Board of Selectmen - Regular Meeting

Okay, I'm going to call the special board of select my meeting to order at 9:15 on April 10th, 2026. This is a virtual only meeting. Um, in attendance we have selectman John Misham and uh first select woman Martha Shoemaker. Also attending is Anita Mancini from the our finance director. Um, selectman Jim Lampos is absent from today's meeting due to travel. So our first thing on our agenda is the approval of the settlement regarding the animal control incident and uh I did do additional research for um Mr. Mishum just to say that we cannot uh put a lean on the house it would also uh because the house is not owned by the p people involved in the incident it is transferred to one of their children. Um, so therefore, our option is to take this settlement. Um, and if even if we did have the option, putting a lean on a house means that you're waiting years. Um, I know that there were some reports of high uh bills for this incident, but there were also some things that weren't marked that were $10,000 was already donated by an outside organization to pay the vet bills and some of the bills that had been put in for a reimbursement to the court system could not be verified. Therefore, those were not considered. So, I think the totals that some people are seeing um are not the verified totals that were in the court system. Um so, if I could get an approval of the settlement of $10,000 uh on a motion, uh then we can have any further discussion that we'd like to have.

I will make a motion to approve the settlement of $10,000 to be paid in the next 10 business days. Um, can you make it 20 only because one of our uh legal people is on vacation. Okay. I thought they wanted to get this over with, but Okay.

They do, but but I just want to make sure that they have time to I I don't have the timing of how fast they move because we're dealing with two different legal entities. So, if we could amend that motion to just say within 30 business days or whatever, I don't know how long it takes. Uh, I will amend my motion to be 20 business days. Okay. I'll second that motion. I'll second the amended motion. Any further discussion, John?

Uh, no. I just noticed that it was put into a trust. So it seems like it's trying to possibly avoid the lean. So that's why I'm putting a a limit of the 20 business days so that we can if it doesn't happen, it's not never ending and we can address it and possibly in a different manner. I do believe the trust was in instituted before this incident happened. No. Okay. All right. Thank you. All right. So we'll move forward for a vote. All those in favor of um approving the $10,000 settlement in within 20 business days, please signify by saying I. I. I.

Any opposed? Any abstension? Motion passes. Okay. The next item is some additional budget funding for debt service. Anita um forgot to add something in. So, she's got a uh she's talked to BJ. We have to approve it first. Janita, I'm going to let you take the floor here and uh explain what going on.

Hi. Um okay, so for our clean water funds, there was a loan um put out. The state gave part of a grant um and we have to repay it back. The paperwork will be signed in July moving forward for the loan to be paid. Um so right now I'm putting in it's an estimate. We already figured it out. me and the financial um person, we figured it all out. So, it should come the first year would be approximately 20,000 in principal and approximately 10,000 in interest. And I'd like to put it on to add it to the budget now instead of if not we would have to go out to a town meeting to approve it next year once the loan is signed. So, uh, we just need a motion to approve the additional budget funding, uh, of $30,000 for, uh, debt for the debt service. And then the board of finance is going to have a special meeting next week. Um, and they will discuss it further. Uh, you want to make the motion, John, or you want me to?

Go ahead. Thank you. Um I'll make a motion to approve the $30,000 in additional budget funding for the debt service of the clean water fund uh grant as described by Anita Mancini. Second. Okay. Thank you. And any further discussion? John, do you have any questions for Anita? No, I'm I'm fine. Okay. Okay. So, we'll call for a vote. All those in favor of approving the additional budget funding, please signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? Any abstension? Motion passes. Okay. And we need a motion to adjurnn. Make a motion to adjurnn. Thank you.

920. Thank you, John. I'll second it. We're all in no favor, right? Yeah. Thank you. Have a great weekend, everybody. Bye. Thanks. You, too.