City Council

City of'Taunton !M.unicipa{CounciC!M.eetina !Minutes City Hall, 15 Summer Street, 'Taunton, ~ In tfi.e Cfi.ester~ !Martin !M.unicipalCounciCCliam6ers - !Minutes, Octo6er 3, 2023 at 7:03 O'cfoc~/P.!M.. Cl'Utfae offl_t:Ugiance ~aufar 94.eeti:na 94.ayor Sliaunna £. O'Connellpresidina <Prayer was offtreti6y tlie 94.ayor 94.ayor O'Connell offinti a moment of silence for two wry ~aortfinary peopfe. (])'(. qerat:a Croteau, as everyone (nows first anti foremost, was a fwina ftus6anti anti fatlier. Jle came to 'I'aunton in 1981 as Superintendent of 'I'aunton a'u.6lic Scftoo!s, a position lie liet:a untiC 2002. Jle pfayeti a critical rofe in scftoo{ construction anti pro9mmina tftroU[Jftout tlie autrict tiurina tftose two efecatfes. CDuri1lfJ ms tenure lie was efecteti<Presiefent of tlie 94.assacftusetts fl_ssociation ofScftoo{Superintendents anti was awartfeti 6y tlie fl_merican fl_ssociation of Scftoo{ fl_tfministrators witft tlie fl_nnuaC £eatfersftip anti £eamina .ft.wart! in 1995. In retirement, (])'(. Croteau serveti as (J;ty Councilorfor 16 years untiC2021, continuina to serve tlie community tliat lie li>vetf. (])'(. Croteau liati a nma~6fe impact on tlie City of 'I'aunton toucftina many fives tftroU[Jftout ftis 'WOfi..as Superintenefent antias a City Councilor. 1lis featfersftip, wistlom antiatfvice will 6e efeep{y misseti 6y all. fl_!so, .ft.ntftony 94.artin. 'I'ony was a tiftwna 'I'aunton nsiefent wfto clierislieti tlie time lie spent witft ftis fami{y anti tlie memories matfe. 1fe 'WOfiJtl as a 'Water 'I'reatment Officer for tlie City of'I'auntonfor near{y tftirty-fiw years retirina in 2021. 'I'ony was~ for ftis outstantiina wm(etftic. 1fe was a wontfetfulanti ijnti mentor to new empfoyees anti aCways wi!Iina to lie{p ftis fth 'W01i§rs. 'I'ony was a 6eli>vetifami{y man wfto will 6e tfeep{y misseti 6y ftis fami{y, .frientis anticot:Uaaues. <Present at rollcallwm: Councifors (})ooner, CDuarte, (}Jor9es, 94.cCau{, a'ottier, Couts, Santfers antia'ostell Councilor Q!lintaCwas a6sent. Record of preceding meeting was read by title and approved. So Voted. Opportunity for input by the general public. Nobody was present to speak.  2 Hearing: NONE Communications from the Mayor: Public Safety Facility Update and Presentation. Mayor O'Connell said we have an update this evening. She invited the individuals to the conference table. She said they will hear this evening an update on the Public Safety Facility from Daniel Pallota of P3 and James Hanifan of Caolo & Bieniek Associates, Inc. and of course our team here. They took a moment to introduce themselves starting with Andrew Sukeforth, Director of Procurement, Patrick Dello Russo, Chief Financial Officer, Daniel Pallota, President of P3 and James Hanifan, Project Manager of Caolo & Bieniek Associates, Inc. Mr. Dello Russo said this is another milestone for the project team. As the Council is aware, they are being transparent bringing these updates forward consistently. There is constant communication with Councilor Postell and Councilor Dooner as they are members of the Advisory Committee. He would like to make a point of mention that the Police Chief could not join them due to a training out of State. At the next update they will have both Chiefs with them. Mr. Pallota said they have been working diligently since the last time they met and they love the fact that the Council is willing to have them every few months to provide them with an update. They have awarded their first contract to remove the Villa Fatima Preschool building. That process has begun with removing undesirable materials has begun. The top floor of the building is now clean and has clean air clearance. They are working on the first floor and they will then work on the basement. They expect within about a week and a half to two weeks that the building will be ready to come down. He just wanted to give the physical update of what's going on down at the site. They also have their first Municipal Permitting Hearing which will be with the Conservation Commission on the 23rd of October. They have been in constant contact with the City's agent and their Engineer's to make sure they are following all of the City's rules necessary to make sure they have minimal impact to the surrounding areas. Mr. Hanifan went through some refresher slides to remind everyone where they are with the project. The presentation continued. Mr. Pallota went over