City Council

1 City of<Taunton :Municipa{Council:Meetina :Minutes City 1fa{{, 15 Summer Street, <Taunton, ~ In tne Cnester ~ :Martin :Municipa{Council Cnam6ers - :Minutes, Pe6ruary 7, 2023 at 7.· 19 O'cCocf(/P.:M. ~gufar :Meeting :Mayor Sliaunna £. 0 'Conne{[presiding <Prayer was offered 6y tne :Mayor JI moment of silence was offeredfor tne passing of :Mar{ (}Jfac~e{[, Sr. wli.o natl a aistinguisli.ed career witli. P.M.£Cl' tliat spanned over JO-years. :Mar{ started in 1972 as an P.t:ectric Station Operator and progressed tli.rougli. several rofes at tli.e pfant. :Mar{ was actively involved in tne Vnion and served on tli.e 6oard for 20-years as 41ce <President and <President of £oca[ 462. Po{[owing :Ma1i..:S retirement over 37-years of service at tne P.M.£lP, fie was efected as a Commissioner and servedfor many years until Ii.is passing. Commissioner (}J(ac~e{[ wi{[ 6e greatly missed andforever remem6eredfor Ii.is naff-century of service to tli.e City of rtaunton. fJJieir tli.ougli.ts andprayers are witli. tne family. <Present at ro{[ca[[were: Councifor ©ooner, ©uarte, (}Jorges, :McCau~ Cl'ottier, Coute, Sanders, Quinta[andCl'oste{[ Record of preceding meeting was read by title and approved. So voted. Opportunity for input by the general public. No one spoke during public input. Hearing: Upon the petition submitted by the Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant proposing to place one (1) new sole electric street light location, including one (1) hand hole and associated conduits to be located on Washington Street in the City of Taunton. Motion was made to open the hearing. So voted. A map of the location was provided. Tyler Arruda, a T & D Electrical Engineer at TMLP introduced himself. He said they are looking to do this petition to brighten up the comer since it's a dark spot. They will have to do a trench opening, open up the sidewalk, put some pipe in and install the aluminum standard with a concrete base. Motion was made to open public input. So voted. Nobody was present to speak for public input. Motion was made to close public input and approve the petition. So voted. Hearing: Upon the petition submitted by Robert Asack, 96 Sachem Rock Ave., East Bridgewater, MA for the issuance of a Special Permit to allow: A 10-unit group home with a parking waiver at 74 Weir Street located in the Central Business District. Motion was made to  2 open the public hearing. So voted. The City Clerk read a communication that was submitted the day of the meeting by John DeSousa, President/CEO of Northcounty Group Inc. requesting a continuance on this public hearing until March 7, 2023. Motion was made to grant the continuation until March 7, 2023. So voted. Communications from the City Planner, Assistant Executive Director of the Board of Health, Conservation Agent and the Water Superintendent were provided. Communications from the Mayor: Mayor O'Connell said they have a special presentation and invited their guests into the enclosure. Mayor 0' Connell said tonight the Council and the community is being presented with the design of our new Public Safety Facility. They have reached another milestone in what is really a historic project for the City of Taunton. The result is a modem cost efficient building that delivers a high level of services that this community needs and deserves. You probably know that four of our five fire stations are over 100- years old. The City of Taunton has not built a police station since 1909. To give you a little bit of perspective on this, in 1909 Teddy Roosevelt was our President and there were 313,000 registered cars in the United States. Today there are 3.1-million registered just in Massachusetts. The United States population was 90-million, today it is 334- million. Also, only 1% of households had electricity and plumbing. We have come a long way since then but, our Public Safety buildings have not. Our Taunton Police Department has been in temporary makeshift facilities for 40-years, over 4-decades. They have literally turned small closets into offices. The Taunton Fire Department has had to park trucks outside while they make emergency repairs to some of our stations. Our 911 Communication Center is cramped and vulnerable. A safe community is a thriving community. This is why they have made a Public Safety Facility a priority. Our first responders and our community need and deserve a modem, twenty-first century building that delivers services that ensure the safety of all of our residents, our children, our seniors, our families and at our schools. They began this process in September 2021 when they purchased land at 90 County Street that they thought would be appropriate for a Public Safety facility. Over the past 7-months they have been working fast and furious to get things done because they know that inflation and interest increase the cost. In the seven-months they have engaged with the Owners Project Manager (OPM) firm, P3 and architectural firm, Caolo & Bieniek Associates, Inc. The program and schismatic design have been completed to include essential components for the program, always keeping in mind budgetary restraints on all decisions. Throughout the process they have worked hard to communicate with our City Council and our residents giving multiple presentations and having a dedicated web page. It has really been a very nice collaborative partnership with the Taunton Police Department and Taunton Fire Department. All of the members are really engaged and invested. Also, they thanked the Advisory Committee for their