BOARD OF SELECTMEN
December 20, 2005
Minutes
The Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday, December 20, 2005 in the Town Hall Clark Room at 7:00
p.m. but immediately reconvened in the Corey Auditorium, in the Carlisle Public School. Selectmen
Douglas A.G. Stevenson, Richard A. Allison, Timothy F. Hult, William R. Tice, Jr. and John D.
Williams were present for this meeting as well as Town Administrator Madonna J. McKenzie.
Town Administrator Report
Information was provided to the Board on House Bill 2408, which is an Act relative to the taxation of
Telecommunications Companies.
The Board was in receipt of information from an engineering organization known as Fay, Spofford
& Thorndike relative to the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. The BFRT is a planned rail trail, between
Lowell and Sudbury via the former Lowell Secondary Track right-of-way of the Old Colony Rail
Road. Attached to the report were a map of the designated area and an estimation of the
construction cost for a .4 mile area (.2 miles in Westford and .2 miles in Carlisle). The estimated
construction cost was $250,000. The Board and Mrs. McKenzie discussed this fee and the design
fee. At this point there was a suggestion to make an application to the Community Preservation
Committee for supporting funds. Mrs. McKenzie said that she would like to ask someone from Fay,
Spofford and Thorndike to speak to the Board at a future meeting.
Enclosed in this evening’s documents was a letter from the Vivian Chaput Memorial Committee to Gary
Davis, thanking him and his crew for the work they performed on ‘Vivian’s Place’.
Tax Collector, Larry Barton prepared a list of delinquent tax payers. The list has been provided to
various permitting Boards. It is available to the Board for their review.
The property tax insert that was approved at the last meeting required an amended motion to reflect
changes the later took place. On a motion made by Mr. Williams and seconded by Mr. Tice, it was
unanimously VOTED to re-authorize the property tax insert to include the Veteran’ exemption and
the Community Preservation Surcharge exemption.
The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women nomination matter was brought to
discussion again. Mr. Hult suggested Susan Emmons. He spoke highly of Ms. Emmons who has
worked in an exceptional capacity for the Carlisle Mosquito. Mr. Stevenson suggested completing the
nomination application.
Mrs. McKenzie noted that the holiday greens at the front door of the Town Hall were donated by
the Carlisle Garden Club. It was agreed that a thank you note would be sent to them.
Mrs. McKenzie also noted that at the last meeting the vote taken to authorize funds to be taken out
of the Gleason Poor Fund for a needy child in Carlisle had to be amended because the funds could
not be taken solely from this account. On a motion made by Mr. Hult and seconded by Mr.
Williams, it was unanimously VOTED to amend the previous motion (from the December 12th
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Board of Selectmen meeting) to allow the funds to be drawn from both the Gleason Poor Fund and
the Heald Fund.
Cell Tower Update
Mr. Tice gave a report on the most recent activities of the Cell Tower Committee. He said that
Richard Boule, a member of the committee and of the Planning Board moved out of Carlisle and
therefore could no longer be a member. Although this was a great loss, Mr. Tice seemed confident
the other members, Wendell Sykes, Brian Larson, Kent Gonzales and Peter Yelle could continue to
make the necessary changes to or re-write the By-law to reflect the needs of the Town. There was a
brief discussion and then Mr. Stevenson suggested that the Cell tower committee meet with the
Board in January.
CCTV
Earlier this evening Court Booth from CCTV returned a signed Agreement Between the Town of
Carlisle, Massachusetts and CCTV Inc. for the Programming, Management and Operation PEG
Access, which had his signature on same.
Mr. Stevenson explained that he and Mrs. McKenzie had spent considerable time with Mr. Booth to
fine-tune the agreement. Mrs. McKenzie then pointed out specific changes that were made, such as
to the termination paragraph and the legal fee matters. On a motion made by Mr. Williams and
seconded by Mr. Tice, it was unanimously VOTED to adopt the Agreement between the Town of
Carlisle, Massachusetts and CCTV Inc. for Programming, Management and Operation of PEG
Access, dated December 20, 2005.
