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Capital articles get nod for TM

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WHITMAN – The Capital Committee, meeting remotely on Thursday, Jan. 13, voted to recommend the two articles under its purview at the Monday, Jan. 31 special Town Meeting.

Chairman David Codero said Capital items were the only business on the agenda, and were appearing for the first time so his intent was for the committee to discuss them and brainstorm on vetting the requests.

Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman sent committee members the warrant special Town Meeting, suggesting the committee review the two articles — $60,000 for public safety ballistic vests under Article 2 and Article 7 seeking $1,098,100 to create shovel-ready architectural drawings of a new DPW building.

The committee voted 8-0-1 (Codero abstaining) to recommend the Town Meeting vote to approve the ballistic vests, and votes recommended the DPW building architect drawings by the same vote.

“The Police Department’s vests are in need of replacement and we just discovered that the Fire Department vests are in need of replacement, that they are past their warranty,” Heineman said, adding that the amount sought out of free cash would rectify that.

“If I’m not mistaken they have an expiration date and they are either at or past that,” committee member Fred Small said.

Heineman said Fire Department vests’ warranty has expired, rather than a situation of an expiration date per se. 

“I certainly feel like we don’t want to take any chances with that and when the warranty’s out, we should replace them,” Heineman said. “If a firefighter is injured and that vest was out of warranty, I don’t think that’s acceptable.”

Small indicated for some people expiration dates might seem flexible, but agreed with Heineman.

“Could we squeeze another year out or two because it’s out of warranty but not ‘expired?’ Sure. But, on balance, I don’t think that’s an acceptable [decision].”

“You shouldn’t play with people’s lives,” Small said.

“Exactly,” Heineman replied.

Member Joshua McNeil also said the town takes on a big liability risk if the vests are not replaced.

“It’s also just the right thing to do, as far as I’m concerned,” Heineman said.

Fire department protective vests contain ceramic material, and are heavier, but used less frequently, according to Heieman who added that 26 Fire Department vests and 33 Police Department vests in total are being sought.

“It’s less of a firefighter issue and more of an EMT issue,” he said, noting that some overdose calls might warrant their use.

Small asked if, going forward, the chiefs could begin asking for replacements a little early so the town could start staggering the amounts over more than one budget year. While arguing that it is an appropriate capital expense, that could be suggested. Any vests that have not exceeded warranty or expiration date would be kept in use because to do otherwise would be wasteful.

Member Justin Casanova-Davis agreed with Heineman’s suggestion that in the long-term consideration could be to stagger purchases could move the request to the operating budget.

“I don’t want to put strain on there, but if it’s a regular recurring item – stagger it in the operating budget,” he said.

Codero, however, asked if a lot of fire equipment, including engines, also come with a warranty – that often expire when the equipment is still in use.

“Based on the same logic that the fire chief is providing, every piece of equipment they’re using that isn’t warranteed, isn’t safe,” he said. “That’s what I’m hearing.”

Heineman disagreed because, unlike the vests, a vehicle being out of warranty is not an imminent threat to the safety of that firefighter.

Small, who works in the insurance business, said vehicle warranty’s are protection from any defect in the parts or workmanship when it is created.

“When you’re wearing a vest, we may be calling it a warranty, it’s more of a performance guarantee under certain circumstances for X amount of time,” he said. “I think that’s a big differential.”

Chemicals used to make bullet-proof vests effective do break down.

“It would be easier to rubber-stamp this if the word ‘expiration’ was inserted instead of ‘warranty,’” Esson said.

Heineman said, that to his understanding, there is no expiration date in relation to vests. The term the manufacturer uses is “warranty.” During the meeting, Small researched bullet-proof fire vests on the Internet and reported that while both terms are used by manufacturers, the important consideration is how fibers break down over time and is the main reason the warranty stops. The terms, Small said, are used interchangably.

McNeil also said a $60,000 price tag for vests is much less than the potential financial implications for the town should someone be killed because the vest was actually expired.

“Yes, this is a financial piece, but more than that … it’s the right thing to do,” Heineman said.

DPW building

“We are in desperate need for a DPW building that is safe and sanitary for the employees and that allows them to do the work that they need to do to service the town,” Heineman said.

He noted the several past attempts to do that over recent years.

A feasibility study completed and peer-reviewed late last year put the minimum cost of a new building at just under $11 million at the current location. Selectmen decided to propose at Town Meeting the expenditure of 10 percent of that figure for architectural plans. Selectmen also established a DPW Building Committee to oversee procurement and oversight of the plans and building project. The funding sources are available from current funds, Heineman said of the plan funds – $713,000 from water and sewer retained earnings based on the estimated space those employees would use in the new building, $234,335 from free cash and remaining monies from the capital stabilization fund, which requires a two-thirds Town Meeting use to be included.

“It is also a gauge for how the town feels about moving forward with this needed project,” he said.

“That’s pretty strategic,” Casanova-Davis said of the two-thirds vote requirement. He asked if it was considered to put the whole project price before Town Meeting to take advantage of low interest rates.

Selectman Justin Evans, who also serves on the Capital committee, said there was a lengthy discussion between Selectmen and the DPW Commissioners on how to proceed with the project.

“The DPW Commissioners initially wanted to fund the whole project now,” Evans said. “The Selectmen had some concerns that it just wasn’t ready to ask to borrow that large amount of money for a big capital project. … We thought this was the better path to take.”

Codero asked if there was a reason why the feasibility report was not forwarded to the Capital Committee. He asked department heads to send project requests by October and none were received although all departments had told him there would be no problem.

