April 14, 2025

“Motion to have Margaret French remain Chair was made by Robert Alderson and seconded by Kara Lees - Vote: approved unanimously, none apposed, Margaret French abstained Vice Chair is currently Kara Lees - Motion to have Kara Lees remain Vice Chair was made by Robert Alderson and seconded by Chris Dudley - Vote: approved unanimously, none apposed, none abstained Regional Finance Committee Representative. Chris Dudley and Kara Lees are both interested. Margaret French motioned to put this off until their next meeting. Minutes from 11/12/24, 2/3/25, 2/24/25 and 4/8/25 - Motion to accept as written was made by Robert Alderson and seconded by Christopher Dudley - Vote: approved unanimously, none apposed, none abstained 4|9 Budget Review for Fire: Fire Chief Harrie Ashley answered questions about Additional Gross Overtime, Medical Trainings. Fire Education /Career Incentive Stipend. All EMT's need to be certified. Retirements. Fire Preventions. Succession plans. Fire Academy Programs. Fire Chief Trainings. Sustainability of the budget. The Chief is asking for two new firefighters. Because we have two retirements coming up, we would not be able to not fill those positions moving forward without having to lay somebody off. Chief continued about personnel and overtime. Schedules of ambulances and calls. He complemented his paramedics and how hard they work. The best trained firefighters in the region. He has been involved with the MBTA safety incident evacuation exercises and simulated train accidents. He has worked on Standard Operating Procedures for the trains. With 11 crossings in town, the train crosses a street about 300 times. He will depend on mutual aid. He expects a greater impact in the future. There are no capital requests. A new squad for the duty officer is coming which was ordered two years ago. The new ambulance is two years away. Our community programs are at the schools during fire prevention week, a senior safe program with smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and the blue address signs, they just started a joint program with the Council on Aging going out to do a safety inspection of the residents for the seniors and they provide a lock box with the house key in it. The grant money has not increased, but the demand for the programs and the cost has increased. Our personnel volunteer on their own time. The fire department puts back into the town for FY24 was $740,089.00. Engine 3 needs to be refurbished; the powertrain needs work. Looking into getting quotes for the fall. Budget Review for Town Clerk: Town Clerk Cheryl Estrella stated 2 of her budgets have decreased. Elections has a saving of $23,686.00. Registrar budget had a savings of $2,679.00. The Town Clerk assistant gross overtime is reduced because he takes on additional duties during elections but he is paid out of the town clerks' budget instead. We were requested to level fund and it has gone below that without sacrificing level services. The level services if not above and beyond for our town residents at minimal cost. They have 451 Mass General Laws and statutes that are specific to the Town Clerk and her elections. It is all statutorily required. It would be very difficult to reduce it. They can reduce trainings which potentially, put us in liability so that we are not up to date with the current laws and education from the state. Or we close our window and we do everything online and via‘ phone. We experienced that through covid. The election budget is down due to less elections next year. Ms. Pettey stated all department heads have come in and asked for substantial increases in pay and based on what is going on and surrounding towns and what other people are making. They came up with proposals. Working with the Personnel Chair and Finance Committee Chair we came up with a base line number. Ms. Estrella exceeded this base line number. Her being an elected official, she has the right to ask for what she wants at the town meeting floor for her salary. This is a 6.75 % increase. Her salary study showed surrounding towns, elected officials and certifications held, the years that they have been elected. New hires were in 2022, 2023. Three that were elected in 2024 are making substantially more that she is making. Over all the town clerk budget 5|9 increased $1546.79 for the overall budget. She brings value, continued effort to serve the town officials and residents. She is not eligible for longevity, but has been with the town for twelve years. She has not taken the town's health insurance which is a huge savings for the town. The average pay is $81,620.23. She is asking for $79,766.27. Budget Review for Animal Control Officer - was not able to attend Budget Review for Building Department The proposed salary for the year, if approved, will still make him the lowest paid building commissioner in the area. He also does facilities. His budget was bleeding due to the Police Station. He has created policies, some preventive maintenance programs. We have seen some savings, and in reduction of expenses for maintaining this building. We are not fixing things but managing and maintaining them now. As a placeholder, we have included a 19-hour part-time position at the lowest rate that we have in the union. Are buildings are getting bigger and we have 1 maintenance person that oversees the facilities. The