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STM 12-1-2021 Finance Committee Recommendations pdf file
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Source page 1
Recommendations of the Finance Committee
to the Voters of Canton, Massachusetts
2021
TOWN OF CANTON
SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
Morse Auditorium
Canton High School
900 Washington Street, Canton
Study this report and come to Special Town Meeting.
Bring this report with you.
YOUR VOTE at Special Town Meeting is important
because it establishes capital project priorities
for our Town.
The Town, upon request, will endeavor, to the
greatest extent possible, to make available any
and all visual and audio devices and assistance for
the disabled. For more information, please call
781-821-5000.Source page 2
Special Town Meeting December 1, 2021
TOWN FINANCE TERMINOLOGY
The terms below are frequently used in the annual Town report and at Town Meetings. In order to provide
everyone with a better understanding of their meanings, the following definitions are provided:
APPROPRIATE: To authorize spending. Once an appropriation for a budget or article has been made by
Town Meeting, the appropriation can only be changed by another Town Meeting. The exceptions are a
transfer from the Reserve Fund or a year end transfer authorized by the Selectmen and the Finance
Committee.
BONDS: The money Canton borrows to pay for capital projects such as the High School and police
station.
CAPITAL EXPENSES: Expenses associated with the purchase of long-term assets, or projects. Paying
for these expenses can come from either cash (Cash Capital) or from long term bonding.
DEBT EXCLUSION: Taxes raised in an amount necessary to pay for debt service on a borrowing, and
only temporarily for a period of time expiring when the payment of debt service of a debt exclusion
borrowing is completed through a Prop. 2½ override to pay for capital projects such as building the high
school or library.
EMINENT DOMAIN: Eminent domain refers to the power of the government to take private property and
convert it into public use. The Fifth Amendment provides that the government may only exercise this
power if they provide just compensation to the property owners.
EXECUTIVE SESSION: Executive sessions are a special meeting-within-a-meeting authorized by
Massachusetts General Law that provides an opportunity for the board to meet privately to handle
sensitive and confidential issues, foster robust discourse, and strengthen trust and communication.
FREE CASH RESERVE (UNDESIGNATED FUND BALANCE): An accumulation of surpluses left at the
end of the fiscal year. This funding is available to be allocated at Town Meeting through a simple majority
vote. It is akin to a savings account.
INDEFINITELY POSTPONE: This is the equivalent of a negative vote on an article.
FY22: July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022
FY23: July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023
LEVY LIMIT: The maximum amount of tax levy in any given year. The levy limit is based on the previous
year’s levy limit plus 2 1/2% plus new growth, and not the previous year’s actual levy.
OPEB: Other Post-Employment Benefits are benefits provided to town retirees for such things as health,
dental and life insurance. Retirees are eligible for these benefits in addition to a town pension.
OVERLAY: The amount raised by the Assessors primarily for the purpose of creating a fund to cover
abatements.
OVERLAY RESERVE: This is the accumulated amount of the Overlay for various years not used or
required to be held in the specific Overlay accounts for a given year. The Assessors control release of
funds in the Overlay reserve that exceed pending tax liability.
RAISE: To tax. The tax rate is set by the Assessors after the Annual Town Meeting and after receipt of
the final “Cherry Sheet.”
RESERVE FUND: This fund is established by the voters at an Annual Town Meeting. Transfers from the
Reserve Fund are within the control of the Finance Committee, and are for “extraordinary or unforeseen
expenditures.”
STABILIZATION FUND: The fund is established by the voters for future uses. A 2/3 Town Meeting vote
is required for its use.
TAX LEVY: (LEVY): The revenue a community can raise through real estate and personal property taxes.
A GUIDE TO PARTICIPATING AT TOWN MEETING
If town meeting is to run smoothly a few simple rules must be followed…….
No person should speak unless standing at a microphone and then only after having been ‘recognized’ by
the moderator.