“I don’t know if it’s a blatant disregard of the will of the people or the department heads just don’t care or they’re incompetent,” he said. “I don’t know.” He said he was glad Selectmen formed a building committee.

Casanova-Davis also said he would like to see the feasibility study, but said he would vote for it.

Building Inspector Robert Curran said, with every passing month, the cost will go up and urged the committee to vote to recommend the article.

Small noted that, once the money is voted, it will be under the complete control of the building committee. That committee was formed by Selectmen Jan. 18.

McNeil asked why a new building committee was being established, when the Capital Committee has already worked on the new police station as well as renovations to both Town Hall and the fire station. Heineman said Selectmen felt a building-specific committee was preferable.

Reorganization

Don Esson was elected chair as the committee, effective at the next meeting – with some new additions recently appointed inspiring a reorganization – and Fred Small was elected vice chairman. Heineman was elected clerk.

Leverone honored for library career

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HANSON — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Jan. 25 honored Library staff member Antonia Leverone for her 3 years with Hanson Public Library.

“She assisted with the automation process in 2000,” Selectmen Chairman Matt Dyer read from an email about Leverone’s retirement from Library Director Karen Stolfer. “Toni was instrumental in obtaining a grant that provided materials and equipment for the blind and low-vision individuals.”

Leverone also took over leading the Library’s popular Book-To Movie Club after the passing of Nancy Cappellini and has managed the library’s magazine collection and helped ensure computers were up to date and maintained the collection of historical materials.

“I think Toni is an overall great example of a public servant who cared about the community in which she served and brought her passions to our community and shared them with us,” Dyer said.

Selectmen are sending her a citation honoring her service.

The board also held a brief public comment hearing on the town’s community aggregation plan with Patrick Roche of Good Energy, a hard copy of the responses gleaned during the public comment period is available for review at both the Town Hall and Library as well as on the town website. 

The Dept. of Energy Resource next does a review and a final plan will be brought back before Selectmen, which is then reviewed by the Department of Public Utilities for review before bids are sought.

Residents have asked about details such as other town aggregations’ performance, how the plan impacts people with solar panels on their homes and how opting out works.

Selectmen Chairman Matt Dyer, who also serves on the town’s Energy Committee asked whether or how an aggregation plan might affect people on other low-income or other savings plans as well as how it could affect people with solar panels on their homes.

Roche said is would not affect people on other plans. Those with solar panels would see the credits they now receive would be valued and the way credits are allocated would not change. It would only change the cost of the electricity pulled from the grid.

Selectman Jim Hickey asked about the average savings for Gloucester’s four-year time period. Roche said that town have not yet seen the full impact of it.

“I know we had talked about this before and we had both agreed that it was not about the money, although citizens would save, it was the idea of using cleaner energy,” Hickey said. But saving $60 or $70 each year is kind of a win-win situation, he added.

Dyer also said the savings also hinge on how much energy people consume.

Selectman Joe Weeks asked if people want to stay with NatGrid, is there a participation threshold at which the contract could be nullified. Roche said it is not effected by that.

FitzGerald-Kemmett asked about the length of the contract and any decoupling process if the town decides the program isn’t what it wants. Roche said the most common contract is three years with some going a bit longer.

Usually after a full year the contract can be reviewed before a town decides to lock in for the next contract.

“I think it’s important that this vote we take tonight, what does that lock us into?” she said. “We’re not locking it down today, we’re going out for bids for brokers.”

 “I just want people to understand there are a lot of checks and balances out there,” FitzGerald-Kemmett. 

It process could take as long as two years to complete.

Financial policy wins final vote

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WHITMAN — Selectmen on Tuesday, Jan. 18 voted to approve a final portion of a financial policy for the town.

Four such policies have been under consideration either as new or amended with one not yet voted on — the question of how the proposed procurement card policy will control use of the card.

Only one credit card will be used for the town and kept in the Selectmen’s office.

“The policy you have in front of you makes that clarification, that it would be one,” Heineman said.

Selectman Dan Salvucci asked how food tabs would be covered, such as sandwiches brought in during long meetings as opposed to billing restaurant meals to the card.

Heineman said the town’s personnel policy includes the federal government’s GSA guidelines for standard federal meals and hotel rooms, where necessary, rates for the area.

“Our personnel policies are linked currently to the GSA’s guidelines,” he said.

Forest Street resident Shawn Kain asked how the financial policy — as well as the strategic plan and capital projects — going to be presented to the public.

“Will there be a budget document that’s given to people as they come in for the special Town Meeting that will kind of display this stuff and how … decisions are made?” he asked.

Heineman said the debt policy adopted by the board last month, he definitely thinks there is some nexus to the special Town Meeting, but not directly because there is no borrowing. The consideration for the DPW building under consideration are the recommended debt levels.

The debt policy requires that levels of borrowing not exceed a certain percent of the town’s levy limit.

“Because there is no debt, there is no requested debt at the special Town Meeting,” he said. “But, certainly, it would be great to have the board’s toughts — your thoughts — on a way to, perhaps in a sentence or two, say how this is projected to, in the future, be in compliance with the new debt policy.”

Kain said even a simple statement such as that would demonstrate the town’s fiscal due diligence.

“Just to connect those dots is very helpful to people,” he said. “Certainly very helpful for me.”

A written copy of the town’s strategic plan was expected later that week, Heineman said.

Correction to Meat Raffle in Hanson

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The date on the Meat Raffle with the Hanson American Legion was incorrect. It it sceduled for this Friday, Jan. 28th and not Nov. 12th.

We do apologize for any inconvenience this may have brought!

