Finance Committee April 21, 2026

Good evening everyone. Today is Tuesday, April 21st, 2026. It's 6:32 p.m. This is the Finance Committee and I'd like to call the meeting to order with the pledge of allegiance.

I alledge of the United States of the United States and to the republic for it stands under God indivisibley and justice for all.

Under Mass General Law Chapter 30, chapter 30A section 20F, this meeting is being recorded. On March 28th, 2025, Governor Healey signed the law in which extends the temporary provisions pertaining to the open meeting law to June 30th, 2027.

Specifically, this further extension allows public bodies to continue holding meetings remotely without a quorum of public body physically present at a meeting location and to provide adequate alternative access to remote meetings.

The language does not make any substantive changes to the open meeting law other than extending the expiration date of the temporary provisions regarding remote meetings from March 31st, 2025 to June 30th, 2027.

Hello. Hello everyone.

Hi.

Nice to see you guys.

All right, I need to do we need to do a roll call of who is here. Um, so Hugh Morton is here. El Le Zach Lew here.

Nancy Stanton Cross.

Yeah.

Christopher Thrasher here.

Duncan Duncan Law here.

Cindy Brown and Karen Russ myself. So tonight we have absent is Gary Carrero.

So we have eight of us here. So hello everyone. Good to see everyone. It's been so long.

Um thanks for thanks for coming. I think the meeting will be brief. We have a couple of um we had one article that we um tabled to reconvene here and that was article 20. And then um Chris, our fatal, our town administrator, did confirm with legal counsel on article 34, which is the personnel bylaws. and legal counsel did uh I believe request for the finance committee to actually uh

make a recommendation and not to make no recommendation. So, those are the two um articles that we have. Otherwise, we went Yes.

Um Karen, uh didn't the select board add two articles?

Ah, it's a good question. That's a good point. So, we should um review those and make recommendations on those. Thank you, Cindy. So, is that article 30? I'll have to look at the 30 30 something.

30 something.

Yeah.

At the end. 30ome. Let me go.

I don't have it open. But so those are the two uh those are the articles for tonight.

And uh so let's get started on those. Um I just emailed everyone. I downloaded from the town's website the most recent version of the warrant. So or the final warrant. I shouldn't say most recent, right? So I think it's final. Um, I'm going to call it.

Yeah. So, it's the approved draft and uh the signature page. So, the official posted one uh just the only difference is going to be the signed page at the back, but the one that's on the website is uh what was approved.

Great. Thank you, Chris.

All right. So, we have article let's I'm going to call it up on my screen here so I think you all have it. Article 20.

Uh that was the appropriate uh wait did the number change?

Oh no appropriation for acquisition of foreclosed tax title properties. That is article 20.

Correct.

So that was the article that had a $5 million tag on it. Is that correct?

Yes.

Yes.

Right. Okay. And I think that's what we got stuck on.

Right.

And so that is what the final number is from the in the warrant.

[clears throat] So what what are we looking to um discuss here further or uh is there anything else that we need to talk about on this?

Well, I was I was very comfortable at the last meeting when we kind of weighed in and said it seemed excessive and that 2 and a half million was probably closer to the number. I don't remember exactly what that number was, but I I think we cut it in half and I'm personally happy with the two and a half.

I don't feel comfortable with five.

And now I had I had agreed with you. I still I still agree with you. I'm I I'm having trouble getting to a scenario where there would be a piece of property or a couple of properties that would be cumulative um that would have that much value that someone would allow to [clears throat] go to tax title. I would I would agree with you on that one that there would be other

other you know other solutions that would come to that unless someone just finds this to be a easy way to have the town sell the property for them and they they get the the benefit of the difference between what we were owed and what it actually sold for. I mean, if you think about it, someone could sit back and say, "Fine, you know, take it."

Uh, there's, you know, interest and whatnot attached to it. I get that. But they don't have to do anything except sit around and wait for a check. Now, granted, that's you're leaving some money on the table. But if you have a family that's infighting or whatnot over an estate and no one can really agree, and if you just allow it to go to that point, you know, maybe you'd have a a property

of some value that would would would get there, but I I feel that 5 million is far more than what would be necessary. I think that it would be difficult to get a blank check like that approved at town meeting and a ballot to have um a debt exclusion for that amount of money without having some real evidence of how or why it would have to be used for those purposes. But

yeah, I I agree with J. I just want to add though that's the way it should work, but that's not Massachusetts law at this point. This is the classic lararseny by land takingaking and there [clears throat] the Supreme Court has said you're right.

US Supreme Court the Massachusetts law has not been amended to take that up.