It is both impolite and contrary to the rules of procedure to shout out “Question”, or “Move the Question”
while seated, while someone else is speaking, or without being ‘recognized’.
When recognized, a voter should first state his or her name and address clearly and distinctly before
making any statement.
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Special Town Meeting December 1, 2021
Voters should be brief. It is a good idea to state at the outset why you have risen to speak: e.g. I rise to
speak in favor (or against) the motion to Voters may wish to summarize at the close of their remarks:
I hope the motion now pending is (not) adopted
Rather than repeat arguments already made, consider saying: I concur with the statements made by the
previous speaker(s) and for the same reasons urge you to vote (in support of) or (against) the main
motion when it is put.
A town by-law restricts any one speaker to not more than ten minutes at any one time. The patience of
other voters is often not as long.
A town by-law restricts any one speaker from speaking more than twice on the same matter except to
correct an error or a misstatement.
A person who is speaking on behalf of another (such as an attorney) is required to disclose that fact
before making any statement.
A motion to reconsider is quite technical in nature. A person who intends to move reconsideration should
discuss it in advance with the moderator. Generally the motion may be made at any time so long as a
sufficient interval has elapsed since the last vote on the matter was taken, and/or additional information
has become available, so as to give a reasonable basis to believe the meeting might vote differently.
When the motion to reconsider is pending debate is limited to why reconsideration should prevail and not
to the merits of the underlying motion.
When one voter is speaking every other voter in the hall should pay attention to what is being said. No
person should interrupt a speaker unless some ‘rule’ is being violated. If a voter believes a rule is being
violated they should rise in place, wait to be recognized by the moderator (For what purpose does the lady
rise?) Voter: I rise to a point of order. Moderator: State your point of Order. Voter: …The speaker is
dealing in personalities, (or) the remarks of the speaker are not germane to the subject at hand, etc.
Rather than read every warrant article the moderator may say “The chair asks unanimous consent that
the reading of the article be waived (Pause) Seeing no objection it is so ordered.”
Voters should refrain from displaying their approval or disfavor towards a speaker by applauding or by any
other means.
NOTE TO ALL VOTERS CONCERNING
SPECIAL TOWN MEETING PROCEDURES
At a previous Annual Town Meeting a by-law was adopted which requires that almost all warrant articles
be acted upon in the order they are drawn by a lottery, not the order they appear in the warrant. There
are certain exceptions, however, to the lottery system. “The Moderator may declare that certain articles
be acted in a particular order of sequence or that one article must be acted on before another article may
be acted on…”[1] The Moderator has declared that to facilitate an efficient meeting, Article 3 will be
addressed before Article 2 for this Special Town Meeting. The following should help you understand how
this Special Town Meeting will proceed:
Special Town Meeting will be opened by the Town Clerk. The Moderator will first address Article 1 and
Article 3 in that order. A presentation will then be made by the Select Board prior to FINCOM making their
motion for Article 2. Following the Select Board presentation, the Moderator will allow open questions from
the audience. If any other person wishes to make a presentation or provide information that they believe
members of Town should consider prior to voting Article 2, please contact the Moderator at
alan.hines@pwc.com prior to November 28, 2021. Once all background information related to Article 2 has
been shared, the Moderator will recognize the FINCOM Chair to make a motion for Article 2. The FINCOM
motion will be duly debated and then voted. These procedures will allow a little more flexibility for
members of the town to share information prior to formally debating the motion for Article 2.