Ready for Town Meeting

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WHITMAN — Town officials are working to set up the Town Hall to ensure proper social distancing is in place to safely conduct the Monday, Jan. 31 special Town Meeting, according to Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman.

“We’re thinking about having the check-in table in the foyer and having folks come in primarily through the front door,” he said, noting the lower-level handicapped entrance would still be accessible to those who need it. Six-foot spacing will be marked out on the floor.

The setup would also allow more seats in the auditorium at six-foot intervals.

“Since the Town Meeting warrant has been posted, it is the town moderator’s decision, in consultation with the Board of Selectmen and public safety officials, if he was considering postponing,” Heineman said. 

The town marked it’s 11th consecutive week of increases in the positivity rate for COVID-19 — now up to 28.6 percent, reported Heineman, who receives weekly reports from Fire Chief Timothy Clancy. The vaccination rate has also climbed among those eligible to be vaccinated. It’s been climbing at a rate of about 1 percent per week to about 65 percent fully vaccinated.

“I think that we’ve been knowing and believing that the omicron variant would peak and then quickly drop,” he said. “It’s very preliminary, but I was just looking at the numbers today, and the state positivity rate as of [Jan. 17] was 17.44 percent, down from 21.5 percent. So … it would appear as though we may be past the surge there, at least statewide. That’s a little glimmer of hope there.”

The town is also planning a second round of distribution of the COVID test kits it purchased from 1 to 3 p.m., Friday, Jan. 21 at Whitman Middle School. Any Whitman resident is eligible to receive a kit, which includes two tests. 

There is a half-day school session that day.

“We have looked into it,” Fire Chief Timothy Clancy said. “The school is booked on weekends from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. until March 17. We had looked at pulling it off this Monday — Martin Luther King Day — when school was [closed]. Obviously, the weather didn’t cooperate.”

Another is being planned for Wednesday, Feb. 9.

Residents are limited to one self-test kit per vehicle. Kits will be distributed on a first-come-first-served basis while supplies last. Residents will be required to show proof of residency at the beginning of the line when picking up the self-test kits.

The Biden Administration also began making orders of four test kits per household available free by mail at covidtests.gov on Tuesday, Jan. 18.

The town’s final planned Moderna booster clinic is slated for 2:30 to 7:30 p.m., today at the Knights of Columbus [see box below]. 

School audit update

Heineman also updated the board on the bid process for selecting a school audit firm. He has met with Hanson Town Administrator Lisa Green, and selectmen liasions to the School Committee Randy LaMattina of Whitman and Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett of Hanson, to discuss Hanson Selectmen’s decision to proceed with the audit and reissue the invitations to bid and look at the previous invitation to bid.

The only changes were that CARES Act and American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funds are for funding COVID-19 efforts and not under consideration for funding audit costs. They also discussed Circuit Breaker funds.

The invitation to bid has been put together and disseminated to potential bidders with a deadline of Jan. 28, 2022.

“In light of the Circuit Breaker issue, it makes it more pertinent now than ever to just make sure that both towns are receiving and benefiting from the funds we’re getting and [that] they’re going in the right place,” LaMattina said.

Whitman names new TA assistant

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WHITMAN — The Board of Selectmen voted to offer the position of assistant town administrator to Stoughton Assistant to the Town Manager Rogeria Medeiros-Kowalczykowski.

She has also served as the executive secretary to the town manager,  affirmative action officer, administrative assistant to the town manager, Finance Committee and Board of Health as well as senior clerk/town clerk, with 33 years of experience in town government service.

The board had initially selected Medeiros-Kowalczykowski, on a 3-2 vote, with Selectmen Dr. Carl Kowalski voting for Millbury acting Finance Director James F. Kelley and Dan Salvucci voting for Captain Ranger for the Mass. Dept. of Conservation and Recreation Jake Dodge. The board changed the vote to a unanimous one in the interest of unity. The selection becomes official when  contract terms agreed to.

The search attracted some 90 applicants, of which the search subcommittee of Kowalski, Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman and Selectman Justin Evans interviewed eight semi-finalists to narrow the field to the three interviewd by the entire board: Medeiros-Kowalczykowski, Dodge and Kelley.

Kelley has also served as interim town manager and human resources director in Millbury, he filled the same roles in Stoughton from 2012 to 2017, where he was also acting town clerk for six months in 2013 and he was a human resources administrator in Sterling.

Dodge has also served as a Lt. Ranger supervising DCR rangers at the State House as well as acting chief ranger and has been a reserve police officer in the Whitman Police Department.

“I’d say we have three really strong candidates, and they all have their own strengths and, perhaps, weaknesses or errors of opportunity,” Heineman said. “I think, in many ways, [Medeiros-Kowalczykowski’s] skill set and past match – quite precisely, in many ways – the job description that we identified.”

He said his decision was largely made when checking her references.

“Three of her five identified references were people that she had worked directly for and we didn’t necessarily experience that with the other two candidates,” he said. “That said to me a lot about her ability and her past in serving – and coming back to that idea of service that, I think, in many ways is this role.”

“I agree with Lincoln on this,” Selectman Brian Bezanson said. “This job description Lincoln put out could have been her resume. … [Her] references were wonderful. I have this gut feeling … that she’s the one. I think she could hit the ground running, she’s smart, competent … I think she’d be a great addition to the town of Whitman.”

He said when he dismisses his gut feeling is when he gets into trouble.

Kowalski said all three would make excellent assistant town administrators, but cast his vote for Kelley.

“We have a very lean administration,” he said, noting that Kelley had ticked off what Whitman lacks – such as town planners and HR directors – which the administrator and assistant must take on. Both Kelley and Medeiros-Kowalczykowski have the length of experience and skills to do the work.

