Brookline Select Board Meeting - March 31, 2026
2026-03-31

[4:50] Hey.
[9:10] Good evening. I'm Bernard Green, chair
[9:12] of the Brooklyn Select Board, and this
[9:14] is the regular meeting of the select
[9:16] board for March 31st,
[9:19] 2026.
[9:21] Let's start off with some announcements
[9:23] or updates from the select board. And
[9:25] let me start by saying that the uh Fiser
[9:29] Hill well on February 26, Marilyn
[9:31] Tessle, who is a member of the Fiser
[9:34] Hill advisory committee um and a
[9:36] commercial banker with an MBA in finance
[9:39] and marketing um had to resign because
[9:42] of conflicts with her uh uh business uh
[9:46] activity. So the uh committee is uh
[9:49] putting out a uh a notice uh to solicit
[9:54] applicants for uh this position that is
[9:57] open on the Fiser Hill West uses
[10:00] advisory commit committee, excuse me. Um
[10:06] and uh it'll be advertised in the usual
[10:08] places, but I just want to announce the
[10:11] uh opening. So if anyone in the audience
[10:14] would like to apply for uh this uh
[10:17] committee uh they should go to our web
[10:19] page and fill out the application form
[10:22] there. Uh the committee does require
[10:24] someone with a similar background to
[10:27] Marilyn Tessle um you know commercial
[10:29] banking or finance background um and um
[10:35] you know we look forward to uh seeing
[10:38] your applications. We have one
[10:39] application already, George Cole, um who
[10:42] applied last week or a couple weeks ago.
[10:45] So, we're looking for others.
[10:47] Can I ask a quick question about that?
[10:48] Thanks for announcing that. Actually, I
[10:49] think it's a great idea to um ask the
[10:52] community to participate.
[10:53] Um was the original application did it
[10:56] have any specific requirements for
[10:57] people? Yes,
[10:58] they there was actually skill sets that
[11:00] the committee was looking for. Okay,
[11:02] great.
[11:05] Okay. Any other updates, announcements?
[11:10] Is that your hand or are you pointing to
[11:12] my
[11:12] No, no, no. That was my thumbs up.
[11:16] Thank you. Um,
[11:19] I want to say one of the things that uh
[11:21] I think all of us enjoy the most about
[11:23] Brooklyn is that there's an
[11:24] extraordinary number of volunteers who
[11:26] do various activities that involve, you
[11:29] know, fundraising for good causes. And u
[11:32] it was a pleasure to um have be invited
[11:36] to take part in one of those. Uh just
[11:39] this past week, uh the Brooklyn
[11:40] Education Foundation, which is marking
[11:42] its 45th year in Brooklyn, quite an
[11:45] extraordinary record. Um they have an
[11:47] event, an an annual event uh that is a
[11:52] sort of a ti trivia bee, a trivia
[11:54] contest. And um they bunch of teams with
[11:58] um adults who um happen to be pretty
[12:01] pretty darn good at at trivia. I don't
[12:03] know if any of them have ever been on
[12:04] Jeopardy, but um they filled the room uh
[12:08] at uh 22 Tapen Street. Um good time was
[12:12] had by all uh and I was um ve very uh
[12:18] grateful to have been asked to sit in on
[12:21] the the team of adults from the Baker
[12:24] School District. And um turns out this
[12:27] was a pretty darn good team. Came in
[12:30] third. Um, and I'm just going to tease
[12:33] people a little bit with uh two of the
[12:35] outstanding trivia questions from the
[12:37] evening. And I'm not going to give away
[12:39] the answers. And one of them was, this
[12:41] was the one that sort of stumped just
[12:42] about everybody in the room. Name the
[12:45] person who in 2022
[12:47] had the set the record all-time record
[12:51] for the number of um Instagram uh hits.
[12:56] And in the same year um uh holds the
[13:00] third place record for the number of
[13:03] Instagram hits. And in this um third
[13:07] place recognition, this particular
[13:09] person happened to have been push put a
[13:12] photograph on Instagram of of the person
[13:15] uh in bed. So uh think think about that
[13:18] for a minute. See if you think can can
[13:20] come up with the answer that most of us
[13:22] trivia experts couldn't come up with. Um
[13:25] and uh the other one which I was a
[13:27] little personally embarrassed to to not
[13:29] have been helpful with uh is there's an
[13:32] instrument from the 15th century called
[13:34] a sackbutt. And uh what is that
[13:36] instrument known as today? So I won't
[13:39] tell you that answer either but think
[13:40] about that one for a minute. Um and then
[13:42] here's u just to mention one other
[13:44] organization very very worthy very worth
[13:47] worthy cause. Um here here's kind of a
[13:50] third trivia question. Which member of
[13:52] the select board would you guess has run
[13:54] a marathon? And um if you email me, I'll
[13:58] share that answer with you too. And um
[14:02] the reason I bring that up is the reason
[14:03] I bring that up. Oh, somebody is
[14:05] smiling. I wonder why. Um, I bring it up
[14:08] because it's the season of Team
[14:10] Brooklyn, which is um, uh, represents
[14:13] several of the, uh, nonprofits that do
[14:16] very, very good work in Brooklyn, and
[14:18] they combine, uh, behind what this is,
[14:21] what we call Team Brookline to recruit
[14:24] runners to uh, run the marathon uh, and
[14:28] raise money for various of the Team
[14:31] Brookline participating uh, charities,
[14:34] nonprofits. Um, the one I'm most
[14:37] familiar with and and the sort of
[14:38] organizer of the team is the Brooklyn
[14:41] Center for Community Mental Health, but
[14:43] there's, I think, at least four others,
[14:45] maybe five or six others, uh, that are
[14:48] represented. And if you just do a search
[14:51] of for team Brookline, you'll get all of
[14:54] the information you need. And hopefully
[14:56] you will be so inspired you will decide
[14:59] to choose, you know, which of the
[15:01] constituent um charities and which of
[15:03] the runners you want to help meet their
[15:06] goal. And they have ambitious goals. I'm
[15:09] talking, you know, like $5,000 and more
[15:11] of fundraising per individual. So, uh
[15:15] they they should they definitely are
[15:17] doing a lot of good work for Brooklyn
[15:18] and they could use support. So check out
[15:20] team Brooklyn because um by marathon day
[15:24] all of this will culminate in team
[15:27] Brooklyn members running the marathon.
[15:32] also like to mention that today is
[15:35] International Transgender Day of
[15:37] Visibility
[15:39] which uh is an annual event that
[15:41] celebrates transgender people raising
[15:44] awareness for discrimination that is
[15:46] faced by them and also acknowledging
[15:49] their contribution to society.
[15:52] Thank you.
[15:55] No one else. Okay, let's move on to
[15:57] public comment.
[15:59] Melanie, please introduce our public
[16:02] comment with the rules of engagement.
[16:05] Sure.
[16:06] Thank you for joining us for public
[16:07] comment. This is an opportunity for us
[16:09] to hear your perspective on the issues
[16:11] in Brooklyn that matter to you. Each
[16:13] person speaking tonight is limited to
[16:15] three minutes. You don't need to use the
[16:18] entire time, but you may if you like.
[16:20] Once 15 minutes has been met, there is
[16:22] an opportunity at the conclusion of the
[16:23] select board's business for additional
[16:25] comments. Members of the public
[16:27] sometimes raise questions during public
[16:29] comment. We may be able to provide a
[16:31] quick answer to a question, but are more
[16:33] likely to work with staff to get a more
[16:35] thorough answer and respond over email.
[16:37] The onscreen timer will flash orange
[16:39] when you have 30 seconds remaining and
[16:41] red when your time is nearly up. Please
[16:43] conclude your remarks at that time. If
[16:46] you have more to say, you are welcome to
[16:48] send an email to board members
[16:49] expressing your thoughts in greater
[16:50] detail. Any person wishing to speak must
[16:53] begin their comment by identifying
[16:55] themselves with their full name, either
[16:57] their Brooklyn precinct number or street
[16:59] address, and the specific topic on which
[17:01] they wish to speak. The board encourages
[17:04] does not but does not require that
[17:05] remote users turn their video on when
[17:07] commenting.
[17:10] We have two people that signed up prior.
[17:15] And Lusk is first.
[18:07] Everyone should have my speaking points
[18:09] and the additional two-page text. Am I
[18:14] three minutes started? Yep.
[18:15] Now.
[18:16] Now. Okay. Now. Okay. I'm Ann Lusk, 18
[18:19] Hart Street, precinct 5. I'm here to
[18:21] speak about the pool RFP and including
[18:25] Lars Anderson and parking in the Walled
[18:27] Garden area. Not just a token mention,
[18:30] but a viable location for a pool and
[18:32] parking. In 1874, the town created the
[18:36] stable at 235 Cypress that sat on one
[18:40] and a half acres. This was Brookline's
[18:42] Department of Public Works yard.
[18:45] Two. In 1948, Isabella Anderson gave her
[18:49] 64 acres to the residents of Brooklyn
[18:52] for recreation. A plaque reads,
[18:55] "Bequeath to the citizens of the town of
[18:58] Brooklyn for their enjoyment." This land
[19:01] was not given to the town, but given to
[19:03] the citizens. Three. In 1950, the
[19:07] Department of Works on Cyprus started
[19:09] moving operations from their small one
[19:12] and a halfacre gated and walled town
[19:14] garage to the 3.6 gated and walled
[19:18] garden at Lars Anderson.
[19:20] No evidence has been found that the
[19:22] town's people voted to have the 3.6
[19:25] acres of their park taken as a permanent
[19:28] DPW yard.
[19:30] Four, today, this DPW 3.6 6 acre yard
[19:35] has no trespassing signs, locked chain
[19:38] link fences, and tall concrete walls.
[19:42] Out of town vans are parked there all
[19:43] winter. There are 19 black fluted
[19:46] ballard streets traffic signals, two
[19:49] basketball hoops, 25 huge concrete
[19:51] retraining blocks, seven trailer storage
[19:54] containers, two tall and long metal
[19:56] buildings, vehicles, trailers, and four
[19:59] police cruisers. These items are not
[20:02] related to maintaining Anderson Park. A
[20:04] maintenance building for Lars Anderson
[20:06] exists on Guard Avenue. Five. The town
[20:10] of Brooklyn has hired Kyle Zik Landscape
[20:13] Architecture to develop a cultural
[20:15] landscape report for Lars Anderson Park.
[20:18] The RFP states, "The Department of
[20:21] Public Works Parks and Open Space
[20:24] Division maintenance yard is also
[20:26] located within the park, suggesting that
[20:29] these 3.6 acres of historic land will
[20:33] not be part of the study of the historic
[20:35] buildings and landscapes. The RFP for
[20:38] Lars Anderson specifies a minimum of
[20:41] five meetings with town staff, but only
[20:44] three public information gatherings.
[20:46] A survey was sent to residents, but it
[20:49] only asked for their stories about Lars
[20:51] Anderson and not how residents want to
[20:54] use what are their own 64 acres. Six,
[20:59] the pool RFP should include Lars
[21:01] Anderson with a pool behind the auto
[21:03] museum as designed and located by the
[21:06] Mstead brothers with parking inside the
[21:09] walled garden. To comply with article
[21:12] 97, parking would be behind the historic
[21:14] wall so the cars are not visible.
[21:17] Your time is up.
[21:18] Thank you.
[21:25] Next up is G. Holy.
[21:35] Can we wait a minute while I my talking
[21:38] points are
[21:40] while she's getting her talking points?
[21:42] Can I uh mention something real quick?
[21:44] Just and I'm not I don't want to speak
[21:45] to the person who just uh spoke about
[21:48] Lars Anderson, but um I do think it
[21:51] would be helpful at a an upcoming
[21:53] meeting um in April. I would hope it
[21:57] would be April to put it on our agenda
[21:59] to discuss um the DPW yard, why it's
[22:03] there, why we're not including a more
[22:07] specific uh review of that space in an
[22:10] RFP. Um it'd be really helpful to
[22:12] understand what the constraints are. It
[22:14] does seem like that DPW yard is a
[22:16] junkyard um and not in keeping with uh
[22:19] what Lars Anderson is supposed to be
[22:21] doing um for for the residents of the
[22:24] town which is the gift. So I'm hoping we
[22:26] would add that to an agenda this in in
[22:28] March in April. Sorry. Thank you.
[22:32] Okay, I think we can do that.
[23:16] Uh, good evening members of the select
[23:18] board. My name is Jih Lee and I live on
[23:21] Amory Street, precinct one. I'm speaking
[23:24] today because the ongoing rodent
[23:26] infestation in my building has reached a
[23:29] critical health threshold for me. The
[23:32] stress has led to physical hair loss and
[23:34] extreme exhaustion. I am currently
[23:37] unable to safely clean my unit because
[23:39] the standard cleaning aerosolizes rodent
[23:42] waste, turning dried urine and feces
[23:44] into airborne toxins. After a high fever
[23:48] and suspected haunt virus illness last
[23:50] year, I cannot risk the respiratory
[23:52] distress that comes from disturbing
[23:54] these biohazards without professional
[23:56] equipment.
[23:59] Um, I was given a transfer opportunity,
[24:03] but I I'm deeply concerned that the
[24:07] structural gaps left behind during the
[24:10] 2013 heating renovation will follow me
[24:12] to the new unit. for over a decade.
[24:16] Traditional pest control um like glue
[24:19] traps and I I was just given glue traps
[24:23] and mouse bait by maintenance and pest
[24:27] control and uh they haven't done
[24:30] anything structural to prevent the
[24:33] rosent from coming into the building. Uh
[24:37] I have used the UV light to document
[24:39] urine trails inside my dresser and
[24:41] closets. Right now they are just
[24:44] urinating on everything on my clothes
[24:46] had just I'm I'm afraid to open the
[24:49] dresser because of the urine smell. It's
[24:55] um it's gotten to the point where
[24:58] I can't sleep and my hair is coming out
[25:02] in clumps. Um, my request is that
[25:08] the select board, uh, I don't know if
[25:11] it's right to say this, but put pressure
[25:13] on BHA to to, um, cover up and create a
[25:20] barrier so that the rodents cannot come
[25:22] into the building at all. Um, when I
[25:25] complained about this back in 2013, I
[25:28] was just met with uh dismissiveness and
[25:33] if they had done it then, it wouldn't
[25:35] have come to this point now.
[25:39] Um,
[25:41] I I want to live successfully there and
[25:45] I don't want to be considered a problem
[25:47] tenant, but this has gotten to the point
[25:50] where it's untenable.
[25:55] Thank you.
[25:56] Thank you,
[25:58] Mr. Chair.
[25:59] Yes.
[26:00] May I ask just that she repeat the
[26:01] address? I I didn't catch it.
[26:02] Yeah, I didn't catch it either.
[26:06] 235.
[26:08] Oh, 150. Thank you very much.
[26:10] She sent a letter to the board that we
[26:12] all received uh detailing what she wrote
[26:16] plus more. Um Chaz, it's my
[26:18] understanding is the health department
[26:20] going out to do an inspection.
[26:22] Um
[26:23] yeah, my understanding is the health the
[26:24] health department is is involved and we
[26:26] will follow up.
[26:27] Okay.
[26:27] The health commissioner is shaking
[26:29] shaking his head. Yes. So
[26:32] Okay.
[26:35] Any other public comments?
[26:40] No.
[26:40] No raised hands online and I don't know
[26:43] if anybody in person.
[26:45] Okay. Okay. So, let's move on to the
[26:47] next item which is our miscellaneous
[26:50] calendar. Uh first uh our minutes from
[26:54] August 24, 2026
[26:57] the meeting where we voted the override.
[27:00] So, any corrections
[27:04] to those minutes? So I had sent some
[27:08] amendments to staff which I believe
[27:11] circulated
[27:12] y sub substantive or or not.
[27:17] No. Okay. Good. So uh I move approval of
[27:20] the minutes for February uh excuse me
[27:24] March 24, 2026 as amended. All in favor
[27:28] please indicate by saying I. John
[27:30] Vancoyak
[27:31] I.
[27:31] Paul Warren.
[27:31] Hi.
[27:32] David Pearlman.
[27:33] Hi.
[27:33] Michael Rubenstein.
[27:34] Hi. and chair votes I. Next, I'd like to
[27:37] take an omnibus fashion
[27:41] items 3B through 3L, unless someone
[27:45] would like to pull something out for
[27:46] further discussion.
[27:48] Excuse me.
[27:49] Okay, Michael.
[27:50] Um, I just have a comment to make with
[27:52] regard to item 3H.
[27:54] Okay,
[27:57] go ahead.
[27:57] Um, so a constituent contacted me uh
[28:01] from precinct 14 regarding uh this this
[28:05] item um to ask the question of whether
[28:08] or not the repaving on Hammond Street
[28:12] could be affected down the road um by
[28:15] potential work uh that the mass DOT
[28:19] might take on as part of the Chestnut
[28:20] Hill commercial area project. Um we had
[28:23] a conversation about this. Um, it turns
[28:26] out that item 3H is strictly uh related
[28:30] to repaving uh uh restriping and
[28:36] meaning painting stripes and the signal
[28:39] at the corner of Heath Street and
[28:40] Woodard. Um, so we determined that this
[28:43] was not a concern.
[28:46] Thank you.
[28:47] Any other items people would like to
[28:50] take out and discuss? Okay. Okay. So
[28:52] then I move approval of items 3B through
[28:57] 3 L in our miscellaneous calendar. All
[29:00] in favor, please indicate by saying I.
[29:02] John Voyak.
[29:03] I.
[29:03] Paul Warren.
[29:04] Hi.
[29:04] David Pearlman.
[29:05] Hi.
[29:05] Michael Rubenstein.
[29:06] I.
[29:07] And chair votes I.
[29:09] I would just quickly note there are
[29:10] there are two donations contained in
[29:12] there and I just want to thank the folks
[29:14] who made those donations. It's always a
[29:16] great help to the community when folks
[29:18] uh provide that assistance, particularly
[29:21] with um things related to ODICR's
[29:24] activities and operations. It makes the
[29:26] community a more welcoming place and so
[29:28] we're very grateful for the folks who
[29:29] make those contributions. So, thank you
[29:30] to both of those donors. Yes, it's uh
[29:33] we're required to approve donations of
[29:36] any amount by state law, but it's also
[29:38] an opportunity for us to, as uh Chaz
[29:41] just did, uh highlight and thank uh
[29:44] people who make donations to help our
[29:46] town in various ways. So, okay. Uh next
[29:51] item, boards and commissions, annual
[29:53] reports. We have a presentation from the
[29:55] disability commission
[29:57] um or the commission on disability.
[30:15] Let me see your finger.
[30:26] ready.
[30:27] No, it hasn't connected. Okay, it
[30:30] connected.
[30:31] Presentation
[30:40] right here.
[30:42] Right here. Okay.
[30:44] Okay.
[30:57] Awesome.
[31:16] What didn't show up?
[31:20] Does that timer change the presentation?
[31:22] We're trying to share
[31:24] the
[31:26] presentation station.
[31:28] I'm not sure why that that screen is up
[31:30] there. Um, let me see. I'm not sure why
[31:34] the
[31:44] I don't know why it's
[31:46] I just p
[31:50] It's
[31:54] I could do it in 10 minutes if I talk
[31:56] real fast.
[32:05] We're starting it.
[32:17] No problem.
[32:20] I mean, I'm I'm picking up my sound.
[32:22] Yeah.
[32:27] You did not get it.
[32:30] I didn't get it.
[32:37] There you go. You should be all set.
[32:38] Okay.
[32:44] Okay. Can everybody hear me?
[32:46] Yes.
[32:47] Okay. Great. Great. Okay. Thank Thank
[32:50] you. I want to thank the board for
[32:52] having us in and thank everybody for
[32:54] being here. Um I'm going to go ahead and
[32:57] get started.
[32:59] Um as most of you know, I like to start
[33:03] with just a little history. In 83, the
[33:06] Massachusetts legislature passed a law
[33:08] saying that cities and towns could have
[33:11] uh commissions on disabilities. In 1986,
[33:14] Brooklyn was one of the first to create
[33:17] the commission on disability. And in
[33:19] 2017, they reconfirmed that with a bylaw
[33:22] so that the commission could continue
[33:24] with its work. So for four decades now,
[33:27] the town of Brooklyn and uh the
[33:29] commission have been working hand in
[33:31] hand to make uh Brooklyn more accessible
[33:33] for its residents.
[33:35] Current
[33:37] uh commission members aside from myself
[33:39] is Sarah Lynn Aair,
[33:43] uh Joan Mahon, Lynn Meichek, Elaine
[33:46] Ober. Our newest member is Liz Strier
[33:50] and then also uh Henry Wkelman and our
[33:54] new select board liaison is Mr. John
[33:56] Vancoyak.
[33:58] Um, we also had elections this year. So,
[34:00] I was lucky to uh uh run for another
[34:03] year as chair. And Henry Wkelman is the
[34:07] deputy chair. Sarah Linair uh took the
[34:10] position of treasurer. Shockingly,
[34:13] nobody went for the highly coveted
[34:15] position of secretary.
[34:20] So,
[34:23] two people that the commission could not
[34:25] work without and that is Sarah Kaplan
[34:27] and Nancy Moore. Sarah Kaplan uh works
[34:32] uh she lets the commission know of
[34:34] anything that's going on at the state
[34:36] level that we should be aware of. She
[34:38] also handles implementation
[34:40] as well as compliance
[34:43] and she works on grant coordination
[34:46] which we'll talk about in a minute and
[34:48] day-to-day accessibility issues. Nancy
[34:51] Moore is our transportation board
[34:54] liaison and she always makes sure that
[34:57] accessibility is in the forefront of all
[34:59] of the decisions that the transportation
[35:01] board makes. I mean it when I say we
[35:04] could not be as effective as we are
[35:06] without these two individuals. They're
[35:08] terrific.
[35:10] Um sadly we lost a member this year. Rob
[35:14] Heis passed away in February of 2025.
[35:18] Um we always called Rob the thoughtful
[35:20] advocate. He wouldn't say much at the
[35:22] meetings. He'd wait till everybody else
[35:23] talked and then he'd say his piece and
[35:26] he would hit the sweet spot 99.9% of the
[35:29] time. He was seriously a very thoughtful
[35:32] advocate. I tell everybody if you come
[35:35] across an accessibility feature in
[35:36] Brooklyn, most likely Rob had a hand in
[35:38] it. His commitment, his compassion, and
[35:43] his sense of humor is sorely missed by
[35:44] all of us.
[35:48] Thank you.
[35:50] I put this up. This is the ADA
[35:52] definition uh of what a disability is.
[35:55] And as you can see, it's very long. It's
[35:57] very broad, but it's what we think about
[36:00] when we uh make our decisions and what
[36:02] we're going to do throughout the year
[36:05] because we say that there's apparent
[36:07] disabilities and non-apparent
[36:09] disabilities. And apparent disabilities,
[36:11] if you see, for instance, myself with a
[36:14] white cane, you can assume that I'm
[36:15] visually impaired. Somebody with a
[36:17] mobility device, you know that they have
[36:19] mobility issues. Okay? But there's
[36:21] non-apparent disabilities as well and
[36:24] those are a a concern as well. So
[36:27] non-apparent disabilities if you look at
[36:29] these individuals you might not know who
[36:31] has a traumatic brain injury who might
[36:34] be hard of hearing you know who might
[36:36] have cancer or cancer in remission which
[36:38] is also considered a disability. So
[36:41] these are the folks that we think about
[36:42] the residents that we think about in
[36:44] every decision that we make.
[36:50] So we try to remove barriers. We try to
[36:54] uh promote inclusive participation.
[36:58] We try to advise people on policy and
[37:00] development uh when they come to us on
[37:02] certain issues. And some of the things
[37:05] that we've worked on this year are all
[37:07] of these issues. And we're going to go
[37:08] through just a few of them.
[37:11] So we supported multiple warrant
[37:14] articles last year. Warrant article 13
[37:16] in the fall of 2025
[37:20] was to ensure that any future planning
[37:24] at Fisher Hill would consider our senior
[37:26] residents. Warrant article 14 and 15
[37:29] kind of went hand in hand. 14 was a
[37:32] streamlined reasonable accommodation
[37:34] process to ensure that uh people with
[37:37] disabilities could get essential
[37:39] modifications to their homes. 15 was a
[37:43] uh an exception to the demolition bylaw.
[37:46] Warrant article 16 uh modified the
[37:51] requirements of bicycle parking and
[37:54] mobility devices. Obviously very
[37:56] important to people with disabilities
[37:58] and we wrote letters of support on all
[38:00] of these issues.
[38:06] the MBTA. Um, I think everybody has
[38:09] spent some time on this one this year
[38:11] and and we did too. Our first uh I think
[38:14] we started a meeting with the MBTA
[38:16] actually in 2024, but our first meeting
[38:19] in 2025 was in February and that was on
[38:21] the Branden Hall Fairbanks
[38:24] uh merge and uh we met with them and we
[38:27] talked to them about high contrast color
[38:30] platforms to ensure that that would be
[38:32] part of the program and they agreed to
[38:34] that and then we uh supported it. And
[38:36] then also um Fenway Multi-use path. I
[38:39] have to say it was um Hugh Madison who
[38:42] has taken up uh the ch he's the champion
[38:45] of that program. He came to us about
[38:47] that and we wrote a letter of support on
[38:49] that. Actually we sent that letter of
[38:51] support to you folks first because that
[38:53] was an outside of Brookline issue.
[38:59] A school uh modifications. The
[39:01] transportation board was taking some uh
[39:03] making some modifications there and they
[39:05] came to us. Uh we reviewed the area.
[39:08] They were going to put in four
[39:09] additional uh accessible spots. We found
[39:12] a way to improve that up to five and I
[39:14] just spoke to a member of the board who
[39:16] told me that they might be putting in a
[39:18] few more. So that was uh very helpful.
[39:21] And then we also did send them a letter
[39:23] to let them know if they need anything
[39:24] else to please uh don't hesitate to ask.
[39:29] We only had one variance this year which
[39:31] was a little surprising but um it was an
[39:34] interesting one. It was at 1026
[39:36] Commonwealth Avenue and this is Bob
[39:39] Street. It's a restaurant, a Korean
[39:41] restaurant and they have a dining area
[39:44] upstairs that was not accessible and
[39:47] they wanted to uh bypass putting in a
[39:52] lift. And the reason was was because if
[39:54] they put in the lift, it was going to
[39:56] impact their ADA accessible restroom on
[39:58] the first floor. So we asked them to
[40:01] make sure that the rest of the facility
[40:03] was completely accessible, which they
[40:05] did. They have accessible tables on the
[40:08] first floor. They also uh put in high
[40:10] contrast stairs to go up to that uh loft
[40:13] area and then we supported that
[40:15] variance. We also sent a letter of
[40:18] support to the Brooklyn Housing
[40:19] Authority as they were trying to install
[40:21] an ADA compliant sidewalk over at the
[40:24] Walnut High Apartments.
[40:30] We had multiple subcommittees this year,
[40:32] which is kind of unusual, but um we had
[40:35] a few. We had an ADA parking
[40:37] subcommittee, which I'll talk about in a
[40:38] second. We had the disability pride
[40:41] display, and then also we have an event
[40:43] subcommittee. The events sub
[40:45] subcommittee was started in uh 2025 and
[40:49] we uh stumbled along, but we've really
[40:51] hit our stride on the event sub uh
[40:54] subcommittee and we're hoping to be
[40:56] holding an event soon to promote uh
[40:58] disability awareness here in Brooklyn.
[41:04] The ADA parking subcommittee um we did a
[41:09] lot of review, we did a lot of work on
[41:11] this. Uh but before I talk about that, I
[41:13] just want to say I got to thank Erin
[41:16] Shute as well as Jed Faren Farenbach uh
[41:19] at the IT department. They gave us
[41:22] access to their GIS system. We're able
[41:24] to make real-time modifications
[41:26] and we're able to evaluate uh se over 70
[41:30] spots here in uh on the main corridors
[41:34] on Beacon Street, Washington Street,
[41:37] Harvard Street, and a lot of the side
[41:39] streets as well. So, we got quite a bit
[41:41] done during this process. Interestingly,
[41:43] a few people called looking for
[41:45] accessible parking spots. Gateway Arts
[41:48] down on Station Street called us for
[41:50] support. Uh we sent a letter of support
[41:52] to the transportation board and the DPW
[41:54] on that. Uh and then a parishioner from
[41:57] the St. Mary's Church called about an
[41:59] additional spot over at St. Mary's. That
[42:02] was also approved. So, those two
[42:04] additional spots were installed.
[42:10] Last year I talked a little bit about
[42:11] getting grants and uh last year we
[42:13] didn't get any but this year we got one
[42:15] and we got a big one. It was a real uh
[42:17] nice one. So here we did work with uh
[42:20] the DPW as well as the ADA coordinator
[42:24] and we got uh almost $50,000 $49,852.19
[42:31] to be exact for 11 tactile plates to be
[42:35] installed along Beacon Street. Those
[42:37] tactile plates are a great example of
[42:39] universal design. Everybody uses them,
[42:43] but I can tell you personally being
[42:44] blind, if if there's not a tactile
[42:46] plate, it's easy to wander into the the
[42:49] parallel street and uh be in danger. So
[42:53] those tactile plates make a big
[42:54] difference and we're really glad to get
[42:57] this grant.
[43:02] We also uh we I talked about the
[43:04] display. uh the display, we used that to
[43:07] promote three wheelchair bills at the
[43:09] state legislature. And again, we wrote
[43:11] letters of support on that. And I think
[43:13] that uh the select board saw those
[43:15] because those were issues outside of
[43:17] Brooklyn. And then uh also uh the other
[43:22] we
[43:23] uh funded two scholarships again this
[43:25] year at the Brooklyn High School for
[43:27] students with disabilities who want to
[43:30] continue on with their higher education.
[43:32] We participated in Brooklyn Day this
[43:35] year and we also continued our work with
[43:38] the United Parish Church. Actually, a
[43:40] few members went to the United Parish
[43:42] Church this year as they were looking
[43:43] for ways to improve accessibility at the
[43:45] church.
[43:50] Uh some of the outreach on from us to
[43:53] other committees. Uh Lynn Meichek is our
[43:57] liaison to the pedestrian advisory
[43:59] committee. Henry Wkelman who is here is
[44:01] our liaison to the age friendly citizens
[44:04] committee. We also have seats on the
[44:06] center street lots committee as well as
[44:08] the bridal path.
[44:14] And one more thing, you know, uh our
[44:16] website, it was brought up at the
[44:17] beginning of the year. Some of the links
[44:19] were outdated. Some of the uh the
[44:21] appearance of it was outdated. So we
[44:23] took that on at the beginning of 2025.
[44:26] We updated everything. I got to uh give
[44:28] a shout out to James Pulat who really
[44:31] helped us a lot with this. And I got to
[44:33] give a shout out to Sarah Lynair who
[44:35] took up the uh volunteered to maintain
[44:39] the website and let James in a
[44:42] collaboration between the two of them to
[44:44] make sure everything's up to date and
[44:45] moving forward. So that was also a big
[44:48] success for us. Gentlemen, with that I
[44:53] will open it up for any questions that
[44:55] you may have.
[44:56] Thank you.
[44:58] We gave you a little extra time because
[45:01] I don't think you saw the timer there.
[45:05] My
[45:05] and also your report was very
[45:07] interesting.
[45:08] Very interesting.
[45:09] Yeah.
[45:09] So great.
[45:10] Um Paul.
[45:11] Yep. Thank you. Thank you, James. Um
[45:13] appreciate all the work and the work of
[45:14] your committee, the advocacy. Um, I want
[45:17] to touch on the intersection of your
[45:21] committee and its work uh for the
[45:24] disabled and what we heard tonight
[45:27] during public comment about rodent
[45:29] infestation
[45:30] at public housing. Um, you know, I'm
[45:33] going to go on a limb here and assume
[45:35] that there are perhaps some folks in our
[45:38] in our Brooklyn Housing Authority units
[45:41] that either have an apparent or
[45:43] non-apparent disability. um that we
[45:46] perhaps we think this evening. Um and
[45:49] while typically rodent infestation
[45:52] wouldn't be in the purview of your
[45:54] commission when it does intersect uh
[45:56] with a disability
[45:58] um and would enhance or complicate or
[46:01] exacerbate a disability. Um I would
[46:04] think that perhaps your commission would
[46:06] get involved. Could you speak to that um
[46:09] as an issue and have you done it before
[46:11] and should it become uh one of your
[46:14] connections and partnerships with the
[46:15] Brookline Housing Authority?
[46:17] Um you know with the Brookline Housing
[46:19] Authority there's been a a couple of uh
[46:22] items as I said that we uh did send a
[46:24] letter of support for them. Um and I got
[46:27] to tell you if somebody came to us uh I
[46:31] was listening to to that woman talk
[46:33] about that issue and I I just felt
[46:36] terrible. I was standing there shaking
[46:37] my head, but um anything that we could
[46:40] do to help, we certainly would. Um I can
[46:43] give you an example of a a group of
[46:45] people, you know, at 1550 uh Beacon
[46:48] Street as an example, which u disabled
[46:52] people and seniors with mobility issues.
[46:54] You know, we reached out to them when I
[46:57] heard about the Brandon Hall Fairbanks
[46:59] merger because I knew that that was
[47:01] going to be important to them, you know.
[47:03] So, uh, we would certainly be willing to
[47:05] help in any way that we can if, uh, if
[47:07] they give us more information on that.
[47:10] Okay. So, she you're you're encouraging
[47:12] her to reach out to your commission
[47:13] either in writing or as a public comment
[47:15] when you meet or whatever.
