Leverett Town Seal

Massachusetts

Leverett

Town of Leverett
9 Montague Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Town Clerk: (413) 548-9150
Tax Collector: (413) 548-9666
Assessor: (413) 548-4945
Town Hall Fax: (413) 548-1035
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Select Board

Tuesday, December 7, 2021, 7:00 pm until 8:30 pm
Town Hall
A meeting of the Select Board

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https://www.gotomeet.me/townleverett/selectboard-meeting
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Access Code: 502-625-813

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Meeting ID: 502 625 813
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Attendees at Select Board Meetings must wear a mask.

Meeting of Select Board

Members: (Quorum)

  • Present: Tom Hankinson, at 7:00 PM
  • Present: Julie Shively, Chair, at 7:00 PM
  • Present: Melissa Colbert, at 7:00 PM

Also Present:

  • Present: Julie S.
  • Tom H.
  • Melissa C.
  • Margie M.
  • Lisa S. for the Select Board
  • Shannon G.
  • Becky T.
  • Sofia B. from the Social Justice Committee
  • George B. for the Montague Reporter

See original Agenda Approved Meeting Minutes

Meeting opened: 7:00 PM

Meeting closed: 11:28 PM

  1. Meeting Preliminaries

  2. Appointments

    • 7:00: Tax Classification Hearing

      General Discussion...
      Jeff Reynolds presented “Fiscal Year 2022 Tax Classification Hearing” document (see attached). He reviewed all of the information contained therein noting an increase in property values and a rate adjustment from $19.73 to $19.04 and recommending a single tax rate for the town.

      MOTION, moved by Julie Shively, seconded by Tom Hankinson: Motion: The Leverett Select Board votes in accordance with MGL Ch. 40, Sec. 56, as amended, the percentage of local tax levy which will be borne by each class of real and personal property, relative to setting the Fiscal Year 2022 tax rates and set the Residential Factor at 1.0, with a corresponding CPI shift of 1.0, pending approval of the town’s annual tax recap by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. Seconded. Vote: 3-0 in favor.
      Motion: To authorize Margie to sign the LA-5 on behalf of the Select Board. Vote: 3-0 in favor.

      .

      Pass: Aye: Julie Shively, Tom Hankinson, Melissa Colbert.

    • 7:15: Library: Appt. Substitute Library Asst.

      General Discussion...
      Hannah thanked the board for appointing Jill Palmer as a library assistant. She also asked for two additional substitute assistants: JC Kirby, who is available on weekends and Julie Rossier who can sub on week days. Applications were reviewed by the board.

      MOTION, moved by Julie Shively, seconded by Tom Hankinson: Motion: To appoint JC Kirby and Julie Rossier as substitute library assistants. Vote: 3-0 in favor.

      .

      Pass: Aye: Julie Shively, Tom Hankinson, Melissa Colbert.

  3. Business

    • Childcare for Town Meeting

      General Discussion...
      Becky Tew and Jacob Laney spoke about childcare for Town Meeting. The Social Justice Com. would like to have a plan in place for the future so childcare is not a perennial problem. The board made several suggestions about how it could be done but asked for a more concrete solution with costs from the SJC. Margie will look into the insurance costs associated.

    • COVID Issues

      General Discussion...
      Melissa reported that COVID cases are spiking.

    • FRCOG request for grant support

      General Discussion...
      The Board signed a letter of support for a FRCOG grant concerning the areas aging population.

    • Payroll Schedule Update

      General Discussion...
      Following a letter sent by the new Treasurer informing staff that the town would be shifting its payroll period by one week to allow for more time to process timesheets, therefore creating one week of pay in a January pay period to create the lag, the staff at the school asked to speak to the board. They expressed concern about the timing of the shift because of winter heating bills and general inflation. Conversation ensued about what time of year would be best. A span of March to June seemed agreeable but the board said they needed to check with the Treasurer as he is the ultimate one to decide. The school will be informed by Margie what month to expect the change.

  4. Sign

    • MOU for Transfer Station Inspection

      General Discussion...
      The Board signed a MOU for the Transfer Station Inspection.

    • MOU with Amherst for Teawaddle Hill Rd. paving costs

      General Discussion...
      The Board signed a MOU with Amherst for paving at Teawaddle Hill Rd.

  5. Mail

    • DEP letter re: PFAS

    • Dept. Public Utilities, Telecom, Cable: Regulatory Bulletin

    • FERC: Dam surveillance monitoring reports

    • Leverett School Staff letter re: payroll changes

    • National Grid: Yearly Operational Spraying Plan

  6. Meeting Wrap-up

The listing of matters is those reasonably anticipated by the Chair which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law.

Minutes approved on Thursday, Jan 6, 2022

Posted to: Select Board