“I was impressed by [Kelley] tonight,” he said, pointing to the refences the received about him. “On the other hand [Medeiros-Kowalczykowski] worked for 30 years in Stoughton doing all of those tasks. … It’s a tough choice for all of us.

Selectman Randy LaMattina said the board had an “absolutely great” pool of candidates, especially the finalists. He said he used the posted job description as his own personal check list and said there were two candidates who hit all the qualifications: Medeiros-Kowalczykowski and Kelley.

“Coming into the night, on paper, I had one candidate and was kind of blown out of the water, personally in the interview,” LaMattina said. “I see areas where we could fill some void with Mr. Kelley.”

Kelley’s planning experience was very impressive and the way he presented himself earned some consideration, according to LaMattina.

Evans, who had already interviewed all the candidates before, said he was expecting the process to go one way, but said Kelley could come in and “possibly mentor Lincoln” on some things. He said that could be a valuable thing to add and asked about his reference checks.

“I think the general feeling was very positive toward him,” he said. “I do think all three candidates could do the job. Mr. Dodge, coming in, would have a little bit of training to do, but that’s not something we haven’t done in the past.”

But he cast his vote for Medeiros-Kowalczykowski, who really does check all the boxes, he said.

“Considering we’re filling a current vacancy in the town administrator’s office, I’m going to put a lot of weight behind Lincoln’s recommendation and say [Medeiros-Kowalczykowski],” Evans said.

He also said the town recently hired a new accountant and, during that search a lot of weight was put on the former town administrator and assistant town administator’s decision-making process. When the search committee seemed torn, they left it to the town administrator, who would end up working with the person hired.

“I put a lot of faith in that and we have two candidates who clearly have qualifications, and we need someone who can fill the role in the absence of [town administrator] Lincoln, who should be able to use his time.”

He flagged the learning curve Dodge would represent.

“She’s done just about everything that we ask,” Evans said. “It seems she could hit the ground running if hired, so we have a good challenge in front of us for this.”

 Heineman said, but added that he did not hear back from two of Kelley’s references, despite leaving two messages. One reference – someone Kelley mentored, which Heineman found meaningful. The other was the chairman of an elected board who Kelley had worked with in finding a new library director. But said his answer to Evans’ question would be partly incomplete.

Salvucci’s pick was Dodge, despite Kelley’s greater experience and Medeiros-Kowalczykowski’s stellar employment history and low-key demeanor, he saw a person looking to advance, despite less longevity in her career.

“The only thing is, I’m looking for a long-term employee,” he said. “When he’s saying he’s going to be four years and then he’s done, I’m saying we’re going to be back in this situation four years from now.”

While Dodge was the least experienced of the three, Salvucci voted for him because he’s a young go-getter who gets along with people and looks like a good problem-solver.

“I think he’s a learner,” Salvucci said.

During the discussion following the interviews, Heineman said he disagreed with Kelley’s comment about the “three to four year average” of  town administrators when he was questioned about his longevity plans should he be selected.

“The most important mentors that I’ve had in this field, and continue to have in this field, have much longer longevity,” he said. “I hope and plan to follow their lead and hope to be here, managing and leading, for many years.”

Flu shots boost charities

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WHITMAN — Annual flu shots sought by patrons of Duval’s Pharmacy have proven to be a financial shot in the arm for both the Whitman Food Pantry and the W-H Dollars for Scholars program.

For the fifth year in a row, the pharmacy has supported the program through which people receiving flu shots donated more than $1,000 in total through $5 donations per shot — $700 for the Food Pantry and $310 going to Dollars for Scholars.

“We ended up with 140 people picking the Food Pantry to donate to and 62 people picked the Dollard for Scholars,” said Pharmacy Manager Karen McManus. “John [Duval] came up with it maybe five years ago. He thought it would be a good way to have people get in, and do something good for the community — that’s what we try our best to do.”

“We let the customer choose which one [they supported],” said Craig Duval.   “Some customers chose to donate on their own on top of our donation, but that wasn’t included in our total.  Overall, it was a great turn out and we hope to do even better next year.”

One of the recent flu shot promotions aided four organizations, according to McManus.

“But it ended up cutting it really small for everybody, so we decided to stick with the two main ones,” she said.

While Duval’s has not put the donation program in place for the booster shots, McManus said some people ask about the COVID-19 booster while they are getting a flu shot and vice versa.

“There’s definitely been a lot of multiple shots being given at one time,” said McManus, who, along with pharmacist Kelly Nippins administers the vaccinations at Duval’s. 

The most common questions people have regarding all vaccines — for COVID, flu or pneumonia — concern side effects, they explained. Both said that, while vaccines don’t prevent the flu or COVID 100 percent, it helps reduce the chance of becoming ill and ensuring symptoms would be milder and, hopefully prevent the need for hospitalization.

“They want to know what’s going to happen to them when they get the vaccine, whether it’s the flu or pneumonia — we give vaccines against shingles,” Nippins said.

“A lot of people worry about how it’s going to make them feel, especially the COVID shot,” McManus said.

“Definitely a sore arm is the most common side effect,” Nippins said. 

At the moment, while they have test kits McManus said they were hard to come by. Ironically, she was speaking only hours before the White House opened an online ordering program for free test kits mailed to people through the link special.usps.com/testkits through which four free COVID test kits could be ordered by mail.

Where the smoking cessation program is concerned, it hinges on New Year’s resolutions, which, along with the November Great American Smokeout, are the most common times of the year for people to try to quit smoking, McManus said.

