[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[0:34] Good evening. I'd like to call this meeting to order. This is the August 25th, 2026 meeting of the Shoesbury Select Board. We will start with introducing board members and staff members present. I am Teresa Flynn. Carlos Garcia. Michelle Conlon. Greg Richards. Han in the central. Kevin Mizekar, town manager. Keith Baldinger, assistant town manager, public works. Christian Ordon, assistant town manager, administration and finance.
[1:00] Yes.
[1:01] Tracy V.
[1:02] Do you see the system to the town manager?
[1:04] Select board.
[1:05] Thank you.
[1:07] The first item on our agenda is to approve the bills, payrolls and warrants.
[1:11] Move approval.
[1:12] Second.
[1:12] All in favor say aye.
[1:13] Aye.
[1:14] Opposed?
[1:15] Motion carries.
[1:16] Item number two is to review and act to approve the minutes of the August 11th, 2026 select
[1:22] board meeting.
[1:23] Move approval.
[1:24] Second.
[1:24] All in favor say aye.
[1:26] Aye.
[1:26] Opposed?
[1:27] Motion carries.
[1:28] item number three is announcements and reports, board members, any announcements?
[1:33] Reports this evening? I think we just want to mention that we all just came
[1:38] from the ribbon cutting at the new Arrowwood playground and it was amazing.
[1:45] Hopefully there will be some pictures that are posted. I see some residents who
[1:49] were also there. It was amazing that once the ribbon was cut the gate was open and
[1:54] there was just a flood of children that went out there and started enjoying it.
[1:58] So many thanks to the residents and the CBC and just everybody that was involved town staff,
[2:06] Parks and Racken, not highway division, other town departments. So thank you to everyone
[2:15] and it was lovely to see. Item number four is the town manager's report.
[2:21] Ms. Mizzacar. I don't have anything this evening. Thank you.
[2:23] I have a number five is public comment pursuant to select board policy 31.
[2:29] We actually have four requests for this evening.
[2:33] So we'd like to start with Ms. Hilton.
[2:37] You're listed first on the agenda.
[2:39] So I will go in order.
[2:40] You wouldn't mind us getting your name and your address for the record.
[2:43] Certainly.
[2:44] Bridget Hilton and I'm at one Jacobson Drive here in Shrewsbury.
[2:48] Thank you all so much for the opportunity to comment on this proposal.
[2:53] So, I think every single person who knows me and she's
[2:58] afraid knows that I am a first-generation immigrant to this country,
[3:01] and that my grandparents came, my parents came, and there I am.
[3:07] When I think about this proposal, I think about in particular my grandmothers,
[3:13] both of my grandmothers were immigrants.
[3:17] Both were farmers before they came to the country.
[3:21] My mother's mother was a bit of an entrepreneur, she graced chickens, and she owned a little chicken
[3:27] business and sold eggs and things like that.
[3:30] So coming to the States at the time that they did in the 1980s, the landscape was significantly
[3:35] different than it is today.
[3:37] The immigration system was significantly different than it was today.
[3:41] They came primarily.
[3:42] Actually my mom came first, believe it or not, and her parents came afterwards to take care
[3:47] of me.
[3:48] And so neither my grandparents worked in this country, but they contributed something
[3:56] priceless to not just my generation, but through the work that they did for myself,
[4:04] or my friends, or my siblings, for their church, for their community organizations.
[4:09] They were vibrant members of this community to the point that I called the church on the
[4:15] comment to ask them to do me a favor and they go, are you any granddaughter? So they were vibrant
[4:21] members of our community, but they were also aware that they were coming from a place where
[4:27] they sounded different than everyone else. They look different than everyone else. And I don't
[4:33] know that despite all of their amazing qualities that they would have been able to articulate to
[4:39] somebody what their immigration status even was, it was something that my parents helped them
[4:44] to navigate and I think about in particular my grandmother who is busy chasing after
[4:50] five kids and one of five and helping my family and cooking and cleaning being called to
[4:56] task about whether or not a piece of paper said that she was allowed to live in this country
[5:01] or not in spite of all the things that she was doing and that's why I think it is so important.
[5:06] I think about that because there are other women and men like my grandparents living in our community,
[5:11] living amongst us who are valuable, invaluable members of our community who would be negatively
[5:17] impacted by such inquisition and I use that word intentionally.
[5:24] I know that it is, you know, maybe could be seen as a litmus test of kind of where our town
[5:31] is but it's not that and I wanted to put a face and a family to the lives that are impacted
[5:38] when you impose yourself into the lives of other people unnecessarily.
[5:45] I'm all for government. I'm all for building playgrounds
[5:48] and doing the things that we can do to help one another
[5:50] so that life is easier for the people living in our community.
[5:53] But what I'm not for is putting in people into undue fear
[5:56] over something that has become increasingly difficult
[6:00] and increasingly challenging, particularly for people that look like me.
[6:05] so thank you all for the opportunity to speak on this matter I hope that you
[6:08] will adopt it. Thank you.
[6:13] Next is Ms. Zair.
[6:18] Whichever you prefer. Okay.
[6:24] My name is
[6:24] Sana Zair and I'm here to voice my support for the DEIB recommended welcoming
[6:30] community's policy and statement. Sana, I'm sorry to interrupt you could you just
[6:34] My address is eight, Jimmy Lane.
[6:36] Thank you.
[6:37] So again, I'm here to voice my support for the DEIB
[6:40] recommended welcoming community's policy and statement.
[6:43] As someone who frequently works with undocumented people
[6:46] in the area, I have seen firsthand how fear shapes
[6:49] even the most basic decisions of daily life.
[6:52] I know parents who delayed taking a sick child to the doctor.
[6:56] I know survivors of crime and abuse
[6:58] who chose not to call the police.
[7:00] I know people who kept their children
[7:02] out of school activities, avoided public services, and quietly withdrew from community life.
[7:08] Not because they didn't need help, but because they were afraid that asking for it might
[7:13] expose them or someone they love to detention or deportation.
[7:17] This policy will not undo that fear, and it will not fix the underlying immigration system
[7:23] that produces it, but it can send a clear and meaningful signal that this community does
[7:28] not see immigration status as a condition for basic dignity, safety, or belonging.
[7:34] For a population that is constantly weighing the costs of visibility, that signal matters.
[7:39] For people who live with persistent fear that shapes nearly every interaction with institutions,
[7:45] even a small credible assurance of safety can open a door that fear had kept closed.
[7:51] That policy offers, this policy offers that assurance.
[7:55] It tells undocumented residents that their access to healthcare, education, and public safety
[8:00] will not be used against them, and it tells the broader community that we are willing
[8:05] to stand behind that commitment.
[8:07] I encourage you to adopt this policy not as a complete solution but as a humane step towards
[8:13] a community where everyone can access the services they need without fear.
[8:18] To those of you who may oppose this policy, I would ask a simple question, have you ever
[8:24] are actually sat across from an undocumented person
[8:26] and heard their story.
[8:28] Or is your certainty built entirely
[8:30] on what a headline or a comment section told you to feel?
[8:34] I think it is easy to vote against the statistic.
[8:37] It is much harder to vote against someone whose name you know.
[8:40] Thank you for your consideration.
[8:42] Thank you.
[8:46] Next, Mr. Roberto?
[8:49] Just state your full name and address for the record, please.
[8:56] My name is Luis Rodriguez, 465 Boston Turnpike.
[9:02] My name is Luis Rodriguez.
[9:04] I'm a town meeting member, the current vice chairperson and a concern, sorry, the current
[9:08] vice chairperson of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee and a concerned
[9:12] resident.
[9:13] I'm here to ask the select board to accept the welcoming committee's policy recommendation.
[9:17] The committee has put almost two years of hard work into this.
[9:21] With a lot of roadblocks along the way. This is an opportunity to build and strengthen our town
[9:26] I don't want and I don't want our immigrant neighbors
[9:29] To be a now to be an object or an after thought of civic renewal
[9:33] If we ignore
[9:36] If we ignore this we are choosing stagnation over progress if we ignore this we're limiting our potential
[9:41] Right now as communities push back against harmful federal policies
[9:45] We're also have that we also have the chance to imagine something better and start building it
[9:50] That starts by valuing the people that are already here no matter where they came from.
[9:55] We cannot afford to be passive anymore.
[9:58] The five of you today have the opportunity to leave and by example and make sure that
[10:02] this community makes everyone feel welcome.
[10:04] If you won't know tonight, understand the harm that you are choosing.
[10:08] People in our town are already living it.
[10:10] Residents in the main election poll asked by poll workers if they were citizens instead of
[10:15] registered voters, neighbors who avoid calling the police even when they need it because
[10:20] they don't trust the response. Family who hesitate to call SELCO to get their Wi-Fi fix
[10:25] because they fear of exposure. Residents who won't go into town hall to ask clarification
[10:30] about an official letter because they worry about consequences, not to mention many that
[10:35] have stayed away from community events because they don't feel safe or welcome. These are
[10:40] just a few of the stories that we heard during this process. The committee took this on because
[10:44] we heard these stories over again and again and again. Fear, exclusion, and longing to belong.
[10:51] This recommendation is simply asking this body or the terminator's office to take action
[10:55] and enact a policy that would help us build trust that we need so everyone can thrive during this
[11:01] volatile times. Adopting a policy, it is a straightforward step, towards a stronger,
[11:07] fairer community. The five of you today on this board can lead by example and stop making people,
[11:13] and stop making people choose between safety and civic life.
[11:17] Do not let this opportunity slip by.
[11:19] I urge this body to adopt this policy and show that you are committed to real change,
[11:24] to diversity, to equity, to inclusion and to belonging.
[11:28] Thank you so much for having me today.
[11:31] Thank you.
[11:35] Ms. Jones,
[11:39] could you state your full name and address for the record, please?
[11:43] Diane Jones, 29, Francis Avenue.
[11:46] So I'm here tonight because, well, they've already said all the reasons why I'm here tonight.
