Capital Planning Committee - Regular Meeting

On 03/26/2026. I'll do a small conference from the town hall to Nicoson Avenue. We're being recorded by the camper broadcast on Rising. And Comcast is 603. I will call him to order. I'm gonna pass it over to Joe. Think we have nothing on the agenda but recap.

So one of the recommendations I made for the budget and operation operational correction plan was to eliminate or defer Awayfield Lincoln. We just added something. Yeah. Part of the operational budgetary correction plan that I presented on Monday, one of the recommendations was we defer any free cash expenditures on capital. Looking at the list that was previously written, the chiller pit for nineteen nine zero four, ACO windows Mhmm.

10, brush tripper chipper one thousand and six two fifteen, All the mill shed, 14,000. COA explorer, 42,000. Conservation truck, 50,000. I didn't total it up, but that's the only free cash, funding mechanism, and those are the only items that would be used with the free cash funding mechanism. The other issues that we

The one two three four on those on those items again? I don't need to hear the whole explanation, just the items.

Chillipit, $19.09.

Wait. That's what I did on the sheet.

That's the AC right

over here. Got it. Yep.

ACO, the windows at the Thermal control office.

Yep. That's what I missed.

$10.

Yep.

Brush triple chipper 106215. Alvin Mill Shed 14.

And the brush chipper is for the DPW? Correct.

Yep. They have two. One's not working. They wanna replace the one not working. COA Explorer, $42.

Conservation truck, 50. And I believe last meeting, even though I didn't have it on the funding plan, was $24,000 for a feasibility study Uh-huh. For animal shelter, but I didn't have a a funding mechanism for that. That was just So kind of I don't I don't have that accredited or credited for any items at town meeting for free cash free cash usage. Those are the only items that I have under listed under free cash.

So we're gonna move forward with those?

No. I recommend we don't. We defer those. I again, this is just the recommendation as part of the plan. Yeah. This is why we were meeting. I defer to the to the committee on any recommendations back to the town.

Mister chairman, good evening. The one thing that I think that we need to leave on there until the last minute is the chiller pits over here unless engineer Feuill feels otherwise. Perhaps, Jim, you know a little bit about it. But I keep saying it over and over again because when I came in and you were certainly around at the time, we were just getting killed by AC. And that was one thing that we let go, and the cost to come back from it was absolutely enormous.

And so if we can get if if if we're told that we can get by another year without it, that's one thing. And has nothing to do it does, but, know, the comfort of our municipal employees inside town hall where they have it nice. No. It's also where the public comes to talk about the public's business. And for the public to sit here in sweaty environments, waiting for big meetings is something that we in my opinion, we should consider holding off and eliminating until the last minute.

Do you think, Joe, is this something we can afford to do in 1990?

Or I think the if we choose just one project to move forward with, and if it's something that the committee doesn't feel we can defer till another time, I again, my recommend recommendations are to you. Your recommendations are back to the town. I don't have a problem with that. I just I just wanted to have clear direction, you know, from this committee to be able to advise the select board and prepare the warrant for the town meeting.

Perhaps, given the dire situation that we not dire. I don't like those words. Given the current situation we're in, and by the way, I totally resent this stuff that Bob Newd said about a cat catastrophic scandalous meltdown. That is so highly irresponsible for him to go to another new publish it here and publish it there. He was just out there trying to grab news and make himself as a retired person more important. He offered nothing in the way of suggestions, and I don't know. I'm just I'm gonna get on my high horse. Did he ever call you about the budget and everything that was going on? He didn't. He didn't.

That's all I need to hear. That's really all that I need to hear. And if he can't sit there and and and call up a chairman and make a positive recommendation and just wants to sit there and make all these, you know, nice remarks to all the newspapers and publicly, then good riddance broad news. And because, you know, if you're not part of the problem, it's solution, you're part of the problem. And just so everybody knows, when Bob Noones first got hired and I was on vacation, he called me relentlessly while I was on vacation because of Bob because Jack Healy was impeding his ability to be town manager when Jack was six years out of it.

