Town Council - Regular Meeting

period. The chapter 2 of the acts of 2025 extended through June 30th, 2027 the ability of public bodies to meet in a fully remote or hybrid manner. This law allows us to continue holding meetings remotely without a quorum of the council physically present at a meeting location. However, I'd like to call to your attention that in fact there are 11 counselors in the room tonight. Um, please be advised that this meeting is being held in person and that the remote access option is provided as a courtesy only. If we have technical diff difficulties uh the with the remote connection um the meeting will continue in person as scheduled as long as there's a quorum of the council in the room or available by technological means. Given that we have a quorum of the council present, I'm calling the December 15th regular town council meeting to order at 6:34. I'll call on each counselor to make sure that they can hear and be heard. Addressing them by the name they have asked to be addressed. Uh Patangelus

present. Anna Delin Gothier present. Councelor Ete present. Lyn Griemer's present. Councelor Hani present. Bob Hegner present. Councelor Lord. Pam Rooney here. Councelor Ryan present. Kathy Shane here. Andy Steinberg present. Jennifer Tob here. Councelor Walker here.

Okay. If you have technical difficulties, please let either Athena and I know and use the raised hand button. Uh the only two announcements we have tonight are first of all on January 5th at 6:30 there will be a swearing in and a regular town council meeting in this room. And on January 12th, the council will meet again at 6:30. There's no hearings tonight. We're going to move directly to general public comment. If you are in the room and you would like to make general public comment, please raise your please make sure you've signed up over here. And if you're in the audience and you would like to make general public comment, please raise your hand. Now, Athena, how many do we have?

Just one. Okay. And I've got one on Zoom. Um, public comments uh are a matter within the jurisdiction of the town of council. Residents are welcome to express their views for up to three minutes. The council will not engage in a dialogue or comment on a matter raised during general public comment. Public comments are not reflective of the opinions of the town council. Um, so let's start with the gentleman who's in the room. Please come up. Make sure the green button is lit and state your name and where you live

and you need to speak into the mic. Thank you. My name is Michael Ko. I live 260 Northampton Road. And if I can make um request one point of order, I guess. Um seeing as I'm the only one in the building that has asked to address the council and you have one more on Zoom, could I request possibly one additional minute? Please go ahead.

Again, my name is Michael Ko. I live at 260 Northampton Road and I'm here to ask town council to support a slight adjustment to the town's sidewalk route along Northampton Road. The adjustment is to redirect the sidewalk plow to return back to town via the south sidewalk of the road. The request is 310 of a mile long between Hazel Avenue and University Drive. The town does currently plow this major sidewalk on the south side of Excuse me. On the south side from North Pleasant Street to Prattfield's main gate and from University Drive towards the Hadley Town line. The town also plows the entire length of the north side of the road. Emails concerning this request that I'm presenting to you were received by the town manager, superintendent of the DPW, and several members of this council. We have received support from council members. However, our request was denied without providing us the opportunity to present our concerns to this council. The reasons cited the reasons cited were limits to budget staffing, diminished resources, and that the town does not have sufficient personnel to or equipment to plow all sidewalks. Staff and equipment are already in the neighborhood plowing the sidewalk. I'm referring to a section of sidewalk that connects two existing sections of the same sidewalk on a route currently being cleared by the town. In the past, I have watched the plow on Northampton Road, the sidewalk plow on Northampton Road cross Northampton Road at Prattfield's main gate and then travel the north sidewalk. When the comp when the plow completes the lower section of the road, the lower north section of the road, it again crosses Northampton Road to begin

clearing the south sidewalk towards the Hadley Town line. After this, it clears the slip the swiftway extension towards the rail trail. When this is complete, the plow crosses Northampton Road for a third time. this time to return back to town with the plow raised on the recently cleared north sidewalk. Clearing the south sidewalk on the way back to town will not require additional staff or resource resources. As mentioned, the plow and the driver are already at the University Drive intersection. The plow can return to town just as timely and conveniently on the south sidewalk as on the north sidewalk. As you may know, University Drive, the intersection is the widest multi-lane section of Route 9 and Ammerst. There are multiple eastbound lanes merging into one lane within a half mile. So, multiple lanes at University Drive have turned into one lane by the time they hit as Hazel Avenue. The state pre-treats and heavily salts Route 9. The majority of accumulation on this sidewalk was plowed off of Route 9 and the slushy mixture piled directly onto the sidewalk very quickly compacts and starts to ice over. The town has and does use heavy equipment for clearing sidewalks and it only takes two minutes to plow for the plow to travel from Hazel Avenue to University Drive. As private property owners, clearing the sidewalk along Route 9 is not feasible without significant physical or financial hardship. And being denied being denied this service, our neighborhood is excluded from receiving a town service that is provided to the rest of Northampton Road

and to many sidewalks throughout the town. We're requesting an equitable solution to hardship that was placed on us, not of our own doing. That's a threeminute warning, but please go ahead. In conclusion, that was four minutes. I'm concluding conclusion. I am I am asking that the request I presented to this council be added to the next meeting of the be added to the agenda of the next meeting of this town council and that all affected parties within this neighborhood have the opportunity to discuss our concern our concerns and answer any questions that might arise. Thank you for your comments.

Thank you for your consideration. Um, I'd like to call on Ranata Sheepard. Please enter the room. State your name and where you live.