the cost estimating and schedule. He said they are still on schedule with starting construction on the 1st of March. They have not wavered from this date and there is no indication at this time that this will not be met. For this to be met, they need to have construction bids through Chapter 149 in hand sometime in late January, early February. That process has already begun with the prequalification process and they have done up a procurement of prequalification of all the filed sub-bidders which are classes of bids that are done separately from the general contractors. The general contractors will carry within their bid and the filed sub-bidders and the general bidders are in the process of being reviewed by a Committee of four right now. One being the Town Planner, one on the OPM team, one on the designer team and one being the procurement agent. They are working pretty diligently to get through the 80-90 submissions they received. They received great coverage for all trades which is great for competition. They haven't had full competition like this in a couple of years. They are expecting to have a good bidding cycle. They will start the bidding period around mid-December and start construction around the 1st of March. As they have indicated, they have a budget. The Council passed a budget on this project in the amount of $65,229,835.12 for construction. They had their first set of two estimates come in, they don't just trust one estimate, they want two. They have two of the three best estimators in the State working on this project. One through the OPM team and one working through the designer team. Right now, they have bids of $64,870,550.00 which is below the  3 approved budget and the other is $62,982,296.00 which is also below the approved budget. He believes they are still right on target with this in regards to the appropriation and in this economy that is not an easy task, this is a monumental task. They are going to be doing another estimate at 75% construction, to ensure that they are on target. Mayor O'Connell gave her thanks and said it was a great update. They are thrilled to hear they are on time, competitive and on or possibly under budget. Councilor Dooner said staying on budget is hers and Councilor Postell's top priority as well as just making sure they are getting our Police and Fire everything they need and deserve. She thanked the team for coming in. She asked, if they haven't already, that once they get to that design phase, just to make sure the members of the ADA Commission are involved just because they had some ideas when they were in front of the Council as far as things on the walls and things to help people. Councilor Postell expressed his thanks. Councilor Borges echoed what her fellow Councilors said and also gave her thanks. She said in the spring, herself and other Councilors had the opportunity to tour the building. Since touring the building they since seen some church pews and different things in the building. Prior to the demolition maybe they can talk about some of the local churches that have some interest in the pews and other things that are inside the building if that's possible. Mr. Pallota said he does believe they had a request for some pews about a month or so ago from the Archdiocese and they were already removed. Anything that was loose is gone. Councilor Borges said if that was already handled then great. Mayor 0' Connell said they were contacted and they were glad to let them go in and grab whatever they wanted. Chief of Staff Madeira tried to do that months and months before but they weren't able to get that accomplished but since then it should now be all set. Councilor Borges said that is great news. Councilor Pottier gave his thanks to Council President Dooner and Councilor Postell for acting on behalf of the Council and this Committee. He also thanked Mayor O'Connell. Councilor Pottier asked when the demo is scheduled for. Mr. Pallota said there is not an exact date. After they have clear air there will be a short period then they will begin the process of bringing in the crane to start knocking the building down. If he had to make an educated guess, he believes possibly in about two weeks from now they will start knocking the building down. Councilor Pottier asked how many days for the demo. Mr. Pallota said he thinks about less than a week. Then to haul it away, probably about another week or