing the lieutenants, the sergeants, the corporals isn't about just filling the empty desks, it's about keeping the department safe, organized, and running smoothly. Um, and then I have a detailed breakdown of why rebuilding the leadership structure is so important for continued safety and mitigating risk. So just some bullet points here. Supervision is critical. Okay. Police work requires split second life and death decisions, and officers need immediate access to their supervisors to lean on, to approve of major actions and like in high speed chases or specialized arrest, things like that. Supervisor needs to be there. Um, and it's, it's of the greatest importance to know who's in charge. So, you know, you also have legal protection without supervisors to review paperwork, monitor conduct. Uh, the risk of procedural mistakes increases. This can lead to thrown out of court cases or expensive lawsuits. Officer safety supervisors act as a safety net and high stress calls. They manage chaos. They call for resources, and they follow safety protocols as we go on down the line. Clear chain of command in emergencies. There's no time for debate. A clear rank structure ensures everyone knows exactly who's in charge, who makes the final call, and in the day to day operations, clear chain supports direction and accountability to that accountability. When supervisors aren't available, daily tasks can slip through the cracks, and rebuilding rank structure ensures that reports and equipment checks and trainings and policy oversights remain on schedule to that point. I'm in. If everybody isn't aware of something that was done a couple years ago and it was talked about a lot in our profession, and we brought it to fruition here. The corporal rank or assignment, uh, is, is between the patrol and the sergeant. I worked under a rank structure that the sergeant was the only supervisor to the patrol. So you had a couple days off and things might not get done paperwork wise or, you know, there wasn't really that accountability in that clear chain of command a couple days a week. We trusted each other to get the work done, go to the calls. So there was some criticism of is this working or not? And especially in maybe lower ranks or other smaller PD's, is the corporal position worth it? And I can say from the supervisors standpoint, absolutely. For that reason, the continuity of it. So what we're doing now is a sergeant is working that sergeant, the two days off, the corporal is on the schedule. And it's purposely made like that. The sergeant works with the officers one day, two days for two days with a corporal for two days, and then the corporal works with the officers the other two days. So they're they're on each other's days off. There's continuity of the reports and the review of the cases and the time off and the schedule and making sure that policies are followed and everything is done. So.

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Um, yeah, you want to make sure we had a gap there on, on shifts where there was no supervision so that, that addressed that gap.

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Yeah, that speaks to that. So another thing is workload balance. Without middle management, the chief or the other leaders get buried with minor tasks. This takes focus away from the big picture of community safety. Career paths. Officers. This is going on right now because we're in the promotional process, right? So officers need to see a future for themselves. Filling empty leadership roles creates a ladder that officers can climb which keeps the talent engaged. This is happening as we speak right now on lunch breaks. The officers are going to come back to the station, get together, but they're bringing books to the table. They're bringing legal updates. Uh, Detective Harris is well aware of this right now, so promotional times at a PD is a great time to get the energy flowing and get everybody's minds going again, even if you're not in the process. The younger officers who aren't eligible maybe right now, but are coming in and seeing that the veteran officers are looking to strive for the next level. So that career path in that ladder is important, and seeing that and feeling that energy is great for everybody right now. Um, the rank structure being in place prevents burnout. When supervisors leave, seasoned officers are forced to act as bosses without extra pay or authority. That causes burnout, low morale. I've seen that you need stability in the department, and if you're missing ranks, you feel unstable. And the rank and file officers don't really know who the leaders are. You know, when you put people in place, that brings a calm to the to the sense of the day to day operations and morale, public confidence. The town needs to know that the police department is stable and well managed. A clear command structure projects professionalism. When they know that people are in charge and everybody is, you know, accountable, that that brings the public trust in. Uh, complaint handling. When citizens have issues, they expect to speak with a supervisor. And having those roles filled ensures that community complaints are handled quickly and properly. Uh, and lastly, succession planning. All departments, I call us medium, but smaller departments, we're vulnerable to sudden personnel shifts. We saw that this year. We had a chief and a lieutenant leave, um, and dual track plans to focus on cross training that boosts morale and prepares the next man or woman up mindset with long term sustainability in mind. You know, those are all bullet points in and very like mechanical that's, you know, but but all very true. And into what's happening at the PD right now as a goal of ours to get the restructuring going and to get all the positions filled and the right people doing the right jobs and accountable to each other in the chain of command is, is paramount to our success and very important. So that was number one goal. I wouldn't even say that these are in order of the most important priority, but that one is the priority right now because we're going to get back hitting on all cylinders when we get the rank structure back in place. Um, goal number two was to reinstitute the detective unit and supplement investigations with specialized officer training. Um, so as I just said a minute ago, one of the goals to rebuild the rank structure that's in progress, we have tests coming up, uh, December 9th and 12th, written and oral exams. They're all studying right now. They have that 90 day window. So these goals were worked out. I was first appointed. I took over June 4th. So a lot of these are in place for the last 3 or 4 months and moving. And again, the detective unit, coincidentally, um, we had we put out to assign a detective a few weeks ago, we posted the position, the lieutenant and I interviewed the candidates. And back here, detective Mark Harris, uh, took over this week. I think the detective unit and investigations is huge. Uh, people need to know that when they're calling you, there's going to be a follow up. There's going to be somebody dedicated to looking into that problem and following through and making sure people are held accountable. And due to staffing issues, we didn't have that ability. For the last we had, Detective Sergeant Burdett. He was wearing many hats. And, you know, you had to prioritize. But we want to be able to give the officer someone experience. Mark Harris is a military veteran marine. Uh, he joined the Mbta police out in Boston. He's a 12 year veteran. He worked there for a few years. He was a detective out there, has a lot of specialized training. And, uh, then he went over to Wilbraham and we were able to bring him over here. After we left Civil Service, he was actually the first hire outside of civil service in this past week. We assigned him to detective. So to the point that this goal number two is in process right now. So having that specially trained unit and that support is essential for a medium sized department like us. Um, you know, we handle a volume of crimes, but we have to remain agile and self-sufficient. So smaller departments may use some outside help. And large departments have big investigative bureaus with different specialties that are kind of siloed up and work. You know, you can work homicide and be at ease and domestic violence in a big city. So we're in between. So we need to we need to focus on having the person that can concentrate on those things. So that's Detective Harrison. You'll hear from him in a little bit. Um, the detective unit is important. Some bullets here. Time management, uniformed officers of the first responders to emergencies. So those people go to the calls, but they can't. These officers that are out there right now, they can't spend hours on end, you know, interviewing witnesses, waiting for phone records, tracking down stolen property. That's going to be the person who can concentrate on that. So seamless handovers of a dedicated detective unit allows patrol officers to secure a crime scene, take an initial report, and then return to the streets to handle other calls. Right now, what we have been doing is going into mutual aid mode. If we have a big incident going on and we're all tied and all the officers are tied up, um, we might have to call another department because we didn't have somebody that can specifically come out and say, all right, what have you got? Give it to me. Um, complex case handling, crimes of violence, sexual assaults, theft, fraud require prolonged, meticulous focus. The detective has the time and legal knowledge and detailed search warrants and case building for court, um, better victim care. So the research shows that victims of sensitive or traumatic crimes experience higher satisfaction and lower trauma when their cases are handled by a dedicated, specially trained officer. Um, then that shows the professionalism and that shows that you're actually engaged in what the people's needs are. So efficiency and investigative specialties. Even in a medium sized department, detectives do need to be generalists at that time. They have we, um, we want to have other officers, uh, trained in special subspecialties. Um, that's a massive advantage. Crime scene, photography, interrogation, forensics, digital and physical forensics are just a few of those things. So what we, what the plan is, is now we have the detective in place. He has a lot of training. Other officers want to be in that position or they want to be a part of it. We already have some people that are trained, but they want to go to the detective needs help on a scene, needs help taking photography, taking photos, picking up fingerprints, doing interviews. We want to train those officers specialties. So we talk about the cross training and, you know, being able to go back and forth. So it helps for for the same reason that we talk about rebuilding the rank structure, it gives people that that forward thinking, the ladder, they see the path maybe to being a detective if they get a chance to do it. So we want to support Detective Harris with other officers on the PD that have other trainings. We have a drone, uh, we have drone officers. We have people that have those trainings that can come together and help him in an emergency. He doesn't have to do it alone. And it gives them a sense of, uh, buy in. So proactive policing, also having the detective, when the detective knows where the concentrated issues are, he can pass that out to patrol where they can be more proactive. Say it's like maybe a drug situation going on where he has more knowledge because he collaborates with other PD's about what's happening. I may be able to direct the officers to to be able to get ahead of some of those things. And we're training the next generation. So experienced detectives serve as mentors to new officers. They teach patrol officers how to write better reports, preserve crime scenes, present cases, which drastically improves the department's overall efficiency. Um, so that was goal number two. If I'm going too fast, are there any questions about the first couple? Do you just want to talk about them all in the end? Okay. All right. Um, number three. Very, uh, near and dear to me as I was the first SRO. So maximizing the SRO. So I think you were all aware we got the grant last year from the federal government to support almost half of the salary. If we implemented an SRO, which we did through the budgeting process, we put the rest of the money in into the budget and were able to bring that to fruition. So now, as of a couple of weeks ago, Officer Andrew Gray is in the schools. He's working out of the high school he's set up over there. He does stay on the campus at the middle school and high school mostly, and he is available to the elementary schools also. But the goal is to maximize the position. Okay. In the Oxford public school system via student faculty and staff engagement, safety planning drills and the curriculum, which was important. I talked about that in my interview. Um, town like Oxford, the SRO is much is much more than just a security guard in the school. Um, the town's tight knit and great SRO can act as a bridge that connects youth schools and families to the PD. Um, so an SRO balance is three different jobs right there. A mentor counselor there, like a teacher there, a law enforcement officer. And they can use those rules to bring the town together. I got a little something I'll speak about in a second here. Uh, the SRO uses these relationships to foster trusting friendships. And by way of focusing on daily positive moments, the SRO could not just protect the schools, but to help raise safety awareness across the community. So the goals for the the PD and the community with the SRO. Um, you know, handing safety. Handling safety. So teachers can teach, they need to know that the school is being safe and protected and that somebody that is dedicated to that, to have their minds in the right place to take charge of, you know, of the teaching. So the in the officer has charge of the school safety plans, emergency drills being visible and available, walking the hallways, eating lunch with cafeteria, playing basketball, recess, just to see the officer as a person, not just the badge acting as a mentor. SROs be involved, can be involved in youth leadership programs, teach goal setting. Help kids work through personal problems before they before they turn into bigger issues, right? Teaching co teaching in the classroom. So our SRO the plan is and it's already developed, is this CJ program. He starts in January. He's got 80 days that he's going to teach, and they're all mapped out with the curriculum. Uh, counselor from the school department sat down and talked about what is 80 days of a CJ program look like. He has that he's ready to go and we're all going to go in and teach different, uh, different parts of that. So this can lead to future recruitment. Um, we can visit classrooms, teach, teach lessons on bullying, illegal substances, how the legal system works. But, um, just to get to know the students better, we can have all the officers showcased over there. So we also want to leave discipline to the school. A great SRO focuses on preventing crime, preventing, protecting and educating the students. And they don't get involved in the school rules. You know, the minor stuff, dress codes or cell phone use. You know, you leave that to the principal. Um, community engagement. Um, this is huge. SROs can help organize community project projects, holiday toy drives, coaching, athletics and events to support families in need. I'm going to give a little plug to something that we have in process right now. Um, the manager held a department head meeting right when he took over and Ivan at the Board of Health put out there to all the department heads that there's some grant money left for opiate, uh, from opiate abuse and relief. And think of ways to use the money. You know, think outside the box a little bit. So one thing that I was aware of is something called drug story theater. So a collaboration and this is where the SRO is come in. And this is one of the first projects that I'm trying to help him bring him along in that we're bringing something back to the community. So this drug story theater is a, um, is a live action, impactful theatrical presentation. It's real life, but it also is like they come out of character and they talk about a situation that really happened. Uh, it's got great reviews. I can give you the flier, but it's a collaboration of, of all of us at that meeting when Ivan came up with this, I you know, I thought of this. I talked to the fire chief about the. The opiate problem is not just police. You know, the fire department has to respond to these calls. The Board of Health is involved in these things. And the schools should educate the kids and the parents. So we come up with this multi-agency collaboration. And what we're going to do is have a presentation in the afternoon that's set to high school level kids, and then we're going to have another presentation in the evening that wraps it up so parents can understand what's going on out there. Um, it's not so easy anymore when it comes to identifying drugs. Um, there's a lot of different things out there. You don't know what's in it. A lot of things are being laced with fentanyl. You don't know what you're getting. And this presentation reenacts a real life situation about about things like that. It's called back to Life. Uh, that's on November 19th. And then afterwards for the community part of it with the parents, they'll be offering board of health services. The fire department will talk a little bit about emergency, um, EMS stuff that, that we deal with and things that we offer, uh, for help. Uh, so this is a community event and it's something that as I was going back over, the goals that I thought of, that is probably one of the first community engagement projects that the SRO is going to be a part of, but it's a multi-department collaboration, and we're using those opiate funds that we've had for a few years now. So we're putting it to good use. Um, the SRO help parents learn and they can set aside meetings for parents to talk about safety, social media and current trends and supporting goal number two above investigating support, investigative support the SRO, stay in touch with the youth and the faculty. And they're a resource to the detectives and investigators to help act swiftly in hazardous situations and be a deterrent to thwart possible threats. So those those two kind of go hand in hand. Um, goal number four. Excuse me.

