BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING MINUTES – August 13,2001 = =20 Page 1

Present: &n= bsp; Thomas P. O’Toole, Nicholas A. Hay, John F. Fairbanks

CALL TO ORDER

Mr. O’Toole called = the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at the Town Hall.

APPROVAL OF WARRANTS/MINU= TES

Mr. Fairbanks moved that = the Board approve the minutes of September 17, 2008 as printed. Mr. Hay seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

The following warrants we= re reviewed and approved:

<= /span>September 22, 2008 Acc= ounts Payable = &nb= sp; $ 107,452.21

<= /span>September 29, 2008 Acc= ounts Payable = &nb= sp; $ 869,216.26

&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Pay= roll &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; $ 162,116.93

&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Ded= uction &= nbsp; &nbs= p; $ 114,439.10

CDBG APPLICATION

Mr. Hay moved that the Bo= ard vote to authorize Chairman Thomas P. O’Toole to sign the CDBG Application. Mr. Fairbanks se= conded the motion. The motion passed= unanimously.

CITIZENS’ PETITION = – 128 MAIN STREET

The Board of selectmen is= in receipt of a citizens’ petition to rezone the property located at 128 Main Street from Residential I to Commercial III.

Mr. Hay moved that the Bo= ard vote to forward the petition to the Planning Board and request that they hold a public hearing in accordance with the procedures outlined in MGL Chapter 40= A, Section 5. Mr. Fairbanks seco= nded the motion. The motion passed= unanimously.

REAL ESTATE AGREEMENT = 211; UPTON BUILDING

Mr. Hay moved that the Bo= ard vote to sign and accept the Real Estate Agreement with the Historical Society for the Upton= Building in the amount of $105. Mr. Fairbanks seconded the motion.= The motion passed unanimously.

FALL SPECIAL TOWN MEETING WARRAN= T

Mr. Hay made a motion to = close the warrant for the Fall Special Town Meeting on Wednesday, October 8, 2008. Mr. Fairbanks seconded the motion.= The motion passed unanimously.

FALL SPECIAL TOWN MEETING=

Mr. O’Toole moved t= hat the Board set the Fall Special Town Meeting for Tuesday, November 18, 2008. Mr. Hay seconded the motion. The motion passed 2 to 1.

SENIOR TAX PROGRAM

Mrs. Murphy explained to = the Board that she had met with the COA Director, Treasurer/Collector and Asses= sor for the annual review of the Senior Tax Work-off Program. The following are the proposed cha= nges to the Tax Work-off Program;

1.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Increase the rate of pay from $7.50 to $8.00 per ho= ur, to conform with the current minimum wage rate. This in turn will reduce the numbe= r of hours required to obtain the full $750 tax reduction from 100 hours to 93.75 hours.

2.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Change the current cycle which runs from October 1 through September 30 to run from January 1 through November 30 for administrative purposes. Runn= ing on this cycle will facilitate the administration of the payroll and W-2s, as w= ell as the required adjustments to the actual (vs. estimated) tax bills that wi= ll go out in February.

3.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; There has been a slight increase in the income limi= ts, per the most current HUD guidelines.

Mr. Hay moved that the Bo= ard vote to approve the recommendations as stated.&= nbsp; Mr. Fairbanks seconded the motion.&= nbsp; The motion passed unanimously.

HOME HEATING ASSISTANCE P= ROGRAM

Mr. O’Toole announc= ed the following;

<= /span>The Westminster Board of Selectmen has instituted a Home Heating Assistance Pro= gram (HHAP) for eligible Westminste= r residents. Initial funding fo= r the program will be obtained from monies available in the Frederick W. Smith Fu= nd, which was bequeathed to the Town in 1921 to assist the needy. To be eligible, residents must have lived in Town for the past six months or longer, and must meet income eligibility guidelines established by the most current HUD low-income limits for the Westminster area.

<= /span>The HHAP will be administered through Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a well-established local non-profit organization. Applicants must contact NHN direct= ly to obtain an application and to arrange an interview. Information provided will be kept confidential. The Board of Selectmen is grateful to NHN for agreeing to provide assistance in administ= ering this program. It should be understood that all funds for the Home Heating Assistance Program will rema= in in the custody of the Town and will be disbursed through the Town’s normal vendor payment process.

PLANNING BOARD

The Board agreed to tempo= rarily increase the Part-time Clerk’s pay to $19 per hour until a full time Planner is hired. This is a temporary in= crease which will revert back to the Clerk’s hourly pay which is anticipated= to occur within 120 days of this decision.&nb= sp;

Mr. Hay moved that the Bo= ard approve a Payroll Request to increase the temporary “Para-PlannerR= 21; position to $19.00 per hour effective September 29, 2008. It was noted that once a full time Planner is hired, the position would revert back to a Part-time Clerk as the prior rate of pay. Mr. Fairba= nks seconded the motion. The moti= on passed unanimously.

PLANNER

The Board has agreed to r= evisit the discussion about hiring a full time Planner at its October 15^{th
meeting. At this time they wi=
ll put
together a screening committee and come up with specific instructions and
deadlines.}

7:49 PM ADJOURNMENT

Mr. Hay moved that the Bo= ard adjourn. Mr. Fairbanks second= ed the motion. The motion passed una= nimously.

Respectfully submitted,

John F. Fairbanks, Clerk<= /p>

(Prepared by B. Kazan)