There are many horrible cases out there where in a foreclosure the the municipality comes and sells it and keeps pays itself the arars in in taxes.

but also keeps all the rest of the proceeds too.

But I I thought that that law had changed though. You all right? Massachusetts has not been changed though. The Supreme Court has said it's invalid.

They were still still on the books in Massachusetts. There are people asking to change it, but our friends in Beacon Hill have been dragging their feet. What a surprise.

Um, but as far as the basic premise, yeah, this only arises if the town was to buy in the property.

And I hard to imagine two and a half or $5 million worth of purchase that has not been gone through all kinds of things beforehand.

[clears throat] So, I I agree with you guys. A two and a half is plenty.

So just um just maybe let's go through our procedural options. So I think the the as it's written is $5 million. So we could make a motion to not approve it if we so chose. I think uh and Chris and Hugh and you can help me here, but I think can we also make a motion to change the number to two? In our motion, we can request to change the number to

two and a half million and then that would be something that we would make a motion to recommend.

I don't think I'm not sure to do that because remember the warrant article is the warning. The motion is what works.

So if the motion simply says two and a half, I think that's fine. Now, who's going to is is the moderator going to oppose the motion? Who's going to oppose the motion? But that's just a matter of how it reads.

I think the Go ahead, Chris.

Yeah, I was just going to say so the motion be based off of what is written in the article. Now, if the finance committee here tonight, you know, as part of its recommendation said, you know we and this I I guess goes in line with the motion uh supplement that we're going to hand out is if the finance committee said, you know, we're supportive of the idea of the article um you know, but you

know, we'd like to mean to consider a lesser amount. I think you could maybe say that as a narrative piece of it and if that was something that um you know you wanted to pursue it as an amendment to the motion made at town meeting you know maybe that's the way that um you could put that forward I'm not sure that the motion has to track the warrant the motion cannot ask for more

than the warrant article provides for but I don't see why you have to have to have a motion that is for the larger number that then gets amended to the smaller number. You just bring a motion for the smaller number. I agree with you of our explanation etc. That's fine. But in terms the mechanics, right? Because in previous in other in previous years the motion that if the finance committee wanted to change a

number or may maybe something was printed in error and it was found out afterwards then right the in the finance committee's motion as we were reading it we would say except to change 100,000 to 150,000. So we that would be part of our motion, right?

So you could you know I guess to answer your question about uh you know who's putting forward I I would say the initial motion, right?

Uh if the you know if the initial motion is based off of what's written, this would be an amendment. If um you know past practice has been that you know finance committee makes that proposed initial motion um you know obviously I work with council similar to what we've been doing with the other articles to make sure that it's uh you know it's appropriate but that would be but I I guess to the the point about the

actual how do you want to put a recommendation forward you know if like I said if you support the idea or the concept behind it and you wanted to add in like a one sentence, you know, or some some type of, you know, small narrative under that article for clarity as to what you're recommending. Um, you know, that could kind of supplement any proposed motion language.

Go ahead, Nancy.

I I think procedurally at town meeting.

So you make the recommendation like Chris said and that goes on. You know, the finance committee believes that the amount um should be lower. Um and then someone for the finance committee would make a motion at town meeting and include with that motion um a rationale but just say you know the finance committee based on reviewing this proposal believes that this number should be reduced and we

hereby make an amended motion to reduce it to 2 and a half million. Um, and the reason for that is blah blah blah and then you get a second and then that becomes the motion on the floor and then there's a vote, right Hugh? That's Yeah, I I would think you might pass it by the moderator. I mean, I would say for Steve, we're still the moderator. He used to review the motions, etc. We have

a new guy who's I'm sure perfectly competent, but hasn't done it very long.

So, that's why I'm saying uh town. I don't think there's any need to go the two steps, but obviously it didn't do any harm.

Well, and I'll also just add to because this is um the the type of article that this is um the language has to be very specific. Um yeah.

Yeah. So it, you know, if I would just say whatever the discussion, the decision is tonight, I will run that by council to make sure that we have, you know, the appropriate motion or amendment or however it needs to be worded so that we can That's exactly right and easy. You got to review with town council anyway and ask him which way we need to do it. That's fine.

Yep.

Great. Christopher Thrasher, go ahead.

Thank you, Madam Chair. So, I I think the most efficient way to do this would just be to put forth a motion to uh not recommend the article as written and then we can figure out which is the best method to uh present an alternative uh after the fact. So with that said, I believe I'm I am going to go go ahead and make a motion to not recommend it.

Second.

I think that's confusing.

Right. I think Well, so let me just understand. So if we were to make a motion to not recommend, then I think then we would need another recommendation following that to recommend what we would change it to, right? Aaron, let me be a nitp.