[47:17] Absolutely. Our next meeting is the ETH,
[47:19] and if she uh would like to make public
[47:20] comment at our meeting, that'd be
[47:22] terrific.
[47:23] Thank you,
[47:25] John. Um, thanks so much for the report
[47:28] and I just want to say it's a it is a
[47:30] real um privilege uh to be the sleptward
[47:34] liaison to the commission and um this is
[47:39] an enormously productive commission. I'm
[47:42] I'm just kind of blown away at the
[47:44] effectiveness of their meetings uh the
[47:46] participation by uh just about every
[47:49] member at every meeting. um the
[47:52] delegation to subcommittee subcommittees
[47:54] to you know carry on the work um and
[47:57] bring that back to the commission as a
[47:59] whole. Um really a model of of an
[48:02] effective commission and uh I'll I'll
[48:05] just do a shout out to Sarah Kaplan who
[48:08] you know as Jim mentioned uh such an
[48:10] essential contributor to all of this.
[48:13] Um, so Brooklyn's lucky to have this
[48:15] commission and and as Bernard said, as
[48:17] our chair said, that that that stood out
[48:20] as as one of the more interesting
[48:22] reports that we've received so far. No
[48:24] disrespect to some of the other
[48:26] committees and commissions, but that was
[48:28] a real good one.
[48:29] Thank you so much.
[48:30] Although we've had a lot of very
[48:32] we've had a lot
[48:35] yeah,
[48:36] but I I I'll say this here. I I even
[48:38] when I went through that history, I was
[48:40] very surprised that the commission and
[48:42] the town have been working together for
[48:45] for 40 years. I mean, that's a long
[48:48] time. And um it's it's really great. I I
[48:51] I got to tell you to to live in
[48:54] Brooklyn. Um
[48:57] I I talk to a lot of people in other
[49:00] towns and they do not get the support
[49:03] from their town that that they should.
[49:06] And uh the commission gets a lot of
[49:08] support. If I call anybody uh they
[49:12] always respond every you know and I mean
[49:15] Erin Shoot, Brian Kaine, uh when I call
[49:18] Sarah Kaplan, whoever it is and there's
[49:21] an issue, it it's really it's fantastic
[49:24] to be working here. Thank you.
[49:29] Anything else?
[49:31] It's also helpful to uh know some of the
[49:34] things that the dis the commission on
[49:36] disabilities do because many times
[49:39] people have disabilities and don't
[49:41] realize that they may need help or
[49:44] assistance or just information that uh
[49:46] the commission could supply or that
[49:48] other people could supply. I'm thinking
[49:50] of uh kids who go off uh on a skiing
[49:53] trip
[49:54] come back disabled.
[49:56] We had that situation at the peier
[49:58] school. Yeah.
[49:59] Um, you know, kids who thought they
[50:01] they're you know, perfectly able to get
[50:03] around that building um ended up with
[50:06] temporary disabilities that made it
[50:08] impossible for them to attend school.
[50:11] So, your your report to the public is
[50:15] very helpful in terms of just alerting
[50:17] people to the breath of disability
[50:20] issues that uh people should be aware
[50:22] of.
[50:23] Thank you. you know, and then I I'll
[50:25] just say again, uh, our events
[50:28] subcommittee, uh, we met a little bit in
[50:30] 2025, but we've we've hit our stride,
[50:33] and hopefully we're going to have an
[50:35] event this year that'll promote, uh, the
[50:37] commission and and promote people with
[50:39] disabilities and what we do, and
[50:41] hopefully more people will be reaching
[50:42] out to us for for any assistance that we
[50:45] can provide.
[50:47] Great.
[50:49] Okay. Thank you.
[50:50] Thank you so much. I really appreciate
[50:52] it.
[50:58] Next, the select board is going to be
[51:00] trained.
[51:02] So, I think Jonathan Simpson is on
[51:06] the internet, the Zoom.
[51:09] Uh, yes, my video has been disabled. I
[51:12] don't know if anyone can
[51:15] hold on one second.
[51:21] He was co-host earlier, but
[51:30] thank you, Melanie.
[51:32] And then um if I could have my slides up
[51:34] too, please.
[51:59] You have the slides.
[52:01] I
[52:03] was not told I was sharing slides.
[52:05] Ah,
[52:06] Jonathan, can you share your screen? Can
[52:08] you share your slides?
[52:09] Uh, I don't have it up on this machine.
[52:10] I apologize.
[52:11] I've got it.
[52:12] Weren't they in the packet? Yeah,
[52:13] they're in the package. You can get that
[52:15] way. Hold on one second.
[52:47] Okay,
[52:49] go.
[52:54] Thank you, Chaz.
[52:59] Okay. Um, so I uh as you noted, I am I'm
[53:03] here to to give everyone um on the board
[53:07] as well as uh staff who may be listening
[53:10] and board members um uh a a quick primer
[53:14] on uh campaign finance finance law and
[53:17] specifically how it relates to
[53:19] situations where there is a question uh
[53:22] on the ballot. Um I'm and I will be
[53:25] actually spending some time in this
[53:27] presentation actually distinguishing uh
[53:29] how uh what an elected official can and
[53:32] can't do is is uh different in some
[53:34] slight but significant ways uh from what
[53:37] a uh appointed or appointed official or
[53:41] a staff member can do. Next slide
[53:44] please.
[53:48] I am so as you all hopefully know by now
[53:51] I'm Jonathan Simpson. I'm first
[53:52] assistant town counsel for the town of
[53:54] Brooklyn. Um so as the select board
[53:58] voted last week to put a question uh on
[54:01] the ballot uh related to the override um
[54:04] we are now uh between last week and the
[54:07] election in May. uh we are in a period
[54:10] where we need to be um extremely
[54:13] vigilant about the political activities
[54:16] uh we may choose to take uh related to
[54:18] the election given the presence of that
[54:21] of that ballot question. So next slide
[54:24] please.
[54:26] So really the the three big takeaways uh
[54:29] I will just jump straight to them are
[54:31] are shown here on this slide. Uh number
[54:33] one is mass emails generally they are
[54:36] not allowed. Um you no one should be
[54:39] sending mass emails uh mass unsolicited
[54:43] emails to um to uh to people related to
[54:48] the election. Um,
[54:51] if someone asks you for something, you
[54:53] can give it to them, but you should not
[54:55] be distributing um, you know, sending
[54:58] out a a mass email uh, describing either
[55:01] certainly not advocating for a
[55:02] particular vote, but even
[55:04] justformational about the election,
[55:06] about uh, the uh, context of the
[55:09] override, what will happen if it doesn't
[55:11] pass. None of that should be sent out
[55:13] via mass unsolicited email.
[55:16] Could Could we stop there for a second,
[55:18] Jonathan? Um just hopefully you can we
[55:20] can ask questions as we go since you're
[55:21] training us.
[55:22] Yeah.
[55:23] Um
[55:24] who is covered by that recommendation
[55:28] or that limitation? Is elected select
[55:31] board members covered by that or elected
[55:34] school committee members?
[55:36] Uh so
[55:38] both
[55:41] the important thing is that ma when I
[55:42] say mass emails
[55:44] he's a lawyer.
[55:45] Well well hold on a second. He he just
[55:47] said that a sitting elected
[55:49] dog wash is not the right.
[55:51] Okay. Uh bokeu, whatever you want to
[55:53] call it. Um so you're saying that
[55:57] I need to clarify.
[55:58] Hold on. I I'm going to let me clarify
[56:00] my question because you just said
[56:01] something that that I believe you are
[56:04] taking away the the first amendment
[56:07] rights of elected public officials. So,
[56:11] you just said, and my interpretation is
[56:13] is that Paul Warren cannot email
[56:17] unsolicited
[56:19] to an email list that I've developed
[56:21] over years to advocate for the operating
[56:26] override. Is that what you said?
[56:28] Uh, it it it was, but I made a extremely
[56:32] important omission from what I just
[56:34] said, and I appreciate you jumping on me
[56:36] because I left out
[56:37] my pleasure.
[56:39] um is is mass emails are not permitted
[56:43] when the email list you are using is a
[56:46] public resource. Essentially, if the
[56:49] email list you are using is the town's
[56:51] email list or the school's email list,
[56:54] you are not allowed or a portion of it,
[56:57] you are not allowed to use that to send
[56:59] mass unsolicited emails.
[57:01] Thank you for the clarification. I did
[57:03] not I should ab I should ab did not mean
[57:07] to apply even for a moment that an email
[57:09] list that you have worked to put
[57:10] together yourself cannot be used to
[57:13] advocate how you how you as an elected
[57:15] official believe someone uh should vote
[57:18] in the upcoming election. So mass emails
[57:20] are not allowed when they are using a
[57:22] town or school email list. So I will so
[57:26] let me
[57:27] so our email list that we put together
[57:30] cannot include the town meeting members
[57:32] list
[57:34] which is a public document.
[57:36] The town meeting members list is a is a
[57:38] public document. That is fine. But for
[57:40] example the town um in compiles email
[57:44] list of email addresses. The most
[57:45] obvious one is the one that was at issue
[57:48] in 2023 which was the list of all the
[57:50] parents emails that the schools collect
[57:52] when there's kids enroll. But the town
[57:54] also has lists of emails for a variety
[57:56] of other subjects. Um, and if it's using
[57:59] getting those emails because of its uh
[58:01] town responsibilities, it's those those
[58:03] email lists are public resource and and
[58:05] should not be used for mass emails.
[58:08] But again, if it's a public document,
[58:11] like if all of the the select board's
[58:13] emails, for example, are publicly
[58:14] available on the website, you could
[58:17] you could take all five of you and put
[58:19] it put those on a list and send an email
[58:21] to you all unsolicited because that
[58:22] email those emails are a public record.
[58:25] Okay. Okay. Paul, no hogwash though.
[58:29] I will I will try to control my my my
[58:32] language.
[58:33] Okay. Jonathan, another just quick
[58:35] question. So, uh, let's take school
[58:37] committee members. Uh, if a school
[58:39] committee member receives emails through
[58:41] the course of their duties to their, uh,
[58:44] you know, school committee.gov email
[58:46] account, um, are they able to use those
[58:51] emails to email
[58:54] um,
[58:56] residents or constituents or is that
[58:58] email system considered a public
[59:02] resource?
[59:04] We are invest that is a close question
[59:06] that we are currently investigating. Um
[59:08] so I do not have an answer yet but I
[59:10] hope to have an answer for you both you
[59:12] guys and the school committee soon.
[59:14] Okay. Thank you.
[59:17] Along those same lines um and I I've
[59:20] wondered about this for a long time. Uh
[59:22] and what about PTO groups you know with
[59:26] whom the list of all of the emails of
[59:28] parents in a particular school are
[59:30] shared? um can they share those with um
[59:34] independent groups, you know, that are
[59:37] taking part in advocacy during a during
[59:39] a campaign?
[59:41] Um I have spoken with the superintendent
[59:44] about uh Brooklyn's policy towards its
[59:47] PTO's.
[59:49] uh she has looked into this and all of
[59:52] the PTO's so that's all of the the 8 K
[59:56] through8s beep as well as the high
[59:58] school um they all have some they at no
[1:00:03] point and for none of those is the
[1:00:05] parents email list simply handed over to
[1:00:08] the PTO to do it as whatever they want
[1:00:11] in all cases there is an optin at the at
[1:00:15] either an optin where parents when at
[1:00:18] some point are asked by the schools if
[1:00:21] they if if it if the school can share
[1:00:24] their email address with the relevant
[1:00:26] PTO or um the PTO's generate their own
[1:00:30] email list and similar into the way that
[1:00:32] that Paul was describing with with his
[1:00:34] email list is you work together you you
[1:00:36] meet people you get you you get the
[1:00:37] email list email addresses that way but
[1:00:40] I believe both of those two scenarios
[1:00:42] there do not um do not constit
[1:00:46] in that scenarios, both of those
[1:00:47] scenarios, if the PTO's then send out
[1:00:50] emails about the election, um it is not
[1:00:53] the use of a public resource because
[1:00:55] they're using their own their own email
[1:00:57] list which they have obtained in a in a
[1:00:59] variety of ways. Um so that in those
[1:01:02] cases, I believe PTO's in Brooklyn have
[1:01:05] taken steps to make sure that their
[1:01:07] their use of email is not a public
[1:01:10] resource.
[1:01:12] U Michael
[1:01:13] under the under the campaign finance.
[1:01:15] Uh thank you. Um first of all I'm also
[1:01:19] interested in the answer to Paul's
[1:01:21] questions with regard to email addresses
[1:01:24] that come into the town from
[1:01:27] constituents. Um but I have two two
[1:01:30] other questions relating to mass emails
[1:01:32] broadly. Um and the first question is um
[1:01:38] I am assuming and could you confirm that
[1:01:41] using uh our.gov email addresses um as
[1:01:46] the uh sender for such mass emails would
[1:01:49] not be appropriate.
[1:01:52] Um it would depend well uh no it would I
[1:01:56] will get to the the there there's sort
[1:01:58] of a detailed reason but generally it
[1:02:00] would be it would be appropriate
[1:02:02] particularly if you are an elected
[1:02:03] official.
[1:02:04] Okay. Um and the the other question is
[1:02:08] that if we ch uh we choose to advocate
[1:02:12] in conjunction with some outside
[1:02:15] organization
[1:02:17] um is there are there any constraints on
[1:02:20] the use of our titles as members of the
[1:02:23] select board in those communications?
[1:02:27] Uh that's a great question and there is
[1:02:29] a this is one of the areas where there
[1:02:31] is a distinction between elected
[1:02:32] officials and appointed officials or
[1:02:35] staff members. Elected officials are
[1:02:38] allowed to use their titles when they
[1:02:41] are advocating for a particular issue
[1:02:45] including for example an override. So
[1:02:47] you could ab certainly say I, Michael
[1:02:51] Rubenstein,
[1:02:52] um, Brooklyn select board member believe
[1:02:56] you should vote yes or vote no on the
[1:02:59] override.
[1:03:00] Okay.
[1:03:00] Uh, you should however refrain from
[1:03:02] speak when you do so speaking as though
[1:03:05] you are speaking for the board it as as
[1:03:07] it hold that the select boards supports
[1:03:10] thus and such. You should speak on your
[1:03:12] own behalf but that on your own behalf
[1:03:14] includes your role as a select board
[1:03:16] member. So you can't you as an elected
[1:03:18] official can use your title. That does
[1:03:21] not extend however to um appointed or uh
[1:03:26] appointed officials or uh town employees
[1:03:28] who are not supposed to use uh what is
[1:03:30] called the weight of their office when
[1:03:33] um when speaking about about the issues
[1:03:36] speaking about politics. You're not that
[1:03:38] that title itself is is a public
[1:03:40] resource which is should not be accessed
[1:03:42] by uh people in that role. So you should
[1:03:45] not for example say um if you know if
[1:03:47] you were a uh police officer the common
[1:03:51] one you said is the common example is
[1:03:54] you should not be wearing your uniform
[1:03:57] when you um tell people to vote yes on a
[1:04:00] particular ballot question because it
[1:04:03] gives a sort of impremature of the
[1:04:04] police department which is itself a
[1:04:06] public resource. Hey, Jonathan. Uh, can
[1:04:08] I ask you to um fix this slide? And this
[1:04:13] is a document that a lot of people may
[1:04:15] be u downloading and relying on.
[1:04:19] Sure. Thank you.
[1:04:19] In terms of the mass emails, I mean,
[1:04:21] it's
[1:04:23] the way it's written now, it really, as
[1:04:26] Paul as Paul showed uh is very
[1:04:29] confusing. I will I will fix it and
[1:04:33] we will I will see if Kate is able to
[1:04:36] just repost an improved version
[1:04:38] alongside.
[1:04:39] Yep. Uh thank you Jonathan. So following
[1:04:41] up on Michael's questions um you've
[1:04:43] stated that if you're an appointed
[1:04:46] official um you can't use the weight of
[1:04:49] your office or your title. Um what are
[1:04:52] advisory committee members?
[1:04:54] Are they elected or appointed?
[1:04:57] That is a very good question. My
[1:04:59] understanding is they are um
[1:05:02] be they they are all I believe town
[1:05:06] meeting members. So they are they are
[1:05:08] elected.
[1:05:08] No, there's there are at large members
[1:05:10] that are not
[1:05:11] at large members and I apologize. Um
[1:05:13] they as as I said the the the campaign
[1:05:16] finance law distinguishes between
[1:05:17] elected officials and public officials
[1:05:20] who are not elected and as if they are
[1:05:23] as they are appointed they should not be
[1:05:25] using their title as advisory comm. So,
[1:05:26] the advisory committees, it would be
[1:05:28] really interesting to get because I
[1:05:30] think and it's not just them. There's
[1:05:31] other commissions that get, you know,
[1:05:34] the the housing advisory board um is
[1:05:36] appointed. Um there's a lot of folks
[1:05:38] that will want to weigh in on the
[1:05:40] operating override. Um and I think that
[1:05:44] that that would have implications, but
[1:05:46] particularly I know advisory is tricky,
[1:05:49] right? They're they're actually
[1:05:50] appointed to advisory. They're not
[1:05:52] elected to advisory. So they're not um
[1:05:55] so anyway it's just I think it's
[1:05:56] important to get some clarification on
[1:05:58] that.
[1:05:58] Well and I think the advisory is
[1:05:59] actually a little bit simpler because
[1:06:00] the the sort of the exception to the
[1:06:02] exception is that um people in a in a if
[1:06:06] if you have a appointed officials or and
[1:06:09] staff are allowed to take positions um
[1:06:12] based uh if it's within their area of
[1:06:14] professional responsibility.
[1:06:16] So certainly with an override question
[1:06:19] um an advisory committee member is is
[1:06:21] well within their sort of area of
[1:06:22] responsibility. So they they could use
[1:06:25] they could not just speak on the issue
[1:06:27] but they could uh utilize their title
[1:06:29] when doing so.
[1:06:30] Okay.
[1:06:31] I was just going to say you know right
[1:06:33] we I think as Jonathan moves through
[1:06:35] this you'll see right this this concept
[1:06:38] seems very simple in practice and then
[1:06:40] the deeper you dig the more exceptions
[1:06:42] you uncover and then exceptions to
[1:06:44] exceptions. It's which is why it's so
[1:06:46] important to have the basic principles
[1:06:49] of it down and then when there are
[1:06:51] specific instances that you're concerned
[1:06:53] about, reach out for for for guidance.
[1:06:55] Right? This is where you know in in
[1:06:58] general, right, we should not be using
[1:07:01] town resources, public resources for
[1:07:03] advocacy purposes. That's the general
[1:07:06] rule of thumb. Um there are limited
[1:07:08] exceptions to that for certain groups of
[1:07:10] people, but by and large that's the
[1:07:12] general rule. And so when you, you know,
[1:07:16] for example, the state has said the town
[1:07:19] can set up a website that explains a
[1:07:21] ballot question. Uh it can't be
[1:07:23] advocacy, but it can explain the
[1:07:25] consequences of voting yes, the
[1:07:27] consequences of voting no. Um it can
[1:07:29] provide information to voters. It can
[1:07:31] tell voters when the vote is, and so
[1:07:33] forth. They liken that to like posting
[1:07:35] something on a bulletin board. Um, what
[1:07:37] we can't do is take the content of that
[1:07:40] website and send it out unsolicited to
[1:07:42] the alert Brooklyn listerve for example.
[1:07:45] Um, because that's utilizing a public
[1:07:47] resource to affirmatively send something
[1:07:50] out like that. Um, so people might not
[1:07:52] think there's much of a distinction
[1:07:54] between putting up a website and
[1:07:56] affirmatively sending out that same
[1:07:57] material through a different means, but
[1:07:59] in the eyes of the state, there is a
[1:08:01] difference. And so that's why I think
[1:08:02] it's important to have a basic
[1:08:04] understanding of what is the state
[1:08:05] trying to prevent here. They're trying
[1:08:06] to prevent use of, you know, use of
[1:08:10] public resources to advocate for for
[1:08:12] ballot questions one way or the other.
[1:08:14] And they've said that and and that's
[1:08:17] that and where that is intention with
[1:08:18] this question of well, you know, for
[1:08:20] example, if staff is asked a question by
[1:08:22] a committee um then they have to give an
[1:08:25] answer to that and that has an
[1:08:26] implication on whether or not a person
[1:08:28] would vote yes on a ballot question.
[1:08:30] Does that mean they can't answer that
[1:08:31] question? And the answer is no. They
[1:08:32] can't answer that question. Um, they can
[1:08:35] answer a question that's been asked of
[1:08:36] them, but they can't on their own
[1:08:38] initiative then go out there and say,
[1:08:40] "Here, here's my position on this."
[1:08:43] David,
[1:08:44] so I I think I just heard you say that
[1:08:46] staff can take a position. The
[1:08:49] distinction is whether they utilize
[1:08:51] public resources in doing so.
[1:08:53] That's right.
[1:08:54] So, in theory, if you I'm not saying
[1:08:56] you'll do this. If you wanted to, you
[1:08:57] could spend a Saturday holding up a sign
[1:09:00] for one campaign or another and that
[1:09:01] would be fine.
[1:09:02] I wouldn't do that. Um, of course, terms
[1:09:05] of an employee, an employee, I mean,
[1:09:08] Jonathan, you can weigh in on this,
[1:09:09] right? Um,
[1:09:10] and I and I and actually this is
[1:09:12] something that that Paul brought up
[1:09:13] already and I appreciate him doing so
[1:09:14] that the first amendment gives you a
[1:09:16] right to express on your private time
[1:09:18] your own personal political views. I
[1:09:21] think critically though, the person, you
[1:09:23] know, if you go on Saturday and you hold
[1:09:25] up a sign, you should not be wearing
[1:09:28] your uh your uniform. You know, your um
[1:09:31] you should not be um you know, uh
[1:09:36] holding up a sign inside the select
[1:09:38] board's conference room because you have
[1:09:40] an ID card that lets you get in there
[1:09:42] and you're doing, you know, something
[1:09:43] like that. you you should not be using
[1:09:45] any public resources including your your
[1:09:47] your title or the weight of your office,
[1:09:50] but on your own time you can't. We we
[1:09:53] absolutely believe that that our staff,
[1:09:55] our appointed officials are are free to
[1:09:58] engage in engage politically. Uh you
[1:10:00] know, from voting, donating to
[1:10:03] campaigns, or even like you said, you
[1:10:05] know, handing out signs, knocking on
[1:10:06] doors. Um they're allowed to do that on
[1:10:09] their own time. So I think it's
[1:10:11] important you pointed out it's Saturday.
[1:10:13] you know, they couldn't do it during the
[1:10:14] workday.
[1:10:15] What qualifies as on your own time? So,
[1:10:17] you gave the Saturday example, but what
[1:10:19] about employees who are not a Monday
[1:10:21] through Friday 9-to-f5 type employee
[1:10:24] where it's not defined by the hour, but
[1:10:26] by the responsibility?
[1:10:29] I'm not aware of many. I think even
[1:10:34] attorney uh employees whose
[1:10:35] responsibilities are more like you said
[1:10:37] sort of defined more are not clocking in
[1:10:40] and clocking out necessarily, right?
[1:10:41] there is still sort of conventional work
[1:10:44] hours they are expected to be available
[1:10:47] and you know either on-site or working
[1:10:49] from home I would say that that would
[1:10:50] sort of be the right
[1:10:51] for example contractually I work a
[1:10:53] 40-hour week um in reality I work a
[1:10:56] little more than 40 hours but that's
[1:10:57] what I get paid for I get paid to work
[1:10:59] 40 hours so as long as I am not stealing
[1:11:01] time from the town for example if I was
[1:11:04] you know taking you know going out
[1:11:06] Friday and and and hitting the streets
[1:11:08] and handing out flyers when I was
[1:11:09] supposed to be working and I didn't work
[1:11:11] a full 40 hour week and I didn't take
[1:11:13] vacation. That's problematic. You can't
[1:11:15] do that. Um but as long as you know
[1:11:18] someone in that position is not stealing
[1:11:20] time um and is working the full
[1:11:23] complement of hours they're supposed to
[1:11:24] be working. Do do we have employees who
[1:11:26] are not on a set hours per week? So for
[1:11:30] example, president of the United States,
[1:11:32] not a Brooklyn employee, but a
[1:11:33] president's always on 247. So how does
[1:11:35] that work for that type of position?
[1:11:38] For example, firefighters. Well, I mean,
[1:11:40] fire firefighters do have set schedules.
[1:11:42] They do work, you know, they they serve
[1:11:43] tours and their tours are very distinct.
[1:11:45] And if they take off work, if they take
[1:11:48] time off, then they are off. Uh if
[1:11:50] they're not serving a particular tour,
[1:11:52] but you know, right, like my job,
[1:11:54] Melissa's job, you know, some of the
[1:11:56] department heads, most of the department
[1:11:58] heads, frankly, um all of us are on call
[1:12:01] are expected to be doing our job when
[1:12:03] necessary. And so, in that regard, you
[1:12:06] really do have to consider right the
[1:12:07] principles of this. Don't let the don't
[1:12:10] let your advocacy interfere with your
[1:12:12] work. Um, and that's why for me
[1:12:14] personally, I don't I don't walk up to
[1:12:16] that line, right? I'm I'm expected to be
[1:12:18] always on. And so, in the context of the
[1:12:21] work that I do, yes, I can explain why
[1:12:24] the override is what it is, you know,
[1:12:25] the pros and cons of voting for or
[1:12:27] against it, but I don't think it's
[1:12:28] appropriate for me to be out there
[1:12:30] handing out literature. Um, but that's
[1:12:33] my personal, you know,
[1:12:35] Paul.
[1:12:36] Yep. So um first this is really a very
[1:12:39] helpful exercise. Uh thank you Jonathan
[1:12:41] for and it's complicated. So I
[1:12:43] appreciate uh the the subject matter. Um
[1:12:47] I want to give some examples. So there's
[1:12:48] going to have to be a lot of education
[1:12:51] uh for this for people to understand uh
[1:12:54] the the override and what it means. Um,
[1:12:57] there'll be groups, uh, League of Women
[1:12:58] Voters, uh, Brooklyn Neighborhood
[1:13:00] Alliance that may actually use this
[1:13:03] room, which is a town resource, uh, to
[1:13:06] hold, uh, educational forum. There may
[1:13:09] be a person speaking for and a person
[1:13:11] speaking against. I don't know how
[1:13:12] they're going to be structured. Um, that
[1:13:14] one of those people might be from the
[1:13:16] the expense and revenue study committee,
[1:13:18] which was an appointed committee. Um,
[1:13:20] what are the implications? Can So, I'll
[1:13:23] break it out into three questions. one
[1:13:25] can uh the League of Women Voters or
[1:13:27] other group um use this space public
[1:13:31] space to hold an event that you know may
[1:13:35] be for against uh might be uh
[1:13:38] nonpartisan with respect to the issue.
[1:13:41] Can they do that? two, can people that
[1:13:43] were appointed to the earn uh expense
[1:13:46] and revenue study committee um be
[1:13:48] advocates uh to the community or or at
[1:13:52] that event uh or against it for that
[1:13:54] matter. Um I guess those would be my two
[1:13:57] questions.
[1:14:00] So with respect to the public spaces,
[1:14:03] the rule is public spaces may be used um
[1:14:07] for events like that but equal access
[1:14:09] must be provided. Um so for example um
[1:14:15] you can uh you can allow the League of
[1:14:17] Women Vote uh the League of Women Voters
[1:14:19] to meet on site. Uh I guess I'll use a
[1:14:23] more conventional example. The you could
[1:14:24] allow a group in favor of the ballot
[1:14:28] questions passage to meet in town hall.
[1:14:31] But you would also have to ex um allow a
[1:14:33] group opposed to the ballot question to
[1:14:36] use town facilities in the same way. It
[1:14:39] doesn't mean you have to invite them,
[1:14:40] but you have to make sure those
[1:14:41] facilities are available upon request
[1:14:44] just as you did for the first group. I
[1:14:47] would um in terms of however of actually
[1:14:50] holding a public facing event in town
[1:14:53] hall, I was not aware that we hold um
[1:14:56] sort of campaign events in town hall.
[1:15:00] Um, that is a little
[1:15:03] more a little trickier a question
[1:15:05] because um,
[1:15:09] well, Jonathan, this wouldn't be
[1:15:10] necessarily a campaign event. Typically,
[1:15:12] the League of Women Voters, uh, Brooklyn
[1:15:14] Neighborhood Alliance, and maybe others.
[1:15:17] These are nonpartisan groups that are
[1:15:20] putting on forums to educate. They're
[1:15:22] candidate forums where there'll be a
[1:15:23] debate. Um, there'll be warrant article
[1:15:25] reviews where there's often a pro and,
[1:15:27] you know, for and against for a warrant
[1:15:29] article. It is meant for education of
[1:15:31] the community but there could be people
[1:15:33] for and against it present speaking
[1:15:42] I I believe that would be fine. Um
[1:15:48] but we would need to be careful that
[1:15:50] that the town the sort of the the the
[1:15:54] town wasn't appearing to favor one side
[1:15:57] or the other in such an event. So any
[1:16:00] group that did something like that would
[1:16:02] need to take a lot of would we'd need to
[1:16:04] take some care that they were actually
[1:16:06] being impartial.
[1:16:08] Um
[1:16:10] and and like you said sort of
[1:16:11] informational.
[1:16:12] Okay. It I think it's a it is a um
[1:16:18] it's a close question. I certainly I as
[1:16:21] I just said I was not even aware that we
[1:16:23] that was a practice. Um if it was going
[1:16:25] to be done for the first time this time
[1:16:28] around I would I would suggest that
[1:16:30] perhaps we could help the the league or
[1:16:32] whoever else find alternative spaces um
[1:16:34] if that was an option. Um just because I
[1:16:37] I do think the name of the game this
[1:16:39] time around is is sort of being
[1:16:41] conservative when it comes to
[1:16:42] we've been doing this ever since I've
[1:16:44] been involved in town govern.
[1:16:46] Exactly. So I think that if there's some
[1:16:48] confidence that these events are
[1:16:50] genuinelyformational,
[1:16:51] nonpartisan, if we're making the space
[1:16:53] available, um I think it's probably
[1:16:56] okay.
[1:16:58] Did you have something like Okay.
[1:16:59] No.
[1:16:59] And then Oh yes, your question about um
[1:17:02] ERC uh expenditures and revenue study
[1:17:04] committee. Um the override I believe
[1:17:06] would be very much within their area, a
[1:17:08] member of that committee's area of
[1:17:10] professional responsibility. Um so I
[1:17:12] think that one of them could go to such
[1:17:15] a meeting, speak on the override, take a
[1:17:18] position publicly on the override. I
[1:17:21] think that would be fine. Um they should
[1:17:24] be careful though not to um allow uh
[1:17:28] that to extend into endorsement of other
[1:17:31] things for example particular candidates
[1:17:34] um because that's outside of their area
[1:17:39] has has the committee disbanded at this
[1:17:40] point? Are they still in force?
[1:17:42] Still infor
[1:17:43] is the plan to keep it in force?
[1:17:45] We're we're we're going to meet and have
[1:17:47] that discussion about what the future of
[1:17:49] that committee is. um they know the
[1:17:51] members of the committee want to want to
[1:17:53] continue on in some form to ensure that
[1:17:55] their recommendations are followed up on
[1:17:57] and so we're going to talk about what
[1:17:58] form that would take and then bring it
[1:17:59] back to you as a select board to decide
[1:18:01] what to do.
[1:18:02] I just from a from a to to make things
[1:18:06] clean and I don't I'm not suggesting I'm
[1:18:09] not say advocating for this but I'm
[1:18:10] suggesting it as an idea that that
[1:18:12] committee could be disbanded and
[1:18:14] reformed as something else in the future
[1:18:17] to free the members of that committee.
[1:18:19] um to to you know be able to go into the
[1:18:23] committee and do what they want without
[1:18:24] being encumbered by the fact that
[1:18:27] they're sitting on this committee at
[1:18:29] this time.
[1:18:30] Yeah. And I think you know it's and I
[1:18:32] think as Jonathan said right because
[1:18:33] this is squarely within their area of
[1:18:35] expertise their ambit you asked them to
[1:18:37] opine on this question should there be
[1:18:39] an override and if so for how much? So
[1:18:41] they absolutely have, you know, the uh
[1:18:44] the right to use that and say, I was
[1:18:46] appointed by the select board to this
[1:18:48] committee to do this work. I did this
[1:18:50] work. My opinion on this is X. Um and in
[1:18:53] the same way you on the select board can
[1:18:55] have that that conversation. So I I
[1:18:57] wouldn't
[1:18:58] but we are elected and not appointed. So
[1:19:00] that's the difference. So I'm just
[1:19:01] trying to make it clean. It's just a
[1:19:02] suggestion.
[1:19:03] Yeah. So I assume that that does not
[1:19:05] mean that members of the uh committee um
[1:19:09] are precluded from supporting candidates
[1:19:12] as opposed to the override uh in their
[1:19:16] personal capacity without using their
[1:19:19] position on the committee. Um,
[1:19:22] of course, yes, you you're abs you're
[1:19:24] absolutely allowed to uh support
[1:19:27] candidates. Um, like I said, knock on
[1:19:29] doors, hold up signs, donate to their
[1:19:32] campaigns, and ultimately vote.
[1:19:38] This is only the first slide. Yes,
[1:19:40] maybe.