service on the Committee as well. Also including, President Councilor Dooner who was serving on the Committee and also City Councilor Jeff Postell, who they know for many years has been engaged in the conversation and advocating for our Public Safety Facility. Now they are at the appropriation phase. They approach all projects with the best interest of the tax payers in mind at all times. They know they need to stretch tax dollars to the max. Their overriding priorities have been a responsible budget and a public safety facility that meets our needs. The building that you will see in tonight's presentation, is a building of needs not wants. It's efficiently designed to maximize space usage, provide safe working conditions and training conditions. Also, to have room for future expansion to meet their needs for decades. The  3 total cost is $79. I-million. The City Council approved $10-million in our Capital Improvement project. They previously have dedicated $1.4-million to this project for a total of $11.4-million to help subsidize the initial cost of the project. At this point a $67.7-million debt exclusion is needed to cover the remaining cost of the project for the Public Safety Facility for our community, first responders and for the present and future safety of our entire community. They have worked hard to upgrade their bond rating to its highest rating which is AA+. This way they save tax payers money and interest. The cost to the average house hold will be about $13.00 a month or $00.44 a day. Taunton has always stood by our Police Officers and Fire Fighters with strong support. It has been 114-years since they have built a police station and our fire stations are in severe disrepair. They have the opportunity to bring public safety into the twenty-first century with a modem facility that supports our first responders and supports our community for today and years to come. It provides our first responders with space and the infrastructure that they need to continue doing the lifesaving work that they go out and do every single day in our community for each and every one of us. The project team will be presenting some detailed information on cost on the layout and building designs for the votes that are being requested this evening. Patrick Dello Russo, CFO from the City of Taunton, Dan Pallotta, Project Manager at P3 and Jim Hanifan from Caolo & Bieniek Architects all introduced themselves. They gave a presentation for the new Public Safety Complex project which included topics such as: Review Cost Estimates, Discuss Funding, Review Debt Service Cost, Discuss Financing Schedule and Request Appropriations. A copy of the presentation was provided. Mayor 0' Connell thanked Chief Walsh and Chief Bradshaw for joining them this evening and all the work they have done on this project with them. They really have been a driving force in their success up to this point. They were also joined by many men and women from the Taunton Police Department and Taunton Fire Department. They really appreciated their support with them being there. Councilor Dooner thanked the Chiefs and everyone for putting this together. She wanted to add that this building is for our Police and Fire who put their lives on the line every single day that they go to work. They have gone 114-years without a proper facility which is a little mortifying. Thank you for bringing it to fruition and thank you to the Administration. She looks forward to continuing to supporting the project and putting it forth in front of the voters and just pushing it forward. Councilor Pottier gave credit to the Administration for bringing it to this point and also for the Mayors comments tonight. He knows it's never easy to talk about going to the voters or tax payers to help fund some things. Part of the reason they are there, and they talk about his often, they have school buildings second to none in the Commonwealth because previous Administrations and Councils have made the decision to leverage that money 4 to 1, sometimes 5 to 1 accessing school buildings funds to build those schools. Conversely, the reason why they haven't had a police station in a 100-years and the reason why they have the oldest fire station in operation probably in the Country if not, in the State, is because of those decisions that were made by previous Councils. Now is the time to start addressing those deficiencies on the City side. He appreciates the fact that Mr. Dello Russo and team have sharpened their pencils to the extent that they could. They have $1.4-million already put toward this out of the General Fund. They have $10-million from the Capital Plan already put toward this. There really is limited ways to find anything else. You really can't get blood from a stone. He also appreciates the fact that Mr. Dello Russo pointed out that when that other debt exclusion comes off the books in the year 2029, that will then return about $3.00 a month to the tax payer. This Administration and Mr. Dello Russo have done everything they can to lessen the impact on a well needed building and this Council  4 having to deal with previous decades of emphasis on education, which isn't a bad thing, he's glad we have these wonderful schools however, it's now time to make some difficult decisions to fund these public safety opportunities that really are long standing. He gave his appreciation and looks forward to supporting this vote. Councilor Coute said he wants to echo all the comments. Thank you to the Chiefs and the members of the design team for their