City Council

Ciry of'Taunton 9vf.unicipa{Council9vf.eeting 9vf.inutes Ciry 1fa{{, 15 Summer Street, 'Taunton, 9vf.)f In t/i,e C/i,ester ~ 9vf.artin 9vf.unicipa{Counci{ Cnam6ers 9vf.inutes, (})ecem6er 6, 2022 at 7.·07 O'cCocR_/P.9vf.. ~gufar :Meeting :Mayor Snaunna £. O'Conne{(presitfing cp,ayer was offerea 6y tne :Mayor cp,esent at ro{( ca{( were: Councifor (J)ooner, (J)uarte, <Borges, :M.cCau~ CJ'ottier, Coute, Sanders, Quinta{ ana CJ'oste{{ Record of preceding meeting was read by title and approved. So voted. Motion was made to go out of the regular order of business to Appointments. So voted. Appointments: Swearing in of Four (4) Permanent Full-Time Firefighters: • Matthew Daly • Jonathan Dumont • Gage Hull • William Walsh Motion was made to invite the parties to the podium to be sworn in. So voted. Mayor O'Connell said they want to thank them for their service to the City of Taunton and wish them safety and God's blessings in their service. The City Clerk swore in all four (4) permanent full-time Firefighters. Motion was made to take a brief recess. So voted. AJ Marshall recognized the people who made the Christmas parade a huge success. The people that were present to do the Christmas Basket Drawing 2022 were Sue Barber, Sandy Kingsbury, Lisette Miranda, Karen Grossi-Pemberton, George Mendros, Diane Nunes and Renee Menard. Mr. Marshall said they put on a spectacular parade on Sunday and they are already starting to plan for 2023. This year they raised over $7,000.00 in raffle prize money from the baskets. None of this would have been possible without the employee baskets. They also thanked Maggie Clarke for selling all of the raffle tickets. They then started the annual tradition of pulling the winning tickets for each basket. They thanked everyone for a wonderful Christmas weekend in the City. Mr. Marshall said there will be pictures with Santa on the Taunton Green, Friday to Sunday for the next two weeks from 5-8p.m. Mayor O'Connell thanked the Christmas Parade Committee.  2 Motion was made to go out of the regular order of business to Communication from the Mayor. So voted. Communications from the Mayor: Mayor O'Connell said they have a brief, very informational presentation from our Finance Team. She invited the team into the enclosure. Patrick Dello Russo said the Finance Team has achieved a bond rate increase from Standard & Poor's going from a standard AA to a strong AA+. The second highest rating that is given by S&P. The Finance Team is proud to inform them all that they are now in the top 25% of all Municipalities in the Commonwealth. He thanked the members of the Finance Team that was present. It's an important moment for the City. The Council should now know that they are viewed externally as leaders amongst cities in our Region. They can equate achieving an AA+ status to winning a Super Bowl. Going from subpar to standard. He explained that S&P is a national credit rating agency that rates the credit worthiness of companies and municipalities alike. Sort of like how Experian or Equifax does for individuals except, at a much larger scale. His presentation continued with touching base on objectives, an update on results of most recent S&P rating, a break out of S&P report, introduction of city-wide finance policies and team achievements. Presentation on file. Mayor O'Connell gave a few words on how well the team works together and gave her thanks. Councilor Pottier gave credit to the Mayor and the Finance Team. Councilor Borges gave her thanks to the team Gill Enos and then asked the team to introduce themselves. Paul Arikian, Director of Technology, Katherine Nunes, Capital Project Director, Bill Roth, Director of the Office of Economic and Community Development, Richard Calderon, Chief Procurement, Christine Clymens, Treasurer & Collector, Gil Enos, Budget Director and Ian Fortes, City Auditor all introduced themselves. Motion was made to recess to the Committee of the Whole. So voted. Motion was made to reconvene back into the City Council meeting to the regular order of business with the Council's thanks or the people who were present. So voted. Opportunity for input by the general public. Nobody was present to speak. Hearings: On the petition of Attorney Michael Strojny, 277 Winthrop St., Taunton on behalf of his clients Yacoub Dobeib and Khalil Dobeib, 107 Richmond St., Raynham to allow a NEW Class II License for YNT, LLC to be located at 603 Winthrop Street, Taunton. Motion was made to open the public hearing and invite the interested parties into the enclosure. So voted. The City Clerk read the communication into the record. Com. from the City Planner submitting recommendations. Com. from the Building Commissioner stating he has no concerns. Com. from the Conservation Agent stating they have no issues. A map of the location was submitted. Motion was made to make all communications a part of the record. So voted. Atty. Strojny and Yacoub Dobeib introduced themselves. Atty. Strojny said the current use for the property is a used car lot called Taunton Auto & Truck Sales. Eugene Costa currently owns the property now. They have a purchase and sales agreement on the property subject to the approval for a used car lot. They basically want to replace what is there now with theirs. They are not looking to expand anymore. The only thing they want to do is re-pave the parking lot. It's  3 currently falling apart. Motion was made to invite Detective Rutherford into the enclosure. So voted. Det. Rutherford said he did a background on the application for YNT, LLC who has two managers who are Yacoub Dobeib and Khalil Dobeib. At this time, in conjunction with the Law Department, they can't give a positive recommendation as far as the auto sales. They have a couple open judgements in the City. Therefore, the licensing division cannot give a positive recommendation to this auto sales license. Councilor Coute asked Atty. Strojny if he was familiar with these judgements. Atty. Strojny said he is not familiar with them. He believes they have nothing to do with YNT, LLC. The YNT, LLC was an LLC that was created for five unique cars that were owned. Atty. Strojny said he believes Det. Rutherford is talking about issues with Khalil and Milad that have gone back and forth regarding 274 Winthrop Street which has nothing to do with this. It's not a used car dealership that is there. He believes its Planet Petroleum. Councilor Coute asked Det. Rutherford what the issues are. Det. Rutherford said he's not going to get into it because it's an open case. He believes part of the mangers of this YNT, LLC is one of the defendants in the other cases. It's not a proper person to have a Class II license. Atty. Winters said this is an ongoing litigation matter. There are compliance issues with both sites 272 and 274. With regard to the standard, it's no license shall be granted unless the licensing board or officer are satisfied from an investigation from the facts stated in the application and any other information which they may require of the applicant that he is a proper person to engage in the business specified at section 58 in the classification for which he has applied. Mayor O'Connell reiterated to Atty. Winters that the Council can take into consideration the current properties that are managed