January 21, 2026

“Motion: To approve the transfer of a common victualler license for New York Pizza. (Loukos/Doherty} Passes 5:0 : 4. Introduction of New Officers Cameron Littig, Justin Pena and William Galarneau | Chief Sellon was present and introduced Officer Littig, Officer Pena and Officer Galarneau who are three new officers in his department. Chief Sellon gave a brief background on each of the officers and then thanked everyone for attending. i 5. introduction of School Resource Officer Andrew Kelley The Chief then invited Officer Andrew Kelley to come forward and stated that he was the now the School i Resource officer taking over for Officer McCune who was promoted. i 6. Promotional Ceremony for Derek McCune The Chief then asked Sergeant McCune to come forward and gave background information on him. Ms. i Jennifer Davis, Town Clerk came forward and swore in everyone. State Representatives Adam Scanlon and | Michael Chaisson came forward on behalf of the House of Representatives to provide a proclamation to Derek McCune. State Senator Paul Feeney then congratulated and thanked all of the police officers for their service | and commended the traditional and non-traditional policing that they do in the community. 7. Recognition and Proclamation Presentation Chief Setlon then asked Officer Chris Sorge to come forward. Chief Sellon recognized him for his heroic actions : to save someone's life that was stabbed. Chief Sellon shared that Officer Sorge applied critical life saving Select Board Meeting Minutes January 21, 2026 measures and was able to communicate immediately back to dispatch the severity of the situation. He explained how important it is to have quick action by the first officers on the scene and Officer Sorge was able to apply his training and help stabilize the patient. Mr. Wilk then read and presented a proclamation to Officer : Chris Sorge from the Select Board. Representative Adam Scanlon then came forward and recognized Officer Sorge for going above and beyond and for his heroic actions, Senator Feeney then congratulated and recognized him with a proclamation from the Senate. : Mr. Roche then stated that on behalf of the Select Board he wanted to present Chief Setlon with a proclamation for his contributions to the Town and his accomplishments. Mr. Roche read the proclamation and the Chief thanked the Select Board for the unexpected recognition. Mr. Wilk then asked for a five-minute break at 6:57PM. The Board returned at 7:10PM and the Chair asked to skip to number eleven. 8, Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Outlook Discussion with Mansfield Fire Department, Mansfield Police Department and Mansfield Department of Public Works Chief Sellon came forward and began his budget outlook by stating that the police department is understaffed. He stated that there should be 2.5 officers for every 1,000 people and they are at roughly 1.6 today. He noted they also have the least number of officers amongst surrounding communities. Chief Sellon noted that the Town saved half a million dollars by going to regional dispatch and it was supposed to improve services and save money. Chief Sellon then stated that the money saved was supposed to be reinvested back into the police department but it was not. He explained that the administrative needs have increased due to the changes with the POST commission and changes to public records laws. Chief Sellon noted that they have received grants but one grant in particular states that if a cop is cut in the next budget than they have to return $250,000 of funding. He stated that everything needs to be looked at including SEMRECC, the animal shelter and the Xfinity Center. Mr. Wilk asked the Chief to compare the fees that other Towns charge to see where Mansfield is lower and should be increased. Mr. Roche commented that in speaking with Town Counsel there are no other communities to compare the Xfinity Center too. Chief Sellon reiterated his staffing level concerns and noted that out of the towns that make up SEMRECC, Mansfield has the highest calls for service with the least number of officers. Mr. Wilk asked Mr. Reinke for some data analysis so that information can be shared and to help them understand where the baseline is. The Chief also noted that amongst the Police Chiefs he has the second highest tenure but is the lowest paid. Mr. Loukos commented that it would be helpful to know what happens with overtime when you add a cop. Ms. Doherty then asked Chief Selion to explain scheduled and unscheduled overtime. The Chief responded that scheduled OT is based on the vacation time that everyone is given and unscheduled overtime is typically investigations. He noted that one major incident can greatly impact the budget. Mr. Feck asked the Chief about the savings from going to regional dispatch and why the funds did not get back to police. Chief Sellon responded that decisions were made due to other financial needs elsewhere in Town. Mr. Wilk noted that he was on the Finance Committee at the time SEMRECC was established and it was sold to the residents and committees that there would be savings from not having dispatchers. Mr. Roche noted that other communities were also expected to join which would also reduce the cost. Chief Sellon stated that they were supposed to get a new radio system, tower and operating system but it has not happened and there have been lots of missed opportunities to add communities. Deputy Fire Chief John Terry was present and introduced himself. He stated that he was here on behalf of Chief Desrosiers who was asked to submit additional cuts to the fire department. He began by stating that the fire departments budget is 80% salary and benefits and then 20% materials and