Hi. Uh, my name is Ranata Shepard. I live on Justice Drive in Ammerst. And, um, I was planning to make this comment last week when I sent the letter, but um, I missed the comment period, so here I am. Um and um your town council um I am the parent of four children and a resident of Ammerst for over 30 years. Uh my three older children graduated from Ammeris public schools participating in soccer, track, volleyball and other sports. Athletics played a significant role in their academic success and provided structure healthy activities that kept them engaged. Uh my youngest son is now in seventh grade and I am concerned that middle school athletic offerings are extremely limited and in some cases non-existent. For the past two years, I've requested the addition of boys soccer in the fall and indoor track in the winter. I was recently advised these requests should be directed to the town which oversees middle school recreation. Uh middle school sports are critical not just for fun but for building skills, confidence, and participation needed at the high school level. Ammerst Regional High School operates with one of the leanest athletic budgets in Western Massachusetts. Our athletic director relies on careful planning, co-op programs, and MIA waiverss to ensure students have access to all sports. When numbers are low, uh, middle school students may participate to help fill rosters, but if high school athletes are sufficient, middle schoolers cannot play due to MIAA rules. This year, for example, Ammerst could only field the single varsity girls basketball team. This illustrates why strong, consistent feeder programs at the middle school level are essential. Without early opportunities, fewer students um enter high school ready or confidence to join a team. The morning movement and mentoring program before school is appreciated, but it does not meet the need for after school athletics. Expanding middle school

sports doesn't require a large investment. Soccer and track need minimal equipment, and the gym could host indoor sports in the winter. Um, Ammerst also has access to college students who could volunteer as coaches for academic or community engagement credit. We urge the town to collaborate with the athletic director to assess needs, survey families, and provide meaningful, equitable athletic opportunities for our youth. Investing in middle school athletics strengthen high school programs, support students health and well-being and is an investment in the future of our community. Thank you.

Thank you for joining us, Ranada. That concludes public comment. Um we are going to now move on to uh the consent agenda and uh the following items were selected because they were considered to be routine and expected to not create controversy to remove an item from the consent agenda for discussion later in the meeting. Ask that it be removed after I've gone through the list. The motion is as follows. To move the following items and the printed motions there and approve those items as a single unit. Approval of the following town manager appointments. Community development block grant advisory committee for a term to expire June 30th, 2027. Merrily Lim Lamada for a ter term to expire June 30th, 2028. Mayan Thorson uh community preservation act committee Mark Barrett housing authority representative for a term to expire June 30th 2026. Please note these terms are concurrent with um the um other people on the housing authority uh department of public works building committee for terms to last the length of the building process. Town Manager Paul Bachmann, Superintendent of Public Works Guilford Mooring, Finance Director Sean Moner, Town Counselor Pam Rooney, David Alfield, Joe Cook, and Christine Gay Mullen, and Jones Library Building Committee for a term to last the length of the building process. Finance Director Sean Mangano.

Is there a second? Second. Thank you. Uh we're going to move on to the vote on Devon Gothier. I councelor Rete I. Lyn Gremson. I councelor Hani I. Bob Hegner I. Councelor Lord. Hi. Pam Rooney. Yes. Councelor Ryan I. Kathy Shane. Yes. Andy Steinberg. Yes. Jennifer Tom. Yes. Councelor Walker. Yes. And Patangelus. Hi.

Okay. Um we have no resolutions and we have no presentations tonight. So we're going to move immediately to the two action items on our um agenda. They are based on the uh requests of different counselors that they be placed on the agenda because they are presently are on carryover memos and by voting in favor of these you would remove it to from the carryover memo. The first one is in accordance with rule town council rules of procedure rule 8.9C to prevent carryover of appointment to the 2024 charter review committee. Is there a second?

A point of order. There's a there's a go report. This was a go request. I'm sorry. Thank you. You can put the motion I'm sorry. You can put the motion on the floor. Please go ahead. Sure. So I I'll second it. Thank you.

Okay. Thank you. So I spoke to this uh briefly at the last meeting but essentially with the work of the charter review committee coming to ahead with the delivery of their report um it did not seem to go prudent to try to fill the spot on a committee that will we assume be dissolving upon receipt of that final report. Are there any questions or comments? The motion's been made and seconded. We'll move to the vote. We'll begin with councelor ete. An I vote means it's removed from the as a carryover. Yes. I L Grie I. Councelor Hani

I Bob Hegner I. Councelor Lord I Pam Bernie yes. Councelor Ryan. Hi. Kathy Shane. Yes. Andy Steinberg. Hi. Jennifer Tub, yes. Councelor Walker, yes. Pat D'Angelus, hi. Anna Delin Gothier, I. Thank you. The second one, I'm going to place the motion on the table, seek a second, and then ask councelor Heni, who initially asked that this be placed on this uh be to speak to the motion in accordance with town council rules or procedure rule 8.9C to prevent carryover of the proposed legislative process guide. Is there a second?

Second.

Go ahead, Councelor Hani. So, this was something that at the very end of the term before the one we're in now was referred to go, but I'm not even sure anymore for what other than consideration. Um, it's been there for two years. I don't think there's been a single conversation on it. uh the original drafter of that process guide is no longer on the council and I think even when it was referred there was question as to what go was supposed to be doing with it when considering it. So, at this point, I I think it's time to remove it from it. And if someone wants to repropose something with a better um indication as to what the goal of it is and what the council action would be would be more appropriate than leaving it on go's agenda to linger.

Are there questions or comments? Andy Steinberg.

Yes. I'm going to speak uh in opposition. Um, I was on TSO when that was u developed by Shelony Ball Mill who was at that point a counselor and she worked very hard and thoughtfully about the question and I think that she was raising questions that were of great concern to me also. So, I was very supportive of what she was doing. Since I'm not going to be on the council after tonight's meeting, I think it's uh important to at least speak up and recognize what was to be accomplished by that. Um it was to try and give more thought to the question when a um somebody wants to develop a bylaw from the council as to the kind of consideration that should be given to it and uh whether um the referral to a committee is appropriate. I think that what we've what I've experienced and we've all experienced over the first three terms of the council is that when something is referred to the committee, the committee is making a tremendous amount of time investment in consideration of that item. And uh that uh it is also involving a lot of staff time and involving expenses having uh particularly um with the uh town the town's attorney to assist in the process. Um, I think that it is uh advisable for

the council to still consider whether there needs to be some process to uh have a review of the of the the pro of the proposal and the discussion of the proposal to make sure that the council is really committed to investing that much council time. uh the which is mostly committee time, staff time and other expenses um at the at the expense of what other things might be accomplished. And uh the idea of um the referral in the last time uh this came up was uh not that it was the perfect answer, but that it was an important topic and that the hope was that would continue to consider it. Um, I'm concerned because I without speaking up about this, um, I I think that it could just die and then, uh, the next council is going to experience potentially the same problem that I just described. And, uh, for that reason, I'm going to vote no. Kathy Shane,

I'm gonna agree with Andy and I think many of the counselors in the room now may never have read it. Um, you know, as Mandy said, it is or councelor Hanki said, it's been it was referred and sort of sat in the waiting room, but it was whatever we think of the specific ideas, the intent was to give us a guide and a way to think when we get a complex proposal the very first time as we're dealing with it. So I I think the concept is worth having a conversation about. If we completely delete it from carryover, we won't have the beginning draft of ideas in front of us. So I think it's worth keeping them.