Mrs. McKenzie noted that the contract allows for one member of the Board of Selectmen to be on
the Board of Trustees. A decision on who will represent the Selectmen will be made during a future
meeting.
Victuallers License
Larry Bearfield of Carlisle Center Ventures, LLC and d/b/a as Ferns Country Store, was present to
ask the Board to renew his Common Victuallers License. It was noted that no changes had been
made from the previous year’s application. On a motion made by Mr. Williams and seconded by
Mr. Tice, it was unanimously VOTED to approve the re-newel of the Victuallers License (for
Robin Emerson and Larry Bearfield) dated December 20, 2005.
40S Legislation/Greg Peterson
Mr. Greg Peterson spoke to the Board about 40S Legislation and 40R. He presented a document
that gave a brief outline on the application requirements and materials necessary for a community to
adopt a 40 R Smart Growth Zoning District. He said that (the) 40R came out of or was created to
meet the need of having middle-class housing in Massachusetts. He said that 40R is an alternative to
40B. Mr. Peters added that 40R is intended to encourage strategic growth. He mentioned where
40R’s can go and added that the State will not allow 100% 40R and that no 40R can be 100% age
restricted (the State prefers age-combinations).
Former Selectman John Ballantine was present and he noted that some communities were reluctant
to do the 40R due to the approval process. Mr. Peterson replied that some communities did not
want to wait for the incentive money.
In reply to David Freedman, Mr. Peterson went over the list of location specifics. In conclusion,
Mr. Peterson suggested that the Board look at how other communities are handling 40B/40R’s.
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Joint meeting with Planning Board
Michael Epstein, David Freedman, Louise Hara, and Kent Gonzales were present to appoint
Brian Larson, presently an ‘alternate’ member, to a full member on the Planning Board. Mr.
Freedman, chair of the Planning Board called their meeting to order. On a motion made by Mr.
Freedman and seconded by Mr. Tice, it was VOTED unanimously by both the Planning Board and
Board of Selectmen to appoint Mr. Brian Larson, now serving as an associate member to fill the
vacant seat (on the Planning Board) until the next Town election.
Police Chief Deliberations (continued)
Mr. Stevenson said that the Selectmen were appreciative of the communities input on the Police
Chief matter, which has been indicated by the many comments received through e-mail, letters and
by telephone. Mr. Stevenson said that since the last meeting (December 13th) Mr. Hult and Mr.
Williams had the opportunity to meet with Mr. McKiel and they become more familiar with him and
his background. Mr. Stevenson noted that tonight, the Board would not hear any further public
comments. Mr. Stevenson then asked the Search Committee if they had any further comments.
In reply to Mr. Stevenson, Mr. Allison said that the Search committee had nothing further to say on
the matter. A motion was then made by Mr. Allison and seconded by Mr. Tice, to appoint Glenn
McKiel as Carlisle’s next Police Chief. Before a vote was taken, Mr. Stevenson asked if the Board
had anything further to say on this matter.
Mr. Hult thanked the members of the search committee and commended them for their hard work.
He said that he realized that this is a very serious decision for the entire Town. He said that he
spoke to both John Sullivan and Glenn McKiel for more than an hour. He added that he spoke to
people that he trusts, such as David Galvin and another police chief in the area. Mr. Hult said that
he was very impressed with Mr. McKiel and the way he presented himself. He was also very
impressed with the work that he has done. However, he said that he came to the conclusion that
what Chief McKiel brings to the table is not sufficient, to what he believes is excellent work to
replace the existing management in the Carlisle police department. Mr. Hult therefore would not
support the recommendation of the search committee.