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Is that we, you know, we haven't lost sight of our modernization of OPD and professionalization. And, uh, and the accreditation goal that we have is two levels of accreditation. It used to be certification, then accreditation, and now they're changing it. It's still going to be the same type of um variables involved. Um, so what we're looking towards is being a certified agency and then working towards full accreditation. So one of the goals, especially after we rebuild the rank structure would be to rebuild and refocus the accreditation team. We haven't lost sight of that. We're still doing things per accreditation standards. We're still doing a lot of the checks and daily things that we're supposed to do. Uh, in the meantime as we're rebuilding. But to have a team is important of people that can get everything, you know, going and keep it going. So some of the things I'll highlight on so a dedicated accreditation team would be, you know, a group of the officers, lieutenant, sergeant, corporal, maybe a patrol officer. Um, they're the backbone of a successful campaign through MPAC, uh, the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission, which is who we're going through for our accreditation. Uh, the team turns a massive administrative undertaking into a structured path towards professional excellence, and relying on a single person to navigate that multi-year process would lead to burnout and failure. So building the team ensures that we can manage the high liability policies, prove daily compliance, and maintain community trust. This requires the department to meet hundreds of strict standards so the rules cover everything use of force, evidence handling, and the team allows the department to divide and conquer. So the goal is to build the team and then really go hard at making sure that we're doing everything right to prove out to MPAC in, you know, when they come together and evaluate us. So, um, for the accreditation standards, policy writing, crafting clear written directives that mass match mass laws, proof gathering. So that's daily compliance, making sure that we're doing things right and logs and reports, um, and show that rules are being followed, uh, facility checks. So ensuring our not only our policies and procedures are in line, but our facilities, our property rooms, our equipment, cruisers, everything meets specific standards. and it prevents burnout to build the team and ensures continuity. So the process is not a one time event. It's a continuous three year cycle. So if the department would rely on just one person, you could lose momentum. If that person is lost or gets promoted or retires or leaves. So that's why it's important to build the team. So, you know, if you have four people involved in this process, if one person moves along, another one comes in, you get them up to speed. So, um, institutional knowledge. So when, when officers are involved in the accreditation process, they understand the processes and associated software and departmental and the department can seamlessly survive leadership transitions because they've been cross trained on how things work and what you need to do in certain situations. So that's important. Um, and it drives departmental buy in. So accreditation fails if officers on the street view it as just like extra paperwork from administration. So a team that includes diverse members, it's got to be the right people. And that's what we want to do is build that team through the right people patrol supervisors, detectives, training officers. Um, they'll bridge the gap between administrative staff and the front line staff, and that gets everybody kind of on the same level with, um, with the goals in the accreditation process. So team members act as ambassadors who train their peers and ensure accountability is practiced across the shifts. And the accreditation process mitigates extreme risk and liability. So the standards are heavily focused on high risk, high liability areas of law enforcement. Specialized team would act as an internal quality assurance board, carefully vetting out the procedures for cruiser pursuits, medical emergencies, internal affairs, and more. So, the team helps protect the town and the department from costly lawsuits and decreases, uh, professional liability claims through implementations of best practices through through accreditation. So the team is important. You can want to get accredited all you want, but if you put in one person on it, you're setting yourself up to fail. So that's why that goal is is important to us. So that more comes right now, Lieutenant and I are working on we do make sure our policies are up to speed. We are making sure the day to day things are done. Uh, but when the rank structure is rebuilt, that's when we rebuild our team and we continue to go towards that goal in the future. Um, and I did summarize at the end, but I wanted to start out with that. So in case you're here, you're hearing my goals. I sounded very mechanical, but community, uh, engagement and agency culture, that's, that's a perpetual function. That's a goal of mine and ours every day. Um, for as long as I'll be here. So, um, I appreciate the communication, the collaboration, and the open mindedness of the board. So I think back to July when this was first brought up, uh, and this has been, uh, very painless. It's actually been enlightening. So it gets, you know, gets me thinking and it gets us, uh, looking at, you know, the optics and the perceptions from all sides of it. So this has been a good experience to build this. I appreciate everything that you've done. I know you're busy, but we stayed in contact and John's been part and parcel to some of those meetings too. So and I know he flows and communicates with everybody. So I appreciate the the time and the effort that went into everything.