hard work and bringing this forward. He asked Chief Bradshaw if he was satisfied and happy with everything. Chief Bradshaw said the training facility was the big ask in this project. Just like students, you have to educate your firefighters. The training facility has been included in the project and it makes him very happy and he is satisfied. Councilor Coute asked Chief Walsh if he was satisfied with the project. Chief Walsh said yes. They have excellent communication between the OPM and the architects. One of the things they are also looking for is building for the future at the same time. Whatever they have for design is just not a building for 50-years, but is it going to be able to keep up with technology and changes that are going on. Councilor Coute asked Chief Walsh if the drones were incorporated. Chief Walsh said yes it is. Councilor Coute asked, in a perfect world, when can they expect ground breaking and opening. Mr. Pallotta said in a perfect world, you can expect ground breaking in approximately 13-months. You can expect occupancy about 18-months later. This is a big site. They might have the operations building open earlier and maybe one road out from the operations building so they can start to use some facilities. They will see how it goes when they start doing their phasing plans. Councilor Coute said this is well overdue, over a 100-years. They need to get our first responders in first class facilities. He thanked the Administration for making this a priority. Step 1 was inquiring the land. Now they have a great spot to do this and he looks forward to supporting this all the way through. Councilor Sanders asked Chief Walsh if the plan will then be that once they have occupancy, the current Police Station will be no longer be occupied by any of the police staff. Chief Walsh said he doesn't anticipate any of them still being there. He assumes at some point it'll revert back to the original purpose which was to be an Administrative Annex for City Hall. Councilor Sanders asked Chief Bradshaw if they anticipate closing fire stations and moving into this facility. Chief Bradshaw said the plan would be to move Engine 1 downtown trucks to this facility. He said all of their stations are in great disrepair. Having the old central station available to move a truck in and continue to run five trucks throughout the City to cover their 10,000+ calls would be important but, yes he anticipates that Engine 1 and the main downtown crew to move into the new facility. Councilor Sanders asked ifthe current fire stations would remain operational at some level. Chief Bradshaw said yes they would all remain operational as is with the exception of School Street, which would be moving to the new location. Councilor Sanders asked what would happen at School Street. Chief Bradshaw said School Street would vacate and then the building is viable and they could use it to run five engine companies from five distinct locations in the City while they repair the other fire stations. They would definitely want to repair or rebuild in the areas they actually have but having a central station available still gives them five points of contact with the public to respond out of, which is important. Councilor Sanders said he knows the design team included the Gordon Owen Riverway access but as he recalls, there were some questions about how exactly that was going to happen because it's pretty close to wetlands. He asked how they managed that. Mr. Pallotta said it's a challenge, not an issue. It's going to require a NOI (Notice oflntent) and it's going to require a crossing of the wetland. They will design it so they meet the DEP's standards as well as the local Conservation Commission standards. There is a whole process when you work within 200-ft. of a river way, within 100-ft. of a bordering vegetative wetland or if you alter a  5 bordering vegetative wetland. We have the right to cross the wetland, that is a right but, it has to be done responsibly. As part of design development, which is the phaseable start tomorrow morning, they are going to be working on those type of issues. Councilor Sanders asked if he was going to wow him with some stuff around the training facility. Mr. Pallotta said what he indicated to him was that if you look at the aerial you will see a big paved square around that area, this will be to capture the water from the fire training facility so it can be treated. There are standards. They told him that when he asked the question at the last Council meeting, that they would make sure they are going to be good stewards of the land and they will be good stewards of the land. As part of all the permitting that they will have to do, he can assure that this will come up. Councilor Sanders said the pictures are beautiful, but the text is illegible. Councilor Sanders asked if the box with an X, is the elevator. Mr. Hanifan said it is, it's in the central area, in the shared space. Councilor Sanders asked if all of the publicly accessible space is going to be ADA compliant. Mr. Hanifan said yes, the entire building will be. Every space, down to the accessible cells, every component of the building has to meet both Massachusetts requirements and ADA. Councilor Sanders said he noticed there is money for communications upgrade, he is assuming that means 911 stuff. Chief Walsh said he believes Councilor Sanders is talking about the communication tower itself. They are looking to put a tower at this facility, they lease towers around the City currently. They would have their own