Councelor Ryan. So, I think with um the original sponsor not being on the council now for two years and councelor Steinberg about to leave the council and having sat at um TSO for two years, um I did read the uh the memo in great detail and I didn't hear from anyone on the council um through those two years that wanted to pursue it or was asking me to uh make sure that TSO we take it up. Um, and we had a lot on our plate, but there wasn't any uh momentum or support that I could see from my colleagues. Um, so just leaving it for the next go, the same thing is going to happen. Um, unless there's a counselor here who has read it and feels strongly that it should be pursued. I have read it and I think it it's it's got a lot it's got some issues. Um so I'm certainly not going to pursue it. Um but there are 12 other counselors. So, um, I would urge us to to take this off the carryover and it's still there for anyone to consult and if they feel strongly that this is something we should take up, I think they should bring it back to the new council and with a much clearer sense of what they want TSO to do with it because it I don't have any clear sense of what we're supposed to do with it. I felt that it was there were just too many things in it and I wasn't going to spend the time to sort it out. we never got to it anyway. So I would urge my colleagues to actually support this um and if they do feel strongly that this is something we need to work on, they should look at it and then they should bring it back to the council and with a I hopefully a clearer set of goals for what TSS

supposed to do with it. Um because right now there isn't one and the same thing is going to happen again. council tech. [clears throat]

So I was in support of having this item and I was in support of it in Jo. And if you didn't hear about it, George, maybe it's because you weren't listening. I think there's a benefit to having this guide in whatever form it is. Of course, we could make it better. It tried to do too much and melded into one. It wasn't able to achieve anything. It would be helpful if Jo gets to look at it in the coming session and decide of the myriad goals that it has, what is most significant and what would be most useful and also possibly what would be the least amount of work to make it more efficient. But I don't think it would be helpful to take it off given how we already seem as a council to be inefficient with our time when it comes to the measures that come before it.

I'm going to go to Anna and then back to Andy. So, part of the challenge with this guide is that it is um it's very broad in its recommendations and it is broader than what technically counselors need to do. That said, it's not that anything suggested in the guide is a bad idea. However, uh what it is is it includes a checklist for example as I believe recommendations for people to consider the answers to as they're going to propose something. The challenge that TSO faced when they first took this up and G faces when they when we try to discuss it uh is that it's very hard to fit something that is so optional into our required practices and and rules. So while there may be a use for this, I think I just want to reiterate I've been on two committees that have tried to take this up. It's very hard to figure out a place where it goes because this is not a document that clearly that outlines our required procedure. It is a document that suggests options that people might think about. I am concerned about the council adopting it in a formal way because of how cumbersome it makes uh it would makes uh the the task of bringing something forward and how every every measure that we look at has a slightly different path to get here. That said, I think that if GO needs to continue to have this item to discuss it in order to say this is a helpful thing to have as a reference that's emailed to new counselors, then go can keep this. But I would support removing it from the carryover memo because I feel that the breadth of this document and the breadth of what it's suggesting is going to be very challenging to formalize in our process.

Andy.

Yeah. I just want to uh clarify one thing that was said by councelor Ryan. Uh it was not really in the TSO carryover memo. We weren't assigned that task. It uh was uh referenced only because TSO because uh councelor Balman brought the topic up as a matter of the um her participation on TSO at the time. Um and it actually had to do it was flowing from um the lighting policy and I do note that the lighting policy was in the uh carry over memo that was act that was and it was assigned to TSO. We also did not get to it. Um but we got didn't get to it for very different reasons and we have continued it in our carryover memo that uh we proposed for the next council. Um and uh so the fact that something was not dealt with in this council um that's an example of something that um is um being proposed for carryover to the next council unless a different policy or bylaw on the same subject is introduced in the next council and we would suggest our our carryover suggests that it not be pursued. So, uh, I just wanted to make sure that everybody understood that, um, it was assigned to go because it was more appropriate committee to consider it even though it arose from the discussion that happened out of the TSO committee

in the prior term. Are there any question additional questions, comments or statements that counselors would like to make? Okay. We're moving to a vote. Um, councelor Hani I. Bob Hegner I. Councelor Lord abstain. Pam Rooney. No. I'm sorry I didn't hear that. No. No. Councelor Ryan. Hi. Kathy Shane. No. Andy Steinberg. No. Jennifer Tob. Yes. Councelor Walker.

No. Pat D'Angelus. Yes. Anna Davlin Gothier. I councelor. No. And um Lyn, I'm sorry. Lynn Griezmer is an I. It's seven in favor of removal. Um I got that right. Yeah. Seven and Did I miss somebody? Okay.

Okay. It's 75 to one. Okay. Seven in favor, five opposed, one abstension. Um, thank you. Uh, then um there are no other action items. We're going to move on to appointments. We've already done the consent agenda. Um, but we do have a counselor appointment and that is the budget coordinating group. Uh we have all received um and been made aware that councelor um Steinberg has resigned and yet there is one more meeting on December 18th from uh of this year uh from two from noon to 2 and um the budget coordinating group once the new council is sworn in. Uh this is one of the groups that gets reorganized with new counselors. So it would actually be only for the 18th. Um so the nominations are open from for the floor. Uh councelor uh Andy Steinberg.