[1:19:41] Yeah, I was gonna say,
[1:19:44] um, okay, actually, if we could go back
[1:19:45] to the slide because I didn't get to my
[1:19:46] other two things. Um, so I will fix the
[1:19:49] mass emails. one. Second one is
[1:19:51] fundraising. Fundraising connected to
[1:19:53] the town is prohibited. Um you can't uh
[1:19:57] utilize town uh town employees. Town uh
[1:20:00] public officials of any kind should not
[1:20:01] be fundraising for anything other than
[1:20:04] their own campaign. You of course can
[1:20:06] fundra for yourself, but you should not
[1:20:08] be fundraising for other people or the
[1:20:11] um um and certainly not using town
[1:20:14] resources to do so. Town facilities,
[1:20:17] town staff, things like that. And then
[1:20:20] this last one is what Chaz, you know,
[1:20:21] the root of everything um is what Chaz
[1:20:24] already pointed out. Use of public
[1:20:26] resources. Public resources can't be
[1:20:27] used to influence voters. Um you can't
[1:20:30] use so that includes of course staff
[1:20:32] time. Um as well as resources that you
[1:20:34] might not suspect like we were already
[1:20:36] discussing with say an email list. Okay,
[1:20:38] next slide please.
[1:20:43] Um we will just we've already talked a
[1:20:46] lot about this one. This is another
[1:20:48] slide I need to fix because I need to
[1:20:49] emphasize the public resource uh at the
[1:20:53] heart of this um this guideline which is
[1:20:56] that mass emails should be avoided when
[1:20:58] they use a town or school's email list.
[1:21:02] Um, so and this and this, but if you
[1:21:06] are, you know, and this of but if you
[1:21:08] are using a school or town list, it
[1:21:11] doesn't matter if the unsolicited email
[1:21:13] you're sending is umformational
[1:21:17] or objective, nonpartisan. It doesn't
[1:21:20] matter if you're using a town or school
[1:21:21] email list. Uh, it is it is a violation
[1:21:24] of campaign finance law to send out mass
[1:21:26] unsolicited emails. All right, next
[1:21:29] slide, please.
[1:21:31] Again,
[1:21:32] political fundraising uh by political by
[1:21:35] public employees is prohibited as well
[1:21:37] as in town buildings. Um this the one
[1:21:40] big exception is you are allowed to
[1:21:42] fundra for yourself for your own
[1:21:44] campaign.
[1:21:45] Could you say that again? I didn't hear
[1:21:47] you.
[1:21:47] Sorry. You uh you political fundraising
[1:21:50] by public employees is prohibited by
[1:21:52] law. The one exception is you are
[1:21:55] allowed to fundra for yourself or your
[1:21:57] own campaign of course but you are not
[1:22:00] allowed to for fundra for anyone else.
[1:22:04] All right, next one please. Next slide
[1:22:05] please. Um again you cannot use uh
[1:22:09] public resources to influence voters. It
[1:22:12] does not in this can include staff time.
[1:22:15] It also include things like the
[1:22:16] letterhead, the seal, town seal, uh
[1:22:20] rooms uh within town hall, for example.
[1:22:23] There have been uh cases where someone
[1:22:26] filmed like social media posts, but did
[1:22:28] so inside a uh like a city council room,
[1:22:33] something like that. That's considered a
[1:22:35] public resource. You're using that to
[1:22:37] kind of influence the voters who are
[1:22:39] watching your social media post. Um so
[1:22:42] all of use of public resources to
[1:22:45] influence voters is prohibited. So um
[1:22:48] basically between now and the election
[1:22:50] we should be uh extra conservative when
[1:22:53] it comes to asking uh town staff or
[1:22:56] using town resources to do um to do
[1:22:59] anything related to the override um
[1:23:03] outside of something that's directly
[1:23:05] within their area of professional
[1:23:06] responsibility such as you know if uh
[1:23:10] select men's select uh the town
[1:23:12] administrator's office uh looking at
[1:23:14] looking at questions of the budget uh
[1:23:17] the town clerk's office actually
[1:23:18] organizing the election that's within
[1:23:20] the area of professional responsibility
[1:23:21] but that's about as far as we should let
[1:23:23] it go. Next slide please.
[1:23:27] Okay so we we're on to permissible
[1:23:29] actions. uh permissible actions.
[1:23:33] This is where um it it can vary from
[1:23:37] what uh elected officials can do and
[1:23:40] what uh appointed officials and staff
[1:23:43] can do. Um like I was saying, appointed
[1:23:46] officials and employees can only speak
[1:23:48] about areas within their area of quote
[1:23:51] professional responsibility. That does
[1:23:53] not apply to elected officials. Elected
[1:23:55] officials can speak on whatever issue
[1:23:57] you all want to. School committee
[1:24:00] members do not have to comi confine
[1:24:02] themselves to only speaking about quote
[1:24:04] school issues unquote. They're elected.
[1:24:07] They're expected to take positions on on
[1:24:09] everything. So they can speak on all of
[1:24:12] those issues. But being allowed to
[1:24:15] communicate about them does not mean
[1:24:17] does not give you the right to use
[1:24:18] public resources in doing that
[1:24:21] communication. So, you are allowed to
[1:24:23] take a position on the override, but you
[1:24:25] are not allowed to use a town email list
[1:24:27] to publish that position. Um, that's the
[1:24:32] uh that's the one of the big
[1:24:33] distinctions between what elected
[1:24:34] officials can do and what they and what
[1:24:36] uh non-elected official public officials
[1:24:38] can do. Elected officials can take a
[1:24:40] position on anything.
[1:24:42] Okay, next slide, please. Before he goes
[1:24:44] on, can I ask a quick question? So, um
[1:24:47] Jonathan,
[1:24:48] um I'm just I'm as you're speaking, I'm
[1:24:51] digging into Office of Campaign Finance,
[1:24:54] um the miracle of technology. Um there's
[1:24:57] there seems to be a distinction
[1:25:00] between a uh paid and non-paid
[1:25:05] public municipal official. So for
[1:25:07] example, an appointee
[1:25:10] uh or even a town meeting member may
[1:25:12] consider to be although they're elected
[1:25:14] even advisory member would be who's
[1:25:17] who's uh appointed as a non-paid
[1:25:22] atlarge member of advisory.
[1:25:24] It seems they would have pride
[1:25:26] discretion over uh and would not have
[1:25:29] the same restrictions as say a DPW
[1:25:32] worker or a police officer or town staff
[1:25:35] or town council. Is this true?
[1:25:39] Uh my my understanding is it's it it is
[1:25:42] true in because there's there's a
[1:25:43] category of town employees who do not
[1:25:46] whose area of professional
[1:25:47] responsibility does not extend to the
[1:25:49] taking positions on questions on elected
[1:25:52] matters at all. a DPW worker, uh patrol
[1:25:56] officer, a teacher, um those they do not
[1:25:59] their area of professional
[1:26:00] responsibility does not extend to taking
[1:26:03] positions on uh matters that are going
[1:26:06] to go before the voters. So they should
[1:26:08] not be taking any position at all. That
[1:26:10] is my understanding of what that when I
[1:26:12] when you read that distinction to me
[1:26:14] that that's that's what my mind
[1:26:15] immediately went to.
[1:26:16] So So just and I and this may need
[1:26:19] further investigation. I just I feel
[1:26:20] like we're on thin ice with this a lot
[1:26:22] of this stuff. Um, so an appointed
[1:26:25] non-paid municipal official is generally
[1:26:28] not treated as a public employee for
[1:26:30] campaign finance restrictions. And this
[1:26:32] is directly from the office of campaign
[1:26:34] finance. Um I you know I worry that we
[1:26:38] are providing guidance that is not um
[1:26:42] comprehensive enough and perhaps is not
[1:26:45] accurate and some people are going to
[1:26:47] interpret
[1:26:48] uh your guidance as a restriction
[1:26:52] um and frankly an impediment to their
[1:26:54] their uh their first amendment right.
[1:26:56] I'm I'm very concerned about this.
[1:26:58] Could we take that offline? I mean, we I
[1:27:01] don't think we should get into a sort of
[1:27:03] debate as to the um you know, what what
[1:27:06] the campaign finance law is about.
[1:27:08] It's all it's all about all the but you
[1:27:10] know, we can we can spend all night
[1:27:12] talking.
[1:27:13] Okay.
[1:27:14] We've had a couple things that No, I I
[1:27:16] am I' I've been tasked by my by by Joe
[1:27:19] by our office to be the sort of point
[1:27:21] person for these issues. And I
[1:27:23] appreciate, you know, I appreciate both
[1:27:25] of you what both of you are saying. Paul
[1:27:26] has given me some things to look into to
[1:27:28] make sure this is more comprehensive,
[1:27:30] but I don't need to get into it that
[1:27:31] much right now.
[1:27:32] So, I will my concern is you go to the
[1:27:36] campaign finance website and then get
[1:27:39] into a back and forth.
[1:27:40] I'm not I'm not suggesting we now
[1:27:42] raising an issue that that that this is
[1:27:44] now public domain information. It's
[1:27:46] inaccurate
[1:27:48] and we have to be careful. That's that's
[1:27:50] my suggestion.
[1:27:51] Did you have your hand up, Chair? No.
[1:27:53] Oh, okay.
[1:28:00] Okay. Uh so yes, so as I mentioned
[1:28:02] earlier, um personal political activity
[1:28:05] um is is not prohibited by the campaign
[1:28:08] finance laws. as a private citizen. Um
[1:28:11] any public employee uh elected official,
[1:28:14] appointed official can engage in uh as a
[1:28:17] private citizen. They can vote. They can
[1:28:18] attend events um outside of work outside
[1:28:21] of work hours. They can they can take
[1:28:23] positions um uh as a private citizen.
[1:28:29] There are some things that you need to
[1:28:31] refrain from. However, um
[1:28:35] you cannot as a public employee uh use
[1:28:38] your position to solicit donations from
[1:28:41] others um for anything other than um
[1:28:44] like you said if you're running
[1:28:47] yourself, but you should not be used
[1:28:48] political fundraising for anything else.
[1:28:50] You should have never be trying to
[1:28:52] solicit donations for any purpose from
[1:28:54] your subordinates. Um and then this is
[1:28:57] particularly gerine to what we're doing
[1:28:59] right now. Um you can work on override
[1:29:03] committees any elected officials,
[1:29:06] appointed officials can work on override
[1:29:08] committees but they cannot
[1:29:12] act as their public facing agent or hold
[1:29:14] any executive roles. So you can't um be
[1:29:19] the you know be the person from the yes
[1:29:22] on question four committee who talks to
[1:29:26] addresses the town who comes to talk to
[1:29:28] the select board who um does anything
[1:29:31] like that. You can work serve on the
[1:29:33] committee but you can't run it you can't
[1:29:34] be on the executive board and you can't
[1:29:37] fund raise.
[1:29:38] Okay.
[1:29:39] Um so so two ca two cases that that uh I
[1:29:46] would like your opinion on. Um the first
[1:29:48] case is uh a member of the select board
[1:29:51] uh writes a letter on behalf of a
[1:29:53] position for the override. uh and that
[1:29:57] letter is distributed uh through the
[1:30:00] mailing list of a of an organization
[1:30:04] outside the town. Is the select board
[1:30:08] member then acting as a public agent and
[1:30:10] is that not allowed?
[1:30:14] Uh they are they are not if they if
[1:30:16] their that distinction is clear if they
[1:30:17] if they that that group asked the select
[1:30:20] board for a letter expressing their
[1:30:23] political opinion and and they are
[1:30:25] allowed to then go on and publish that
[1:30:27] letter
[1:30:28] and and would a a select board member be
[1:30:32] allowed to do that also for a candidate?
[1:30:36] Yes, you are. Yes, you are allowed to
[1:30:38] take positions. Uh like I said, you
[1:30:40] elected officials can take whatever
[1:30:42] position they want with respect to the
[1:30:45] election.
[1:30:54] Okay. So the um we like I said, public
[1:30:58] positions on ballot questions are
[1:31:00] allowed. Um select board members can
[1:31:03] take public positions on ballot
[1:31:04] questions. They can take public
[1:31:05] positions on anything that's on the
[1:31:07] ballot. Um, we have, as you may have
[1:31:09] seen in the memo that Chaz prepared, um,
[1:31:12] we have generally stated that unless you
[1:31:15] are a department head or in some
[1:31:17] circumstances a division head, um, you
[1:31:21] fall outside of the notion of this of
[1:31:24] your your area of personal
[1:31:26] responsibility does not include taking
[1:31:28] positions on on the ballot question. So,
[1:31:32] um, we would ask that anyone who's not
[1:31:35] either a department or division head
[1:31:36] refrain from doing so. Um, and then, uh,
[1:31:42] if you are even, but even if you are a
[1:31:43] division head, I would still recommend
[1:31:46] consulting with, um, with town council's
[1:31:49] office before you before you take any
[1:31:50] public position.
[1:31:53] Next slide. Okay. So, um, as this all
[1:31:56] goes back down back to the use of public
[1:31:59] resources, um, to sort of in to
[1:32:02] influence voters, um, one thing that,
[1:32:06] oh, the Office of Campaign and Political
[1:32:08] Finance, uh, notes is that, you know,
[1:32:12] some public resources are going or can
[1:32:15] and should be used to help interpret the
[1:32:19] ballot questions, help people understand
[1:32:21] them, help understand their
[1:32:22] ramifications.
[1:32:24] um this this actually helps voters uh
[1:32:26] influences them in a positive way simply
[1:32:28] by giving them more information. So it
[1:32:31] is though you though the town can has
[1:32:34] used and will likely continue to use
[1:32:36] some public resources in compi compiling
[1:32:40] and synthesizing information related to
[1:32:42] the ballot question. Um that's that use
[1:32:46] of public resources is not barred by the
[1:32:49] campaign finance laws. um in that work
[1:32:54] that those analyses that that they
[1:32:56] perform that are not a c that are not a
[1:32:58] campaign finance violation can even be
[1:33:00] shared. For example, they can be put on
[1:33:02] the town website. They can be made
[1:33:04] available as a handout uh at a public
[1:33:07] meeting. Uh people that came to this
[1:33:09] meeting, for example, um could pick up
[1:33:11] if you had printed out a bunch of
[1:33:13] handouts about the override, they people
[1:33:15] could pick them up. Um
[1:33:18] but the critical thing that you cannot
[1:33:20] do is we cannot use public resources to
[1:33:23] then distribute that information in an
[1:33:26] unsolicited way. Someone some a private
[1:33:30] citizen um could take that information
[1:33:33] and then publish it themselves. Um but
[1:33:36] the town itself can't be publishing that
[1:33:39] using its own public resources in an
[1:33:41] unsolicited way. Um most the the most
[1:33:45] one that springs to mind for Brooklyn is
[1:33:48] using uh the email list it has um it has
[1:33:51] access to purely because it's the school
[1:33:53] department or it's the the town. Um so
[1:33:56] unsolicited distribution is the thing to
[1:33:58] avoid here but generally um we are
[1:34:00] allowed to prepare these types of
[1:34:02] analysis.
[1:34:04] So next slide please.
[1:34:08] As I mentioned before, um the the gen
[1:34:11] the rule that OCPF often cites with
[1:34:13] respect to public buildings is that it
[1:34:15] is okay to let private groups use them
[1:34:18] as long as you provide equal access to
[1:34:20] both sides. Um so so as to ensure
[1:34:24] fairness and consistency. Um
[1:34:28] this does not mean that you need to go
[1:34:29] seek out a group. You know, if you know
[1:34:31] a group on one side is using has asked
[1:34:33] to use a town space, you don't have to
[1:34:36] find another group. group you don't have
[1:34:37] to do is on a sort of one on onetoone
[1:34:39] basis. Um but you do have to make sure
[1:34:43] that that's there's space available if a
[1:34:45] group if another group from the other
[1:34:47] side wanted to also use town space that
[1:34:51] that was made available to them.
[1:34:53] Something similar. Next slide please.
[1:34:56] So, um,
[1:34:59] as always, uh, particularly for this
[1:35:01] override, we're counseling everyone to
[1:35:03] be conservative, be cautious. Um, don't
[1:35:06] do anything on the spur of the moment.
[1:35:08] Take some time to think, review the town
[1:35:10] administrator's memo. Uh, and always you
[1:35:14] can always come and ask us. Um, I do I I
[1:35:17] do want to I have been getting emails
[1:35:19] about the about questions. Um, like I
[1:35:23] said, we we are already investigating a
[1:35:25] number of questions that have been
[1:35:26] raised. Um, it is our responsibility,
[1:35:30] the town council's office responsibility
[1:35:31] to try to advise you all uh the best we
[1:35:34] can
[1:35:38] keep doing so. So, please do not
[1:35:40] hesitate to reach out if you have any
[1:35:42] question at all. You believe something
[1:35:44] would be um permissible or a problem
[1:35:46] under the campaign finance laws. Next
[1:35:48] slide. Okay.
[1:35:52] Thank you.
[1:35:52] So yeah, and that's our contact
[1:35:54] information.
[1:35:54] Questions from the select board.
[1:35:57] Further questions?
[1:35:59] I just I want to one thank you Jonathan
[1:36:01] for this. Um and thanks to the board for
[1:36:03] all these questions. I think what these
[1:36:04] questions demonstrate is how complex
[1:36:06] this issue is and how difficult it can
[1:36:08] be sometimes to reduce it to a series of
[1:36:10] maxims. I mean I think Paul, you rais
[1:36:12] some very good points about the outer
[1:36:14] bounds of where campaign finance law
[1:36:15] applies. We're not even going to get
[1:36:17] into the overlap of campaign finance law
[1:36:18] and conflict of interest law and all
[1:36:20] that nonsense. Like it's it can get
[1:36:22] complex at the margins and what we're
[1:36:24] trying to do is provide guidance, but
[1:36:26] town council's office is not the police,
[1:36:28] right? They're trying to be helpful. And
[1:36:29] so I think the most important thing
[1:36:31] because there is so much interest in the
[1:36:32] community about this. And so I think
[1:36:34] what's really important here first and
[1:36:36] foremost is that if you have questions,
[1:36:38] Jonathan has very graciously said that
[1:36:40] he's taking point on this and is trying
[1:36:42] to get answers to those questions. You
[1:36:44] know, my memo is distributed to staff.
[1:36:46] It relates to what staff can and can't
[1:36:47] do. It tries to be, you know, as clear
[1:36:50] and plain language as possible, but it
[1:36:52] is right. It's intended for paid
[1:36:55] employees of the town and schools of
[1:36:56] Brookline. Um, and so it doesn't apply
[1:36:59] in situations for you or for the
[1:37:02] advisory committee. I provide it to you
[1:37:04] all so that you know that town staff is
[1:37:06] being informed very clearly of what it
[1:37:08] is they can and can't do and being told
[1:37:10] if you have any questions. That's what
[1:37:12] town council's office is here for. I
[1:37:15] think it's in a very similar situation
[1:37:17] here, which is if you have those
[1:37:19] questions, if you have those concerns,
[1:37:21] we will do the research, we will look it
[1:37:22] up, we will get you an answer. Um, but
[1:37:24] it is, you know, there there are the
[1:37:26] simple maxims and then there's the
[1:37:28] actual complexity of the law which
[1:37:31] starts getting more and more granular as
[1:37:33] it goes on. So, we want to be responsive
[1:37:35] to the community's desire to have
[1:37:38] clarity on this, but a lot of the time
[1:37:40] it's going to be a case by case issue.
[1:37:41] And you've got to that's where asking
[1:37:43] really doesn't hurt.
[1:37:45] Michael, um I'm wondering since this is
[1:37:50] a number of these questions have been
[1:37:52] raised in terms of what public members
[1:37:55] of public bodies can or can't do. Um
[1:37:58] whether uh uh I don't know if Jonathan
[1:38:01] would be the right person to do this,
[1:38:03] but if we should draft some addition to
[1:38:06] the public body's handbook to deal with
[1:38:08] this question specifically.
[1:38:11] That's a good flag. We'll we'll take a
[1:38:12] look at what's in there now and we'll
[1:38:13] follow up on that. Thank you,
[1:38:18] John.
[1:38:19] Well, just a thought to offer on this.
[1:38:22] Um, should should we even be trying to
[1:38:26] tell people how they should interpret
[1:38:29] the, you know, Office of Campaign
[1:38:32] Finances,
[1:38:34] uh, rules for conduct when they can go
[1:38:37] to the website of the Office for
[1:38:40] Campaign Finance and get the question
[1:38:42] there. And, you know, by acting as a
[1:38:45] sort of interpreter of it, we're running
[1:38:47] the risk of we misinterpret it. Um I
[1:38:50] think uh
[1:38:52] not sure why it has become necessary for
[1:38:55] us to intervene in this way when you
[1:38:58] know anyone at any time
[1:39:00] can seek guidance from the the state
[1:39:03] office.
[1:39:04] Yeah. If if if this training is limited
[1:39:07] to what we can do, I think you know your
[1:39:10] point is addressed.
[1:39:11] Yeah.
[1:39:12] But uh yeah, I mean we're not everyone's
[1:39:15] lawyer,
[1:39:16] right?
[1:39:17] Yep. So,
[1:39:19] yeah. So, I guess my um and I'm glad
[1:39:22] John brought this up. Certainly, Chaz as
[1:39:24] the as the town administrator who pretty
[1:39:27] much everybody reports up into has the
[1:39:29] authority to say here's the here here's
[1:39:31] the guidance from me uh as you know as
[1:39:35] advised by town council for employees of
[1:39:38] the town. My concern is that this advice
[1:39:41] is is whether it's intended or not is is
[1:39:45] expanding into areas outside of direct
[1:39:48] employees and and it it potentially has
[1:39:52] a stifling effect. And frankly, when a
[1:39:54] lawyer gives you a warning, it can
[1:39:56] actually slow you down or stop you. Um,
[1:39:59] and that I I think John saying us
[1:40:03] interpreting campaign finance for people
[1:40:05] outside of direct employees
[1:40:07] um is is worrisome. And I mean, we've
[1:40:10] already found a number of mistakes um in
[1:40:13] this guidance that have to be corrected.
[1:40:14] It's already in the public realm. And I
[1:40:16] just I I I'm concerned we're we're
[1:40:19] overreaching and having our town council
[1:40:22] try to provide guidance to the public.
[1:40:25] Um, and much of these individuals that
[1:40:27] we appoint or serve in some capacity are
[1:40:29] the public. Um, and I'm worried that
[1:40:31] we're going to stifle or they're going
[1:40:34] to be fearful that whoa, town council
[1:40:36] spoke. I I'm not even going to go there.
[1:40:37] It's not even worth the risk. Um, and
[1:40:40] and frankly, if you broke campaign
[1:40:42] finance or you said the wrong thing,
[1:40:44] similar to what happened with uh with
[1:40:47] the schools with the Pierce override,
[1:40:49] which they did find that something
[1:40:52] happened that was inappropriate, they
[1:40:53] said get educated, don't do it again.
[1:40:55] Yeah. So, I like I you know, I I want to
[1:40:58] make sure that people understand in the
[1:41:00] public that they're not going to go to
[1:41:01] jail. Um if they didn't if they made a
[1:41:04] mistake in interpretation of what town
[1:41:06] council put out into the public realm,
[1:41:09] um you're not you're not going to be put
[1:41:10] into jail or be fined many thousands of
[1:41:13] dollars. I don't
[1:41:13] I I guess I'm trying to understand why
[1:41:16] anyone not, you know, public employee or
[1:41:20] official would think that this is
[1:41:22] directed to them.
[1:41:25] I I think I don't think I don't think
[1:41:27] we've set I don't think the boundaries
[1:41:28] have been set. We don't have clarity on
[1:41:31] what it means to be an appointed person
[1:41:34] to advisory or appointed person to um a
[1:41:37] non-paid position. I think it's unclear.
[1:41:41] Um,
[1:41:42] so, so I I I take your point, John, and
[1:41:46] your point, Paul, um, about, uh, whether
[1:41:50] or not the town council should be in the
[1:41:53] position of, uh, interpreting campaign
[1:41:56] finance law for the for the public as a
[1:41:59] whole. Um, as as you've said, we are not
[1:42:02] uh we are not providing legal services
[1:42:04] um, proono broadly. um given given the
[1:42:09] the three categories that I think we've
[1:42:12] we've narrowed down on which are elected
[1:42:16] officials uh public employees of of some
[1:42:21] level and uh people who have made
[1:42:24] appointments. Um, I think that it is
[1:42:27] helpful for town council to proactively
[1:42:31] do the education step that you referred
[1:42:33] to, Paul, in order to prevent the kinds
[1:42:37] of things that happened, for example, at
[1:42:41] the schools and the use of town
[1:42:42] resources. So I I mean I just think that
[1:42:46] we have to balance these two concerns
[1:42:48] about on the one hand not overreaching
[1:42:51] um in terms of what our legal council
[1:42:54] does but also being able to provide
[1:42:57] education to the relatively limited set
[1:43:01] of uh individuals who would be affected
[1:43:04] by these concerns. Okay,
[1:43:06] good. Okay, thank you Jonathan.
[1:43:10] Thank you guys. Have a good night. Bye.
[1:43:14] Okay, moving on. Next item. Uh we have a
[1:43:16] bunch of budget reviews. I think the
[1:43:18] first one is the health department.
[1:43:22] I see that uh
[1:43:25] there's coming up.
[1:43:35] Good evening. Thank you, Chair Green,
[1:43:36] members of the select board. while we
[1:43:38] while we get the slides up. Here
[1:43:46] we go.
[1:43:50] So, I think what I'll preface uh and I
[1:43:52] said this to the advisory subcommittee
[1:43:53] when I presented to them a few weeks
[1:43:55] ago, um what you'll see in the slides
[1:43:57] and and what I'm highlighting uh as it
[1:44:00] relates to grant funding and offsets.
[1:44:02] Um, I think when I started this a few
[1:44:03] months ago, I was personally in a little
[1:44:05] bit of a panic mode and then as I kind
[1:44:07] of absorbed it and thought about it, it
[1:44:09] listen, we're in a great place. Having
[1:44:10] grants, having offsets to allow us to do
[1:44:12] the work that we do in public health is
[1:44:14] wonderful. Uh it's it's more I I bring
[1:44:16] it up tonight more as part of this
[1:44:18] discussion
[1:44:20] to um
[1:44:22] just to get us all thinking about what
[1:44:24] what the future holds for public health
[1:44:25] and human services because we have over
[1:44:26] a half a million from one grant with
[1:44:29] mass DPH another 100,000 from another
[1:44:31] grant doing tobacco control and we're
[1:44:33] using about a half a million dollars in
[1:44:34] offsets for staffing and other supply
[1:44:36] needs. So um good position for us to be
[1:44:39] in. I think it's something that that uh
[1:44:41] Sigal Reese brought up in in years past.
[1:44:43] Um,
[1:44:45] okay, here we go.
[1:44:48] So, really quickly, because I know
[1:44:51] we've only got a few minutes. So, this
[1:44:53] is in the budget book. This is just a a
[1:44:54] quick look at our FY27 budget. There's a
[1:44:57] little over 113,000 reduction on the
[1:45:00] operating budget. However, 72,000 is one
[1:45:03] staff person, one FTE being moved from
[1:45:06] the operating budget onto the opioid
[1:45:08] offsets. So, we're not losing a staff
[1:45:09] person there. We're just shifting where
[1:45:10] that money is is being paid from. There
[1:45:12] is a cut, a reduction of uh proposed
[1:45:14] reduction of 50,000 uh for the Brookline
[1:45:18] uh bounties food coupon program which
[1:45:20] I'm happy to talk about later. This is a
[1:45:22] quick look at our current staffing. We
[1:45:24] have 26.5
[1:45:26] 26.48 FTEES in total. And you'll see as
[1:45:29] you look from 25 to 26 and 27, there
[1:45:33] have been more staff added uh to the um
[1:45:36] non-operating budget. So that's grants
[1:45:37] and and the opioid offsets that I spoke
[1:45:39] about earlier.
[1:45:42] But I think this is probably the more
[1:45:43] interesting piece that you you all want
[1:45:45] to talk about and want to hear from for
[1:45:47] me which is what are our
[1:45:49] accomplishments? What are our goals for
[1:45:50] next year and for future years? So so I
[1:45:52] tried to frame everything around the
[1:45:54] chip. We've had a lot of conversations
[1:45:56] I've had a lot of conversations with all
[1:45:57] of you about our community health
[1:45:58] improvement plan. So really focused on
[1:46:00] the year one action plan this past year.
[1:46:03] We launched our be well coalition which
[1:46:05] is our substance use prevention
[1:46:06] coalition. We have had three meetings
[1:46:09] every other month for the past six
[1:46:11] months with that coalition. There've
[1:46:13] been about 40 or 50 members of the
[1:46:14] community and staff that have been part
[1:46:16] of those conversations and we're really
[1:46:18] getting to the point where we are going
[1:46:20] to start doing some implementation work
[1:46:21] with that coalition. Really excited
[1:46:23] about that work. We obviously uh this
[1:46:25] year expanded human services. We hired a
[1:46:27] resource navigator. We launched CARES
[1:46:30] Brookline which is the uh human services
[1:46:32] resource database and referral system.
[1:46:35] We have our Brookline Bounty program
[1:46:37] that has for the past several years
[1:46:39] through ARPA uh and other grants served
[1:46:41] approximately 800 families each year
[1:46:43] with food coupons for the farmers
[1:46:45] market. And in addition, when we've had
[1:46:47] the funding and through some fundraising
[1:46:48] from the friends of Brooklyn Public
[1:46:50] Health, we've provided turkeys and
[1:46:51] chickens and and um other other food
[1:46:55] during Thanksgiving and winter holidays
[1:46:56] to families in need. And then it wasn't
[1:46:58] in the chip, but I think it's important
[1:47:00] to mention uh among many other things
[1:47:02] that our staff do, we do provide uh flu
[1:47:05] clinics each year to residents and and
[1:47:07] this past year it was about 700
[1:47:09] residents that received flu vaccine from
[1:47:11] our staff.
[1:47:13] So, really quickly, Emily Williams said
[1:47:15] pictures are good, so I'm including a
[1:47:16] couple pictures here. I I I promise you
[1:47:18] all I will not quit my day job and get
[1:47:20] into graphic design. I think uh
[1:47:22] Christina, if she's watching at home, is
[1:47:23] probably sobbing. Uh but I just wanted
[1:47:25] to share a little bit about uh the the
[1:47:28] wonderful staff we have. Right. This
[1:47:29] work does not happen without the uh the
[1:47:31] staff we have in public health and human
[1:47:32] services.
[1:47:36] This is more of our staff. Brookline day
[1:47:38] vaccine clinics. Uh the diaper drive
[1:47:40] that community health did the the
[1:47:42] Brooklyn bounty program and on.
[1:47:45] So what are our goals for FY27 and
[1:47:48] beyond? Uh obviously
[1:47:51] for this year it'll be the action the
[1:47:53] year 2 action plan with CHIP. We're I'll
[1:47:55] admit we're a little bit behind
[1:47:56] schedule. I'm going to blame the
[1:47:57] transition and leadership there on that.
[1:47:59] Um but we are uh preparing to launch the
[1:48:02] priority area working groups. So there
[1:48:04] are four priority areas. We will have
[1:48:06] residents and staff in each of those uh
[1:48:09] priority areas in working groups helping
[1:48:10] to develop that year 2 action plan and
[1:48:12] making sure that we're we're staying on
[1:48:14] track. I expect we'll see more or an
[1:48:17] expansion of the work of the human
[1:48:18] services resource navigator. You'll
[1:48:20] remember we have the office of housing
[1:48:21] stability. Um this position is supposed
[1:48:24] to be doing that work. Um this past year
[1:48:27] in town meeting there was the renters's
[1:48:28] handbook that was passed. This position
[1:48:30] will be taking on the responsibility of
[1:48:32] starting to to develop that material.
[1:48:36] And I want to continue to improve the
[1:48:38] operations in our environmental health
[1:48:39] team. We have a wonderful staff doing
[1:48:41] inspections. they they're responsible
[1:48:42] for both housing and food. Uh there's a
[1:48:45] tremendous workload there, but I think
[1:48:46] there's opportunities for for improving
[1:48:48] operations so that we can respond better
[1:48:50] to the residents of Brooklyn. In the
[1:48:52] midterm, uh looking more at implementing
[1:48:55] a robust public health regulatory
[1:48:57] framework. I think one of my past
[1:48:59] predecessors was um more comfortable
[1:49:01] with passing public health regulations.
[1:49:03] It's not something I want to do
[1:49:04] frequently, but I think what we've seen
[1:49:06] from town meeting over the past, you
[1:49:07] know, 5 10 years is uh a demand for
[1:49:11] public health to do more. And I think we
[1:49:13] can do that through the uh the authority
[1:49:15] of the the commissioner of public
[1:49:16] health. Um so looking to do some more of
[1:49:19] that around um banning new substances.
[1:49:22] There's substances like synthetic
[1:49:24] cannabonoids keep coming up. They come
[1:49:25] up with new configurations of
[1:49:27] cannabonoids. uh we can regulate those
[1:49:29] through the public health department and
[1:49:31] and stop uh allowing those to be sold in
[1:49:34] our community. Uh keeping of animals uh
[1:49:36] I think town meeting a couple years ago
[1:49:38] I had a warn article on keeping of bees.
[1:49:40] So that's the type of work I'd like to
[1:49:42] do through the regulatory and and uh
[1:49:44] regulatory work that I'd like to do and
[1:49:46] I want to continue to review our our
[1:49:48] operations and make improvements in in
[1:49:50] key areas. I think there's a lot of
[1:49:52] great work happening. I think we can
[1:49:53] always do better. uh and I want to work
[1:49:55] we we just hired a assistant director
[1:49:57] for operations and uh that's Tanya Hong
[1:50:01] her responsibility is really to go
[1:50:02] division by division and department by
[1:50:05] department that we work with and talk
[1:50:06] about how do we improve communications
[1:50:08] how do we develop SOPs as staff leave a
[1:50:12] lot of information leaves with them and
[1:50:13] we want to prevent that from happening
[1:50:15] in the future and then long-term uh just
[1:50:18] wanted to flag as I mentioned earlier
[1:50:20] that um through a combination of of town
[1:50:22] funds where they're available but also
[1:50:24] So we'll continue to be applying for
[1:50:25] grants wanting to continue to sustain
[1:50:27] our current FDA FTEEs where possible. So
[1:50:30] we have staff in community health, human
[1:50:32] services, substance use prevention, and
[1:50:34] our regional collaboratives that are all
[1:50:36] on offsets and grant money.