tower that they would have control over. Councilor Sanders asked as part of this design, is there significant upgrades in our 911 capacity. Chief Walsh said he doesn't know about 911 capacity but there is room for a 911 facility there. The particular cost here is for the tower itself. Chief Bradshaw said he believes there is room for upgrades compared to what they have now, which they have four individuals. He would like to think if they did nothing else, they would include EMS dispatch once they get into this building so all EMT could be done and onsite and that's something they can work out with their private ambulance service were they could pretty much subsidize them to pay the price of the dispatcher that would cover EMT first. There is potential for eight desks in the room. Eight workstations. Councilor Sanders asked in the language of the ballot question, is there a reason why the dollar amount isn't included in the ballot question. Mr. Pallotta said the appropriation would be $67,700,000. The ballot question is purely to exempt that debt from the limitation of proposition 2 Yz. You don't have that. They are intertwined. Mr. Dello Russo said as he said, they are married. So one can't happen without the other. Councilor Sanders said seeing that number, just making sure the public has every opportunity to see that they would be making a major investment. He asked if they put the number in with the High School project. Mr. Dello Russo said they are linked together. Councilor Sanders asked if the debt exclusion ballot initiative is not passed, then what, what's the consequence. Mr. Dello Russo said they anticipate the project passing. Mayor O'Connell said they then would have to have internal discussions about what the possibilities are to do something else, a different type of project. We need the debt exclusion to pass to get the facility that they need. The possibility is that they don't get anything ifthe debt exclusion doesn't pass. Chief Bradshaw said the current life expectancy of the fire stations is nearing the very end! They have squeezed everything they can out of some of these buildings. If you go to the basement at the Weir station, you'll see it looks like a giant Jenga set that is holding up the original beams that were put on the floor to roll the horse carriage over. Now they backup trucks with tons of water in them and tons of equipment. Something has to be done. He has been on the department for 28-years, and public safety buildings have been talked about. We are running out of time to talk about it! Mayor O'Connell said she would say that they are now out of time.  6 The answer would be the entire project is at stake. Mr. Pallotta said he believes the entire Administration and the team has tried to be as open and transparent about this project as humanly possible. He thinks they will see a lot more to come. They know that outreach is important for the voter to make an educated decision. He thinks that when the voter sees the conditions of the Fire Station, they are going to understand the Fire Chief is probably being kind with his words. Some of the conditions of these stations are really bad. They have videos, newsletters and all sort of things that they want to get out to the public. They will get this out to the public as they move forward with the process so the public is educated. Then it will be up to them. Councilor Borges thanked the architect, the OPM, CFO and the Chiefs of course. She said as with keeping up your promise to keep them informed, they have done nothing but that so she appreciates it. She also thanked the Administration. She echoed all of the positive thoughts and comments that all of her colleagues have had this evening. She thinks that this facility is well needed and well deserved. She thinks everyone needs it. Our fire fighters, our police and everyone else. Councilor Borges asked as far as the RFP, will that ever come back to us or is that just going to go out for a RFP and is that going to happen before the debt exclusion vote. Mr. Pallotta said RFP is not the correct term. It would be a public bid. There will be a public bid which will be noticed in the papers. They will becoming before the Council many times before the public bid goes out. They want to share the estimates with the Council and the targeting of the costing as they are going along this project even though they will have had the appropriation. The public bid process takes about six-weeks. It'll be advertised in the Taunton Gazette and the central register on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. They will receive file sub-bids after four weeks and then two to three- weeks later they will see the general contractor bids. Councilor Borges said the public bid will not go out until after the debt exclusion vote on the proposed date of the 29th of April. They said that is correct. Councilor Borges asked so at that point, 6 to 11-weeks, then its 9 to 11-months after that. Mr. Pallotta said no. It's from now to what he believes, 11 to 13-months from when they will have ground breaking. 