54
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Any questions of the chief on the goals?

55
00:32:22,030 --> 00:32:28,030
Yeah. Just not a question on the goals. Um, documents. Great. It's it's it's.

56
00:32:28,030 --> 00:32:29,150
Well it's to your credit.

57
00:32:29,150 --> 00:33:01,910
Well, yeah, I mean, I just gave you a template. You guys cleaned it all up, so it looks fantastic. Um, the only thing I would just ask is, um, and it can be a little bit different this year, but it's just like a timeline. I think it's something we need to establish. Um, you know, as far as you know, and again, I would assume it would run maybe July to June, like the fiscal year and goals should be due by a certain time. And then maybe like a mid-year review and then like the, you know, the evaluation collection. So I don't know if you guys, it's in there. Oh, it is in there.

58
00:33:01,910 --> 00:33:13,600
Yeah. We're going to have mid-year and then it's the goals have to be reviewed before our end of our fiscal year before June 30th. We didn't put a hard date. We put in that it had to be done before the 30th of June. You talk. Could be.

59
00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:14,840
May. Final evaluation.

60
00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:16,040
Right where the boards involved.

61
00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:18,080
Right. Yeah. As long as there's something out there.

62
00:33:18,080 --> 00:33:23,880
So if it's not April 3rd, it could be. Yeah, it could be March 31st, but before June 30th. Okay.

63
00:33:23,880 --> 00:33:29,480
So until that point through the chair, if I may, um, the document that we worked on a couple of weeks ago, the memorandum.

64
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Had.

65
00:33:29,640 --> 00:33:29,960
All the.

66
00:33:29,960 --> 00:34:02,160
Memorandum, it had some dates, deadlines, some mid year cycles, and then the ability for us, and I talked to Justin about this today to kind of ebb and flow with it. So as things come up, it's not hard. I mean, we do have hard dates in there, but if something comes up and we have to adjust and the goals are in progress, and then I say, you know this, we had this happen. Maybe it's a personnel issue, you know, the staffing issue or something. We're going to adjust and, you know, we can move and everybody will be on the understanding, okay, you know, the goals are in progress, but it can ebb and flow a little bit based upon how we sign this document from a couple weeks ago.

67
00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:04,600
Now that you, as you said, I'm like, oh, yeah.

68
00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:05,850
So we did it kind of in that order.

69
00:34:05,850 --> 00:34:06,290
It's been a long.

70
00:34:06,290 --> 00:34:11,170
Couple of weeks. We agreed on the parameters of it. And then now we're here to agree on.

71
00:34:11,170 --> 00:34:11,370
A little.

72
00:34:11,370 --> 00:34:12,770
Bit of itself. Yeah, we.

73
00:34:12,770 --> 00:34:15,410
Tried to be flexible, but it's not before the fiscal year.

74
00:34:15,410 --> 00:34:21,970
But it's not. And I got your tool. It's a it's a right. It's an improvement tool. It's a transparent fluid tool. Yeah. So I think it could be.

75
00:34:21,970 --> 00:34:23,770
A model to be honest. Um, yeah, I.

76
00:34:23,770 --> 00:35:13,780
Think for everybody, for every, we're hoping that we're talking to the town managers, spreading it out to all the departments. Yeah. Thank you. And it's something so that it's, it's a, it's a commutative document. It's collegiate with all the departments, not just the department heads and with the community. And the board will understand what's happening for the tax dollars are being spent under protection because we are a service business of $53 million public service business. We provide services to the community at all levels. So it makes sense. So it's and you've been very receptive to this, you know, so your your leadership and that and the other department heads look to you. So you've set the bar for them. So it's going to make it easier as we implement this across all the departments for our town manager to to do that. Yes.

77
00:35:13,780 --> 00:35:33,500
Chief. Just one quick question as we were just going through this. So um, how about your staffing itself? Like when we were going through this, is there any training that your officers need that, that you would also put on possible goals? Like, are we behind on certain things or?

78
00:35:33,500 --> 00:36:34,910
So, um, we have developed, uh, goals and career paths. Uh, and it became kind of part of our accreditation goal was also to make sure that we had everybody and understanding. And they knew that they had the ability to either achieve a rank or achieve an assignment that they desire. So the operations Lieutenant, Lieutenant Gifford, uh, started with the career paths. We have folders set up in our document management system for everyone. And there's check in and there's timelines to, you know, achieving certain things. So a new officer coming in who's just fresh out of the academy, they don't have a lot of specialized training, right? But they may want to be a part of a team. They may want to be a detective. So the detective in our system has specific trainings that they should have and should, you know, should track towards if they want to go that way, because you have to know how to get there, right? To, to your, to your point, if you want to go to a certain assignment or to a certain rank, you should know what you know, what qualifications.

79
00:36:34,910 --> 00:36:35,470
The criteria.

80
00:36:35,470 --> 00:38:20,530
Is. So the criteria is there and it's spelled out. So you want to be a corporal. We have certain nationally recognized training programs. For instance, Sergeant Colin who's looking to be a lieutenant, he completed. There's the FBI leader, which is one that we, um, that's nationally recognized. Uh, and then we also have leaders helping leaders network. Uh, he's a world renowned, um, expert. Dean crisp puts on the leaders helping Leaders network is servant master leader leadership courses. So that's also a trilogy. So Sergeant Conlon, for instance, he knows his path to Lieutenant contains those specific trainings that have been recognized nationally and locally to promote and success in that particular rank. So he knows as a sergeant, this is what I should have to get to. Lieutenant. The sergeants know what you know, the corporals and the patrol officers know that the sergeants should have achieved at least this level of training. Some of them are some of those trainings. And as you move up, you gain more. So you have two of the three and then three of the three. So yes, we have everything spelled out and everybody gets a chance to talk about what their goals are. And that's part of the operations lieutenants position that's going to be being filled. But that's, that's their job to make sure that they're in touch and in tune with, you know, having a vision for not just the department for, but for the individual. Where do they fit and what is their career look like and where do they want to go? Everybody's different, you know, you may not strive to be in rank or management or leadership, but you may want to be the court officer. You may want to be a detective or an SRO. So all of those positions are are spelled out and minimal, but suggested. And, um, you know, across the profession, those kind of trainings are spelled out for them. So it's a good question. I hope I answered it.

81
00:38:20,530 --> 00:38:21,330
Thank you.

82
00:38:21,330 --> 00:38:48,970
There is a lot of mentoring going on. But you know, we I've talked to the town manager about this. The budget was already has already been set, as you know, for 27. So we're kind of looking back going forward, uh, training as far as the budget line item and a lot of our departments, whether it's fire police, we want to look hard on those, those dollars. We want to invest in our, our people. And I think when we start budgeting for FY 28, that line item is going to be looked at with that thought in mind.

83
00:38:48,970 --> 00:38:49,810
So yeah.

84
00:38:49,810 --> 00:39:02,780
I know I've talked to the town manager about that, but the die had already been cast, so to speak. So we're chasing that. But there's mentoring program going on. But in FY 28, those are those are lined up. We want to invest in our people.

85
00:39:02,780 --> 00:39:07,420
Yeah. Just as long as we're getting that enough training for our police and fire to make sure that it's all there.

86
00:39:07,420 --> 00:39:07,780
I've talked.

87
00:39:07,780 --> 00:39:08,540
To I know the budget.

88
00:39:08,540 --> 00:39:41,460
Is yeah, I've talked to Chief Sellers about, you know, your, uh, you know, an EMS. You want to be a paramedic, you want to move up, you want to invest in your, uh, you're going to be away from your family taking those courses. Uh, we, the town should be looking at holding the financial end of it. We're paying for their courses while they're away from their family, taking the time to elevate themselves to go up to another level. So I talked to Chief Sellers about that. So that's kind of the thought. We want to invest in our people, people that want to step forward. We want to step with them. So that's kind of yeah.