and owned and whether or not they are in compliance and that speaks to the fact of whether or they are proper persons. Atty. Winters said he thinks the issue is this involves the other site with the storage of other vehicles and unlicensed vehicles, both the number and the amount of unlicensed vehicles on both of the two sites. He believes there may be other sites he is not familiar with that may have compliance issues as well. Councilor Coute asked Atty. Strojny if he thinks his client will be willing to bring the other site into compliance in order to get the license on this site. Atty. Strojny said he doesn't know how he could do this because his father and uncle own the other site. Atty. Strojny suggested removing Khalil Dobeib as a manager. His client's brother owns one down the street. Councilor Coute said he would have an appetite to issue this as long as there is no legal issues with the applicants. So if they can straighten out non- compliance then he would have an appetite. As the petitioner sits in front of him right now, until Det. Rutherford and the Law Department advise that they are in compliance, then he would be in a holding pattern. He said they want to see business in the City of Taunton so they want to see it run orderly and such. He thinks if they get this into compliance, they would be in good shape. Councilor Pottier said this is seemingly news to the applicant's attorney, he wanted to mention that perhaps the attorneys best bet would be to withdraw with no prejudice and comeback after they discuss what they want to do as far as that situation. Otherwise, if they do vote negatively tonight, nothing is guaranteed certainly in life, but he doesn't think they would be able to come back for a whole year. It might be a good idea to try to retract without prejudice and comeback after they iron some of this stuff out. Atty. Strojny said he appreciates that. In all fairness, he did receive a phone call yesterday on this. Atty. Strojny asked if he could be put on a January meeting. Councilor Pottier said he can schedule it with the City Clerk. Councilor Borges said it's no secret that Planet Petroleum has been notorious for disregarding any kind of condition that the City of Taunton has ever placed on any of their properties. Councilor Borges asked if the petitioners have any other Class II licenses. Atty. Strojny  4 said as far as he knows, he doesn't believe they have any other Class II licenses but he has never asked them that question before. Councilor Borges asked with the petitioners who are involved in this hearing this evening, have any other Class II license right now. Atty. Strojny said he is unaware of any. Councilor Borges asked Det. Rutherford if they have a Class II license now. Det. Rutherford stated no. Councilor Borges asked if any of these petitioners have anything to do with 391 Winthrop Street, nothing has anything to do with the other. Det. Rutherford said no, its family members. In part of YNT, LLC Nick is listed as a corporate member but not listed as an applicant on the petition. Councilor Borges said she is confused based on a lot of back and forth and research. She was under the impression that this petitioner this evening did have something to do with 391 Winthrop Street. Det. Rutherford said the two licensees on 391 Winthrop Street are Tim Strojny and Nick Dobeib. Councilor Borges asked if they will have any participation in this Class II license. Det. Rutherford said Nick Dobeib is listed as part of that YNT, LLC. According to the filings it's just Yacoub Dobeib and Khalil Dobeib who will be running the business. Councilor Borges asked if there will be any concern at all as far as the property at 391 Winthrop Street that has multiple conditions that were just placed on it by our Building Commissioner (who was present at the meeting) on September 2nd. Det. Rutherford said there are conditions on 391 Winthrop Street but neither one of these two principal parties have anything to do with 391 Winthrop Street. Councilor Postell asked Det. Rutherford if the third party is listed. He said Nick Dobeib is listed as a partner in YNT, LLC but not listed as a manger that would be every day running of 603 Winthrop Street. Motion was made to allow the applicant to withdraw without prejudice. So voted. On the petition of 231 Broadway Series of PB&C Series, LLC, One Roberts Road, Plymouth, MA 02360 for an amendment to the current flammable storage license to store a total of 28,540 gallons Regular Gasoline, Class IB, 6, 108 gallons Super Gasoline, Class IB and 6,108 gallons Diesel, Class II for a total of 34,648 gallons of flammable liquids and 6, 108 gallons of combustible liquids in underground storage tanks (Previous storage amount was 24,000 gallons Gasoline and Diesel Fuel) at the location of 231 Broadway, Taunton, MA. Motion was made to open the public hearing and invite the interested parties into the enclosure. So voted. The City Clerk read the communication into the record. Com. from Captain Bastis, Fire Inspector submitting a positive recommendation. Motion was made to make the communication a part of the record. So voted. Atty. William Rosa, office at 90 New State Highway, Raynham, representing the petitioner introduced himself. Peter Garrett, President of Volta Oil Company introduced himself. Huseyin Sevincgil with Greenman-Pedersen, Inc., who are the engineers for the project, introduced himself. Mr. Sevincgil gave a brief presentation. He said what they are looking to do is to demo the existing gas station and the residential property next door to redevelop it with a new convenience store with 6-dispensers out front which he showed on a plan. They were in front of the Council to get an amended fuel storage license. The existing gas station has a license that was issued years ago back in 1983. They said everything is going to be brand-new and state of the art. Double wall product pipping. The tanks will be double walled fiber glass. His presentation continued. Mayor O'Connell asked if this is just the beginning of their process and will there be many inspections. Mr. Sevincgil said as a part of the process as the Engineer, they will be doing the design for the underground storage tank conveying system. They personally do inspections for the client. MassDEP requires that the owner maintains plans that have been prepared for the site. They go out there and make sure everything is done per  5 MassDEP standards. EVR (enhanced vapor recovery) is required. The whole system is designed a certain way and it does comply with the state. Mayor O'Connell asked if the States' Fire Marshall will be inspecting and the Fire Department. Mr. Sevincgil said Fire Departments can inspect. The Fire Marshall gets involved with the fire suppression system. So that's another process they would have to go through. If they get this amended license, the next step would be to design the fire suppression system for the canopy. That would be forwarded to the Fire Department, they review the plans and sign off, and then they forward that to the Mass State Fire Marshall's office. Then they will issue a final approval. Councilor Pottier asked if either the convenient store or the gas station itself will be branded such as like a Cumberland Farms. Mr. Sevincgil said it will be branded as a