two. They will be separating the building by materials. They don't just throw it all in a truck. They will start separating after they knock the building down. Councilor Pottier asked if this will be regular business hours. Mr. Pallota said yes, nothing out of the ordinary. Councilor Pottier said there isn't a lot of close abutters there but there are some. He was just worried about noise concerns. He thanked them for working with the neighborhood with these types of concerns. Mr. Pallota said they get a lot of students walking through as well. Councilor Pottier said that's true as well, in fact, that was a concern of both their colleagues Councilor Cleary and Councilor Croteau. Mr. Pallota said that will come to an end when they put the construction fence up around the whole site. Councilor Pottier said thank you and great job. Motion was made to excuse the parties from the enclosure. So voted. Mayor O'Connell said they are having a Finance Resource Fair for their seniors tomorrow October 4th at 141 Oak Street which is the old Temporary City Hall otherwise known as Maxham School from 11 :00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. They will have their entire City team there to discuss tax relief, tax referral, some of the programs they have and help people apply for these things. There will also be fuel assistance, credit counseling and more. They will be serving a light lunch. To register please call 774-406-5899.  4 Mayor O'Connell gave an update on our Police Officers as many people know there was an incident in Taunton last week where five of our officers were injured. She wants everyone to know that they are doing well and they really are grateful for the outcome they had. It could have been a lot worse but our officers used their skill, their training, knowledge and experience. They handled what was a very challenging situation very well and everyone walked away and they are grateful for that. Appointments: Reappointment of Robert Folcik, 90 Longwood Avenue, Taunton to serve on the Americans with Disabilities Act Commission for a term of three (3) years expiring August 2026. Motion was made to approve. So voted. Communications from City Officers: Com. from the Chief Financial Officer notifying of an award receipt explaining that the City of Taunton is being considered for a Certificate of Achievement for excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). This is a prestigious award granted to communities that go beyond the minimum requirements of a typical annual audit. The City Clerk read the communication from Powers & Sullivan, LLC into the record regarding the fiscal year 2022 submission of Annual Comprehensive Financial Report. Motion was made to refer to the Committee on Finance and Salaries. So voted. On discussion, Mayor 0' Connell said she would like to take a moment to congratulate the Finance Team on being able to qualify to be considered for the Certificate of Achievement. That in itself is an achievement. Councilor Pottier echoed what Mayor O'Connell said. GFOA doesn't hand these out easily. It's not like you get these on the back of a crackerjack box. Yet again, the Finance Team continues to reach for these goals and he looks forward to seeing what the outcomes are going to be. Congratulations to the team. Com. from the Taunton Planning Board, Chairman stating that the Taunton Planning Board is in receipt of a Site Plan Review for property at 284R Winthrop Street for a 2, 100 sq. ft. marijuana establishment, submitted by Philip C. Nessralla, Jr., Herbal Logic, LLC, owned by Dennis Borges. The next scheduled meeting for this petition will be on Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 8:30 a.m. in the Taunton Planning Board Office at 141 Oak Street at which time the application shall be reviewed by the DIRB and again on Thursday, November 2, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, 15 Summer Street at which this petition will be reviewed by the Planning Board. Motion was made to receive and place on file. So Voted. Com. from the City Engineer requesting a street acceptance for Winthrop Lane, which is off of Winthrop Street. The project was approved by the Planning Board under its definitive subdivision rules and regulations and was also inspected by the outside consultant, Field Engineering. The contractor has met all of the responsibilities of the contract satisfactorily and has submitted