89
00:39:41,460 --> 00:41:26,800
To through the chair. You can burn through what we have budgeted pretty quickly. I would say, you know, 6 or 7 officers are looking for a training. And if it's a 2 or 3 day, sometimes a five day course, whether it's where they're getting a certificate, you sometimes. Luckily right now our staffing is pretty good. You can actually drop somebody off the schedule. And when when times are good with our staffing, that's that's a good that's a caveat to it that we can drop off the schedule and send somebody to training, not have to replace with overtime, but you can burn up what we have in the budget pretty quickly with, say, 6 or 7 trainings. And we want to do more than that with, you know, over 20 people on the PD. If we could get somebody just 1 or 2 every year, uh, that would be that would be great. So we look at other ways to, you know, to finance things through grants. Uh, the Mptc has been great and there is more funding for police training now through some of the things the legislation has done. Uh, but sometimes the classes that I just talked about, the FBI lead or the LHLNI, I reach out ahead of time before the training year. And I did this year and I said, are you going to be because they have to have a relationship? So our state, luckily for us, has created a relationship with some of those higher level trainings for police executives and managers and leaders. Uh, so I did get ahead of it this year. Hey, are we going to have that relationship again? And they put us on the list. So we put a couple officers on there, including myself for one for next May. Even so, we look ahead and try to grab the freebies. When the state. Everybody jumps on them because they're. They do. They are costly. If you're going to try to do it on your own. But but our state puts aside some funds to get some of those, those bigger trainings. So it's, it's free for us to go because we're part of the part of the training council. So we look for ways to do that and find the free ones and get ahead and be the first ones to the punch because it's first come, first serve and then grants to. Um, but definitely the budget would be something to something to look at. Um, because we do exhaust it very quickly.

90
00:41:26,800 --> 00:41:27,880
Yeah. Okay.

91
00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:30,160
Yeah, this is outstanding. I think this is great.

92
00:41:30,160 --> 00:41:36,080
So I'm sorry to bore you with it. I tried to put a lot of time and effort into it.

93
00:41:36,080 --> 00:41:36,560
Yeah.

94
00:41:36,560 --> 00:41:38,560
It's a lot of thought.

95
00:41:38,560 --> 00:41:39,120
A lot more things.

96
00:41:39,120 --> 00:41:40,840
That will be structured. All right.

97
00:41:40,840 --> 00:41:44,080
This is going to be a great.

98
00:41:44,080 --> 00:41:46,560
Start for other departments. Right.

99
00:41:46,560 --> 00:41:55,170
And I commend to chief to be the leader in taking the first step so that the other department heads can look, look to him.

100
00:41:55,170 --> 00:42:20,330
Come up with the, uh, with the documents that we're submitting for budget season two. Um, through Katie and accounting. I was talking about the goals the other day, so they're going to translate right into some of the things that we have to do to build out, you know, when we're doing the budget and presenting documents, the goals for the PD are part of that too. So, you know, you have to have those in mind and you have to have the future in mind. You know, if you don't, you're just going aimlessly. So this is great.

101
00:42:20,330 --> 00:42:25,650
All right. With that, I entertain them. We've done yeah, we've had our discussions.

102
00:42:25,650 --> 00:42:25,890
We've had.

103
00:42:25,890 --> 00:42:25,970
Our.

104
00:42:25,970 --> 00:42:27,290
Discussion up for a vote.

105
00:42:27,290 --> 00:42:28,370
Oh I vote yes.

106
00:42:28,370 --> 00:42:29,050
Yes.

107
00:42:29,050 --> 00:42:30,250
Yes yes.

108
00:42:30,250 --> 00:42:31,250
Yes.

109
00:42:31,250 --> 00:42:31,810
All right.

110
00:42:31,810 --> 00:42:32,450
Thank you so much.

111
00:42:32,450 --> 00:42:33,370
I appreciate everybody.

112
00:42:33,370 --> 00:42:35,530
If you've been you've been great through this whole process.

113
00:42:35,530 --> 00:42:39,250
Collaboration was awesome. You guys are working well together. And I say it, I'm not afraid.

114
00:42:39,250 --> 00:42:40,330
And we'll continue with that.

115
00:42:40,330 --> 00:42:42,250
So it's it's been great.

116
00:42:42,250 --> 00:42:47,370
Thank you thank you thank you you chief. Appreciate the team.

117
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All right.

118
00:42:48,090 --> 00:42:50,850
Let's see.

119
00:42:50,850 --> 00:42:55,300
And the next item.

120
00:42:55,300 --> 00:42:58,420
H.

121
00:42:58,420 --> 00:43:25,580
So H is we're looking. Request for the band stand for Indigenous People's Day on October 10th. Tara Williams, National Council of the. Chaga. Banga. Ganga. Chandra. Webster. Lake. So go right ahead. There you go. So you want to come up and speak to us, please.

122
00:43:25,580 --> 00:43:30,340
Thank you. Thank you for having us. Um, I'm Tanya Williams. Um, this is.

123
00:43:30,340 --> 00:43:31,740
Our chairman, Santana.

124
00:43:31,740 --> 00:44:53,080
Chairman Santana from the CBI, CBI council. Um, the Nipmuc Indians have had a big history in Oxford for for a long time. I've been a native of Oxford, probably for over 30 years of my life. And I do remember the times that we had the powwow and the community engagement. And that's really what we want to start to do, is to start to bring community engagement back into Oxford. Um, our first step wanted to be the Indigenous People Day to start to kind of build that community engagement, um, bring knowledge to the, the town of our history, our culture. Um, and we've also just recently acquired land in Oxford as well, um, that we want to bring to the community as well to let them know our plans for that, for that land up there. Um, we do plan to have a hub, a native hub up there that will um, have meeting halls for, for our, for our culture, I mean, our, our band. Um, but it's also going to, our plan is to also have a, um, as an act as an emergency center. So if we needed a cooling center or heating center for the community.

125
00:44:53,080 --> 00:46:44,210
Um, so you want to add anything? S9:

126
00:46:44,210 --> 00:47:08,220
So I, you know, I'd like to really maybe start this as maybe an annual thing. We'll see how the first one goes to really bring it back to the community. You know, we do plan to have some drumming and things, native art, some history, um, some singing, things like that. So that's where we're at.

127
00:47:08,220 --> 00:47:45,620
So what questions do you have? S1:

128
00:47:45,620 --> 00:47:46,030
And I'm just wondering, is this facility going to entertain some of that so that not the history stands going forward that we can reflect back and where we all came from or how we how we coexisted? S5:

129
00:47:46,030 --> 00:48:41,950
Yeah, absolutely. So moving together, moving forward together is the perfect thing to do. But there's a lot of the history is obscured to even us. So part of our project here is, um, is we are delving into the history of kombucha, which is what that place was called Huguenot Road before, and it was actually the place of quivering, the quivering hill for whatever reason. I don't know if there was seismic activity back in the days, but as we um, as a matter of fact, we're working with, um, UMass, um, and some of the school of architecture and just some of the historians up there now, um, learning more about part of this presentation here. We'll be bringing some of that history back and actually having that as our place of operations would also give us, um, a place to maybe display some of that history in a more prominent manner in a way that's, you know, um, you know, inclusive and, and enlightening, I guess.

130
00:48:41,950 --> 00:48:42,830
Yeah.

131
00:48:42,830 --> 00:49:59,250
We're learning a lot as we go as well. We really are. You know, our families have been very involved. Um, the Morris family and, um, and the Greenbrier powwows, we still do our powwow. Now we have it out in Holland Lake in Holland. We just had it about two weekends ago, which was still tired from and um, but it's been, um, we really have an awakening of our tribal history and just bringing, um, this history forward and trying to have, trying to bring it not only just, we're not just here for the history part of it. We're here to rebuild climate resilience means, you know, we have, um, uh, a farm now in Rutland, a 90 acre farm that we are beginning to, to learn to steward and manage, get rid of invasives. It's one of the last operating crops in Rutland. So this hub will actually give us a base to be able to develop some of that skill that we're going to need to bring out, you know, bring people forward with training and understanding of, you know, how to manage these invasives and just how to bring back some of the native species, uh, medicinally, as well as food sovereignty. And so there's a lot, there's a big movement and we're really a part of it. And we hope that Oxford will be a part of this as well.

132
00:49:59,250 --> 00:50:01,530
Board member have any questions?

133
00:50:01,530 --> 00:50:06,050
Just a curiosity question. Seeing I grew up in Rutland.

134
00:50:06,050 --> 00:50:09,850
Right on. 122 Pleasantdale you know where the Dolan. Right across from Damon Pond.

135
00:50:09,850 --> 00:50:10,730
Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah.

136
00:50:10,730 --> 00:50:11,210
Big hill.

137
00:50:11,210 --> 00:50:14,090
Yeah, on the right, up on the right side.

138
00:50:14,090 --> 00:50:20,210
If you're going down pleasantdale. Yeah, right from the four corners. Yeah. Um, Damon Ponds on this.

139
00:50:20,210 --> 00:50:24,850
Side on the right. Yeah, yeah. So you're on the. Yeah. Left hand side up on the hill. Oh, it's beautiful up there.