[1]
Article 4, Section 5
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Special Town Meeting December 1, 2021
Town of Canton
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Norfolk, ss
To the Constables of the Town of Canton,
Greetings:
In the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts you are hereby required to notify and
warn the inhabitants of the Town of Canton to meet at Morse Auditorium, on the grounds of
the Canton High School, 900 Washington Street in said town on;
SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
WEDNESDAY, THE FIRST DAY
OF DECEMBER 2021
At seven-o’clock (7:00 P.M.) in the evening at which time and place the following articles are
to be acted upon:
Finance Committee Recommendations to the voters for the Special Town meeting are as
follows:
ARTICLE 1
ADOPT THE RULES TO GOVERN SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
Article 1 To see if the town will vote to adopt certain procedures to govern the conduct of the
2021 Special Town Meeting, or to take any other action related thereto.
Select Board
MOTION 1
MOVED: That this 2021 Special Town Meeting shall meet on Wednesday,
December 1, 2021 and if necessary on Monday, December 6, 2021 in the Morse
Auditorium, on the grounds of the Canton High School until the business of this
Special Town Meeting has been concluded, each such session to begin at 7:00
o’clock P.M. and to adjourn at 11:00 o’clock P.M., or as near that hour as may be
feasible, according to the nature of the business pending at the said hour.
DISCUSSION: The Finance Committee recommends adoption of this motion as it
formalizes procedures that have been followed by Special Town Meetings in the past.
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
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Special Town Meeting December 1, 2021
MOTION 2
MOVED: That the following individuals be granted all of the rights and
privileges of participation in this Special Town Meeting, except the right to vote,
under any article of this warrant which affects matters within their jurisdiction:
Charlie Aspinwall, Town Administrator
David Brauninger, Principal, Lt. Peter M. Hansen Elementary School
Steve Choiniere, Supervisor of Facilities and Grounds
Paul R. DeRensis, Esq., Town Counsel, Brooks & DeRensis
Emily DiDonna, Principal, John F. Kennedy Elementary School
Nicholas, Fitzgerald, Assistant Principal, Canton High School
Melanie Floyd, Program Manager, Canton Alliance Against Substance Abuse
Josh Fogel, Assistant Principal, Canton High School
Derek Folan, Interim Superintendent of Schools
Michael Green, Interim Principal, William H. Galvin Middle School
Elizabeth Francis, Parks & Recreation Director
Tom Houston, Professional Services Corporation, PC
John Richard Hucksam, Esq., Brooks & DeRensis
Louis Jutras, Information Systems Manager
Arafat Knight, Veterans’ Agent
Karen Lawlor, Administrative Assistant, Canton Planning Board
Brian Lynch, Facility Director, School
Stephen Lynch, Representative in Congress
Stephen Marshall, Director of Finance and Operations, School Department
Jason Mello, Town Engineer
M. Regen Milani, Conservation Commission Agent
Dianna Mullen, Director of Student Services, Canton Public Schools
Kristen Phelps, Canton Community Preservation Committee Administrator
Helena Rafferty, Deputy Police Chief
Barbara Reardon, Board of Health Director
Debbie Rooney, Director of Teaching and Learning PreK-8
Mark Roy, Executive Director, Canton Housing Authority
John Ruggieri-Lam, Esq., Real Estate Counsel – Brooks & DeRensis
William Scollins, Finance Director
Sarah Shannon, Interim Assistant Superintendent of Schools
Julianne Shore, Director of Technology and Digital Learning
Laura Smead, Town Planner
Walter Timilty, State Senator
Michael Trotta, Superintendent of Public Works
Jeffrey Sperling, Principal, Canton High School
Diane Tynan, Director of Council on Aging
DISCUSSION: The Finance Committee recommends adoption of this motion as it allows key
non-resident officials and consultants to legally participate in the Town Meeting and it
formalizes procedures that have been followed by Town Meetings in the past.
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
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Special Town Meeting December 1, 2021
ARTICLE 2
REAL ESTATE ACQUISITION – ST. GERARD’S
Article 2 To see if the Town will vote:
a. to authorize the Canton Select Board to acquire by purchase, gift or eminent domain,
for general municipal purposes, the real estate consisting of land and buildings known
as St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church, located at 1860 Washington Street, Assessor’s
Map 64, parcel 37, in the Town of Canton;
b. further to authorize the Canton Select Board to enter into such contracts and to
engage such consultants (such as but not limited to engineers, surveyors, appraisers,
financial advisors and the like) as in the Board’s judgment are advantageous to assist
the Town in carrying out the foregoing; and
c. further to raise and appropriate, borrow pursuant to any applicable statute or transfer
from available funds, or some combination of the foregoing, a sum of money for the
Canton Select Board to use for the foregoing purposes; or
d. to take any other action related thereto.