all of the required documents. Motion was made to refer to the City Clerk for a Public Hearing. So voted. Com. from the Assistant Executive Director of Retirement notifying of the retirement for Accidental Involuntary Disability of Shawn A. Martin, an employee of the Taunton Fire Department, on September 22, 2023 under the provisions set forth in Section #7 of Chapter 32 of the General Laws of Massachusetts. Mr. Martin creditable service in the  5 retirement system will total 21-years and 2-months. Motion was made to move to approve and send the appropriate scroll thanking Mr. Martin for his service. So Voted. Com. from the City Solicitor submitting Comcast correspondence dated September 22, 2023 stating that on September 22, 2023, CalmLIFE on Demand was renamed ZenLIFE by Stingray. Motion was made to receive and place on file. So voted. Com. from Mayor 0' Connell expressing her gratitude to Michael Yelle, 115 Lee Shore Lane, Tiverton, RI for his recent donation to the Taunton Public Library. Motion was made to receive and place on file. So voted. Communications from Citizens: Com. from Father, Thiago Menezes Santos, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church requesting permission to conduct a procession on Sunday, October 8, 2023 at 11 :40 a.m., starting in the church parking lot at 80 Bay Street, Taunton. Motion was made to approve and refer to the Police Chief, Fire Chief, the Mayor's Office and ambulance service. So voted. On discussion, Councilor Sanders expressed his concern about the date of the letter being September 18, 2023 and it now being on their agenda only five- days before the event. He's concerned that the appropriate folks don't have enough time to do whatever it is they need to do. Maybe we could send some correspondence back to the church saying in the future, please try to submit these in a more timely way so the people have a chance to respond. The City Clerk stated that when he dropped this communication off to her office on Friday, she did ask him in future to give the communication sooner. She told him she would email this stuff right away if it was approved and respond back to him. She will email everything in the morning. Petitions: Personal Kennel License - NEW Petition submitted by Maureen Pert, 15 Rockland Street, Taunton for a NEW Grade 1 (4- 6 Dogs) Personal Kennel License/NOT Business Use to be located at 15 Rockland Street, Taunton. Motion was made to refer to the City Clerk to schedule a Public Hearing. 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 Committee Reports noting that Councilor Duarte recused himself from the Committee of the Whole, Item #3 assuming, he wishes to vote present on this single item. So Voted. Unfinished Business: NONE Orders, Ordinances and Resolutions: Order to be accepted on a roll call vote Ordered That,  6 The City of Taunton shall establish a Comfort Dog gift account in accordance with M.G.L. c. 44 §53A which shall be a separate interest-bearing account established by the Treasurer. The Police Chief or Designee is hereby authorized to accept monetary donations for purposes of the account and such donations shall be deposited into said account. The account will be assigned its own general ledger number from the City Auditor. These funds will not be general fund receipts and the specific use of said funds will be as followed: • Defray cost associated with the comfort dog program • Purchases related to the health and wellbeing of the participants of the program Motion was made to accept on a roll call vote. On a roll call vote, eight (8) Councilors were present, eight (8) Councilors voted in favor. Councilor Quintal was absent. So voted. Order to be accepted on a roll call vote Ordered That, The City of Taunton vote to allow Twenty Five Percent (25%) or an amount not to exceed $250,000 annually into the Helping Hand Program Stabilization fund from the tax lien redeemed account. And it is further ordered that the Treasurer and Auditor make the necessary transfers and accounts to meet the program needs. Motion was made to accept on a roll call vote. On a roll call vote, eight (8) Councilors were present, eight (8) Councilors voted in favor. Councilor Quintal was absent. So voted. Ordinance for a second reading to be passed to a third reading AN ORDINANCE REPEALING THE ORDINANCE REGARDING PHYSICAL EXAMINATION Chapter 105, §105-2 Physical Examinations Be it ordained by the Municipal Council of the City of Taunton and by authority of the same as follows: SECTION 1. Chapter 105, §105-2 of the Revised Ordinances of the City of Taunton, as amended, is hereby repealed. SECTION 2. All ordinances or parts thereof inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed. This Ordinance shall become effective immediately upon passage. Motion was made to accept to be passed to a third reading. So voted.  