Montachusett Regional Planning Commission

FITCHBURG CITY CLERK Jun 06 2023 1:12 pm MONTACHUSETT REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION (MRPC) THURSDAY, MAY 4, 2023 7:00 PM REMOTE MEETING MINUTES 1. Open Meeting, Introductions and Announcements Chairman G. Corbosiero called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. Chairman G. Corbosiero stated in accordance with Governor Baker’s Covid-19 Executive Order regarding the Open Meeting Law and remote participation, votes will be taken through Roll Call. Roll Call Taken: A. Reid- present B. Yocum- present M. Bohart- present G. Corbosiero- present K. Munroe- present K. Nartowicz- present L. Shifrin- present P. Cunningham- present R. Ward- present R. Hoyt- present S. Donahue- present A. Pease- present 2. MRPC Minutes – April 6, 2023 – Approval of Commissioners Requested Having no objections, P. Cunningham moved to accept the April 6, 2023 minutes as presented. The motion was seconded.  Roll call vote followed: A. Pease- yes A. Reid- yes B. Yocum- abstain M. Bohart- yes G. Corbosiero- yes K. Munroe- yes K. Nartowicz- yes L. Shifrin- yes P. Cunningham- yes R. Hoyt- yes S. Donahue- yes 3. Cash Schedule – April 2023 – Acceptance of Commissioners Requested L. Shifrin presented the cash schedule. The opening balance for March was $930,205.32, total receipts and transfers for the month were $102,875.06, total cash on hand before this warrant was $1,033,080.38, less the amount of this warrant of $180,008.80, left a balance after the warrant of $853,071.58. Having no objections to the cash schedule, A. Pease moved to accept the cash schedule as presented subject to audit. The motion was seconded. Roll call vote followed: A. Pease- yes A. Reid- yes B. Yocum- yes M. Bohart- yes G. Corbosiero- yes K. Munroe- yes K. Nartowicz- yes L. Shifrin- yes P. Cunningham- yes R. Hoyt- yes S. Donahue- yes 4. Guest Announcements and Questions 4.1 George Kahale- MART Representative MART Advisory Board Meeting - The Board of Selectmen for the town of Townsend has voted to petition to join the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MART). MART Advisory Board at  their scheduled meeting on March 9, 2023, has voted to accept the town of Townsend as MART's newest member community. That now gives MART region 25 member communities. 5. Administrative Matters 5.1 Hiring of Multiple Part – and/or Full-Time Planners for the Planning and Development and Transportation Departments – Information Only No update at this time. The next report will be in June or July. 5.2 MRPC and MEC, Inc. Records Preservation: Digitization of Documents – Information Only No update at this time. The next report will be in June or July. 5.3 Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce Executive Roundtable Program - Information Only No update at this time. The next report will be in June or July. 5.4 Election of Officers – Information Only “May of Each Year: Other Candidates May Be Considered - The Nominating Committee shall present a slate of proposed members of the Executive Committee. Other delegates may be added to this slate as candidates for the various Commission offices and at-large positions by nominations from the floor of the May meeting of the Planning Commission.” (Source, MRPC Bylaws, Article 2, Section 1.) Vote on the slate of officers to be presented and acted upon in June. The Nominating Committee will meet next month, the date is to be determined. We will present a slate of proposed officers at our next meeting. 5.5 Annual Appointments As a reminder, in mid-May, appointment forms will be sent out to our communities as well as for appointments to the Montachusett Joint Transportation Committee (MJTC). Please contact Glenn at geaton@mrpc.org, Brad at bharris@mrpc.org, or Holly at hford@mrpc.org if you have any questions. Please be advised that delegates to the MRPC must be from local planning boards. The relevant section of the MRPC Bylaws can be found below. “Voting Members. i. The Planning Commission of the Montachusett Regional Planning District shall consist of one member of the planning board of each city and town which is a member of the Commission, one alternate-member and Devens shall be allowed to have a non-voting representative, as follows: ii. Members from Municipalities. Each planning board of each city and town, which is a member of the Commission, who shall be elected by his/her planning board may  elect a member to represent the respective community. His/her election shall be certified annually to the Commission by his/her planning board, iii. Alternate-Members from Municipalities. There may be a designee, who may or may not be a planning board member, appointed annually by the Mayor in a city, confirmed by the Council, or by the Selectmen in a town, who may attend meetings of the Commission and who shall assume the rights and duties of the planning board member in his/her absence. iv. The Devens Enterprise Commission shall annually appoint to the MRPC a non-voting, ex-officio member, subject to an annual affirmative vote of the majority of the Commission.” (Source, MRPC Bylaws, Article 1, Section 3.) 5.6 FY24 Budget Review – See Memo in the Meeting Folder -Information Only A final budget will be proposed on June 8, 2023. Highlights of the proposed budget include the following: 1. Total projected revenue of $2,144,250. a. Additional revenue is highly likely as communities are asking for additional planning services for the upcoming fiscal year, and beyond. Also, more grant programs and funds are available now than there have been since the 1990s. b. MRPC needs to exercise caution on the expense side of the budget as these grant programs will eventually terminate. All planning staff need to develop new avenues of revenue. 