Garrett's. Mr. Garrett said it's currently a Sunoco station, but their proprietor name is called Garrett's Family Market. This will be the fifth one in Massachusetts. The other stores in Massachusetts are located in Centerville (Barnstable), Mashpee, Milford and Falmouth. Councilor Pottier asked if they are going to have coffee and things like that. Mr. Sevincgil said yes similar to a Cumberland Farms. They will have traditional convenient store items such as lottery tickets and tobacco products, but they will also have a heavy food influence there. Grab-and-go, both hot and cold food and coffee. It's a neighborhood store where it's located. They will have a lot of walk-in traffic as well. They will have some seating for people that want to stay and eat. Councilor Pottier asked what their intended hours will be. Mr. Sevincgil replied saying they will be 24-hours. Councilor Pottier asked if the gas is branded. Mr. Sevincgil said it will be all the same brand, Garrett's Family Market. Councilor Pottier wanted to point out that he's sure that all the improvements they will be making on the site are relatively older tanks, older systems, older suppression, older everything. So this will be a brand-new, larger, safer and more convenient site. He gave his thanks for investing in the City of Taunton. Mayor O'Connell said just to be clear, she understands they are expanding the property and the store but this petition is an amendment to the current Flammable Storage license. They said yes, that is right. Councilor Borges asked when they plan on demolishing this site if this goes well. Mr. Sevincgil said these last two hearings were their last two hearings for Taunton. They will do their architectural drawings, which will take about a month. Once they are approved, they would put it out to bid and most likely will be in construction in April. It's about a six-month project. Councilor Coute said he knows they had multiple hearings with the Zoning and Planning Board. He asked if they can talk about what came out of those hearings. He knows there were a lot of neighbor concern. They have mitigated a lot of those concerns already. Atty. Rosa stated they were approved by the Planning Board. There was a lot of discretion back and forth and with the neighbors. The board opposed the number of restrictions on them in terms of what the neighbors have done. There is a small outdoor seating area, which they were concerned about people hanging out there later. They agreed to lock it up. Things of that nature. They worked to with the neighbors to ensure that the site is going to be a better situation than they have currently. He doesn't want to speak for them and say they were 100% satisfied because he's sure there are some issues they still may have. They really tried to work with them and the Planning Board held their feet to the fire in terms of certain concessions. There are sixteen or eighteen conditions to the approvals that are incorporated in the Planning Board and site plan approval decision. They think they have come a long way and hopefully it will be a plus for both of them. Councilor Coute asked how the traffic flow will work. Mr. Sevincgil said Broadway is at the bottom of the plan. Then Washington Street is at the 45-degree angle. Most of the traffic proceeds down Broadway from the Taunton Green and enters the first curb-cut. They would go to the fueling islands. They  6 have parking at the front of the site. Most of those cars would then continue on their way. They would go out the second curb-cut which is also on Broadway. They do have a curb- cut on Washington Street that a customer would be able to go in and out of. They also have a second curb-cut on Washington Street but that is for employees only. That's kind of how the traffic would work. Councilor Coute said it's good to hear they are going to invest a significant amount of money in this site and expand it and make it first class. That's what he likes to hear and thanked them for their investment in Taunton. Councilor Sanders said one of the things he sees in this plan that he is going to appreciate is the way its set up to discourage cut-thru's on the site. Mr. Sevincgil said you are absolutely right. One of his first jobs was that he pumped gas at this location. Back in the day there wasn't a convenience store. People do use this as a cut through to circumvent the light. That really isn't possible now with the way its setup. Councilor Sanders asked if a RV could get in there to get gas. Mr. Sevincgil said he thinks you can. The two diesel pumps are at the end of the island out there in front. They have put a turning radiuses on this. They get an eighteen-wheeler to make deliveries so he believes a RV should be able to get in and out of there. Councilor Sanders said he would like to know if businesses that are coming into Taunton are involved in more than just making a buck. He did notice an article that Garrett's was involved in raising money for Alzheimer's. He asked if this will be something that is an ongoing project and is this something they may see in Taunton. Mr. Garrett said for Alzheimer's they raised over one-million dollars since the start of it. His mom passed away from Alzheimer's. Every year they have something called "Purple Pump Up". They spend about 4-6 weeks every summer and raise money. This year he believes they raised over $180,000.00. Councilor Sanders added that Taunton is an Alzheimer's friendly community. Mr. Garrett said as part of their grand opening, they always pull the local Alzheimer's Association into it. Motion was made to open public input. So voted. Dick Shaffer, Shaffer Development Services in Taunton, wanted to be recorded in favor of this project. It's going to do a tremendous improvement to that five street area. Especially with traffic and circulation. Also with the facility and the access. He's heartily in favor. Motion was made to close public input and grant the petition. So voted. Communications from the Mayor: Mayor 0' Connell said they wanted to thank everyone who made this Christmas weekend in Taunton so wonderful with their Lights On and the Christmas parade. There were many people involved who did a lot of work over many months. Of course AJ Marshall and his Park & Rec team, the Park & Rec Commissioners, Taunton Police Department, Taunton Fire Department, the DPW, the Building Department, TMLP, the Downtown Taunton Foundation and TCAM. Also, the City of Taunton volunteers, Parade Committee and local businesses. This is a beloved tradition that has been going on for 109-years and they couldn't have done it without the participation of so many people. She gave her thanks to all and of course, their premier sponsors, Bristol Savings Bank and Morton Hospital. They are now moving into their gingerbread decoration contest. This opened December 5th. You can send pictures of your gingerbread house to gingerbread@taunton- ma.gov. There are two categories, adult and youth. They look forward to all these wonderful pictures. They have a lot of great participation since they started this a couple of years ago. They will be announcing the winners on Tuesday, December 20th.  7 Communications from City Officers: Com. from the Fire Chief requesting to pay several past due TMLP utility invoices that were incorrectly