So the whining for me just does absolutely does not cut it. Alright. Made my statement. Thank you. Now, I would like to I personally would like to I if we're gonna proceed with this, I think it needs a vote of the board to either put it on there so that and then a second vote which would allow, in this case, the chairman or if you wanna give it to the interim town manager to eliminate it right before town meeting at the somebody's discretion?

If I can make a suggestion.

I haven't made a motion specific. Okay. No more.

I just wanna recap what we did last meeting, and it might help us where we're going. So last week or last meeting, we approved the Explorer subject to funding, a funding mechanism. So nothing here is gonna be approved unless we have a place for it to come from. So I think they're dead anyway if we don't have a a funding place. The Explorer, the animal shelter, feasibility study, and the windows.

We took no action on the windows, but we did approve the feasibility study. On the wastewater side, just real quick, we did approve favorable action because it's retained earnings. On the one ton pickup truck, the sewer from Wood Street lining in the Forest Main, the back truck, the water department we approved, looks like another truck, the Spruce Street generator, the North Street water main, in the back truck, and the chiller pit was on hold. So

Okay. So now that I agree with everything you said. However, the public cannot properly understand it because you said it's coming out of retained earnings. And right now in this situation, and I I emailed Alice Elwell, I've heard comments from people that should know better. People don't understand what retained earnings are in enterprise accounts. And so when you say, mister chairman, and I'm I'm not

Of course.

Casting this word. When you say it's coming out of retained earnings, nobody else is gonna understand what that means.

Then I'll do a better job explaining it. I apologize. So the mechanism for capital planning for free there's usually free cash. If we do not have free cash, which we do not this year, possibly the children only, retained earnings are revenue that we generate that we generate from the sale of water, sanitation, or wastewater. So that money gets billed to the town, we make a profit, and usually gets reinvested back into the infrastructure or that department.

The profit is reinvested. The profit is reinvested. We are not allowed to make a profit.

Correct. You know what saying?

The profit is No. Just wanna make sure every because right now we're in critical times and people are gonna be parsing this stuff and that's why I'm kind of going for the specifics. So each one of those things that

I'm gonna go one step further.

One one step, and let's label the retained earnings account that which is going to be an enterprise account. Correct. And so it is not coming out of general government.

It's not coming from the taxpayers, it's coming from the rate payers.

It's coming from the rate payers who need who need to keep their infrastructure improved in the process.

Yes.

And so a b c d on those and which which one are retained earnings and what retained earnings account are they coming out of?

Sure. I'll go through the whole thing. So really quickly, just a brief explanation is, we have three accounts, water, wastewater, and sanitation. About two or three years ago Three

excuse me. I'm really gonna do my thing right.

Go ahead.

Three enterprise accounts. Three separate enterprise Three

separate enterprise account enterprise accounts. Water, wastewater, and sanitation. Each account is run separately and is paid for from the rate payers not the taxpayers. Three years ago, two and a half years ago, the Select board, voted to increase those rates. There was a, issue where we did not have enough money to stay in the black in the in the black. We went into the red possibly on paper, and the select board raised those rates significantly, water, sewer, and trash, which now allowed us two years later to have funds to reinvest. Otherwise, we would not have those funds. So under DPW wastewater, we're going to buy the one ton pickup trucks.

I have the list if you want me

to understand.

Got easy one?

Know it's super small. Go ahead.

So out of wastewater retained earnings, $1.00 $8.07 70. $1,008,770 dollars for a one ton pickup truck with a plow. Out of water retained earnings, $68,005 for a truck. Out of water retained earnings, Spruce Street generator, $113,700. Then we have the borrowing accounts. So those are the retained three items out of retained earnings, and then four The

borrowing accounts?

No. No. This that was retained earnings, those three items that I just listed. And we

And none of those are going to be included in the borrowing accounts, is that? Correct. Okay.

The borrowing accounts have four items.

Just give me a second here.

Yep. I know you wanna elaborate on that.

So it's not the borrowing account. Correct. It's going to be the general fund. Is that what we're No.

Retained earnings account. The fund that is collected with ratepayer money. Correct. Okay. That's the straight fund.