Yes. Being the one who's uh resigned from the committee because I not going to be in the next council and I think that um should we should have a representative who's going to be in the next uh council. Um, at this BCG meeting, I nominate Kathy Shane. Um, is Kathy, do you accept that nomination? Yes, I do, and I thank you for it.

Are there any other nominations at this time? Seeing none, I'm going to read the motion. The motion is to appoint Counselor Kathy Shane to the budget coordinating group for a term to expire January 5th, 2026. Well, is there a second? Bob Hegner, we're going to move to the vote. Any other questions or comments? Kathy, would you like to make a statement? Um, other than to say I have watched some of these meetings, so it may seem odd to be there for just one meeting, but it's a continuation of a lot of work. So, I thank you.

Okay. And by the way, the meeting had the agenda has been posted. So, okay. Um, so, uh, motion's been made and seconded. Any other questions or comments? Bob Hegner. I. Councelor Lord. Hi. Pam Rooney. Yes. C. Uh, Councelor Ryan. Hi. Kathy Shane. Yes. Andy Steinberg. Hi. Jennifer Tob. Yes. Councelor Walker. Yes. Patanggeles. Hi. Anna Delin Gothier. Hi. Councelor Ete. Hi.

Lyn Gremson. I councelor Hanniki. Hi. It's unanimous. Um, there are no minutes to approve. Uh, the town manager has written a report. Paul, would you like to make any highlights?

Um, no.

All right. Uh we will go back to committee and liaison reports in a moment but are there any questions of the town manager since we're on this topic? See none, I'm going back to the committee and liaison reports as I mentioned earlier for the budget coordinating group. We meet at December 18th from noon to two by zoom. Uh the main focus of that agenda will be um first of all the both the elementary school as of tomorrow night will have released their budget although it's in their packet and the regional schools have released their budget and it's really up to the budget coordinating group as to whether or not they would like to h make any um statements regarding guidelines uh to share with the town manager. Um are there any questions or comments on that? uh CRC Pam Rooney.

Thank you. Uh there was an extensive memo that was sent to um town staff uh asking for uh comment and review on the solar bylaw that has been underway for the last couple of years uh and now is being aligned with state guidelines and um we are looking for response from the town. Uh, I don't remember the date exactly, but I want to say February 1. Um, that may be incorrect, but um, we appreciate the the perspective of this town staff in helping wrap up some of this work and thanks to all the counselors who helped write the memo.

Okay. Are there any questions or comments? um elementary school building committee. Kathy,

we met last Friday and Paul's report does an admirable job of summarizing it, but we're again we're we're on [snorts] schedule for the building and one of the issues that was raised actually by Paul on whether weather was going to be of a concern and they said the answer was basically no because the building will soon be completely unclosed and we'll be doing the work inside the building. They have brought some heating equipment in and many people in this room went on a tour to see how far along it is. It's it's quite exciting. So, it's uh starting to be to the point that the building is uh energized ready, which is an interesting concept. So, it means it's almost ready to start, you know, plugging things in, but the rest of the wire. So, some of the big equipment has been brought into the building.

Okay, great. Finance Committee. Kathy, we we haven't met since uh you the council passed the guidelines. We cancelled the meeting for tomorrow. So, and we have no carryover. So, there will be a new day in January. Okay. Go Anna.

Joel is done. Thank you all so much for staying later at our last meeting to pass the town manager goals. G has concluded its business and you'll see the rest of what we've got ahead in our carryover memo. Thank you. Great. Oh, and I I just because G did not get a final meeting, I would just like to take this moment to thank the members of G. Councelor Ete, Pat Dangelus, Hollow Lord, Len Griezmer, thank you all so much for showing up and bringing all the things that you brought to go. Uh, I wanted to count the resolutions and proclamations that we passed and the number of commas that we put in them specifically, but I gave up after I hit a hundred. So, thank you all so much for your work. And I'm sorry that we didn't get a meeting where I could say that in person, but now I get to say it in front of everyone else here. So, thank you all.

Great. Thank you. Uh, Jones Library Committee, George Ryan.

So, um, again, as I've said, work is proceeding on schedule. Um, actually maybe slightly ahead of schedule. Um, I think there was a question recently about what has been spent in terms of change orders. The total amount of change orders on this project to date is 667,594. And those represent two items. One has to do with the slate roof, which is the vast bulk of that change order, almost 600,000. And then there was about 70,000 for a fire alarm system. There have been no new change orders in the last month. Um, we were told that we'll be getting updated, the council will be getting updated numbers from the finance director and from Bob Parent sometime at the beginning of the next year.

Okay. Are there any questions or comments? Thank you. Uh, TSO Andy.

Yes. uh you have the written report from the committee and uh we had the one last meeting last week. Um, one of the things that we developed was some very small changes uh that we're proposing to the uh TSO committee charge because of the change in the um we recognize that the uh committee's role is going to change um with the uh creation of the transportation and parking commission. and uh that it's going to be able to work on other aspects of its work and wants to diminish things that will be diminishing its role uh to to a large extent in public ways um policy u but um ultimately that's a matter for go so we sent it along with the request that the president um put that in the uh memo u that she's developing for the next council so that the council can make a decision to um refer it to uh go because it really needs to be worked on at go next year in the new council. Um and uh that was uh one of the major pieces of obviously our carryover memo and both of those things have been uh were were made available by the uh council president along with our report. So, um, with that, I want to, uh, thank, uh, my colleagues on the committee who put in a lot of time and

good hard work on getting some big things done this year. And, uh, so, councelor Lord, councelor Ryan, Jennifer Tab, and Bob Hegner, thank you so much. Great.