[11:55] But I just want to say that there is definitely a population within Shrewsbury that does not feel safe here.
[12:05] And one of the last things they need is to be asked what their immigration status is.
[12:11] because that is actually not our business, right?
[12:16] It's not our business, and it keeps them from,
[12:20] well, feeling safe enough to get help or to
[12:24] participate in civic life here in town, which makes all of us less safe.
[12:29] Our town is much safer when we just accept people as they are,
[12:33] as long as they're not breaking federal law, right?
[12:36] and and keep them in the community feeling safe. If they don't contact the police
[12:46] because maybe there was domestic abuse and they're afraid, oh my god, what
[12:55] happens if I called the police and asked for help? What happens if you don't
[13:00] to call the police and ask for help.
[13:02] It's really serious.
[13:04] Or at a smaller level, any kind of ability
[13:08] to walk into a building like this
[13:09] and get something administrative taken care of
[13:13] without being asked, what's your immigration status?
[13:17] Because that is not our business.
[13:19] And it's the same for the police.
[13:22] The police in Massachusetts are not supposed to ask anyone
[13:26] what their immigration status is.
[13:28] unless they've done something like break a federal law and that is really important because
[13:36] otherwise we have people who are incredible danger and they know they are so it's already
[13:44] the same this this policy is already in place for police basically it should just be in place
[13:51] for everybody. It's not a question that you ask.
[13:55] Thanks.
[13:57] Thank you so much.
[13:59] Appreciate the residents who came forward to speak this evening.
[14:02] We will be taking up this topic under agenda item number 10.
[14:08] Next item on our agenda is a 705 public hearing regarding a request to honor
[14:13] former town employee Dawn Shannon through the naming of a public space
[14:18] or building. Before we start, I thought it would be very important to clarify that the
[14:28] building will remain named in honor of World War I veterans, Sergeant First Class, Raymond
[14:34] Stone. This is not in any way a consideration of removing Mr. Stone's name from the building.
[14:43] the family of Don Shannon has requested that a portion of the building's
[14:48] interior be named in her honor. So that is what we are here to consider. So we
[15:00] I would like, I really don't want to cut off anyone. We would like to keep this public hearing to about 15 minutes. So I will ask anyone who is interested in coming forward. If you could state your name in your address for the record. And we generally like to keep people to about three minutes just so we can get as many people included as possible. Hello sir.
[15:26] Hi, I'm Rob Shannon, Don Shannon's son.
[15:31] Address, born and raised on seven-hour tours drive,
[15:35] and raised at 62 Homan Street.
[15:39] Worked for the town myself,
[15:42] and the cemeteraries for the parks,
[15:47] the various opportunities that was presented.
[15:50] My mom, God bless her past February 13th,
[15:56] of this year. And while she was here in Shrewsbury, she gave 30 years of her life to developing
[16:08] the Parks and Recreation Department, more on the Recreation Department side.
[16:16] What few
[16:16] knew was that mom would do this job with such love for the town residents and for the children
[16:25] and for the families and a lot of times we as our family we we got the short
[16:31] end of the stick because of it. The town could not afford to have the
[16:36] janitors stay in the facilities to open and close buildings at night so they
[16:41] could have adult or men and women or whatever recreation department
[16:46] office activities take place. She would get up from dinner and go open up the
[16:52] buildings. After the event she'd get up again and go outside and close the
[16:56] buildings. Nothing I would really want my wife or a single mother to do day after
[17:03] day, year after year. In top of that she was a town meeting member for many, many
[17:09] years. I just say she was over 30 years I believe with a town. She was present of
[17:16] of the special needs program, a town meeting member,
[17:21] a wonderful mother, but mentored to so many.
[17:27] One of my friends from Alaska, Jim Keegan from Shrewdbury,
[17:32] said it best in a letter to me that your mom
[17:35] always gave kids a point and right direction,
[17:41] a smile, some positive feedback,
[17:44] back and sort of gave the kids that needed that little extra oomph to do the right thing.
[17:51] I am thrilled that so many of her friends, the ladies over that have become very close
[17:57] to, have come tonight as well.
[17:59] I'm glad you mentioned that Chairperson Flynn that was never my desire to strip the building
[18:08] of the recognition that Ray Stone earned and still has.
[18:14] There's a separate entrance to the facility
[18:18] that I was hoping that we will see the Don Chan parks
[18:22] and recreational parks facility or park office
[18:25] and have a sign on the outside.
[18:27] If that is too much to ask, I understand and appreciate
[18:33] but I do believe that for all she's done for this town
[18:37] in first residence that it'd be fitting to recognize her with some sort of dedication,
[18:44] whether it's a park, part of the building, or what have you.
[18:49] But I'm going to yield the rest and sit down, but I very emotional about this, so I apologize.
[18:55] And thank you very much for listening and entertain us.
[18:59] Have a great night.
[19:01] Thank you so much.
[19:03] And thank you to your entire family.
[19:04] your mom was clearly very special. Are there any other residents that would like to
[19:09] speak?
[19:12] If
[19:16] you could please just state your name and address for the record.
[19:20] Good evening. I'm Fred Russell, 104 Oldenwood Road and I'm also the commander of the post 397
[19:27] Director Crowder Post. We do not have any objection to naming part of the building after Mrs.
[19:34] Shannon. That's all I want to say on record.
[19:38] Thank you so much.
[19:51] Carol McWilliams, 28 Colton Lane, true sorry.
[19:55] I wasn't planning on saying anything,
[19:57] but there's been such an undercurrent of information
[20:01] about Don Shannon.
[20:03] I know you've received lots of letters.
[20:05] And even though I don't do Facebook,
[20:07] I understand there's been lots of it.
[20:10] Bob was speaking about his mother.
[20:12] I know it's been very emotional for him.
[20:14] But any one of us that knew Don Shannon
[20:16] and probably three generations of anyone here would know her.
[20:21] She was vivacious, she was giving, she was funny,
[20:24] she always had a smile.
[20:27] She gave so much of herself to the kids.
[20:30] Ineemed the adults, the trips that she used to run.
[20:33] I mean, she could have been Mrs. Shrewsbury.
[20:37] So I hate to see us kind of dismiss this and do nothing,
[20:42] but something definitely should be done because she was.
[20:45] the parks and wrecked department for almost 30 years okay so thank you.
[20:56] Anyone
[20:56] else?
[21:00] Not? I would entertain a motion to close the public hearing. Second
[21:04] Holland favor say aye aye. Close motion passes. So this is part of our policy to
[21:12] hold the public hearing to receive feedback greatly appreciate the comments. We
[21:18] We have received a lot of correspondence as well.
[21:23] So we will add to a future agenda the opportunity for the Select Board to deliberate over all
[21:31] of the information we have and formulate our next steps.
[21:36] So we won't be doing that this evening.
[21:39] We have to do the public hearing and we greatly appreciate everyone who participated and came
[21:45] to attend.
[21:46] agenda
[21:50] item number seven is to review an act for the assignment of host community agreement
[21:55] for pharmacannis Massachusetts Inc. to Mealou or Myloo, M-A-L-L-C. Under the town's host
[22:06] community agreement and state law, the business cannot transfer its agreement to a new owner
[22:10] without written consent from the town. I see that we have some attendees so rather than
[22:17] kind of going through my summary. We will ask you to introduce yourself and tell us a
[22:27] little bit more about this transaction. Absolutely. Madam Chair and members of the
[22:33] Select Board, thank you very much. I'm Jesse Alderman. I am here on behalf of Mealoo
[22:39] Shrewsbury LLC which does business as very Mary and with me is the sole owner, the
[22:49] 100% owner of Milu, Meredith Maghimi, and Adam Illman who is the current, one of the
[22:58] current managers at the store, has been for five years Adam, yep, and Avery Jones
[23:04] who's the operations manager at the store and has also been there for a while.
[23:12] As you stated, Madam Chair, section 10 of your host community agreement, which is a requirement
[23:18] of state law to have a cannabis license from the Cannabis Control Commission, states that
[23:24] that host community agreement cannot be transferred or assigned without your approval, which shall
[23:33] not be unreasonably withheld or conditioned. So we're here tonight to explain to you a little
[23:39] bit about the background of the transaction that's in process and Mr. Mizukar could I ask you to go
[23:45] forward with the slides if you're able I'm sorry and thank you very much for hosting those for us.
[23:51] The company that owns the Verrolife Dispensary at 939 Boston Turnpike is Pharmacannis Massachusetts
[23:58] its Inc., which is a subsidiary of a company called Pharmacan, which is in essentially, and
[24:04] I'm not, and I, they've likely notified you in some measure of this, is in essentially
[24:09] what is the equivalent of Bankruptcy.
[24:12] So they have, through a public process, proposed to auction off many of their assets, those
[24:18] here in Massachusetts as well as in some other states.
[24:21] rates. And the selected winner of that bid process is Milu Shrewsberry LLC. And Milu
[24:36] is owned by Meredith who's sitting next to me and they are proposing to acquire all
[24:43] of the assets essentially of pharma-can Massachusetts. And that would include this host community
[24:48] agreement as well as the Cannabis Control Commission license and although there's
[24:54] four of us up here and I've probably rambled on for too long already we promise to
[24:57] be brief but Meredith and the team will very briefly introduce themselves so
[25:00] you can hear from them directly. If there's one point that I'd like to get
[25:06] across on this slide and the next couple it is that there will be no changes as
[25:12] you as the other town boards and departments experience them and as customers
[25:18] is experience them at the store.
[25:21] It will remain with the same management,
[25:26] with the same on-site staff, same physical layout,
[25:29] same number of parking spaces, same interior layout.
[25:33] If in the future there are branding changes, for instance,
[25:35] to be called very merry instead of a pharmacan
[25:40] and look something like this rendering up there,
[25:42] that has to go through a state approval process
[25:44] and would certainly go through any design review
[25:46] or other process that you would require.
[25:48] But for the near term and for the foreseeable future,
[25:52] no one will know that there has been a change
[25:54] in the parent level ownership of this company
[25:58] to Ms. Maghimi.