“We carry the [nicotine] patches, and the gum and the lozenges,” she said. “A lot of insurances cover it — some don’t — with a prescription. But if somebody shows interest and has a prescription and we fill their aides for smoking cessation, we’ll give them tips on how to be successful.”

This time of the year McManus tries to promote smoking cessation through informational stickers on pill bottles, as an additional reminder. 

“It’s hard to do and we recognize that it’s an addiction and it’s hard to stop, ” she said.  “But with the right aides in assisting that, a lot of people are successful.”

W-H eyes financial changes

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The School Committee has decided against offering to pay a portion of the town costs for an independent audit of the district’s finances, and to look into whether hiring a new audit firm for the district would be a best-practices approach to avoiding future issues. 

They also reached consensus on a list of best practices for the use of Circuit Breaker money.

 “We clearly can do things better,” he said about moving forward after the “long but useful conversation” on Circuit Breaker funds Jan. 11. “We clearly need to make sure we’re following best practice and guidance and regulations, and we clearly as an administration, need to make sure that information is transparently shared with all stakeholders.”

The guidelines will be:

• Until otherwise voted, when the committee is preparing the upcoming year, the expected reimbursement for the present year will be used to offset special education in that current budget. 

“We can change the plan, but at least we know we have a clear default setting,” Chairman Christopher Howard said. “This is a regulatory compliance position, it’s not a budget conversation. It’s not about what’s in the budget.”

• As part of the quarterly financial reports, there will be a report of the balance and the activity in the Circuit Breaker reimbursement account.

• As part of the budget process for fiscal 2023 and going forward, there will be an appendix to the budget that, at a minimum, includes sharing the assumptions related to special education.

Howard also offered for consideration that, as an alternative to the stabilization fund, the committee earmark a portion of the excess and deficiency funds for special education.

Regarding the audit financing, the School Committee, on Wednesday, Dec. 22 had tabled a suggestion that the district contribute to the cost, as a gesture of support, of an independent audit planned by both Whitman and Hanson officials. 

Howard said Whitman Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman spoke to him about the plan to revisit Howard’s suggestion that the School Committee contribute to a third of the cost of the town audit of school department finances.

Committee members expressed concern about the funding needed and the added workload on an already taxed financial crew at the main office.

 “From my perspective, I think I would encourage both towns to do the audit,” Howard said.

He updated the committee, reporting that both select boards have seen discussion on their plans for independent audits of the school district’s financial operations.

He said Business Manager John Stanbrook has already identified things that the district could improve on.

“I’d really like to show support for the towns in doing that audit, because one of two things is going to happen,” Howard said. “Either we’re going to get an audit and it’s going to show that there isn’t any additional items to look at, or we’re going to flush all this out – as John is presently doing – and identify things that are going to make us better or things that we need to improve.”

As a gesture of good faith, he encouraged the school panel to take on one third of the cost, with excess and deficiency as the funding source. He said the audits should, indeed, be done independently and the School Committee should get the results.

“He was aware this was on the agenda and said at this point, I think, his thought was the schools would support an audit if, and when it does come to fruition, but from a cost standpoint he really didn’t think that was a big deal,” Howard said. “What I’m recommending is, at this point, we let the towns do their thing as it pertains to the audits. If they do make requests, we certainly will work with them to provide them the information they need in a timely fashion.”

School Committee member Fred Small agreed.

“I don’t think that the schools should be getting involved with the habit of paying for this type of an audit,” he said. “If the towns want to fund it, that’s great, it’s their independent type of an audit and I would hope we would give them every type of assistance possible to get them whatever they need to complete it.”

Member Beth Stafford said she had planned to bring up the subject, suggesting the schools do not participate in the request because the schools already have their audit.

Howard said he had only included the discussion on the agenda because the committee had discussed doing the agenda and wanted to follow through.

“Notwithstanding issues that have occurred, it’s good general best practice to switch accounting firms,” Howard said. The district has used current firm CLA for a long time, and Stanbrook has indicated there are other very good firms out there and that a change in accountants should not require a bidding process because the cost falls under the $50,000 threshold.

The committee will ask Stanbrook to look at some other firms and come back with a recommendation, including whether a change is needed.

“I agreed wholeheartedly,” Small said. “I think it’s time to take a look at this through a different lens. I also think it’s time to define the roles and responsibilities of the auditing firm so that we have a good expectation of what we should be receiving from them.”

He said he would have expected the happenings that have arisen to be caught by a good auditing firm.

“Perhaps that’s not what we’re contracting them for,” he said.

“It’ll take some time, obviously,” Stanbrook said. “Unfortunately, I’m not 30 years old anymore and I have a limited amount of extra capacity, but if that’s the will of the committee, I have no problem doing that.”

He said he would be able to bring a recommendation to the committee by May so it would have time to hire another firm if it is not CLA.

Whitman reopens town buildings

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WHITMAN — The Board of Selectmen, voted on Tuesday, Jan. 11 to reject a Board of Health consensus that all municipal employees be vaccinated in the wake of the omicron variant of COVID-19 and the rise of positive cases in the town. 

It was one of four recommendations from the Board of Health, which met earlier in the day.  Selectmen had asked for guidance from the health board at the Jan. 4 Selectmen’s meeting.

Selectmen also voted against the health board’s recommendation to continue the closure of buildings — except by appointment — until Jan. 25, and said buildings would be opened on Thursday, Jan. 13 and therefore not require remote meeting participation. But approved a recommendation to mandate masks in public buildings.