140
00:50:24,850 --> 00:50:59,660
So it backs up to, um. Damon Pond is a drainage. Yeah. Some sort of a stream that goes in the back of that to Long Pond. Oh interesting. So we're beginning stewardship plans of that. We're we're actually bringing in some agroforestry. We're working with UNH right now, um, University of New Hampshire as well as Yale University. They approached us about doing some agroforestry plots, something that can be monitored by their students and developed. And at the same time, we're learning a lot from that. So, um, our biggest problem now was building capacity to handle these projects. Um, you know, we have, we're fortunate and, um, so.

141
00:50:59,660 --> 00:51:01,300
Oh, wow. Nice. Thank you.

142
00:51:01,300 --> 00:51:03,100
Tanya. Yeah. On on on.

143
00:51:03,100 --> 00:51:04,380
Yeah.

144
00:51:04,380 --> 00:51:05,500
Fantastic.

145
00:51:05,500 --> 00:51:06,460
Yeah.

146
00:51:06,460 --> 00:51:06,780
Any other.

147
00:51:06,780 --> 00:51:08,260
Questions?

148
00:51:08,260 --> 00:51:20,740
No questions. But I think the town is very lucky to be a part of what you're trying to do. And especially the students. Yeah. In town, I'm sure to get to the point where you can work with the schools.

149
00:51:20,740 --> 00:51:34,420
Yeah. Oh, yeah. We hope to engage with you guys. I'm part of our funding this year will be to, you know, engage with the Oxford community as well as the town management so we can bring forth some of these plans and talk about how, how this can be. Um.

150
00:51:34,420 --> 00:51:40,270
We read about it, but living history, you bring it to life. That would be great. So we can, we can actually Yeah.

151
00:51:40,270 --> 00:51:41,590
Appreciate it. A journey, you know.

152
00:51:41,590 --> 00:51:42,230
Yeah, yeah.

153
00:51:42,230 --> 00:51:43,590
Bring back the pow wow.

154
00:51:43,590 --> 00:51:46,710
Yeah. People still said yeah.

155
00:51:46,710 --> 00:51:48,390
People in town still talk about the.

156
00:51:48,390 --> 00:51:48,710
POW.

157
00:51:48,710 --> 00:51:48,950
From.

158
00:51:48,950 --> 00:51:56,790
Years ago. I was actually talking to someone. They're like, oh, because I was trying to get them out to Holland, which is a little ride. But they're like, yeah, I remember it in Oxford on green.

159
00:51:56,790 --> 00:52:00,950
It was at Greenbriar and then it was, uh, Plantation estates. Uh.

160
00:52:00,950 --> 00:52:02,670
Mhm. They're up that way.

161
00:52:02,670 --> 00:52:04,270
Yeah. Yeah. I don't.

162
00:52:04,270 --> 00:52:04,950
I don't know. Yeah.

163
00:52:04,950 --> 00:52:06,430
Okay. Okay.

164
00:52:06,430 --> 00:52:10,910
It must have been still running around like a wild man.

165
00:52:10,910 --> 00:52:14,310
But you were out on Lake

166
00:52:14,310 --> 00:52:15,310
Como.

167
00:52:15,310 --> 00:52:21,430
So the other thing is, we do have a small a small reservation in in in actually in Putnam.

168
00:52:21,430 --> 00:52:22,550
Um, no. Thompson.

169
00:52:22,550 --> 00:52:23,030
Thompson.

170
00:52:23,030 --> 00:52:23,430
Thompson.

171
00:52:23,430 --> 00:52:24,110
Yeah. Right over.

172
00:52:24,110 --> 00:52:33,470
The line. So we have plans to really engage with that. We've been engaging in that spot as well as cleanups and things like that. So we, um. Yeah.

173
00:52:33,470 --> 00:52:34,910
We want to start in Oxford.

174
00:52:34,910 --> 00:52:35,270
Yeah.

175
00:52:35,270 --> 00:52:35,950
Well it's great.

176
00:52:35,950 --> 00:52:36,510
I mean.

177
00:52:36,510 --> 00:52:55,640
You go downstairs, you see where we started buying the buying some, buying the land. Yeah yeah yeah. So that's where we came from. So as a community from you, so be great. If we have living history, it'd be great if we can really, you know, you can sit down and read documents, but to really see it, that'd be great. So I'd entertain a motion.

178
00:52:55,640 --> 00:53:10,240
I move that the Board of Selectmen approve the request for use of the bandstand for Indigenous Peoples Day on October 10th, 2026. Submitted by Tanya Williams, Nipmuc Council second.

179
00:53:10,240 --> 00:53:13,560
All right. Any other further discussion? If not, I'll take a vote.

180
00:53:13,560 --> 00:53:14,240
Yes.

181
00:53:14,240 --> 00:53:15,360
Yes. Yes.

182
00:53:15,360 --> 00:53:18,400
Yes yes. Affirmative. Good luck and thank you.

183
00:53:18,400 --> 00:53:19,680
Good luck. Thank you so much.

184
00:53:19,680 --> 00:53:20,440
Thank you very much.

185
00:53:20,440 --> 00:53:21,680
We'll be hearing from us soon.

186
00:53:21,680 --> 00:53:22,520
All right. Thank you.

187
00:53:22,520 --> 00:53:24,080
We'll look forward to it.

188
00:53:24,080 --> 00:53:27,520
More exciting things we've had lately.

189
00:53:27,520 --> 00:53:34,640
All right. We got through H.

190
00:53:34,640 --> 00:53:35,840
All right.

191
00:53:35,840 --> 00:53:42,730
All right. The next item is McKinstry pond.

192
00:53:42,730 --> 00:53:58,050
Um, what this is, is a taking of drainage access, an easement to maintain the main street pond. And, uh, so I'll entertain a motion.

193
00:53:58,050 --> 00:54:05,410
I move that the Board of Selectmen approve the order of taking for the drainage access easements at McKinstry Pond.

194
00:54:05,410 --> 00:54:06,290
Second.

195
00:54:06,290 --> 00:54:17,690
All right. Discussion. I understand that this is for maintenance of the pond. So they and the Abutters have no problem with the granting the.

196
00:54:17,690 --> 00:54:47,100
Easement or, uh, for that to happen. Uh, it's not something that's going to be done on a weekly or daily basis. It's only when they need to address issues with the, with the, the dam itself should have been done at the time of the dam, um, reconstruction, but to maintain it. So that's basically what it's all about. So any board member have any.

197
00:54:47,100 --> 00:54:56,980
Discussion of it for the town manager or any regard to to this. It's pretty straightforward. If not, I'll take a vote.

198
00:54:56,980 --> 00:54:59,700
Yes.

199
00:54:59,700 --> 00:55:00,780
We do a motion.

200
00:55:00,780 --> 00:55:01,420
Did we do that yet?

201
00:55:01,420 --> 00:55:04,980
No we didn't. You got to do a motion. Entertain a motion.

202
00:55:04,980 --> 00:55:12,940
I'm sorry about that. I move that the Board of Selectmen approve the order of taking for the drainage access easements at McKinstry Pond.

203
00:55:12,940 --> 00:55:13,980
Second.

204
00:55:13,980 --> 00:55:17,740
All right. No discussion. Any discussion? If not, vote. Yes.

205
00:55:17,740 --> 00:55:18,660
Yes. Yes.

206
00:55:18,660 --> 00:55:19,180
Yes.

207
00:55:19,180 --> 00:55:19,740
Yes.

208
00:55:19,740 --> 00:55:24,900
Yes. All right.

209
00:55:24,900 --> 00:55:35,710
Next item is acceptance of donation for the community center from the friends of the Oxford Community Center. In the total of And $0.02.

210
00:55:35,710 --> 00:55:42,870
I move that the Board of Selectmen accept a donation for the Oxford Community Center of $989.02.

211
00:55:42,870 --> 00:55:44,390
Second.

212
00:55:44,390 --> 00:55:46,430
Any discussion? If none.

213
00:55:46,430 --> 00:55:51,430
Just a curiosity question who. The Oxford Community Center friends. Is that like a.

214
00:55:51,430 --> 00:55:53,030
They.

215
00:55:53,030 --> 00:55:54,790
Uh.

216
00:55:54,790 --> 00:55:56,190
It's like the friends of the library, right?

217
00:55:56,190 --> 00:56:01,950
It's like the friends of the library. It's a 501 C three that they formed.

218
00:56:01,950 --> 00:56:11,710
Uh, what about six months ago? S5:

219
00:56:11,710 --> 00:56:16,350
So they're out trying to raise money to augment the community center activities.

220
00:56:16,350 --> 00:56:16,950
Yeah.

221
00:56:16,950 --> 00:56:20,550
They advertise it like they try to get people involved with it.

222
00:56:20,550 --> 00:56:24,030
They again, it's fairly new. Um.

223
00:56:24,030 --> 00:56:25,590
It's great. It's a great idea.