[1:50:38] And then lastly, uh if budget
[1:50:41] limitations did not exist, right, um my
[1:50:43] uh our emergency preparedness
[1:50:45] coordinator is currently on soft money.
[1:50:47] Uh she's doing tremendous work for this
[1:50:49] town. She helps run the flu clinics with
[1:50:51] our medical reserve corps. uh she does
[1:50:53] some work during the marathon. Um she
[1:50:57] just always out there in the community
[1:50:58] educating seniors on on what they can do
[1:51:00] to prepare for emergencies. So would
[1:51:02] love to keep that position and move that
[1:51:04] to the operating budget when and if
[1:51:06] possible. And I know these are difficult
[1:51:07] times. Uh but this is just flagging it
[1:51:10] for the future. Um improving our grant
[1:51:11] writing coordination. We're doing a lot
[1:51:13] of great work on grant writing to
[1:51:14] continue to bring in uh grants from
[1:51:16] outside. I think we could do a better
[1:51:18] job as a town on on coordination and
[1:51:20] support there. want to continue to
[1:51:22] expand social supports where we can. I
[1:51:24] think our council on aging is working on
[1:51:25] transportation that was in the community
[1:51:27] health improvement plan. Continue to
[1:51:29] expand where we can food and essential
[1:51:31] support services and developing new
[1:51:34] programs for families and teens. And and
[1:51:36] as I've said a couple times now, just
[1:51:38] always being mindful and preparing for
[1:51:40] that future transition of staff from
[1:51:42] expiring grants and offsets to new
[1:51:44] grants and and operating budget where it
[1:51:46] makes sense.
[1:51:48] And then I had to mention next week's
[1:51:49] National Public Health Week. We got a
[1:51:50] lot of great events and with that I will
[1:51:52] uh take any questions you have.
[1:51:54] Great. Thank you. Any questions John?
[1:51:57] Um thanks very much and um you know if
[1:52:01] if people haven't sort of figured this
[1:52:02] out from your presentation we have a
[1:52:04] really robust public health department
[1:52:06] and it's it's really great to know and
[1:52:09] tremendous depth of professionals in the
[1:52:11] department. Um I am going to raise this
[1:52:14] issue of uh I'm I'm going to guess based
[1:52:17] on your presentation that the health
[1:52:19] department might in fact be um uh when
[1:52:22] you rank all the departments by the
[1:52:25] amount of their budget that is soft
[1:52:27] money so-called u you know grants etc.
[1:52:30] Um maybe the health department will come
[1:52:32] out number one. Would you would you
[1:52:34] guess maybe that's true?
[1:52:36] I would say we're up there. I haven't
[1:52:37] looked at a lot of the other budgets but
[1:52:38] it's it's over a million dollars in soft
[1:52:40] money.
[1:52:40] Yeah. A a and um- which leads to my
[1:52:44] question because um for very good
[1:52:47] reasons. You know, you have described,
[1:52:49] you know, one of the goals as being to
[1:52:52] be able to continue by sometimes
[1:52:55] incorporating into the operating budget
[1:52:57] positions that have been on soft money.
[1:53:00] But, you know, we we're going through
[1:53:02] this exercise right now where we're
[1:53:05] facing a sizable override uh that the
[1:53:08] voters will vote on uh very soon. And um
[1:53:12] the general message that comes through
[1:53:15] the work of the expenses and revenues
[1:53:16] committee and u when you look at all of
[1:53:19] the causes of our our needing this
[1:53:21] override funding um the message comes
[1:53:23] through that we don't really have much
[1:53:26] room for additions of personnel to our
[1:53:30] budgets. Just having the same number of
[1:53:32] people on our budgets from one year to
[1:53:34] the next is is something we're having a
[1:53:36] hard time sustaining without going to
[1:53:38] overrides. So, is it realistic to be
[1:53:41] talking about and I I know these are
[1:53:44] really important public health um
[1:53:47] functions, but is it realistic to be
[1:53:50] talking about maybe growth of the
[1:53:52] department through additions to the
[1:53:53] operating budget from transitions, you
[1:53:56] know, from soft money to operating
[1:53:58] budget money? We do we really have room
[1:54:00] to do that?
[1:54:01] I think that's a difficult conversation
[1:54:03] that needs to be continued to be had,
[1:54:05] right? I I don't expect that this is the
[1:54:07] year that that's going to happen. Uh
[1:54:08] there's right now only
[1:54:11] 194,000 in grant funding that we're
[1:54:13] losing in in FY27. Um and there's only
[1:54:16] one staff person that was on that grant
[1:54:18] and we have additional funding to keep
[1:54:19] that person for now.
[1:54:21] Uh this is more of a longer term having
[1:54:23] that conversation. I mean if you look
[1:54:24] back at FY23, 20 staff were on operating
[1:54:27] and now it's it's uh
[1:54:29] down to 12, right? So we've lost eight
[1:54:31] FTEEs off the operating budget. So I get
[1:54:34] that this is challenging. I just want I
[1:54:36] felt like it was my responsibility to
[1:54:37] flag this for everyone that it's great.
[1:54:40] I you know I wish one of the biggest
[1:54:42] projects we have uh from grant funding
[1:54:44] is the regional collaborative and that's
[1:54:46] with Arlington Belmont and Newton in
[1:54:48] Brooklyn. And so we have five staff on
[1:54:50] there plus a a part-time that we
[1:54:52] actually pay out through our consultant
[1:54:54] line because they work for Belmont. So
[1:54:56] we have a public health nurse, an
[1:54:57] epidemiologist, two inspectors, a
[1:54:59] regional manager, and I'm probably
[1:55:01] forgetting someone. So, so they're
[1:55:03] they're providing a wealth of service to
[1:55:04] all four communities right now. It would
[1:55:07] have been ideal for Mass DPH when they
[1:55:09] offered that grant to say to all four
[1:55:10] communities, you need to be prepared in
[1:55:13] five years that this funding may or may
[1:55:15] not be here and you you've got to decide
[1:55:16] whether you want to continue.
[1:55:17] Yeah.
[1:55:18] So, what I can say is for FY27, that
[1:55:21] grant is fully funded. For FY28, that
[1:55:23] will be the first year that the federal
[1:55:24] government is not contributing half of
[1:55:26] those dollars. So it remains to be seen
[1:55:29] what that regional collaborative and the
[1:55:31] regional collaboratives across the
[1:55:32] state. I think close to threequarters of
[1:55:35] of cities and towns are in regional
[1:55:37] collaboratives how that's what that's
[1:55:39] going to look like. Um
[1:55:40] and if I may just one quick followup
[1:55:42] because you mentioned that uh 20 U FTEEs
[1:55:46] a few years back 12 today. Is that
[1:55:48] mainly like that there was the COVID
[1:55:51] period when a lot of money flowed in and
[1:55:53] positions were added? Is that related to
[1:55:55] that or?
[1:55:56] Uh, no. In fact, um, we, you know, I
[1:55:59] think the town was pretty smart when
[1:56:00] when the arbor dollars came in. I think
[1:56:02] only one position was added. Um, the
[1:56:04] rest were,
[1:56:06] you know, the transition has been using
[1:56:08] opioid settlement funds. We were using
[1:56:09] HCA funds. I don't think that maybe is
[1:56:11] perfectly documented here, but we were
[1:56:12] using HCA funds for certain substance
[1:56:14] use prevention positions. We've now
[1:56:16] transitioned them over to opioid
[1:56:18] settlement funds. They had previously
[1:56:20] been on a federal grant. So, this is
[1:56:21] sort of this is public health and I get
[1:56:22] it, right? We're always trying to be
[1:56:24] competitive and get grants. The,
[1:56:26] you know, and you're all very well aware
[1:56:28] of this, the support from the federal
[1:56:30] government right now is not what it was
[1:56:32] a few years ago, especially as it
[1:56:34] relates to public health. So, that's one
[1:56:35] of the challenges is it's going to get
[1:56:36] harder for us to find grants to continue
[1:56:39] to support these positions.
[1:56:40] So, you know, I think collectively we'll
[1:56:42] have to face that. I just figured it was
[1:56:45] time to start having that conversation
[1:56:46] with you all in in town meeting. Thanks,
[1:56:50] Michael.
[1:56:50] Um, thank you very much. uh for your
[1:56:53] presentation.
[1:56:55] Uh just three quick questions. Um
[1:56:58] actually just two because John already
[1:56:59] asked one. Um
[1:57:02] how much uh you talked about your grant
[1:57:04] writing work and uh uh how you were
[1:57:08] looking to enhance it um in I think your
[1:57:12] midterm. And I'm wondering how much of
[1:57:14] that grant writing work uh requires
[1:57:17] specific knowledge within the public
[1:57:19] health field um as opposed to grant
[1:57:23] writing work that could be handled more
[1:57:25] generally.
[1:57:26] Yeah, that's a great question. I think
[1:57:28] um we've got some staff members, you
[1:57:30] know, I think it varies year to year as
[1:57:32] staff transition in and out. Some of
[1:57:33] them are very skilled at it and come in
[1:57:36] prepared and others u not as much and
[1:57:38] need more support. Um, I'd probably say
[1:57:41] it's 75% specific public health
[1:57:43] knowledge and 25% is kind of just
[1:57:46] understanding where to look for grants,
[1:57:48] how to how to apply for them, the the
[1:57:50] type of language you need to use. We are
[1:57:52] going to be doing a training for uh a
[1:57:55] number of staff in the regional
[1:57:56] collaborative including Brookline staff
[1:57:59] on grant writing uh as a way to try to
[1:58:01] support that internally. Uh, and we do
[1:58:04] sometimes use contracted services. Um,
[1:58:06] for some of the bigger grants, there are
[1:58:08] some successful uh, consultants out
[1:58:10] there who who do these for a living and
[1:58:12] so sometimes we do hire them to support
[1:58:13] some of that work, but I'd say it's
[1:58:15] about 7525.
[1:58:16] Okay. And my second question isn't
[1:58:18] specific to grant writing, but your
[1:58:20] operations more generally um, though it
[1:58:23] might apply to grant writing is, uh, how
[1:58:25] have you thought about the use of
[1:58:26] artificial intelligence to improve the
[1:58:28] efficiency of your operations?
[1:58:30] Uh, I've thought a lot about it. I I I
[1:58:33] think um it's early days, but I think
[1:58:35] it's it's something we need to be
[1:58:37] considering. And and I will just say
[1:58:38] that I'm a a pilot tester of some of the
[1:58:40] AI software that the town is is trying
[1:58:42] out right now. Um so it's too early to
[1:58:45] say, but I I think there's definitely a
[1:58:46] lot of opportunity for AI. You know, I
[1:58:48] think a lot of the questions that come
[1:58:50] in from residents are things that
[1:58:51] probably exist on the website, but the
[1:58:54] search engine doesn't do a sufficient
[1:58:55] job of pulling up the exact response.
[1:58:57] And so I think and I'm not suggesting
[1:58:59] that AI would be answering our phones
[1:59:01] and and I don't think residents would be
[1:59:02] happy to talk to a computer. I think
[1:59:03] they'd rather talk to our staff. But it
[1:59:05] may be that our staff can find the
[1:59:07] answers quicker with support of AI. Um
[1:59:10] we've got a lot of documentation I think
[1:59:11] about, you know, our community health
[1:59:12] improvement plan is a long document and
[1:59:14] AI can comb through that really quickly
[1:59:16] and find answers. And just quickly, um,
[1:59:20] I'm curious, at one point, and this
[1:59:23] predates your tenure, there was a chip
[1:59:25] steering committee, and I'm just
[1:59:27] wondering if if that's still engaged in
[1:59:29] the planning and work of the chip.
[1:59:30] Yeah, that that it still exists. The
[1:59:32] same members are still part of it. We
[1:59:34] have not met since June of last year.
[1:59:36] That will be part of this spring's work
[1:59:38] uh as we get ready for year two action
[1:59:40] planning is to bring the steering
[1:59:41] committee back. And then we still need
[1:59:43] to appoint working group members. So the
[1:59:44] steering committee is kind of leadership
[1:59:46] team. They meet quarterly. the working
[1:59:48] group is supposed to be meeting on a
[1:59:49] monthly basis. So the what I can say is
[1:59:51] staff are meeting on Friday to begin
[1:59:53] that planning work. Um the year one was
[1:59:56] handled by an outside consultant so
[1:59:58] we're taking this on uh and so this is a
[2:00:00] little new for us but we I feel like
[2:00:02] staff are prepared.
[2:00:03] Great. Thank you.
[2:00:03] Yeah.
[2:00:05] Uh David have a follow-up question on
[2:00:07] the AI. Okay. So, you mentioned you
[2:00:08] wouldn't want AI to be replacing uh
[2:00:11] people answering the phone, but that you
[2:00:13] would look to utilize it in order to
[2:00:17] locate certain items on the website. Uh
[2:00:19] do you do you envision any other uses
[2:00:22] for AI within your department? I want to
[2:00:25] be careful not to speculate too much,
[2:00:26] but I you know I think um I was at a a
[2:00:29] training uh the DPW commissioner had had
[2:00:32] shared with us uh a little over a year
[2:00:34] ago and it was it was somebody who's on
[2:00:37] a on a commission and you know one of
[2:00:38] the things they talked about is its
[2:00:40] ability to look at images really quickly
[2:00:43] and identify items in there. So I you
[2:00:45] know this is pie in the sky. Don't, you
[2:00:47] know, don't quote me or or force us to
[2:00:49] do this, but like
[2:00:52] sidewalks when there's snowstorms. You
[2:00:54] could put cameras on all the vehicles
[2:00:56] that are driving around town. They could
[2:00:57] identify sidewalks that haven't been
[2:00:59] shoveled, and you wouldn't need staff to
[2:01:00] go out and then those staff could focus
[2:01:02] on inspections where they're supposed to
[2:01:03] be instead of sidewalk enforcement. So,
[2:01:06] I think that's the type of potential,
[2:01:08] but there's going to be an investment.
[2:01:10] And I think there's also some concerns
[2:01:12] probably from residents about cameras
[2:01:14] picking up their images while those
[2:01:16] vehicles are driving around town. So I
[2:01:17] think that's an opportunity. I think,
[2:01:19] you know, getting to knowledge quicker.
[2:01:21] You know, I spend a lot of time reading
[2:01:22] that chip and I'm very familiar with it,
[2:01:24] but I still, you know, when I look at
[2:01:25] like select board goals and objectives
[2:01:26] on a yearly basis and I'm trying to line
[2:01:28] it up with the chip, it takes a while.
[2:01:30] Uh, and so I think their AI can look at
[2:01:32] both documents and say here's where you
[2:01:33] need to look and here's where they align
[2:01:35] and here's where they don't. Um, so I
[2:01:37] think I do think there's a lot of
[2:01:38] opportunity. I think it's it's early
[2:01:40] days and it we need to be really
[2:01:42] thoughtful about the implementation.
[2:01:43] So so the broader idea would be to make
[2:01:46] employee time more efficient.
[2:01:48] Yes. Yeah. And then I think you know I
[2:01:51] think about you know and I want to be
[2:01:53] mindful of of open meeting law and if
[2:01:55] I'm going down the wrong road you guys
[2:01:57] correct me. We had somebody at open mic
[2:01:58] talking about rodents tonight. Um, you
[2:02:00] know, if if our inspectors if we can
[2:02:02] take a task off of our inspector's desk
[2:02:04] or make it maybe faster for them to get
[2:02:06] through an inspection, then we can
[2:02:08] respond to complaints faster. I mean,
[2:02:10] they they are swamped between food
[2:02:12] inspections, housing inspections. We
[2:02:14] have to respond to housing inspections
[2:02:15] by statute in a certain amount of time.
[2:02:17] So, then we're putting off food
[2:02:18] inspections. We always have to respond
[2:02:20] to housing inspections. I think I don't
[2:02:22] I'm not going to give a date, but it's
[2:02:23] it's very quickly you have to get back
[2:02:25] on the housing inspections. and certain
[2:02:26] ones are emergencies that need to be
[2:02:28] responded to within 12 to 24 hours. And
[2:02:31] so where you can take certain tasks off
[2:02:33] their desk and make them, you know, make
[2:02:34] it more efficient, then they can focus
[2:02:36] more on some of their primary
[2:02:37] responsibilities.
[2:02:39] Thank you.
[2:02:39] Yeah.
[2:02:41] Good. Thank you.
[2:02:43] Thank you.
[2:02:43] I think you're going to stay up there
[2:02:44] for the next item.
[2:02:45] I I am I will say I'll admit I uh I only
[2:02:48] have one slide.
[2:02:49] Okay.
[2:02:50] Um and Bill sends his best. Um he's
[2:02:53] still working part-time. We are in the
[2:02:55] midst of of hiring for his replacement.
[2:02:57] The job has been posted. Um but in the
[2:02:59] meantime, he is still working for the
[2:03:01] town one day a week to make sure that
[2:03:02] we're providing services to veterans in
[2:03:04] need.
[2:03:05] So, uh he tried to log in. He said he
[2:03:07] had some issues. Um his budget hasn't
[2:03:09] changed much from last year.
[2:03:13] Is the message here it's Christmas every
[2:03:15] day in the veterans department? Is that
[2:03:18] I I I think it's more that veteran
[2:03:20] services is a a deeply beloved part of
[2:03:23] the public health and human services
[2:03:24] team.
[2:03:25] Absolutely.
[2:03:29] Any other questions on the Veterans
[2:03:31] Affairs Department?
[2:03:33] Okay.
[2:03:33] Thank you.
[2:03:34] Thank you all.
[2:03:36] Next, Council on Aging.
[2:03:40] Emily is online.
[2:03:43] Thank you, John.
[2:03:45] Hi everyone. Good evening. How are you?
[2:03:48] Great.
[2:03:48] We're good. How about you?
[2:03:51] I'm fantastic. I'm sorry I'm not there
[2:03:53] in person. I have a little one who was
[2:03:54] very nervous about the MCCast today. So,
[2:03:56] he did really well though. I'm very
[2:03:58] proud of him.
[2:03:59] All right.
[2:04:00] Um, let me just share my screen. I have
[2:04:05] a presentation.
[2:04:07] Um,
[2:04:12] Melanie, I I'll be sharing my screen, I
[2:04:14] believe. Right.
[2:04:17] Yep.
[2:04:18] Yeah,
[2:04:18] we can see it.
[2:04:18] Looks looks good.
[2:04:20] Okay.
[2:04:23] Uh, hi everyone. My name is Emily
[2:04:25] Williams. I am just one year in to uh my
[2:04:29] tenure at the Brooklyn Council on Aging
[2:04:31] and Senior Center. And every
[2:04:32] presentation I give, I have to start out
[2:04:34] with the mission because it's as the
[2:04:36] first council on aging. Sorry, Jim.
[2:04:38] We're the first council on aging. 1955
[2:04:40] we were founded. Um it's a very
[2:04:43] important way to be able to share the
[2:04:45] history to the public. Um we're uh
[2:04:48] twofold. We have a senior center which
[2:04:51] is one of the uh beautiful town
[2:04:52] buildings and it's the gathering place
[2:04:54] specifically dedicated to enriching the
[2:04:56] experience for Brooklyn older adults age
[2:04:59] 6 plus as well as their caregivers. I
[2:05:01] will say we're seeing definitely an
[2:05:03] uptick in the uh adult children giving
[2:05:05] us a call, worried about mom or dad um
[2:05:07] and their well-being and emotional um
[2:05:10] overall health. Our mission uh at the
[2:05:13] Brooklyn Senior Center is to provide
[2:05:14] social services that that allow people
[2:05:17] to remain independent. Our goal is
[2:05:19] helping people maintain this
[2:05:21] independence so that they continue to be
[2:05:23] active members of their community. And
[2:05:26] we believe that enhancing growth and a
[2:05:28] sense of belonging is inc while
[2:05:30] encouraging individual contribution and
[2:05:33] the sharing of life experiences is vital
[2:05:35] to remaining as a part of uh the
[2:05:37] community. The senior center welcomes
[2:05:41] all. We're very um culturally diverse
[2:05:44] group not only uh with our participants
[2:05:47] volunteers but also the staff. Everyone
[2:05:50] who enters our doors, regardless of age,
[2:05:52] income, disability, ethnicity, or
[2:05:54] religious background, is very welcome.
[2:05:56] And lastly, we recognize the efforts of
[2:05:58] all of our program collab collaborate
[2:06:01] collaborators,
[2:06:02] and we are extremely grateful for their
[2:06:04] support.
[2:06:08] um our FY27 budget summary which was um
[2:06:12] not a dramatic change. This is not a a a
[2:06:15] change in um finances for us on the town
[2:06:18] budget. It is for the federal budget. Um
[2:06:21] but we do have our our salaries. You can
[2:06:23] see year-over-year. Uh most recently um
[2:06:27] just a small less than 1% increase in
[2:06:30] our salaries. services, supplies remain
[2:06:33] stable and our utilities did increase by
[2:06:37] 5%. Which reflects overall 1% increase
[2:06:40] in our total budget
[2:06:44] and that 1% increase is from our new
[2:06:46] HVAC replacement. We're all electric
[2:06:49] very soon will be 100% complete with the
[2:06:52] the process. Um they replaced the entire
[2:06:56] system and the provider that's been
[2:06:58] doing the work has been very respectful
[2:07:00] of the participants. I will say and not
[2:07:02] disrupting any service to our
[2:07:04] operations.
[2:07:07] Uh this year are our three priorities.
[2:07:10] You can see on the left we have a brand
[2:07:11] new town logo. We also have uh which
[2:07:14] we're in the process of redesating the
[2:07:16] town of Brooklyn to be an age friendly
[2:07:18] community. But overall our priorities
[2:07:21] this year will be health and safety,
[2:07:24] equity and aging
[2:07:26] in the community. And then it's really I
[2:07:28] should have separated the the the third
[2:07:31] uh priority into two to to list it as
[2:07:34] sustainable infrastructure and
[2:07:36] innovation. Uh we've done quite a few uh
[2:07:40] different things this year to reflect
[2:07:41] innovation. That includes creating a new
[2:07:44] database for folks to check in. It's
[2:07:46] called my senior center. Um now you'll
[2:07:48] see when you walk in the front doors a
[2:07:50] little kiosk um where you can enter in
[2:07:53] your information if you like. It's opt
[2:07:55] in. You don't have to and you can pick
[2:07:57] and choose where you're going, what
[2:07:59] program you'll be in attendance to, and
[2:08:01] then we'll be able to really put
[2:08:03] concrete data to the usage of the senior
[2:08:06] center building as well as our programs
[2:08:08] and services.
[2:08:17] um this year. Um it it's kind of funny
[2:08:21] because we've seen an expansion in our
[2:08:22] programs and um utilization of our
[2:08:25] services
[2:08:27] uh with a pretty stable budget. So it's
[2:08:30] reflective in our infrastructure. You
[2:08:33] can see here we have 31 uh staff which
[2:08:36] served just over 3,000 unduplicated
[2:08:39] older adult residents. There's over
[2:08:40] 13,000 as we know, 20% uh who live in
[2:08:43] town age 60 plus. One thing that I'm
[2:08:47] very proud of, more proud than you can
[2:08:49] even imagine, um there's 42,000 hours,
[2:08:52] which is equivalent to 20 full-time
[2:08:54] employees.
[2:08:55] That is 370 volunteers, which equates to
[2:08:59] $1.3 million, which is the our town
[2:09:03] general fund budget. And my first year,
[2:09:05] what I've done is I've tried to
[2:09:07] determine really what the true core
[2:09:09] service need is
[2:09:10] and try to reflect that into the true
[2:09:13] core service budget. and we cannot do
[2:09:16] what we do at all without our
[2:09:18] volunteers. Um, next month we're
[2:09:20] celebrating uh volunteer appreciation
[2:09:23] month. Uh John, thank you for coming to
[2:09:25] say a few words, but everyone is very
[2:09:27] welcome to be able to see who these
[2:09:29] people are, all ages, um that are, you
[2:09:32] know, meeting the needs of people who
[2:09:35] walk in and are looking for services and
[2:09:37] supports or who just want to uh a very
[2:09:40] affordable cup of coffee, but also to
[2:09:43] really have that social connection
[2:09:45] because we're the hub of all things
[2:09:46] older adult in town. Um our senior
[2:09:49] center is 20,000 square feet. It's
[2:09:52] really
[2:09:53] not appropriate to meet the needs right
[2:09:55] now of a growing population. Every day
[2:09:58] we're busting at the seams. On average,
[2:09:59] we have about 15 programs to be able to
[2:10:02] address food, nutrition, socialization,
[2:10:05] mental, physical, and um uh in-person
[2:10:08] wellness, but also what we're doing is
[2:10:11] we're trying to explore more hybrid
[2:10:13] programming. But one thing we're
[2:10:14] noticing is that the the older adults
[2:10:16] really prefer to be in person.
[2:10:19] Um, other ways we've expanded. We've
[2:10:21] sustained growth
[2:10:24] with a huge thanks, huge shout out to
[2:10:26] our Brooklyn Senior Center Foundation.
[2:10:28] They fund um just 10% of our overall
[2:10:32] budget. Um the the town funds 70% 20%
[2:10:37] are through external sources, special
[2:10:39] revenue funds, state earmarks, grants
[2:10:42] that we apply to internally. Um as well
[2:10:45] as uh of course we all know about the
[2:10:47] ARPA cliff. Um, so those numbers will be
[2:10:50] changing in the next fiscal year, but
[2:10:52] the Brookline Senior Center Foundation
[2:10:54] funds every single program that we offer
[2:10:57] at the senior center as well as staff
[2:10:59] positions. For example, one of our band
[2:11:01] drivers is funded through them as well
[2:11:03] as our fitness center coordinator. Um,
[2:11:07] and we're hiring for that position right
[2:11:08] now. Quick side note, uh, we've had 20%
[2:11:11] of our staff either retire or resign due
[2:11:14] to different reasons. um one individual
[2:11:17] left the country unfortunately because
[2:11:19] of the current federal situations that
[2:11:21] we're faced with. So I've never actually
[2:11:23] seen such a dramatic change in uh
[2:11:26] leadership in an organ organization. But
[2:11:28] knock on wood, we've filled almost all
[2:11:31] those positions as well as hired um
[2:11:33] internally. We promoted someone to be
[2:11:35] our our new supervisor of uh clinical
[2:11:38] social work services
[2:11:40] to continue on programs and
[2:11:42] communications. We're very proud. Um I
[2:11:45] think Brookline in general is very proud
[2:11:46] to to to be an aging community. Uh we've
[2:11:49] seen some fantastic folks really step up
[2:11:52] to the plate to advocate for the future
[2:11:54] existing as well as the future needs of
[2:11:57] aging in Brooklyn. Um, and that's not
[2:11:59] just being a community advocate. It's
[2:12:01] attending our programs to be able to
[2:12:03] take care of themselves as well as as
[2:12:05] well as their communities in our solo
[2:12:08] and wise aging classes, our fitness
[2:12:10] classes, and of course, lifelong
[2:12:12] learning. Um, one thing that I'm really
[2:12:15] proud of, um, John, thank you for
[2:12:16] throwing in all those pictures. We have
[2:12:18] a new electric vehicle that we'll be
[2:12:20] piloting with the senior center, excuse
[2:12:22] me, the teen center to be able to
[2:12:24] provide intergenerational and interdep
[2:12:26] departmental uh transportation again to
[2:12:29] meet the needs of the growing community.
[2:12:32] And then we're always expanding townwide
[2:12:35] initiatives interdep departmentally as
[2:12:37] well as with uh local nonprofits in
[2:12:39] town. Our top three accomplishments,
[2:12:43] we've strengthened health and safety net
[2:12:44] programming. Um again, we've met an
[2:12:47] increased demand in our health caregiver
[2:12:49] and social service supports and we're
[2:12:51] trying to advance and really trying to
[2:12:54] modernize the future needs. Um
[2:12:57] population growth brings technology and
[2:13:00] we're slowly but surely uh embracing
[2:13:02] that just to try to embrace this baby
[2:13:05] boomer ch population who uses their
[2:13:08] their smartphones for many different
[2:13:10] purposes. Um, and it all of this is to
[2:13:13] help folks remain safe and independent.
[2:13:15] Um, the second uh accomplishment we've
[2:13:18] done is to expand the equity and
[2:13:20] community connections in town where
[2:13:22] we've done really inclusive programming.
[2:13:25] Um, in November, I think everyone
[2:13:27] remembers the snap cuts and where
[2:13:29] everybody had to remobilize and pivot on
[2:13:32] how to respond um effectively and
[2:13:35] creatively to meet the needs. And now we
[2:13:38] have a a monthly uh group with uh other
[2:13:40] town departments
[2:13:42] and other nonprofits in town to be able
[2:13:45] to meet that need for essential services
[2:13:47] like food. Um we've also done as I
[2:13:50] mentioned a lot of hybrid engagement
[2:13:51] opportunities to reduce the social
[2:13:53] isolation that we see on a daily basis.
[2:13:56] And lastly, our top three
[2:13:58] accomplishments advancing transportation
[2:14:00] and an age friendly progress. So we've
[2:14:03] sustained key access to limited
[2:14:05] transportation services. We've had to um
[2:14:08] put together some uh new restraints to
[2:14:11] our current transportation model for uh
[2:14:14] the medical to meet the medical needs of
[2:14:16] older adults where we have uh limited
[2:14:18] ride trips on a monthly basis and now
[2:14:20] our model is an incomerestricted model
[2:14:24] and the goal of that is to be able to
[2:14:25] sustain the existing funding that we
[2:14:27] have to fund that program. We've also
[2:14:30] done great work on initiating the age
[2:14:32] friendly redesignation with AAP which is
[2:14:35] a process that's done every three years.
[2:14:37] Um and as the age friendly cities
[2:14:40] committee is a subcommittee of the
[2:14:42] select board. We look forward to what
[2:14:43] that looks like.
[2:14:44] Jillian time is up.
[2:14:46] It's Emily.
[2:14:49] I'm sorry Emily. I'm looking at my list.
[2:14:51] Emily, your time's up. Sorry.
[2:14:53] Okay. Thank you.
[2:14:54] So why don't you just wrap up quickly?
[2:14:58] Well, um I just want to highlight this.
[2:15:00] It's growth. I know this is in
[2:15:02] everyone's um handouts. Every single
[2:15:05] department uh division within the COA
[2:15:08] has increased growth and now we have
[2:15:09] data to put uh numbers behind that. I
[2:15:13] already mentioned the innovation and the
[2:15:14] modernization of the senior center
[2:15:17] and okay, I invite everyone to our 25th
[2:15:20] anniversary April 30th. It's going to be
[2:15:22] a really good time.
[2:15:23] Great. Thank you.
[2:15:24] Thank you very much.
[2:15:25] Questions from the select board.
[2:15:29] John,
[2:15:31] Emily, um, great to see you. Uh, I I am
[2:15:35] privileged, I will say, to serve um, as
[2:15:38] the select boards representative to the
[2:15:39] council on aging, uh, which meets
[2:15:42] monthly at the senior center. And uh for
[2:15:46] those who you know may may not be aware
[2:15:49] of the recent history uh some of which
[2:15:51] Emily recited uh the prior director was
[2:15:55] um so legendary um in her contributions
[2:15:58] to uh the community of of senior
[2:16:02] citizens in Brooklyn. Um Ruthanne
[2:16:04] Dobeck. uh when she retired uh people
[2:16:08] kind of agonized um how are we ever
[2:16:10] going to find a suitable successor to
[2:16:14] Ruth Anne and uh we we are blessed that
[2:16:18] uh we found Emily and Emily found us. Uh
[2:16:21] and I don't say that just to flatter
[2:16:23] someone. I think you anyone who listened
[2:16:25] to this 10-minute presentation has to
[2:16:27] have been very impressed with the um
[2:16:31] breath of knowledge, the energy, the
[2:16:33] commitment, uh the the innovative spirit
[2:16:36] that she has brought to the the the
[2:16:39] department and uh uh it's it's a it's a
[2:16:43] real u blessing to the town. Uh not not
[2:16:47] just to the the aging population in the
[2:16:51] town. um that that we have a really
[2:16:54] strong basis of services for our very
[2:16:57] very significant
[2:16:59] uh aging population. I include myself in
[2:17:01] that of course. Uh and it takes a person
[2:17:05] who is extremely caring uh about uh
[2:17:10] people at all stages in life to sort of
[2:17:13] figure out u all of the special needs of
[2:17:17] the the unique needs of people, you
[2:17:20] know, in in their later years in life.
[2:17:22] And Emily, thank you very much for what
[2:17:24] you brought to um Brookline and I'm
[2:17:27] looking forward to seeing it continue.
[2:17:30] Thanks. I appreciate that.
[2:17:33] Uh yes, thank you Emily for a very
[2:17:35] thorough uh and uh helpful report. Um
[2:17:39] I'm wondering if you could just speak
[2:17:41] for one moment to any of the
[2:17:43] intergenerational work um that the
[2:17:46] senior center uh is championing. Um, I'm
[2:17:50] familiar with the with the uh teen
[2:17:52] center, senior center shuttle, but I'm
[2:17:55] just wondering if there's uh if you have
[2:17:58] any thoughts about uh expansion of
[2:18:01] intergenerational connections.