“[The health board] require masks in all town-owned buildings, including individual work spaces … and, by implication they said the building should remain closed,” said Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski, acknowledging that health officials had not voted on the appointment-only provision.

The vaccine mandate recommendation — that employees would have a six-month leave time to comply, with only medical or religious objection — met with considerable objection by some Selectmen.

“I am against this,” Selectman Brian Bezanson said. “This particular information is before the Supreme Court even as we speak and I think it is a bit premature for us to make a decision without hearing [the high court’s] decision.”

Selectman Justin Evans, as an employee of the state who is required to be vaccinated, said he had no objections to mandating it as he knows of no one who has left their job because of it.

“It was a minor inconvenience to prove we were vaccinated at the time,” he said, asking if the board would consider a strong recommendation with the requirement of weekly tests for those who object.

Selectman Randy LaMattina, who is fully vaccinated and has received a booster, also objected to the vaccine mandate, both as a policy decision that rests with Selectmen and argued that not only is the science changing on COVID, the town could be financially crippled by a lawsuit.

 “I do think people should be vaccinated, it’s a personal protection,” LaMattina said. “Why is this town, at this time, going to get into that, when we know there’s severe legal fights already out there with this, that are in the courts, with people with far deeper pockets than we have from the federal level on down.”

He agreed with incentivizing vaccination, but not a mandate.

“If you haven’t done it by now, you’re not going to do it,” Bezanson said.

LaMattina asked what the benefit of a mandate would be, to which Selectman Justin Evans said the vaccines are literally life-saving.

“I agree with it,” LaMattina said. “I agree that the vaccine is providing protection, absolutely, but if you don’t want that … I don’t see a situation to win for us.”

Town buildings

Regarding the reopening of Town Hall, Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman said no other town he has contacted on the South Shore has indicated they are open by appointment only.

“What matters to me are the employees, and I have not had one employee say they are happy with the building being closed,” Bezanson said. He also noted that residents are noting that stores and restaurants are open.

Grocery stores, however, never closed — while, at the height of the pandemic, they limited numbers of people inside at a time — because they were deemed an essential service.

“I think this board made a fantastic decision Christmas week – a slow week,” LaMattina said. “That being said … the risk is worth the reward.”

He said there has been enough time to see how omicron was going to go and it is time to open again.

A health board’s recommendation that attendance be permitted at the senior center by pods of 10 people at a time, if public buildings continued to be closed except for appointments was passed by Selectmen, but rendered moot by the building opening vote.

Selectmen did vote in agreement with the health board’s unanimous recommendation to require masks be worn at all times in public buildings at least until the next Board of Health meeting on Jan. 25.

Bezanson, however, said he was not “100 percent on board” with keeping buildings closed, since other area towns, and especially the regional school district, are open.

“I don’t see our consistency in our methodology in how we’re looking at this,” he said. “While the district is not part of our purview, it is still part of the town and, for me, we should be consistent. If it was such a risk, those children wouldn’t be there and they’d be on virtual learning.”

Masks required

While he said town employees are equally valued, Bezanson argued Selectmen need to be consistent. 

“I think the mask mandate is perfectly fine because, when you go around, when you are out in your Stop & Shops and Walmarts and the liquor stores, you’re wearing a mask,” he said. “It’s certainly your choice, but we have to decide about being in the building as an employee.”

Evans moved to separate the mask recommendation and building opening into separate votes.

Selectman Daniel Salvucci asked if an employee is in an office by themselves and why.

“Remember that [Selectman] Randy’s [LaMattina] original motion a couple of weeks ago was to protect the infrastructure, protect the workers” Kowalski said. “We don’t want to have DPW guy out sick, we don’t want to have it in the police department. We don’t want to have it in the fire department. What this does, is it gives us another two weeks of insurance.”

LaMattina said he was more concerned with someone deciding their own level of comfort, and their own medical decision on what’s safe for someone else. If someone is in an office alone and are sneezing or coughing, people who walk in are walking into those droplets.

“It’s continuity of a decision-making process,” LaMattina. “If you are going to induce a mask madate, you are doing it all the time.”

Health Board member Danielle Clancy had told Selectmen on Dec. 21 that there have been “incidents” with town employees in recent days, that made her reconsider the desirability for a vaccine mandate.

But LaMattina strenuously disagreed with vaccine or remote meeting requirements.

Selectmen also, in voting to open Town Hall, effectively negated the Health Board’s decision to require remote meeting sessions, which is already permitted by the state until April 1.

“With a couple of these, you’re seeing a drastic overreach by the Board of Health,” LaMattina said. “They’re getting into policy decisions, and not health decisions.” 

meetings

Determining how meetings can convene and noted that the determination on opening buildings would steer the decision on meetings.

“I think what they are doing, though is what we discussed last week,” Kowalski said.

Heineman said he informed the health board what Selectmen had advised last week, even as the Board of Selectmen had not voted on with attention to following the Open Meeting Law. He said he spoke with the health board to ensure, whatever they chose to recommend about meeting protocols, that they were in compliance with the Open Meeting Law.

Senior Center Director Mary Holland spoke about the importance of opening that building to help combat the isolation many seniors are experiencing who live alone and far from family.

“The choice for the seniors to be able to come is their choice,” said Senior Center Director Mary Holland. “The social isolation of leaving these seniors shut out of the building is a greater detriment than opening the doors and allowing them that option.”

Kowalski said, while he favored allowing small groups of seniors back into the center, he argued that the staff holds a responsibility to protect the health of the elder population.

More than 95 percent of people over 65 are vaccinated, Heineman said. Holland said they also have a scanning system to track attendance at the senior center, which has been in place before COVID, so they can track any positive cases that occur.