forwarded to the wrong postal box and delivered to their office in an untimely manner. He is also requesting to pay educational and personal reimbursement from several members of the department who submitted for reimbursement after forty- five days of service. No additional funding is required. Motion was made to refer to the Committee on Finance and Salaries. So voted. Communications from Citizens: NONE Petitions: Class II License - RENEWALS 1. ACME Fabrication & Equipment Leasing Co., LLC located at 91 Arlington Street, Taunton 2. Advantage Automotive located at 600 Winthrop Street, Taunton 3. B&J Auto Sales located at 632 Winthrop Street, Taunton 4. Breno's Collision & Sales, Inc. located at 408 Winthrop Street, Taunton 5. Corrao Motors located at 251 Broadway, Taunton 6. Frank's Auto Body, Inc. located at 265 Broadway, Taunton 7. G. Lopes Construction, Inc. -dba- Lopes Used Truck & Equipment Sales located at 565 Winthrop Street, Taunton 8. Happy Bear, Inc. located at 54 Cottage Street, Taunton 9. Jaime's Auto Body, Inc. located at 111 Arlington Street, Taunton 10. Northeast Auto Exchange, Inc. located at 406 Tremont Street, Taunton 11. Prestige Auto Mart, Inc. -dba- Prestige 3 located at 288 Broadway, Taunton 12. Taunton Auto & Truck Sales located at 603 Winthrop Street, Taunton 13. Taunton Tire & Auto Service located at 491 West Water Street, Taunton Motion was made to refer to the Committee on Police and License and the Police Chief. So voted. Class III License - RENEWALS 1. Arthur's Auto Junk Yard located at 147 Fremont Street, Taunton 2. Caramelo's Auto Body located at 2 Porter Street, Taunton 3. Harry's Auto Wrecking located at 68 Whitsborough Street, Taunton 4. Reynolds Auto Wrecking, Inc. located at 733 S. Precinct Street, East Taunton Motion was made to refer to the Committee on Police and License and the Police Chief. So voted. Billiard Table License - RENEWAL 1. Pioneer Flying Club, Inc. located at 330 Whittenton Street, Taunton (1 Table). Motion was made to refer to the Committee on Police and License and the Police Chief. So voted. Miscellaneous Petition submitted by Attorney Brianna Correira, 123 Broadway, Taunton on behalf of her client, Carl Capelo, Capital Development Company, LLC requesting to meet with the Committee on Department of Public Works for an appeal/request for reconsideration of a building permit condition requiring a sewer extension for Lot IA Highland Avenue,  8 Taunton. Motion was made to refer to the Committee of the Department of Public Works. So voted. Committee Reports: Motion was made for Committee reports to be read by title and approved. So Voted. Recommendations adopted to reflect the votes as recorded in Finance and Salaries issue #1, the Committee of Police and License issue #1, the Committee on the Fire Department in total, the Committee on Public Property and the Committee of the Whole. In regards to the item #2 in the Committee on Finance and Salaries, there were four motions that were made. First, to increase the Mayor's salary to one-hundred and thirty-three thousand, forty-eight dollars and sixty cents ($133,048.60), effective January 1, 2024. Motion was made to approve on a roll call vote. On a roll call vote, nine (9) Councilors were present, nine (9) Councilors voted in favor. So voted. Motion passed. Second, the Mayor's salary, moving forward be derived as an average of the top five civilian salaries for the City. On a roll call vote, nine (9) Councilors were present, two (2) Councilors voted in favor (Councilors Pottier and Coute), seven (7) Councilors were' in opposition (Councilors Dooner, Duarte, Borges, McCaul, Sanders, Quintal and Postell). So voted. Motion did not pass. Third, that the City Council's stipend be increased to ($16,631.08) as of January 1, 2024 on a roll call vote. On a roll call vote, nine (9) Councilors were present, five (5) Councilors voted in favor (Councilors Sanders, Coute, Pottier, McCaul and Duarte), four (4) Councilors voted in opposition (Councilors Postell, Quintal, Borges and Dooner). So voted. Motion passed. Fourth, that the City Council's stipend be calculated moving forward as 12 Yi% of the Mayor's salary on a roll call vote. On a roll call vote, nine (9) Councilors were present, one (1) Councilor was in favor (Councilor McCaul) and eight (8) Councilors were in opposition (Councilors Dooner, Duarte, Borges, Pottier, Coute, Sanders, Quintal and Postell). So voted. Motion did not pass. The Committee on Police and License item #2, BASK, Inc. application for a marijuana retail license, was a positive recommendation from the sub-committee. Motion was made to ratify on a roll call vote. On a roll call vote, nine (9) Councilors were present, eight (8) Councilors voted in favor, one (1) Councilor recused himself (Councilor Duarte). So voted. Motion passed. Unfinished Business: NONE Orders, Ordinances and Resolutions: Ordinance for a third reading to be ordained on a roll call vote AN ORDINANCE REVISING OFF STREET PARKING CHAPTER405 ARTICLE VI PARKING METERS Be it ordained by the Municipal Council of the City of Taunton as follows: That Section 405-83 through 85 of the Revised ordinances, as amended, is hereby further amended by deleting Section 405-83 through 85 and replacing them as follows. That Section 405-83 be amended as follow:  9 Section 405-83 Off Street Parking A. The City of Taunton Parking Commission shall establish rules for off-street parking for all municipally owned parking lots and facilities, to include parking passes and hours of operation. B. The City of Taunton Parking Commission shall set rates for parking and electric charging stations at all municipally owned parking lots in the City of Taunton, subject to approval of the Municipal Council. C. Vehicles illegally parked in a permitted location within a municipally owned parking lot or facility will be subject to a fine and towing at the owner's expense. All ordinances or parts thereof inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed. This Ordinance shall become effective immediately upon passage. Motion was made to be ordained on a roll call vote. On a roll call vote, nine (9) Councilors were present, nine (9) Councilors voted in favor. So voted. Motion passed. Ordinance for a third reading to be ordained on a roll call vote AN ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING DEPARTMENTAL REVOLVING FUNDS Chapter40 FINANCE Be it ordained by the Municipal Council of the City of Taunton and by authority of the same as follows: SECTION 1. Chapter 40 of the Revised Ordinances of the City of Taunton, as amended, is hereby further amended by adding a new section 5.2 to Article VIII, as follows:-- 5 .2 School Department 5.2.1 Fund Name. There shall be a separate fund called the Student Computer Revolving Fund for the use of the School Department. 5.2.2 Revenues. The City Auditor shall establish the Student Computer Revolving Fund as a separate account and credit to the fund all monies and fees paid by or on behalf of students of the Taunton Public Schools for replacement or repair of student-issued computers and computer accessories. The term "computer" for purposes of this Ordinance is inclusive of laptops, tablets, and other portable computing devices. 