With with the retained earnings are held? Yes. Okay. So now now now I'm gonna be learning something apparently. So now we have borrowing accounts underneath the retained earning accounts.

Correct. Got it. And there's two. And I'm not sure. The water borrowing would be a 6,000,000 borrowing for the North Street water main replacement.

And that would be bonded?

Yes. It's already been the motion and the article have already been written by the bond attorney for the town. And then for the vacuum truck on water borrowing is $610,000. That's already been written and the motion in the article have been written by the borrowing, the bond attorney for the town.

Can I make one more point real quick? Yep. Just for everybody watching is no money is spent in this room, and no money is spent on town meeting without town meeting approval, whether it's free cash or any of

the enterprise accounts. Everything we're saying here is a suggestion. Correct. Recommendation. Right now, we're just thinking out loud.

Correct.

And money being

Every article that discusses each one of these purchases, there will be an a specific article listed on the town meeting warrant that still has to go in front of the selectman to vote to approve. It can be shot down at the board by discussion and then a vote of the selectman if they have an appetite for it or not, but is going to be placed on there per or awaiting vote of the board the select board.

So now, for historical context, which is very relevant right now, you know, Select Giovanni said something Monday night, which was remarkable, and it was very subtle, and it was probably missed by a lot of people. He said the reason that our our water is in such good our water and water infrastructure is in such good condition right now is because of the actions of all the boards that came before. It's been content continuity. And I was talking at one of your meetings about this. Well, what we did throughout that whole time, because we had no money when I first came in, we kept bonding the enterprise account of water, which should not leave us in the current position that Bridgewater is in needing $238,000,000.

So in my mind, we need to be very careful not to lump the the problem of the deficit into the enterprise accounts, because we do not want to have a reaction, and we have to save all money to then cause us to not fund our ratepayer accounts, which are pretty well balanced if I understood your thing right now. And we can do bonding for those as we would normally going through the future, and that is ultimately going to be that bond is ultimately gonna be paid off by the ratepayers. And so that whole side of government, for lack of a better word, can still essentially function as normal. And and and what comes into play, and it's something that I think we all need to understand better, certainly I do, is the bonding capacity of Middleborough, and then how much of it is is consumed by by enterprise accounts. Because that impacts our overall bond rating and that rolls over to the general fund.

Okay.

K. The other two items that were the funding mechanism was listed as general fund borrowing were two. The first was the continuation of the pavement management program at $500,000. And the second one was the Pratt Farm Dam at $518,000.

I know the the dam money was a a match.

Okay. Yes.

For a grand?

Correct. I'm sorry. I've I've forgot that. So And I can tell you that it's an issue.

We're stuck with the, tough decision of prioritizing, what we can and can't do this year, so.

I would call it a privileged position. Privileged position. I I stand corrected.

And that's all the items that are on this year's Okay. Capital Thank you. Request plan.

So my suggestion, we can do whatever the the committee wants is we possibly approve the chiller pit subject to a funding mechanism for town meeting. And if we can't get there, we just table it. That way we can have the option down the road or make a recommendation, I should say. So we can do it, but we can leave it off. We can do whatever you'd like.

Can we talk about the chiller pit again? Okay. It's is it out? Is it down, broken, and out? Or it just needs replacement? Is it failing completely? Is it just on the last legs?

I don't have that information in front of me. I wish Matt was here. We didn't ask him, so to be fair. But I'd like to know, it's a mechanical system, and I wonder if we should keep putting money into the older system. It reminds me of the old days when we bought the, what, 4,800 volt motor for the generator at the well, and we changed it over. So I don't know if that answers.

I can have a follow-up on that. If you give me some parameters, meaning is the nineteenth for repairs or is the nineteenth for replacement and then if I can get that answer and you I guess formulate a motion based on option one or option two, in in I guess in the spirit of time, I don't know if we have time to meet again, I'm not sure how you want to proceed.

Possible, I'd like to get the motion dialed away so that we have, some leeway and not up against it for time meeting. Okay. If whatever the plan is.

