Minutes
Town Council · from the Town's website · 8 pages · 49 KB
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TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF JUNE 4, 2024 President Letterie calls meeting to order at 7:00PM ROLL CALL Present: Councilor Tassinari, Councilor Munson, Councilor Costigan, Councilor Demarco Councilor Aiello, Councilor Swope, Councilor DaRos, Vice President Belcher, President Letterie Absent: Councilor Aiello PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Councilor Tassinari PUBLIC HEARING Joint Meeting Town Council and Winthrop Planning Board ROLL CALL FOR JOINT MEETING ROLL CALL PLANNING BOARD Present: Chris Boyce, Sarah Furniss, Honor Merceret, Kim Hirsh Jason Pallutro Absent: Gina DiMento, Alyssa Gamble ROLL CALL TOWN COUNCIL Present: Councilor Tassinari, Councilor Munson, Councilor Costigan, Councilor Demarco Councilor Aiello, Councilor Swope, Councilor DaRos, Vice President Belcher, President Letterie Absent: Councilor Aiello JOINT PUBLIC HEARING OPENED Discussion on Flood Maps, changes and alterations on Flood Plain Zoning Town Manager opens discussion with notification that we were notified by the state, at last minute, that we must amend our Flood Plain Zoning Map. This is mostly Chelsea that is going through the change but Winthrop is included partially. This must be done as for the residents to have flood insurance if needed. Town Counsel Cipoletta discusses the language changes of this amendment. This ordinance is mandatory and dictated by FEMA, Flood Insurance Companies and States. Back n 2016 the town adopted the Suffolk County Firm Maps, these maps have not changed. The new one includes a small portion of Winthrop so we must adopt this. Please see Updated Language included…… Discussion Councilor Swope asks where certain properties are located. Attorney Cipoletta explains where they can be found on map Planning Board member Merceret asks about the regulation, 17.50.070 and mixed uses? Attorney Cipoletta discusses this is the language that the state supplied to the town and we have to adopt this Asks if a person is supposed to calculate how their structures are meant Attorney Cipoletta again states this is what the state has mandated This could be sent to FEMA for a total explanation This ordinance is replacing the current ordinance therefor 17.40 would be deleted and replaced with new. A correction will be made to specify it should be 17.40 not 17.50 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JUNE 4, 2024 PAGE 1 Councilor Tassinari asks if this is a Federal and State Mandated? Attorney Cipoletta replies that the municipality must adopt what is given by the State. We have been adopting flood zone language since 2009. We are not deleting, we are adding to this Thie Planning board will be meeting on June 17, 2024 and make a recommendation to the Town Council for their June 18, 2024 meeting to be voted on. Motion by Councilor DeMarco to adjourn joint meeting 2 nd by Vice President Belcher ROLL CALL TOWN COUNCIL Yes: Councilor Tassinari, Councilor Munson, Councilor Costigan, Councilor Demarco Councilor Aiello, Councilor Swope, Councilor DaRos, Vice President Belcher, President Letterie Absent: Councilor Aiello ROLL CALL PLANNING BOARD Yes: Chris Boyce, Sarah Furniss, Honor Merceret, Kim Hirsh Jason Pallutro Absent: Gina DiMento, Alyssa Gamble Motion Passes Town Council Meeting back in Session MINUTES Motion by Councilor DeMarco to Approve Minutes May 21, 2024, as circulated. 2 nd by Councilor Swope Motion Passed GENERAL INFORMATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS Finance Commission Presentation FY 25 Budget Chair Matthew Gorzkowicz provides the FY25 Finance Commission Recommendation… Please see recommendation on Town Website A concern on the budget is the cost of providing education is growing faster than the rate to support this. This is a concern for FY26 There will be a Special Town Council Meeting on June 11, 2024 to vote for the FY 25 Budget PUBLIC COMMENT John Morgan reports that a Commission on Disability Meeting is tomorrow June 5 th Lyceum Room- Advocate for Yourself Brian Martonovich P3-Winthrop Working Together….a new community committee within our residents. Winthroptogether.org Scott Mahoney Wright P3-Follow up with Brian…Winthrop Working together where everyone belongs and their needs are meant. We do not say NO to 3A, we say lets work on this and engage in this process. How this might work or not work and what else we need to do as a community P3-Climate change, relationship with MWRA, Masspsort…really serious issues this community faces Need action…learn and listen. TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JUNE 4, 2024 PAGE 2 Vasili Mallios P1-Representing the Winthrop Says NO to 3A Group….not just typical faces..there are several residents that are fighting against this. Residents that elected our public officials…. And would like our elected officials to represent them…reading names involved……. Kathleen Cappuccio-Wide variety of people that Vasili Named….happy to continue to this list Reads names…. Todd Sacco continues names Sheryl Howard continue names Kurt Millar P2-Continued reading names Diana Viens P2-Continues reading names Christian Buonpane many voted for Town Council President and would like him to listen to these residents Jack Dowd P2-Reading from the Flood Plain Overlay District…..”utility services”reduce damage to public and pvt. With clean up of flooding” Only 200 miles from Hurricane Sandy…$70 Billion …Have to get involved with this flooding and seawall problems…“Ensure