“I respect what you are saying, but I have trouble opening that door to people who may hurt themselves if they enter that door,” Kowalski said.

“They make their choices of where they want to go … No one is forcing them to come to that building, they can chose to come,” she said.

“The most vulnerable people in the pandemic are the people who are older and have other conditions,” Kowalski said. “And what we are saying is, ‘Let’s open it up to the most vulnerable people because, heck, they are lonely,’” Kowalski said.

Holland countered that elders are adults who can choose what they want to do.

Circuit Breaker flaws admitted

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Business Manager John Stanbrook has pledged to continue providing a monthly budget report and will give a quarterly analysis of the school budget, including transfers of Circuit Breaker finances to the School Committee as the panel concluded a lengthy meeting, Wednesday, Jan. 5, on the questions and concerns that have cropped up over use of Circuit Breaker funds.

Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak, who acknowledged Stanbrook’s important work in uncovering budget concerns, also pledged greater transparency in the budgeting process to the committee.

“I don’t think we did things right,” Szymaniak said. “I don’t think I did things right with these [School Committee] folks, I don’t think Dr. [Ruth Gilbert-]Whitner did things right … I don’t know if Dr. [John F.] McEwan did or not, I didn’t know Dr. McEwan. But I think we can do better, I think we need to do better. Communication with both communities has to be better.”

School Committee members Mike Jones, Fred Small and Michelle Bourgelas attended the meeting remotely by phone.

“Of late, there are a number of questions and concerns that have come up concerning Circuit Breaker as was first discussed in our November meeting and the administration has been working to gather information needed,” said Committee Chairman Christopher Howard. “That process has been delayed a couple of times due just from folks being out, which we’re continually dealing with.” He said the plan for the meeting was to lay out all the questions put forth up to this point and share the answers publicly. Follow-up questions were permitted as the presentation progressed.

The complete meeting may be viewed on the WHCA-TV YouTube channel online, or as rebroadcast on the education channel.

Howard said he and Vice Chairman Christopher Scriven met with school district administrators in an effort to obtain information on “questions that we thought needed to be addressed.”

“A lot of this material is a little dense – it’s a little thick – it can be complex at times, so really the objective of tonight’s meeting is to try and get to the same place of understanding,” Howard said.

Questions and answers [also available on the WHRSD website at the link: https://p10cdn4static.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_18535382/File/WHRSD%20Circuit%20Breaker%20Questions_final.pdf] included what is Circuit Breaker?

“Circuit Breaker is the state’s special education reimbursement program,” the response stated, in part among the nine pages of questions and answers. “Its intent is to provide relief to districts for high-cost special education students, and not all placements go where parents would necessarily prefer because of the process schools must follow.”

Szymaniak explained there are some students for whose educational costs are not reimbursed, because their tuition did not meet that standard.

Szymaniak said that Stanbrook had mentioned in a budget subcommittee meeting that there was a change in how the Circuit Breaker funds would be used in the fiscal 2023 budget. In addition to Stanbrook, retired interim Business Manager John Tuffy also attended the meeting.

“From that, more questions evolved about how we had done in the past, what we were going to do in the future, what past practices we’ve used that I’ve learned, now, probably aren’t best past practices, and how we figure out how we do this moving forward to make sure this committee here has a full understanding of this revenue source here, this reimbursement source of Circuit Breaker,” Szymaniak said, inviting more questions. “I’m just trying to be open and honest that I might not have a specific answer. I’m not trying to brush it off.”

Answers not available at the time would be answered at a subsequent meeting, or by a phone call or email, he said.

“I think [Stanbrook], in this role, is extremely efficient and is continually finding some things of how we can improve as a district, how his office can improve and how we can improve communications with the School Committee and the towns, so that we don’t have this problem in the future,” Szymaniak said.

Disagreements

He acknowledged there are disagreements out in the communities about best practices and how to use Circuit Breaker funds.

“What I found from my colleagues, from MASC, from DESE, there is no Golden Rule,” he said, pledging to more effectively communicate options. “People do it differently.”

Reviewing the basic reimbursement formula timing for some residential facility needs cases, was clarified by Whitman resident Shawn Kain, administrator of the Recovery High School in Brockton, whose wife is also a special education teacher, as he had been.

“We’re going to be reimbursed for the money we pay for that student next year,” Kain said. “So the Circuit Breaker we get for that student will increase next year … even though the special ed costs [for the year of the expense] will increase. … I think that’s an important clarification … sometime special education costs and Circuit Breaker reimbursement gets blurred.”

Tuffy agreed it is a reimbursement program.

Small asked how many times in the past five years the district had experienced an emergency expense – such as a special needs student moving into the district or requiring residential placement.

“I think that’s a flow,” Szymaniak said. “I can’t give you an exact number.”

Student Services Director Lauren Matthiesen described her budget process for some costs as a best-guess process based on expecting 3 percent increases from collaborative schools and 6 percent increases from private placements each year during budget calculations. Some figures are not finalized until June.

Tuffy said the district had actually received funds this year as a beginning reimbursement for special education transportation.

“Up until now, we’ve never gotten any money at all,” he said. “They’re phasing it in over a period of time. They actually missed the first year that they said they were going to phase it in because of financial issues at the state [level]. The assumption is we will continue to see that funded as we go into fiscal year 2023.”

Whitman Selectman Randy LaMattina said he could already see the meeting going off the rails before the discussion had reached the half-hour point.

“We’re now talking about special education costs, not Circuit Breaker reimbursement,” he said, asking why the two were being confused.