So I have for the chiller pit, replace failed 50% circuit to chiller serving AC in town hall. One more time. Mhmm. It's handwritten. Replace failed something circuit to chiller server serving AC in town hall. So it's not the Can you read

that better?

I'm anal for documentation.

I'm sorry. I will go ahead and read somebody that's that's able to do that one. Thank you. That's how I would read

it too, but whatever that circuit is, if some circuit needs to

be replaced and they're putting a grand of a total of $20.20 you said

Nine. I have nineteen nine zero four.

We have nineteen four zero

four on this. Okay. And here we

go. So what are your suggestions right now that you're looking for, mister miss mister January?

If the committee would like to allow it, I see we can inquire with Matt Foye, see if that is a get us through this difficult part or if it's a bigger picture or a pair, and then we can vote a mechanism for funding if we have it, and we can always table it if we don't.

And so the the the motion should basically give the selectman their discretion as they move forward through the budget. Is that what basically what you're talking about?

Our recommendation will go one step. Finance committee would vote their favorable action or unfavorable action as well as the select board, and then the warrant is the warrant.

The article will be written. Yeah. And then when it's presented to the selectman two weeks before oh, no. Three weeks before town meeting to for approval before publication, they will vote to support or not support the article.

Right. It will stay on the warrant regardless.

Right.

So I say we leave it there, and if we have the money, we can vote it through, and if we don't, we can table it.

And at the or at at the other thing, would town meetings decide? Yes.

We could do that also. It

probably isn't, but I mean but so if we make the motion now, we are not mode making a motion to permanently fund it. We are making a motion to allow it to go through the process as further scrutiny is done by the I can't get used to it. The town manager, and then the the finance committee and the selects as we go forward.

Yeah. We'd be looking for a motion to recommend, like, a favorable action subject to a funding mechanism, something along those lines.

So moved. Okay. Do wanna go with that? Do we have

a motion? Do we have a second? Second. Any discussion on that motion from the committee?

Anything in public? I I got one comment.

Sure. Thank you.

To be clear, the reason that I personally made this motion and brought it up is not specifically for the comfort of the town employees, it's for the comfort of the public to execute the public's business in the town hall.

I I think it's also fair to point out that there's a very very large gathering going on right right right now upstairs, and if this was July, it would be very hot and not

Well uncomfortable up there. Business one zero one, you know, how much revenue we we'd lost lose by not renting that out? That's a very that's a very valid point that would go to offset this because we can no longer rent out the the town hall that we spent. I can't remember how much

that would cost to re to rehabilitate. So what do we need

to do? So I would request that as you're looking at the funding mechanisms that someone in that process identify how much money the town earns by renting out the town hall. So that would be the cost minus the expenses, and that's how much money is left to offset the the chillers.

I I can also add for further information for the committee members to understand. The free cash number right now, if all these articles were to be approved and spent, the remaining balance would be $37,000. If you choose unfavorable action on these other issues and items that the funding mechanism is from free cash, you should have clearly have enough $19,000 to cover that. If you have enough right now if all those.

Because because unlike everything that we talked about earlier, that was coming out of enterprise accounts. Correct. This is coming out of general Yes. Free cash. Which is why the free cash is being spoke about now

Yes.

But was not five minutes ago. Correct.

Okay. Any further discussion? We have motion to second. Glenn? Do you have something?

No. I have another up item, but I wanna take the vote first.

Okay. All those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? Motion passes unanimously. Okay. For action. There we go. Let me check here.

I'd like to also discuss bringing before town meeting the animal shelter study just because where it is now, if the state were to come by and shut everything down, it would be the end of the animal control shelter in Middleborough. So if there's a study, it buys us time, to get everything fixed and legalized.

So I don't disagree, Glenn. I'm gonna be honest with you. The $24,100 for the feasibility study probably isn't gonna get us where we need to be. There's no place to spend this money in future years if we were to come with design. So I think we're unfortunately, we're years off from redoing the shelter, especially with our current fiscal constraints. I do share those concerns, but I don't think we should spend the $24,000 this year. It's my opinion.