6-weeks backwards will be when the bidding begins which is long after the debt exclusion goes out. If the debt exclusion does not pass, there will not be funds for them to award a project. So they would not be allowed to bid the project. Councilor Borges asked Mr. Dello Russo if the debt will serve 30-years. Mr. Dello Russo said that is correct. Councilor Borges asked if in 2029 the debt from the high school will come off. Mr. Dello Russo said the substantial portion of the $700,000.00. Councilor Borges asked if the residents that will be paying $13.00 a month, then will be paying about $10.00 a month at that point. Mr. Dello Russo said correct. Councilor Borges said she thinks it's important that the people at home understand that their vote this evening is to support this going on the ballot but it's up to the people to decide and if it does go down then everything goes down. She thinks it's important for people to understand. She explained when she first got on the Council many years ago, the Superintendent of Buildings took her around the Fire Stations and the Police Station many times and know the disrepair their too and the utilization of closets for offices. This is something they eventually need to move forward and do and there is no good time. The time is now. She thinks it would be a great thing for the City. Yes, it's going to cost everyone money but everything costs money. We need to invest in our community and public safety. The people who keep us safe every single day. Councilor Quintal wanted to be clear and asked Mr. Dello Russo if $13.00 a month per household, an example, if Jeff Postell's house if assessed at $700,000.00, his is assessed at $200,000.00, he's be paying more than the $13.00. He asked Mr. Dello Russo to break that down one more time. The $13.00 per month assessment is based upon $400,000.00  7 of assessed value of the property which is on or around Taunton' s number from their most recent data. That being said, if you had a house worth $200,000.00, you'd only pay $6.50. Councilor Postell said they have worked hard with this and he appreciates that the Administration has seen the importance, necessity and the value in this to move it forward to where they need to be. They would really like to say how professional the architectural firm is and also the transparency. He said this has been a very long overdue process. Our first responders deserve the best. They have heard tonight that were running out of time. They also heard that the time is now. What is at stake is the public safety of this community. If we cannot provide the facilities, the needs, the personal professional growth of those areas and of those buildings, then they are not going to be able to meet the needs of the growth of the community to respond to those situations. He also wanted to point out what else is at stake is an increase to the tax payers if they do not act now. As it's mentioned, every year they delay, multiply the construction cost by 7% to 10%. If we think the cost is astronomical now, every step that they take were they delay, it is going to fall even more costly on the backs of the tax payers. This is the present. This is the time were they are at and we are there. He knows there are a lot of people that never thought they would get to this point, and we are here. Now it's time that every member of this Council can standup and say that they truly support public safety because here is where it matters. Supporting public safety, having our public safety's professional's back, starts now with this facilities project. Motion was made on a roll call vote that the sum of $67,700,000.00 be and hereby appropriated to pay the cost of designing, constructing, equipping and furnishing a new public safety building, including the payment of all costs incidental and related thereto, and that to meet this appropriation, the Treasurer, with the approval of the Mayor, is authorized to borrow said amount under and pursuant to G.L. c.44, §7(1), or any other enabling authority; provided, however, that no amounts shall be borrowed or expended pursuant to this order unless the City shall have voted to exclude the amounts necessary to repay any borrowing hereunder from the limitation on property taxes contained in G.L.59§21C (also known as Proposition Vil). On a roll call vote, nine (9) Councilors were present, nine (9) Councilors voted in favor. So voted. Motion passed. Motion was made on a roll call vote that the City of Taunton, pursuant to G.L.c.59§21C(a), shall seek voter approval at the next special election on April 29, 2023 to assess taxes in excess of the amount allowed pursuant to G.L.59§21C to pay for the bonds issued in order to pay costs of designing, constructing, equipping and furnishing a new public safety building, including the payment of all costs incidental and related thereto, as authorized by this resolution and order, and, to that end, the City Clerk is hereby directed to place the following question on the ballot: "Shall the City of Taunton be allowed to exempt from the provisions of proposition two and one- half, so-called, the amounts required to pay for the bonds issued to pay costs of designing, constructing, equipping and furnishing a new public safety building, including the payments of all costs incidental and related thereto?". On a roll call vote, nine (9) Councilors were present, nine (9) Councilors voted in favor. So voted. Motion passed. Motion was made to excuse the parties with the Councils thanks. So voted. Mayor O'Connell said they want to thank everyone who attended the State of the City address last Thursday night. It was really a nice community evening here at City Hall. The Chamber was filled. There was a lot of energy and spirit. It was just a really lovely evening. She congratulated our Stronger Together award recipients: Amy Kazlauskas,  8 Bristol County Savings Bank, Taunton Diversity Network and Condoleezza Dwuye. They would like to recognize our Taunton Fire Department as you may be aware, a 