[2:18:04] Well, having just been for the first
[2:18:06] time to the Brooklyn Arts Center last
[2:18:08] week, what a what a gem that is. We uh
[2:18:11] recently received a state earmark uh
[2:18:13] from Tommy Pollo to do some
[2:18:15] intergenerational arts. Um, creative
[2:18:17] arts therapy reduces isolation and
[2:18:20] loneliness and really addresses the
[2:18:21] mental health needs that we have in our
[2:18:23] community. Sometimes they're not talked
[2:18:25] about enough in my opinion. But that's
[2:18:27] one example of a way to bridge two
[2:18:29] communities, the old and the young, and
[2:18:32] to be able to almost have that ven
[2:18:34] diagram to see where their needs and
[2:18:36] their um hobbies and their um
[2:18:39] relativities to one another um can can m
[2:18:42] be matched. And then again putting data
[2:18:45] to that for sustainability and future
[2:18:48] programming. It's just magical when you
[2:18:50] get an older adult and a younger person
[2:18:51] together. Um we have the um shop grocery
[2:18:55] shopping program, the shop program which
[2:18:57] started uh in the late 80s with the high
[2:19:00] school. Um, and on our website we have,
[2:19:03] and I just watched it today, is a really
[2:19:05] heartwarming video of some high school
[2:19:07] students grocery shopping for a woman
[2:19:09] who couldn't grocery shop any longer and
[2:19:11] how it's it's not so much about the
[2:19:14] food, but it's about the friendship that
[2:19:16] develops. Um, those are just two
[2:19:18] examples of ways to get um to bridge the
[2:19:21] community really across the lifespan.
[2:19:24] And there could be more.
[2:19:25] Thank you, David. Regarding expansion,
[2:19:29] I'm wondering if there is any thought
[2:19:32] toward uh having wheelchair accessible
[2:19:36] vehicles to take seniors to and from
[2:19:39] appointments. Uh I know there's some
[2:19:41] interest in that.
[2:19:45] Absolutely. Absolutely. Our current um
[2:19:48] contracted service with uh a local taxi
[2:19:51] company does not have wheelchair
[2:19:52] accessible vehicles as part of their
[2:19:54] fleet, but we hope to use for medical
[2:19:57] transportation
[2:19:58] um enhanced outreach and education to
[2:20:01] the ride. It's not the ride that we're
[2:20:03] used to even just 10 years ago. Um but
[2:20:07] what they've um been able to expand
[2:20:09] their services to provide microtransit.
[2:20:11] It's called the Flex program and it's
[2:20:13] really a great way to for seniors who
[2:20:15] use their smartphones or to call us to
[2:20:18] be able to access um a a subsidized town
[2:20:21] subsidized service for folks in
[2:20:24] wheelchairs and if they have their
[2:20:26] personal care attendant or loved one to
[2:20:29] go with them. It's always a nice um
[2:20:32] opportunity to get people to and from
[2:20:34] their doctor's appointment. But all of
[2:20:36] our vans um which are aging I will point
[2:20:39] out are wheelchair accessible including
[2:20:41] our new electric vehicle.
[2:20:45] So one thing that um I I find
[2:20:48] fascinating is the number of social
[2:20:49] workers you have on staff five um plus
[2:20:53] uh part-time social worker funded with
[2:20:56] grants. Could you uh just give people a
[2:20:59] sense of you know what what what
[2:21:02] your social work um group uh does for
[2:21:08] elderly people particular
[2:21:11] workers but also the uh other uh
[2:21:14] individuals who provide supportive help
[2:21:17] to uh to people like home care workers
[2:21:19] and and others.
[2:21:22] Absolutely. We currently employ five
[2:21:24] clinical social workers and we just
[2:21:26] filled our last position with our our
[2:21:29] intern from Boston College. She's
[2:21:31] amazing. She'll be joining us full-time
[2:21:33] soon as she graduates. Um it's been a
[2:21:35] trend actually. I will say folks um in
[2:21:38] the social work profession start with us
[2:21:40] as interns, enjoy it so much because of
[2:21:43] the plethora of ex of uh exposure to
[2:21:46] services and a variety of older adults
[2:21:49] needs that they can address. Um, one
[2:21:52] thing I am very uh conscious of is to
[2:21:54] make sure that folks don't burn out as
[2:21:56] the crisis interventions increase. Um,
[2:21:59] we're relaunching the inter agency
[2:22:01] meetings um with our public health
[2:22:04] department as well as police, fire, and
[2:22:07] uh the Brooklyn um mental health uh
[2:22:10] Brooklyn community for mental health.
[2:22:12] There's really we need to address social
[2:22:15] isolation in general, but what we're
[2:22:18] seeing is um the depression increase as
[2:22:21] well as pretty severe mental health um
[2:22:24] concerns, hoarding
[2:22:27] um infestations and public housing as
[2:22:30] well as in private housing. Um, and what
[2:22:33] we're doing with our our clinical team
[2:22:34] is to address those needs really at the
[2:22:38] at the social work intervention level,
[2:22:40] which we don't go in to someone's home
[2:22:43] in a uniform. We don't go looking to
[2:22:45] section someone. We go to support the
[2:22:48] individual based on their needs and
[2:22:49] really meet them where they're at. And
[2:22:51] that's one fantastic trait of a social
[2:22:54] work uh uh employee. We also have a
[2:22:57] great um uh volunteer team. We have the
[2:23:01] tax workoff program in Brooklyn which we
[2:23:03] employ uh over 30 residents age 60 plus
[2:23:07] who are homeowners and what that does is
[2:23:10] able to match them into a town
[2:23:11] department to be able to supplement um
[2:23:14] additional employee needs and that's
[2:23:17] been incredibly successful not just at
[2:23:19] the council on aging but the library uh
[2:23:22] town hall the assessor's office and it
[2:23:24] really helps the older adult be able to
[2:23:26] work off their taxes. Um, we also are
[2:23:29] addressing caregiver stress with our our
[2:23:32] staff. So, we have a plethora of
[2:23:34] resources in our toolkit. to be able to,
[2:23:37] you know, have at the ready, not just
[2:23:39] online, but when we have our walk-ins at
[2:23:41] the senior center, to be able to address
[2:23:43] those needs immediately, to have the
[2:23:45] answer for somebody is is is vital to
[2:23:47] their well-being because our goal is to
[2:23:50] empower everyone to be able to go back
[2:23:52] to their homes, to go back to their
[2:23:54] family to say, "This is what I recommend
[2:23:57] kind of thing." And that our case loads
[2:23:59] of each social worker as as well as
[2:24:03] existing staff can range between 20 to
[2:24:05] 40 clients per person. Um which is is
[2:24:09] really um increasing and high. I was
[2:24:12] looking at the history of the senior
[2:24:14] center and you know we were able to grow
[2:24:16] this uh division within the council on
[2:24:18] aging from a halftime position up to
[2:24:21] five position but it you know it took
[2:24:24] over 40 years to be able to get there
[2:24:26] and it's uh still with a 20% population
[2:24:30] in town. Um we also have wonderful
[2:24:34] transportation coordinators. We have two
[2:24:37] part-time um assistants as well as a
[2:24:40] full-time transportation coordinator and
[2:24:44] um almost all of those positions are
[2:24:46] funded by special revenues um as well as
[2:24:49] the Brooklyn uh senior center
[2:24:51] foundation. So, one of my goals in the
[2:24:53] long term is to be able to bring the
[2:24:55] coordinator to the town budget 100%
[2:24:58] because of that transportation need. Um
[2:25:01] and then there's Jamie who does
[2:25:03] incredible programming. Her and her team
[2:25:06] offer programming not just at the senior
[2:25:08] center as I mentioned 15 programs daily.
[2:25:11] We also have a daily lunch program. We
[2:25:13] also have um bi-weekly trips and uh what
[2:25:16] we've done in the most recent is to go
[2:25:19] down to the Butterham Library to meet
[2:25:21] the the needs of the South Brookine
[2:25:23] residents who we hear on a daily that
[2:25:26] they are um just not coming up to
[2:25:28] Koolage Corner because they can't find
[2:25:30] parking for more than two hours
[2:25:32] or our van they just choose not to to
[2:25:36] use our van or they're not accessible
[2:25:38] via bike or Uber and Lift. So um what
[2:25:42] I'll be doing this fiscal year is to
[2:25:44] looking at the data that we are taking
[2:25:47] in to be able to address the true need
[2:25:50] um based on that data for expanding
[2:25:52] services. We can't go backwards. We have
[2:25:54] to go forwards.
[2:26:00] Okay. Thank you Emily.
[2:26:03] Very very good.
[2:26:05] Thanks.
[2:26:08] Okay. Next, uh, we have the library and
[2:26:11] our new director, Jill Mccurio.
[2:26:14] Hi. Good evening,
[2:26:59] All right. Good evening. It's so nice to
[2:27:01] be here in person to meet all of you. Uh
[2:27:05] I started about two months ago and I
[2:27:08] have to say I've learned so much about
[2:27:11] how Brookline relies on their library.
[2:27:14] I'm excited to walk you through our
[2:27:15] budget presentation and also to share
[2:27:17] the impact that we have on community
[2:27:20] life. So let me just start my slideshow.
[2:27:24] And these were in your packet as well.
[2:27:29] So, here we go. I like to say the best
[2:27:32] way to support a public library is to
[2:27:34] use it. So, that is something that uh
[2:27:37] Brooklyn residents do enthusiastically.
[2:27:40] Uh last year we welcomed about a half a
[2:27:43] million visitors to the public library.
[2:27:45] That's up 4% just about from the prior
[2:27:48] year. and our circulation combining our
[2:27:51] physical and digital borrowing. Uh we're
[2:27:54] seeing that come in around 1.1 million
[2:27:57] items borrowed annually and our digital
[2:28:00] borrowing just continues to grow. We
[2:28:04] hosted 1,200 programs roughly last year
[2:28:07] attended by 30,000 residents. And the
[2:28:10] most important thing to keep in mind is
[2:28:12] the library is open seven days a week um
[2:28:16] and year round. and we have about 175
[2:28:21] hours public service hours available
[2:28:23] throughout all of our locations. This
[2:28:26] level activity would not be possible
[2:28:29] without our dedicated team. So they uh
[2:28:33] the team of about 55.66 FTEEs to be
[2:28:36] precise, they've expanded partnerships,
[2:28:39] they champion access to information, and
[2:28:41] they've promoted community connection
[2:28:44] inclusion throughout all of their
[2:28:45] activities this year.
[2:28:48] So the first action item that we worked
[2:28:50] on this year was an art walk through
[2:28:53] college corner. So we took the library
[2:28:55] outside of its library walls and brought
[2:28:58] art and community together at the
[2:29:00] Brooklyn Art Festival. The staff
[2:29:02] organized a self-guided uh art walk
[2:29:05] through Coolage creating a passport uh
[2:29:07] that guided residents through galleries
[2:29:09] and studios along the route. Uh it was
[2:29:12] such a success that this morning the
[2:29:14] staff met to figure out how they could
[2:29:15] participate this year again in the
[2:29:17] Brooklyn Art Festival. We also surveyed
[2:29:20] residents and heard from about 200 folks
[2:29:22] who were interested in coming to
[2:29:24] afterhour programming. Uh we hosted four
[2:29:27] different events trying to appeal to all
[2:29:30] ages. So we had movie screenings, some
[2:29:33] trivia, there was a Taylor Swift music
[2:29:35] party and I think our most successful
[2:29:38] one is the pictures on the screen. We
[2:29:40] had 50 uh residents come out uh to
[2:29:43] decorate boxes. The kiddos um made them
[2:29:46] look like drive-in cars and they parked
[2:29:48] it in Henman Hall and watched family
[2:29:50] movies together. Um we also promoted our
[2:29:54] digital resources. So the digital
[2:29:57] resources are a huge component of our
[2:30:00] collection budget. Um, and our digital
[2:30:02] circulation went up 30% uh or I'm sorry,
[2:30:05] it went up 8% this year through some of
[2:30:07] the tactics that we did in this action
[2:30:09] item. We know that um people really want
[2:30:14] to take advantage of our services for
[2:30:16] ebooks and e audiobooks through Canopy
[2:30:19] and um through Libby, but I think that
[2:30:23] there's a lot of other digital resources
[2:30:25] that will be exciting to residents and
[2:30:27] they just need to know about them. So,
[2:30:29] this action item took um our staff and
[2:30:32] made tutorials, did uh training at the
[2:30:34] housing authority and the senior center
[2:30:36] to try to help people understand how to
[2:30:38] get better use out of these tools. So,
[2:30:40] we have services like Knos that gives
[2:30:43] you free access to music. Uh there's
[2:30:46] learning platforms like Mango Languages
[2:30:48] that you can learn a new language.
[2:30:50] Creative Bug has uh tutorials on
[2:30:53] different craft projects, but I think
[2:30:55] one of the most special ones that we
[2:30:57] have is um Press Reader, which is a tool
[2:31:00] that kind of helps you get behind the
[2:31:01] payw wall. So, you can read free
[2:31:03] articles from the New York Times, Boston
[2:31:05] Globe, USA Today, and and popular
[2:31:08] magazines and newspapers from around the
[2:31:11] globe. And we saw that Brooklyn borrowed
[2:31:15] 43% more articles in the last year by
[2:31:18] using this service. The last um part on
[2:31:22] this slide is our library of things
[2:31:24] collection and that is a really special
[2:31:26] unique collection that draws upon the
[2:31:30] idea that to access knowledge it's not
[2:31:32] going to fit in one book or one
[2:31:34] database. uh you need to sometimes put
[2:31:36] your hands on an object so you can teach
[2:31:38] yourself a new skill or learn to fix
[2:31:41] something in your home or maybe to bond
[2:31:43] with a friend or family member. So this
[2:31:45] collection we did some work to analyze
[2:31:48] the usage, try to figure out how to best
[2:31:50] take care of the collection and uh I'm
[2:31:52] happy to say in 2025 the library things
[2:31:56] collection circulated 20,000 times. So,
[2:31:59] these popular items include the
[2:32:01] Chromebooks, games, gadgets like in
[2:32:04] induction cooktops, and we have a pretty
[2:32:06] impressive library of tools at the
[2:32:08] Koolage CL um corner location. The
[2:32:12] library is wrapping up its five-year
[2:32:14] strategic plan, which is guided by four
[2:32:17] pillars that reflect our commitment to
[2:32:19] education, equity, partnerships, and
[2:32:22] access. So, we support lifelong
[2:32:24] learning. We partner with organizations
[2:32:26] to help expand the reach of the library.
[2:32:29] And we believe the library is for
[2:32:30] everyone. So, it's our responsibility to
[2:32:33] build a collection, have programs and
[2:32:35] services that reflect the diversity of
[2:32:37] our community, their interests and
[2:32:39] information needs. And we also want to
[2:32:41] help residents continue to use the
[2:32:43] library whether they're on the go or
[2:32:44] from the comfort of their own home. So,
[2:32:47] what's on the horizon for the library in
[2:32:49] the next year? Well, we do need to
[2:32:51] rebuild the team. Um, I have a learning
[2:32:53] curve to get to know Brookline and to
[2:32:55] find out what we're doing well and ways
[2:32:57] we can expand our services, but we also
[2:33:00] have uh had a lot of turnover in our
[2:33:02] team. I'm happy to say that we're now at
[2:33:06] a more stable part in our staffing. Uh,
[2:33:08] in the last year, we hired eight
[2:33:11] full-time positions and 17 part-time
[2:33:13] positions.
[2:33:14] Uh, but threequarters of that uh
[2:33:17] full-time positions were internal
[2:33:19] promotions. So retention is strong and
[2:33:22] we're working together to learn how to
[2:33:25] work as a a healthy team together.
[2:33:27] There's a new strategic plan on the
[2:33:29] horizon. I hope that you'll all
[2:33:31] participate in it later this fall so we
[2:33:33] can find out how we can shape the best
[2:33:35] library going forward. And then sharing
[2:33:38] everything that we do so all residents
[2:33:40] know what they can access. I'm looking
[2:33:42] forward to having a monthly newsletter
[2:33:44] and finding other tools to help the
[2:33:46] community know what they can access and
[2:33:48] take advantage of for free through the
[2:33:50] public library. Um, and then let's see,
[2:33:53] we've got
[2:33:55] a couple facts about library budgets
[2:33:57] just before we go into our numbers. Uh,
[2:34:00] the library budgets a little unique. We
[2:34:02] are guided by certain uh statutory
[2:34:05] regulations in Massachusetts where we
[2:34:08] have to meet different funding
[2:34:09] requirements and provide a set number of
[2:34:12] services so we are eligible for
[2:34:15] certification that allows Brooklyn
[2:34:17] residents to borrow materials throughout
[2:34:19] the minute network but also the
[2:34:20] Commonwealth and to make sure that we're
[2:34:22] eligible for state aid that further
[2:34:24] expands our ability to improve library
[2:34:27] services outside of the municipal
[2:34:29] budget. Uh so we need to uh follow a
[2:34:32] funding threshold uh formula. That's the
[2:34:35] municipal appropriation requirement. We
[2:34:37] need to make sure our collections are
[2:34:39] funded at a certain level of our budget.
[2:34:41] Uh and then we have to have a set number
[2:34:44] of services. We have to be open to the
[2:34:46] public for a variety of hours um and
[2:34:48] have a a variety of program
[2:34:50] opportunities. Um so that's important
[2:34:52] for us to maintain certification for the
[2:34:55] community. So, as we dive into our
[2:34:57] library budget, our budget proposal this
[2:34:59] year is for $4,778,400.
[2:35:04] Um, we're seeing utility costs rise just
[2:35:07] like all of my other departments that
[2:35:09] you've heard from. Uh, our our ser our
[2:35:12] capital expenses are going up for leased
[2:35:15] equipment and supplies are going up. Um,
[2:35:18] so our budget, while it increases by 1%
[2:35:22] this year, it is offset by a decrease to
[2:35:24] our part-time staffing law.
[2:35:26] Um, and that's something that we're
[2:35:29] going to be looking at our vacancies
[2:35:31] really carefully because we want to
[2:35:33] maintain our staff. We want to be able
[2:35:35] to maintain our core services. Uh, in a
[2:35:39] perfect world, we'd be able to have more
[2:35:41] staff because they're directly tied to
[2:35:43] all the programs and services that we're
[2:35:44] able to offer the community. Um, but we
[2:35:48] we do know that this is a difficult
[2:35:50] financial time. Uh, so we'll be
[2:35:52] strategic about looking at that and we
[2:35:53] want to make sure that the Brooklyn
[2:35:55] community still has um the library that
[2:35:58] they expect and deserve. Uh, so through
[2:36:01] our talented staff and through our
[2:36:04] community partnerships, the public
[2:36:06] library brings the community together.
[2:36:08] They champion access to information and
[2:36:12] this budget will allow us to continue to
[2:36:14] provide the wonderful library services
[2:36:16] that the community has been relying on.
[2:36:19] Uh so thank you for your attention uh
[2:36:22] and supporting the library. I welcome
[2:36:24] any questions you have about our
[2:36:26] services or our budget proposal.
[2:36:29] Great. Thank you.
[2:36:31] Oh.
[2:36:32] All right. Thank you. Um and welcome.
[2:36:35] Thank you so much.
[2:36:36] We're glad to have you. I'm glad to be
[2:36:38] here.
[2:36:39] My family frequents the library. They
[2:36:41] love it, my kids. Um,
[2:36:43] so you mentioned that there was a 4% uh
[2:36:46] increase in visitors last year verse, I
[2:36:49] guess, year-over-year. Yeah.
[2:36:50] Um, how are we doing on um hours? Are we
[2:36:54] are hours the same? Are they decreasing?
[2:36:56] Are they increasing?
[2:36:58] Our hours have maintained the same. So
[2:37:00] that 175 hours is across all the
[2:37:02] locations. We're open 63 hours to the
[2:37:06] public
[2:37:08] uh each week. So sometimes we overlap
[2:37:11] often at different locations. That's
[2:37:12] more in people's neighborhood, easier to
[2:37:14] get to. Um but our hours really haven't
[2:37:16] changed. Um we try to make sure we have
[2:37:18] a mix of evenings available, weekend
[2:37:21] hours on Saturday and Sunday, so all
[2:37:25] everyone in the community can help take
[2:37:26] advantage of what we have going on. So,
[2:37:28] while you've increased 4% yearonear,
[2:37:31] your budget's gone up 1%, you're still
[2:37:33] maintaining the same level of service.
[2:37:34] Uh, we're very good at being thrifty in
[2:37:37] the public library. We're we believe in
[2:37:39] sharing. Uh, so it is a challenge with
[2:37:42] so many people coming through our doors
[2:37:44] all the time. Um, and you know, frankly,
[2:37:47] for people looking for things to do
[2:37:48] after school or in school vacation week,
[2:37:51] those programs get in, you know,
[2:37:52] particularly slammed. Uh, but we are
[2:37:55] still working with what we have. We're
[2:37:57] very fortunate to have our foundation.
[2:37:59] We have a runner for team Brooklyn, just
[2:38:01] to mention uh and our friends group and
[2:38:04] our trusts that uh our trustees manage.
[2:38:06] Those help us fill in those gaps.
[2:38:08] Great. Well, thank you. And we're
[2:38:09] fortunate to have you.
[2:38:10] Oh, thank you so much,
[2:38:13] David.
[2:38:14] I know that uh several years ago you
[2:38:16] started a a tools library at the Koolage
[2:38:19] Corner Library. I'm wondering what other
[2:38:21] types of innovative concepts have maybe
[2:38:24] come up for what a library can be for
[2:38:27] its community.
[2:38:28] Oh, that's a huge question. Uh the
[2:38:31] library things continues to be all the
[2:38:33] rage. I will say across libraries and I
[2:38:36] would say that the articles that we get
[2:38:38] asked to do the most with local papers
[2:38:40] tend to be trying to highlight this
[2:38:42] collection. I believe um we just had a a
[2:38:46] university come and wanted to ask what's
[2:38:48] up with the tool library in Kulage
[2:38:50] because they're trying to promote it to
[2:38:51] their student base um who study
[2:38:54] frequently at the college corner
[2:38:55] library. Um in terms of things to put in
[2:38:58] there, I mean we have VR headsets. I
[2:39:00] mean there's lots of games. Um and when
[2:39:04] you say game you you might just think
[2:39:06] pure recreation, but sometimes they're
[2:39:08] tools that help build conversations with
[2:39:10] people. Uh, our ELLL program has kits so
[2:39:14] people could check out uh a dictionary,
[2:39:16] but also a cookbook and and things that
[2:39:19] will help them do a real life task, but
[2:39:22] lean on some resources from the library.
[2:39:24] Um, there there's all sorts of things in
[2:39:26] that collection that can just make
[2:39:28] everything um so much richer for people
[2:39:31] at home without having to invest a lot
[2:39:33] of money. Uh, our databases are also
[2:39:35] really interesting. that press reader
[2:39:37] tool. If you haven't used it, I totally
[2:39:39] recommend you pop on our website, try it
[2:39:41] out because if you've ever been
[2:39:43] frustrated about not getting access to
[2:39:45] something, most of those major uh
[2:39:47] journals are in there. Um, but I think
[2:39:49] right now it it shouldn't be
[2:39:51] revolutionary, but access to information
[2:39:53] is getting harder and finding good
[2:39:55] information is even harder. So, your
[2:39:57] question about AI um rang with me a lot
[2:40:01] because, uh, we want to try to help
[2:40:03] people use the tools available as best
[2:40:04] we can. So, I think that's an area that
[2:40:06] the library can do more in to try to
[2:40:08] help u make sense of the information
[2:40:12] confusion that is out there right now.
[2:40:14] Thank you,
[2:40:16] Joey.
[2:40:18] Welcome to uh Brooklyn.
[2:40:19] Thank you. Um, and I'm going to say a
[2:40:21] word on behalf of the databases that are
[2:40:25] available through the library because I
[2:40:27] think that uh a lot of people don't are
[2:40:29] not aware of of just how rich uh a part
[2:40:33] of the library collections that is. And
[2:40:36] um two that I reference frequently
[2:40:41] um are the Brooklyn annual reports
[2:40:43] databases. You can search every single
[2:40:46] Town of Brooklyn annual report from 1846
[2:40:48] to 2017. Um the others, in case people
[2:40:52] are wondering, are available through the
[2:40:53] town website. And then um personal
[2:40:56] favorite of mine, the Brooklyn newspaper
[2:40:58] archive. Um I spent 10 years as the
[2:41:01] editor of a paper called the Brooklyn
[2:41:03] Chronicle Citizen. we and um don't want
[2:41:06] to date myself too much, but in those
[2:41:07] days the the way we archived the
[2:41:10] newspaper was to save a copy every week
[2:41:13] and then by the end of the year you'd
[2:41:15] have a great big bound volume and I mean
[2:41:17] it was huge. Um, and then we'd set aside
[2:41:21] a couple more copies just sort of in a
[2:41:23] pile. And when I um left after 10 years,
[2:41:27] I thought I don't I can't bear the
[2:41:29] thought that all of the work that went
[2:41:31] into the newspaper for the 10 years I
[2:41:33] was editor will be lost to me. and and I
[2:41:36] hauled all these newspapers and kept
[2:41:39] them in our basement for more years than
[2:41:42] I wish to recite until all of a sudden
[2:41:45] one day I woke up and realized I don't
[2:41:47] need to do that and I can search every
[2:41:50] article that was published by every
[2:41:52] reporter um and every article I wrote
[2:41:54] from my time at that newspaper, you
[2:41:57] know, in no time at all. And if people
[2:42:00] don't fully appreciate newspapers are
[2:42:03] great, you know, uh, sources for for
[2:42:06] local history and and you can find some
[2:42:09] really fascinating local history just by
[2:42:11] going through the newspaper archive. And
[2:42:13] there's more than one newspaper, not
[2:42:15] just the one I edited, but then there
[2:42:17] were su successor newspapers. So, thank
[2:42:20] you. I'm not really asking you for a
[2:42:21] comment, but I'm just telling telling
[2:42:23] people of Brooklyn, this is another
[2:42:25] great resource at the library. I'm so
[2:42:27] glad we were there to preserve that with
[2:42:29] you. So, thank you.
[2:42:31] Yeah. One thing that I'm really
[2:42:33] fascinated by is the 3D printer,
[2:42:36] although I've never gotten my act
[2:42:38] together to go over and and learn um how
[2:42:41] to use it and what it's used for. Can
[2:42:43] you talk about that?
[2:42:45] Yeah, a lot of people love the 3D
[2:42:47] printer. So, if you come to the Brooklyn
[2:42:49] Village location on the ground level by
[2:42:51] the elevator, you could see it in action
[2:42:54] printing off jobs that people have
[2:42:56] requested. Uh, and people are very
[2:42:58] creative. There's also a display case
[2:42:59] right next to it. So, you can see some
[2:43:01] of the projects that have uh people have
[2:43:04] created. So, everything from, you know,
[2:43:07] a a little screw that will fit in uh
[2:43:10] your glasses to being able to keep
[2:43:12] things going uh to cookie cutters or u
[2:43:15] artistic work. It's really pretty
[2:43:17] impressive. So, what you do is you're
[2:43:20] learning about how to design uh a
[2:43:22] three-dimensional object that will be
[2:43:24] printed on a platform and the design
[2:43:27] programs, many of them are free that you
[2:43:29] can use and tinker with. And then you
[2:43:31] see the the product of your work to see
[2:43:34] if you got those dimensions correct. Um
[2:43:37] I also am a novice at 3D printing, but
[2:43:40] we have some staff that are absolutely
[2:43:42] fantastic at it. So, if it's something
[2:43:43] you want to learn, uh, we can help you,
[2:43:46] uh, learn, see a tutorial to get you off
[2:43:49] the ground. We do programming around it,
[2:43:51] uh, but it will also be able to help you
[2:43:52] print it for free in the end, too, which
[2:43:55] is, uh, unusual. That's not always
[2:43:57] offered in a lot of public libraries.
[2:43:59] So, please come in. We'll help you out.
[2:44:00] And please see the display case. When
[2:44:02] you see it in action, you're like, "Wow,
[2:44:04] I could be that creative, too."
[2:44:10] Okay. Thank you.
[2:44:11] Thank you so much. interesting and
[2:44:13] welcome to Brooklyn.
[2:44:14] I appreciate it. Thank you so much and
[2:44:16] have a great evening.
[2:44:17] You too.
[2:44:20] Uh, next, Department of Public Works. I
[2:44:23] think um, Commissioner Shoots on
[2:44:26] the whole team is online.
[2:44:28] Okay.
[2:44:32] Good evening.
[2:44:36] So, uh, we'll go ahead and pull up our
[2:44:39] slides. Um,
[2:44:42] I know you're probably taking that down.
[2:44:46] Um,
[2:44:48] but I guess, okay, I'll just get
[2:44:50] started. So, uh, good evening, chair,
[2:44:52] members of the select board. I'm pleased
[2:44:53] to be here with, uh, the incredible DPW
[2:44:56] leadership team to present the
[2:44:58] Department of Public Works FY27 budget.
[2:45:01] Public works touches nearly every part
[2:45:03] of daily life in Brooklyn from streets,
[2:45:06] sidewalks, parks, water and sewer,
[2:45:08] sanitation, trees, sustainability, and
[2:45:11] emergency response. For FY27, our focus
[2:45:14] is straightforward. Maintain core
[2:45:17] service delivery, improve the condition
[2:45:19] of our assets, strengthen internal
[2:45:21] capacity, and continue modernizing how
[2:45:24] we serve the public. The DPW operating
[2:45:27] budget is 21.1 million, an increase of
[2:45:31] about 1.6% over FY26.
[2:45:35] The water and sewer enterprise budget is
[2:45:38] 35.6 million, an increase of about 3.1%.
[2:45:42] Across both budgets, we've worked to
[2:45:44] preserve service delivery, absorb fixed
[2:45:46] cost pressures where possible, and
[2:45:49] continue making targeted investments in
[2:45:51] core operations and infrastructure. The
[2:45:54] DPW budget reflects a cut of two FTEEs
[2:45:57] and some services. The increase in
[2:46:00] contractual obligations includes
[2:46:02] personnel steps and um other contractual
[2:46:05] services uh largely grounds maintenance
[2:46:07] and sanitation. Uh this includes not
[2:46:10] only trash and recycling tonnage but
[2:46:12] also non-CAL increases and hazardous
[2:46:15] waste, white goods, mattresses, compost,
[2:46:18] yard waste, etc. Uh we did receive a
[2:46:20] question at advisory around how much was
[2:46:22] associated specifically with trash um
[2:46:26] collection and that's $69,000
[2:46:29] of that in FY26. I would highlight three
[2:46:32] major accomplishments. Uh first, we
[2:46:35] successfully transitioned to the town's
[2:46:37] new trash collection uh model, which is
[2:46:40] providing strong service to residents
[2:46:42] while also allowing town staff to focus
[2:46:45] more capacity on other important public
[2:46:47] works services. Second, we continued to
[2:46:50] strengthen our asset management
[2:46:51] approach, including roadway and sidewalk
[2:46:53] planning, maintenance, prioritization,
[2:46:55] and long range capital coordination. And
[2:46:58] third, we invested in our work through
[2:47:00] force through internal promotions,
[2:47:02] in-house CDL training, technical and
[2:47:04] safety training, and stronger interdep
[2:47:06] departmental and regional coordination,
[2:47:08] including water and sewer emergency
[2:47:10] response training with MWR.
[2:47:13] For FY27,
[2:47:15] our work is organized around six cross
[2:47:18] department priorities. uh communication
[2:47:20] and customer service, staffing,
[2:47:23] retention and capacity building, asset
[2:47:25] management and maintenance,
[2:47:26] environmental health and safety, digital
[2:47:28] transformation, and climate resiliency
[2:47:30] and environmental sustainability. These
[2:47:32] priorities help us manage a broad and
[2:47:35] complex department in a more coordinated
[2:47:37] and accountable way for detailed goals
[2:47:40] and accomplishments across each
[2:47:41] division. We have about 140 in the
[2:47:43] budget book that support these
[2:47:45] priorities.
[2:47:47] Within these six priorities, our FY27
[2:47:50] focus is on practical improvements that
[2:47:52] support both service and accountability.
[2:47:54] On customer service, that includes
[2:47:56] improved communication tools, community
[2:47:58] engagement, and continued strong
[2:48:01] performance in trash collection. And
[2:48:03] working on improved and predictable
[2:48:05] community engagement protocol on
[2:48:07] staffing, it means growing internal
[2:48:08] capacity through training and
[2:48:10] promotions. And with asset management,
[2:48:12] it means keeping roads, sidewalks,
[2:48:14] parks, and utility systems in a state of
[2:48:17] good repair using data and life cycle
[2:48:19] planning.
[2:48:21] For safety, it means stronger
[2:48:23] onboarding, investigations, and updated
[2:48:26] policies. For digital transformation,
[2:48:28] we're looking at moving more permitting
[2:48:30] and record systems to modern platforms.
[2:48:33] And regarding climate and
[2:48:34] sustainability, it means moving from
[2:48:36] planning to implementation through the
[2:48:38] climate action and resiliency plan, the
[2:48:40] open space and recreation plan, and
[2:48:43] vision zero plan and others. So for
[2:48:46] FY27, our priorities are closely aligned
[2:48:49] with the select boards. We're supporting
[2:48:52] implementation of the town's major
[2:48:53] plans, including the climate action
[2:48:56] resiliency plan uh that you will see in
[2:48:58] the coming weeks. uh as we think about
[2:49:00] cost efficiencies and value uh overall I
[2:49:04] want to underscore underscore that our
[2:49:05] sustainability and natural resources
[2:49:07] function has brought in 3.2 million to
[2:49:10] the town since FY24
[2:49:13] and just received notice that our
[2:49:14] application met the rigorous climate
[2:49:16] leader community requirements opening
[2:49:18] access to over 1 million in energy
[2:49:21] efficiency and renewable energy funding
[2:49:23] per year to the town. This division is
[2:49:25] also leading the solar expansion
[2:49:28] initiative that will result in
[2:49:29] significant reduced costs for the town
[2:49:31] over time.