We don't make a motion to make them. We just make a a statement.

We either recommend or not, but that's not a motion. It's the point of view of the finance committee. The motion gets made maybe by the finance committee by somebody under the article to do something, but and that could be the finance committee, but our we make a report which recommends yes or no.

But that's not the action item. The action item is the motion itself which asks for this and that to happen. So I think we perfectly report. We like the idea. We're perfectly unhappy in our report, but we prefer it was a lower number. Then how that actually happens is what Chris will talk about with town council. Can simply the motion be smaller or do we have to go through the immediate one and then amend it down?

Well, Madam Chair, if I could I I based on past practice that I because I remember this coming up a few years ago and I'm I'm almost positive that it was a situation where the number where the the warrant article as written was not recommended and then there was a a subsequent report uh that that presented the uh the the potential change. Um, if it helps to clarify, could perhaps I could amend the motion

to say uh move that the the finance committee does not recommend this warrant article at the $5 million amount.

To me, that's recommend 2.5 million.

Yeah, that's right. But that by itself is not a motion which asks for action by the the town meeting. That's information. It's not an action item.

The actual motion [clears throat] is what starts things rolling.

But I think yeah, I think we need I think we need an action item whether we approve it or don't approve it. No differently than all of the other articles that we read. So I think that's that's the direction Chris was going in is that you know we need a either recommendation or or a non-recommendation pertinent to this article and then we could add the information that the finance committee believes this amount

should be closer to we actually have a benefit here by having this additional sheet I think with the footnote with the um with the votes on it with the recommendations on it because you can actually attach Now, a small narrative to that going in this article, the finance committee voted, if we in fact do so, voted to not recommend the article at the stated amount.

The finance committee would recommend an an item of a dollar amount of 2 million, two and a half, whatever the whatever the dollar amount is. Just for information purposes for those members of the audience, right? And just to just to clarify, e even la to give an example even last year um the motions and recommendations were printed in the warrant and we uh as we remember um just before town meeting

that we met and agreed to provide the school some additional funds and we voted that morning that that evening half an hour before town meeting. So, the motion was I read a different motion than what was printed in the warrant. I just changed the number because we we re-recommended it and we didn't we didn't read the motion that was printed in the warrant and then second secondarily later make a motion to

change it. We just changed it.

That's my story.

Madam Madam Chair, I have a just a point of inquiry here. Just I just want to make sure. So the recommendations of the finance committee this year are not being printed in the warrant itself. It is a supplemental sheet. Is that correct?

That's correct.

Okay. Okay. So in that case, I guess it does make sense to present I guess you could present the narrative all in one fell swoop. So, but procedurally, I don't think that the finance committee I don't see how the finance committee, a non-elected body can get up at town meeting and make a motion by the finance committee. I think that once Chris checks with council, we're going to find

that any one of us can say we're a member of the finance committee and after discussion as a t, you know, as a taxpayer and a voter, then you make the motion. the recommendation. We can't say what number. The select board's already approved the warrant, so we can't go back and change anything. We can only make an amended motion by as being a a voter in town to change the number.

Isn't that the case? Like the finance committee can't make a motance committee itself, that body can't make a recommendation for a motion. It can be an individual, but not the finance committee. No, the I think the finance committee does make recommendations.

You make recommendations, but a motion to change the number is different.

Recommendation and motion very different.

Well, this is this is exactly I I just this is exactly why I think it it it it should be two separate motions in this meeting because it should be all right, we do not recommend this article at this dollar amount and then adding in any narrative we want to put in our report.

Right?

That's that's my point for why I think it it would need to be separate motions.

I'm repeating myself, but it's important to make the distinction. The report of the finance committee is a report. It is not a motion.

The motion is separate. It could be made by the finance committee or the select or whomever, but it's separate and report is report.

Agreed.

That simplifies things because the finance committee is simply giving advice to the town as to what we think should happen.

Exactly.

Motion is then something that's going to be discussed and acted on.

Yes, I agree.

Yeah, great minds agree.

Yeah. Well, today

so I guess the question So there's a motion there's a motion there's a motion on the table. So, I guess maybe maybe we can think just think through the semantics of of what our intent is here, which sounds to me um well, we haven't voted as a group yet, but it sounds to me that in layman's terms that the the article seems to be in favor if the number was two 2.5 million. So,

however we want to make that language work just to make our recommendation tonight and then Chris can figure out all the he understands the semantics of what we're trying to do and then then Chris can do whatever he needs to do with town council to get the concept of what we're trying to relay here. Karen, I suggest we simply vote on our point of view and then Chris will deal with the

mechanics of how the town media acts on it.