buildings are the Police Station, COA, Town Hall, Annex, Transfer Station and Libraries which are old buildings, a lot of upkeep and caring for. Challenges are cold in the winter and heat in the summer, The cladding on Town Hall needs some attention, it was not kept up and it will cost us more money and more time. The roof is ok. The Schoolhouse next door had a structural feasibility study. We now know what we need to do to make it viable again. But it all costs money and takes time. We are trying to figure out how best to utilize the space. This year was interesting that we knocked down buildings and we brought buildings up. The COA improvements all started with the Board and the leadership in town. Without your approval nothing gets done. The old Police Station is not viable for office space. The best use for it is as a food pantry. Freetown Elementary School is getting some maintenance. Photo imaging of the roof looks like for leaks and insulation. There has been interest in the Accessory Dwelling Units. With the ADU's, with common ownership and the ability to build more units, his office is getting busier. With facilities the way they are, it is a lot of work on him and his department. They may come a time when we need to hire a part time inspector. The Police Station roof was not viable for solar panels. Finance Committee motion to adjourn was made by Robert Alderson, seconded by Chris Dudley, Margaret French called their meeting adjourned at 7:28. 7pm Public Hearing Public Hearing Notice Hearing Posting Date - 3/18/2025 Verizon New England, Inc. and NSTAR Electric Company d/b/a Eversource Energy request permission to locate poles, wires, cables and fixtures including the necessary anchors, guys and other such sustaining and protecting fixtures to be owned and used in common by your petitioners, along and across the following public way or ways: 6|9 Chace Road: Install one (1) JO mid-span pole, on the east side of Chace Road-JOP52 '4. The new pole will be installed in-line with an approximately thirty (30) feet south of existing pole JOP52; and approximately one hundred one (101) feet north of existing pole JOPS3. The installation is being requested by Eversource to support new 3 phase service to 89 Chace Rd. and to provide for the distribution of intelligence and telecommunications and the transmission of high and low voltage electric current. Wherefore they pray that after the due notice and hearing as provided by law, they be granted joint or identical location for and permission to erect and maintain poles, wires and cables, together with anchors, guys and other such sustaining and protecting fixtures as they may find necessary, said pole to be erected substantially in accordance with the plan filed herewith marked “1A7WSEB” Dated February 10, 2025. Also, for permission to lay and maintain underground laterals, cables and wires in above or intersecting public ways for the purpose of making connections with such poles and buildings as each of said petitioners may desire for distributing purposes. Your petitioners agree that space shall be reserved and maintained for the limited purpose of attaching one-way low voltage fire and police wires owned by the municipality or governmental entity for public safety purposes only. A public hearing to discuss this request will be held on: April 14, 2025 at 7pm Police Station Community Room 15 Memorial Drive East Freetown, MA 02717 Freetown Board of Selectmen Trevor R. Matthews Jared C. Zager Carlos A. Lopes Selectmen Matthews opened the public hearing at 7:30. Michael Wolongevicz for Verizon. 10. Discussion, and vote on whether to approve the request from Eversource/NSTAR to add a pole at 89 Chace Road, East Freetown, MA. Michael Wolongevicz works for a vendor of Verizon/Eversource. JO means joint ownership for future. Eversource requests the order through Verizon. Verizon, us being the vendor for them, asked for us to take care of easements and pull petitions for them. This is to get power to 89 Chace Road. Three phase means how many powerlines are going to it up overhead the primary lines and drops down to secondary, which that usually goes to your home. It is usually used for heave equipment. Such as grinding shipper's things that would need extra power to get them moving. I'he owner, John Mello of 89 Chace Rd is not here. They have not received any orders for a new development 7|9 or solar farm. There are issues there that they deal with on a regular basis. Dumping issues, seashells and seagulls. It definitely stinks. He is putting a machine to grind up pallets. He recycles food and fruits. He plans to build more industry right there, 20 ft from the property line. No abutters have been informed. This might not be the right Board to deal with. It would be either Zoning Board of Appeals or the Planning Board for a special permit. Reach out to Carl Bizarro of the Zoning and Building Department and Board of Health to see if they are permitted for the type of business he has. This will be continued until May 5" 2025 at 7pm. - Motion to continue this hearing until May 5, 2025 at 7pm was made by Selectmen Zager and seconded by Selectmen Lopes - Vote: approved by a unanimous roll call vote - Vote: Selectmen Zager - aye, Selectmen Matthews - aye, Selectmen Lopes - aye.” (Motion: Zager, second: Lopes)

Read it in the official minutes, page 7 (PDF)