Thank you. Um, are there any liaison reports? Okay, seeing none, now we go on to town manager report. Actually, we're out now at town council comments. Um, though it was late to the packet, I did send you a president's report um encompassing the essentially most of November and this part of December. Uh, are there any questions or comments? Please let me know if there are any after you have a chance to read it. Um the I also want to take a moment and thank all of the uh committee chairs, the vice chairs and the members of the four committees. Uh and this building committee and the library committee, the elementary school and the library. um you are actually the wheels that make the council work and uh you're the ones that really um do the work, do the hard work, spend the time in meetings and bring forward in any number of ways both with your memos and in terms of additional um uh items that we then have to act on. So I just want to just say that it is really the chairs and the vice chairs and the members of those committees that make the council actually get its work done. So thank you very much. Um we've discussed future agenda items and Athena has those as we have discussed them um for dis both the January 6th 5th meeting and the January 12th meeting. Um

can I can I add a quick point of information? Yes. The charter review committee is planning on making its presentation on January 5th. Their public forum on their preliminary report is tomorrow night. It'll be here in the town room and on Zoom.

Okay. Thank you. Um, and in addition to that, um, while we have invited all of the v various people who've been elected to office to come and be sworn in that night at 6:30, if people want to be sworn in in advance, they may do that. They need to go to the clerk's office to do that. Uh, and my understanding is that the school committee has a meeting or the regional school committee has a meeting that night. So many of them have already been sworn in. Um under also under future agenda items, I was asked by um Mindy Dom's office um Representative Dom's office and Joe Cmerford for the dates that were meeting in February so that they can choose which one works best for them to come and address the council. Uh they in prior to their coming if there are certain things that the council wants to address that'll have to be organized. Um, are there any other questions or comments on future agenda items? Seeing none, then we do have a little bit of a farewell for for counselors. So, but again, I want to start by first of all thanking the council. The next slide, please. So unfortunately this is the one picture where we were all here and so it is our official picture of the town council. Um we tried one other time and it didn't happen. So um anyway I again thank you all for a really solid two years. We've had many accomplishments and many things that frankly we're leaving to the next council. So, we start and I'm going to

ask that we show the slide. I get to pick the pictures. Hey, they're out in the public domain. What else can I say? Um, so the first one is Fraka Eete. And so we're going to take it down so that people can see faces. And the two counselors that are going to particularly speak to um councelor et is are George and Holla. Um sure George. Yeah. How much time? Go ahead. One to two minutes.

Oh, one to two. I thought you said Oh, okay. So I have had the very distinct pleasure over the past two years of getting to know the gentleman to my right, councelor Fraete. When he arrived on the council, he was at least to me a complete unknown. And one thing I knew was that he was relatively new to Amoris. And so that was the first thing that impressed me about him, his willingness to put himself forward for service on this council. something we know that many who have lived here far longer are often reluctant to do. As I got to know him better and as I saw him in action on the council, I came to respect his seriousness of mind and of purpose. He thinks long and hard about the nature of his job, what it requires of him, of the responsibilities he has to his colleagues, to his constituents in District 1, and to the larger community both in Ammerst and beyond. I've been impressed by his willingness to see all sides of an issue. Fairness is something that matters deeply to him. I've been impressed by his integrity and his courage. On more than one occasion before this body, when it would have been far more expedient politically and far more self-serving to remain silent, he spoke up eloquently and forcefully on what he saw as matters of principle that needed to be addressed. He is always someone who is looking for ways to bring people together rather than focusing on what divides them. I have to say on a more personal level, I've enjoyed over the past two years frequent conversations with him on a wide variety of topics that have little to nothing to do with the business of this body. We've talked about his native Nigeria, his family. We talked about politics, both ancient and modern. Talked about film, philosophy, music, and sports. Though I must confess that I do find his

affection for the LSU Tigers to be something I would say rather concerning. But I do want to say that it's been a particular pleasure to me to have someone on this body who can not only understand my sports metaphors but actually appreciate them. To it it's not about whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game. You played well, my friend.

Uh, following that, councelor Ryan, um, I wrote mine directly to you, councelor Ete, so I just want to say that I I want to express my sincere appreciation for your service to our town. Throughout the time on this council, you have consistently asked thoughtful, well-considered questions that not only helped me understand more or help me glean a perspective I hadn't considered, but those questions have helped ensure the decisions were made with care and clarity. I've enjoyed being on go with you and getting a deeper understanding of your brilliance, your care, and your attention to details like that's a semicolon. No, the comma goes there. Things that I'm woefully not strong at. Um, I also want to mention that you have modeled respect and kindness in public service. When we as a council have devolved into speaking to each other with unkindness, you are the voice to remind us of how to disagree in healthy ways and the power of kindness in speaking to each other. Thank you for that. I was deeply impacted, as were many in the community, when you raised your voice um and concern for our community in your counselor comments when members of our community were having their visas canled and being targeted by national government based on immigration and race. You were the the the loudest and first voice I remember during that time. And thank you for leading that way. I appreciate the way you move through these meetings with grace, strength, and kindness. I'm grateful for you, Councelor ED, for your dedication, integrity, steady presence, and I thank you for your meaningful contributions to our community. Thank you so much. Councelor Ete, would you like to say anything?

So, thank you. Now, thank you, George, and thank you, Hala. My two years on the council has been marked by me being a person of few words, and I'm not going to go out of character.

