Present:

• Roxanne McCaffrey, Chair
• Chuck Cardillo
• Patrick White
• Michael Canales, Town Administrator
• 3 via Zoom audience

1. Special Permit Public Hearing: Brett White and attorney Dennis Eagen for 6 Hawthorne Road (Camp Mahkeenac)
   1. Fire destroyed buildings — have to be reconstructed
   2. Need permit because footprint of destroyed building different from footprint of proposed
   3. Department of Environmental protection (DEP) satisfied because demonstrated footprint smaller and therefore reduced impervious area (from 5738 sq ft to 4514 sq ft)
   4. Guidelines of Special Permit: not detrimental to neighborhood, met all setback requirements
   5. Two neighbors spoke in support of Camp as “good neighbor
   6. Permit granted
2. Canales presented “first Look” at budget Operational
   1. General budget up $41,000O — information technology
   2. Public Safety (fire) up $43,600 for additional truck
   3. School Department up $460,000 as number of children in Stockbridge increased
   4. Water and Sewer up $44,000 ($12,000 testing balance staffing)
   5. Human Services down (Counsel on Aging not staffed) Postponed to discuss “direction”. To date no decision made
   6. Culture budget flat but White mentioned Cultural Council would like to augment the $4-5000 awarded by Commonwealth with local contribution of $10,000 for Stockbridge only
   7. Debt service up $34,000
   8. Police Dept would like to add an officer
   9. 8.1% increase for health insurance with a “one month holiday” so cost level but next year if there is no “holiday” cost up 8.1% as increase permanent
   10. White wanted to know if a Conservation Agent is in budget as volunteers cannot follow up and enforce all regulations, for example, required that 75% of trees planted survive first year.
   11. Canales suggested a Conservation Agent be a shared service such as Tri Town Health or the ambulance service
   12. Open positions — Facilities Manager (in budget) Council on Aging (not in budget) and Highway Foreman (in budget) So 2 of 3 in budget but no one hired
3. Continuing — Capital Expenditures — Infrastructure
   1. Good shape overall but facing deferred maintenance costs
   2. Five ways to fund capital exp. Stabilization Fund ($2,398,000)
   3. Free Cash ($2,523,000 due to saving almost $1 million for anticipated COVID-19 costs that never occurred)
   4. Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) ($3,720,000)
   5. ARPA ($564,900 minus $33,00 for TriTown Health = $531,900)
   6. Cemetery Fund ($406,000)
   7. Pay for new Salt Shed and Tuckerman, Averic Bridges
   8. Curtisville Bridge cost dependent on Mass Historic Commission determination re: restoring it in an historicall-correct manner (potentially cost prohibitive)
   9. White brought up that part of budget is the cost of money (interest). Interest has been historically low and now rising so debt service will go up. Discussion ensued about how best to contain interest costs as interest rates rise. Canales: maintain “debt schedule balance” that is as loans are paid off and new debt is incurred, amount of debt remains level. White pointed out with rise in interest rates the same debt costs more money
   10. Cardillo in favor of proactive maintenance and an end to deferred maintenance and therefore calculate costs for example problem on Elm Street
   11. White suggested using money from ARPA for Highway Department (there were thefts from that dept)
   12. Extending Sewer: individuals have requested extending sewer to their properties. Do they go forward funding it themselves since Town has capacity but may not have funds or wait for Town as extending sewer appears to be part of Town’s long-range planning. Followed a discussion about using ARPA funds for Sewer and Water Master Plan
   13. Anticipated costs for new school, and if that rejected, cost of mandatory repairs to extant school.
4. Roxanne read application by Michael Nathan to serve on Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) Committee. Did not appoint Nathan — tabled matter until could review what PILOT has accomplished since 2017 and assess going forward. Many nonprofits suffered during COVID-19 — reduced or dropped payment e.g. Kripalu once paid $20,000/year but not since COVID-19.
5. White would like to have an award for a Senior who contributed to Town and perhaps a scholarship for a Stockbridge student — awarded at Town Meeting as Pat Flinn once received. He will look into the mechanics.
6. Roxanne announced a COVID-19 Booster Clinic March 7 — 1:30 pm – 3 pm Town Offices.

Meeting adjourned