224
00:56:25,590 --> 00:56:52,480
I've been involved. I helped them get it established. But, uh, being a board member, I, I can't really participate, but I can help them I've done I've done that. They've done different drives to raise some money. And I've given them some information to, to raise more money through grants and stuff. And so they're, they're hopefully they're, they're just starting out. It's going to pay some dividends for the community center going forward. So they're they're dedicated.

225
00:56:52,480 --> 00:56:58,880
Yeah. No thanks. I just when I saw that, I was like, oh yeah, I want to know a little bit more about it. Thank you. Yeah.

226
00:56:58,880 --> 00:57:02,480
All right. Uh motion moved.

227
00:57:02,480 --> 00:57:03,480
Yeah. You made it.

228
00:57:03,480 --> 00:57:03,800
Been moved.

229
00:57:03,800 --> 00:57:06,920
In second. Oh it has. All right, all right.

230
00:57:06,920 --> 00:57:08,000
Vote yes.

231
00:57:08,000 --> 00:57:09,080
Yes yes.

232
00:57:09,080 --> 00:57:10,960
Yes.

233
00:57:10,960 --> 00:57:12,520
I get lost here.

234
00:57:12,520 --> 00:57:13,640
All right.

235
00:57:13,640 --> 00:57:39,810
All right. The next item is a request for signing the state election warrants submitted by Michelle Jenkins. And is it is a list the questions that are going to be on the election warrant and the positions that are going to be open for election. So.

236
00:57:39,810 --> 00:57:48,490
And this is obviously controlled by Secretary Galvin as to the format. Pretty much.

237
00:57:48,490 --> 00:57:49,810
It's just standard procedure for.

238
00:57:49,810 --> 00:57:50,690
Standard procedure.

239
00:57:50,690 --> 00:57:51,050
For state.

240
00:57:51,050 --> 00:57:56,650
Elections. For state elections it's nothing. Yeah. So I'll entertain a motion.

241
00:57:56,650 --> 00:58:05,170
I move that the Board of Selectmen approve the request to sign the state election warrant scheduled for Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026.

242
00:58:05,170 --> 00:58:05,730
Second.

243
00:58:05,730 --> 00:58:06,370
All right.

244
00:58:06,370 --> 00:58:07,770
Vote yes.

245
00:58:07,770 --> 00:58:09,010
Yes.

246
00:58:09,010 --> 00:58:11,570
No. Discussion. Yes.

247
00:58:11,570 --> 00:58:12,130
Yes.

248
00:58:12,130 --> 00:58:34,820
Yes. I don't know what we can discuss. We're told what we can do. All right. Next item is the approval of our town warrant for October 7th, 2026. There are 11 articles on the warrant and. And, uh, we'll discuss them first. The motion.

249
00:58:34,820 --> 00:58:41,620
I move that the Board of Selectmen approve the warrant for the special town meeting on October 7th, 2026.

250
00:58:41,620 --> 00:58:42,060
Second.

251
00:58:42,060 --> 00:58:47,500
All right. Discussion. Maybe our town manager can help us.

252
00:58:47,500 --> 00:58:55,300
Mr. chair, if I may. Uh, I'd be okay if I just went through every article, provided a brief explanation. I'm happy to answer any questions.

253
00:58:55,300 --> 00:58:56,100
Good for the people at home.

254
00:58:56,100 --> 01:01:46,930
Please stop me if anyone has any questions. And just before we get started, um, we will put out, you know, upon your approval, a explanation of all these articles online. Uh, in the next few days or so. And we'll do a taped virtual warrant as well. Great. All right. So we have 11 articles for the October 7th special town meeting at the Oxford High School. The first article is to hear any reports of from town officers or committees. Uh, standard housekeeping article. Uh, normally have the, uh, give the opportunity of the town clerk or, um, finance committee planning board to address the, uh, the townspeople. Article two is to see if the town will vote to raise by taxation, a transfer from available funds, and appropriate a sum of money to pay unpaid bills from a prior fiscal year. Again, another standard housekeeping item we don't have authority to pay bills from a prior fiscal year as we're in the current fiscal 27 budget. This would be from the 26 budget. Um, at this time we have no bills. So most likely we'll pass this over, but we'll give it another week to see if anything else. Two weeks rather to see if anything comes in. Uh, now we have a series of, I'll call it, um, reserve funding items, uh, and say saving for a rainy day. Uh, the first one is to fund other post-employment benefits, the Opeb liability trust. And let's see that amount will be we'll be seeking $85,000, most likely from free cash, just to kind of give everybody just a idea of where we're at. Uh, we have submitted for our free cash. It has not been certified yet. We are anxiously waiting to hear any day now that amount is $2.7 million. So when we get to the end of this, you'll see just over 500,000 will go into reserve. Funding will be requested to go to reserve funding. So let's see, article four is to fund capital stabilization fund. Um that amount will be seeking from free cash is $100,000. Capital stabilization is a stabilization fund but it's more for capital item say a boiler fails in a building. A roof, uh, has leaking issues. We have a pot of money there to, to take care of that without impacting the regular operational budget. The current amount in that fund is $790,000. So this would be to add another 100,000 to that. Article five to see if the town will vote to raise by taxation or transfer from available funds and appropriate amount of money to the stabilization fund. So this is our regular stabilization fund. If there's a tough times. A lot of times we we will tap into this to not impact operations. Uh, that amount will be seeking $250,000 from free cash to appropriate to stabilization fund. At this point in time, the balance of stabilization is 2.5 million.

255
01:01:46,930 --> 01:02:41,690
I apologize in advance. Article six is one long sentence. Um, if I may, I'm just going to pass over the reading here. But the idea is to seek, uh, easements for the route 12 project for the Main Street redevelopment project. So what that means is there are 20, uh, excuse me, 74 properties that we would seek town meeting authorization, uh, to allow the Board of Selectmen to take by eminent domain through, uh, purchase easement, uh, to make improvements on on Main Street. Um, we are requiring or requesting that to start the appraisal process. Because as you can imagine, with 74 properties, it's going to be quite the amount of lead time to to start the appraisal process. And further, we don't want to pay for appraisals if we don't have authorization from the townspeople.

256
01:02:41,690 --> 01:02:55,530
And those 74 are for construction easements. Basically, they're not permanent easements. It's three feet on the other side of the sidewalk, which may or may not be used depending on heavy equipment or whatever activity in front of that property is taking place.

257
01:02:55,530 --> 01:03:07,770
Certainly. So these are you're absolutely right, temporary construction easements. There are seven estimated for permanent easements for utilities. So it'd be really relocating a pole. Uh, things of that nature, right.

258
01:03:07,770 --> 01:03:10,610
Predominantly they're construction easements.

259
01:03:10,610 --> 01:03:13,450
Correct.

260
01:03:13,450 --> 01:03:50,340
Uh, if I don't have any further questions, I'll move on to the next one here. Article seven is to rename the Board of Selectmen to the select board. Uh, essentially, we're taking this in two phases. The first phase would be to seek approval from Town Meeting, to amend the town charter, to strike the Board of Selectmen and replace with the select board. Um, at this point in time, we did have, um the board did have some questions about the cost. The I want to say at the last meeting. Um, and at this point in time, there's no cost to very minimal legal cost. It's simply a find and replace. Yeah. That's the best way to.

261
01:03:50,340 --> 01:03:56,500
Describe it through that. Yeah. The hunt it down and replace it. And assistant town manager is working it as we speak.

262
01:03:56,500 --> 01:04:09,980
Correct. So there'll be a red line version of the town charter that would go to, um, General Court to enact the legislation, um to amend the town charter to rename it. The second phase of this will take up at a future meeting. You do the same thing for the bylaws.

263
01:04:09,980 --> 01:04:12,660
Yeah.

264
01:04:12,660 --> 01:04:32,750
Article eight is to see if the town will vote to transfer some of $50,000 from free cash to the Special Education Reserve Fund. Um, that is a reserve fund specifically for special education expenditures for the School department. Currently, there is a balance of 152,000 in that fund.

265
01:04:32,750 --> 01:05:14,430
Article nine is to see if the town will vote to raise by taxation, a transfer from available funds, and appropriate to sum of money for fiscal 26 health insurance related expenses. This article is to fund the costs of prior year unpaid insurance related expenditures. Uh, as you folks remember, I've talked about this at length during the budget process as we are standalone, fully self-funded, uh, health insurance plan for the town, uh, and school employees.

266
01:05:14,430 --> 01:05:19,430
Um, we have health and care healthcare invoices incurred during fiscal 26, um, that have not been processed by our benefit administrator, resulting in $1,720,530 S5:

267
01:05:19,430 --> 01:05:55,800
So what happens as a result. If those aren't paid, as those bills would go directly to the town staff. So for this town meeting, we'll be seeking from available funds to, uh, to fund those those health care expenses. Um, at this point in time, we haven't identified a funding source. What we do, we have two different ones we can take from, um, either stabilization of free cash is where the conversation has been. Um, however that'll be determined in the next two weeks. And I just want the board to be aware that that dollar figure could change over the next two weeks. Um, that's not set in stone. We're still working through a few things.