I'd like to thank Lynn for for tolerating me and the new ants that I brought to the council once in a while, for teaching me what it means to serve the public. I'd like to thank Kathy for showing what it means to care about the community that you live in, being a member of the community and listening to the people in that community. Um, I didn't always listen to you, but that has more to do with my stubbornness than with the wisdom and the care that you showed me. Thank you, Pat. more than any counselor right now. Pats, I am grateful for your friendship. I was reflecting on the fact that the first time that I saw you, what we talked about wasn't about politics. If you may recall, it was about a novel, a novel featuring a Tibetan monk who was a detective. Yeah. The score mantra. Yeah. Thank you. And I want to thank Paul. The first time that I saw you, I walked into your office unknown and

you were graceful in the way you accommodated me and the questions that I had that you answered and you've continued to reflect that grace towards me and towards town and I'm grateful for that. One of the reasons I got into what I'm doing now is because I cared about the way we were speaking to each other on the council, but also in politics. We may be concerned about what happens nationally, but national politics is a reflection of what happens locally. And what I've seen from the council, we may fall short, but we've always tried to be a model of what it means to practice politics well. And so I want to thank everyone on the council. Thank I want to thank the town as well and thank um North Ammerst for having me for two years. Thank you. We're going to go to Bob Hegner. And I just want to point out that I thought about putting a blue background here, but since he only wears the blue shirts, [laughter] I decided it was safer not to do that. So, uh, Bob, this is what I could find on the web, you know. Uh, there you go. So the two people that are going to speak to Bob are about Bob are Alicia Walker, Councelor Walker and Pam Rooney. So Alicia,

you um I just want to take a moment to thank councelor Hagner for his service to the town of Ammerst uh over the past two years and beyond. While I didn't have the opportunity to work with you one-on-one, Bob, I did have the chance to serve alongside you on the finance committee. And in that role, I came to really appreciate the way you approached the work and led the committee when you needed to. Um, you consistently asked hard questions, thought critically about the information that was in front of us, and helped to keep our discussions grounded in fiscal responsibility and long-term impacts. Serving on the council and particularly the finance committee is not easy work and it requires a real willingness to dig into these complex issues to challenge assumptions and to show up during difficult conversations and you did that with seriousness and a clear commitment to our community. We are very fortunate to have had your perspective and your willingness to serve during these past two years and I hope that as this term comes to a close that you are able to take some well-deserved time to rest, reflect and enjoy whatever it is that comes next. Uh so thank you so much Bob for your service to Amherst.

Pam, thank you Bob. I offered to say something. Can you all hear me? Yes.

Okay. I offered to say something about Bob because I've had the the fun of sitting next to him for a number of meetings and I think it's those two minutes before a meeting and after a meeting that you know you start to make some connections with people. Um people have spoken about Bob's service on the finance committee. Um I want to I want to suggest to Bob Hegner that this is not the last time he should serve on a committee. He brings a wealth of education um and and a and a really deep understanding of um federal and state government uh environmental safety, cleanup of of um nuclear weapons, uh nuclear weapons sites, um expansion of underserved rural areas, disaster relief program, programs. Um and and one of the notable accomplishments, not serving the necessarily the town of Ammerst, um was his serving as operation officer for Hurricane Katrina's disaster recovery, an 11 billion federally funded project. This is this is somebody in our community that has clearly served broader purposes. And I want to encourage him um to submit his calf for whatever for whatever committee he feels like sitting on after he gets that rest and relaxation that he deserves. So thank you Bob. Appreciate it very much. Enjoy retirement.

Would you like to say anything? Well, um, just so people know, uh, thanks to Pat, um, I'm now the treasurer of the Amber AM Ammerst Mobile Market. So, I'll be devoting my efforts towards food insecurity and I ask the council to focus more on food insecurity in the next council. Um, I think it's a real problem in it's a problem facing this this community as well as the country. Um, and I think we should do more about it than we have in our busy world. I do want to say thank you to you all. Uh, you've been a great council. Um, we didn't always agree on things. Um, but I think we all tried to do the right thing uh for what we considered the right thing for the community. Um, and uh, a wise man, Barre Kubak, once said that uh, the town council was 13 mayors, which I think is probably correct. Uh, I think we're also uh, a herd of cats, which um, are not easily uh, sent in the same direction. Uh, I want to thank um in particular Andy because um when I first started serving the town, Andy was the uh chair of the finance committee and he brought me into the committee and uh he taught me I think how to think about uh public finance. I had a lot of experience with private finance but very little with public finance and Andy really taught me how to do that. Um I also want to thank Athena um who is probably the glue that holds the committee the the council together. Um she's not only able to follow the details of what we're thinking uh but

she is also an expert on governance and on um the the rules that we have to follow and we do defer to her expertise all the time uh when we get stuck on something. So I think um she deserves um everyone's appreciation. So thank you all. I I will spend more time in retirement, but um the mobile market will start up again in the summer and it'll take a a lot of time um at that time. So, thank you all. I appreciate um everyone uh everyone's willingness to put up with me for two years and I appreci I hope uh the council those of you who are remaining on the council and the next council coming in will continue the fine work of this council.

Thank you. So the next one's Pat D'Angelus. Wait for these pictures again. All of them can be found on the web. And um so um councelor Hani and I are uh here to roast you. Uh not really. Um so councelor Heni, you want to go? You want to go first?

I would never roast. Um we first met after a league debate in 2018. I don't I don't know if you remember that, but you came up to me after that. And from that meeting to the first time we collaborated on wage theft when you and Kathy um took a leap of faith in collaborating with as I say someone from the other side. Um that very first year led to our years long's advocacy and efforts to improve housing affordability in town. And through all that you became a good friend, colleague and trusted adviser. To me, you epitomize what a counselor should be. You have been an unrelenting advocate for the unrepresentative, unrepresented, and you have been committed to justice, particularly housing affordability, food insecurity, and workers rights. You are strong and fearless, and you are willing to vote your conscious conscience no matter the costs. And from that first time we collaborated, you have been work open to working with everyone to finding common ground even when you get criticized by others for doing so. It's never stopped you. And part of what makes that great is that you leave the votes and the ranker at these meetings such that showing up the next day or the next morning for a meeting to collaborate with someone that you fought with wholeheartedly the night before, but then the next day you show up without holding a grudge. And that's what makes you so effective. You always look forward, not backwards, to those past votes. So with your retirement, the council loses an advocate who tried to