Mister chair. Go ahead, Joe. Most feasibility studies and the funding for them have usually emanated from town meeting warrant articles, police station building committee, the feasibility study, the money for both the first design and the renovation of 99 North Main Street. That was a feasibility study that emanated from a article in town meeting, and the funding was approved through town meeting. The second one for the standalone where it's currently located was another article for another feasibility study that was the funding mechanism was approved through town meeting vote.

So as far as the capital committee, I think we might be involved in something that I don't know that the capital committee should be investing money in it. I I I mean, Lincoln, you've been here the longest and probably have the most institutional knowledge, but fire station, police station, any construction prod projects of buildings, it was always a feasibility study, but it always it didn't come from capital committee. It came from an article on town meeting floor. Mhmm. I just think if we again, this might be something that isn't in our purview to be talking about or I'm just throwing out that historically, if we're looking at building a new animal shelter, I don't think capital investment is the way to fund the feasibility study.

It should be we could use free cash, but maybe this is some something that the capital committee shouldn't be really involved in. It should come presented at town meeting. Okay. Just throwing it out there. Just throwing it out there.

So you brought up a very important topic and basic and it's your topic by trade, and it's public safety. And so when we were first able to just scrap together enough money to start to fund things, you know, I came out with a with a personal belief structure in this is that, you you know, I I would rather not fund a ladder truck if I cannot fund the safety equipment for the person to use it, you know. Nobody's job is to go into harm's way with substandard equipment that they know is substandard. A couple one one priming one prime example was the SCBA tanks, scuba if you're scuba diving, but the ear tanks, they're enormously expensive. And so, you know, that's where I personally drew the line, no, we're gonna fund those first, and whatever I think we needed new jackets or something or other for the first time at all.

So I think you, mister Perkins, should maybe look at some of those items that come out to the personal if if any of that's personal protection for any of our public servants, that we have to make sure that we keep those specific things on the board unless unless we know that it can be put off another year.

Jake, can I ask that's the starting balance on the free cash? I know it's 37,000 in the end, but

would be this was this is not up to date information. So it would be unfair. Hold on. 72. They mean Hold on. $2.00 2 and 20 222 37. 222 37. I'm just looking at the free cash requests. $2.59. Yep. Okay. Added them up and then I minus then then you need to add 37 to that and that would be the number that I believe we have today.

$2.32 plus, 37 is $2.59? Yep. Okay.

And that $2.59 represents a total of what number? $2.50.

Of current available free cash, but that number is not up to date at the moment. So

And again, I'll I'll go over how I believe we arrived at that number. I was told last week that if we would spend our free cash with the proposed articles, we would have $37,000 left. So keep 37, add up all the requests, add the 37, and you get 259. 259.

Okay. I just wanna get that number.

And I haven't seen that number. I was told that number. It's important that

Could be higher, could be lower.

Yes. Fair enough? Yes.

It's a number that we have to work with.

Mhmm. It's a Correct.

Yeah. Something to start with.

So as my request is off of capital planning, will someone speak to Leanne about a possible warrant for feasibility study?

Can I borrow you Absolutely? I have a just have a question on that. Seeing that we have postponed or we have tentatively post postponed town meeting, how does that impact the the date for closing of the warrant to put new articles on it? Does that now extend that date?

The select board can open and close the warrant Okay. All at once. Okay. So it would take us to vote on the board to reopen the warrant if we have to

extend So that I can do that, and then they would have to, maybe Monday night under the manager's report, I'll ask, can we vote on something like that without it being on the agenda? It's on it's not the agenda is already out.

A pressing issue, you know.

Well, I think it is because if we wanted to get put on the war I guess we can wait till the week after, but I can make that an agenda item if that's the will of the committee.

Yeah. I wanna talk to you about something else, not in front of everybody, but I guess I will. Do you have a firm date on time meeting? No. So because I came back with a date that works for attorney Corbeau.

So here's the issue. We I believe

inherent firm date. That is I don't wanna

So here's here's my my takeaway from the select meeting on Monday. There was a question I I recommended at least two weeks. We looked at two or three weeks ahead. There were some some dates. We were talking about reconvening this Monday to to have a joint Fincom school committee select board meeting, and I I am not opposed to that except I would have nothing new to contribute to that commit that joint committee meeting or joint board meeting, and I needed I felt I needed more time to gather information and to sit and tonight is our first meeting with Fincom to be able to go over some data that we've obtained and trying to address the shortfall.