public safety from personal injury…we’ve seen pics of people in distress. We really should take care of this problem at Deer Island…MWRA raised grade 20-40 ft. north side…Get mitigation contracts done Carl Roth P6-New to Winthrop….budgets ..cost of increase… Is forecasting budget increase he is worried about. More people living here, would help. Julia Wallerce P2-Commends all for their work on reading names….just because names are not on list does not mean we are adversaries…. Hopes all people come to meeting….we support Town Council and want to continue this process…need to know the outlook and would like a zoning plan….there is opportunity to learn…we do not want to face yes…no…right…wrong….we need funding…we need state to preserve affordability, it’s not all Winthrop….lets work together Cassie P6-Agrees with Julia and would like the town to come together on this decision… Kurt Millar P2-Budget…looking at Chap 70…looks like some of this money went elsewhere…why? Celeste Robeiro Hewitt P1-Interested in Winthrop together….get Advisory Committee together for our town….have we assessed if state over reaching legally….alternative methodology? So many impacts Vasilli Mallios P1- Discussion of Jan proclamation….how was this supposed to be used? Not sure who runs the FB page and nothing there for April or May…..several things that are missed….If we are not going to be consistent and not follow proclamations….this is not right….This is causing more division…forgetting certain months and doing others…. Town Council President agrees and will look to include PUBLIC HEARING None CORRESPONDENCE COMMITTEE REPORTS Intergovernmental & Finance Committee Meeting Councilor Tassinari reports that the committee will invite Paul Flanagan who is our Massport Member to attend the meeting. Working together on mitigation reports and reviewing all possibilities of these mitigation contracts. TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JUNE 4, 2024 PAGE 3 SCHOOL DEPARTMENT REPORT Town Council President reports Graduation-incredible event…weather great 140+ kids….great ceremony 500,000 given in grants and awards….Facella scholarship in the 11 th year….left 7 million to schools which is invested and earnings given as scholarships Mr. Eade’s family awarded $25,000 in scholarships Amandi Family gave (5) $25,000 Scholarships Winthrop Grad Nick Cappuccio…won 3 state championships….for running…first time in Winthrop Athletic History…. Budget…..looking towards FY26….as descried there is a deficiency of 1.5 Mil.. Superintendent Howard is doing everything to review …..Some outside accounts that will be brought down to 0 to reduce deficit…. We will have to consider an Override… TOWN MANAGER REPORT Update on Community Contract Grant awarded $237, 481.00 thanks Bob Repucci and Wayne Carter Work started on Tips Project…updates on website Meeting on June 8 th Point Shirley Assoc. at 9:00am to update on Yirrell Beach and DEP CZM Grant update have a 6 week window to apply Putting in an application for storm water design water money Councilor Swope reports that we have to watch dogs on beach, have been reported by citizens that there are many not on leashes Councilor DeMarco asks about Middle School-When presentation? Town Council President reports he is waiting for Edge to get back and now looking at Public Safety Bldg. States the town cannot handle an override, we must consider other alternatives MBTA 3A-Community has stated what they want, he would like to make a motion Town Council President would like to wait for the Planning Board since we had a joint meeting and are now waiting for their recommendation Councilor Tassinari-What are other things that are in Capital Plan that we would need Debt Exclusions for …at a certain point we will reach a limit…maybe future meeting let us know for capital projects that will need community funding….seawall….need transparency Town Manager states there is a lot is in the Capital Plan…the DCR Seawall is up to DCR to repair…we have money in our Cap plan to fix our landing seawalls….Decisions have to be made….federal state grant we are vigilant on this…. Vice President Belcher…discusses Yirrell beach update…anyone that cannot go, she wants to make sure there is no desire to make Yirrell Beach a bird sanctuary…. Will this be recorded? No it will not, but we will contact WCAT Primary …how did we get here? It is a problem….the beach is a mess….the Plover areas are same but the seaweed is a real concern. Town Manager has reached out and we need a front loader to get rid of seaweed, trying to work with DEP Clarify..naturally cannot remove things from beach, town cannot rake….things we have been doing for years have been in violation of the Wetlands Protection Act.and we have been stopped by the DEP. We need to come up with a plan that works… TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JUNE 4, 2024 PAGE 4 Town Manager states is was $37,000 for Beach Engineer….did take care of this year but moving forward will cost the town Councilor DaRos reports that people that are interested in the Climate Committee can apply on line indicate which board you are interested in Councilor Munson-thanks all for budget info….great and hard work….Is there any funding to keep engineers Pico, Girdlestone, Tilestone….costs yet? Town Manager, no as of today Woodard & Curran gave an est cost….still $400-500 number Asks the Town Manager to say few words on the daunting amounts of challenges this town faces…. Could Town Manager say something on this….Break it down….. Town Manager breaks it down that it is not