In fact, I will move that we recommend in favor of a fund for foreclosure not to exceed 2 and a.5 million.

Well, we already have a motion and a second on the table now. [clears throat] We can amend it. We can make a warrant, but I don't think we have any motion.

There is there is a motion on on Yes, I I I did for put forth a motion to not recommend to not recommend the warrant article as printed in the warrant.

I I have the intent of putting a putting a second motion to the to the body to uh to put the the second part on that. I just I do think it needs to be two separate motions and and separate our duties of of recommending or not recommending warrant articles as printed and then providing a report with a with an alternative.

Chris, I don't disagree with you, but I think I leave that now to meandish to town council.

Chris has got to talk to him anyway.

Was Chris's motion seconded?

Yes.

Okay. So, Zack Zach seconded it.

Okay. So then we're discussing and here are you filing is you you're doing an amended motion.

No motion. I'm doing simply a report.

No, I understand. Is your but are you asking that we write it the way that you said or Chris has a motion to write it a certain way.

Yeah. Chris is going to confer town council and he should know how the mechanism is going to work. So we don't need to invent the wheel again. If he has to talk to he's going to talk to county council and it knows how these things work too.

He's talking about Chris Christopher Thrasher's motion. Are you fine with are you fine with his the wording of his motion in the process I don't care what the motions are. It's not whatever is going to work.

Okay.

[clears throat] So, the intent then would be this would be the first motion that we would then vote on and then there'd be a second motion that will uh someone will make a recommendation to say the two and a half million. So, it doesn't matter to me if we do it in two. Town council will determine if it needs to be split into two or combined into one. So, yeah, they're going to tell us. I

wouldn't want Yeah, they'll tell us. So, however, whether we did this hand up, whether we did it as one combined here, the the town council would determine if they wanted to split it into two or if we did it into two, they combine into one. I think it it it all works the same. Um, go ahead, Chris.

So, I was just going to say, I mean, I have a draft of kind of that supplemental handout for article 20. So you could, you know, if you want, I'm happy to share my screen just you could see what it's going to look like and depending on how uh the finance committee votes tonight on this. Um, I think to the point that was mentioned earlier, like I said, I'm happy if it

ends up being one versus two separate motions, I'm happy to put just again that that one sentence, you know, explanation at the bottom of the recommendation clarifying whatever the, you know, however you decide or if there are two separate recommendations that appear, you know, I can kind of specify what each of those means as it relates to the warrant. So I can share that obviously you know if there's any you know

question of how it's going to look you know when people are looking at this um or or considering it um totally up to you guys. I would I my suggestion would be however it's structured that's that's up to the lawyers but I would I would give the voters the full scope of why we're rejecting the uh the report and a recommendation for an amended report or what how whatever the legal term is on that so that

pardon me we're not putting the voters through a vote and then let's just make this up and say they vote for the $5 million. Well, then the second motion is null and void.

No, if you have to make if you need to make an amended, you make the first motion and then move to amend it. You don't act on it. You move to amend it to change the figure down and then that's the one that gets voted on for good.

[clears throat] And and and just to be clear, my my my thinking here is that it would be easier to combine two separate motion, two separate recommendations from this meeting than it would be to separate them procedurally. So that's why I'm just saying let's do one and then the other. That's all.

I think we're all in agreement in the effect.

Yeah, I think so. So I think let's let's uh we've got a motion in a second. So I think yeah, let's vote concept. So I think we're ready to to to vote. So the motion on the table is to not approve um article 20. Uh so uh Hugh um was there with clarification not to approve as written but to approve the lower number of two and a half million.

That will be a second motion that someone will um No, it's not a again I I don't mean to be tiresome but we're not doing a motion. We're doing a report that may be embedded in a motion or something, but right now we are voting on the substance of what we would like to have happen and that'll get embedded by Chris Fatali and all and town council in the form that is point given to the

town meeting for action.

We don't do we do recommendation.

Yeah, Hugh, we're g we're going to do both. So, however the committee recommends tonight, I'll post the recommendation, the two re into separate recommendations.

And separate from that, I will talk about the draft motions whether or not there's one proposed motion or if there's one motion and an amendment and I will make sure that that is provided.

Absolutely.

I would be happy with that. That's fine.

Meanwhile, I think that's I I interrupt the vote. I apologize.

That's okay. So part one is to not recommend not recommend. Right.

Not recommend as written.

Okay. So that's what we're voting on now. So, Hugh, uh, yes.

Al, hi.

Hi, Zack.

Zach Lew. I Nancy Nancy Stanton Cross. I Christopher.