[2:49:33] Another significant place of alignment
[2:49:35] with the select board's road map and
[2:49:37] priorities is what we're continuing um
[2:49:41] is that we're continuing to improve
[2:49:43] Brook Lion's roadway and sidewalks
[2:49:45] through a costbenefit valuebased asset
[2:49:48] management approach. Um this is one of
[2:49:51] the primary uh goals for the select
[2:49:53] board. Um, we've completed our analysis,
[2:49:57] our conditions assessment of the roads
[2:49:58] and determined the most fis fiscally
[2:50:01] proactive and responsible approach for
[2:50:03] maintaining the roads with the funding
[2:50:06] available. Uh, this year Hammond and
[2:50:08] Harvard will be rehabilitated. The
[2:50:11] overall um cost uh for the roads is
[2:50:15] about $100 million uh for the renovation
[2:50:19] of roads. Uh the roads are mapped by
[2:50:22] treatment and by year uh for the best
[2:50:25] value for the town. Uh and then uh we're
[2:50:29] also looking at this slide specifically
[2:50:32] just to show you kind of a change over
[2:50:34] time. Um it shows the change in roadway
[2:50:37] maintenance work since 2016 through
[2:50:41] 2025.
[2:50:42] And this is specifically looking at
[2:50:45] square yards of paving.
[2:50:48] Um and the highest year or last last
[2:50:52] year 25 uh we had about four miles. So
[2:50:56] that that was about four miles worth of
[2:50:58] paving uh whereas in FY16 it was less
[2:51:02] than half a mile. So the pavement the
[2:51:05] select board's pavement maintenance and
[2:51:07] management policy has enabled
[2:51:08] maintenance work to go forward based on
[2:51:11] this model while also asking the
[2:51:13] transportation board and staff to
[2:51:16] prioritize critical complete street
[2:51:18] vision zero safe routes to school and
[2:51:20] bicycle accommodation projects. Um so as
[2:51:24] you can see as we look forward we'll
[2:51:26] continue on that uh strong trend.
[2:51:29] Sidewalk and ramp work is also strong.
[2:51:32] You heard from Jim Lee, chair of the
[2:51:33] Commission on Disabilities earlier about
[2:51:35] improvements in this area. We're working
[2:51:38] ahead of the roadway work and
[2:51:39] incorporating not only the conditions
[2:51:41] assessment, but also priorities from the
[2:51:43] Commission on Disability and the
[2:51:44] Pedestrian Advisory Committee. We're
[2:51:46] incorporating those into the annual work
[2:51:48] plan. We are thrilled to see a
[2:51:51] significant increase in our staff's
[2:51:54] ability to do this work inhouse as well.
[2:51:56] in FY25.
[2:51:58] Uh we were only able to accomplish about
[2:52:00] a quarter of a mile um worth of sidewalk
[2:52:03] work. Uh and this year um we'll be over
[2:52:06] two miles of sidewalk work completed
[2:52:08] with this crew and then we're looking to
[2:52:10] grow that by another third uh in the
[2:52:13] year ahead. So we're really glad that
[2:52:15] we'll be able we're able to focus uh on
[2:52:18] some of the um in-house talent that we
[2:52:21] have uh to provide some of this work for
[2:52:24] the town. And we are stretching town
[2:52:26] dollars with our trip hazard removal
[2:52:29] program. We're working with a contractor
[2:52:31] who inspects the sidewalks, documents
[2:52:33] trip hazards that fall within the range
[2:52:35] that they can address, usually a/ inch
[2:52:37] to 2 in, documents what the town needs
[2:52:40] to replace, and then slices the sidewalk
[2:52:43] with a precision blade that is far more
[2:52:45] effective than um grinding. We completed
[2:52:49] 13 miles of sidewalk uh in 25 and to
[2:52:53] date in 26 and we're looking at 20 new
[2:52:57] roads for the balance of 26 and through
[2:52:59] 27. This is estimated to save 80% uh
[2:53:04] over full sidewalk replacement. We may
[2:53:07] need to go back and replace the sidewalk
[2:53:09] in time, but it's improving the
[2:53:11] condition and extending its useful life.
[2:53:13] And uh this next slide is just a before
[2:53:17] and an after picture. So if you um if
[2:53:20] you see this, you'll know that this has
[2:53:22] been inventoried and is part of our
[2:53:25] program now to remove these trip
[2:53:27] hazards. Um we also have very ex
[2:53:30] exciting complete street work happening
[2:53:32] in the public way such as Washington
[2:53:34] Street, the bridal path, Lincoln school,
[2:53:36] safe routes to school, traffic calming.
[2:53:38] These are all moving forward and some
[2:53:40] leveraging significant state and federal
[2:53:43] dollars.
[2:53:46] And I would be remiss in not recognizing
[2:53:49] the 170 men and women of public works
[2:53:52] that support Brooklyn every day and also
[2:53:55] their incredible work. Uh this winter it
[2:53:58] was a challenging season. It was also
[2:54:01] incredibly um cold in addition to uh
[2:54:05] some tough uh snow events.
[2:54:09] So um here's our season recap. They did
[2:54:11] an excellent job this winter with very
[2:54:15] little sleep and a lot of snow removal.
[2:54:20] Um and I don't know if you've seen this
[2:54:23] image of the um DPW yard. This is our
[2:54:26] facility up at the transfer station. Um,
[2:54:29] this was actually not at its peak. Um,
[2:54:33] but the the transfer station in this uh
[2:54:36] snow dump, it's it's really invaluable
[2:54:38] during the winter season to help the
[2:54:40] town res resume day-to-day operations um
[2:54:44] following significant snow events. Snow
[2:54:47] removal is essential for public safety,
[2:54:49] teacher parking, commercial area
[2:54:51] parking, opening up intersections,
[2:54:53] sidewalk ramps, and parking lots. So,
[2:54:55] it's really important and helpful that
[2:54:58] this is something that we do um with our
[2:55:02] own site and facility because hauling um
[2:55:05] the snow out of town would be incredibly
[2:55:08] expensive.
[2:55:10] So, uh in closing, the FY27
[2:55:14] budget is designed to do three things.
[2:55:16] uh protect essential daily services,
[2:55:18] improve condition and management of the
[2:55:20] town's assets, and continue modernizing
[2:55:23] the way the department operates and
[2:55:26] serves the public. Um the division
[2:55:28] directors are here and we're glad to
[2:55:32] answer any questions that you may have.
[2:55:35] Thank you.
[2:55:37] Questions from the select board?
[2:55:42] John,
[2:55:43] I'll jump in.
[2:55:45] um Aaron and and the the division heads,
[2:55:48] thank you so much. And I I do hope
[2:55:50] people realize that uh the selectboard
[2:55:53] review of this budget is going to be
[2:55:55] cursory compared to the advisory
[2:55:56] committee review which I happened to
[2:55:58] witness the other night and it went on
[2:56:02] for more than two hours, right? I'm not
[2:56:04] exactly
[2:56:04] four. It was four and that was our
[2:56:07] fourth budget meeting.
[2:56:08] Yeah. I mean it did talk about going
[2:56:12] through a budget, you know, with a comb,
[2:56:14] fine tooth comb, cliche, sorry. Um the
[2:56:18] the advisory committee uh did did a
[2:56:20] terrific job of uh checking on every
[2:56:23] single aspect of your operations. And I
[2:56:26] I I really recommend to people that they
[2:56:28] if they've got the time, check out that
[2:56:31] exchange that went on and on and on and
[2:56:34] on. you will understand more about the
[2:56:36] DPW operations and the incredible
[2:56:38] breadth of them. Um the incred the the
[2:56:41] way that they impact us in so many
[2:56:43] different aspects of our lives and the
[2:56:45] complexity of having to be in charge of
[2:56:50] you know every single part of the town
[2:56:54] every day and all these services that we
[2:56:57] take for granted. you know, the trash
[2:56:59] pickup, but also just the the the
[2:57:02] ability to enjoy the a walk on a
[2:57:04] sidewalk, the the the condition of our
[2:57:06] streets that we use every day. Um, it it
[2:57:09] really is impressive and I I can't say
[2:57:11] enough about um the the work that the
[2:57:13] department does. At the same time, I
[2:57:16] have a question. Sorry for the long
[2:57:18] preface. Um I I am I I I'm very pleased
[2:57:22] that the select board in recent years
[2:57:25] through policy emphasis has you know
[2:57:28] worked with the DPW to shift more and
[2:57:31] more resources into uh a stepped up
[2:57:35] program of addressing the needs of our
[2:57:37] streets. And you showed that in a slide.
[2:57:39] It went by pretty fast. People might not
[2:57:41] have fully appreciated what that slide
[2:57:42] showed, but it really did show dramatic
[2:57:45] increases going forward in the number of
[2:57:48] streets we're going to be able to
[2:57:49] address. That that is where I love to
[2:57:52] see the the emphasis of the DPW. Where I
[2:57:55] have doubts is on a couple of these um
[2:57:58] one one in particular um the the Beacon
[2:58:01] Street bridal path wi which we've
[2:58:03] already appropriated a million dollars
[2:58:05] for. And
[2:58:08] at this point, you know, all we know
[2:58:10] about it is that it consumes a lot of
[2:58:13] planning and coordination uh with the
[2:58:15] state. Um I don't think we really have a
[2:58:19] hard date as to when you know the work
[2:58:22] might be done. I don't think we have a
[2:58:24] clear indication of whether this is even
[2:58:28] feasible, you know, gi given the layout
[2:58:31] of uh the streets as as they exist today
[2:58:34] and the use of the streets for parking
[2:58:36] areas uh for trees uh you name it. um
[2:58:42] are at what point will we get a sense of
[2:58:45] how much this is going to cost us
[2:58:47] altogether
[2:58:49] and at the end of the day do we have a
[2:58:52] real good handle on how much it will be
[2:58:55] used because I've heard people say they
[2:58:58] love the sidewalks
[2:59:00] and they don't really feel any need for
[2:59:03] a path that is adjacent to a trolley
[2:59:06] track and then I've heard other people
[2:59:08] say they would love to have exclusive
[2:59:10] use of the uh the the Breen Beacon
[2:59:14] Street bridal path for high-speed bike
[2:59:17] commuting. Well, that doesn't mix.
[2:59:19] That's not something that mixes in a
[2:59:21] multimodal way, you know, with people
[2:59:24] walking their kids, you know, or
[2:59:26] strolling or el older people walking at
[2:59:29] a slow pace. So, do we even agree on
[2:59:32] what this is going to be used for? I I
[2:59:34] I'm puzzled by it and all I know is
[2:59:37] we've already spent, you know, we've
[2:59:39] already appropriated a million dollars.
[2:59:41] Have we spent any of that money? That's
[2:59:43] the other thing that kind of puzzles me.
[2:59:44] Uh when you consider how little there is
[2:59:46] to show for this, are we spending that
[2:59:48] money?
[2:59:50] That's a lot.
[2:59:51] I know. Um sorry, I went on a
[2:59:54] and you know, and as you know, this has
[2:59:56] been supported by town meeting and was a
[2:59:59] grassroots effort. So, um there is a um
[3:00:03] a broad uh design review committee that
[3:00:06] has been established. I think that we're
[3:00:09] going to have to figure all of that out
[3:00:11] together. There is not a we we don't
[3:00:15] know what the cost is yet. We don't know
[3:00:17] what the schedule is yet. That will um
[3:00:21] that will evolve through the process.
[3:00:25] um the design team. So tool um
[3:00:30] is the consultant working on this uh has
[3:00:33] been doing a lot of the sort of
[3:00:35] groundwork on um sort of the the base
[3:00:40] concept working on pulling together a
[3:00:43] lot of safety related data over the last
[3:00:45] 10 years regarding um crashes,
[3:00:48] incidents. And we have a roadway safety
[3:00:50] audit um and meeting that's coming up
[3:00:54] with mass DOT and whole police fire.
[3:00:57] It's a huge group of people that really
[3:01:00] look at safety associated with current
[3:01:02] conditions and then ultimately that is
[3:01:05] evaluated based on what the proposed
[3:01:07] design. I think you put forward a lot of
[3:01:11] questions that the design review
[3:01:13] committee is going to have to grapple
[3:01:15] with in terms of uh of the bridal path
[3:01:20] itself, use of the bridal path, access
[3:01:22] to it, and what the tradeoffs are. So,
[3:01:26] um I think we're going to hear a lot of
[3:01:29] different opinions as to um what it is,
[3:01:32] how it'll be used, and the trade-offs.
[3:01:34] And we're going to have to do a lot of
[3:01:36] thoughtful design about um how we would
[3:01:40] design that in the best way to serve the
[3:01:42] most people in the community. And the
[3:01:44] town will have time to to decide um
[3:01:48] whether it's something that they want to
[3:01:50] uh move forward with. And I would say we
[3:01:52] would have a better sense of cost
[3:01:55] probably around 25% design. At this
[3:01:58] point, the consultant team still has
[3:02:02] additional survey work to do. Um, and
[3:02:06] it's been quite complex in terms of
[3:02:08] getting all the cert survey information
[3:02:10] around the tas uh and other utility work
[3:02:14] that was going on. So, this the survey
[3:02:16] itself uh is taking an extended time
[3:02:19] once they have that base information.
[3:02:21] We've already done a lot of information
[3:02:23] gathering from the community in terms of
[3:02:25] defining the project, getting
[3:02:26] information from the community in terms
[3:02:28] of kind of their hopes and dreams about
[3:02:30] it. But once we have the survey and some
[3:02:32] base concepts, then um the public
[3:02:35] process will really be off and running.
[3:02:37] So the public will have something to
[3:02:38] respond to, which I think is is
[3:02:40] important.
[3:02:41] Real quick though, how much of the money
[3:02:43] have we spent, the million dollars that
[3:02:45] we appropriated?
[3:02:47] So, it's a $3 million contract
[3:02:50] um with
[3:02:52] uh $2 million provided from federal
[3:02:54] government and a million dollars
[3:02:56] provided by the town. We've spent about
[3:02:59] $500,000 to date.
[3:03:02] So, and the next appropriation date, you
[3:03:05] think, will be when
[3:03:08] appropriation for additional funds?
[3:03:10] Well, well, when are we going to sort of
[3:03:11] run out of the first million and then
[3:03:13] need more?
[3:03:15] Uh we have an item I think a couple
[3:03:18] years out in the CIP. So this gets us to
[3:03:23] 75%
[3:03:25] um
[3:03:27] into the mass DOT tip process. So the
[3:03:30] intent is to submit this to mass DOT and
[3:03:34] I think as we all know that's another
[3:03:35] layer of um
[3:03:38] just complication and reports and
[3:03:41] analysis that's required um to
[3:03:45] uh to move through that.
[3:03:46] Yeahess quick comment by me and thank
[3:03:49] you for your answers. I I can't help but
[3:03:51] think about all the streets we could
[3:03:53] additional streets we could be
[3:03:54] addressing that need fixing. Now, you
[3:03:58] know, when you're talking about a
[3:03:59] million and more dollars and we still
[3:04:03] don't know what we're getting with that
[3:04:05] million and more dollars, but we would
[3:04:07] know what we would get if we spend it to
[3:04:09] fix more streets. And that's just me,
[3:04:11] you know, delivering a little sermon
[3:04:13] here.
[3:04:16] Paul,
[3:04:17] yep. Uh, thank you, Erin, and for your
[3:04:20] team for all the great work uh that you
[3:04:23] that you do and that you've done. Um, I
[3:04:25] think this your my involvement in your
[3:04:28] work is probably one of the things that
[3:04:29] I'll miss most in leaving the select
[3:04:32] board. Um, I'm like John, I'm pleased to
[3:04:35] see that the incredible change in the
[3:04:39] paved miles. Um, which was a direct
[3:04:41] result of of your willingness to be open
[3:04:45] to change uh when Mike Sandman and I
[3:04:47] approached you a couple of years ago to
[3:04:49] to address that. And I just I think
[3:04:50] that's a testament to um how your your
[3:04:55] willingness to continually innovate and
[3:04:57] change um makes our town better. Um the
[3:05:02] you know the other thing that um I'm I'm
[3:05:05] really proud that you've done um and I
[3:05:08] think this is a testament to who you are
[3:05:10] and your team uh the work that you did
[3:05:12] for the Washington Street redesign. you
[3:05:15] know, there's a lot of people that threw
[3:05:16] arrows at you, including some sitting at
[3:05:19] this table about that. Um, and you know,
[3:05:24] it it takes vision and stick tuitiveness
[3:05:27] to make change like that happen. Um, I
[3:05:31] can't imagine the headwinds uh of the
[3:05:34] visionaries that laid out Beacon Street
[3:05:36] and started to buy up land and people
[3:05:38] probably thought they were crazy, John.
[3:05:41] um you know that resulted in what we
[3:05:43] have today including what used to be the
[3:05:46] bridal path. Um I I think that uh when
[3:05:50] Olmstead and the visionaries for the
[3:05:52] emerald necklace imagine the questions
[3:05:55] how much is this going to cost? What is
[3:05:57] it going to be done? Tell us now. Um you
[3:06:00] know if if those voices prevailed we
[3:06:03] wouldn't have it. Um, so I as someone
[3:06:07] who lives uh about 50 feet from the
[3:06:10] proposed well I'll say 50 yards from the
[3:06:12] proposed uh bridal path um I I strongly
[3:06:16] encourage that you stick to it uh
[3:06:20] despite the uh the voices of opposition
[3:06:23] or uh concern or doubt um because I
[3:06:27] think that's what we need uh vision and
[3:06:30] stick tuitiveness in order to have
[3:06:32] change that innovative change that would
[3:06:34] improve improve our community for a
[3:06:36] lifetime, a generation, uh needs to
[3:06:39] happen. Uh I'm just uh I'm sad that by
[3:06:42] the time my by the time it's done, I
[3:06:44] believe my children will be in college
[3:06:46] and they will be riding their bikes. But
[3:06:48] John, you know, we we live right on
[3:06:51] Let's not make this personal.
[3:06:52] It's not personal.
[3:06:54] I I I'm I'm giving a lot of kudos to to
[3:06:56] what's going on.
[3:06:57] I think you're really going over the
[3:06:58] line in terms of
[3:07:01] critique of John.
[3:07:02] I'm not critiquing John. I support John
[3:07:04] 100% about his and I encourage his uh
[3:07:07] his his opposition. But um again, I want
[3:07:09] to thank you for the work that you and
[3:07:12] your team has done. Um I won't get to
[3:07:15] say this again because I want to be on
[3:07:16] the board the next time you come for a
[3:07:17] budget hearing. So I'm going to use my
[3:07:20] discretion in giving you as much as I
[3:07:21] can. So thank you very much.
[3:07:23] Thank you,
[3:07:24] Michael.
[3:07:26] Um so uh my my colleagues comments uh as
[3:07:32] as prelude um I'll just jump right in.
[3:07:35] Um there's been a lot of talk of the
[3:07:38] progress to date. Um I'm you know and I
[3:07:40] have asked the question and David has
[3:07:43] also asked the question specifically
[3:07:45] about AI. Um, and I appreciate that DPW
[3:07:50] is largely dealing with the interface of
[3:07:53] the physical world, um, with all of the
[3:07:56] processes and, uh, technology that we
[3:08:01] that we assemble as a town. So, um, not
[3:08:04] only speaking to the question of the use
[3:08:06] of AI, um, I wonder if you have any
[3:08:09] thoughts more broadly about sort of the
[3:08:11] long-term technology trajectories that
[3:08:14] you are looking at and considering, um,
[3:08:17] and how those will affect the operations
[3:08:20] and the services of DPI, DPW moving
[3:08:24] forward.
[3:08:25] It's a it's a great question. feels like
[3:08:27] it's ever changing and we are we're
[3:08:30] constantly getting um you know different
[3:08:33] uh vendors reaching out to us with a
[3:08:36] host of different technologies that uh
[3:08:39] they're hoping to
[3:08:40] to present to us. I I see a lot uh in
[3:08:43] the way of AI certainly uh survey the
[3:08:47] the conditions assessment of the roads
[3:08:50] are now done fully with uh AI
[3:08:54] um and
[3:08:57] you know I think we'll certainly be
[3:08:59] looking at services for us right now
[3:09:01] it's a lot of the
[3:09:03] actual technologies standard operating
[3:09:07] procedures sort of writing standard
[3:09:08] operating procedures um looking for
[3:09:10] discrepancies between um sort of
[3:09:14] multiple different procedures and being
[3:09:17] able to do that very quickly and
[3:09:18] optimizing uh those procedures I think
[3:09:21] is a way that we'll use um AI and also
[3:09:27] uh turn by turn um
[3:09:31] directional optimization for example for
[3:09:35] snow removal and having um you know
[3:09:39] tablets in each vehicle which is giving
[3:09:43] the plow drivers the exact routes. It's
[3:09:46] giving us the documentation on where you
[3:09:49] know what's been plowed, how many times
[3:09:51] at what times, but also then when we
[3:09:54] have to bring someone down for uh either
[3:09:56] downtime or arrest or make adjustments,
[3:09:58] we then make quick quick shifts and can
[3:10:02] make sure that we are um optimizing uh
[3:10:06] that work. And that'll apply also for
[3:10:08] street sweeping and documenting
[3:10:10] catchbasin cleaning and uh so I think
[3:10:13] both the documentation and making sure
[3:10:15] that uh we're we're being as thorough as
[3:10:18] we need to be.
[3:10:20] Thank you
[3:10:24] David. So, I have a question about the
[3:10:27] uh how sanitation
[3:10:29] is currently working out, whether you
[3:10:32] anticipate any changes moving into the
[3:10:35] next fiscal year uh given some of the
[3:10:38] challenges at um the the center that we
[3:10:42] have by
[3:10:44] Lost Pond Sanctuary and also uh just the
[3:10:48] change over to Cassella.
[3:10:50] Okay. So, I'll I'll start and then
[3:10:53] Kevin, if you want to um jump in. So, as
[3:10:56] this board knows, we um have a a sort of
[3:11:01] a structural uh deficiency in the
[3:11:04] transfer station floor. It's a building
[3:11:06] that's 75 years old and um the floor has
[3:11:11] been worn down um and to a point at
[3:11:14] which uh we now need to construct a
[3:11:17] temporary transfer station uh which
[3:11:20] we're doing with a um temporary uh sort
[3:11:23] of uh struct it's an armature type frame
[3:11:28] building uh that'll enclose the
[3:11:30] operation while we um work on a
[3:11:33] full-time solution. So, I will say um
[3:11:36] that our contractor has been incredibly
[3:11:39] flexible with us. Um we had to sort of
[3:11:42] stop their operation and have them haul
[3:11:45] our trash out direct for several days
[3:11:47] while we worked with D to um get
[3:11:50] authorization to use one of our open
[3:11:52] bays um to have the trash brought in
[3:11:54] daily and then um resume the operation
[3:11:58] in that location until we could
[3:12:00] construct this um this facility. So once
[3:12:03] we do this and it will be uh temporary
[3:12:06] um
[3:12:08] we don't see any changes uh in the short
[3:12:12] term and uh nor do we see any changes at
[3:12:16] this point until we're able to construct
[3:12:18] that building which we hope will be done
[3:12:21] uh this fall.
[3:12:23] Do you anticipate needing any broader
[3:12:26] changes at the transfer station? I know
[3:12:28] there had been discussions prior to this
[3:12:31] collapse of possibly needing a
[3:12:32] significant renovation of that whole
[3:12:35] facility.
[3:12:36] Yes, we do believe that the transfer
[3:12:39] station itself is long overdue for
[3:12:42] replacement. Uh so that is something
[3:12:45] that we'll be um analyzing through the
[3:12:49] feasibility study. um that won't be a
[3:12:52] full um design or cost estimate, but
[3:12:55] just the overall um value to the town.
[3:12:59] We have we actually have plans uh for a
[3:13:03] new transfer station from when the
[3:13:05] landfill was capped in the early 2000s.
[3:13:08] So, it it was the intent to actually
[3:13:10] replace the building then. um but cost
[3:13:13] estimates exceeded um what had been set
[3:13:16] aside for the capping and so um the
[3:13:20] building wasn't uh reconstructed at that
[3:13:23] time. So um
[3:13:27] I think that
[3:13:31] I think that's going to be a community
[3:13:32] conversation, you know, around around
[3:13:35] that new building and the value long
[3:13:37] term to the town. We we think it's
[3:13:42] a an asset and provides the town
[3:13:45] flexibility that we wouldn't want you to
[3:13:47] lose in the long term.
[3:13:50] Thank you.
[3:13:52] Cheers. And just quickly to follow up on
[3:13:54] that, um, one of the things you
[3:13:56] mentioned last year as an issue when we
[3:13:58] were talking about moving to, uh,
[3:14:00] increase Cassella's share of the, uh,
[3:14:04] um, uh, sanitation services was that
[3:14:07] there were folks who was whose time was
[3:14:10] being taken up by other by sanitation
[3:14:13] who were assigned to other activities.
[3:14:15] Do you have a sense of, you know, how
[3:14:17] that increase in sidewalk work for this
[3:14:20] from last year to this year um or from
[3:14:23] the prior year to the whatever it is two
[3:14:25] years ago to this year um is related to
[3:14:28] the fact that you now have a little more
[3:14:30] flexibility there. Do you have a sense
[3:14:32] of how much of that is is related to
[3:14:33] that?
[3:14:34] Yeah, Kevin.
[3:14:37] Yes. Uh um we've seen some um tremendous
[3:14:40] improvement on the other services that
[3:14:43] we provide for the town that we weren't
[3:14:45] able to do in the past due to the
[3:14:47] staffing needs on sanitation. Uh for a
[3:14:50] quick example, um the commissioner went
[3:14:53] over uh quickly tonight, but in the past
[3:14:56] two years, we might have uh poured
[3:15:00] less than 100 uh cubic yards of concrete
[3:15:03] uh with our in-house crews for the whole
[3:15:06] year. And from July 1st to present,
[3:15:09] obviously, till the winter, we're we're
[3:15:12] a little over 300 yards. And our goal is
[3:15:15] to maybe get up to 600 yards by July.
[3:15:17] So, that's a huge improvement just on
[3:15:20] the sidewalk maintenance. We were able
[3:15:22] to put crew uh uh crew down in the
[3:15:26] commercial areas repainting all the
[3:15:28] light poles, the the street light poles,
[3:15:30] and uh uh stuff that we've been trying
[3:15:32] to do for years just to prevent the
[3:15:35] maintenance on a lot of our assets that
[3:15:36] we're able to um accomplish now. So,
[3:15:40] yeah, we've seen a tremendous um
[3:15:42] improvement on that. And and I'd be
[3:15:46] remissed not to say that our morale at
[3:15:49] the highway has improved a lot as well
[3:15:52] because people
[3:15:55] are coming in to do what they were hired
[3:15:57] for every day.
[3:16:03] Great.
[3:16:03] Thanks. Good question.
[3:16:04] Go ahead.
[3:16:05] One more. Uh sorry. Um just to talk a
[3:16:07] little bit about water and sewer and
[3:16:09] sustainability
[3:16:11] um storm water management and the um the
[3:16:14] pipe work that we've been the the pipe
[3:16:16] inventory that we've been doing not just
[3:16:17] lead pipes but also the the storm water
[3:16:20] system. I don't know if Jay and or
[3:16:22] Alexandra want to talk about that in the
[3:16:24] context of the the car
[3:16:26] or if you I can I can jump in first. Um
[3:16:30] thanks for the question. Yeah, we've
[3:16:32] been moving right along with our, you
[3:16:35] know, our utility asset programs. First
[3:16:37] one, uh, the sewer. We've been
[3:16:39] continuing our INI program where we go
[3:16:42] in and we remove sources of clear water
[3:16:44] out of the sewer system. And we do that
[3:16:46] by aligning the pipe, basically putting
[3:16:48] a pipe inside a pipe and sealing the
[3:16:50] manhole. So, whenever we do that, it
[3:16:53] basically cuts off the water's ability
[3:16:55] to get into the sewer. And everything
[3:16:57] that enters that pipe has to go to the
[3:16:59] treatment plant. So any clear water that
[3:17:01] you can keep out, you know, keeps our
[3:17:03] cost down and it it saves, you know, the
[3:17:06] treatment cost, treatment process, and
[3:17:08] everything else. On the water side,
[3:17:10] we've been continuing our sort of get
[3:17:12] the lead out program. You know,
[3:17:14] fortunately in Brooklyn, um when they
[3:17:17] built out this town, it was mostly iron
[3:17:19] pipe, so we really didn't have any
[3:17:21] actual lead containing pipes. However,
[3:17:23] we do have what they call lead
[3:17:26] gooseeneck material, which is a flexible
[3:17:28] piece of lead that connects the iron
[3:17:30] pipe to the actual cast iron man.
[3:17:33] And we're trying to just be proactive
[3:17:35] and just get rid of those materials.
[3:17:37] There approximately like 1,600, more
[3:17:40] like probably 14,500 now. We've been
[3:17:43] aggressively removing them and we're
[3:17:45] trying to do that with um the planned
[3:17:47] work that engineering and highway are
[3:17:50] doing on on the roads that are coming
[3:17:51] up. So the last thing we want is to have
[3:17:53] an old service line pop after we've
[3:17:56] paved the road and then we just look
[3:17:58] foolish. So it's a great program,
[3:18:01] cooperative effort and it's it's going
[3:18:03] well. On the storm water front, um we've
[3:18:06] been doing a lot of work there trying to
[3:18:09] look at areas that are floodprone. We're
[3:18:12] done with our storm water model and
[3:18:14] we're working on our storm water master
[3:18:15] plan to identify those floodprone areas
[3:18:18] and come up with recommendations on how
[3:18:20] to mitigate um you know potential
[3:18:23] sources of flooding. We're also working
[3:18:26] on an aggressive um elicit discharge and
[3:18:29] detection program where we're trying to
[3:18:31] locate and remove sources of bacteria.
[3:18:33] Uh we appreciate um the previous
[3:18:36] approvals for the funding there. We've
[3:18:38] been actually able to contract with a
[3:18:40] consultant and expedite a lot of that
[3:18:43] work and make a lot of progress. So,
[3:18:45] that's a real quick overview on water,
[3:18:48] sewer, and drain, the three flavors
[3:18:49] there. And, um, I guess I'll turn it
[3:18:51] over to Alexandra if she's ready if she
[3:18:53] wants to add anything on the
[3:18:54] sustainability front.
[3:18:58] Sure, thank you. Um, I will just say,
[3:19:01] you know, Jay gave a great summary there
[3:19:02] of all the work. Um but specifically
[3:19:04] with the u storm water model and and
[3:19:08] plan that the team has been working on,
[3:19:10] we're really trying to integrate those
[3:19:11] recommendations into our climate action
[3:19:14] and resiliency plan. Um really helping
[3:19:17] to highlight and prioritize for
[3:19:19] resiliency, you know, some of our
[3:19:21] greatest threats in Brookline as it
[3:19:23] relates to climate hazards including
[3:19:25] heat resilience um and uh storm water
[3:19:28] and flood management as well as extreme
[3:19:30] weather events. So, um, those are
[3:19:32] incorporated into our resiliency
[3:19:33] section. Um, and we're, uh, looking
[3:19:36] forward to sharing that with the board
[3:19:37] here in the in the next couple of weeks.
[3:19:39] Thanks.
[3:19:42] Great. Thank you.
[3:19:44] John, did you ask one more?
[3:19:46] Sure. Um
[3:19:48] Chestn Hill Avenue um has gotten a lot
[3:19:51] of attention uh in recent months and
[3:19:54] there was a major development um
[3:19:56] recently which is that there is now
[3:19:59] going to be a um repaving u of of the of
[3:20:04] Chesn Hill Avenue that we'll go ahead
[3:20:06] based on excuse me the uh condition of
[3:20:09] the street and the need to address the
[3:20:12] deficiencies of the street as as soon as
[3:20:15] possible or at least in timely way.
[3:20:18] Whereas a plan which had been um thought
[3:20:21] of for that to also include a much more
[3:20:24] um extensive treatment of other
[3:20:27] amenities on the street um a protected
[3:20:30] bike path and and some other additional
[3:20:32] amenities. That that is not something
[3:20:35] that's going to be possible at the at
[3:20:37] the present time because of the um you
[3:20:40] know clear need for for there to be
[3:20:43] something done right away. Uh and the
[3:20:45] the reason given um which I totally
[3:20:48] accept
[3:20:50] for um not proceeding uh with with the
[3:20:54] other plan, the more the more elaborate
[3:20:56] plan is that the the intent was to
[3:21:00] connect to uh Chestnut Hill Avenue in
[3:21:03] Boston, which would then have have by
[3:21:07] that time have its own protected bike
[3:21:10] lane. So you'd have a continuous bike
[3:21:12] lane the entire length of Chestnut Hill
[3:21:15] Avenue, Brooklyn, and then Boston. Makes
[3:21:17] a lot of sense. Um is that a guiding
[3:21:21] principle that we can expect, you know,
[3:21:23] to continue to be um applied to these
[3:21:27] considerations of when and on what
[3:21:30] streets does it make the most sense to
[3:21:34] incorporate a um you know thoroughly
[3:21:36] protected bike lane? uh are we going to
[3:21:39] be guided by whether there's
[3:21:40] connectivity to um lanes um at either
[3:21:44] end um as it happens I guess they would
[3:21:48] in most cases be in Boston.