5.2.3 Purposes and Expenditures. During each fiscal year, the School Department may incur liabilities against and spend monies from the Student Computer Revolving Fund for expenses of acquiring, repairing, replacing, and maintaining of student-  10 issued computers and computer accessories. Salaries or wages of employees shall not be paid from the fund. 5.2.4 Reports. Within 10 days of the end of each quarter of the fiscal year, the Superintendent of Schools, or the Superintendent's designee, must provide the School Committee and the City Auditor with a report of the revenues and expenditures of the Student Computer Revolving Fund during the month and fiscal year to date. 5.2.5 Fiscal Years. The Student Computer Revolving Fund shall operate for fiscal years that begin on or after July 1, 2022. All ordinances or parts thereof inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed. This Ordinance shall become effective immediately upon passage. Motion was made to be ordained on a roll call vote. On a roll call vote, nine (9) Councilors were present, nine (9) Councilors voted in favor. So voted. Motion passed. Ordinance {or a first reading to be passed to a second reading AN ORDINANCE Chapter 426 - Water Sec 8. Initial water service connections, water user rates and charges. Be it ordained by the Municipal Council of the City of Taunton and by authority of the same as follows: That Section 8 of Chapter 426 of the Revised Ordinances of the City of Taunton, as amended, be and hereby is further amended as follows: 1. Delete paragraph B(l) and replace with: B. Minimum billing and water rates. (1) The billing rate for each connection shall be according to a fixed service charge that is based on the size of the meter serving the connection. The term "quarterly" shall mean no less than 91 days and no more than 93 days. The quarterly and monthly rates effective on January 1, 2023, and subsequent quarterly and monthly rates with their effective dates, shall be according to the following schedules:  11 Fixed Fff (Quarterly) JJnuary 1 2023 July 1 2023 July 1 2024 July 1 2025 July 1 2026 July 1. 2027 . June 30 2023 June 30 2024 June 30 2025 June 30 2026 June 30 2027 June 30 2028 Rate Rate Rate Rate Rate Rate 518" $ 21.70 $ 22.13 $ 22.57 $ 23.02 $ 23.37 $ 23.72 314" s 22.73 $ 23.18 $ 23.64 $ 202 $ 24.41 $ 24.85 1" $ 25.83 $ 26.34 $ 26.87 $ 27.41 $ 27.82 $ 28..24 1112" $ 29.92 $ 30.51 $ 31.13 $ 31.75 $ 32.22 $ 32.71 2" $ 41 .22 $ 42.04 $ 42.88 $ 43.74 $ 44.40 $ 45.06 3" $ 124.46 $ 126.95 $ 129.49 $ 132.0I s 134.06 $ 136.07 4" $ 155..28 $ 158.39 $ 161.56 $ 164.79 $ 167.26 s 169.77 6" s 227.22 $ 231.76 $ 236.39 $ 241.12 $ 244.74 $ 241.41 8" $ 309.43 $ 315.62 $ 321.93 $ 328.37 $ 333.29 $ 338.29 10" $ 391 .64 $ 399.47 $ 407.46 $ 415.61 $ 421.14 $ 428.17 January 1 2023 July 1 2023 - July 1 2024 . July 1 2025 . July 1 2026 . July 1 2027 . . June 30 2023 June 30 2024 June 30 2025 June 30 2026 June 30 2027 June 30 2028 Rate Rate Rate Rate Rate Rate 518" $ 7..23 $ 7.37 $ 7.52 $ 7.67 $ 7.79 $ 7.91 314" $ 7.51 $ 1.13 $ 7.81 $ 8.04 $ 8.16 $ 8.28 1" $ 8.61 $ 8.78 $ 8.96 $ 9.14 $ 9.28 s 9.42 1112" $ 9.98 s 10.18 $ 10.31 $ 10.59 s 10.75 $ 10.91 12" $ 13.74 $ 14.01 $ 14.29 $ 14.58 $ 14.80 s 15.02 3" s 41.41 s 42..31 s 43.16 s 44.02 $ 44.68 $ 45.35 4" $ 51.77 $ 52.81 $ 53.87 $ 54.95 $ 55.77 $ 56.61 6" s 75.74 s 71.25 s 78.80 s 80.31 $ 81.59 $ 82.11 8" $ 103.14 $ 105.20 $ 107.30 $ 109.45 $ 111.09 $ 112.76 10" s 130.55 s 133.16 s 135.82 $ 131.54 s 140.62 s 142.73 2. Delete paragraph B(2)(b) and replace with: (b) Effective January 1, 2023, and thereafter, the usage rates per hundred cubic feet for each step shall be as set forth in the following schedule: IUsage Rltea (per Hundred Cubic Feet) January 1 2023 July 1 2023 - July 1 2024 . July 1 2025 - July 1. 2026 . July 1. 2027 . . June 30 2023 June 30 2024 June 30 2025 June 30 2026 June 30 2027 June 30 . 2028 Rate Rate Rate Rate Rate Rate Step 1 $ 5.89 $ 6.00 $ 6.12 $ 6.25 $ 6.34 $ 6.43 Step2 $ 8.72 $ 8.90 $ 9.07 $ 9.25 $ 9.39 $ 9.53 Step3 $ 10.41 $ 10.62 $ 10.83 $ 11 .05 $ 11.22 $ 11.39 3. All ordinances or parts thereof inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed. This Ordinance shall become effective January 1, 2023. Motion was made to pass to a second reading. So voted.  12 Ordinance (or a first reading to be passed to a second reading AN ORDINANCE Chapter 375 Sewer and Drains Sec 22. Sewer rates and sewer user charges; late penalty. Be it ordained by the Municipal Council of the City of Taunton and by authority of the same as follows: That Section 22 of Chapter 375 of the Revised Ordinances of the City of Taunton, as amended, be and hereby is further amended as follows: 1. Delete sections l(a) through l(c) of paragraph C and replace with: (1) The billing rate for each connection shall be according to a fixed service charge that is based on the size of the meter serving the connection. The term "quarterly" shall mean no less than 91 days and no more than 93 days. The quarterly and monthly rates effective on January 1, 2023, and subsequent quarterly and monthly rates with their effective dates, shall be according to the following schedules: ,.$ $ ::cz· 395 ~-~ 424 fMl 'ti $ ..... .. 1,MS 1,909 2,045 2,117 ... $ $ $ ,~,i)ii~jg\~t,t;{';:; ~li-~'li{··· 3,892 $ ,,. ,~111~1~ ,.;; ~iE8*'~ilf, 3.821 $ :di; 3,955 4,893 $ .'i;W/ ,, . ,Wt ·.,~.i.:,1, ,1• .1 1 •1·,, ;.t$ .... 3."' 'i $ c;. ;,,'· · · 42 $ ''.;ar,iii''. 1 $ •• ..: $ .. $ t I $ -. ,... ... •• .$ 59 ·' $ $ M $ $ $ 71 ,J;;,.;, ·'· ,,filt'Cj{::':'<~,·. . if( I It •• • •• $ 123 ! $ 127 $ 132 $ 136 $ 141 $ 1"6 i:~f1;.',·· . '. •(';~~',;;,'·· .·:,,.,'.:f;. 511 I' . ,. •• &15 $ &3& $ 659 $ &12 $ 716 •••• ·- . . . $ . '''*'.' 1,274 . $ . ' 1,311 $ 1,364 1~- $ t,412 $ $ 1,"'2 1.115  13 2. Delete Section 2 of said Paragraph C and replace with: (2) Two-tiered billing rates: (a) For bills issued after January 1, 2023: [1] Step 1: $2.82 per 100 cubic feet for usage of one to 3,000 cubic feet (quarterly bills); and one to 1,000 cubic feet (monthly bills), respectively. [2] Step 2: $10.02 per 100 cubic feet for the incremental usage in excess of 3,000 cubic feet (quarterly bills); and 1,000 cubic feet (monthly bills), respectively. (b) For bills issued after July 1, 2023: [1] Step 1: $2.91 per 100 cubic feet for usage of one to 3,000 cubic feet (quarterly bills); and one to 1,000 cubic feet (monthly bills), respectively. [2] Step 2: $10.37 per 100 cubic feet for the incremental usage in excess of 3,000 cubic feet (quarterly bills); and 1,000 cubic feet (monthly bills), respectively. (c) For bills issued after July 1, 2024: [1] Step 1: $3. 02 per 100 cubic feet for usage of one to 3, 000 cubic feet (quarterly bills); and one to 1,000 cubic feet (monthly bills), respectively. [2] Step 2: $10.74 per 100 cubic feet for the incremental usage in excess of 3,000 cubic feet (quarterly bills); and 1,000 cubic feet (monthly bills), respectively. (d) For bills issued after July 1, 2025: [1] Step 1: $3 .12 per 100 cubic feet for usage of one to 3, 000 cubic feet (quarterly bills); and one to 1,000 cubic feet (monthly bills), respectively. [2] Step 2: $11.11 per 100 cubic feet for the incremental usage in excess of 3,000 cubic feet (quarterly bills); and 1,000 cubic feet (monthly bills), respectively. (e) For bills issued after July 1, 2026: [I] Step I : $3 .23 per I 00 cubic feet for usage of one to 3, 000 cubic feet (quarterly bills); and one to 1,000 cubic feet (monthly bills), respectively.  