[26:01] With that, if we could just move forward in the slides a little bit,
[26:05] I just wanted to turn it over to Adam and Avery
[26:08] to very, very quickly orient you on the site
[26:12] in case there's any unfamiliarity.
[26:15] So as you can see on the entrance we have right off 939 Boston Turnpike Road, right near the Wegmans, I'm sure you're familiar.
[26:25] We have 20 spots plus ample parking, our security system is up to date with everything that the CCC requires for us to remain operational and function properly.
[26:35] And
[26:43] I know we're operational layout, if we want to move forward a little more so
[26:46] that we can slide.
[26:47] And then inside here you can see the layout of our store, the entrance, right down once
[26:51] you make your way into our parking lot, and then the vestibule, which is the first round
[26:58] of security before we have our multi-stack check, where we check everybody through the T's
[27:04] to make sure everybody is, of course, we're remaining up to all of the guidelines that the
[27:08] CCC requires.
[27:09] There's the operational history here of full compliance, no CCC violations, no to our
[27:16] awareness and to Adams Awareness, no incidents at the store with police or fire.
[27:22] And this is the host community agreement language that I've highlighted on the screen
[27:27] for you and I'll turn it over to Meredith and the next slide to introduce herself.
[27:32] Hello, I'm excited to be here with everyone tonight.
[27:35] I'm Meredith Moghimi.
[27:37] The very Mary experience we want to bring to Shrewsbury brings you 24 plus years of
[27:43] cannabis experience, 30 plus years of leadership and retail, customer-focused leadership, curated
[27:49] menu and products, and community partnership that we're excited to be here and be part
[27:56] of your community.
[28:01] I have beta consultant here in Massachusetts working in the private and public sector for
[28:08] close to 15 years now. I'm excited to be working in cannabis and I am excited to
[28:17] bring a female forward cannabis product to Shrewsbury. Massachusetts is my
[28:28] home and I love doing business here and I've worked in everything all parts of
[28:34] the state and excited to be here in Shrewsbury with you all.
[28:42] This is the leadership team.
[28:43] I'm gonna let Avery introduce himself
[28:45] and then I will talk about Ali
[28:46] who unfortunately had a family obligation
[28:49] that you couldn't be here tonight.
[28:51] Hi, I am Avery Jones.
[28:54] I've been in Boston since about 2016
[28:57] going to Berkeley College of Music,
[29:00] pursuing a music business degree.
[29:03] That said, 2020, during the pandemic, I pivoted over to working at a local testing site in Boston area to get back to my community, and thankfully was able to actually go outside of it and work on some contracts as well with some of the local entertainment companies and some of the bigger entertainment companies, which has been fantastic, but after that all died down, I was able to focus back on retail and came into the canvas industry, which I absolutely love, and I love the community that it brings in.
[29:34] The remaining slides we have, I'll leave for the board to review if they'd like.
[29:39] They're just a summary of the security protocols at the store.
[29:44] And I would thank you for your time and your consideration of our request.
[29:48] We are also to go before the planning board.
[29:52] Next month, maybe next month, hopefully.
[29:56] We plan to submit an application in a matter of days to.
[30:00] I'm going to transfer the special permit at the site, which was awarded in 2018, and unlike most special permits, this one has a condition that it doesn't run with the land, and it in fact runs with the operator. So we'll essentially have the same introduction and discussion with them. And like I said, the cannabis control commission is in the very final stages of its approval of this transaction, and there's no issues, and we expect to be on one of their forthcoming agendas,
[30:29] It is perhaps as early as next month to have this transaction approved.
[30:32] Thank you very much for your time, if there's any questions.
[30:36] That was very thorough and very respectful.
[30:41] Thank you for taking the time to give us all of that background.
[30:43] Board members, any questions for?
[30:47] So I have one question like you're transferring the business from one owner to the other one.
[30:53] So when you applied for the certificate or all kind of permits are going to do the same thing.
[30:59] again, the background checker?
[31:02] Ms. McKeeney has been background checked by the Cannabis Control Commission, she passed,
[31:08] and that process is complete with the CCC.
[31:11] They will recommend this transaction for approval.
[31:15] The staff will recommend this acquisition, the transfer of the state asset, which is the
[31:22] Cannabis Control Commission license, to the full board of the Cannabis Control Commission,
[31:27] the full three-member board, which will vote on it at a public meeting.
[31:31] And we certainly don't expect to encounter any difficulty there.
[31:35] In terms of Mr. Jones and Mr. Elman, they've already passed their background checks in
[31:40] our registered agents for the dispensary with the Cannabis Control Commission,
[31:44] as is all the on-site staff.
[31:46] And since Ms. Mokimi is the only owner and the sole manager of the company,
[31:50] she's the only one that requires additional vetting by the Cannabis Control Commission.
[31:55] Does that answer your question?
[31:56] Thank you.
[31:57] Okay.
[31:57] Thank you so much.
[32:00] There are no other comments or questions.
[32:02] I will answer any motion.
[32:04] I move the board to authorize the town manager to execute the host community agreement amendment
[32:12] and assignment as substantially drafted with pharmacannis Massachusetts Inc. with me, Lu Shusbury,
[32:18] LLC.
[32:19] Second.
[32:19] All in favor say aye.
[32:21] Aye.
[32:21] Opposed motion passes.
[32:24] Thank you so much.
[32:25] We wish you all the best.
[32:26] Welcome to Shusbury.
[32:27] We're excited to be here.
[32:29] Thank you.
[32:29] Thank you very much.
[32:31] Thank you.
[32:31] Thank you.
[32:32] agenda item number eight is to review
[32:34] and discuss the year-end financial results
[32:36] for fiscal year 2026.
[32:40] Alex 20.
[32:40] Okay.
[32:41] Alex,
[32:46] you need a second to get set up.
[32:48] All right.
[33:01] Thank you board members.
[33:02] I'm Alex Martinez.
[33:03] I'm the director of fiscal planning.
[33:05] In this evening, I'll be walking through a handful of slides
[33:07] to provide a preliminary overview
[33:09] on the close-out of the fiscal year 26 budget that concluded on June 30th.
[33:14] You also have a memo in your drive that provides some further data and explanation.
[33:19] So some of the things that we'll touch on tonight are local receipt performance,
[33:22] general fund expenditure performance, and turnbacks, tax collection data,
[33:28] and a preliminary free cash balance estimate.
[33:35] So starting off with revenue performance, specifically schedule A local receipts.
[33:42] Local receipts are locally generated revenues other than real and personal property taxes and local receipts is the third largest source of revenue for the town after taxation and state aid.
[33:53] Within local receipts, the largest components accounting for approximately 85% are motor vehicle excise tax, investment income, building permits, and landfill revenue from the ash monofil.
[34:05] And the budget amount for local receipts for FY26 was $17,191,122.
[34:14] Actual local receipts came in at $19,875,826, exceeding the budget amount by approximately
[34:23] 15% or just over $2.6 million.
[34:27] So I just want to pause on this slide just for a moment to see that between FY25 and FY26,
[34:33] We increased estimated revenue by just over 10 percent.
[34:39] This is the largest jump in budgeted year-rear local receipts that we've done in quite a few years.
[34:45] Just feeling confident in the double-digit percentage performance that local receipts have had over the past few fiscal years.
[34:52] and
[34:57] then just touching on a few so within the memo you received some revenue
[35:01] outperformers were highlighted as well as some revenue underperformers and I
[35:06] want to touch on just one driver of accessible receipts that we've been
[35:12] seeing for the past few fiscal years. So since fiscal year 23, investment
[35:17] income has outpaced the budget of the amount by over $2 million each year.
[35:25] The
[35:25] This trend has obviously significantly benefited the financial performance of local receipts but is just an outlier to take into consideration that the next closest over performer is licenses and permits in that generated 420,000 additional revenue.
[35:49] So although local receipts have shown a strong financial results we anticipate that the long term financial outlook should still maintain a more conservative stance.
[35:58] As you can see in this chart, we've trended up from FY22 to FY25, and have just maybe
[36:05] peaked in 25 and are starting to trend back down to a more normal average baseline.
[36:12] So we want to balance generating excess revenue, but not putting ourselves in a position
[36:18] where we're not accurately capturing recurring revenues.
[36:26] So now pivoting to expenditures, specifically general fund expenditures, the FY26 municipal
[36:33] pull in education budgets as of the fall 2025 special town meeting was 161
[36:40] million 873 thousand forty dollars. At the end of each fiscal year any funds
[36:45] they're not expended or encumbered within the operating budget have to be
[36:49] turned back get returned to the general fund. Town meeting control is
[36:54] expenditure appropriations on a fiscal year by fiscal year basis so those funds
[36:58] cannot be used for anything other than they're intended and appropriated use.
[37:03] So in addition to excess local receipt revenue that was discussed previously, turnbacks
[37:07] are a primary contributor to the town's free cash balance each year.
[37:12] Over the past five fiscal years, the average balance of funds that have been turned back
[37:17] is just over $1.7 million or approximately 1.2% of the annual operating budget.
[37:23] So,
[37:29] FY26 looked a little bit different, 0.51% of the FY26 budget was turned back, which
[37:37] results in just over $820,000.
[37:40] This is a pretty significant decline compared to the last two fiscal years, which had turned
[37:45] backs of over $2 million each year.
[37:48] So, although final department expenditures remained within the authorized budget, the turn back
[37:54] percent to highlight some of the challenges we did face in the FY26 budget.
[38:01] So just touching on those challenges quickly, we saw some budget pressures in utility costs
[38:07] specifically gas and electric to heat and cool, our schools and other municipal buildings.
[38:13] The challenging winter months also impacted snow and ice operation costs that are funded
[38:17] within the highway department, and we also experienced some pressures in recruitment and
[38:22] retention of staff that drove up some personnel costs.
[38:26] To address these challenges, we did seek approval from town meeting, the finance committee,
[38:31] and the personal board to ensure that department budgets stayed balanced and had appropriate
[38:35] funding to cover all costs.