equipment. The Chief has made cuts and they are down to the bare bones. He stated that they have submitted $72,800 in additional cuts and fifty percent of that is overtime. He stated that unscheduled overtime is for things that are unpredictable and scheduled overtime is known and planned based on each person's vacation time they have. He stated that they will not be able to run the second ambulance by losing overtime in the budget. Deputy Chief commented that from January 1° to the 19" they had 29 simultaneous calls for service. They are considering running the night sR ee SE PS ES EEE SOE ETI TEENS Select Board Meeting Minutes January 21, 2026 shift short and not running the second ambulance. They stated that they run a shift currently at nine and going down to eight would not allow them to run a second ambulance. Deputy Chief stated that there are only two on an engine and two in an ambulance and he then provided examples where a structure fire requires 17 on _ site. Another example was that a cardiac arrest patient requires four people in the ambulance. If you drop to eight there would only be a single ambulance and response times would be impacted. He noted that even though they are supposed to run a shift at nine the shift is usually run at eight due to sick, vacation or long- term injuries. He also stated that an ambulance that goes to the hospital can take 1-2 hours to return. Mr. Mike Ahern from Public Buildings came forward and stated that there are four full time employees and three part time employes and they are responsible for thirty-nine buildings excluding the schools, procurement, general maintenance of the buildings, managing capital projects and disposing of surpius vehicles and equipment. He stated that the reality is the budget has been cut and they have not had enough funds for repairs and maintenance for the last four to five years. Mr. Ahern stated that they have reduced maintenance services which at Town Hall they have gone from five days of cleaning down to two. Ms. Doherty asked what will be happening with his salary when the PFAS projects are done and not be going to the water enterprise account. Mr. Ahern responded that it will show a large increase in the public buildings budget. Mr. Roche asked when that would happen and Mr. Ahern responded the following budget not this next one. Mr, Andy Littig, Highway Operations Manager came forward and stated that his department has thirteen employees. He stated that the department focuses on roadways, signage, sewer, parks and commons, 27 acres of athletic field, cemeteries, vehicle maintenance, snow and ice removal and 24-hour coverage for emergencies. He stated that they also empty 110 trash barrels throughout Town twice a week. He explained where the department spends their time and examples of what reductions to his budget could mean. The examples included a reduction to grass mowing, brush cutting and mulching. Mr. Wilk asked Mr. Littig to provide the savings of having the vehicle maintenance in house for his budget presentation. Ms. Doherty asked if vehicle maintenance expenses are charged back to the enterprise accounts and Mr. Littig responded that they are and all departments with vehicles have a vehicle maintenance line, however they are under funded especially the fire department. He explained that they are not allowed to do some of the vehicle maintenance on the fire apparatus because they are certified. Mr. Littig explained that this year the fire line was $25,000 and they expended that in the first three months of the year because every time the fire apparatus has to go back to the dealer it is a minimum of $3,000. Mr. Roche asked about snow and ice budget. Mr. Monticello stated that they budgeted $390,000 and Mr. Littig responded they have about $285,000 left. Mr. Loukos commented if anyone is watching these are real life implications of budget cuts. Ms. Doherty thanked Police, Fire and DPW for the work they do. Lastly, Mr. Littig commented that in the last storm Easton posed they had fifty-five pieces of equipment out and Mansfield only had thirty-two however Mansfield has ten more road miles than Easton. 9, Public Comment (Per the Select Board Operating Procedures: The Chair may give visitors who are not listed on the agenda an opportunity to speak to the Board during the Public Comments session; however, the Chair may limit their speaking time at the discretion of the Chair.) There was no public comment. 10. Discussion and Consideration to Appoint Noah Benner-Potash to the Zoning Board of Appeals Mr. Benner-Potash was present and came forward. Mr. Wilk asked him to tell the Board about himself. He stated that he was at the most resent Town Meeting and he came home fired up and his wife commented that he was more interested in municipal government than the average person. He then saw the vacancies in the most recent newsletter and the Zoning Board of Appeals seemed to be a close fit for what he is interested in. He stated that he has experience as an attorney and working with the MBTA and MassDOT and land use. He stated that he would recuse himself should there be any conflicts of interest or anything involving State owned land. Ms. Doherty and Mr. Wilk thanked him for applying. (tc SS RS TT EE EST EL TEI EL EL DT Select Board Meeting Minutes January 21, 2026 Motion: To appoint Noah Benner-Potash to the Zoning Board of Appeals as an Associate member to a term that expires on April 30, 2029. (Loukos/Doherty) Passes 5:0.” (Motion: Loukos, second: Doherty)

Read it in the official minutes, page 1 (PDF)

“Motion: To adjourn the January 21, 2026 Select Board meeting at 8:53PM. (Loukos/Roche) Passes 5:0.” (Motion: Loukos, second: Roche)

Read it in the official minutes, page 11 (PDF)