[3:21:52] Uh that's a great question. So I think a
[3:21:55] few things about Chestnut Hill Avenue.
[3:21:57] Chest Hill Avenue was on our list and uh
[3:22:02] really kind of got ahead of itself
[3:22:05] before the policy was finalized. And so,
[3:22:09] um, while Chestnut Hill Avenue is due,
[3:22:11] um, for just pavement maintenance, it's
[3:22:14] probably, you know, as you know, it's
[3:22:15] it's had a lot of public engagement. And
[3:22:18] so, I believe that the transportation
[3:22:21] board and staff still need to make a
[3:22:25] decision on um what they want to do sort
[3:22:28] of short-term, long-term at Chesh Hill
[3:22:30] Avenue. And Dan, if that's not the case
[3:22:32] and they've made a decision, let me
[3:22:34] know. That was my latest that was my
[3:22:36] understanding. Um we always try to
[3:22:39] partner with um both Newton and Boston
[3:22:43] where we can in terms of connectivity.
[3:22:45] You know what projects they have that
[3:22:47] they're working on, what we're working
[3:22:49] on and how to make them uh work
[3:22:51] together. So right now um you know is we
[3:22:56] have our costbenefit value approach just
[3:22:58] for maintenance of roads. Uh the
[3:23:02] transportation board um is working on
[3:23:06] prioritizing
[3:23:07] all of the other really important
[3:23:09] multimodal improvements, bike
[3:23:11] accommodation, full complete street, uh
[3:23:14] vision zero, um safe routes to school,
[3:23:18] etc. And so um
[3:23:22] the transportation board will work with
[3:23:25] subcommittees and the public and staff
[3:23:27] to prioritize. Our folks are working on
[3:23:30] kind of a first cut of a rubric that
[3:23:32] will help, but connectivity is going to
[3:23:34] be part of that and then they'll
[3:23:36] prioritize
[3:23:37] um the work and the work has to be um
[3:23:40] work that we can manage uh in terms of
[3:23:44] uh public process and being really clear
[3:23:46] about what the decision-making process
[3:23:48] is, what that process will look like for
[3:23:50] the public at the outset and um and then
[3:23:54] moving through that. So, I think Cheset
[3:23:56] Hill Avenue is still um yet to be
[3:23:59] determined in terms of uh what what the
[3:24:02] ultimate improvements there will be
[3:24:04] because I do know there are a lot of um
[3:24:06] pedestrian concerns and you know and
[3:24:10] certainly the the um bike advocates have
[3:24:13] have really I think come out strong in
[3:24:15] terms of that being an important
[3:24:17] corridor. So, I'm not sure where that'll
[3:24:19] land yet.
[3:24:20] Isn't it a pavement improvement project
[3:24:22] for um 2026?
[3:24:25] 27.
[3:24:27] FY27.
[3:24:29] Yeah.
[3:24:29] Which would maybe start in 26.
[3:24:33] FY27
[3:24:35] starts in 26. Yes.
[3:24:36] Yeah. Yeah. Okay.
[3:24:37] But I'm just saying it's also in the
[3:24:38] middle of its its um community
[3:24:42] engagement.
[3:24:44] Yeah. Okay. Thanks.
[3:24:45] Yeah.
[3:24:47] Okay. Thank you, Commissioner Shu.
[3:24:49] Appreciate it.
[3:24:50] Thank you. Nice to see you all. Thanks
[3:24:52] to the incredible public works team.
[3:24:55] Yeah. Yeah.
[3:24:55] Thank you.
[3:24:56] We agree.
[3:24:57] Thanks very much.
[3:24:59] So, uh, what I'd like to do is take the
[3:25:01] parking fine increases, uh, question and
[3:25:04] then take a break. So, why don't we go
[3:25:07] through that?
[3:25:08] Yeah, I'll be very quick. Um,
[3:25:10] I thought I thought this would be a
[3:25:11] quick one.
[3:25:12] Yeah. Um the long and the short of it is
[3:25:14] as part of the way of paying for the
[3:25:18] increases in costs in the following
[3:25:19] years without um raising property
[3:25:23] without asking to raise property taxes
[3:25:24] further. We are looking wherever we can
[3:25:26] at increasing fees and fines
[3:25:28] appropriately. We have not touched
[3:25:30] parking fines since 2007. Um we're due.
[3:25:34] Um other communities are higher than we
[3:25:36] are now. Cambridge recently raised many
[3:25:39] of its fees to $40. Boston has its at
[3:25:42] $4. Somervilles are even higher. I will
[3:25:44] say that Newton, our other neighbor, is
[3:25:46] lower at 25. It's closer to where we
[3:25:48] are. Um, but I think there's a strong
[3:25:51] case to be made that regionally it's
[3:25:53] appropriate to raise fines to $40. You
[3:25:56] cannot exceed a $50 fine per um local uh
[3:26:01] law. Um so that's why unless there is a
[3:26:05] statutory exemption for it, your fees
[3:26:08] and your fines cannot exceed $50. Um,
[3:26:11] and there has to be an escalating cost
[3:26:13] structure. You know, if someone doesn't
[3:26:14] pay within a certain amount of time, it
[3:26:15] has to go up by a certain amount. And
[3:26:17] then when it's reported to the state,
[3:26:19] when it's reported to the RMV, it has to
[3:26:21] go up again. Um, so, um, at that junk,
[3:26:25] so what I've structured here is a
[3:26:27] proposal that for every fine that is not
[3:26:29] currently at $40, that it be increased
[3:26:32] to $40. that the payment that the late
[3:26:35] payment before it is reported to the
[3:26:37] state be increased to $55 and then when
[3:26:40] it is reported out that the fine go up
[3:26:42] to $70. Both of those numbers are the
[3:26:45] statutory maximum that the select board
[3:26:47] is allowed to set for a parking
[3:26:49] violation. So um the way that you did
[3:26:52] this in 20 in sorry in 2007 was that you
[3:26:55] asked the transportation board to appine
[3:26:57] on it first. They provided a
[3:26:58] recommendation to the select board and
[3:27:00] the select board voted on the ultimate
[3:27:01] increase. Technically, I think under the
[3:27:03] law, the transportation board could do
[3:27:05] it themselves. But I think in the
[3:27:07] interest of maintaining tradition um and
[3:27:09] also the you know maintaining that you
[3:27:12] are the ultimate policym body and the
[3:27:14] transportation board does have statutory
[3:27:16] authority but it is an advis it has an
[3:27:18] advisory role to play as well. Having
[3:27:20] both boards concur on a fine increase I
[3:27:23] think is is important. So I would take
[3:27:25] it to them first um with your permission
[3:27:27] and then bring it back to you with their
[3:27:29] recommendation.
[3:27:30] Okay. Anyone disagree?
[3:27:32] I have
[3:27:33] uh ju just a question. Uh you referred
[3:27:37] specifically to parking violations. Are
[3:27:39] they looking at moving violations also?
[3:27:41] No, it's just this is just parking
[3:27:43] violations.
[3:27:44] Okay.
[3:27:45] Yeah. So, um Chaz, this is uniform
[3:27:48] across the town.
[3:27:50] Yes.
[3:27:50] Okay. So, my question is are we are we
[3:27:53] limited to that uniformed across the
[3:27:56] town? The reason why I ask is I think um
[3:27:59] the abuse of parking um is different by
[3:28:03] region of the town. So for example in uh
[3:28:07] in Beacon Street down by St. Mary's
[3:28:10] because of red the Red Sox games and
[3:28:12] often concerts.
[3:28:14] Um it's heavily abused the parking and
[3:28:17] it's cheaper to have to pay $40 than to
[3:28:20] pay $65 uh you know by the park or it
[3:28:24] you know closer into the the venue. Um
[3:28:27] and I see this because people park and
[3:28:30] they're happy to get the ticket.
[3:28:32] Um can we can we make it more uh
[3:28:35] location specific?
[3:28:36] I don't know the answer to that. I will
[3:28:38] ask town council's office. I have not
[3:28:39] seen that done but that doesn't mean
[3:28:41] that it can't be done. So let me ask and
[3:28:42] I will if if that is the case then we'll
[3:28:44] discuss that with the T board and bring
[3:28:46] that back to you.
[3:28:46] Okay, that'll be helpful. Thank you.
[3:28:50] Uh John,
[3:28:50] do we have any estimate estimate as to
[3:28:53] how much u the current revenue is versus
[3:28:56] how much the revenue would be with this
[3:28:57] $40?
[3:28:58] We estimate that we would bring in on
[3:29:00] average about an additional $1.2 million
[3:29:03] um just if everything stayed consistent.
[3:29:05] We want to be very conservative when we
[3:29:07] look at these for the first time. So, we
[3:29:09] did a rolling five-year average and we
[3:29:10] also assumed that in the event that fees
[3:29:14] the fines go up, you do see some
[3:29:15] increased compliance. So, that kicks it
[3:29:17] down a little bit. So, ultimately, we
[3:29:19] are projecting in FY27, if these fines
[3:29:22] are approved, an increase in roughly
[3:29:24] $1.06 million in local receipts.
[3:29:28] That's impressive.
[3:29:29] Yeah,
[3:29:29] that's the hope.
[3:29:30] Real money.
[3:29:31] Um, that's the hope. You know, again,
[3:29:33] this is a conservative projection, but
[3:29:34] we also, you know,
[3:29:35] we we want to be frank with people that,
[3:29:37] you know, the the rate the the fines are
[3:29:41] not taking we're still not taking in
[3:29:42] what we used to take in before the
[3:29:44] pandemic.
[3:29:44] Um, we're still not where we used to be,
[3:29:46] and that was when they were at a lower
[3:29:48] rate.
[3:29:49] So, um, you know, it's a combination of
[3:29:52] fewer people on the road, you know, the
[3:29:55] um,
[3:29:56] you know, some of the issues with
[3:29:57] enforcement um, and and you know, in
[3:29:59] some cases compliance. Um so you know
[3:30:02] one of the things that we want to do
[3:30:03] with this is we want to take some of
[3:30:05] this money and directly reinvest it in
[3:30:07] our parking infrastructure so that we
[3:30:10] have better systems in place. You know
[3:30:13] we we for examp you know there are
[3:30:16] tickets that get thrown out because
[3:30:17] meters are broken for example like we
[3:30:19] want to reinvest directly in the process
[3:30:21] to make sure that there are fewer broken
[3:30:22] meters and there's fewer excuses when
[3:30:24] those things pop up. um we want to have
[3:30:27] a more functional and cohesive parking
[3:30:29] enforcement infrastructure. So, we're
[3:30:31] going to take some of this money and
[3:30:32] reinvest it directly into that and then
[3:30:35] the rest of it will be run through the
[3:30:36] town school split like it usually does.
[3:30:39] I I mean I just add one other factor
[3:30:40] that I hope is taken into consideration
[3:30:43] because this does come at a cost. Um
[3:30:46] there's been discussion recently about u
[3:30:49] adjusting the rates for parking
[3:30:51] depending on how close you are into the
[3:30:54] heart of a commercial district like
[3:30:55] Brooklyn Village versus parking at
[3:30:58] outlying parking meters. Yes. Um, that's
[3:31:00] all well and good, but once we, you
[3:31:03] know, jack up the the amount of the
[3:31:06] meter rate and then we add on that and,
[3:31:09] you know, God help you, if if you
[3:31:11] overpark by two minutes and you get a
[3:31:14] $40 fine, eventually people are going to
[3:31:17] say, I'm going to go somewhere where I'm
[3:31:19] less likely to, you know, have to spend
[3:31:21] a lot of money just because I parked at
[3:31:23] a meter that was near the store and then
[3:31:25] I, you know, made the mistake of staying
[3:31:27] too long and next thing you know, a
[3:31:29] simple shopping trip to Brooklyn Village
[3:31:31] has cost me over, you know, $50, right?
[3:31:33] Um, so you got to balance all of these
[3:31:36] things, right?
[3:31:36] That's right. And I will say I know that
[3:31:38] a town meeting member came last week and
[3:31:40] had a question, a good question I
[3:31:41] thought about why don't we raise the
[3:31:42] parking meter rates again. And the
[3:31:43] answer is we did that last override.
[3:31:45] Yeah. You know, we raised it, you know,
[3:31:47] well aware
[3:31:48] and so, you know, it's not hasn't been
[3:31:50] very long since we've been at the $2
[3:31:52] mark and we've seen, you know, people
[3:31:54] avoiding the meters, people people
[3:31:56] trying to park elsewhere because of
[3:31:58] that. So, we have seen revenue from
[3:32:01] parking meters actually start to become
[3:32:03] more volatile as a result of the fact
[3:32:05] that our rates are higher. I worry if we
[3:32:07] push them higher, especially since we
[3:32:09] just pushed them higher, you know, not
[3:32:10] even five years ago, um that you will
[3:32:13] start to see that sort of avoidance. Um,
[3:32:16] and unlike here, unlike with the fines
[3:32:20] where I think you have other
[3:32:22] communities, not just Boston, at that
[3:32:25] $40 mark or higher, um, no one except
[3:32:28] Boston, as to my knowledge, is above the
[3:32:30] $2 an hour um, rate um, for street
[3:32:34] parking currently. Um, although again, I
[3:32:37] haven't done the survey on that, but
[3:32:39] it's my understanding based on
[3:32:40] conversations I've had that Boston is
[3:32:42] kind of the outlier there as opposed to
[3:32:45] um where we are on this. So I I do want
[3:32:48] people to be assured that we have looked
[3:32:50] at that. But to your point, you know,
[3:32:52] you want to be careful not to create a
[3:32:54] situation that actually that
[3:32:55] accidentally upsets the the balance that
[3:32:58] you've created here.
[3:32:59] Yeah. And and one other consideration
[3:33:01] too is appeals processes. people are
[3:33:04] going to be a m much more likely having
[3:33:06] experienced a $40 ticket in Boston when
[3:33:10] I went to get a slice of pizza. Um, and
[3:33:13] it was not appropriately uh done because
[3:33:16] the there was just a disagreement over
[3:33:18] which meter was the one that my car was
[3:33:21] parked at. Um, and I went through the
[3:33:23] appeals process and it was um,
[3:33:25] impressive and it came out just fine for
[3:33:28] me, but I probably wouldn't have
[3:33:30] appealed, you know, a $15, uh, penalty,
[3:33:33] right? Um, and so all of these things
[3:33:36] kind of interact, right?
[3:33:37] Yeah.
[3:33:38] And Michael,
[3:33:38] uh, I'm just curious, following up on on
[3:33:41] the parking question, um, whether
[3:33:42] there's any evidence of the increase in
[3:33:46] parking rates pushing people to other
[3:33:48] modes of transportation. I don't have an
[3:33:51] answer on that. I'll talk to the
[3:33:53] transportation team at DPW. Um I know we
[3:33:56] do we we try and monitor those things,
[3:33:58] but I'll I I'll get you an answer on
[3:33:59] that. Okay.
[3:34:00] Thank you.
[3:34:02] Okay. Uh we need to vote.
[3:34:04] You don't need to vote. I just I just
[3:34:05] wanted I wanted to make sure that you
[3:34:07] were okay with me taking the
[3:34:08] transportation board first.
[3:34:09] No objection. I take it. So
[3:34:12] you're authorized to go do that. So,
[3:34:14] let's take a 10-minute break
[3:34:16] and we'll get back or come back to uh
[3:34:18] talk about the override again.
[3:34:21] Thank you.
[3:36:55] Oh,
[3:36:58] hey.
[3:44:11] The select board is back and we're going
[3:44:14] to take up item nine on the agenda
[3:44:20] regarding the override. Chad, why don't
[3:44:22] you lead us on this and
[3:44:25] Okay,
[3:44:26] tell us what we're going to be
[3:44:28] voting on.
[3:44:28] So, you you don't have to vote on
[3:44:30] anything if you don't want to. Um, this
[3:44:32] is the this is the deadline for the
[3:44:35] ballot question. Today is the deadline
[3:44:36] for the ballot question. So, if you had
[3:44:38] any additional
[3:44:39] thoughts, concerns, modifications that
[3:44:42] you wanted to make to your prior
[3:44:43] question. I talked with town council.
[3:44:45] Town council is confident that your vote
[3:44:47] last time is is in accordance
[3:44:50] requirements is fine. So you have set a
[3:44:53] current you've currently set a ballot
[3:44:54] question one ballot question and then um
[3:44:57] one of the things that um we had
[3:44:59] mentioned last week um that were still
[3:45:02] to follow up on is the expansion of or
[3:45:05] an additional memorandum of
[3:45:06] understanding between the town and the
[3:45:08] schools regarding the recommendations of
[3:45:09] the expenditures and revenue study
[3:45:11] committee. You can see a draft of that
[3:45:13] in your uh packet now. The
[3:45:15] superintendent and I are working on
[3:45:16] that. We will continue to iterate on
[3:45:19] that a little bit. It's it's largely
[3:45:20] done. Michael identified there's a typo
[3:45:22] in there, but you know
[3:45:24] that the structure the the bones of it
[3:45:26] are where it needs to be. Um, and we
[3:45:28] just want your any feedback you have on
[3:45:30] that. Um, you also have an interim
[3:45:32] report from Clifton Larson Allen CLA who
[3:45:34] have been brought back in to do that
[3:45:36] analysis. They have finished their
[3:45:38] interviews and are now digging into the
[3:45:40] data. I will note we got an email from a
[3:45:43] school committee member who raised a
[3:45:44] concern that there's something that's
[3:45:46] inaccurately reported in there about how
[3:45:48] special education information is trans
[3:45:50] is transmitted. I think that's a result
[3:45:52] of getting going through an interview
[3:45:54] process and having those conversations
[3:45:56] and my goal is to have them dig through
[3:45:59] the data and sort that out to be sure
[3:46:01] that those are, you know, the the what
[3:46:03] they're finding in terms of processes is
[3:46:05] an accurate reflection of what the
[3:46:07] school department is actually doing. I
[3:46:09] also know there's just, you know,
[3:46:11] there's, as is often the case, right? I
[3:46:13] think the superintendent feels, you
[3:46:15] know, CLA's analysis of this was, you
[3:46:20] know, based on, you know, a prior state
[3:46:22] and, you know, there are all those
[3:46:24] things that come with that. So, you do
[3:46:26] have the superintendent's initial
[3:46:28] response to this as well. um we will
[3:46:30] give, you know, be sure that the schools
[3:46:32] have ample opportunity to review and
[3:46:34] respond to whatever the CLA ultimate
[3:46:37] findings are, but given the given the
[3:46:40] deadline for the ballot question, we
[3:46:42] wanted to be sure that you had at least
[3:46:44] the preliminary information from CLA so
[3:46:46] that you can make an informed decision
[3:46:48] on whatever it is you decide to do
[3:46:50] moving forward here. Um, so I guess my
[3:46:53] question to the board is, are there any
[3:46:55] concerns, questions, changes you wish to
[3:46:57] make to the ballot? And um, if so, what
[3:47:01] what what would any be?
[3:47:03] Whoa, you want to make changes to the
[3:47:05] I I do not, but um, but I do I you know,
[3:47:08] you got my attention last time when
[3:47:11] there was a question about whether
[3:47:13] we noticed it properly and I know town
[3:47:15] council has said we're safe.
[3:47:17] Yeah. But, you know, just because we
[3:47:20] can,
[3:47:20] you could take another
[3:47:21] I I I I I don't necessarily think we
[3:47:23] need to take another vote, but I would I
[3:47:24] would actually make a motion to reaffirm
[3:47:27] our prior vote just for posterity sake.
[3:47:30] That's fine.
[3:47:33] Okay. John,
[3:47:34] I I had a question about the uh isn't
[3:47:37] necessarily about the ballot, it's about
[3:47:39] the booklet.
[3:47:40] Yeah.
[3:47:40] Uh that is planned. Um, and this kind of
[3:47:45] touches on a discussion we had earlier
[3:47:47] this evening about, you know, what is
[3:47:49] appropriate versus maybe not appropriate
[3:47:52] campaigning, you know, for an issue.
[3:47:55] This is purely hypothetical, but I if it
[3:47:58] turns out that uh no one steps up to
[3:48:02] submit a an argument uh for for a no
[3:48:07] vote and all we've got is, you know,
[3:48:10] there's 20 people who want to do the
[3:48:11] argument for the for the yes vote. Um
[3:48:15] how would the town handle that? Would it
[3:48:17] put out a booklet that only had one side
[3:48:19] of the question or what what would we
[3:48:22] do?
[3:48:22] Joe, do you want to talk about that? Uh,
[3:48:24] I think you did a pretty good job last
[3:48:26] time when we were concerned about that.
[3:48:27] Uh,
[3:48:34] Joe, you're uh, we're having trouble
[3:48:36] hearing you.
[3:48:44] You aren't muted.
[3:48:49] Yeah, I know we're not seeing
[3:48:56] pick up the phone.
[3:48:57] Is there a problem with our sound?
[3:48:59] His microphone perhaps?
[3:49:00] Maybe. I mean, he's looking at
[3:49:03] uh how about now?
[3:49:04] There we go. Perfect. Better.
[3:49:06] All right. Sorry about that. Um so Joe
[3:49:09] Callahan, town council. Um the um right
[3:49:13] now we have an advocate for the
[3:49:16] proponents, only one. Um we have no
[3:49:19] advocate that stepped forward in
[3:49:21] opposition.
[3:49:22] So, as outlined in my memo, if none no
[3:49:26] advocate for one side or the other
[3:49:29] council to write that um
[3:49:33] argument, we already have a
[3:49:34] responsibility to write a summary um of
[3:49:37] the question. It'll be essentially like
[3:49:39] what we did uh in 2023 for the questions
[3:49:42] 2 A and 2B. So, there'll be slight
[3:49:44] differences, but that will be 90
[3:49:46] something% of what the summary will be
[3:49:48] this year. Um but otherwise um if
[3:49:52] there's no advocate that steps forward
[3:49:53] it falls to me. Um what I'll do um is
[3:49:57] use the um you know kind of as a as a
[3:50:00] base the arguments in opposition last
[3:50:03] last time in 2023 2A and 2B u but also
[3:50:07] seek other communities who've had um
[3:50:10] questions where the advocates have
[3:50:12] stepped forward and see what they wrote
[3:50:14] say in you know Somerville or you know
[3:50:17] Quinsey and then I you know using what
[3:50:20] we did in 2023 and the other communities
[3:50:23] u you know arguments in opposition, I'll
[3:50:26] come up with 150 words.
[3:50:29] I will say, yeah, I will say, right, we
[3:50:31] in 2023, we came very close to having to
[3:50:34] do that. Um, and then someone graciously
[3:50:36] stepped up at the last minute and
[3:50:37] offered a a compelling no argument, but
[3:50:39] we had a no argument drafted internally.
[3:50:42] Um, that I thought was quite fair and
[3:50:44] quite, you know, eloquent in making a
[3:50:47] making the negative case in 150 words.
[3:50:50] So, if we have to do that, we will. Um,
[3:50:53] town council will. Um, but you know, I I
[3:50:56] would again, this is a good opportunity
[3:50:58] for us to strongly encourage folks.
[3:51:00] There's a diversity of opinion out
[3:51:01] there. If you are opposed to this
[3:51:03] question, please reach out, contact town
[3:51:06] council. Um, it's 150 words. It's not a
[3:51:09] heavy lift. Um, we welcome the strongest
[3:51:11] argument. We need it's it's better for
[3:51:13] the better for better for local
[3:51:15] government, better for democracy if you
[3:51:17] have vigorous argument for and against a
[3:51:18] question. So, please step forward.
[3:51:20] It just feels very awkward to me. I
[3:51:23] mean, we'd be making an argument. I
[3:51:25] mean, the town would be making an
[3:51:27] argument against its own interests,
[3:51:30] having brought it this far to uh
[3:51:34] One of the nice things about working as
[3:51:35] an appointed official in local
[3:51:36] government is I make an argument I make
[3:51:37] arguments against my own interest all
[3:51:38] the time.
[3:51:42] Okay. Um theou is going to be finalized
[3:51:48] when?
[3:51:48] Probably in the next couple weeks.
[3:51:50] Okay. Uh so people have um comments or
[3:51:54] even questions, please provide them to
[3:51:56] to Chaz. I have a few myself.
[3:51:59] Okay. Anything else on this that we need
[3:52:01] to discuss?
[3:52:02] Do we want to follow up on Paul's
[3:52:04] affirmation? Yeah.
[3:52:06] Affirmative. Ratify.
[3:52:07] There's nothing else to discuss. Go
[3:52:08] ahead.
[3:52:10] Thank you. Motion.
[3:52:10] I move that we affirm uh the vote that
[3:52:12] we took on placing at whatever the
[3:52:14] number is.
[3:52:17] 23.25, right?
[3:52:18] 23.2. It was 23.5 but actually it's
[3:52:21] 23.25
[3:52:22] 25
[3:52:23] too far.
[3:52:23] Yes.
[3:52:24] Okay. Uh all in favor please indicate by
[3:52:27] saying I. John Vancoyak.
[3:52:28] Well I was in abstain on the previous
[3:52:30] vote. So
[3:52:31] okay Paul
[3:52:32] any want to change your mind?
[3:52:35] Uh I
[3:52:37] Okay. David Pearlman
[3:52:38] I.
[3:52:39] Michael Rubenstein
[3:52:40] I.
[3:52:40] And chair vot.
[3:52:43] Okay. Are there
[3:52:44] I was unclear of what your vote was.
[3:52:47] Did you just say that you were affirming
[3:52:50] your abstension?
[3:52:51] Yeah.
[3:52:52] And so is that an I vote for the
[3:52:54] affirmation?
[3:52:56] No.
[3:52:57] Well, abstension is abension.
[3:53:00] Yeah.
[3:53:00] Joe, do you have any do you want to
[3:53:02] follow up on your your memo? Um if if
[3:53:04] there are any questions from the board,
[3:53:06] but maybe just so the public understands
[3:53:08] what's what what the next steps are here
[3:53:10] in terms of the the booklet and
[3:53:12] education process.
[3:53:13] Yeah, if I can just have a minute or
[3:53:15] two. I do have a um a slide show kind of
[3:53:19] the deadlines.
[3:53:21] Um
[3:53:25] can you see that?
[3:53:27] It's coming up. One second.
[3:53:32] There we go.
[3:53:38] All right. Um so
[3:53:41] the uh you receive the mailer uh and
[3:53:44] about uh 400 people uh 300 people did
[3:53:47] also receive that. We sent out an email
[3:53:50] to the select board, the school
[3:53:51] committee, advisory committee, town
[3:53:53] meeting members. Um so they received my
[3:53:55] memo uh Friday. We also put it out um on
[3:53:59] the town's website. Um we also put it
[3:54:02] through um the notify me or what's the
[3:54:05] new vendor um for people who signed up
[3:54:07] on the town meeting list serve. So that
[3:54:09] was about 700 people. They got a notice
[3:54:12] with the link to the memo. So that
[3:54:13] describes the process. But what I wanted
[3:54:15] to share with you is just kind of the
[3:54:17] bullet point deadline and and the first
[3:54:21] deadline is this Friday to receive
[3:54:23] arguments. Advocates step forward and
[3:54:26] draft 150 words. Um, you may say, "Oh my
[3:54:29] god, that's a quick turnaround." But
[3:54:31] hold on, we'll get to the bottom and
[3:54:32] you'll see why. Uh, but this is supposed
[3:54:35] to be a public process. So, last time
[3:54:37] around, I shared publicly
[3:54:40] the drafts and as we evolved from the
[3:54:43] initial arguments to the final arguments
[3:54:45] that is put before you for approval.
[3:54:48] So, Tuesday after we receive the initial
[3:54:51] uh drafts, they'll be fact checked.
[3:54:52] they'll be um um you know um made sure
[3:54:56] that we received them and I'll circulate
[3:54:58] the draft of the ballot information
[3:55:01] Tuesday, April 7th. This will give not
[3:55:04] only the advocates but the public a
[3:55:06] chance to respond and the advocates will
[3:55:08] then have till Thursday the 9th to res
[3:55:10] to to um amend their initial arguments
[3:55:13] to then get a final copy to you on
[3:55:15] Friday the 10th. Again, this is to you
[3:55:18] and the public. Um, so then you can vote
[3:55:21] on it two weeks from tonight. And again,
[3:55:23] you may say, "Well, that's a, you know,
[3:55:26] that's pretty fast." It is, but here's
[3:55:29] why.
[3:55:30] It's going to take uh town clerk staff
[3:55:33] uh three days, basically, three eight
[3:55:36] hour days to print, fold, stuff, seal,
[3:55:40] and put postage on a 30,000
[3:55:43] piece mailer. Um they're going to do
[3:55:45] this after they do the vote by mail
[3:55:48] ballots which will be three days
[3:55:49] previously. So that will be the Monday,
[3:55:52] Tuesday, Wednesday, the finishing on the
[3:55:54] 15th and ideally start this Thursday the
[3:55:56] 16th, 17th and then over the weekend. So
[3:55:59] the plan is to get this mailer out
[3:56:02] Monday, April 20th. That is a day the
[3:56:05] post office is open, but it is Patriots
[3:56:08] day, which we'll have a marathon running
[3:56:10] through town, so it's not the best day,
[3:56:12] but it will be the first day that we'll
[3:56:14] chance, you know, we'll have a chance to
[3:56:15] get this out, but that's only 15 days
[3:56:18] before election day. Um, and it's only 5
[3:56:21] days before we start inerson voting.
[3:56:24] But it would be very difficult to make
[3:56:26] that
[3:56:27] period even more um because again, you
[3:56:30] saw these quick deadlines. we're we're
[3:56:32] getting the arguments in just a couple
[3:56:35] days and then basically put back before
[3:56:38] you for vote the following week. So,
[3:56:40] it'd be really hard to have more time
[3:56:43] for people to get this and I wouldn't
[3:56:45] recommend stretching it out because I do
[3:56:48] feel uncomfortable with all the problems
[3:56:50] that we've had with the uh mail that
[3:56:52] we're only allowing 15 days to get these
[3:56:54] to people's um homes before they vote.
[3:56:58] So, these are the deadlines. Again, as
[3:57:00] Chaz said, we're looking for an advocate
[3:57:01] in opposition, but otherwise, people
[3:57:03] feel free to give me a call. Um, or
[3:57:06] shoot me an email.
[3:57:07] Uh, we're getting them and we're
[3:57:08] responding, but if people want to send
[3:57:10] more, feel free.
[3:57:13] Quick question.
[3:57:13] Okay.
[3:57:14] Can I ask Joe a question, Joe? Um,
[3:57:16] thanks for the for the timeline. So, I I
[3:57:19] it sounds like we're using town clerk
[3:57:22] personnel to
[3:57:24] print, you know, fold stuff, put
[3:57:27] stickers, uh u not the sticker, you know
[3:57:30] what I'm saying, postage, thank you, on
[3:57:32] the envelope. Why not use a mailhouse
[3:57:35] that can automate this entire process
[3:57:38] for us and, you know, stick it in for
[3:57:41] first class mail?
[3:57:44] Uh because that would cost money that we
[3:57:46] don't have.
[3:57:47] So yes, you know, we could accelerate
[3:57:50] this, you know, if we sent it to a
[3:57:51] mailing house, but we would need money
[3:57:53] for that, which we don't have.
[3:57:55] Jez, can we find money to uh use a
[3:57:57] mailhouse as opposed to like, you know,
[3:58:00] we are
[3:58:01] going bumping up against a a deadline?
[3:58:03] We are out of cash. I I wish it were not
[3:58:05] the case, but we're going to we're going
[3:58:07] to be, you know, we just revi revised
[3:58:09] our healthcare projections. We're we're
[3:58:11] in a tough straight to close out this
[3:58:13] fiscal year. I I think it's going to be
[3:58:16] very tight. Um so I don't I don't have I
[3:58:20] don't foresee money for unexpected
[3:58:21] expenses like this unfortunately.
[3:58:26] Okay.
[3:58:28] Thank you, Joe.
[3:58:30] Thank you.
[3:58:32] Okay. Let's move on to the next item
[3:58:34] which is the U 8mm warrant article
[3:58:38] public hearing. Oh, it's 9:25. Well,
[3:58:42] that's life in in Brooklyn. Um, okay.
[3:58:46] First item is going to be article 20
[3:58:49] resolution to establish an official
[3:58:51] annual townwide commemoration of
[3:58:54] September 11, 200 one. Um, typo in the
[3:59:00] agenda. And and a memorial to all those
[3:59:03] from Brooklyn, Massachusetts who died on
[3:59:06] September 11, 2001. I see Elizabeth
[3:59:10] Charles is at the microphone.
[3:59:13] So,
[3:59:14] say
[3:59:16] thank you very much for opening up this
[3:59:19] and I appreciate you for for hearing
[3:59:21] about our article tonight, article uh
[3:59:23] 20, which is a resolution um about the
[3:59:26] 911 remembrance. Um I'm Elizabeth
[3:59:29] Childs, town member uh precinct 4. And I
[3:59:32] want to introduce our co-etitioners. We
[3:59:34] have Ariel Guzman, town member precinct
[3:59:37] five, and Jared Alexandro, um, who is a
[3:59:40] Lawrence parent who just had to run home
[3:59:42] and take his put his son to bed. Um, and
[3:59:44] an 18-year, uh, Brooklyn resident who
[3:59:46] was a senior at South High School in
[3:59:48] Worcester when 911 happened.