268
01:05:55,800 --> 01:06:22,530
And we're, we're leaning toward stabilization so we don't affect our operating our capital program going forward. And that's what stabilization is all for, uh, designed for scene events. And this is an unforeseen event one time. So rather than impacting our operating budget and our capital program or lesser of the, the least painful approach of the two. So we talked.

269
01:06:22,530 --> 01:06:25,370
What was the what was the dollar figure again?

270
01:06:25,370 --> 01:06:31,890
That was 1 million at this point in time, $1,720,530.

271
01:06:31,890 --> 01:06:35,730
Going back to 25 on paid claims.

272
01:06:35,730 --> 01:06:40,050
So we'd be taking that from the 2.5 million. Correct? Right.

273
01:06:40,050 --> 01:07:21,380
Correct. Um would still be seeking to fund 250 towards stabilization. But we don't want to make two different moves to fund one thing. So we put 250 in take out, you know what I mean? Article ten to see if the town will vote to transfer $50,000 from free cash for the purpose of developing and completing the master plan. Uh, just so folks aware, the master plan, the cost, the total cost is 150 000. Um, last special town meeting in October of 2025, the town did appropriate 50,000 to get the project started. Uh, we have since exhausted that funding. Excuse me. I think we have about 15,000 left. That'll take us till January.

274
01:07:21,380 --> 01:07:33,380
Our folks at CMR did seek grant funding to help fund this project that has fallen through. So this would seek to get another 50,000 to keep us going for, uh, you know, another year or so to get through the.

275
01:07:33,380 --> 01:07:38,980
They are, they are seeking it again, a grant again. So if they're successful, then.

276
01:07:38,980 --> 01:07:47,420
So understand that the total so far this would sum would be 100,000. The total project is 150. So we're hopeful that the other 50 can come from grant funding.

277
01:07:47,420 --> 01:07:54,700
Right. They're still taking another bite at the apple. So they're actively getting grant money. So that's.

278
01:07:54,700 --> 01:07:56,220
Good.

279
01:07:56,220 --> 01:08:27,670
Uh let's see. And finally, article 11 is to see if the town will vote to amend the zoning bylaws by deleting chapter four, five, and six in their entirety and replacing them with language that's on file in the town clerk's office. Uh, and by deleting tables, table of uses one, two, and three. So you folks might remember this from the May town meeting. Um, I believe it was tabled was the outcome. So this is kind of a continuation of that. It's actually a little bit bigger in scope because it's actually replacing the full chapters. Uh, hopefully for a little bit more clarity and to, uh.

280
01:08:27,670 --> 01:08:28,870
Instead of piecemeal.

281
01:08:28,870 --> 01:08:30,430
Exactly. Instead of just piecemeal.

282
01:08:30,430 --> 01:08:33,070
And they've had what, 2 or 3 public hearings, the planning Board.

283
01:08:33,070 --> 01:08:56,070
I believe they have one more on Monday. So it's just going to kind of bear with us. We will have documents on file in the town clerk's office pending the public hearing. If there are additional changes, that could change another time. Um, that's why I say we will make all this stuff available online, but just please, we do have, I believe there's another public hearing on Monday. Um, so it's a little fluid leading up until town meeting, but we'll try to get as much information out as we can.

284
01:08:56,070 --> 01:08:58,790
And I think at the last town meeting, it was just people had some questions.

285
01:08:58,790 --> 01:08:59,470
Right.

286
01:08:59,470 --> 01:09:04,190
And so that we pushed it off. Correct. And made adjustments and. Yes, sir.

287
01:09:04,190 --> 01:09:09,110
And they're making they've been making every attempt to answer those questions prior to town meeting. And we're going to continue to do that.

288
01:09:09,110 --> 01:09:13,070
So and I, uh.

289
01:09:13,070 --> 01:09:16,680
That concludes the town meeting warrant, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

290
01:09:16,680 --> 01:09:23,160
Any questions of the board on any of these items.

291
01:09:23,160 --> 01:09:25,280
All right.

292
01:09:25,280 --> 01:09:32,120
I move that the Board of Selectmen approve the warrant for the special Town meeting on October 7th, 2026.

293
01:09:32,120 --> 01:09:35,400
Second.

294
01:09:35,400 --> 01:09:37,000
Vote yes.

295
01:09:37,000 --> 01:09:38,040
Yes. Yes.

296
01:09:38,040 --> 01:09:46,960
Yes. Unanimous. All right. The next item is the manager's report.

297
01:09:46,960 --> 01:10:05,240
Thank you very much. Members of the board. First item I have is just a reminder. Special town meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 7th, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Oxford High School, 100 Carbuncle Drive. A copy of the Special Town Meeting Warrant and the explanation of. Articles will be available on the town website and.

298
01:10:05,240 --> 01:10:06,320
Six.

299
01:10:06,320 --> 01:10:08,960
At seven 7:00 at Oxford High School. Yes.

300
01:10:08,960 --> 01:10:10,320
Other meetings. The sixth.

301
01:10:10,320 --> 01:11:14,900
And we encourage all registered voters to attend. Right. A little bit of a broken record here. Um, and just as a reminder, the voter registration deadline, um, for town meeting, the deadline to register to vote for the special town meeting is Friday, September 25th. So this upcoming Friday is the last day to register to vote. Um, the town clerk's office will be open this Friday, um, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., so be open a little later. Uh, so folks can register to vote, please use the rear rear entrance of the town hall if you plan on registering. Next item I have is the Veterans Appreciation Luncheon. Uh, annual Veteran Appreciation Lunch will be held on Wednesday, November 4th, 2026 at the Oxford Senior Center. This complimentary event is for Oxford veterans in one guest and includes two seating times uh, one at 11 a.m. and one at 1:30 p.m. to RSVP, please contact the Oxford Veterans Agent David Adams, D Adams at Oxford, ma.us, or you can give them a call at (508) 987-6034.

302
01:11:14,900 --> 01:11:18,420
Extension 1105.

303
01:11:18,420 --> 01:12:16,990
Uh, just a friendly reminder that real estate and personal property taxes are due on Thursday, October 1st. Uh, taxpayers may pay by mail online or in person at town hall. And for added customer service. The Town Hall is open until 7 p.m. on Wednesdays. This is a friendly reminder. Next item is staff updates. Uh, I just want to make an announcement. Miss Judy Lochner recently returned as Oxford part time conservation agent. Judy has been with the town of Oxford since 1994, and has decades of experience in the protection of natural resources, wetlands and open space. And we also want to welcome Miss Melissa Richardson as our newest payroll and benefits administrator. Miss Richardson is an accomplished benefits and payroll professional with over 15 years of experience from West Boylston Public Schools. Uh, Bay Path Regional High School, and she possesses prior experience as a public safety dispatcher. So welcome new staff. Oh, repeat staff and new staff.

304
01:12:16,990 --> 01:13:36,440
Next item is the Worcester Railers Town Takeover. Worcester Railers are hosting an Oxford Town Takeover night at the DCU Center on Saturday, October 17th, starting at 6:05 p.m.. The takeover coincides with the Railers opening night, where the Oxford Middle School Chorus will be singing America the Beautiful, and students will be in the high five tunnel to cheer the players on at the start of the game. A link to discounted tickets is available on the main page of the town website. And now for community events on Saturday, September 26th, from 9 to 1, there will be a pet vaccine clinic behind the Town hall. The items offered include rabies, dismemberment, parvo combination vaccines and leptospirosis vaccinations. I think I just butchered that, but it's okay. Uh, microchips will also be available for pets. Uh. Everyone is welcome and pre-registration is encouraged. The vaccine clinic is supported by the Oxford Animal Control, Petco Love and Second Chance Animal Services. And lastly, the final farmers market of the season is scheduled for Friday, October 16th from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. on the Town Common. The theme for the month is Halloween, so come dressed as your favorite character or spooky creature. There will be vendors, crafts, and live music. And that concludes the manager's report for this evening.

305
01:13:36,440 --> 01:13:37,200
Thank you.

306
01:13:37,200 --> 01:13:38,280
Thank you.

307
01:13:38,280 --> 01:13:43,240
Selectman. Community announcements. Mr. Davis.

308
01:13:43,240 --> 01:13:44,800
I got nothing.

309
01:13:44,800 --> 01:13:46,840
Mr..

310
01:13:46,840 --> 01:13:52,840
Uh, no. Yeah. Same. Nothing. Thank you for the opportunity to speak, though. I appreciate that.

311
01:13:52,840 --> 01:13:53,360
I mean.