Okay. Great. So I with all that, I'm still we are not even at the finish of the collection collection of the day data. I

I'm with you.

I hope that by Monday I will have met with every department head, and then I think Monday afternoon, I will have their five, ten, and 20 cut proposals and the impacts of those. And as I'm intention is to share what I have so far with Fincom tonight, and then be able to at least have those individuals do homework and look at what they see. And then hopefully next week, we come to back back together with all the information, and then really put that thoughtful consideration into cuts and being able to, you know, make up that shortfall and and balance the budget. So that think it's at least Another week get

Can I throw a date out there? Sure. Yes.

And I need a date kinda to work backwards. I I work better with timelines or, you know, deadlines.

So only Monday that attorney corporal can be at town meeting is the eighteenth. I would recommend we start with that as a placeholder of some kind and work it backwards or whatever works. That gives us May 8 May 18? Yes. That gives us three extra weeks.

That should that should be enough time.

Sweet spot of, hopefully, getting everything done,

if that works as a just a suggestion. So we're still on the animal control office feasibility study. I went and I coincidentally, I decided, you know, it's the one place that I haven't really been to and gotten to And I went to I've already said this in front of the Select, so I'll be brief. I have egg on my face right now, and the egg needs to stay on my face. What happened was I went down there because I was hearing about the windows, the lighting, and the feasibility study, and where we need to grow as a town with an animal control shelter in Middleborough.

If if none of us are are animal people, it doesn't matter. Middleborough is an animal town and everybody knows it. And I was down there and I wanna say it again, what I saw that Maddie had pulled together and the way that she and Leanne worked together, it was the way a town department should function. And I made a commitment, and I emailed them both apologizing. I made it once before, I'm gonna make it again, you know.

I have to renege on that commit on that commitment, because there is nothing that I saw at that animal control office that warranted an immediate response right now given our overall fiscal situation. We can get by another year. Now when we take the feasibility study in, which, I mean, normally we'd all be for, it it comes down in my question. That feasibility study is gonna be nothing mean nothing to what happens to the animal control shelter this year. We're get a feasibility study, then it has to be acted on at the next town meeting to go ahead and fund it or whatever.

I don't believe that, it it would substantially slow it up if we just wait until the next town meeting to throw the feasibility study on, and and then, get it in. Because then we get quotes for a Springtown meeting, and it could still get ready to be built Mhmm. Within the same overall cycle.

That's the fall town meeting you're referring to.

A full town meeting cycle.

Fall. Fall. You said fall.

Right. But you so if we don't do it at this town meeting in April or in May Yes. We would do it at the fall town meeting and still not lose that much time.

I'm gonna be specific why. Yes. Because if if we if we did the feasibility study now, then we would do the funding in in in springtime. Am I there? No. In the fall. In the fall. Excuse me. In the fall. And then we would be ready for construction in the springtime. So basically, we'd be ready for construction fourteen months from now. Let's just pick a date. Mhmm. If we wait to go ahead and do the feasibility study now and not how much was the feasibility study?

24,000 and

Save the and save the $25 right now, and then let let the dust really settle here right now because, boy, I tell you what, I'm not I also don't wanna be the person saying, yeah, you know, I'm giving money to a feasibility study, but the firefighters aren't gonna get a new new face shield when they walk into buildings. I know I'm gonna land on that one. And and so getting back to the timeline, so we do the feasibility study in the fall, and then we can fund it in the spring and immediately put it up to bid, and then at that point, we can still be in the same building cycle in 2027. Okay. That's my that's my thought process.

If that gives them enough time, just that I know we're not up to state standards at the moment, and that concerns me.

I agree with you. And but I'm always gonna put people before animals.

Mister chair? May I ask the animals whether.