Well, he made the motion, so he must be an I, but he's on mute.

Christopher, are you with us? There you go.

Great. Thank you, Duncan.

Duncan, I Cindy Cindy Brown, I Karen Ross I.

Okay. So, now the second part two would be uh a motion um a recommendation to change the dollar amount from $5 million to $2,500,000.

Is that right? So if somebody would be would make that motion.

So move second.

Thank you. Great. Okay.

Thank you. All right. So any discussion on that? Ready. All right. Q Morton. I l I Zach Zach Lew. I Nancy Nancy Stanton Cross. I Christopher Christopher Thratcher. I Duncan Duncan Law I Cindy Cindy Brown I Karen Rouse I All right, that was article 20.

I'm just going to say that if we had this much fun with this, I can only imagine what the audience is going to do with this.

I know the same thing.

Better call out for coffee and sandwiches for this one.

It does get confusing when there's motions and then there's changes to it and then you vote on the change but then you have to go back. It it it's we see the head spin and ours does too. All right. So the next article was article 34 which was the bylaw for um the personnel bylaw change. [snorts] And so Chris I don't think that's 3. I don't think that's 34.

Is it not 34? Did I Did I get my number?

25.

It's 25. Yeah, 25. Thank you.

So, article 25. And so, Chris, you reached out to town council and they asked that we instead of making the no recommendation that we had done at our previous meeting, they are asking us to make a recommendation. Is that correct?

That is correct. That is correct. Chris, Chris, did they say why they felt that the that this was a finance committee matter that should be have a recommendation on?

Uh, unfortunately, they did not expand on that.

Okay. Um, I I I guess I will say the personnel board met last week, last Wednesday. Um, one of the items on the agenda was this very article. Um and we discussed it amongst the members present at the personnel board and the personnel board did vote in favor to um recommend the passage of this uh article um 3 to one with one member absent.

Madam chair, I would make a a motion to recommend this article.

Terrific.

I'll second that.

Great. Uh, any further discussion?

Nope. Okay. Uh, I'll do a roll call.

Hugh.

Hugh Martin. I L El Le.

Zack.

Zach Lew. I Nancy Nancy Stanton Cross. I Christopher.

Christopher Thrasher. I Duncan Duncan Law. I Cindy Cindy Brown. I [clears throat] and Karen Ross. I All right. Great. Um, Chris, are there more articles that got added to the warrants after?

Yes, it's articles 35 and 36. Um, [clears throat] so on the I'm just pulling it up right now. They're all on page see here starting on page 31 if you're looking at the uh download from the website um article 35 is an authorization to accept easements in Francis Estates the subdivision and article 36 is uh special legislation to amend the recall special act in 35 I'm sorry I just closed out my warrant of course.

Could you repeat that, Chris? So 35 is is what? What is that?

So that is the authorization to accept easements in Francis Estates subdivision. So this article would authorize the select board to acquire easements in that estate. Um I guess there's a fire system and cemetery. um that these easements would allow the town or the select board to obtain those to continue maintenance and access. So that's uh article 35 and then article 36 is the um amendment to the recall.

Okay. So, article 35, does anyone feel that that has a financial impact that we need to recommend or or make no recommendation in indirectly? It probably does if the town's going to be on the hook for maintenance and and whatnot down the road, but I don't think this specific article sounds like it is uh financial related.

[clears throat] I'll make a motion that we recommend passage of article 35 doesn't do any harm.

Yeah, I agree.

Second.

Any further discussion?

No.

All right, I will do a roll call. Q.

Hugh. Morton. I L Al leaves. I Zack Zach Lew. I Nancy Nancy Stanton Cross. I Christopher Christopher Thrasher I Duncan Duncan Law I Cindy Cindy Brown I and Karen Rouse I All right. So article 36 is as Chris Chris said the special legislation to amend the recall special act. Um so this is changing um that the recall petition needs 10% of registered voters. That's what's currently in the bylaw and this uh

amendment is to reduce the number of signatures to 5%.

Is that the nature of the entire change Chris?

So there is also the initial uh signatures needed that's reduced in half as well. So essentially the initial signatures needed and then the uh the followup.

Oh, I see. So the initial recall petition goes from 200 down to 100.

Correct.

Madam Shim, I wouldn't think this is finance committee business, right?

I would agree.

Madam Chair, I would move to uh to I guess I would move no recommendation on this article.

Yes.

Thank you.

All right. Any further discussion?

No.

Nope. Okay. Uh roll call. Q.

Morton.

I ly.