Select Board
The Finance Committee will make a recommendation regarding Article 2 at the
Special Town Meeting.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 7-1-0
DISCUSSION:
In July, 2021 Canton’s Oscar Romero Parish announced its decision to close St. Gerard’s
Church at the end of September, 2021. As part of a previously announced consolidation of
Canton’s two Catholic parishes into one, St John’s Church will remain as the new parish’s sole
house of worship. The announcement also included a recommendation to the Archdiocese of
Boston that St. Gerard’s Church property be sold. The property is centrally located on
Washington Street and includes two buildings and a substantial parking lot. The Select Board
is proposing to purchase this property should it be the will of the voters. Article 2 provides the
necessary authorizations for this purchase.
Canton is a thriving community whose population continues to grow, as does the need for
space for municipal services that many stakeholder groups in our community depend on for a
strong quality of life. Our Town offers many public amenities, including schools, facilities
offering recreation and services, municipal offices, and a Town library. The Town has tried to
balance the need for new construction with the desire to be fiscally prudent in maintaining and
renovating older public buildings, as well as respecting the historic nature of some of our
public buildings. There are relatively few opportunities such as the one presented by the
availability of this property that would offer quality space for future public purposes.
No specific use for the property, has been or will be finally determined prior to the Special
Town Meeting. If acquisition is authorized by voters, and successfully negotiated with the
Archdiocese of Boston, then the Select Board will implement a formal and public process to
engage residents in determining a use for the acquired property. Any future capital and
operating expenditures related to the future use of the property will require additional
approval of the voters.
The Finance Committee voted 7-1-0 to delay its recommendation to the voters on the
purchase of this property until the Special Town Meeting. At the time of the committee’s vote,
information was not yet available about the value of the property, potential purchase price and
correspondingly, potential funding sources for the purchase. Once that information is
available the Finance Committee will review it in detail, confer with the Capital Planning
Committee and make a recommendation to the voters. Approval of Article 2 is currently
expected to require ⅔ vote at the Special Town Meeting.
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Special Town Meeting December 1, 2021
While not able to make a recommendation on purchase of the property until Special Town
Meeting, the Finance Committee recognizes the unique opportunity and potential future
benefits in acquiring this property. Likewise, the Committee believes that it is important for
voters to be aware of some considerations, including:
• If acquired, short term, there may be immediate and recurring operating costs
associated with owning the property such as insurance and basic utilities.
• The future use of the property, if purchased, will likely require new capital and
operating expenses.
• The property is currently zoned for single family residences. Should the property
not be purchased by the Town it is likely that it will be purchased by a developer
who will build single family homes. Other uses would require a change in zoning
for this parcel of land.
• This property is currently a Tax-Exempt property and, if acquired by the Town,
would continue to be classified as Tax-Exempt.
• Canton voters might be faced with other funding needs in the short- and long-term
future that could compete with this acquisition. Such needs could include, but not
be limited to debt exclusion construction costs associated with the Middle School.
• If acquired, Town voters in concert with the Select Board will determine the
ultimate use of the property.
Article 2 does identify eminent domain as one potential mechanism for the Town to acquire
this property. For example, while eminent domain is sometimes used by government to
purchase property that a property owner may not want to sell, that does not apply in this
case. While the property owner still has steps to take before the property will be available for
purchase, they have clearly communicated their intent to sell. By the Select Board electing to
utilize making this purchase through eminent domain, the Town would be “first in line” to
purchase the property. The Town would also be assured a clean title and would avoid any
legal issues related to past ownership of the property. Finally, the Town and the owner would
also undertake negotiations to come to agreement on a purchase price.