7 New Business: Councilor Coute requested to refer to the Safety Officer and the Committee on Police and License a flashing light on Stevens Street for East Taunton Elementary School. So moved. Councilor Pottier requested to refer to the Safety Officer and perhaps the DOT the issue of a traffic light put up at the end of Richmond Street and Route 44. So moved. Councilor Borges requested to refer to the Safety Officer the issue of parking on Pine Street. So moved. Councilor Duarte requested a motion to refer to the Committee on Public Health and Environmental Affairs a discussion on recent gasoline leaks at area gas stations. So moved. Councilor Borges made a motion to refer the area of 68 Wales Street to be put on the agenda for next week. They received a communication from a constituent regarding flooding. So moved. Councilor Borges made a motion to refer the discussion of the orange trash bags to the Committee on Solid Waste for the agenda next week. The vendors seem to be out of them. So voted. Councilor Borges made a motion to refer to the City Treasurer's Office a request to provide the Council a report with the balance owed from all of the vendors that are stocking our orange trash bags. So voted. Councilor Postell made a motion to refer to the Safety Officer the area of Whittenton Street and Washington Street for traffic crash collision report as well as measures to increase safety. So voted. Information only, Councilor Sanders said he received a communication from a resident describing an incident that happened in the area of Court Street. He offered his personal thanks and appreciation to Taunton Police Officers, Wakefield and Garnett. They responded to a situation involving an individual who apparently was having some type of medical or mental health crisis and he was told that they were compassionate, professional and really contributed to hopefully a positive outcome for this individual. He has communicated his thanks to the Police Chief as well. Hopefully something will be included in their personnel file. List of Documents and Other Exhibits: • Agenda • Taunton Public Safety Complex Slideshow Packet Meeting adjourned at 7:41 P.M.  8 A true copy: Gn.tl_ {. ~ Attest: r;r·-r/Jcy- Clerk JLL/KLD  9 RECEIVED City of Taunton CITY CL Fl<K'S OFFICE Municipal Council October 3, 2023 2023 OCT - 5 P 3: 2.2 TAUNTON, MA The Committee on Finance and Salaries -··-~-----·-cnY CLERK The meeting was held at Taunton City Hall, 15 Summer Street, Taunton, MA 02780 in the Chester R. Martin Municipal Council Chambers. Members Present: Councilor Phillip Duarte, Chairman Councilor David Pottier Councilor John McCaul Also Present: Patrick Dello Russo, CFO Gill Enos, Budget Director Tom Bernier, Golf Commission Judy Chambers, Golf Commission The meeting was called to order at 5:35 PM. 1. Approval of minutes from September 26, 2023. Motion by Mr. Pottier and seconded by Mr. McCaul to approve. So voted. 2. Meet to ·review the weekly vouchers and payroll for City departments. Motion by Mr. Pottier and seconded by Mr. McCaul to approve the payroll warrant in the amount o/$4,305,278.59. So voted. Motion by Mr. Pottier and seconded by Mr. McCaul to approve the accounts payable warrant in the amount o/$16, 793, 763. 76. So voted. 3. Meet to discuss the request to accept a donation to the Taunton Public Library. Motion by Mr. Pottier and seconded by Mr. McCaul to invite in the interested parties. So voted. Mr. Duarte read the letter from Linda Coelho requesting the acceptance ofthis gift. Mr. Dello Russo stated that a gift account should be established.  10 Motion by Mr. Pottier and seconded by Mr. McCaul to establish a gift account for the Library. So voted. Ms. Borges suggested that the Council send a letter of thanks. So voted. Motion by Mr. Pottier and seconded by Mr. McCaul to accept the gift to be deposited into this gift account and send a letter of thanks. So voted. 