easy…every community has their problems….inflation is also felt by the town as well as people…. Town Council President applauds DPW for doing Short Street Stairs so great….it’s a great compliment to our town and new bus stops on Walden St. COMMISSION OF DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS Clean up on….Coughlin Park… Ramona Cooper …bench clean up Pride Pot 6-15-24 Still working on future plans Councilor DaRos comments on CDICR….you should try to attend….3 rd Wed of every month… UPDATE POLICY MAKING COMMITTEES No meetings since last meeting OLD BUSINESS Fire Station Update Engineers are offering 3 alternatives locations to be reviewed and more information to follow Motion by Councilor DaRos for Pride Month Proclamation 2 nd by Councilor DaRos Yes: Councilor Tassinari, Councilor Munson, Councilor Costigan, Councilor Demarco Councilor Aiello, Councilor Swope, Councilor DaRos, Vice President Belcher, President Letterie Absent: Councilor Aiello Motion Passes NEW BUSINESS Motion by Vice President Belcher to have a Town Council Special Meeting on June 11, 2024 to vote on the FY25 Budget 2 nd by Councilor Munson Motion Passed TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JUNE 4, 2024 PAGE 5 Motion by Town Council President to change the time of Town Council Meetings from 7-6pm 2 nd by Councilor Swope Discussion Motion to Amend by Councilor Swope to change time to start at 6:30 2 nd by Munson Main Motion as Amended Roll Call Motion Passes Motion by the Town Council President to refer to the Finance Committee the following motions: Town Council vote to approve a Town Council Special Meeting on June 11, 2024 6:00 PM Town Council Adopt Annual General Fund Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2025 Town Council Adopt Annual Revolving Budgets for Fiscal Year 2025 Town Council Adopt Annual Capital Plan for Fiscal Year 2025 Town Council Adopt Recreation Enterprise Fund Budget for Fiscal Year 20255 Town Council Adopt Larson Rink Enterprise Fund Budget for Fiscal Year 2025 Town Council Adopt Harbormaster Enterprise Fund Budget for Fiscal Year 2025 Town Council Adopt Water & Sewer Enterprise Fund Budget for Fiscal Year 2025 Town Council Adopt Solid Waste Enterprise Fund Budget for Fiscal Year 2025 Town Council Appropriate from Retained Earnings/Water Sewer Fund $500,000 and Transfer to Water/Sewer Capital Stabilization Town Council Appropriate and Transfer $75,000 from Technology Grant (Town) to Capital Project Account “Town Hall Servers” Town Council Vote to Transfer $150,000 from General Fund to Revolving Funds and Enterprise Funds to close out Fiscal Year 2024 Town Council Vote to Modify the General Fund Budgets to facilitate the June 30, 2024 closing of the Fiscal Year 2024 Town Council Vote to Authorize Unpaid Bills of a Prior Year to be paid from the current Dept. Budgets PUBLIC COMMENT Celeste Robeiro Hewitt…this is Portugese Heritage Month. In EB Friday night raising Pride Flag.. Councilor DaRos will be key note speaker… Jack Dowd P1-Town reflects town used to burn seaweed… Looked at Army core of engineer studies….every coastal communities are looking for money to fix theirs…. MWRA District can help…..get on the list…. Group litigation on contracts…glad making strides…mentions the town should hire an expert… MWRA owes Winthrop money…. Diana Viens P2- Comments on 3A zoning …. Voting yes does not get you anything….you must represent your constituents…..State has only approved 3 communities….this will get overturned anyway….if you haven’t floated by residents of your vote…you should….there are so many legal actions against this zoning issue…. There is no affordable housing in this act Cathy House P6-Only a few have been approved…the ones that started early…we are in the 3 rd phase…a lot of information is out there we need a consultant for more information TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JUNE 4, 2024 PAGE 6 Kathleen Cappuccio- P2-Question….can someone get back…MAPC…does town have a contractual with the MAPC regarding the town….did a recent public request and noticed a Town Council is forwarding emails to an employee who is the resident of Winthrop who works with the MAPC…she is concerned with a Town Councilor sending strategies to an MAPC employee…who is a lobbyist for 3A Zoning… Very concerning that this is happening…would like clarification Carl Roth P6-Meeting in Cambridge start at 5:30 , if people want to come they will. Sending each other emails….only a quorum rule….you can send emails to anyone…. Bill Schmidt P5-The town has a lot of problems , Fires Station…Mid School…school needs overrides… Predecessors did not deal with these and now the current Town Council has too. All are willing to step up and face these issues… you have to make the best decision for the town…. PUBLIC RELATIONS / UPCOMING EVENTS- • 6-8-24 Town Manager Meeting Yirrel Beach Discussion PSA Hall 9:00 am • 6-10-24 & 7-16-24 Winthrop Planning Board Meetings/MBTA 3A Zoning with RKG Associates • 6-27-24-Winthrop Public Library Celebrates it’s 125 th Anniversary from 5-7 pm • Winthrop Farmers Market Dates: June through October Ingleside Park 9AM – 1PM ADJOURNMENT Motion to adjourn by Councilor Swope at 10:15 pm 2 nd by Councilor DaRos Passed Unanimously Public Documents used in the meeting are available at Town Managers Office. Documents Used in this Meeting: Handwritten Notes / Committee Openings Documents Roll Call Log Written Motions / Verbal Motion Respectfully submitted. Denise Quist Town Clerk Council Clerk TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JUNE 4, 2024 PAGE 7