Zack. [clears throat] Zack. I Nancy Nancy Stan Cross. I Christopher Christopher Thrasher. I Duncan Duncan. I Cindy Cindy Brown. I and Karen Rouse. I thank you. Um Chris, anything else on the warrant that we need to um um No. Uh the town clerk has it uh as well as the signature page. So uh it will be posted very shortly. this week ahead of town meeting. Uh we are also finalizing the draft motions with town

council uh which I hope to have uh finalized by Thursday this week. So you know with that done um the last thing that will need to be added is select board recommendations that will uh be done on Monday for the articles.

Is the finance committee budget posted up yet? because I saw that the select board budget is posted but not the finance committees which is slightly different.

So if I recall uh and it maybe was on the chain the last couple days and I apologize if I had not seen it. I know um Nicole had sent that out uh to us on the email chain and I don't know if she was just looking for a confirmation before I looked at it. It looked um it looked good. I just don't know if she was waiting for that.

um green light to go ahead and post it.

Okay.

I I think I think what Karen was referring to on the splash page of the of the town website, it said it's the select board budget can be found here and there's a hyperlink to click on it.

But is that the select board budget or is that the finance committee budget that's posted there?

So the one that's posted now is the select board. Um if you just want to send me just so it's at the top of my inbox the document that you want me to post we can absolutely do that tomorrow for the one that uh finance committee has done and I just I was just referring to for clarity the um um the supplemental handout of the proposed budget that Nicole was

right that is one of the things so we don't have anything different we our finance committee does not have a different format budget So the one Nicole does is the one for us that is is part of the Perfect. So if that's So if it if it looks good, we can get that up tomorrow.

Yeah, that'd be great. Okay, great.

And um so in terms in terms of the rest of the motions, Cres are norm just in nor I mean we have a a new town moderator who last year was his first year but in the past the town moderator would would around this time or earlier would have designated who he wanted to be reading the motions, what articles and what who would be reading what. And so we'd be starting to get those. So

this way we'd have each each person. So for example, the planning board would read those motions because those are articles that they would put forth. Um so it would be dalled out. So this way when we get to town meeting, we each know who's who's speaking.

Yes. So, I have a meeting with the moderator on Thursday and I'm also sitting down with the town clerk and town council and uh all that should be finalized.

Okay, great.

At that meeting.

Okay. And then at that time then then you can let let me know what articles the finance committee will be putting putting forth. Okay.

Yes.

Great. Okay. Um Okay.

Uh, I think I think we're good to go on the town meeting. Um, I'm just trying to think if there's anything else that we need to I think we're all set with everything else.

Um okay.

So, um, anything else for Chris? We're we're going to quickly review our a presentation that I put forth together.

You're welcome to stay.

Karen, I do have a question that might involve uh that might involve Chris. Um Karen, I I was busy this afternoon and I just caught up to the email exchange that you had today with Jessica, our our recording clerk regarding votes as to how we need to uh discern who voted what on each article. We never used to do that. So I wasn't sure if I was confused by your instructions. that it sounded

like in your instructions that you said that Jessica had to indicate who voted h how each person on the committee voted.

So we do So that's for our minutes.

Oh, okay. Just for the minutes, right?

Oh, okay. Okay. All right.

Right. So for our minutes, we do a roll call as so in all our minutes we indicate the the vote. And so the right the the initial chart that Jess put together for minutes did not have that. It just had a of 8 to one or 8 to zero.

I thought you were talking about the one for our minutes. We need a roll call.

Okay.

But for a town meeting, it's just going to be a number seven to zero or or I was just trying to make sure that I was clear on two se two separate things. Um Chris, actually before you go, maybe um so we did receive some correspondence. So I just want to go out of order for a second. So we did uh receive a request for as you know for and I think the

whole finance committee received the email as well from u Mr. Higgins and he's requesting minutes from two finance committee minutes from 2023 through 2026 which certainly is no issue a little bit easier to get. Yeah, those are currently on the website. So, those will really just be a download to get. Um, but there was also a series of minutes from um 70 three 73 to 78 78. Um, and madam madam chair, I I would like

the committee to be aware the school committee received the same requests for these same year. So, I'll be digging through helping helping them dig through file gaps in the old high school trying to find them as well. So, good luck.

What what's what's interesting uh about that is that um I think for a couple of those years on the finance committee um surprisingly I was actually the recording clerk for the finance committee in a couple of those 1970s years I think the last two maybe 778 I know at least 78 um those minutes do not exist there was no place to ever really store them. Uh you didn't h we didn't have um

the the town hall back then barely had a copy machine. Um you know they were still doing things on mimograph and mim we did not type the minutes on mimograph. I mean it was uh minutes were read and more or less kind of said yeah okay that was fine because the finance committee has no authority. you know, they they never voted on anything that was an action item. So, they only made

recommendations to, you know, to town meeting as we do now. And it was town meeting that took an official vote.