14 [2] Step 2: $11.50 per 100 cubic feet for the incremental usage in excess of 3,000 cubic feet (quarterly bills); and 1,000 cubic feet (monthly bills), respectively. (f) For bills issued after July 1, 2027: [1] Step 1: $3.34 per 100 cubic feet for usage of one to 3,000 cubic feet (quarterly bills); and one to 1,000 cubic feet (monthly bills), respectively. [2] Step 2: $11.90 per 100 cubic feet for the incremental usage in excess of 3,000 cubic feet (quarterly bills); and 1,000 cubic feet (monthly bills), respectively. 3. All ordinances or parts thereof inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed. This Ordinance shall become effective January 1, 2023. Motion was made to pass to a second reading. So voted. Order for a first reading to be passed to a second reading Ordered That, The RULES AND ORDERS OF THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL, previously adopted as a Standing Order of the Municipal Council on October 8, 2019, be amended as follows: Section 2. AGENDA Revise subsection C of Section 2 to state as follows: Items not on the agenda but placed on the Councilor's desks that evening or otherwise raised at the meeting will either be referred to a particular committee or referred to a subsequent meeting. Add a new subsection F of Section 2 as follows: F. Public input shall be a standing agenda item. Individuals who wish to have their matters addressed by the Council may submit a form prescribed by the Municipal Council to the office of the City Clerk by 10:00 A.M. on the date that notice of the meeting is required to be posted under Massachusetts law preceding any meeting of the Municipal Council. Individuals who wish to provide public input on matters on the meeting agenda or not appearing on the agenda may sign up in advance as stated above or may register prior to the start of the meeting in the location of said meeting. The public may bring up any matter and, as to matters not appearing on the agenda, the same will be referred to the appropriate committee or City department for discussion or action. Section 5: ORDER OF BUSINESS Revise Section 5 to state as follows: At every meeting of the Municipal Council, unless otherwise determined by a majority of the members present, the order of business shall be as follows:  15 A. Pledge of Allegiance. B. Invocation. C. Calling of the roll of members. D. Reading of the records for specific dates to be specified in the agenda. E. Public Input. F. Hearings. G. Communications from the Mayor. H. Appointments. I. Communications and reports from City Officers. J. Communications in the hands of councilors. K. Presentation of petitions, memorials and remonstrances. L. Reports of Committees. M. Unfinished business of preceding meetings. N. Orders, ordinances, and resolutions. 0. New business. Motion was made to pass to a second reading on a roll call vote. On a roll call vote, nine (9) Councilors were present, nine (9) Councilors voted in favor. So voted. Motion passed. New Business: Information only, Councilor Sanders wanted to send a high praise to the Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant (TMLP) once again. Outside of his home last evening the powerline connected to the pole disconnected and was laying across the street. From the time they contacted TMLP to the time the complete job was finished and powered was restored, was 1-hour. He could just not be happier with the response to a potentially dangerous situation. He also added, that if you see a powerline down across the street, A=don't touch it, B= don't drive over it and C= call TMLP because they will come fix it quickly. Councilor Mccaul made a motion to refer to TMLP to look at additional lighting on Washington Street, in the area of Dunkin Donuts and Leahy's Liquor Store. People are actually walking on the street because they can't see the side walk which is really dark in that area. So voted. Councilor Borges made a motion to refer an Executive Session with the Airport Commission and the Committee of the Needs of Airport but first refer to the Law Department to see if this warrants an Executive Session regarding the incident that occurred on November 28th at the Taunton Municipal Airport that was reported to her by many people. So voted. Meeting adjourned at 8:54 P.M  16 A true copy: Attest: JLL/KLD  17 II City of Taunton I -- Municipal Council December 6, 2022 l I J ...; '. ~l S'.2 '. --:.i. . . . . .: -, --" ,:·~< -< ~ fT1 n ::I. )> r~ :.:J The Committee on Finance and Salaries 1 r:-i. ~ ::.::- a.... '"Y'J ::k C> The meeting was held at Taunton City Hall, 15 Summer Street, Taunton, MA 02780 in~ Chester R. Martin Municipal Council Chambers. Present were Councilor Phillip Duarte, Chairman and Councilors Pottier and McCaul. Also present were CFO Patrick Della Russo and Director of Human Resources Amy Kazlauskas. The meeting was called to order at 5:37 PM. 1. Meet to review the weekly vouchers and payrolls for City departments. MOTION: Approve the payroll warrant in the amount of $1,433,432.06. So voted. MOTION: Approve the accounts payable warrant in the amount of$6,196,039.94. So voted. 2. Meet to discuss salaries for elected officials. Councilor Pottier reiterated from the last discussion that the last stipend increase for the City Council was in 2005. He pointed out that the School Committee had doubled the stipend for its members last year. MOTION: Send a communication to the School Committee and Superintendent requesting all information relative to their doubling of their stipend in June and taking effect in July. So voted. Councilor Borges indicated that she had brought up the discussion about other boards and committees because she wants to be sure that others are fairly compensated. However, she was surprised to learn that the School Committee had doubled its stipend. MOTION: Make the chart with comparable city salaries part of the record. So voted. MOTION: Make the Mayor's salary the recommended $133,048.60 to take effect January, 2024. Councilor Postell indicated that he is not in support of these suggested increases. While this is not a lot of money in the big scheme of things, it is a significant amount of money to many people. Councilor Dooner questioned where the money would come from and Mr. Della Russo indicated that this would have come from the reserve fund but since it will not be in effect until  18 Page Two December 6, 2022 The Committee on Finance and Salaries - Continued January of2024, it will be built into the budget. Councilor Dooner expressed her belief that, in general, elected officials make too much. Councilor Borges indicated that she is not looking for a raise for the City Council since they serve the community so will not support the Council raise. Councilor Pottier stated that those who are opposed could defer their stipend. Councilor Coute indicated that the Taunton Gazette reported that the Mayor is the 219th highest paid person in the City and on the list of comprables, 15 communities pay their Mayor more. He suggested that Taunton shouldn't look to be in the bottom 10% for any position and should look to put Taunton in line with other communities. Councilor Postell stressed that reserve accounts should be used for