10-alarm fire broke out at Brockton's Memorial Hospital today. Our Engine #1 went to provide mutual aid. They thanked the Taunton Fire Fighters for not only keeping us safe but, helping our neighbors. The Honor Our Military applications are available for 2023. They can be found on the website at https://www.taunton-ma.gov/. They are limited to a first come, first serve basis. They only have a certain amounts of spots available. Banners will be displayed beginning May 23rd. February is Black History Month. There are some really nice events going on here in the City of Taunton. Last weekend there was an art exhibit at the Trescott Street Art Gallery called Deeper than Skin. It was amazing. This will be there for the entire month. She encourages everyone to go and take a look at this exhibit. Saturday, February 11th, 6:30p.m. at Applause Academy there will be a workshop and discussion called Deeper than Skin with Dr. Richard Booth of Brown University which is hosted by True Diversity, Taunton Diversity Network and Applause Academy. SRPEDD will be hosting a public workshop focused on revitalizing the 140 corroder from the Green to Industrial Drive and Rt.24 exchange. The public is welcomed to attend. This will be tomorrow February gth from 6-8 p.m. here in City Hall Chambers. Appointments: NONE Communications from City Officers: Com. from the Building Department submitting a retirement accrued time buyout for Mary Jane Benker in the amount of $33,524.74. Motion was made to send the appropriate scroll. So voted. Com. from the City Planner submitting the ADA transition update as of January 15, 2023, 1279 issues in the schools, 11 issues at the Police, 9 issues at the Fire Stations, 12 issues in the parking areas, 114 issues in the parks, 31 items at polling locations and 573 issues in municipal buildings have been closed (2029 issues total). For the 2"d quarter, 26 items were closed. For FY23 a total of 72 items have been closed. He also provided quick updates on specific areas such as: Website, Animal Shelter, Board of Health, Mayflower Building, Annex, DPW, TEMA, Human Services, Airport, Golf Course, Nursing Home, Park & Recreation Building, TMLP, Retirement Board, Library, Temporary City Hall, Polling Locations, Parks, Parking Lots, Police, Fire and Schools. Motion was made to refer to the ADA Committee. So voted. Com. from the Safety Officer submitting a response to the lighting conditions on Weir Street at the crosswalk in the area of the Pearl restaurant. He spoke with Dana Sullivan from TMLP and he stated that he older lights on Weir Street were removed as part of the sidewalk project. This resulted in making the area of the crosswalk somewhat dark. The new lights for Weir Street are being installed now including the light that is next to the crosswalk. This should brighten the area near the crosswalk. He will continue to monitor the area and work with TMLP if adjustments need to be made. Motion was made to receive and place on file with the Councils thanks. So voted. Com. from the First Assistant City Solicitor regarding the proposed Home Rule Petition relative to a property tax deferral for seniors in the City of Taunton. The Home Rule Petition was enclosed on behalf of the Finance Department and the Board of Assessors.  9 The Council re-affirmed the votes that were taken in the Committee of the Whole. Vote #1: Motion was made that the Municipal Council vote to increase the poverty threshold inside the City of Taunton's Tax Deferral and Recovery program from $20,000.00 in annual income to an amount not to exceed $35,341.00 in annual income less than $54,563.00 in assets if married, and not to exceed $29,014.00 annually in income, if single and have less than $50,926.00 in assets 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. Vote #2: Motion was made that the Municipal Council vote to reduce the interest accrued inside the City of Taunton's Tax Deferral and Recovery agreement from 8% to 4% 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. Vote #3: Motion was made that the Municipal Council vote to decrease the allowable age enter into a Tax Deferral and Recovery program from 65 to 60 years of age by way of a Home Rule petition to be sent to the State Legislature for passage 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. Mayor O'Connell thanked the Council for approving their plan to provide more assistance to our seniors. Com. from the First Assistant City Solicitor regarding the Temporary and Transient Vendor Ordinance. Attached was a draft with suggested revisions to the Temporary and Transient Vendor Ordinance. The Law Department, Planning Department and Police Department have worked collaboratively to revise the entitled Ordinance and develop an application from in conjunction with the City Clerk's office. Motion was made to refer to the Committee on Ordinances and Enrolled Bills. So voted. Com. from the City Solicitor notifying of an approved Home Rule Legislation for Chapter 368 of the Acts of 2022. The Law Department is pleased to inform the Council that the Home Rule Legislation increasing the age limit for original appointment to the position of police officer in the City of Taunton to an individual's 40th birthday has been signed into law. The act was approved by the Governor on January 4, 2023 and according to its terms, shall only apply to competitive exams administrated on or after the effective date of the Act. A copy of the Chapter 368 of the Acts of 2022 was provided. Motion was made to refer to the Committee on Police and License