4. Meet for the continued discussion on the request of the Golf Commission to pay a prior year invoice. Motion by Mr. Pottier and seconded by Mr. McCaul to invite the Golf Commissioners in. So voted. Mr. Duarte recapped the discussion from the prior meeting on September 5 when the discussion was continued. He read the letter from Attorney Gay that was made part of the record at that time. Mr. Duarte read the letter from Paul Champagne dated 9/16/23. Motion by Mr. Duarte and seconded by Mr. Pottier to make this letter part of the record So voted. Mr. Pottier asked ifthe events as summarized in Mr. Champagne's letter sounded reasonable to the Golf Commission. Both Mr. Bernier and Ms. Chambers concurred. Mr. Coute, the Council liaison to the Golf Commission, stated that this conflicts with what he was told by the previous operator and that the system should have been there. However, he supports moving forward. Ms. Borges expressed her support for the payment of the invoice. Motion by Mr. Pottier and seconded by Mr. McCaul to approve payment of the prior year invoice and transfer $7060.32.from 61-640-5200-5599 (Golf Misc. Expense) to 61-640-5520- 5599 (Prior Year). So voted. Motion by Mr. Pottier and seconded by Mr. McCaul to adjourn with the Committee's thanks at 5:46 P.M So voted. Committee on Finance and Salaries October 3, 2023 Page2 of3  11 List o(Documents and Other Exhibits Used: The Committee on Finance and Salaries Meeting Minutes from 9/26/23 Payroll Warrant #53 Bill Invoice Warrant #52 List of items over $100,000 Letter from Linda Coelho dated 9/15/23 Letter from Gill Enos dated 8/9/23 Letter from Thomas Gay dated 8/8/23 Letter from Paul Champagne dated 9/6/23 CITY OF TAUNTON Respectfully submitted, OCT 0 3 2023 l . ~ C{/LA~ IN MUNICIPAL COUNCIL M~ Clerk of Council Committees REPORTS ACCEPTED. RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED. ~t tvcr'.ERK ~ Committee on Finance and Salaries October 3, 2023 Page 3 of3  12 RECE.IYEO City of Taunton Cl TY CLF.P-r:s OFFICE Municipal Council October 3, 2023 2023 OCT -5 P 3: 22 TAUHTOH. MA The Committee on the Department of Public Works ·--·-·-·. CITY CLERK The meeting was held at Taunton City Hall, 15 Summer Street, Taunton, MA 02780 in the Chester R. Martin Municipal Council Chambers. Members Present: Councilor John McCaul, Chairman Councilor Phillip Duarte Councilor Christopher Coute Councilor Jeffrey Postell Members Absent: Councilor Lawrence Quintal Also Present: Evan Watson, W. Engineering The meeting was called to order at 5 :48 PM. 1. Approve minutes from September 12, 2023. Motion by Mr. Duarte and seconded by Mr. Postell to approve. So voted. 2. Sewer Extension - 112 Shores Street In accordance with Chapter 375-1 of the City of Taunton Ordinance and on the petition of .W. Engineering, LLC, 27 Jefferson Street, Taunton, MA, on behalf of the owner of property at 112 Shores Street, Assessors Map 64 Lot 335, Taunton, MA, 02780, a hearing will be held before the Taunton Municipal Council Committee on the Department of Public Works in the Municipal Council Chambers, City Hall, 15 Summer Street, Taunton, MA 02780 on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. for a proposed sewer extension on Shores Street. I The proposed 8" sewer line would start at the existing manhole at the intersection of Anawan and Shores Streets. The new sewer line would be installed westerly within Shores Street about 65' to a new manhole. The work will meet all the standards of the City DPW and the Sewer Department. There will be no betterment assessments since no City funding is involved. Plans and specifications for the project can be viewed in the Office of the Department of Public Works, 90 Ingell Street, Taunton, MA.  13 Motion by Mr. Duarte and seconded by Mr. Postell to invite in the interested parties. So voted. The Clerk of Committees read a letter from the DPW Commissioner approving the project. Motion by Mr. Duarte and seconded by Mr. Postell to make that part of the record. So voted. Mr. Watson explained that the project is for the construction of a new 2 family home. They will be adding a new manhole. Mr. Watson showed the plan of work to the Committee. Motion by Mr. Coute and seconded by Mr. Postell to open public input. So voted. Motion by Mr. Duarte and seconded by Mr. Postell to close public input. So voted. Motion by Mr. Duarte and seconded by Mr. Postell to approve as presented with the conditions stipulated by the DPW So voted. Motion by Mr. Coute and seconded