extraordinary, unforeseen circumstances. He indicated his support for an increase for the Mayor's position. Councilor Sanders suggested that this is not crazy amounts of money being requested. He suggested that salaries for the Mayor and the Council should be looked at more frequently so that they do not have this situation where the Council is looking at a 60% increase since it has been about 20 years. He is, however, more concerned with building in a formula and believe the Council should be brave enough to take a vote every year or few years. Mr. Sanders indicated that he will not support implementing the formula but will support this one time increase. Amy Kazlauskas, HR Director, stated that the CFO was looking for an objective way to determine pay raises and this was the most objective way that they could come up with. Councilor Coute confirmed that if this was to take effect in 2024 it would be built into the budget. Mr. Dello Russo agreed and suggested that if it were to take effect now, it would have to come from the reserve fund. Mr. Coute emphasized that even with this proposed raise, the Mayor will still be below the average. Councilor Dooner indicat.ed that she understands the argument for the mayoral salary increase. Councilor Pottier clarified his motion and Councilor Duarte confirmed that this would need to go to the Ordinance Committee to be ordained. MOTION: Adjust the Mayor's salary to $133,048.60 as of January 1, 2024. So Voted.  19 Page Three December 6, 2022 The Committee on Finance and Salaries - Continued MOTION: Going forward, the Mayor's salary to be derived from the average of the top five civilian employees. Councilors Pottier and McCaul voted yes. Councilor Duarte voted no. The motion carries. MOTION: Increase the Council's salary to $16,631.08 as of January 1, 2024. So Voted. MOTION: Going forward, set the Council stipend to 12.5% of the Mayor's salary. Councilors Pottier and McCaul voted yes. Councilor Duarte voted no. The motion carries. The meeting adjourned at 6: 16 PM. CITY OF TAUNTON Respectfully submitted, DEC 0 6 2022 .. 1t~ { · Llfl·L /v__ IN MUNICIPAL COUNCIL Maggie E. Clarke Clerk of Council Committees REPORTS ACCEPTED. RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED FOR ITEM #1. ITEM #2 IN THE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE AND SALARIES, THERE WERE FOUR MOTIONS THAT WERE MADE. FIRST, TO INCREASE THE MAYOR'S SALARY TO ONE-HUNDRED AND THIRTY-THREE THOUSAND, FORTY-EIGHT DOLLARS AND SIXTY CENTS ($133,048.60), EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2024. MOTION WAS MADE TO APPROVE ON A ROLL CALL VOTE. ON A ROLL CALL VOTE, NINE (9) COUNCILORS WERE PRESENT, NINE (9) COUNCILORS VOTED IN FAVOR. SO VOTED. MOTION PASSED. SECOND, THE MAYOR'S SALARY, MOVING FORWARD BE DERIVED AS AN AVERAGE OF THE TOP FIVE CIVILIAN SALARIES FOR THE CITY. ON A ROLL CALL VOTE, NINE (9) COUNCILORS WERE PRESENT, TWO (2) COUNCILORS VOTED IN FAVOR (COUNCILORS POTTIER AND COUTE), SEVEN (7) COUNCILORS WERE IN OPPOSITION (COUNCILORS DOONER, DUARTE, BORGES, MCCAUL, SANDERS, QUINTAL AND POSTELL). MOTION DID NOT PASS. THIRD, THAT THE CITY COUNCIL'S STIPEND BE INCREASED TO ($16,631.08) AS OF JANUARY 1, 2024 ON A ROLL CALL VOTE. ON A ROLL CALL VOTE, NINE (9) COUNCILORS WERE PRESENT, FIVE (5) COUNCILORS VOTED IN FAVOR (COUNCILORS SANDERS, COUTE, POTTIER, MCCAUL AND DUARTE), FOUR (4) COUNCILORS VOTED IN OPPOSITION (COUNCILORS POSTELL, QUINTAL, BORGES AND DOONER). SO VOTED. MOTION PASSED. FOURTH, THAT THE CITY COUNCIL'S STIPEND BE CALCULATED MOVING FORWARD AS 12 ~%OF THE MAYOR'S SALARY ON A ROLL CALL VOTE. ON A ROLL CALL VOTE, NINE (9) COUNCILORS WERE PRESENT, ONE (1) COUNCILOR WAS IN FAVOR (COUNCILOR MCCAUL) AND EIGHT (8) COUNCILORS WERE IN OPPOSITION (COUNCILORS DOONER, DUARTE, B GES, P O T I ¥ ' SANDERS, QUINTAL AND POSTELL). MOTION DID NOT PASS.  20 City of Taunton ,___, = ,..._, r--.> Municipal Council _, C.:J December 6, 2022 .l rri ,. ---~· r;. ,I'll CJ I The Committee on Police and License --......, - ..D -< n :.I J> The meeting was held at Taunton City Hall, 15 Summer Street, Taunton, MAtQ27Bi) in~ Chester R. Martin Municipal Council Chambers. 5! ~ _J Present were Councilor Jeffrey Postell, Chairman, and Councilors Sanders and Borges. Also present was Detective William Rutherford. The Meeting was called to order at 6:22 P.M. 1. Meet with Detective Rutherford on a petition for a change of location for a Temporary Fixed Vendor's License for Hometown's Tacos Locos from 3 Cape Road to 264 Broadway. Detective Rutherford gave a positive recommendation. MOTION: Approve. So Voted. 2. Meet with Detective Rutherford on an application for a marijuana retail license for BASK, Inc. 400 Winthrop Street. Detective Rutherford gave a positive recommendation. Councilor Sanders asked if all security procedures were in place and Detective Rutherford affirmed. MOTION: Move forward. So Voted. The meeting adjourned at 6:24 P.M. CITY OF TAUNTON Respectfully submitted, DEC 0 6 2022 '7vwc~,r t; (0./l10__ IN MUNICIPAL COUNCIL Maggie E. Clarke Clerk of Council Committees REPORTS ACCEPTED. RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED FOR ITEM #1. ITEM #2, BASK, INC. APPLICATION FOR A MARIJUANA RETAIL LICENSE. MOTION WAS MADE TO RATIFY ON A ROLL CALL VOTE. ON A ROLL CALL VOTE, NINE (9) COUNCILORS WERE PRESENT, EIGHT (8) COUNCILORS VOTED IN FAVOR, ONE (1) COUNCILOR RECUSED HIMSELF (COUNCILOR DUARTE). SO 0 ED. MOTI~ED. C RK v /  21 City of Taunton Municipal Council December 6, 2022 The Committee on the Fire Department The meeting was held at Taunton City Hall, 15 Summer Street, Taunton, MA 02780 in the Chester R. Martin Municipal Council Chambers. Present were Councilor David Pottier, Chairman, and Councilors Postell and Coute. Also present were Jennifer Leger, City Clerk, Timothy Bradshaw, Fire Chief, and Jason Bairos and Tim O'Leary of the Fire Department The Meeting was called to order at 6:26 P.M. 1. Meet to discuss issues with the Civil Service Exam. Chief Bradshaw indicated that there had been some challenges with the civil service exam as a recent court ruling threw out some of the exams. The issue is with promotional exams. Chief Bradshaw relayed that the exam has been rescheduled for March 25 and will cover the same material. The current list is expiring March 1, 2023. He expressed his hope that there will be an expedited grading process and hopefully will have a list created by May 1. However, there will be a time with no list and he would suggest making no permanent promotions during that two month period. The union supports this plan. Jennifer Leger indicated that the recent communication she had received confirms that the current list remains in place. Chief Bradshaw, nonetheless, indicated that he is unwilling to fill permanent vacancies during this time gap. Councilor Borges questioned why not protect the current reserve list and Chief Bradshaw indicated that people are still studying for the next exam. He further indicated that he likes the two year timeframe and now that the exam is scheduled he is happy with the solution. Chief Bradshaw expressed his frustration with the Civil Service canceling the exam. He further indicated that the reserve list in the past was only for new hires. The meeting adjourned at 6:35 P.M. CITY OF TAUNTON Respectfully submitted, DEC 