2. Total projected expenses of $2,218,552. 3. A projected deficit of only -3.3% ($74,301). 4. A projected overhead rate of 1.1950 or (119.50%), a reduction of almost ten points from our current OH rate of 1.2812 (128.12%). 5. Additional revenue of $375,000 plus $89,333 for total projected revenue of $464,333. a. The significant increase in revenue is due to the award of a $750,000 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), Safe Streets for All (SS4A) grant ($375,000 to be expended in FY24 and another equal amount in FY25) and an Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) grant award of $134,000+ from the Federal Economic Development Administration (EDA) for our Future Industrial Lands for Long-Term Economic Recovery (FILLTERR) project. (Only $89,333 of the $134,000 grant award from the EDA EAA grant will be available in FY24.) 6. This draft budget projection includes a 2.5% salary increase across the board (for all employees). a. In June, the Executive Director may recommend a higher salary increase for all employees due to the significant increase in the New England Consumer Price Index (CPI) benchmark rate over the past 12-18 months and possibly additional funds for some employees at the lower end of the pay scale, and possibly others, so that MRPC can compensate employees at rates that are competitive with other regional planning agencies in Massachusetts and New England.  7. Some of the above narratives and numbers are subject to further analysis, research, and change through June 8, 2023. 6. Department Updates- Contract Status Report Review 6.1 Geographic Information Systems (GIS) No new updates at this time 6.2 Planning & Development K. Chapman mentioned in addition to the many contracts that they have been working on, they have several new contracts that have recently been added. 6.3 Transit & Transportation The next MJTC meeting is scheduled for May 10, 2023 and the next MPO meeting will be held on May 17, 2023. The main topic of discussion for both meetings will be the endorsement of the Transportation Improvement Program for FFY24-FFY28 and the FFY2024 Unified Planning Work Program. Additionally, we believe the main topic for June and July will be the Regional Transportation Plan. 7. New Business This time is reserved for topics that the chair did not reasonably anticipate would be discussed. K. Chapman asked that with the current number of projects we are working on, please have patience as we are working diligently to get through all of them. B. Yocum stated the town of Shirley is excited to announce that they just passed the Community Preservation Act for the first time. 8. Adjournment There being no further business to discuss, B. Yocum moved to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded. Roll call vote followed: A. Pease- yes A. Reid- yes B. Yocum- yes M. Bohart- yes G. Corbosiero- yes K. Munroe- yes K. Nartowicz- yes L. Shifrin- yes P. Cunningham- yes R. Hoyt- yes S. Donahue- yes Meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m. This meeting will be recorded by the GoToMeeting app and will be made available for viewing at https://www.youtube.com/user/MontachusettRegion/videos. This notice is subject to change with reasonable notice provided to all. Meeting Registration Link: May 4, 2023 MRPC Meeting Registration QR Code: MRPC Meeting Material: May 4, 2023 MRPC Meeting Material Meeting Attendance Name M/A Representing Appointment Date Present Absent Janssens, Leo A Ashburnham 7.2021 Hoyt, Roger M Ashburnham 7.2011 X Stacy, Wayne A Ashby 7.2021 Pease, Alan M Ashby 7.2001 X Bialecki, Rebecca A Athol 7.2020. Doherty, Jacqueline M Athol 7.2020. Copeland, Shaun A Ayer 7.2020. Tillotson, Geoffrey M Ayer 7.2022 Vacant A Clinton Duffy, Phil M Clinton 12.2011 Lowitt, Peter N/V DREZ 7.2001 Bohart, Mary Jo A Fitchburg 7.2021 X Butland, Alyne M Fitchburg 7.2020. DeRoy, Jessica A Gardner 7.2021 Swartz, Robert M Gardner 7.2019 Cunningham, Peter M Groton 7.2022 X Burke, Russell A Groton 7.2016 Minar, Kara A Harvard 7.2021 Donahue, Stacia M Harvard 7.2018 X Williams, Jeff A Hubbardston 7.2022 Munroe, Kristofer M Hubbardston 2.2023 X Jackson, Carol A Lancaster 8.2021 Williston, Russ M Lancaster 11.2018 Vacant A Leominster Valliere, Dean M Leominster 7.2019 Vacant A Lunenburg 7.2020. Reid, Amanda M Lunenburg 7.2022 X Ermini, Annette A Petersham 7.2022 Vacant M Petersham Telepciak, John M Phillipston 10.2001 Jackson, Melanie A Phillipston 7.2022 Barclay, James A Royalston 7.2017  Nartowicz, Kyle M Royalston 7.2015 X Oelfke, Bill A Shirley 7.2020. Yocum, Barbara M Shirley 8.2017 X Kilcoyne, John A Sterling 7.2014 Page, Patty M Sterling 7.2019 Bennett, Jeff A Templeton 7.2020. Rich, Dennis M Templeton 7.2017 Sexton-Diranian, Charles A Townsend 7.2022 Shifrin, Laura M Townsend 7.2019 X Vacant A Westminster Buckman, Gregg M Westminster 7.2021 Ward, Rick A Winchendon 7.2019 X Corbosiero, Guy M Winchendon 7.2011 X Staff: G. Eaton, H. Ford, K. Chapman, B. Harris, K. Kress, L. Quinlivan Guests: George Kahale, MART Representative DOCUMENTS/EXHIBITS DISTRIBUTED AT THE MEETING: April 6,, 2023 Minutes May 4, 2023 Agenda May 4, 2023 Handout Contract Status Report- January through March 2023 Current Grant Opportunities Spreadsheet Memo FY24 Budget Summary Copy of MRPC Bylaws