I said that at the

When the animal, shelter people came in, we were off here. We're off here. Right? Yes. Didn't she mention that and I'm not advocating that we spent $22,000 now, but I don't know this has any bearing on what they were gonna do. She talked about getting grants, and a lot of grants might be able to build this thing, but they couldn't go for grants without the feasibility study. Correct. But the time cycle may quite work out anyways, She'd just be able not be able to be aggressive in

getting those,

I guess. I mean, we can just check to see if what's available out there for Grant's period, and then we could do the feasibility study just to earmark whatever we have to do. Well, it it just came up. I don't know if this is not, but we could definitely check.

And I can see this April town or May town meeting being stressful. Yes. Because of money and the feasibility we just get kicked out. I can see that.

People may may react in a negative way towards it.

Yep. I

can Because see of the temperature in the town, maybe it would be more well received in the fall.

I can see that. I love the conversation. Thank you all. Great.

Thank you. And I'll put one card or so out there. Somehow in the between now and when you do you close the warrant a second time?

I'm not sure.

We close it. We're gonna open it. We're gonna change the date.

It's reopened and then it gets closed? Is that It's

closed It's for the April 27 meeting date, but Yep. We haven't voted to move that meeting yet.

We have to

So I would imagine when they vote Monday to reschedule town meeting, then if there is something that needs to be added that the select board could then vote to open the the warrant for an additional submission if needed.

So to that point, regarding doctor Sullivan's point, if between now and then, the fincom, the town manager, or the selects discover, wow, we're gonna get so much in grants for this, and I don't believe that's gonna be the case. That, yes, we wanna put it on, that that you have the ability to do that if you wanna add it back on if all of a sudden we find that's a thing. So I guess I'll make that a motion because we now need a second to go along with it. Do wanna make it or you want me to?

Can you repeat the motion so I can write it down? What's that? What's the motion so I can write it down? I'm gonna say it very clearly right now. That's okay.

Yeah.

Go ahead.

And I because I've been in your position and

make sure I keep my notes.

And that's the reason why I didn't wanna be chairman. I make a motion that between now and when the warrant closes, if the finance committee, town manager, or select board after discuss after having had discussions with the animal control office come to learn that having a feasibility study done, feasibility funded in the May 18 in the potential May 18 town meeting that the money will that the that the funding the feasibility funding will bring in enough grants to fund the project that we allow them to proceed.

I'm gonna have to go back and watch this one later. If

you find enough If find out

If it's more beneficial to do it now Yeah. Based on funding.

I'm just trying to include everybody in the process. No.

I appreciate

this you're wording this up. If you all find out that the grant is gonna be enough to fund the project, put it

in. Right.

The only Consider putting it in. Is that your motion? Yes.

Okay. We have motion. We have a second discussion. My only concern is that we have to discuss would it be a match? Would it be a 100%? Would it be what? So, like, tough decision.

What's beneficial? What's your definition of beneficial?

For a 100%, the answer is yes. If the grant for 50% matches, is it a yes? Okay. What was the total cost?

24,000. That's

no. No.

That's I

don't think you're gonna have a total cost without study. We're just trying

to fund the feasibility study. I

withdraw my motion. Yeah.

Do you withdraw your second one?

I don't know. I sort of liked how he went through all that. Sorry to read it back. It was very eloquent. I will withdraw my motion for discussion.

Mister chair? Well At that meeting, wasn't wasn't there some talk of maybe looking for funds from the feasibility study from the many resources of where money comes and helps, like the Park Department and some of those places, did did that come up?

They had to have the feasibility study first to get the grant. So there was no extra money to pay for the feasibility that would come from us. But once the feasibility was there, they would they would possibility

Apply for grants.

Apply for grants to get the building built. I didn't word it correctly.

There are private resources. I mean, that always gets money from PACE trustees and there's other places. I mean, maybe we suggest to them reach out, you know, they don't even say no, and

then this wonderful discussion we have, I now have a firm opinion, You know, we're in a budget crisis. We have now vetted through this thing. We have not found a proper way to get through this smoothly. Our finance officers within this town need need to get us to the finish line by town meeting, and this will slow down that process.