and send a copy to the Police Chief. So voted. Communications from Citizens: Com. from the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission notifying of Keno License applications. In accordance with Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 10, Section 27A, (as amended on 05/20/96), you are hereby notified that an application for a KENO license has been received by the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission, (MSLC) from: Athel Food Mart located at 83 Broadway, Geko Taunton located at 229 Weir Street, Grampy's located at 165-167 High Street and Mobil Mart located at 342 Winthrop Street. If the City objects to the issuance of the KENO license, it must claim its right to a Hearing before the MSLC within twenty-one (21) days of receipt of the notice dated January 27, 2023. More details were provided. Motion was made to refer to the Committee on Police and License. So voted.  10 Petitions: NONE 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 committee reports. So Voted. Unfinished Business: NONE Orders. Ordinances and Resolutions: NONE New Business: NONE Meeting adjourned at 8:26 P.M. A true copy: Attest: JLL/KLD  11 ·:,:~'.'/[9 . • ··; 1 irP1<;;C City of Taunton Municipal Council February 7, 2023 t=J !TO -9 P 12: 5~ : ___ > ,_,'J. MA. The Committee on Finance and Salaries ·· ··· ... --- ··-- _:~ .i'i Y t:Lfi~·K 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 Phillip Duarte, Chairman and Councilors Pottier and McCaul. The meeting was called to order at 6:03 PM. 1. Meet to review the weekly vouchers and payroll for City departments. MOTION: Approve the payroll warrant in the amount of $3, 815, 170. 05. So voted. MOTION: Approve the accounts payable warrant in the amount o/$9,915,526.64. So voted. The meeting was adjourned at 6:04 PM. CITY OF TAUNTON Respectfully submitted, FEB 0'7 2023 )I~ t' C{c;u_. !u__ IN MUNICIPAL COUNCIL Maggie E. Clarke Clerk of Council Committees ORTS ACCEPTED. RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED. ~1vRK---~~  12 City of Taunton Municipal Council February 7, 2023 The Committee of the Council as a Whole j \ .... .. -· - -, ~" 'J l i"' ::,~~y CL£~K The meeting was held at Taunton City Hall, 15 Summer Street, Taunton, MA 02780 in the Chester R. Martin Municipal Council Chambers. Present were Council President Kelly Dooner and Councilors Duarte, Borges, McCaul, Pottier, Coute, Sanders, Quintal, and Postell. Patrick Della Russo, CFO, Richard Conti, Lisa LaBelle, and Renee Brabant of the Assessor's Office, and City Solicitor Matt Costa were also present. The meeting was called to order at 6:15 PM. 1. Meet to discuss the proposed expansion of the Tax Deferral Program. CFO Patrick Della Russo explained the program and how the Tax Deferral and Recovery Program would be expanded. First, he explained, that the poverty threshold would be increased from the current $20,000 to $35,341 and less than $54,563 in assets if married and $29,014 with less than $50,926 in assets if an individual. He explained that this is in line with the senior exemption program. Secondly, the hope would be to reduce the interest rate paid on the tax deferral from 8% to 4% which he explained is less than a current mortgage rate for a home and will hopefully make the program more desirable. Mr. Della Russo shared a chart which showed the potential impact. Third, he indicated that the allowable age would be decreased from 65 to 60 which would potentially impact 700 residents. He further explained that this is a zero loss program. Richard Conti, Chairman, Board of Assessors, explained that he has been through this program in Attleboro and that, in Attleboro, four people take advantage of the program. His experience is that this program is for people who have reached desperation and is designed to allow seniors to age in place. Councilor Duarte questioned if this program is in the City's Ordinances and Mr. Della Russo explained that this is State Law Chapter 59, Section 5 so no change is required to the Ordinances. Mr. Duarte further questioned the methodology used for lowering the interest rate and Mr. Della Russo explained that it is 50% of what is currently charged and is below current mortgage rates. Mr. Duarte asked about the steps needed to lower the age from 65 to 60 and Mr. Della Russo explained that it would be via a home rule petition. He asked when this would take effect, if passed, and Ms. LaBelle indicated it would be in effect for FY24. Councilor Borges indicated that other communities have lower interest rates and Mr. Conti confirmed that Attleboro is at 2 1/2%. Ms. Borges stressed that this is a deferral program and that this is not free money.  13 Councilor McCaul questioned the downside of such a program and Mr. Dello Russo stressed that this is situational based and that the interest rate is lower than taking a second mortgage. Mr. Conti suggested that most commonly people will stay in the program and, at their passing, could leave their heirs with the debt. He explained that the deferred tax cannot exceed 50% of the value of the home. Mr. Conti further emphasized that the 4% was set by the Board of Assessors and was not done lightly. Councilor Coute pointed out that the City will benefit from the interest collected. Ms. LaBelle indicated that in her 15 years only 2 people have applied for the current program. Mr. Coute stressed the importance of establishing a strategy to get the word out. He questioned if this can be used ifthere is a mortgage on the property and Ms. LaBelle indicated that the