312
01:13:53,360 --> 01:13:54,880
Let me say that.

313
01:13:54,880 --> 01:13:56,600
All right. No.

314
01:13:56,600 --> 01:13:57,800
I'm quiet. Right.

315
01:13:57,800 --> 01:14:14,210
Um, I just wanted to send condolences to the family of the gentleman who drowned at Lowe's Pond. Uh, it was quite the tragedy. And, uh, we just send out our, our thoughts to, uh, to the family of the victim.

316
01:14:14,210 --> 01:16:57,990
Okay. Well, uh, I actually have a few things. Believe it or not, I want to apprize the board. Uh, a couple of things coming on, um, in front of us. Uh, as you know, I'm a delegate for the Central Mass Regional Planning Commission, and, uh, there's an opening on the Southwest Regional representative for the Central Mass Metropolitan Planning Organization, the CMPO. And tomorrow at 5:00, there is a Zoom meeting. And the communities that it represents are, uh, Auburn, Charlton, Dudley, Oxford, Southbridge, Sturbridge and Webster. And they're looking for a it's a three year term. They're looking for someone to serve on that committee and the focus is to address that these communities, transportation issues and business development. And they're looking for a representative and an alternate. So if there's anybody that you would want from the board that wants me to put their name forward, it's a three year commitment. And the first meeting is October the 21st. The second meeting is November the 8th. There's Zoom meetings, but there's also quarterly meetings. It's, uh, there are very active because they represent a number of communities and they're all they all have, as I said, transportation and business development needs and the region, uh, of the 40 communities, this is the region that they're looking for. So the vacancies are coming up and they're looking for anybody. If there's anybody here that would like to, I'd like me to put their name forward. If not, and I'm not saying you're going to get, you know, somebody they're going to they're going to vote, but I'll put your name in the mix if you would care to step up. If not, I'll be willing to step up. But that doesn't. Again, that doesn't mean that I, as a representative of the town of Oxford, be would be put forth. That's a decision that they will make. Uh, that night and, uh, as I said, it's a number of communities, you know, Auburn, Charlton, Dudley, Oxford, Southbridge, Sturbridge and Webster. So that's one item. So if there's anybody that's interested, reach out to me. If not, I, I as chair will attend the meeting. I'm looking for a name and as the others are. And then they will vote for the representative, uh, for the subregion and an alternate in addition.

317
01:16:57,990 --> 01:17:01,190
Just on that, John, the meeting's always on Wednesday.

318
01:17:01,190 --> 01:20:01,630
It appears that they're always on. Well, the next two are for sure. there are other meetings. They're very active. So I mean, but they did give us what, the first two. So on Wednesday and it's at four in their Zoom meetings. In addition, um, they're going to be holding a. And I've reached out to our town manager and our assistant town manager. There's a meeting, uh, for the lieutenant governor is going to have a conference at Hogan Hall, uh, from 9 to 1230 on the 5th of October. And they're looking for, uh, they're talking about AI threats, uh, emerging technologies, municipal success, public health issues, regional planning. We're talking about mass association for regional planning, uh, local division stuff. So this is a lot of networking. Put your, your community forward tools for municipality funding and what's next in housing and zoning. And I've said that I would attend, uh, and I've, and I've reached out to our town manager and assistant town manager to see if they either one. But they're. As you know, our town meeting is seventh. And so that's the timing. So they are they've said that they would prepare some talking points that I could present to these different breakout sessions that would represent our community needs. So I just carry it forward as a representative. But it would be from our town manager and and the board. But if any other board member wants to attend with me, uh, it's free to attend. You just we have to sign up. But it is on the 5th of October and it starts at nine at Hogan Hall goes to 1230. And but the their state people will be there. And so that's, uh, that's an opportunity for us to be heard on some of these items. So that's one, uh, the, I want to tell you that as the delegate for our community, I've reached out to Janet Pierce, and I've requested that they consider the Central Mass Regional Planning Commission. Consider helping us form a bipartisan caucus. Of the 40 towns where senators and state reps would come together as one voting bloc for our 40 communities. Of that, the Central Mass Regional Planning Commission represents to vote to direct funds from this side of one. On this side of 128. So would be the political arm, if you will, of the Central Mass Regional Planning Commission. So they've got all the things they want to do. The state representatives and senators for the 40 communities would form a caucus and vote accordingly to get that secure funding for the different activities that they want to put forth for the forward community. So I've written a letter and submitted it to her for consideration, and I'll be following up to see where that goes.

319
01:20:01,630 --> 01:20:02,710
It's a great idea.

320
01:20:02,710 --> 01:22:47,250
And so, well, there is a group of select boards that we've been and I attend that group and one of our representatives spoke, uh, representative McKenna. And it came up in the meeting and I said, why are why are you why are we fragmented? Why are we not coming together? Whether you're Democrat or Republican, we're 40 communities here in the heart of central Mass, and everything seems to be focusing on that side of 128. We have all our needs. Why don't we why don't you vote as a bloc, whether you're Democrat or Republican and have a caucus? And representative McKenna said, that's a great idea. Why don't you do that? So I did. So, uh, that's being looked at and I've had a good discussion. We had a meeting, we had their quarterly meeting. So I talked to Janet and I gave her the letter and we'll see where that goes. Uh, as you know, and a good point. Today, the governor announced for the next two months that she's suspending our fuel tax $0.24 a gallon to relieve the need because of the gas pump. However, that does impact our chapter 90 money. There's no free lunch. Come to FY 28. We're not going to have the that those funds aren't going to be there for those two months that we're not collecting that 20% statewide. Again, this plays to what we're talking about here. Is there any other avenue to augment that deficiency? If getting some of that money, you know, from another area, since it's not going to be in the gas tax. The other thing that I want to mention is that I've reached out to our town manager, and he is, and I have some information on the old 501 C3 about bringing Founder's Day back. So I want to let everybody know that we're going to be in an effort for next year to reestablish Founder's Day in our community, and we're looking for people to step forward. I've talked to our police chief about how he would manage it. Learn from the past mistakes and how we can improve it and make it safe and enjoyable for people going forward. And we're looking to form a committee. And I know that's it's it's a daunting thing. It's a lot of work. And I God bless his soul, John said, was very active in in making that happen over the years. So we're looking to bring that forward. I just want to make an announcement. If if you or you know, of anybody that would be interested in in working in establishing that Founders Day and work on the committee, please let let the town manager or me know, and we'll make sure that when we have our initial meeting, that we can make that happen and they can be included. So that's, that's all I have right now. But I covered a lot. I think just to bring everybody up to date.

321
01:22:47,250 --> 01:23:08,980
Can I just I'd like to say thank you for your efforts. I mean, um, well, thank you to Mrs. Jewel. First of all, I mean, you're how often are you home? It seems like you're out at a meeting every, uh, every day. But no, honestly, it's your leadership as the chairman does not go unnoticed by me. And I'm sure a lot of us in this community. So thank you very much.

322
01:23:08,980 --> 01:23:10,860
I can't do it without you. All of you.

323
01:23:10,860 --> 01:23:12,220
Well, yeah, I mean, we're part of it.

324
01:23:12,220 --> 01:23:12,740
By one vote.

325
01:23:12,740 --> 01:23:22,980
But you know, no, but you are you know, you're out there, you're active, you're getting, um, you know, you're connecting and then you're relaying it back to us like that's, that's leadership.

326
01:23:22,980 --> 01:23:43,980
So if there's anything you want me to say on that October the 5th, please. Two heads are better than one. I'm just going to be a placeholder. I'm not. It's not. It's about all of us, not about me. So and I that's why I said to Justin and Adam, uh, if you can just come up with what you want me to say, I'll. I'll bring the talking points and submit them accordingly, and we'll see where they go. So yeah.

327
01:23:43,980 --> 01:23:46,780
I appreciate it. Thank you very much.

328
01:23:46,780 --> 01:24:25,590
All right. That's all I have. So, uh, now the next item we're going to go into executive session. So I'm going to entertain a vote based on mass general law. Chapter 30 A section 21, a three, to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation. If an opening meeting may be detrimental, uh, a detrimental effect on the bargaining or litigation position of a public body. And the chair so declares so I so declare. So we need to take a roll call to and we will not be reconvening, uh, in open session.

329
01:24:25,590 --> 01:24:34,110
So make a motion that we go into executive session for the purposes stated by the Chair Okay.

330
01:24:34,110 --> 01:24:35,150
Roll call.

331
01:24:35,150 --> 01:24:37,590
Yes. Monroe. Yes.

332
01:24:37,590 --> 01:24:39,910
Yes. Yes.

333
01:24:39,910 --> 01:24:40,350
Yes.

334
01:24:40,350 --> 01:24:40,350
Selectman. Ewell. Yes. So I'll give us.