[38:38] Throughout FY26, the finance committee considered and approved $360,000 in reserve fund transfer
[38:44] requests across seven departments, which completely utilized the entire balance of the reserve fund.
[38:50] The personnel board authorized just over $270,000 in transfers, which is about 65% of their available budget to cover performance appraisal adjustments, union contract implementations, and staff recruitment and retention efforts.
[39:06] So in total, between the fall 2025 special town meeting and the May 2026 annual town meeting.
[39:13] Town meeting also authorized a net of $972,000 in departmental transfers to cover necessary budget adjustments.
[39:21] Including $500,000 for additional funding for the pension system.
[39:27] $100,000 for staff recruitment, retention and training, and
[39:32] And then $300,000 specifically for those public building's utility costs.
[39:37] The total result of all those adjustments is about $1.5 million.
[39:40] And I just want to note that these funds were all encompassed within the appropriated
[39:45] FY26 budget using recurring revenues.
[39:48] So while there was no net increase to the operating budget, we still needed to rely on departments
[39:53] that had healthy surpluses to absorb and cover cost overruns with budget challenges in other departments.
[40:00] So,
[40:05] the town's largest source of revenue is taxation, and the chart on this slide highlights
[40:10] tax collects and performance as of the end of the fiscal year during the 30th of
[40:15] 26th.
[40:16] I want to note that this data is a snapshot in time, and the year end balances for prior
[40:21] fiscal years are essentially moving targets.
[40:24] Tax collections that are received after the fiscal year ends do get retroactively applied to
[40:29] the tax year for which they were levied.
[40:31] So FR-26 on the screen might look like an anomaly, but on average between FR-22 and FR-26 we typically have ended each fiscal year at approximately a 98.6% collection rate for real estate taxes and 96% for personal property.
[40:55] And then lastly free cash. So free cash represents the portion of General Fund surplus revenue that is unrestricted and available for appropriation.
[41:03] for cash is certified on July, as of July 1st each year by the State Department of Revenue and all of the figures discussed in this presentation directly impact the free cash balance.
[41:15] Free cash is generated when the actual operating results compare favorably with the budget, such as when as actual revenues exceed the budget amount or when expenditures are less than appropriated.
[41:26] Freakash can also be affected by increases or decreases in uncollected property taxes,
[41:31] deficits in non-general fund accounts, and other legally incurred operating deficits
[41:36] or overdrafts.
[41:38] The Department of Revenue recommends that municipalities maintain a free cash balance
[41:42] of no less than 5% of the fiscal year operating budget.
[41:47] In 2018, the Select Board adopted a fiscal policy to generate free cash in the amount
[41:52] of three to five percent annually. The current free cash balance as of today is $6,152,852.
[42:02] This is after all of the intended use of free cash that was approved at the May 2026 annual
[42:07] time meeting and is prior to certification by DOR for 7-1-2026. Solely accounting for the excess
[42:15] local receipts and the turnbacks that were outlined in this presentation, it's estimated that free
[42:21] the cash will be certified at $9,654,603, which is 5.69% of the FY27 operating budget
[42:31] meeting the threshold to 5%.
[42:34] This is not account for the full reconciliation of the balance sheet, so it is very likely
[42:39] that free cash will be certified at a higher rate later this fall.
[42:43] So just to highlight and encompass the summary despite FY26 being a generally challenging
[42:50] year, the town is still in a very healthy and stable financial position.
[42:55] Between free cash, the override stabilization and general stabilization,
[43:00] the town has over $26 million in reserves.
[43:03] Departments strive to maintain appropriate budgets and strategically generate excess revenue.
[43:09] Despite the strong performance, we do recommend maintaining a more conservative longer term approach in our revenue projections.
[43:16] Thank you for your time, and I look forward to answering any questions.
[43:18] Questions?
[43:19] Thank you, Alex.
[43:21] Does Ms. Carr anything to add before we move on?
[43:23] Okay.
[43:24] Board members.
[43:24] Questions, comments?
[43:26] I have a couple.
[43:27] Thank you, Alex.
[43:28] The one question I have is just some clarification on the investment income side.
[43:34] What buckets of money make up the principle in which is earning that investment income
[43:40] or the, like, what buckets of money I'm assuming?
[43:44] I mean, I know this is a free cash stabilization,
[43:47] general stabilization, override stabilization,
[43:49] plus, is there, or what goes into that number?
[43:52] I'm gonna take that.
[43:54] So the vast majority of the investments that we have
[43:59] that we pull the interest off of in order
[44:03] is essentially what's called the operating fund,
[44:06] which is an excess, it's like the checkbook balance
[44:11] at the end of any month or quarter
[44:13] that the treasure does not feel that she needs to draw upon.
[44:18] So in total, it is about 60% of our annual revenues
[44:23] that we are able to invest
[44:25] because we can manage the cash flow on a monthly basis
[44:28] without kind of dipping into those other funds.
[44:33] And that differentiates from those other accounts
[44:36] like stabilization funds and trust funds
[44:38] because those accounts themselves retain their own interest.
[44:42] So, as the stabilization fund or the override stabilization fund earns interest, it is reinvested
[44:51] or added to that account balance every year.
[44:56] Okay.
[44:57] So yeah, so essentially
[45:00] Because the budget or that operating balance is increasing your over year because you're always effectively increasing because we're not drawing down from that. So unless there is some external impact that's going to affect overall interest rates, you should consistently see performance on that investment income because the base amount that you're using is always going up your rear. Yeah, that is, that is correct.
[45:27] in fact, barring a reduction in people paying their taxes,
[45:31] obviously, and the reason that has been a little bit elevated
[45:34] is because treasury notes have average between,
[45:38] you know, three and a quarter and four percent.
[45:40] So that has brought us additional revenue,
[45:42] but in theory, you're absolutely right.
[45:44] Like we shouldn't have to drop on these funds
[45:46] and they should be reliable.
[45:48] While we do with our financial advisor as every January,
[45:51] we sit down with them and we look at the date to maturity
[45:56] of those treasury funds and ensure that they provide us with a good estimate on revenues
[46:01] as we build the local receipts plan for that fiscal year.
[46:07] And we normally average about just less than four years to maturity on all those notes.
[46:13] So we do have kind of a leading indicator if once treasury notes turn, it's not going to
[46:18] turn on us immediately.
[46:19] And they would budget accordingly for that revenue source, right?
[46:29] I have two questions. So first question like you mentioned like 10% increase in local
[46:35] receipts. I would like to know what is the source of that increase like coming from the
[46:40] excise or some where it's coming from Germany. So definitely motor vehicle excise is a big
[46:46] contributor to us feeling confident in increasing that budget amount, also investment income and
[46:54] and then just knowing that the revenue lines
[46:58] that we've far exceeded the budget amount
[47:00] felt more confident in bringing up those baselines.
[47:03] So anything coming from the department like
[47:05] I heard a lot of ADU are coming and that also.
[47:09] Yeah, so licenses and like building permits
[47:11] thing that category has also been performing very well
[47:13] over the past few years as well.
[47:15] Well, the second question is like you've mentioned
[47:18] on the expenditure as a decline, that person,
[47:22] and I would like to know which department,
[47:24] just like if we had an artist spending or decline is there.
[47:28] Which departments turn back funds?
[47:33] No, no, you'd mention like a bit of expenditure
[47:35] also decline.
[47:37] Expenditure?
[47:40] I don't think so, no.
[47:42] So can you just summarize the total expenditures percentage-wise
[47:46] and what we did turn back?
[47:47] Yep, so we spent 99.49% of the FY26 budget, so that equates to essentially $820,000
[48:01] across all town departments was left unspent at the end of FY26.
[48:05] Please happen every year or this year isn't more or more like a different question.
[48:09] This year is lower compared to previous years, as far as what's been left unspent.
[48:13] And all my next question, where did you use it?
[48:16] What, for example, last time you used that money somewhere,
[48:20] why not this year, like, we have 800 back?
[48:25] Why is it lower?
[48:28] I think the, so the areas that we touched on with public buildings
[48:31] and increased utility costs, staff recruitment and retention,
[48:36] it was just, it was a year where a lot of departments
[48:40] were spending essentially very close up
[48:43] to their budgeted amounts just due to inflation
[48:46] and higher costs in areas.
[48:49] Thank you.
[48:50] Do it.
[48:52] Another question.
[48:55] Pivoting here on to the real estate personal property.
[48:59] I know we had talked, I know it was in a workshop,
[49:02] about let's say outstanding receivables that say on the tax
[49:08] side.
[49:08] If it shows here that where collections are, let's say, 99% in a given year, is there
[49:18] a separate, I'm obviously I think we're tracking it separately, but some of these years
[49:22] it seemed like there was a bigger gap than, let's say, $1,400 or, you know, $4,000 gap between
[49:30] what was built and what's actually collected, where is that kind of the historic tracking
[49:35] of that non-payment, let's say, is that, I understand what I'm kind of asking.
[49:41] I think I understand.
[49:42] Because you're showing, I guess, because my understanding was there was, there was
[49:46] essentially an un-build, or not say, I say unpaid tax balance, I thought it was over $2
[49:51] million in the entire town, but I don't know where that doesn't really show up here is
[49:56] how it worked.
[49:56] No, so it'd be, it'd be the aggregate of all, literally, all years prior.
[50:01] So it's, you know, some problems.
[50:03] Yeah, so all the 30 years or something like that.
[50:09] And it gets pulled into a tax title account.
[50:12] And once it's moved into tax title, it's no longer a show.
[50:17] OK, that's what I would.
[50:19] So does the actual build amount come off as well with this
[50:23] if it's in tax title?
[50:24] It does.
[50:25] OK, that's where I was.
[50:27] OK, that makes more sense.
[50:28] Now, the follow-up is in the personal property.
[50:30] Like, I don't know if we really, this is commercial property equipment, correct?
[50:35] What is our recourse on collection when it comes to personal property?