Whatever our opinions were within the meeting, um, had very little bearing, per se, and the minutes never went anywhere. There are no files there. I can tell you that Paula can spend a week looking for them and she won't find them because there are no files. And I can tell you pretty assuredly that every member of that of the finance committee from the 1970s, with the exception of

one person, has long since passed. So, um, Sandy Lton is still around. He lives in Connecticut, but he's traveled across country a couple of times, moved several times, and I bet he doesn't have minutes from 1975. So, I just um I just want to fast forward for a second. So, presuming um so I guess I'm gonna look for assistance from Christopher if you have the same request because you're

going to be needing to do a response as well or Chris through town council. Um we have apparently 10 days to to give that information. So, what happens on day 10? What do we do? Do we clearly should send the minutes that we do have?

Do we make a note? We're going to need some sort of language to address uh address that if we do or don't have the minutes that they're not forthcoming.

So, we would Yeah. So, I think um you know, obviously um you know, just because meeting minutes are very important, you know, we would look anyways through the records just in the off chance um even if they weren't typed. Uh, I know some of the older minutes that I've seen are handwritten.

Um, but we will go through and obviously look through all of our records and places that um um they they may be located in town. And to your point, um, if it's something that um, we're unable to find, you know, the records that are responsive, you know, we would respond and provide those records. Um for the ones that aren't, you know, we would obviously um you know, provide some language and information to the

requester on that, but um my office can definitely help craft that response and we'll we can coordinate offline on that further.

Yeah. Perfect.

Now, now if the if the open meeting law did not exist in the 1970s, do you still have to comply with something that did not exist back during the time frame that's referenced?

That is exactly the question that I'm going to pose to the school committee council because I am very curious about that myself.

Yeah, I mean yeah the open meeting law didn't exist then. So there was no requirement as to how records had to be kept then.

So it is a curious question.

These these are normally answered by town council council for the uh school committee respectively. You send over they tell you what to do. If there's an extension of time, you're allowed an extension of time. If it's uh an exhaustive search going for years such as this when the open meeting law, then they'll just tell us, you don't have to produce this, this, and this. And they'll do the response for you. That's

what they get paid for.

Good.

We can speculate, but then they won't watch the first pitch of the Red Sox Yankees and we're talking this evening.

I'm watching the Celtics myself, but I understand that I was gonna say the easy answer for those that don't exist is they don't exist, right? They're not there. What are you gonna do?

Creating new ones would be not a good idea.

Yeah. The individual asking for these minutes customarily did it when I was on the school committee. I see Christopher Thrasher that obviously it's still happening and he does it throughout Bristol County um to many many boards.

So this is not unusual to see unusual for the finance academy maybe but they come often.

Thanks. Well, I'll be looking for whatever guidance from anybody to to craft the craft that. So thank you uh once you uh reach out to your Yeah, somebody gets paid the big bucks for that, Karen.

Yeah, exactly. I I get I don't get paid big enough bucks to to manage this response. So thank you.

All right. Um I think Al has his hand. Sorry.

That's okay. No, that's quite all right.

Very brief answer to a point of information. What's the point?

What is What is What is this guy's point of of constantly bombarding everybody in Bristol County? But let's talk specifically about Westport. I've only been on the board for I think three years now and this is the second time that we've had a similar request.

This is I would restrain my comments for fear of defamation.

Okay.

Right.

Enough enough said. I I I thought I was missing something here.

No, I agree. It can be it it can be bothersome and that's why we send it over to the lawyers that work for the town or the schools and let them formulate the response and when they ask for the documents then um that somebody will provide them. It's really not it came through the finance committee because that's the proper way to file it but then just let them deal with it.

Yeah.

Great. Thank you.

Um all right so moving on. Um I had uh for presentation for for town meeting um I I get up and do a very very brief presentation and I forwarded you essentially was exactly what was said last year. I changed the dates and changed the numbers. Um so I just sent that off. So, um, if anybody has comments on it or if you didn't get a chance to look at it, if you want to

send comments to me through email afterward, that's fine. But, um, it's essentially the same very highlevel presentation that that uh really talks about the finance committee, its budget process, its time frame that it it does.

uh we don't go heavy into the numbers because that would um not be productive.

I think you'd have a lot of faces that um it wouldn't be the time to do it. So, if anybody's interested, hopefully they've been watching our meetings. Um so, if anyone hasn't anyone have any comments on it or suggestions or changes or anything?