proactively change Ammerst for the better, who was unwilling to sit back and wait for others to do the work. Your retirement's a loss to Ammerst and you will be missed. So I first met Pat at a league debate. At the end of the debate, I said to her, "Why don't you just run for school committee?" And the reason I said that is because Pat's commitment to education is unquestioned, having served as both a teacher in the classroom and ongoing. is an example of Pat's commitment to whatever she does. Her commitment to the mobile market, her work at the Amber Survival Center, her ongoing commitment to demonstrating whenever needed and whatever the consequences and her commitment to working with people who are incarcerated. always looking out for what is the next thing that needs to be done for people who don't always speak comfortably themselves. So Pat and I have shared district two in probably one of my most valued professional and personal relationships. We've campaigned together. We've disagreed and we've agreed to disagree, but always have kept it up above board and for the best betterment of our district. Pat, I am going to have trouble saying goodbye. You've been a terrific counselor. You stood up for what you believed in

and I've really enjoyed having you as my colleague and my friend. Thank you, Pat. Well, as usual, I didn't plan to say anything, so I don't know what I'm going to say to you. Um, thank you for your kindness. Um, I've been a pain in the butt here. I've been a here. And for some of it, I apologize when I've been rude. But generally, it's because I do feel passionately. Uh it doesn't mean I deeply disrespect anybody in here and I have developed some intense and wonderful relationships. I want to say thank you to Paul. I wanted to say thank you to Athena who has entered my life and I don't want to not have that uh because it's such a gift. Um but it's also challenged me in ways now I could say oh to pass this or that but no it's challenged me to look at the people in our community and It is the smallest connections that become real that are important to our work. It is the person you go to interview about police interaction in Ammerst who you see three years later who says to you, you are a good counselor because you go to the people. And I think that's what I've tried to do is to

to allow my voice to touch the edges of the places where people exist without voice. Um, I also really, really, really want to challenge all of you who are going to be on the council and the newcomers to do something. And it's it's from a a fortune cookie. Uh, and it's been taped to my town laptop for probably seven years. We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes. And every time you can only think of the bad thing that's going to impact you, start thinking about the people other than yourself who are going to be impacted by the decisions you make. And make them for Ammerst, not for yourself or for your district. Make them because people count. no matter where they are in the community, where they stand, or whether they vote. And um that's probably it. Now, I want to hear from Andy about Andy.

All right, Andy. I found a few pictures. I you know I tried to find one actually uh which you have when you were in Canada Saki but I didn't have the actual photo. So anyway Andy um Kathy and Anna have both volunteered to speak of of you and then you'll get your chance after all these many many years in government. So we'll begin with Kathy. We're beginning with me. You want to go? You We We saw what happened with the other folks and we're like, we're going to scheme over here to make sure we had a plan. Anna, we're going to start with me. Okay.

Okay.

So, tonight Kathy and I have the impossible task of thanking a man who has served this community for 30 years as he concludes his final town council meeting. So, I am naturally, as anyone I'm sure would, going to use the analogy of an action movie and a main character superhero to talk about Andy's journey a little bit because what could be more similar to serving in local government than your next Marvel blockbuster? For those who may not know, Andy's commitment to Ammerst began formally in 1996, when I was 5 years old, when he was first elected to town meeting. That initial step marked the start of a long and steady dedication to local government, one grounded in care for the town, respect for process, and a belief that good decisions require both historical context and current perspective. I looked back at the warrant for that fateful meeting, Andy's first town meeting. Well, meetings because it took place over the course of seven days, and I'm hoping I got the dates right, although I am sure Andy will tell me if I didn't. Some of the first votes that Andy took in service of the town included such thrilling moments as an appropriation of $100,000 to repair and replace approximately 800 ft of 16in sewer line on Hitchcock Road as well as article 38 for the town meeting to direct the moderator to appoint a committee of seven citizens to study procedures and practices associated with town meeting and submit recommendations for improvements therein to the next annual town meeting. said study to include but not be limited to the efficacy and size of town meeting and its function and accountability as a legislative body. Oh boy. By the way, that first day, just the first day of that meeting ended after 10 p.m. Hopefully, this does not happen for Andy's final meeting. I see this time in

town meeting as the montage part of his local government superhero film. the part where the protagonist is training in a cave learning all of the things about his enemy and in this case that enemy is the downfall of Ammerst so that he can ensure that that enemy never succeeds. And in case you aren't sure about my analogy here, Andy got the opportunity to train in that cave of town meeting on many issues which he would face again and again, including participating in six town meeting sessions in 1997 just on the issue of a parking garage, which at the time the Amoris bulletin called Amoris' longestr running soap opera. We got a revival of it a couple years ago. Andy served on the finance committee, including a significant time as its chair, where he helped guide the town through complex fiscal decisions with clarity and discipline. His work there laid his reputation, the reputation that would follow him throughout his career in public service. Thoughtful, thorough, and deeply committed to the long-term financial stewardship of the town. In 2014, Andy was elected to the select board, serving Amoris during a period of significant transition. And when we adopted a new form of government, Andy once again stepped forward, this time as an atlarge member on the very first Ammeristown Council. He's now completing his third term on the council, a role he has approached with the same care, compassion, and commitment that have defined his entire public life. in our superhero movies that time on the finance committee and uh as it as its chair and on the select board. This is where our protagonist is kind of fighting those smaller enemies, continuing to hone his skills. Andy has seen this community through periods of immense change from schools closing to schools being built through recession and economic shifts. From building parks to adding departments, from votes on keeping backyard chickens to meetings that went on for 12 nights in a row through the changing of town managers, town priorities, state and

local state and national contexts, Andy has been our steady presence. And so in the finale of our superhero film, Andy culminated his journey with the ultimate battle, serving on the town council. He has fought for this community through multiple forms of government, helping to shape it into what it is today. Throughout my time on the council, Andy has been our historian. When questions arose about how a policy came to be, why some sort of structure existed, or what lessons the past might offer, Andy was often the one who would calmly and generously provide that context, even if I didn't want it. His institutional memory has been invaluable, especially in times of change. Equally important has been Andy's role as our fiscal expert. He has consistently asked the hard questions, insisted on transparency in our budgeting, and reminded us to think not just about the next budget cycle, but about the long-term health of the town that we all serve. Andy and I were not without disagreement, but I could always count on him to talk through things with me and explain his reasoning. He would reach out to anyone to talk through his concerns and kindly sharing those concerns and as well as what he would need to see in order to gain his support. I remember speaking with him for nearly an hour once about solar panels. And while we did not come to the same conclusion, I deeply respected his process and his desire to understand, not just to stick to his own opinions. I would be remiss if I did not mention that we also share a love of Wegman's, a Western New York institution. And if we could have introduced a bylaw to bring one to Amorest, I bet we would have. I will miss talking about his his visits to Rochester on our way up or down from the town room. I will I was also regularly struck by his compassion grounded in his long career with legal aid, which in this context I don't think gets enough credit. This man did incredible work not just for Amoris, but he also made a full career out of helping people who needed it the most.