0 6 2022 . "}111)8~- (/ /f l£_.1L- ../ , , . . __jt~ / IN MUNICIPAL COUNCIL Maggie E. Clarke Clerk of Council Committees PORTS ACCEPTED. RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED . J&r- .a-llJC.n",F.R:I  22 i City of Taunton Municipal Council I I ,,_, !:""~ i December 6, 2022 I .. __, ,..._, r-.._, I I ./" 0 rri r"} >::-J '. I The Committee on Public Property -., -., -D -, .:! --:: ,,.;< p :.:r )> . ·,/Tl The meeting was held at Taunton City Hall, 15 Summer Street, Taunton, MA§127Sb in~ TJ :::;J ''l Chester R. Martin Municipal Council Chambers. x ~ (3 -.J Pl Present were Councilor Christopher Coute, Chairman, and Councilors McCaul, Dooner, Quintal, and Borges. Also present were Attorney Winters and Attorney William Rosa. The Meeting was called to order at 6:38 P.M. 1. Meet to discuss the request for the release of an easement at 223 and 231 Broadway. Attorney Winters explained the details on the easement that was requested to be released. MOTION: Open public input. So voted. MOTION: Close public input. So voted. Councilor Sanders asked for more information on the parcel and Attorney Rosa indicated that the property owner has acquired additional land and now owns both lots. They are looking to construct a new convenience store/gas station and the easement is in the way. MOTION: Approve. So voted. 2. Meet to discuss the request to declare parcel 24-47 at 1200 Bay Street as surplus. Attorney Winters indicated that this is a small parcel that held a school house at one point in the 19th century but is currently not in use. It is surrounded by another property and is approximately 2,025 square feet. He indicated that the Procurement Department would determine the best way to dispose of the property- either through auction or an RFP process. Councilor Borges asked why this wouldn't be part of the abutters program and Attorney Winters indicated that this would not qualify. Councilor Coute suggested that the abutters would combine this with another parcel. Councilor Sanders asked if there was interest from the Historical Commission if this was the original school house in the City. Councilor Coute read a letter from Attorney John White.  23 Page Two December 6, 2022 The Committee on Public Property - Continued Councilor Sanders questioned the disposal method and Attorney Winters indicated that the Procurement Department would make that determination. Councilor Sanders further questioned how the property is zoned and Councilor Coute said it is urban residential. Attorney Winters confirmed that there is no structure on the parcel. MOTION: Declare parcel 24-47 at 1200 Bay Street surplus and leave it up to the Law Department determine whether to utilize an RFP or an auction. So voted. The meeting adjourned at 6:57 P.M. CITY OF TAUNTON Respectfully submitted, DEC 0 6 2022 ,,;i~\°'~c .C&Lt 1-(__/ IN MUNICIPAL COUNCIL Maggie'i~Clarke Clerk of Council Committees REPORTS ACCEPTED. RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED.  24 City of Taunton Municipal Council December 6, 2022 The Committee of the Council as a Whole -·~· -~- ~< . . . r~ The meeting was held at Taunton City Hall, 15 Summer Street, Taunton, M1?2021~0 in1he -: :_.J Chester R. Martin Municipal Council Chambers. g 9 , ,1 ::::>=; 0 ~ _J Present were Councilor David Pottier, Acting Chairman, and Councilors Dooner, Borges, McCaul, Coute, Sanders, Quintal, and Postell. Councilor Duarte was recused. Also present were Vanessa Jean-Baptiste, Mark Bouquet, and Michael Maloney of Legal Greens, LLC. The meeting was called to order at 7:04 P.M. MOTION: Recess. So voted. The meeting reconvened at 7:44 P.M. Councilor Duarte recused himself and Councilor Pottier acted as Chairman. 1. Meet to discuss the request for a marijuana delivery Host Community Agreement for Legal Greens, LLC at 168 Broadway. Vanessa Jean-Baptiste, Mark Bouquet, and Michael Maloney of Legal Greens gave a presentation on their proposed marijuana delivery business to be located at 168 Broadway. They relayed that they are currently operational in Brockton, are debt free, and are doing well. They detailed their diversity and inclusion plan and expressed their plans to hire from within the community. The building will be compliant and monitored. 168 Broadway would strictly be routing calls to the dispensary for delivery. Councilor Borges asked for details on 168 Broadway and Mr. Maloney indicated that it currently has a house on the property and that they have a signed purchase and sale agreement but is contingent on receiving an HCA. Councilor Borges suggested they look to partner with organizations within Taunton on their expungement clinics. She asked how many employees they predicted and the team indicated there would be 12 to start. Councilor McCaul asked for more details on how the delivery process works. Ms. Jean-Baptiste explained that customers register, the company validates their ID and address, the customer places an order, the driver comes to the store, picks up the product, and delivers. ID must be checked at every transaction. Mr. McCaul questioned how many deliveries can be made to a customer in a day and Ms. Jean-Baptiste indicated that the maximum is 28 grams per day. Mr. McCaul further questioned the hours of operation and Ms. Jean-Baptiste informed the Council that they would be operational 8:00 AM- 8:00 PM, 7 days a week.  25 Page Two December 6, 2022 The Committee of the Council as a Whole - Continued Councilor Postell questioned the number of employees and the team indicated that there would be 2-3 vans with 2 employees in each van but these would be housed in Brockton. Mr. Postell pressed on how many would be working out of this location and Mr. Maloney indicated there would be as few as possible. Only dispatch would be housed here. Mr. Postell asked for more information on the employees with criminal records and it was reported that these are people with marijuana related offenses. He also asked if there would be any markings on the building and they told him there would not be any markings. Councilor Postell asked why they had chosen this location and Mr. Maloney indicated that zoning was the driving factor. Mr. Postell asked if there was any interest in turning this into a retail or cultivation site and Mr. Maloney said no. Councilor Sanders asked the Legal Greens team where they are in the state licensure process and was informed that they had pre-approval and as an economic empowerment applicant they will be moved to the front of the line with the state. He also clarified that they would be delivering inside Taunton in addition to other cities and towns. Councilor Postell confirmed that the vans will be unmarked and asked if there is a chance they would be parked at this location. Ms. Jean-Baptiste indicated that there would be no reason for them to be parked there. MOTION: Open public input. So voted. MOTION: Close public input. So voted. MOTION: Authorize the Law Department to enter into an HCA with Legal Greens, LLC for 168 Broadway. So voted. The meeting adjourned at 8: 10 P .M. CITY OF TAUNTON Respectfully submitted, , . 011.tl-r!)'- e u ) ,. "!' / DEC 0 6 2022 I ,, , {. /l ~L-- IN MUNICIPAL COUNCIL MaggieCJ: Clarke Clerk of Council Committees ORTS ACCEPTED. RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED. ' ~ .TTY CL ,RK