No comments.

Okay, great.

Looks good.

Good. Yep.

I'm a I'm a stage fright person, so that's the most nervous five minutes that I I have in in life. Um, all right.

We'll get through it. All right. So, uh, the next item is uh to approve minutes.

We have minutes of March 10th, 2026, March 17, 2026, and March 24th, 2026.

[clears throat] Al, you've got your hand up. Go ahead.

I will. I will abstain on March 17th. I I was not here at that meeting.

All right. So, should we do them individually or I was I'll have to abstain on the 17th.

I wasn't here either.

All right. So, let's do three separate motions then. So, uh we'll first take the minutes of March 10th, 2026 if I can.

Motion to motion to approve.

Second.

Second.

Any comments?

No. Okay. Hugh.

Hugh Morton. I l I Zach Zach Leu. I Nancy I Christopher H I believe I will abstain from that one. I think it was absent from that one.

Okay. Um sure thing Duncan I Cindy S Cindy Brown I and Karen Rouse I. All right. the minutes of March 17, 2026.

Looking for motion to motion to approve.

Second.

Thank you. Any discussion on those? All right. Uh, roll call. Hugh.

Hugh Morton. I L Elstain.

Zack.

Zach Lew. I Nancy Nancy Stanton Cross abstain.

Christopher.

Christopher Thrasher. I Duncan.

Duncan Law. I Cindy Cindy Brown I and Karen Ross I and the minutes of March 24th, 2026.

Motion to approve.

Second.

Thank you. Any discussion?

Q. All right. No. So I'll go a roll call. Q.

Hugh. Martin. I Al Al Le I.

Zack Zachru. I Nancy Nancy Stanton Cross. I Christopher Christopher Thrasher. I Duncan Duncan Law I Cindy Cindy Brown I and Karen Ross I Great. Okay.

[clears throat] Um the last item on the agenda is our upcoming meeting. So our next meeting is Tuesday, May 5th. Um annual town meeting is at 700 p.m. at the high school. Um we traditionally uh will gather as a finance committee have a meeting at 6:30 and we do that in the cafeteria. And just in case anything last minute comes up that we need to discuss. Um but I wouldn't hopefully

there there won't be any but we'll we'll just meet at 6:30 and then we'll have a half hour to um to get ready for the meeting. So that's our next meeting 6:30 in the calf.

Okay.

And annual town meeting is at 7 p.m.

Just confirming it's obvious but there's no meeting next week.

That is correct. I think we've done our duties. Hugh.

We're getting pretty good at this. We're We're able to whittle down the number of meetings that we have. We're getting pretty good at this, right? We get it all done early, which is great. So, this way um in case something does come up, we have time to to deal with it. So, we're not last minute. So, um unless of course you all want to meet next week, we certainly.

[clears throat] All right. So, I have nothing else. Uh thank you everyone again for um we're on the home stretch. We've got the town meeting and then we're we uh relax a little bit. And and just in case everyone doesn't know um Hugh is his term ends this year and he uh is electing to not renew on the finance committee. So this is his last his last harrah and so we will um I'll miss you

Hugh. So, absolutely. [clears throat] Thank you so much for all of your hours and dedication to this. Uh, Mr. Morton, thank you so much.

I've been saying I don't think you want to have somebody impersonating Joe Biden on the committee.

I haven't seen I haven't seen you fall asleep.

Just as well. Well, I saw some of my marbles.

How many years have you been on the committee? Hugh? I think this makes 18.

18.

Mazi, I think it's 23. That's more than I've done, but Yeah. 18. Wow. That's amazing.

You can still watch the meetings here.

Trouble. Yeah.

You can you can be our peanut gallery.

You can be a member of the audience. And uh and we should get Yeah.

Send one of those minutes.

Yeah. Maybe we should get you one of those sponge footballs so you can throw it at the TV screen.

Well, I still have a variety of meetings, the south coast meetings and trustees reservation meetings and other meetings. So, I'm not exactly going to be doing nothing.

Are you planning on coming to town meeting Hugh?

Pardon me. Are you coming to town meeting? Are you planning?

I plan to. Right.

Okay.

Great. Great. Great. We'll get to see you in person one one one more time. So, great.

All right. So, um it's a wrap for me if nothing else. Anything else from anybody?

Motion to adjurnn.

Second.

All right. I will uh roll call. So, Hugh Hugh Martin.

Al le I Zack.

Zack Leru. I Nancy Nancy Stanton Cross. I Christopher Christopher Thrasher. I Duncan Duncan Law. I Cindy Cindy Brown I and Karen Rose. I Good night everyone.