by Mr. Postell to excuse the parties. So voted. Motion by Mr. Coute and seconded by Mr. Postell to adjourn at 5:53 PM So voted. List o(Documents and Other Exhibits Used: The Committee on the Department of Public Works Meeting Minutes from September 12, 2023 Letter from Evan K. Watson, .W. Engineering, dated 7/31/23 Letter from Fred Comaglia dated 9/29/23 CITY o'F TAUNTON Respectfully submitted, OCT 0 3 2023 IN MUNICIPAL COUNCIL ~c_~ Maggie E. Clarke Clerk of Council Committees REPORTS ACCEPTED. RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED. ~RK~ I Committee on the DPW October 3, 2023 Page 2 of2  14 City of Taunton RECEIVED CITY CL F.RK.'S OFFICE Municipal Council October 3, 2023 2023 OCT -5 P 3: 22 The Committee of the Council as a Whole TAUNTON. HA The meeting was held at Taunton City Hall, 15 Summer Street, Taunton, MA::-0'.Z/8"(J'intli~!TY CLERK Chester R. Martin Municipal Council Chambers. Councilors Present: Council President Kelly Dooner Councilor Phillip Duarte Councilor Estele Borges Councilor John Mc Caul Councilor David Pottier Councilor Christopher Coute Councilor Barry Sanders Councilor Jeffrey Postell Councilors Absent: Councilor Lawrence Quintal Also Present: Ian Fortes, City Auditor Christine Clymens, Treasurer/Collector Jennifer Alvarado, Human Services Assistant Director Charlene Bonenfant, Human Services Director Patrick Della Russo, CFO Attorney Mackenzie Long, Banda Alternative Group Stephen Barboza, Ban.do Alternative Group Attorney Jeremy Hersh, Banda Alternative Group Jason Roomes, 246 High Street The meeting was called to order at 5:55 PM. 1. Approve minutes from September 26, 2023. Motion by Ms. Borges and seconded by Mr. Postell to approve. So voted. 2. Meet to discuss the Helping Hand Program and vat('. on the program model. Motion by Mr. Pottier and seconded by Mr. Postell to invite in the CFO and other interested parties. So voted.  15 Mr. Dello Russo explained that since this is such a new program they looked to ensure that this meets a public purpose and referred to the letter from the Law Department. One key driving factor of the Helping Hand Program is to help people with City taxes and City utilities. When there is a qualifying situation, this will go through the same current procedures of the Human Services Department. The program also includes support to defray the cost of the home wellness program. Ms. Bonenfant discussed the in home visit program where people are visited by a parametic. Nearly 1000 total visits have been completed since the program's inception in 2022. This is mostly at risk home bound elderly. Mr. Fortes explained that 25% of tax lien redeemed revenue will go into this fund and annually will require a 2/3 vote of the Council. Ms. Clymens stated that checks will be made payable either to the City of Taunton or to the person being helped. This will be applied to either their tax bills or water and sewer bill. Ms. Dooner asked if people could donate to an individual. Mr. Della Russo stated that these would go to the previously established donation accounts. Mr. Duarte questioned the awarding of the fund and who makes that decision. Mr. Dello Russo stated that it will be a collaborative effort between the Human Services department and the Mayor's Office. The maximum allowable amount will be $300 annually. Ms. Bonenfant stated that they are currently working to establish their internal SOPs. Motion by Mr. Duarte and seconded by Mr. Postell to approve the order as presented So voted. Motion by Mr. Duarte and seconded by Ms. Borges to excuse the parties. So voted. 3. Meet to discuss the application for a new Host Community Agreement for Bando Alternative Group Delivery, LLC, a marijuana delivery operator and transporter, to be located at 30 Sherwood Drive. Motion by Mr. Pottier and seconded by Mr. Postell to invite the parties in. So voted. Councilor Duarte recused himself from the discussion. Attorney Long gave a presentation with some background on Bando Alternative Group. He touched on the business, its founders, their planned business operations, timeline, information on the site at 30 Sherwood Drive, security, community impacts and provided other information. Bando will have a Delivery Operator License and a 3rd Party Transporter License. The Deliver Operator allows wholesale purchase and home delivery. The 3rd Party License will allow for B to B transactions. Committee of the Council as