[50:40] I know it's, okay, it's $100,000, but it's still $100,000, so that's 7%, do we have any
[50:46] recourse on collection of that?
[50:48] Very little.
[50:49] Personal property law is almost an honor system.
[50:53] The businesses have to report to us on what's called form of list, which is all there
[51:00] listed assets within their buildings for their businesses.
[51:04] What we have been doing over the past four years since Ruth Anderson's been principal
[51:09] assessors, we've been spent in $10,000 a year to hire an external auditor to go out and
[51:13] physically audit, and that has yielded over $800,000, so it's just doing that extra work every
[51:23] year to go in and verify and then collect.
[51:27] And if they don't allow, you can estimate, you're allowed to do an estimate with that.
[51:32] Yes.
[51:32] Okay.
[51:37] I'm sure.
[51:38] Yes.
[51:38] I have some questions to start with.
[51:40] Director Martinez, thank you so much for being here with us and for this work and for
[51:46] the information.
[51:48] I had a question about the loss of somebody.
[51:53] I had a question about the revenue under performers.
[51:58] I'm in particular, I think, looking at the bottom three, which are about half-elected cannabis.
[52:06] I know as a new, relatively new for us to budget.
[52:10] Are we thinking of readjusting that to lower better expectations?
[52:15] Yeah, I would say the last two, specifically other excise and other departmental revenue,
[52:21] when we look to the FY28 revenue manual in the coming weeks,
[52:25] We would definitely make an adjustment, you know, those are things that maybe have fluctuated
[52:31] a little bit, but especially the other X size for cannabis, we've seen that trending
[52:35] down consistently pretty much every year.
[52:38] So we will write size these lines in the FI28 revenue manual.
[52:44] Great.
[52:44] And then I think I was a little bit surprised to see that the meal stacks was a little bit
[52:50] shy, too.
[52:51] Are we seeing that trending, is that stabilized, is that stable, or is that trending down
[52:56] work as well. We've seen that be pretty stable since COVID. Right. It's it's not off by by a lot,
[53:05] but you know, just something that we will keep an eye on, but it's it's remained pretty stable.
[53:10] I think and I think you may have sessioned it, but I think my last question was just on the
[53:14] turnbacks. Is there any trends within the turnbacks any departments in particular that are?
[53:21] Honestly, probably not this year that we could, that have been in previous years.
[53:26] So in previous years, I would say our big turn back categories were police and highway due
[53:33] to vacancies and due to the snow and ice.
[53:35] And so those were actually challenges this year.
[53:37] So much more like truly department by department, you know, maybe $50,000 here, maybe a vacancy
[53:45] that wasn't filled for half the year, so nothing really significant from, you know, one or two
[53:53] individual departments. That's helpful and I think, you know, I appreciate the culture that we have,
[53:58] where those budgets that we set for each one is a spending cap versus a target. I think that's
[54:05] really important to call out, so thank you.
[54:10] You mentioned we have about $26 million in reserves
[54:14] between our general stabilization, overhead stabilization and free cash.
[54:19] So we have a 5% our policy and free cash is to have at least 5% of our operating budget held in free cash.
[54:30] Can you talk to us about, we talk about overheads and needing an overhead in the future when we have $26 million in reserves.
[54:40] but understanding can you explain sort of what we're approaching with our
[54:46] over-ride stabilization, what our policies are in general stabilization, and why
[54:50] it's important to keep those in reserves. Like even while we have some of that
[54:53] funding in reserves, we may still start talking about needing an override and why
[54:58] that matters. Yeah, I mean I think talking first to the over-ride stabilization
[55:04] fund, which I think is just over $10 million, you know. When we get to the
[55:10] point of needing to draw down on that, it's going to go very quickly. So while it's a substantial amount,
[55:19] it's almost, you know, it's over the actual ask of the override, it will go quickly once we start to draw down on it.
[55:25] And that, I think, are we, can you remind me of when we're projecting to start drawing down on the override stabilization?
[55:32] You're 28. Okay.
[55:38] And can you talk a little bit about general stabilization and what we use that for like when we
[55:43] Use the funding in general stabilization and and why we hold that
[55:48] Yeah, so
[55:49] We aim to have general stabilization also at 5% of the general fund
[55:54] That's really the town's true rainy day fund to cover
[55:58] Emergencies and unexpected events or circumstances. I don't recall the last time we've actually drawn down on general stabilization
[56:05] We would prefer not to, so it'd really be, you know, something catastrophic to the town finances to grow down on that.
[56:13] Thank you.
[56:14] So, if you look at that $26 million of the appropriated budget for fiscal year, 27 year, at about 15%.
[56:24] If you're not at 15%, and you go for a bond rating, you won't get a AAA.
[56:30] I mean, 15% is the standard floor for a AAA bond rating, and so it's really in these
[56:41] three separate buckets that Alex talked about, and they can be used for specific purposes.
[56:49] But together, having them at 15% means that we're able to achieve a AAA, one of the reasons
[56:56] since we're able to achieve a AAA bond rating.
[56:58] And one of the reasons, one of the outcomes from that
[57:01] is much lower interest rates when we borrow.
[57:03] So we have to go out to borrow for something.
[57:06] We're saving, in some cases,
[57:08] depending on a major capital improvement project,
[57:10] hundreds of thousands of dollars every year
[57:13] because of that AAA bond rating
[57:14] versus a much lower bond rating,
[57:17] especially in a volatile municipal bond market
[57:20] like we're in right now.
[57:21] So we put all those three things together
[57:24] and that's why, as we're going through the budget process, we're advising the board
[57:27] how much money we're spending in free cash at Tom meeting.
[57:32] So we are using those reserves, but then replenishing them from the excess revenues
[57:37] and unexpended appropriations.
[57:41] So we're looking at that throughout the course of the year, making sure we line it up.
[57:44] And as you can see, this year, Alex's estimate is that we're 5.6% on a 5% policy level.
[57:50] So we're spending the resources that we have to provide services and maintaining reserve
[57:56] so we're flexible if something goes wrong.
[58:02] I appreciate the diligence in keeping us in budget very consistently when a lot of
[58:10] other cities and towns have not been able to do that and I know is that balance and we'll
[58:14] clearly go into those discussions when we start getting into fiscal 28 as to you know
[58:21] how to project with the appropriate balance of conservatism to ensure we can stay in
[58:28] budget, as well as being aggressive, where we don't want to, you know, ask for significantly
[58:35] more than what we need.
[58:37] And I think the good thing about our stabilization strategy is in years like 25, when local
[58:42] receipts were, I don't want to call it a normally high, but higher than expected, that money was
[58:50] pulled into that stabilization fund in order to prolong the time period of meeting to
[58:56] ask the community for a tax increase. So I appreciate the update and I'm sure we'll
[59:05] be reflecting on a lot of this as we go into this next budget cycle which we're kind
[59:11] of already starting. So look forward to those discussions. Board members any other questions
[59:15] or comments for Alex.
[59:18] Thank you for being here.
[59:18] Really appreciate it.
[59:20] Thank you.
[59:23] agenda item number nine.
[59:25] I am so excited for this.
[59:29] I've been waiting.
[59:30] Is to review and discuss the future use of 15 maple avenue
[59:35] known locally as Empire Dry Cleaners.
[59:39] Mr. Mugold or a cow are you?
[59:41] Thank you.
[59:41] Christopher Mugold, Director of Planning, Economic Development.
[59:44] Thank you for having me tonight.
[59:46] I'm equally excited to discuss this with you this evening.
[59:56] So, before we get started,
[59:59] and staff.
[1:00:00] This is in the process of finalizing recommendations regarding a 15-maple of property. For this evening, we've been asked to summarize the community engagement findings that we have gone through. The public outreach process consisted of an online survey, two community workshops, and we had one of the highest levels of public engagement for some of our other similar
[1:00:29] activities. So we received a 1,029 survey responses. The vast majority of those were residents.
[1:00:41] We also had strong attendance at the workshops, which were held on March 31st and April 14th.
[1:00:48] The goal of these exercises was to gather insights to guide the future decision making, ensuring
[1:00:57] that the community preferences are balanced against critical factors, which included environmental constraints, regulatory requirements, financial considerations, and really sought to see the community's idealized version of the property.
[1:01:11] And then we'll get those constraints in relation to the idealized vision.
[1:01:17] Next slide please.
[1:01:21] So as we engage with the residents, two distinct versions of the property and visions
[1:01:26] kind of emerged, there's very strong consensus along both of these two visions and it really
[1:01:34] developed around public parking or public recreation facilities.
[1:01:42] We had significant input in relation to operations, considerations, and amenities that would be useful in these areas.
[1:01:52] Concerns were brought up whether the two could be effectively balanced or combined or whether they would retract from each other.
[1:02:00] So there is a desire for both, but there is a desire to make sure that they're not detracting from each other.
[1:02:05] So they have to be balanced in the way that they would be developed.
[1:02:10] Next slide, please.
[1:02:15] As part of our analysis, we ran a correlation analysis on the survey responses.
[1:02:19] So with 1029 responses, we did go through most of those.
[1:02:23] But we did use that correlation analysis to help us kind of find what are the
[1:02:28] common themes related to some of the open-ended responses that we received
[1:02:33] and the questions that we had directed towards the community.
[1:02:38] One of the ways that we formulated the questions was around agreeing and disagree.
[1:02:43] What this shows is both what amenities receive the most engagement and the most discussion,
[1:02:49] as well as showing the public sentiment generally around each of those.
[1:02:52] So whether they were engaging with that, amenity and disagree with having that or agreeing
[1:02:59] with that.
[1:03:06] A number of other additional discussion points also emerged.
[1:03:11] A lot of the conversation again around parking versus recreational recreation.
[1:03:17] We saw that there was a weak negative correlation between those who prioritize parking and those
[1:03:22] who prioritize prioritized recreation.
[1:03:26] The site's limited size also necessitates trade off.