financial institution would need to sign off. Councilor Pottier asked if they were· compounding interest and Mr. Conti indicated that it does not show compounding on the spreadsheet that was shared but, yes, interest would be compounded. Mr. Pottier stressed that this is an option and seems like a better option than a reverse mortgage. Councilor Sanders asked how this program differs from a reverse mortgage and Mr. Dello Russo indicated that in this case, people will be dealing with the City vs. banks who sometimes take advantage of people and this is strictly for taxes. Councilor Pottier stressed that this is a lower rate than a reverse mortgage. Councilor Sanders pointed out that while the amount owed is an asset to the City, it is not a liquid asset and Mr. Delio Russo explained that, while true, the amount is not significant. Councilor Quintal wondered if the City would end up with abandoned houses and Mr. Delio Russo explained that there is an 18-24 month process for the City to obtain title to the property and then it can be sold. Mr. Conti reiterated the 50% limit. He suggested that there could be some unintended consequences if there was ever a severe downturn in the market. ' Councilor Dooner stressed that this is just an option. Councilor Borges reiterated. Councilor Sanders suggested there could be scenarios where adults are living in their parents' homes and hope or expect to inherit the property and questioned, in this scenario, how the City would recoup the deferred revenue. Mr. Dello Russo indicated that the title transfer from parent to child would not happen until the lien was satisfied and suggested this program may not be suitable for this type of situation. However, he stressed that the City would not be able to give financial advice to individuals. Councilor Sanders suggested that the City provide a frequently asked questions document and Councilor Borges indicated that Lexington has a nice model with a checklist and FAQ. Councilor Coute pointed out that currently, those who are delinquent on taxes pay som~where around 14-16% and may end up losing their house. The Committee of the Council as a Whole February 7, 2023 Page2 of4  14 MOTION: The Municipal Council vote to increase the poverty threshold inside the City of Taunton 's tax deferral and recovery program from $20, 000 in annual income to an amount not to exceed $35,341 in annual income less than $54,563 in assets, if married, and not to exceed $29,014 annually in income, if single, and have less than $50,926dollars in assets. On a roll call, Councilors Duarte, Borges, McCaul, Pottier, Coute, Sanders, Quintal, Postell, and Dooner voted yes. The motion passes 9-0. MOTION· The Municipal Council vote to reduce the interest accrued inside the City of Taunton 's tax deferral and recovery agreement from 8% to 4%. On a roll call, Councilors Postell, Quintal, Sanders, Coute, Pottier, McCaul, Borges, Duarte, and Dooner voted yes. The motion passes 9-0. MOTION: The Municipal Council vote to decrease the allowable age to enter into a tax deferral and recovery program from 65 to 60 years of age by way ofa home rule petition to be sent to the State legislature for passage. On a roll call, Councilors Duarte, Borges, McCaul, Pottier, Coute, Sanders, Quintal, Postell, and Dooner voted yes. The motion passes 9-0. 2. Meet to discuss 456 Tremont Street and the City's right of first refusal. Council President Kelly Dooner read a letter from the Law Department regarding 456 Tremont Street. MOTION: Make the letter part of the record So voted. City Solicitor Matt Costa explained that 456 Tremont Street is a 47 acre parcel that had been assessed as agricultural and, under Chapter 61A is taxed at a reduced rate until the owner gives notice of intent to sell for a new use. The owners are looking to sell the property and have a purchase and sale agreement. The City has the right of first refusal to purchase at the $650,000 price point as in their existing purchase and sale. He pointed out that currently there is no appropriation available if this was desired. Councilor Sanders asked if purchasing this would be impossible since there is no appropriation and Attorney Costa indicated that if the Council wished to purchase, they would have to go to the Finance team and the Mayor's office would also need to be involved. Mr. Sanders surmised that since this is 4 7 acres of agricultural/forested land it likely would be houses, condos, or the like. Attorney Costa passed out a map that showed the property and pointed out the wetlands and a stream that bisects the property. He also stressed that there are zoning consqaints and this property is zoned as rural residential. Mr. Sanders asked ifthe City were to exercise its right if the property would it need to be preserved and Mr. Costa indicated that it could be preserved but that is not required. Mr. Sanders expressed his opinion that the City has a responsibility to preserve open space. He asked if the neighbors were notified and Attorney Costa said that they were not. MOTION: Not accept the right offirst refusal for 456 Tremont Street. So voted. (Councilor Sanders voted no.) The Committee of the Council as a Whole February 7, 2023 Page3 of4  15 The meeting adj oumed at 7: 13 PM. CITY OF TAUNTON FEB 0'7 2023 c Respectfully submitted, ,· ··1)1~~ . P I L_ - /(_j}p_-A->--" Maggie E. Clarke IN MUNICIPAL COUNCIL Clerk of Council Committees ORTS ACCEPTED. RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED. ITYCEIY~ The Committee of the Council as a Whole February 7, 2023 Page4 of4