a Whole October 3, 2023 Page2 o/4  16 Mr. Sanders asked if the vehicles will be registered in Taunton and Mr. Long confirmed. He asked about the limits on the amounts of product that can be stored and Mr. Long stated that $10,000 in a vehicle at a time is the limit. Mr. Sanders asked about the CCCs revised guidance and Mr. Long stated that there may be a change whereby only one driver would be required per vehicle. Mr. Pottier asked if they will be working with companies other than Tower Three and Mr. Long stated that they will primarily work with Tower Three but intend to also work with others. Mr. Pottier asked for some security information and Mr. Long explained that they are looking to be a discreet company. Mr. Pottier asked for the anticipated hours of operation and Mr. Long indicated that they are currently thinking it will be 8am - 9pm Sunday- Wednesday with extended hours Thursday-Saturday of 7am - I Opm. B to B drivers could potentially leave earlier. Ms. Borges asked about the community outreach meeting which they confirmed had been completed. Mr. Postell talked about the location and the residents in the area. He touched on odor mitigation and stated that this is a primary concern for the Council. Mr. Long indicated that their impact will be limited as compared to other stores since they handle primarily finished marijuana products. They expect to lean on Tower Three who have had success with odor mitigation. Mr. Postell asked about building upgrades and Mr. Long explained that there will be parking lot changes and lighting upgrades. Mr. Postell asked how the vehicles will be secured and Mr. Long stated that overnight they will be parked with cameras and lighting. No cannabis will be stored in vehicles overnight. Mr. Coute asked about their need for capital and Mr. Long explained that the capital is needed primarily for the buildout. Mr. Coute touched on odor control and indicated that when they come back for their license the Council will be looking for additional details on their odor control plan. Motion by Mr. Coute and seconded by Ms. Borges to open public input. So voted. Jason Roomes, 246 High Street, indicated that there have been no issues around that neighborhood and that they want to keep it that way. He hopes that ifthere are issues, they will be addressed. He noted that the other companies at this location have been great and have held neighborhood cleanups and get togethers. Motion by Mr. Coute and seconded by Ms. Borges to close public input. So voted. Motion by Mr. Coute and seconded by Mr. Postell to authorize the Law Department to enter into negotiations with Banda Alternqtive Group for a Host Community Agreement. Mr. McCaul asked about community involvement and Mr. Long stated that they intend participate in Tower Three's events. Mr. McCaul asked why they had decided to settle in Committee of the Council as a Whole October 3, 2023 Page3 o/4  17 Taunton and Mr. Long explained that they had tried in Fall River and Westport but those did not work out. When the space in Taunton was realized they were excited to move here. Mr. Sanders noted that previously Tower Three had taken responsibility as the landlord and point of contact. So voted. Motion by Ms. Borges and seconded by Mr. Coute to excuse the parties. So voted. Motion by Mr. Postell and seconded Mr. to adjourn the meeting at 6:52 PM So voted. List of Documents and Other Exhibits Used: Meeting Minutes from the Committee of the Council as a Whole 9/26/23 Letter from Patrick Dello Russo dated 9/14/23 Letter from Attorney Costa dated 9/29/23 Application for Marijuana Establishment Host Community Agreement for Bando Alternative Group Delivery, LLC Bando Alternative Group Delivery Presentation CITY OF TAUNTON Respectfully submitted, OCT 0 3 2023 Iv~-- r. ~t-c__ IN MUNICIPAL COUNCIL Maggi~.~larke Clerk of Council Committees REPORTS ACCEPTED. RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED. COUNCILOR DUARTE CUSED HIMSELF. Committee of the Council as a Whole October 3, 2023 Page 4 of4  18 CITY OF TAUNTON ORDER#l2 FY 2024 3/V ~ (Jomzci!.....................?.~!~.~.~~-~-:.~.~~.~--····················· 20.............. The sum of seven thousand sixty dollars and thirty two cents ($7060.32) be and hereby is transferred as follows: · From 61-640-5200-5599 (Golf Misc. Expense) To 61-640-5520-5599 (Prior Year) ................................................................ ~~