[1:03:29] So again, when it's in a tight site, how we're balancing efficient parking,
[1:03:34] providing enough parking spaces with providing enough recreational amenity that's useful to develop and maintain.
[1:03:43] The main tension is really how to design a layout that does not result in an ineffective half measure for either of those functions.
[1:03:51] In addition, parking management was a key discussion point.
[1:03:55] While there is a majority support for providing public parking,
[1:03:58] There is no consensus on charging for it.
[1:04:02] Slightly more respondents opposed paid parking than supported it, so there's a rough sentiment
[1:04:07] against paid parking.
[1:04:10] And then environmental constraints, there was conversation around the existing, whether
[1:04:20] the site's existing contamination makes public recreation or gardening inappropriate, or if
[1:04:25] represents an opportunity to demonstrate sustainable remediation techniques.
[1:04:30] It also had conversation whether the public recreation or gardening is inappropriate and does it present an opportunity to demonstrate sustainable remediation techniques.
[1:04:45] And then public versus commercial, I understand that the town is currently exploring public uses but there was some sentiment for
[1:04:53] the community that favored commercial redevelopment to generate tax revenue and support local businesses.
[1:04:58] So I understand that's not directive for the board, but that was a sentiment that did emerge in some sense.
[1:05:10] So we also saw strong community support for green space and recreation specifically support for
[1:05:17] the multifunctional design as long as it's compatible, supporting youth needs, specifically walking
[1:05:23] a home from school so those familiar with the area said a couple times, the middle
[1:05:28] schoolers will walk along this area towards the library, towards the Dunkin' Noenets, and
[1:05:34] it is a frequent travel area.
[1:05:38] We did have attendance of some middle schoolers at the actual workshops, and they indicated
[1:05:44] that there is interest in having a place to hang out and socialize that wouldn't be
[1:05:49] the impactful on a butters and this may provide that opportunity for that space.
[1:05:54] I did like the sentiment from one of the middle schoolers of keep it simple.
[1:05:57] They don't need too many of amenities and kind of crazy things, but
[1:06:01] just something to hang out in a space to be.
[1:06:06] And then there was also the sentiment that it needs to be designed to fit into the broader town center fabric.
[1:06:12] And how is that property really not just to the surrounding of butters but the town center as a whole.
[1:06:20] A key element would be supporting existing businesses and their operations and their
[1:06:25] vibrancy.
[1:06:27] Next slide.
[1:06:30] So as we evaluate hybrid alternatives, rather than selecting that single use option,
[1:06:37] staff intends to model conceptual alternatives that would combine compatible uses such as public
[1:06:43] parking with integrated green space and recreational amenities and define a parking policy.
[1:06:50] We do need to develop a clear policy decision regarding parking management, free versus
[1:06:57] paid, and set public expectations as the community is divided on that issue, despite the supporting
[1:07:03] the provision of parking itself.
[1:07:14] Future planning must reconcile community desires for features like community gardens or playgrounds
[1:07:19] with the reality of site contamination and remediation requirements.
[1:07:23] We recommend continuing engagement, so proceeding with the designs that reflect the strong interest
[1:07:28] and youth oriented spaces and third spaces, while remaining sensitive to the small quarter
[1:07:35] acre footprint.
[1:07:37] The principal community debate is not between dozens of unrelated amenities, rather it's primarily
[1:07:41] about the balance among community recreation space, parking, and green space.
[1:07:46] There's meaningful community support for providing public parking, but not a clear consensus
[1:07:50] that parking should be priced.
[1:07:53] And there's considerable public interest in better understanding the existing and past
[1:07:56] site contamination, especially as it relates to the reuse of the site.
[1:08:01] Clear communication and public education around the technical aspects of the contamination
[1:08:05] and cleanup strategies will be crucial.
[1:08:08] All right, next up.
[1:08:13] So the next steps are to provide staff with a clear direction on which option, recreation,
[1:08:17] or parking to prioritize evaluate opportunities
[1:08:21] for mutually supporting objectives,
[1:08:23] whether it's street trees, paving options, and more,
[1:08:27] to determine if staff should evaluate paid parking opportunities
[1:08:30] or pursue no paid parking.
[1:08:33] And then evaluate findings of the recent environmental reviews
[1:08:37] conducted by Beta Group Bank,
[1:08:39] the environmental site assessments
[1:08:41] and develop public communication materials
[1:08:43] around those findings.
[1:08:45] A draft report is anticipated by the end of August when we have some additional considerations
[1:08:53] that we may want to consider with some of the zoning and other matters coming down the
[1:09:00] pipeline.
[1:09:00] So one of the items that came up was solar canopy feasibility, especially in relation to battery
[1:09:06] energy storage and EV opportunities, if that's something that should be explored as a moving
[1:09:11] target, and then refining that preliminary schematic design in relation to the findings
[1:09:16] of the community engagement.
[1:09:18] So, first
[1:09:21] before I turn it over to questions, when you say a draft report is anticipated
[1:09:25] by the end of August, what do you mean?
[1:09:27] Is that the environmental report, is that a report that you're developing?
[1:09:33] Yeah, so it's a comprehensive report from our office, so it includes the findings and summary
[1:09:38] of the public engagement, it includes a summary of all of the environmental reports to
[1:09:44] date and then would provide recommendations for next steps. We've kind of previewed a few
[1:09:48] of those here but again we'll refine those in relation to the public engagement and
[1:09:52] kind of discussion with the board. Great. So when you say you want staff, you need clear
[1:09:59] direction. You're not looking for that direction right now. No. Thank you. Okay. I was
[1:10:03] a little worried at first. That's important. Board members, comments, questions?
[1:10:13] I think
[1:10:13] that having more details around aligning with what you heard for community preferences
[1:10:23] and what is realistic.
[1:10:25] So I heard you say that there's a preference for it to be not just parking or not just
[1:10:31] recreation or, and I do think that from a technical perspective, we need to define what
[1:10:36] green space is.
[1:10:38] But it would be interesting, you know, to call out the fact that it is a quarter acre
[1:10:42] I mean, we have to be mindful about what realistically can be done there, so I'll be very
[1:10:49] curious as part of your reporting to understand what some of those options are to, if it
[1:10:56] is an option to have multiple things there.
[1:11:00] Yeah, and to add a little bit of context and flavor to that, so part of the discussion that
[1:11:04] we had, we do have schematic designs, really preliminary, that kind of conceptual level,
[1:11:10] that DPW did develop for us that showed, I think it was 15 parking spaces on the lot leaves a little bit of green space that could be programmed and that was a lot of the discussion of, you know, is 15 spaces.
[1:11:25] Is that really providing the parking that we want to see in the center of town or, you know, if we do green space, you know, it is a small amount of green space left.
[1:11:34] So again, that kind of balance, I think one of the comments that kind of struck me was so
[1:11:41] struggling with that themselves and they said, you know, I want to have parking. I want to
[1:11:45] have green space. I know we can't have both, but why can't we have both? And I think we can
[1:11:49] try to look at how we can refine those for balancing those kinds of amenities that support parking
[1:11:56] and parking that supports green infrastructure and hopefully meet somewhere in the middle.
[1:12:02] I think understanding what those trade-offs are.
[1:12:04] So if you start with, if we do just exclusively parking, we get X spaces.
[1:12:10] And then sort of what the trade-off is, how many spaces we have to give up in order
[1:12:14] to accommodate some of these other options.
[1:12:20] I just have one, I guess, a comment or question, too, is, are you, because there is, I'd say
[1:12:30] surplus land, but from the actual Beal project, there's still at the backside of, let's
[1:12:37] say, Haskell, Wesleyan, town-owned, there's a remaining set of land there.
[1:12:42] Is there any connection, meaning like tying that remaining parcel to the quarter-acre?
[1:12:50] Because we do have, I mean, we gave up more than that, but I digress, we won't talk about
[1:12:54] that tonight.
[1:12:54] but to have, let's say, green space or what are we going to do with that left
[1:13:01] overland as well as what's left over for empire cleaners. Was there any plants
[1:13:07] that connected to? So in this scope we haven't looked at both parcels that was
[1:13:12] one of the sentiments that was raised of fitting it within the larger town
[1:13:16] center fabric. So as we look at possible disposition so I know that that remaining
[1:13:23] parcel we returned back to the town and we would do a similar process as this to figure out
[1:13:29] what the town wants to do with that parcel. But at this time and for this report we haven't
[1:13:36] connected those because that's not undetermined at the stage.
[1:13:45] Yes, in this case though I want to suggest like the laundry one we can use at the parking
[1:13:51] in this way. The second one, we can create the youth focus area where kids can come from
[1:13:57] the school and they can hang around that area. And we could have a parking, complete
[1:14:01] parking that down like people are looking for that option too.
[1:14:09] We good? Okay. Thank you. We really look forward to hearing more in, I guess, a few weeks.
[1:14:17] Next.
[1:14:18] Yep.
[1:14:19] Okay.
[1:14:20] Thank you.
[1:14:21] Thank you.
[1:14:30] agenda item number 10 is to review an act on the proposal for a welcoming community statement
[1:14:35] by the diversity equity inclusion and belonging committee.
[1:14:38] The committee has asked the town to adopt a welcoming community policy intended to affirm
[1:14:44] that all residents are welcome and treated fairly and choose very and reinforce expectations
[1:14:48] for interactions between town government, public safety and residents.
[1:14:51] So our discussion tonight is about whether adopting this policy is the right way to proceed given our existing laws policies and responses.
[1:15:04] I will turn it over to board members or any comments or discussion. Is there anyone who'd like to go first?
[1:15:13] I can go first.
[1:15:15] So I went to tell you from my side, I born in the small business where we don't have
[1:15:20] running water or toilet and I came from there.
[1:15:25] And when I came this town, this town is adapted me without asking my English, which is
[1:15:31] just what is my race, where I come from.
[1:15:34] And I've come also in the election time, also a lot of people, no one is right about where
[1:15:38] I come from.
[1:15:39] So, essentially, the government, moreover, the protect act is covered most of the things
[1:15:51] of what we are looking for.