Like Howard, LaMattina questioned where the district’s best practices come from.

“I’m asking the same question,” Howard said. “What my opinion of that is, it’s an opinion and I would ask everyone to hold their ‘we’re going to accept those as what we should do’ until we actually go through all the information because its simply an opinion of best practices from someone.”

LaMattina also asked if the district places Circuit Breaker reimbursements in an account such as special education stabilization, rather than funneling money into the general fund. Stanbrook said that, yes, there is a Special Revenue Fund for Circuit Breaker in the budget.

“All the revenue from Circuit Breaker goes into that account, no question,” he said.

Stanbrook also reviewed special education expenses from fiscal 2014 to 2021. Overall special ed costs went from about $7.7 million in 2014 to $11.2 million in fiscal 2021 – a 44.95 percent increase, based on end-of-year reports required by DESE.

In the past, it’s been used for tuition to collaboratives, professional salaries, contractual services and transfers to the general fund, Stanbrook said.

School Committee member Hillary Kniffen asked if there was a best practices recommendation for how much Circuit Breaker funding the district should use in a year.

Szymaniak said that percentage amount has not been found, but the committee had recommended that a policy be determined. Howard confirmed that his inquiries to state officials show “it’s all over the place.”

What is not spent is carried over into excess and deficiency per state law, Szymaniak said.

Whitman resident John Galvin, who stressed he was not speaking in his capacity as a Finance Committee member, had several questions about a chart showing the “drastic overspending” of Circuit Breaker money in 2018 and ’19 as well as “drastic under-allocation” of it in 2021 and ’22. He questioned who authorized the overspending in 2018 and ’19 when the report he cited “clearly showed it was not transferred to the general fund” and how it was actually paid out. He also questioned a page on the late deposit of $246,943 on July 2, 2019 — after the budget had been certified. He said he was aware the figure was explained (the last deposit on fiscal 2018 had been delayed) on another chart, but a notation would have helped transparency.

“Telling the truth can’t possibly be misleading,” said Stanbrook, who said his report was based purely on what is in the accounting system. Galvin said it would simply be helpful to add notations on the chart if an additional amount was delayed. He also questioned how it was spent, if it was not transferred to the general fund.

Heated exchange

Howard cut off the back and forth discussion to focus on the original question of who authorized expenditures.

“It’s an honest answer – I don’t have an answer for you right now,” Szymaniak said of the 2019 budget compiled before he was superintendent.

“You should have been made aware that that money was being added to the overall budget after it was certified,” LaMattina said, noting that if more money is going to be added to the general fund in any given year after the budget has been certified, the School Committee needs to vote on it. 

“We’re not getting at spending,” he said. “You should have been made aware that money was being added to the overall budget after it was certified (for fiscal 2021). … I think we’re here to discuss a mistake that I think we’re dancing around. A mistake was obviously made in the way this was calculated — an accounting mistake and then spending.”

If used correctly, Circuit Breaker reimburses the school district to offset unexpected costs and then the bill comes to the town, which frees up more money for member towns.

“That’s not the way this has been done, and that’s the way it was supposed to be done,” LaMattina said.

Stanbrook said the state asks his office twice to certify that the required amount had been transferred out of the Circuit Breaker fund so the district would not carry more than one year’s worth as per state regulation.

Szymaniak said the fiscal 2021 budget, with all it’s unknown COVID-related expenses led to the district being conservative with Circuit Breaker, but still ended up with “an abundance at the end of the year.”

“It was a very difficult time to understand how we were going to budget, even to the point when we developed our remote plan for students, we didn’t know if we were going to be reimbursed for that at all,” he said. Fiscal 2022 carried it’s own COVID-related questions, including learning loss and social-emotional issues. More parents of special ed students were also looking for residential placement for their children, as well. 

Stanbrook recently proposed to the budget subcommittee that the district determine the total sped costs in the general fund for fiscal 2023, and then remove about $1.7 million from that budget and show it as being paid by the Circuit Breaker in the special revenue section of a budget

 “It covers the amount we need to spend next year by the state regulation, and I think it will show a substantial relief to the towns,” Galvin said in support of the proposal.

Kniffen said she is more concerned with the educational opportunities for students that Circuit Breaker savings could be used to finance. LaMattina argued that proper use of Circuit Breaker would enable the towns to possibly give more if voted because you’re allocating the reimbursement in a proper manner. Both he and Galvin fully supported Stanbrook’s proposal.

“You don’t get less money,” he said. “You’re now presenting a more accurate budget to the towns. By not doing it right, you’re hurting yourself.”

Kain also said he believes last year’s budget was miscalculated in an effort to hold back some money for a rainy day fund of sorts. Scriven was uncertain about Kain’s terminology, but said it was clear state Circuit Breaker regulations were not followed.

“That, to me, is the problem,” he said.

“I just think people agreed on the budget last year under false assumptions,” Kain said. “If you wanted to withhold some money for a special ed rainy day fund, it should have been in the budget and subtracted in that line. It wasn’t, and it was voted on, therefore to me, that doesn’t sit right.”

Howard said he did not disagree with anything Kain said.

“We could have been more transparent,” Howard said, but neither he nor Scriven knew where to go with that.

“What we can do best is learn from the experience,” Small said, suggesting a special ed stabilization fund be established and funded.

Whitman Finance Committee liaison to the School Department Kathleen Ottina thanked the School Committee for putting together the session.

“It’s a refreshing approach to informing the public how money is spent,” she said. “The school budget is not a simple budget. … I believe we have the right people committed to the School Committee and to the towns, going forward, who will do the right thing.”