I hear you. But if we're also working today, not meeting standards or requirements, I thought that might be important. Because if it gets shut down, it's gonna hurt.

What? Joe, please? Mister chair,

can We look the same.

It won't get shut down.

Can I I I think Please? It would take a few phone calls and a little bit of time and effort by maybe one or two individuals to find out. If we can go back, I'll have Jim call Leanne and Maddie tomorrow, try and determine that statement that you overheard. If we have a feasibility study, is there funding out there for construction of an actual project? But the requirement of those grant monies is that we have a feasibility study.

Let's find out exactly what that is. And then if there is something out there, then I can follow-up and let Leanne know, and then this isn't really a capital issue anymore. It then becomes Leanne's issue as the department head to craft an article for the town meeting warrant, and she can submit it. That way you you I believe you have done your due diligence in trying to attack this, and this might be it could still be funded through free cash. Mhmm.

But I think then that takes the burden off the capital committee, and now puts it on the department head to do the research. If that language is out there, if there's documentation showing that if we have a feasibility study, then we are then entitled for some support in construction, then that's probably the best the best way to go.

Democracy.

I I can live with that.

This has been discussed, for some time even before Joe came on. So the, Leanne has been working closely with Stephanie Hall in regards to research and grants grants for the animal shelter. That's where the idea of the feasibility study came about. So you guys were all correct in stating that the feasibility study needs to be completed is a necessity. It doesn't guarantee you the grant money. It allows you the purpose to apply for certain grants.

Move to the next page. Yeah.

Yeah. And maybe we do qualify for certain grants and maybe we don't. So that's

And that's Stephanie Hall

The grant writer.

The grant writer. So everybody understands Yes. What we're

that takes the burden. I think, again, due diligence has been done, takes the burden off your shoulders. I commend you for talking about it. But then it puts it right back on the department head to to write an article for this. If she can support the, appropriation of grant funding, if it actually exists out there.

Okay. In the essence of saving time, let's take no action on that if you guys agree. Agreed. I wanna be respectful. Fincom has a meeting at 07:00. He has four six I'm sorry. He has 649, so just so you're aware of it. Do you want to interpret anything else, Joe?

No. I just wanted to really are we good to move forward on the borrowing and the retained earnings requests?

We voted favorable action on all those articles. Okay.

And the free cash requests now are voted unfavorable minus the Chilli Pit.

We did vote favorable action on the Explorer subject to a funding mechanism.

Okay. That's specific. Funding mechanism is free cash.

Okay. So that's how we left it.

Okay. I recommend that you don't spend $42,000 on an Explorer.

You I agree.

Save the 42,000 in all the other things that was favorable action pending a funding source, less the Chelopeat because the number we have is not a big number, less than a quarter of $1,000,000, and I don't recommend I I recommend we defer any any of these capital expenditures from free cash other than the Chill Pit.

I agree. I make a motion

Oh, you look like

that. Specifically to remove the was that Ford Ford Explorer? Ford Explorer from the list. And? We're not gonna leave it subject to anything at this point.

And I would ask you to also remove the animal shelter feasibility study. We had to clear collection on that.

Okay. We're gonna do all all of

them then. Yes.

So so we have the the vehicle, the animal shelter,

and there's another one Brush chipper. Brush chipper. Olive Mill shed. Olive Mill shed. And conservation truck.

Conservation conservation truck from the what's the correct Free funding mechanism. From the free cash fund funding mechanism. Unfavorable action. Unfavorable action. Thank you for saying that.

Now we motion to have a

second. Second.

Any discussion? Bob? No. All set. Any comments from public? K. Hearing none. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. All those opposed? Motion passes unanimously. Thank you, William. Anything else?

Peter Carverson. You're you're you're safe now?

I am. Okay.

Let's make sure. There's nothing else, so I'll ask to make sure we're adjourned. We're we're gone in. We've gone in.

This is when this committee matters.

This is mister.

And it's really easy to do it when things are flushed.

But this is when this is when

the work comes in. We're looking for a second. Second.

Looking for a second. All those in favor?

Aye. Thank you, gentlemen. Moving to drive. Thank you.