[1:15:52] Even in the end, it says, all the down entity is come under that law.
[1:15:57] So, we have fully producted and we, I support this policy when in the June time, they came
[1:16:04] that time, it was not there.
[1:16:05] But now, you can see the eye act is covering most of the things for you.
[1:16:11] You can see like, we don't need that policy, but we can welcome that policy like it was before, and it was not there.
[1:16:24] Any other comments?
[1:16:25] Madam Chair, I do.
[1:16:27] Mr. Garcia, some comments.
[1:16:29] So I first want to thank the members of our diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging committee for bringing this matter to us.
[1:16:37] This recommendation for the town to create and adopt a welcoming community policy is one that the committee has worked on since December of 2024 and I commend them for gathering information in town as well as from the various communities across the Commonwealth that have adopted similar policies.
[1:16:54] I appreciated learning that since 2017 many other communities have taken action on accepting a welcoming community policy or similar and I commend them for their courage and sending up for the immigrants in their communities.
[1:17:06] I also want to thank the members of the public who have spoken in favor of this today either in public comment or by email correspondence.
[1:17:13] While we receive the handful of outreach in this, my thoughts are also with the folks in our community who might not ever reach out to us or come to public comment out of real concern that they have for their safety.
[1:17:24] I am in full support of creating a welcoming community policy.
[1:17:28] Through the many conversations I have had with community members, I know that there is real concern about the well-being of our immigrant neighbors and
[1:17:35] And those residents have expressed to me in confidence that they would like to see their own community take proactive steps to protect them.
[1:17:42] With ongoing fear stemming from federal immigration enforcement, I believe it is prudent that Shrewsbury stand up and write down in policy that we support the immigrants in our community that help make Shrewsbury the incredible town that it is.
[1:17:53] Supporting this policy is a matter of public safety and accessibility to our local government.
[1:17:58] We have here in Shrewsbury an increasingly diverse population where over one third of our residents are immigrants.
[1:18:04] These same folks are also more likely to view government as a threat rather than a source of support.
[1:18:10] As stated in our recent unanimously approved hazard mitigation plan.
[1:18:14] Adopting a welcoming community policy that expressly prohibits municipal staff from inquiring about immigration status is a proactive step that we can take.
[1:18:22] It would help us build trust with a segment of our population that already is inclined to not trust their local government.
[1:18:28] In conversations I have had with residents, there are folks who have real fear of showing up to town events,
[1:18:33] coming to town hall, or other public buildings, and participating in civic life.
[1:18:38] And I want to clarify something that appears to be misunderstood about what was sent over to us from the DEIB committee.
[1:18:43] In the committee's letter to us, they do not say that there is a policy that they have drafted.
[1:18:47] Instead, what they say is that they recommend that this board use the Native Select Board's
[1:18:52] policy as a blueprint for one that we would develop ourselves.
[1:18:55] I am confident that any concerns about encroachment into the town manager's responsibilities
[1:18:59] can and would be addressed in the work that would come if the board moves affirmatively.
[1:19:05] While it is expected that town staff do not collect information regarding immigration status,
[1:19:10] a written policy would demonstrate to the public our commitment to protecting our immigrant
[1:19:14] residents.
[1:19:15] As the only person on this board that grew up in town, I can proudly say that I wholeheartedly
[1:19:20] love this community, and I'm grateful for all the ways that this town has given back
[1:19:23] to me and my family.
[1:19:25] But as a person of color, I can tell you that throughout the course of my life, my family
[1:19:29] and I have experienced discrimination from the government and from the community members,
[1:19:33] even to this day.
[1:19:35] Those lived experiences are what motivated me to get involved in local government and what
[1:19:39] encouraged me to seek ways to help Shrewsbury become even more welcoming.
[1:19:43] exactly four years ago in 2022, well before I was elected to this body, I celebrated the
[1:19:49] select man at the time for establishing the diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging
[1:19:53] committee. Their mission to help the town foster an inclusive and equitable community that
[1:19:58] enhances belonging for all residents is a noble one. This is the committee's second recommendation
[1:20:03] to this board, and as a reminder for my colleagues, this board chose to pass on accepting their
[1:20:09] first recommendation back in 2023.
[1:20:11] I respectfully ask my colleagues to consider what signal this will send to the committee
[1:20:15] and community members if, once again, this board chooses to decline accepting a recommendation
[1:20:19] that is in line with the charge that the board has set out for them.
[1:20:23] I do also want to commend the Commonwealth for enacting the Protect Act.
[1:20:27] This act expands ways that the Commonwealth will proactively protect our immigrant neighbors
[1:20:31] across the Commonwealth.
[1:20:33] The State Administration just today really skydends on how schools can keep immigrant students
[1:20:38] and family safe.
[1:20:39] I would like all shoes very, I would like shoes very to expand on this and establish a policy
[1:20:43] that encompasses all municipal staff so that we are doing our part in standing up for
[1:20:47] our immigrant residents.
[1:20:49] I will be voting in favor of this recommendation to stand up for our immigrants here in town
[1:20:53] and I strongly urge my colleagues to do the same.
[1:20:56] I also respectfully request that any action on this item be by roll call.
[1:21:00] Go
[1:21:05] ahead, Michelle.
[1:21:06] Sure.
[1:21:06] You know, it's hard to follow Carlos, I don't have prepared remarks on this.
[1:21:12] I am in support of articulating a policy on this as requested by the DEIB committee.
[1:21:20] I think that it's important that essentially what they presented to us, a lot of what
[1:21:29] they are requesting are things that we already do in practice.
[1:21:32] And there are many things that last year, the police department issued a statement articulating
[1:21:40] their policies around immigration enforcement.
[1:21:43] And so what the DIV committee is asking us to do is to sort of reaffirm the statement
[1:21:50] that the police put out last year and to articulate some of the practices that we already have in
[1:21:56] place here at Town Hall and just get those, you know, sort of codified. And I think it's
[1:22:07] really important. The thing that really impacted me in reading your recommendations and
[1:22:14] the research and all of the references that you included in your presentation, that there
[1:22:22] There are people who are victims of crime who don't seek help because they are afraid.
[1:22:29] And having a family member who did work for several years working with unaccompanied
[1:22:36] minors and doing work at the federal level helping to support and bring children out of human
[1:22:44] trafficking situations, you see the reality of this really dark underbelly that exists in
[1:22:51] in our world today, that we live in this beautiful community,
[1:22:55] we go about our day and we don't see things that are happening.
[1:22:58] You don't know what's going on behind closed doors,
[1:23:00] and you don't know when people are in crisis
[1:23:04] and they can't come forward and ask for help
[1:23:08] because they're afraid.
[1:23:09] And I think that if we were to adopt this policy,
[1:23:12] or develop and adopt a policy,
[1:23:15] just sort of affirming our commitment
[1:23:17] to representing every resident of this community regardless of their immigration status and that our job is to support and protect members of our community.
[1:23:28] If it only helps one person, it will have been worth it.
[1:23:39] Okay, I do just want to second the, I do appreciate any time anybody comes and
[1:23:45] comes and does public comment in front of our board.
[1:23:47] I know it's not always easy to stand up in public and do that and I think as a board we really appreciate
[1:23:52] the feedback, because oftentimes as many people think we know how people believing or how
[1:23:58] people are thinking on things, we really don't.
[1:24:00] So I do appreciate all the emails and the individuals who came tonight to speak.
[1:24:04] I kind of look at this more from kind of an operational lens.
[1:24:10] And I think the original meeting we have is back in July or July 6, I believe, when the
[1:24:17] the IB community was in front of us, but I think it was as was mentioned before, you know,
[1:24:21] since that time on, I think August 5th, you know, the state has passed the Protect Act,
[1:24:26] which essentially encompasses a majority of what we're talking about today.
[1:24:32] Specifically, some of the comments that were made here by the board as well as the residents
[1:24:37] who came and spoke about, let's say, fear about where it comes to police or interaction with
[1:24:42] law enforcement.
[1:24:43] And now, to me, you know, as much as I think people believe that we have powers or ability
[1:24:50] to enact whatever we want on top of Shrewsbury, you know, we are governed by Massachusetts
[1:24:54] General Law.
[1:24:55] That's a very strong act by having mass general law that's essentially saying that we,
[1:25:02] as municipality, have to operate within those boundaries, and that's been very clear.
[1:25:07] So by us as a board, I mean, my belief is ensuring that Mr.
[1:25:14] Mizokar and town staff are abiding by the state law that was passed and
[1:25:19] ensuring that we're following those guidelines.
[1:25:23] In terms of the municipal employees, I believe in conversations I've had with Mr.
[1:25:28] Mizokar along the way here is I'm not aware of any interactions or
[1:25:34] any department that has ever asked or whatever need to ask the immigration status of anyone who would come into town hall and interact with the town of Shrewsbury as a government.
[1:25:50] I don't believe that us putting a policy in place would change the way that we operate as a town.
[1:26:00] or the way anybody and the member of the community interacts with any municipal employee or any member of the police department.
[1:26:10] And I would much rather have us make a statement that we fully support the Protect Act and that we set expectations with Mr.
[1:26:23] about how our staff should, in fact, interact with residents.
[1:26:29] And for my standpoint, I just don't want to put in place a policy that doesn't really change anything operationally.
[1:26:36] And I do feel that that would be the case here.
[1:26:39] The state law is much more powerful, it's a much stronger ability to control behavior.
[1:26:47] And so for me, I don't believe this is something that we as a board should take up.
[1:26:53] and put in a place because I think we're already operating that way and, as I mentioned,
[1:26:58] that the state law will be guiding us as how we operate as a community.
[1:27:09] I also want to thank the DEIB Committee and the residents who spoke to us this evening and who wrote to us.
[1:27:19] I fully recognize that I do not share every resident's lived experience.
[1:27:23] So, I also appreciate hearing why this policy matters to members of our community.
[1:27:30] For me, the question is not whether I support the values expressed in the proposal I do.