So, we have reached the epilogue of our movie where our long-standing superhero can take off his cape, sit back, and watch all of those he helped to guide continue to carry on his legacy and fight for the town of Ammerst. Andy's legacy is one of quiet diligence, deep knowledge, and unwavering commitment to our community. Our town is stronger, wiser, and better governed because of his service. So, thank you, Andy. for 30 years of dedication, leadership, and care for Ammerst. We are deeply grateful. And while I hope the next few years have fewer late nights, you can bet you will be consulted often, at least by me, by me, although I do not think I'm alone. Thank you.

After that, I can say ditto and edit my notes a little bit. Thank you, Anna, for being so comprehensive. I just want to on behalf of the council but also all the residents of Amoris, I want to thank you Andy for all the years of service that Anna just went through. As Anna just said, these years date well before the council way back to town meeting days, but the finance committee which you chaired through very difficult budget times. I just found a finance and budget report when uh people were talking about we have a structural deficit, we have a problem ahead of us and that was in 2013. You know, we're we're talking about long service and the four years you spelled on select board before you came to the council and creation of the council. Since the council started, you've graciously given your time when asked to explain complex issues or provide documents and pointed to where to find finance related information. During my first term, the first term of the council, you were generous with your time to help me get up to speed with finance. This included occasionally sharing the role of chair or allowing me to do the first draft of a finance committee report. You went out of your way to make me feel like a partner, a real partner, albeit in my own estimate, a very junior partner on the finance committee with much to learn. You listened closely and respectfully when we had different views on the issue. Listening is a skill that has been so much appreciated. As are your analytic and legal and lawyer eyes. These helped ensure wording was accurate and clear. And as Anna just said, we focused on our budget and financial reality, both shortterm and long-term. You have provided a model for all of us by always coming prepared and informed

and bringing information about the most recent state actions and what those were likely to do and have an impact on town, including which legislation we might want to focus on because you served on state committees as well as town committees. I personally have thoroughly enjoyed working with you and getting to know you during the seven years we've served together on the finance committee and council. On behalf of the council and myself, I wish you all the best for your next phase of life. You have given so much to all of us. I thank you and I hope you'll stay in touch.

So Andy, do you have any final words you'd like to say? Well, first of all, thank you to both Anna and Kathy for your kind statements and summary of what I've done or tried to do, let's say, for the town over the these years. Um, it was a difficult decision to decide not to run for reelection after all these years of running for election. But I sort of reflected back on what Anna referred to as about my legal aid career and recognizing that um when I left Western Mass Legal Services as executive director after doing that for 25 years u I ended up uh saying to the then moderator of the uh town meeting that I would be interested in serving on the finance committee. uh that led to everything else that I that followed in select board and the council and uh as uh Lyn and I have uh used the term it's a matter of flunking retirement because uh a lot of people do a lot of good things in retirement just to enjoy life and u I ended up finding sort of a second career in town government and Uh, so now I'm really going to retire and I'm not going to uh as I as I'm creeping faster than I'd like to admit towards my 80th birthday, I think it's time for me to think maybe it is time to retire and that's what I'm doing. Um the uh when I ran for select board, one of the things that I was uh that said,

why people would ask why are you running for select board? And I said, because I'm tired of being on the finance committee where we're dividing up a limited pot of money, and maybe on the select board, I'll have the opportunity to figure out ways that we can expand that pot as opposed to just um trying to divide up what's already there. Turned out to be a little bit more frustrating than I thought it was going to be. And uh so it's it's a test now that I'm passing on to the rest of you who are staying on the council. Um and uh the other things that I was why I ran for council at the time was uh realizing that one or two people and turned out to be Alyssa and I who had experience needed to share our experience. Um, now it's your turn to share experience with the new people coming in. Um, I don't think you need me anymore for that role. Um, but the one thing that I really have found most gratifying about the council is that um, we don't always agree. We all respect each other and we're all in the end when we leave friends and you know we're caring for each other and we're respecting each other and uh I think that's a value that um we've had as a council and I uh counting on all of you to work with our newly elected members and to um show done by example what we've learned by example in in doing this successfully.

So with that I want to say um I'm going to miss most of all all of the people here in this room today. my fellow counselors, Paul, Athena. You've all been great, all been supportive, and uh I look forward to seeing you and hearing from you and u seeing your successes, but it will be different because I won't see you as frequently as I have. And uh also have to conclude by thanking the voters of Amoris who uh had have elected me for for for good or not, but have elected me five times in elections to townwide office. And uh so I want to actually recognize that people who elected me are the people who we really care about and we hope that what we have done for them uh makes their lives better. And uh I pass that task on to all of you. Thank you.

Thank you.

Um rather than try to say anything else, I'm going to make a motion to adjurnn and seek a second. Second. Okay. We start the vote with councelor Lord. Pam Rooney, you're muted, Pam. You're on mute, Pam. I just b Yes. [laughter] Councelor Ryan. Hi. Kathy Shane. Yes. Andy Steinberg. My last vote. Yes. Jennifer Tob. Yes. Councelor Walker, yes. Pat D'Angelus,

hi. Anna Develin Gothier, I. Councelor Ete, I Lyn Greson, I councelor Hani, hi. And Bob Hegner, yes. Meeting is adjourned. It is 7:55.