DISSENT DISCUSSION:
One Committee member felt that he could not make a recommendation regarding Article 2 at
the time of the Finance Committee vote because the Town did not provide any projected tax
increases to Canton residents associated with a potential property acquisition, the appraisal of
the property was not ready, and no monetary value was associated with Article 2.
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
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Special Town Meeting December 1, 2021
ARTICLE 3
APPROPRIATION FOR THE METROPOLIS RINK RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT
Article 3 To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate, borrow pursuant to any
applicable statute, or transfer from available funds or by transfer from Free Cash, a sum of
money for the Metropolis Rink Reconstruction Project; or to take any action related thereto.
MOVED: That Two Hundred Four Thousand Dollars ($204,000) be transferred
from surplus funds in the Bolivar Pool Capital Project Fund (43002-58900) into the
Metropolis Rink Reconstruction Project Fund (57010-58210) to be used by the
Canton Select Board to fund any shortfall in insurance funds.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 8-0-0
DISCUSSION:
The reconstruction of the Metropolis Ice Rink was approved at a Special Town Meeting in
December of 2018. While the project has been largely completed and is currently under the
$11 million construction budget finalized by the supplemental funding authorized at the
Special Town Meeting in June 2020, and is not expected to exceed that budget, there is a
revenue shortfall that must be addressed.
The Town was committed to building a safe and resilient rink structure that would not suffer
the same potentially catastrophic partial collapse that the former rink did in 2015. To this end,
the Town wisely opted to exceed building code and use a steel frame rather than a less stable
wooden frame in the rink’s reconstruction. As a result of this construction decision, the Town
accepted that the insurance funding for the rebuild would be $470,000 less than originally
projected because a steel frame exceeded the building code upgrades required to rebuild the
rink, which did not comply with the terms of the insurance funding coverage. These events
have caused a funding shortage, resulting in a current project funding deficit of $22,322.
In addition to the current aforementioned project deficit, the need to acquire a planned for,
but not yet expended, second Zamboni machine ($163,000) that will offer redundancy and
better service to users of the rink, some remaining minor ceiling repairs ($10,000), and
needed concession equipment and plumbing hookups ($8,000) remain to be funded. These
items will collectively cost about $181,000. When added to the current $22,322 project deficit,
an estimated total of $204,000 in additional funding will be needed to complete the project.
The Bolivar Pool project has been completed under budget with only some closeout expenses
still pending. With a projected final surplus of approximately $625,000 in the project fund,
there is an opportunity to reallocate some of those funds toward the rink project. These
surplus funds from the pool project can only be reappropriated through a Town Meeting and
can only be used to fund a capital project with comparable or longer useful life, which the rink
project would qualify for, as a recreational facility with similar structural life to a public pool
complex. As the pool funding was partially the result of a debt exclusion bond, such a transfer
from the pool project to the rink project would result in a proportional reduction over the
remaining bond in the excluded tax because those transferred funds would no longer be used
to fund the excluded pool project.
While some funds might later become available for this rink-related purpose through the
Town’s continued efforts to seek Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding for
repair costs to the rink, those funds would not be available in a timely manner that would
allow for the payment of these rink project expenses on schedule. If those funds later become
available, they would be assigned to free cash and otherwise appropriated at a future time.
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Special Town Meeting December 1, 2021
The Finance Committee recommends this article, which would authorize the Town to transfer
$204,000 in surplus funds from the Bolivar Pool Capital Project Fund into the Metropolis Rink
Reconstruction Project Fund to complete the rink project without drawing upon any new funds
coming into the Town government treasury.
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
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Special Town Meeting December 1, 2021
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Special Town Meeting December 1, 2021
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PRSRT STD
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PERMIT NO. 20
CANTON, MA
FINANCE COMMITTEE
TOWN HALL
801 WASHINGTON STREET
CANTON, MA 02021
CAR-RT SORT
RESIDENT
CANTON, MA 02021