[1:27:37] I share the belief that every resident should feel welcome, respected, and able to engage with town government without fear.
[1:27:45] The question is whether an additional town policy is necessary.
[1:27:48] As members of the select board, we serve as the town's executive policy making body.
[1:27:54] Our responsibility is to determine whether a proposed policy is necessary to establish,
[1:28:00] change, or improve how the town operates.
[1:28:04] Massachusetts law, existing police department practices, and the town's current operations
[1:28:09] already addressed many of the issues raised in this recommendation.
[1:28:13] I understand why some residents would appreciate seeing these principles in a formal policy.
[1:28:19] But it would not provide protections beyond those that already exist.
[1:28:24] And it would not change how the town serves its residents.
[1:28:28] And while I respect the intent behind this proposal, I am voting no from a new policy perspective.
[1:28:35] I remain committed to our focus on ensuring that our actions, our services and
[1:28:39] and treatment of residents reflect a welcoming community.
[1:28:43] I would also like to point residents to the select boards,
[1:28:46] DEIB statement that we issued in August of 2022
[1:28:50] where we affirm this commitment.
[1:28:53] Any implication that my decision represents me not supporting
[1:28:58] or standing up for residents or not supporting the DEIB committee,
[1:29:03] which I was a very active part in forming
[1:29:06] is categorically false.
[1:29:13] Yeah, I want to add also in the future,
[1:29:15] if you have any issues regarding that welcoming policy
[1:29:18] is not the criteria, the Governor-Packed Act for Protect Act,
[1:29:24] if you see, please come again and we will hear
[1:29:27] and we will work on that.
[1:29:29] So, all are welcome.
[1:29:30] As a immigrant, I support your concern
[1:29:32] and everything and we want to support that too.
[1:29:35] So, if you feel anytime, please come us,
[1:29:37] that come join us and come here and we will support that.
[1:29:47] There are no other comments.
[1:29:50] I will entertain a motion.
[1:29:52] I think there's my only comments or I guess questions.
[1:29:55] I know that Mr. Mizikar dropped us a memo.
[1:30:00] And so there are some items in there that I thought were, I think, the actions at the end were something of interest to me. In there, he states, perhaps the board could, if desired, pass a formal resolution on equal access to municipal services, declaring shoes were his vision as an inclusive community. I would be in favor of perhaps taking that on. And if my colleagues agree, you know, certainly,
[1:30:29] working on that with them, and then making sure that the item B in here directs the
[1:30:36] town manager to ensure all policies and procedures of the town are fully aligned with the resolution.
[1:30:41] I think that that would be an important step. If we're not going to take up
[1:30:43] what the DEIB expressly recommended to us, then I find that to be a good compromise.
[1:30:57] Mr. Mizukar, can you just give us a little bit more context around this formal resolution?
[1:31:04] and what
[1:31:08] would necessitate it, I just look at this as, you know, there are so many things where we could take a step back and almost like reconfirm and restate, like I just can't be serious what you're thinking is here.
[1:31:23] Well, I think necessitate is the board's conversation that you just had when you're
[1:31:27] deliberating on that matter.
[1:31:29] I wouldn't state that it was necessary or unnecessary for the board to consider this
[1:31:36] action and I'm not trying to avoid this.
[1:31:38] I think the true intent of my memo was to lay out two things.
[1:31:43] If a policy was adopted, how it would impact operations.
[1:31:49] and using NADIC as a template cautioning about the differences between NADIC's formal governance and Shrewsbury's formal governance, at least what I can see through the policy.
[1:32:02] As it relates to day-to-day operations and the town manager's authority, within operations, it truly is a toss-up that you all have discussed this evening.
[1:32:14] I don't envy the positions that you're in.
[1:32:17] Sometimes I think my job is harder, and sometimes yours is harder, and that's the balance
[1:32:21] that we have in our former government.
[1:32:23] You win that this evening.
[1:32:26] Operationally the tie we are complying with everything within the Protect Act, within
[1:32:32] one versus Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and other statutory prohibitions at the federal
[1:32:40] level under United States Code that prohibits us from asking immigration as providing government
[1:32:46] services. My options at the end were to provide equal perspective to the diverse opinions of
[1:32:54] the board so that you had a route forward that I thought wouldn't infringe upon any aspects
[1:33:00] of our governance structure. I'm happy to answer any questions on that, but this wasn't
[1:33:06] I'm not through this memo advising the board that one path or the other is necessary.
[1:33:12] I'm trying to lay out the implications of either.
[1:33:15] That's a good question.
[1:33:17] Mr. Mizzacar, so I understand the Protect Act really applies to police officers and law enforcement.
[1:33:27] But what we're talking about here is municipal employees.
[1:33:32] So, you know, employees that the public could come in and interact with, on a daily basis
[1:33:40] asking about or, you know, changing the services provided based on someone's immigration status.
[1:33:46] Are there laws at the state level that prohibit that from happening currently?
[1:33:52] And is there anything like in our employee manual handbook, you know, employee code of conduct,
[1:33:58] anything that prohibits municipal employees from asking about immigration status?
[1:34:04] No, there's a federal prohibition of asking an immigration status for providing federal services,
[1:34:10] but there's not one at the state or local level. Okay. So you're right, the Protect Act is law
[1:34:15] enforcement focused. Okay. There's a provision within the Protect Act related to us notifying
[1:34:21] all employees if there's a search of I-9 records that we hold, but there's no other municipal
[1:34:27] employee implications.
[1:34:31] I honestly, in my several decades of experience, don't understand
[1:34:37] why any municipal employee would ever have to ask an employee, or excuse me, a resident
[1:34:43] or anyone seeking services from the municipality of their immigration status. There's no implication
[1:34:50] either way.
[1:34:52] Are we aware of any situations where it has been asked?
[1:34:55] No, no, I'm not I just go back to what are we trying to solve for and I'm I'm struggling with
[1:35:05] You know sort of what I've heard
[1:35:08] From the residents. It's it's this isn't
[1:35:15] Solving anything. It's not changing anything. It's not impacting our practices. It's more just a
[1:35:22] Statement again, I I reflect on the statement that we've already made in our DE. I be statement and
[1:35:29] And forming the DEIB committee, I feel like we have
[1:35:35] done that.
[1:35:36] So I'm concerned about sort of this additional step when I'm unclear on what it accomplishes.
[1:35:43] I think just respectfully that commitment was passed in 2022, we have a different board.
[1:35:52] And so I think what I would ask and I think what community members would welcome is for
[1:35:56] this board to reaffirm that commitment in some way, in some formal way.
[1:35:59] And that's not what's before us.
[1:36:04] It's all part of this conversation.
[1:36:06] You've raised it.
[1:36:09] And again, as a car's memorized, one of the things
[1:36:12] as step that we could take is passing some sort of resolution.
[1:36:16] So that's why I say that.
[1:36:18] That's why I say it.
[1:36:21] But I'm happy to make a motion.
[1:36:23] And I'm going to make the motion in the affirmative
[1:36:25] because I think it's easier to vote in the affirmative
[1:36:27] than making a motion in the negative.
[1:36:29] So I move that the board, I
[1:36:38] move that the board accept the diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging committees recommendation to develop a welcoming community policy for the Tunisersbury.
[1:36:46] Second.
[1:36:47] All in favor say aye.
[1:36:49] And point of order I did request for this.
[1:36:51] I know you did.
[1:36:52] But where we'll take the vote as we typically do.
[1:36:56] So all in favor say aye.
[1:36:58] I think Madam Chair, respectfully, I think it's important that members of our committee.
[1:37:01] We will, I am happy to summarize it at the end.
[1:37:06] I think the minutes should reflect where-
[1:37:09] They will, Carlos, I will, once we vote, I will confirm how we voted.
[1:37:16] All in favor say aye.
[1:37:18] Aye.
[1:37:19] Opposed?
[1:37:20] No.
[1:37:21] No.
[1:37:21] No.
[1:37:22] Okay.
[1:37:23] Okay, so the vote does not pass, three to two.
[1:37:27] In Ms. Colin and Mr. Garcia voted yes.
[1:37:31] Mr. Sharma, Mr. Richards and Ms. Flynn voted no.
[1:37:37] Does that satisfy your request?
[1:37:47] Gender item number 11 is to review and act on a one day alcohol license application submitted by Matthew Zebert.
[1:37:56] On behalf of St. Mary's parish and school grounds for St. Mary's family festival to be held.
[1:38:02] September 17th, 2026, through September 21st, 2026.
[1:38:09] Second, all in favor say aye.
[1:38:11] Aye.
[1:38:12] Opposed?
[1:38:13] Motion passes, and agenda item number 12 is to review an act to appoint precinct officers.
[1:38:20] Town clerk Sharon Thomas has prepared a list of the recommended appointments for precinct officers.
[1:38:26] All of the precinct officers are reappointments, except for three new members.
[1:38:29] and this is for a one-year term expiring on August 31st, 2027.
[1:38:35] Those are approval.
[1:38:36] Second.
[1:38:37] All in favor say aye.
[1:38:38] Aye.
[1:38:40] All good members.
[1:38:41] I have the copy here if you can make sign before you all leave today.
[1:38:44] Please.
[1:38:45] Absolutely.
[1:38:46] Thank you.
[1:38:47] Motion passes.
[1:38:50] Next is correspondence.
[1:38:53] So as you will see from the agenda, there's a lot of correspondence.
[1:38:57] I'm not going to list each one.
[1:38:59] But items 13 through 24 are 22 emails that we received related to the public hearing that we had this evening regarding the request to honor Don Shannon so noted and items 35 through 40 are six emails supporting the welcoming community statement all in favor of the welcoming community statement.
[1:39:28] and also noted, and if there is no other business before the board, I will entertain a motion to adjourn.
[1:39:35] So moved.
[1:39:36] Second, all in favor say aye.
[1:39:37] Aye.
[1:39:38] Opposed?
[1:39:39] Passes?
[1:39:41] That concludes our meeting.
[1:39:42] Thank you and good evening.