Mr. Williams said the committee did a good job and acted impartially as the Board of Selectmen had
asked them to. He also said valid and important concerns were raised by the committee in
recommending Chief McKiel. Mr. Williams said that an example of a most important point was the
ability to manage the budget in a responsible manner. He agreed that Chief McKiel was a good
recommendation. However, Mr. Williams said that any process has by definition limitations,
capturing and valuing certain qualities and characteristics and weighing some over others. The final
question is: do Chief McKiel’s good qualities out weigh John Sullivan’s good qualities. He said he
did not believe they did and therefore would vote no on the committee’s recommendations.
Mr. Stevenson said that he spent some time getting to know Mr. McKiel. He said that the search
committee did a good job, and he had done some research on his own. However he had come to a
conclusion that was similar to that of Tim and John that Mr. McKiel is not the best candidate for
Police Chief for the Town of Carlisle and therefore he will not support the search committee’s
recommendation.
A vote on the motion was then taken; but defeated by 2 yes and 3 no.
Mr. Hult made a motion to nominate Acting Police Chief John Sullivan as the Police Chief for the
Town of Carlisle. The motion was seconded by Mr. Williams.
Mr. Hult said that his interview with John Sullivan confirmed what he already knew. He said that
John has significant strengths, he is an excellent policeman, and understands the job. He has an
extraordinary relationship with the town’s people. John understands the issues of the police
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negotiations from both perspectives. He is a fine individual and has a strong character. Mr. Hult
noted that he has some weaknesses in financial management. He said that he would personally
rather have someone who understands all aspects of police work as police chief over someone who
knew how to create a spreadsheet. In other words, John understands that there are areas where he
needs to grow. Mr. Hult said that John Sullivan loves his work and he loves the community of
Carlisle and the relationship he has with the people. It was Mr. Hult’s opinion that John Sullivan
was the man for the job.
Mr. Williams said that John Sullivan knows how to police a community like Carlisle; is intelligent and
understands the community and feels the public sentiment. In John Sullivan, protecting the citizens
of Carlisle is a vocation, not simply an occupation. This passion for his work was something obvious
in the personal interview and difficult to fully weigh in any objective process. Furthermore, he said
John Sullivan is humble enough to admit areas in which he can and is willing to improve, e.g. fiscal
management. Mr. Williams said that he believed that the good qualities of John Sullivan, outweigh
the good qualities rightfully articulated by the committee regarding Chief McKiel, and that he had
every confidence that John Sullivan was the best choice of Police Chief for Carlisle.
Mr. Stevenson said that he did not have too much to add to what John and Tim said, but he did say
that he was moved by former Chief David Galvin’s words of recommendation for John Sullivan.
He added that John Sullivan has been truly loyal to this Community and he supports John Sullivan
as the next police chief for the Town of Carlisle.
The vote on the motion was 3 yes and 2 abstaining.
Mr. Stevenson thanked the Search Committee again.
Personnel Board-Salary Increase Discussion/Recommendation
Personnel Board Chair JoAnn Driscoll was present to discuss the recommendation of the Personnel
Board on the percentage of increase for Town Employees for FY07. She said that their
recommendation was 3.5%. She said that some of the components that were taken into
consideration were the increase in the cost for heat and transportation(fuel) and that there will not
be a wage and classification review. There was a discussion over the survey that was taken of the
communities similar to Carlisle. Mrs. McKenzie reported that many of these communities were
offering an increase close to the 3.5 increase, but others were struggling with union negotiations with
their Town employees. The Board also discussed the benefits that are offered to the Town
Employees, including the percentage the Town pays toward health insurance. There was
considerable discussion over various percentages in relation to employee benefits.
On a motion made by Mr. Hult and seconded by Mr. Tice, it was unanimously VOTED to set the
COLA increase at 3.5% for Town Employees and to look at the longevity issue next year.
Appointments
On a motion made by Mr. Allison and seconded by Mr. Williams it was unanimously voted to
appoint Debra Belanger to the Pedestrian and Bike Safety Committee for a term that will expire on
June 30, 2006.
The meeting adjourned at 10:00 p.m.
Submitted by Margaret de Mare
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