[3:59:51] We also have Nancy Okconor, who's not
[3:59:53] able to be here tonight, who's a wife,
[3:59:54] mother, and daughter in a
[3:59:56] multi-generational firefighter family in
[3:59:59] Brooklyn. and one of the firefighters
[4:00:01] and their families who raised the money
[4:00:03] for the Manny Del Valley bench at fire
[4:00:05] station number five on Bcott Street.
[4:00:07] These are the petitioners.
[4:00:10] So, article 20 builds um on several pri
[4:00:13] prior efforts to remember 911 in
[4:00:16] Brooklyn and I am very grateful to many
[4:00:19] of you personally, in particular to you,
[4:00:20] Chair Green, for all of your support in
[4:00:23] the past to create this event in
[4:00:25] Brooklyn.
[4:00:27] The resolution simply asks us to
[4:00:29] formalize this annual remembrance
[4:00:31] ceremony so that it is sustainable no
[4:00:34] matter who's doing the organizing of the
[4:00:37] citizen volunteers. And we modeled our
[4:00:40] resolution on the resolution that the um
[4:00:43] MLK committee did after they had had
[4:00:45] their informal citizen group and then
[4:00:47] became a formal committee so that it
[4:00:49] would have sustainability in town.
[4:00:53] The resolution asks the select board to
[4:00:55] appoint a committee for two roles. The
[4:00:58] first role is to do the leg work of
[4:01:00] coordinating the logistics of the annual
[4:01:03] ceremony. The second one is a time
[4:01:05] related role which is to to um identify
[4:01:10] and make recommendations to the select
[4:01:12] board about a physical marker in
[4:01:14] Brookline. And that that part of the
[4:01:17] role for the committee would end once
[4:01:19] they made the recommendation to the
[4:01:20] select board. The article does not um
[4:01:23] propose how that physical marker would
[4:01:25] be, where it would be, but it actually
[4:01:27] asked the committee to do that work.
[4:01:32] The importance of 911 cannot be
[4:01:34] overstated, particularly to our
[4:01:36] community. Brookline is one of the
[4:01:39] communities that lost more people on 911
[4:01:42] than any other community saved New York
[4:01:44] City and Boston. In fact, we may be the
[4:01:47] community that lost the most out beyond
[4:01:50] New York City and Boston. These are
[4:01:52] citizens who are on their way to work,
[4:01:55] who committed acts of valor that day. In
[4:01:58] fact, the first person to die on 911 was
[4:02:01] a Brooklyn resident who lived not far
[4:02:03] from me, Daniel Leuen. And he um heard
[4:02:07] and understood the people behind him
[4:02:09] speaking Arabic. And we believe that he
[4:02:11] tried to stop them from crashing the
[4:02:14] first plane into the north tower.
[4:02:17] We also know that some of the first
[4:02:19] responders who died that day and many
[4:02:20] who were ill um had Brooklyn
[4:02:23] connections, at least one of them died
[4:02:24] in the line of service, uh Mannyell
[4:02:27] Valley. We also know that um the brother
[4:02:29] of Jack Dewan, who was a longtime
[4:02:31] Brooklyn firefighter, also died in the
[4:02:33] line of service that day. These are
[4:02:35] ordinary people, people doing their job
[4:02:37] and people who had no idea that that day
[4:02:40] when they went to work, they were never
[4:02:41] going to come home.
[4:02:44] So the committee has proposed is really
[4:02:46] a way of us in Brooklyn taking a moment
[4:02:49] to come together to remember what 911
[4:02:53] meant to our country and what it meant
[4:02:54] in particular to Brooklyn.
[4:02:58] Um
[4:03:00] I I think there's one note I want to
[4:03:02] just make as a like a practical note.
[4:03:04] There's a scrimer's error in the article
[4:03:07] which states that the number of
[4:03:09] casualties was 2,997.
[4:03:12] It actually is 2977.
[4:03:16] So that n that second nine should be a
[4:03:18] seven.
[4:03:19] And the reason I raise this is because
[4:03:20] we can't change it in the warrant. But
[4:03:23] if the select board decides to move the
[4:03:25] article, I would want us to change it in
[4:03:27] that motion. If the AC decides to move
[4:03:30] it, I would have them change it. And if
[4:03:32] neither the AC or the select board move
[4:03:33] it and we have to move it on the floor,
[4:03:35] we will make that amendment at that
[4:03:37] time. But I didn't want there to be any
[4:03:39] we didn't want any inaccuracies in our
[4:03:42] article. Um,
[4:03:45] that's actually all I have to add to
[4:03:46] say. I can I'm certainly happy to answer
[4:03:48] questions from all of you and um and I
[4:03:51] just want to ask my fellow petitioners
[4:03:52] if there's anything else they need to
[4:03:54] add to that explanation.
[4:03:57] Jared, yes, please. Jared Alexandro.
[4:04:01] Thank Thank you, Elizabeth. Um some of
[4:04:04] you saw that I was here tonight with my
[4:04:06] 10-year-old son who's a student at
[4:04:07] Lawrence. And I think part of this is
[4:04:10] really you're seeing the impact that
[4:04:12] 911's had being generation to
[4:04:15] generation. And we don't want um the
[4:04:17] students that are coming up in Brooklyn
[4:04:18] to not have the appreciation for our
[4:04:21] first responders and what that meant to
[4:04:24] people of you know I was in high school
[4:04:26] so very clear day in my mind but it's
[4:04:29] not something that's talked about on a
[4:04:31] daily basis like it once was. So we
[4:04:33] think it's really important for the new
[4:04:35] generation of Brooklyn students and
[4:04:37] residents coming up that there be a
[4:04:39] permanent remembrance um to honor the
[4:04:41] the victims of that day. Thank you.
[4:04:45] Ariel, anything you want to add? Okay, I
[4:04:47] think that's that's all we have to say.
[4:04:49] We're happy to answer questions.
[4:04:51] Okay. Um, I have a couple comments. Yes.
[4:04:53] Um,
[4:04:54] first of all, in the sec third recital,
[4:04:58] um,
[4:04:59] sorry,
[4:05:00] September 11 is not recognized as
[4:05:03] Patriots Day, is it? Or is that
[4:05:04] something I I'm not aware of?
[4:05:07] No, it is nationally recognized as
[4:05:09] Patriot Patriot Day.
[4:05:11] Patriot Day.
[4:05:12] Okay. National Day of Service and
[4:05:14] Remembrance. Yes.
[4:05:15] So just distinguish from our Patriots.
[4:05:18] Exactly. It's ours is Patriots Day.
[4:05:21] Uh secondly, I I would recommend that um
[4:05:25] in the first uh now therefore clause um
[4:05:30] first whereas clause. Okay.
[4:05:32] No, now therefore clause.
[4:05:33] Oh, in the first now therefore. Okay.
[4:05:36] Um you know this is the 250th
[4:05:38] anniversary of uh our revolution.
[4:05:41] Yes. Uh, so to say that this is one of
[4:05:43] the most important days in American
[4:05:46] history, I think is probably not what
[4:05:48] you want to say.
[4:05:51] Okay.
[4:05:52] Okay. That's just my opinion.
[4:05:53] Okay.
[4:05:54] Um, I mean, you know, we have Pearl
[4:05:56] Harbor, we have a lot of, you know,
[4:05:58] important days and maybe different
[4:06:01] phrasing there. The the other thing that
[4:06:04] I would like to suggest is that it looks
[4:06:07] like, as I recall when I read this, it
[4:06:10] looks like uh the committee will
[4:06:13] recommend to the select board that we
[4:06:16] commission and uh I guess fund a
[4:06:19] memorial. Shouldn't that be a
[4:06:21] fundraising um activity of a committee?
[4:06:24] Well, I think it could be. I I think we
[4:06:26] don't presuppose that that wouldn't be
[4:06:28] the case. I mean, I think the committee
[4:06:30] uh could make recommendations even
[4:06:31] around how those funds would be raised.
[4:06:33] Yes. And the committee we proposed would
[4:06:36] be appointed by the select board and
[4:06:38] have the committee we proposed had the
[4:06:40] five members, five public members, um a
[4:06:44] member designated by the fire chief, a
[4:06:45] member designated by the police chief, a
[4:06:48] member designated by the Brooklyn
[4:06:49] Historical Society, and a select board
[4:06:51] member, obviously. Yeah.
[4:06:54] Yeah.
[4:06:55] Any other questions?
[4:06:58] Go ahead.
[4:06:58] Yes.
[4:06:59] So, so thank you very much um for the
[4:07:02] presentation and for all the efforts um
[4:07:05] you've put into this remembrance. Um
[4:07:08] I I I am interested in noting the fact
[4:07:12] that you brought up Pearl Harbor Day. Um
[4:07:14] because when I was sort of thinking
[4:07:17] about the the analogies in our history,
[4:07:19] that was that was the one that came to
[4:07:22] mind. And I
[4:07:26] one of the reasons is that my one of my
[4:07:29] uncles was actually born on December
[4:07:31] 7th, couple even years later. Um so that
[4:07:34] day has always sort of stuck with me for
[4:07:36] that reason. Um but but I'm just I'm
[4:07:40] just wondering, you know, when I think
[4:07:42] about sort of what our current uh
[4:07:45] discussions are about that day now, you
[4:07:49] know, some 80 80 some odd years later.
[4:07:52] I'm trying to think about what are your
[4:07:55] expectations of how this would evolve 80
[4:07:58] some odd years after 2001.
[4:08:01] Yeah. Well, I think we don't know what
[4:08:03] what will happen, but I would hope that
[4:08:05] we' we would remember it just like I
[4:08:07] think this is a generational thing, too,
[4:08:09] that um people of my era and my parents'
[4:08:13] era always remembered and stopped on
[4:08:16] Pearl Harbor Day,
[4:08:18] but our younger generation in a way um
[4:08:22] to 911 was really like their Pearl
[4:08:24] Harbor. And actually more people were
[4:08:26] killed on 911 than on Pearl Harbor. And
[4:08:29] um in fact it is the single greatest
[4:08:32] number of Americans killed on by a
[4:08:35] foreign adversary in America on in a day
[4:08:39] and it's the largest terrorist attack in
[4:08:41] the history of the world. Um so it is a
[4:08:43] very significant day and I think that I
[4:08:45] would hope that we would just take a
[4:08:46] pause to all come together and we
[4:08:49] remember our humanity and um I hope that
[4:08:53] they do do it 50 years from now that
[4:08:54] somebody will stop and say today is 911.
[4:08:57] We should remember those people and I
[4:08:59] think we at least we do in our household
[4:09:02] on on Pearl Harbor Day, but I don't know
[4:09:05] if that happens anywhere else, you know,
[4:09:07] and publicly. I don't know that we do
[4:09:08] anything like that in in Brooklyn. I
[4:09:10] don't know that we do. Um so I hope it I
[4:09:13] hope we would keep doing this at least.
[4:09:15] Yeah.
[4:09:17] Um thank you for bringing this forward.
[4:09:19] Can you describe what it takes today to
[4:09:21] put this on? Who who's doing the work?
[4:09:24] Um I know I see you there. Right. See
[4:09:26] Bernard there.
[4:09:27] But my sense is it it it seems to be
[4:09:31] puddled together, bootstrapped.
[4:09:32] It is it is it's it's actually wonderful
[4:09:35] effort. It really Bernard really
[4:09:37] deserves a lot of credit here because um
[4:09:40] uh Susan Howard and I approached Bernard
[4:09:42] about doing something on in Brooklyn on
[4:09:44] 911 because although there was the
[4:09:46] fireman's solemn ceremony which they
[4:09:48] will have and always have, it's a very
[4:09:50] it's a very important day for them as
[4:09:51] well. Um we felt that it was really
[4:09:54] important for our community like all the
[4:09:56] communities around us actually were
[4:09:57] doing things and we were like not doing
[4:09:59] a citizen effort but a lot of the most
[4:10:02] the people who died on that day were
[4:10:04] ordinary citizens like you and me who
[4:10:05] just got up and went to work ended up
[4:10:08] being confronted with doing something
[4:10:09] incredible. Um and many of them died in
[4:10:13] the line of doing that. Um, and so
[4:10:16] Bernard actually really led the ar led
[4:10:18] the push to make sure that we linked up
[4:10:22] with the fireman's solemn ceremony
[4:10:24] because we didn't want to compete with
[4:10:25] it. We really wanted to just if anything
[4:10:28] just augment it but remember the
[4:10:30] citizens who also died that day besides
[4:10:32] the firefighters and the police officers
[4:10:34] who died that day. And so the most
[4:10:35] important thing we do on that day is to
[4:10:37] read the names of the people from
[4:10:39] Brooklyn who died on 911. And when when
[4:10:42] David had to pinch it and he did a great
[4:10:44] job last year on 911, the most important
[4:10:47] thing you have to do, I remember saying
[4:10:48] to him, was to read the names. Um, and
[4:10:51] so it really is trying to make
[4:10:53] sustainable
[4:10:55] an effort. I'm not thinking that those
[4:10:56] of us who have worked on it are happy to
[4:10:58] continue to work on it. We really don't
[4:11:00] mind doing the work, but we'd love to
[4:11:03] have it be on the town calendar. We'd
[4:11:05] love to have it be something that gets
[4:11:07] shared across town is like this is 911
[4:11:09] and and we want you all to come by and
[4:11:12] take 30 minutes out of your morning and
[4:11:15] and uh share with us what happened that
[4:11:17] day.
[4:11:18] So just to follow up so um just two two
[4:11:22] quick two quick points, one personal and
[4:11:24] then another which I do to talk about
[4:11:27] the impact of this. Um I actually knew
[4:11:29] uh Daniel Ruin. Um and I knew another
[4:11:32] individual, Ando Curry Green, who was
[4:11:34] sitting either directly behind Daniel or
[4:11:36] the seat the next row.
[4:11:37] Yeah.
[4:11:38] Um and they did not know each other, but
[4:11:39] I knew both of them very well.
[4:11:41] Um and um so it is a very moving time
[4:11:45] for me when whenever the anniversary
[4:11:47] comes that those are the folks I think
[4:11:48] of as well as all the others. But if you
[4:11:50] think about something that impacted us
[4:11:53] um you know 911
[4:11:57] uh dramatically changed our society and
[4:12:01] and not only the US but globally.
[4:12:05] Yes.
[4:12:05] Um and to this day we take our well I
[4:12:08] don't think we have to take our shoes
[4:12:09] off anymore but you certainly have to
[4:12:10] take our belts off and go through
[4:12:11] scanners and all that. That's a direct
[4:12:13] result.
[4:12:13] Yes.
[4:12:14] Of what occurred on 911. Yes. um you
[4:12:16] know the the the government's invasion
[4:12:18] of our privacy frankly and ability to
[4:12:21] monitor and
[4:12:22] we don't even know what they can do now
[4:12:24] as a result of of 911.
[4:12:27] Um and so it's its impact
[4:12:30] um even if we're not having a ceremony
[4:12:35] is felt today. Yeah.
[4:12:37] Um in in our daily lives I think because
[4:12:40] of that. So, I do think it's uh it's
[4:12:42] worthy of um serious consideration to
[4:12:44] formalize the ceremony and I really
[4:12:46] appreciate you bringing this forward.
[4:12:48] Thank you. Yeah, I actually in our
[4:12:49] petitioner's explanation, I listed some
[4:12:51] of those things that you're mentioning,
[4:12:53] Paul, that it changed us dramatically.
[4:12:55] It created the Department of Homeland
[4:12:57] Security. Um it the bringing down of the
[4:13:01] Twin Towers was bringing down the
[4:13:02] international symbol of the United
[4:13:04] States economic power. The invasion of
[4:13:06] Afghanistan occurred on October 7th,
[4:13:08] 2001 as a direct result.
[4:13:11] Um, and it it it made Americans realize
[4:13:15] that we were hated in places in the
[4:13:17] world and that we were vulnerable. And
[4:13:19] personally, there are still people I
[4:13:21] treat some who actually witnessed
[4:13:23] firsthand as children the tra the
[4:13:26] tragedy and the death on that day and
[4:13:29] they are continually haunted by those
[4:13:31] traumatic memories. So it is a very very
[4:13:33] important day for many people. Yeah.
[4:13:36] Thank you.
[4:13:37] Yeah. I think it's particularly
[4:13:39] important for us to have a memorial with
[4:13:42] the names of Brooklyn connected people
[4:13:44] and that that's an extremely powerful
[4:13:48] um thing to do that that uh you know
[4:13:52] succeeding generations can can look at
[4:13:55] and think about and and try to
[4:13:57] understand you what happened and why it
[4:13:59] happened. uh and um our connection to
[4:14:03] that.
[4:14:03] Yeah.
[4:14:06] Any other discussion? This is a public
[4:14:09] hearing, so let's open up the public
[4:14:11] hearing. I see someone raising their
[4:14:13] hands.
[4:14:20] Regina Frolley uh from South Brooklyn
[4:14:22] and I attend as some of you know every
[4:14:24] one of these uh honorable and honoring
[4:14:28] occasions including the Babcock Street.
[4:14:33] In 1976, I took a seminar at Harvard on
[4:14:37] Vietnam War. And there was myself, a
[4:14:40] Vietnam vet, and several young people
[4:14:45] collecting credits, I guess, for their
[4:14:47] degree.
[4:14:50] In one, it was the year after the the um
[4:14:55] soldiers were taken out of Vietnam,
[4:14:58] evacuated. Uh, and we know, we've never
[4:15:01] forgotten what that looked like. In that
[4:15:03] room, the children had zero,
[4:15:06] they were privileged children. They had
[4:15:08] zero connection. They probably didn't
[4:15:10] have anyone in their family that was
[4:15:12] served in Vietnam.
[4:15:15] They thought it was just a history
[4:15:17] course and they were not very engaged.
[4:15:20] That stuck with me one year after the
[4:15:23] evacuation. And that's the indifference
[4:15:26] I saw in the children. And I'm not
[4:15:28] criticizing them. I'm saying that we
[4:15:31] fail them when we don't educate them. I
[4:15:34] feel that 911 is everything that
[4:15:36] Elizabeth has said and more. We have a
[4:15:40] generation of children whose families
[4:15:42] have not had the the draft, have not
[4:15:46] served in the military, have in fact had
[4:15:49] very good lives. And we need to honor
[4:15:54] these occasions. they did have all the
[4:15:56] consequences that Elizabeth and and
[4:15:59] others have mentioned and I think it's
[4:16:01] really important as an education for the
[4:16:04] children to do this. Uh I agree with the
[4:16:07] father enormously about that. Um we
[4:16:11] can't raise our children in bubbles as
[4:16:13] if nothing happens in life. We are
[4:16:16] hated. We probably more now than ever.
[4:16:19] Um, we need to to have the children be
[4:16:22] aware of what it is to serve.
[4:16:25] And the best part about the annual event
[4:16:29] at Babco Street is this is not about the
[4:16:32] enemy. It has never been about the
[4:16:35] enemy. It has been about the heroes and
[4:16:37] the victims. And that's all they ever do
[4:16:40] is just honor the memory of Americans
[4:16:43] killed on their soil when they went to
[4:16:45] work one day and the others who came to
[4:16:48] rescue and all of so many of them have
[4:16:51] still got health issues if they haven't
[4:16:53] already died. So I hope this will be
[4:16:56] taken seriously because I've seen that
[4:16:59] one year after the evacuation that there
[4:17:01] were whole number of children who had no
[4:17:05] idea young people who had no idea of the
[4:17:08] consequences of Vietnam and if you
[4:17:10] Santiana said if you don't understand
[4:17:12] history you will be condemned to repeat
[4:17:15] it. Thank you
[4:17:18] David.
[4:17:20] So I also want to thank the petitioners
[4:17:22] for bringing this forward. I I agree
[4:17:24] this is uh critically important and
[4:17:26] something that uh I mean I'm prepared to
[4:17:29] support it now.
[4:17:30] Uh I also like the idea that Paul raised
[4:17:33] and of course it was it was already in
[4:17:35] the language as uh you pointed out
[4:17:37] Elizabeth on the penultimate page about
[4:17:39] the uh significant impacts that this
[4:17:42] date had. So it's I mean honoring those
[4:17:46] who whose lives were lost is absolutely
[4:17:49] critical. But I also like the idea of
[4:17:50] coupling that with the broader cultural
[4:17:54] global significance that it had uh on
[4:17:57] all of our lives for those of us who are
[4:17:59] alive now and those who weren't alive
[4:18:02] yet at the time to understand that what
[4:18:04] they are experiencing today in some
[4:18:07] respects uh was born as a part of the
[4:18:11] tragedy on that date. I'm curious uh to
[4:18:14] what extent you and the other
[4:18:16] petitioners research what other
[4:18:19] communities do with this day. I I do
[4:18:21] notice on the first page uh you
[4:18:23] mentioned uh several Boston area
[4:18:26] municipalities that have similar
[4:18:28] committees and I presume that the New
[4:18:30] York City area has municipalities. Uh do
[4:18:33] they do anything different or were you
[4:18:36] trying to model this after any community
[4:18:38] in particular? We started with Newton
[4:18:41] and um Newton has a ve a very elaborate
[4:18:44] a big ceremony and they have a physical
[4:18:46] marker. We're hoping to have some
[4:18:47] physical marker. Doesn't have to be like
[4:18:48] Newton's but um a physical marker and
[4:18:50] they do their ceremony around that
[4:18:52] physical marker. Um and yes, we know the
[4:18:55] organizers in Newton and um uh got a lot
[4:18:58] of information when we started our we
[4:19:00] started bootstrapping coppbling our
[4:19:02] little thing together. It was based on
[4:19:03] what they had done. Um but and actually
[4:19:07] Boston does quite a commemoration as
[4:19:09] well because of how many people died
[4:19:11] from Boston and New York always does
[4:19:13] something at down at ground zero. Um and
[4:19:17] uh some of our uh family members have
[4:19:19] often have either come to Brooklyn or
[4:19:21] they've gone down to New York. So um
[4:19:24] we've been in touch with several of the
[4:19:26] family members. Um, one of the family
[4:19:28] members uh uh taped a um a a really
[4:19:33] talking about her brother uh Jerry Dewan
[4:19:36] who died and um we've had uh members
[4:19:38] come to our ceremony here and um that's
[4:19:41] probably a little something more more of
[4:19:43] our of our town. It's like a little more
[4:19:45] like we're a little more
[4:19:47] we try to make it more about like the
[4:19:49] people and the families and make it a
[4:19:51] little more uh community oriented I
[4:19:54] guess would be the way that that's
[4:19:55] probably the one difference. But most
[4:19:57] there are many communities most all the
[4:19:59] communities around us have something um
[4:20:02] formal for 9/11. Um we're the outlier
[4:20:05] actually in that. Yeah.
[4:20:09] John,
[4:20:10] just a couple of things to mention. Um
[4:20:12] and and uh you know, one is that uh
[4:20:16] Brooklyn has a way of even in the
[4:20:19] absence of the officially sanctioned um
[4:20:22] uh ceremony which very appropriately
[4:20:24] this warrant article uh calls for um
[4:20:28] people rise up and Elizabeth was one of
[4:20:32] them. Susan Howard was another of them.
[4:20:34] Um our chair was another of them. um a
[4:20:37] and they create, you know, out of
[4:20:40] nothing an observance um that is very
[4:20:44] heartfelt. You know, I've I've attend
[4:20:46] I've been privileged to attend it many
[4:20:48] many years
[4:20:49] and um it's always a special day and I
[4:20:52] always feel if anything the only thing
[4:20:55] missing is more people, you know, if we
[4:20:57] could just get more people. Yeah. One of
[4:20:59] the things that um uh Elizabeth pointed
[4:21:02] out to me um during the break uh is that
[4:21:06] among other reasons to do this as an
[4:21:08] official u uh committee and a function
[4:21:11] of the town um the the ceremony that uh
[4:21:15] has been carried on for so many years
[4:21:17] now never got on the town calendar, you
[4:21:20] know, which is too bad. I mean, and
[4:21:22] there's reasons for that, but uh one of
[4:21:25] the harder things to do to accomplish
[4:21:27] was simply to let people know we had
[4:21:30] this observance on September 11th.
[4:21:33] Um and we had people participating who
[4:21:36] had lost, you know, people in their
[4:21:38] family on September 11th. Um, and I'm
[4:21:41] just going to mention because I I always
[4:21:43] like to sort of make people aware of a
[4:21:46] wonderful poem that was written um that
[4:21:48] captures the uh what is so special about
[4:21:52] that day uh because there's going to be
[4:21:55] a tendency on on the part of some people
[4:21:57] to think of it as a political thing. It
[4:21:59] isn't a political thing. It's all it's
[4:22:01] all about discovering that that we had
[4:22:05] within ourselves the capacity to be
[4:22:07] heroic that you know the capacity to be
[4:22:10] self-sacrificing and the poem is called
[4:22:13] survivors found. It's by a poem poet by
[4:22:16] the name of Joan Murray. It got read o
[4:22:19] over the air on NPR and became sort of a
[4:22:22] celebrated. Uh it expressed for a lot of
[4:22:24] people what what September 11th meant to
[4:22:28] them especially in the immediate
[4:22:30] aftermath
[4:22:31] and it sort of resonates to this day. So
[4:22:33] if people want to read a poem that is
[4:22:35] very effective in that regard, Survivors
[4:22:38] Found by Joan Murray, it's excellent.
[4:22:40] That's great. Thank you.
[4:22:43] Okay. Um Paul said that we should vote.
[4:22:47] I did not
[4:22:47] or is it David? I'm sorry. Someone over
[4:22:49] here said that.
[4:22:50] I'm ready to move it
[4:22:52] or everyone want to do it. Okay.
[4:22:56] Um
[4:22:58] any
[4:22:59] suggested edits or see what did I say?
[4:23:06] Well, I made I made some comments. Do
[4:23:07] with them what you want. Let's more Why
[4:23:10] don't you move the question?
[4:23:12] So, just modifying to correct for the
[4:23:13] scrier's error. Yeah. Other than that, I
[4:23:17] move that the select board recommend
[4:23:19] favorable action on war article 20.
[4:23:22] Okay. All in favor John and Skoyak.
[4:23:24] I David Paul Warren.
[4:23:26] I have one comment before I I vote.
[4:23:28] Bernard. Um so with with very few
[4:23:31] exceptions, I'm probably going to
[4:23:32] abstain on most articles because I'm
[4:23:34] moving into the legislature town
[4:23:37] meeting. Um uh so for this one though, I
[4:23:40] I will be voting yes. But most articles
[4:23:44] uh I I may abstain. Okay, just just to
[4:23:47] let you know.
[4:23:48] Okay. Uh, David P. I Michael Rubenstein.
[4:23:52] Hi,
[4:23:52] Chair V.I.
[4:23:54] Thank you.
[4:23:55] Thank you very much. I appreciate it.
[4:23:59] Next, we have uh actually two articles
[4:24:02] that we should talk about together.
[4:24:04] Warrant Article 17 and Warrant Article
[4:24:07] 25.
[4:24:09] And I assume that we have some uh
[4:24:12] petitioners
[4:24:14] online. I see Chi-Chi Woo
[4:24:17] and someone else.
[4:24:22] Uh, okay.
[4:24:22] Yeah, Chi-Chi Woo. Um,
[4:24:25] I have a uh we have PowerPoints for both
[4:24:28] of these warrant articles and we were
[4:24:30] told we would get 10 minutes for each
[4:24:31] warrant article. Is that correct?
[4:24:35] Were they told that?
[4:24:36] I guess
[4:24:37] it's seven for warrant articles.
[4:24:39] That was my mistake. It is seven.
[4:24:43] Okay, I will try to keep uh more in
[4:24:45] article 17 and in seven uh 25 may take a
[4:24:50] little bit longer.
[4:24:50] Okay, what uh since we said 10, why
[4:24:53] don't we give you 10 for 25 but seven
[4:24:57] for
[4:24:58] 17.
[4:24:59] I will talk fast through 17.
[4:25:02] Make sure you understand.
[4:25:05] Uh I do have a PowerPoint so I'm going
[4:25:07] to share my screen.
[4:25:18] Okay. Chi-Chi Woo, town meeting member,
[4:25:20] precinct 7, uh, a petitioner on article
[4:25:24] 17, one of two, um, artic articles this
[4:25:28] evening dealing with civil immigration
[4:25:30] enforcement activities. Um, the other
[4:25:32] petitioners are Alec Leoitz and Jessica
[4:25:35] Kiko, who will be talking about article
[4:25:37] 25. uh Marissa Babot is here today and
[4:25:41] then Amy Newell and Scottenian who could
[4:25:43] not join us. Um
[4:25:46] so um this article um uh you know I
[4:25:51] don't need to belabor too much how um
[4:25:54] difficult it has been uh to be both an
[4:25:58] immigrant or to just watch um what's
[4:26:00] been happening with uh immigrants in
[4:26:02] this country. Um so just a little
[4:26:04] background um onethird of Brooklyn
[4:26:06] residents are immigrants. We have the
[4:26:08] highest percentage of foreignb born
[4:26:10] residents after Everett according to the
[4:26:12] Brooklyn Community Foundation. Um I also
[4:26:17] don't need to belabor that um we have
[4:26:19] seen some terrible atrocities by the
[4:26:21] immigration and customs enforcement um
[4:26:24] across the country. We witnesses surges
[4:26:27] in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Portland,
[4:26:30] Maine that have terrorized the
[4:26:31] populations, both immigrants, US
[4:26:33] citizens. We've seen the the murders of
[4:26:36] Alex Prey and Renee Good. Um, and here
[4:26:39] in Massachusetts, we have not had a
[4:26:42] surge, but we've seen numerous instances
[4:26:44] of unfair detainment by ICE. Um, such as
[4:26:48] most notably the detainment of a TUS PhD
[4:26:51] student for exercising her first
[4:26:52] amendment rights. Um, uh, lots of other
[4:26:56] Massachusetts residents detained mo vast
[4:26:59] majority without criminal records. you
[4:27:01] know, a Babson student who is detained
[4:27:03] um contrary to court orders. Um
[4:27:05] teenagers detained um and that they've
[4:27:08] been detained in terrible facilities um
[4:27:11] that are overcrowded um and that have uh
[4:27:14] poor food um and poor sanitary
[4:27:18] conditions and also numerous children.
[4:27:20] And of course, we are all worried about
[4:27:22] a surge by ICE in the Boston area given
[4:27:25] um that blue cities tend to be target of
[4:27:29] this administration.
[4:27:32] Um so um we are bringing this warrant
[4:27:34] article uh modeled on several uh other
[4:27:38] um pieces of uh several other things
[4:27:41] that have been recently issued. Um, most
[4:27:43] notably the you, the select board,
[4:27:45] issued a proclamation on February 10th,
[4:27:47] 2026 about no immigration enforcement on
[4:27:51] town property. Similarly, the governor
[4:27:54] issued a an executive order um regarding
[4:27:57] stateowned property and Boston, Newton,
[4:27:59] Cambridge, Somerville, and Chelsea and
[4:28:01] Lynn have uh issued similar executive
[4:28:04] orders. So, this particular warrant
[4:28:07] article um is very similar to the
[4:28:10] proclamation that the select board
[4:28:12] issued on February 10th and we very much
[4:28:15] appreciate that proclamation um as well
[4:28:18] as the other actions both the select
[4:28:20] board and the police department have
[4:28:22] taken with respect to not cooperating
[4:28:24] with ICE. So, the right now the Warren
[4:28:26] article is two paragraphs. The first
[4:28:29] paragraph is very very similar to the
[4:28:30] first paragraph of the proclamation. The
[4:28:32] biggest difference is we explicitly
[4:28:35] named the police station as a town
[4:28:37] facility that should not be used as a
[4:28:39] staging area or processing location um
[4:28:41] for immigration activities without a
[4:28:43] judicial warrant. Um that's actually not
[4:28:45] a substantive change because the police
[4:28:47] station is just an example. It is of
[4:28:50] course by nature a town facility. So it
[4:28:52] was covered under under your
[4:28:53] proclamation.
[4:28:56] The second um
[4:28:59] uh the second paragraph um
[4:29:03] sorry my PowerPoint's not um is also
[4:29:06] similar to the second paragraph of the
[4:29:08] proclamation. Um now this afternoon we
[4:29:12] got an email from town council
[4:29:14] expressing concerns about the second uh
[4:29:19] second sentence of the second paragraph.
[4:29:22] Um even though it's the same text as was
[4:29:24] in the proclamation for some reason
[4:29:26] because it is going to be a Warren
[4:29:28] article um that seemed to cause some
[4:29:32] concerns. Um town council did suggest
[4:29:35] some options for changing it um
[4:29:37] including making it closer to what
[4:29:39] Cambridge or Somerville has in their exe
[4:29:41] executive orders. So, um, we here we
[4:29:45] have some potential language that we
[4:29:46] could tweak to the second sentence to
[4:29:50] try to address the concerns of town
[4:29:52] council. Um,
[4:29:56] and then, um, you might be thinking,
[4:29:59] well, why did you bring this as a bylaw
[4:30:02] when we already issued our proclamation?
[4:30:04] Um and this was triggered really um
[4:30:07] because we watched the discussion of the
[4:30:10] proclamation which you know obviously
[4:30:11] very much supportive and when it came to
[4:30:14] the discussion of how it would be
[4:30:15] enforced you know we noted that one of
[4:30:17] the speakers said well um we would
[4:30:19] enforce it by going to court to seek an
[4:30:21] injunction to enforce the ordinance and
[4:30:24] the thought occurred well a proclamation
[4:30:26] really isn't an ordinance but what is an
[4:30:29] ordinance a bylaw is an ordinance and a
[4:30:31] bylaw makes um this more enforceable. It
[4:30:35] gives the it the force of a town
[4:30:37] ordinance. It makes it permanent within
[4:30:39] our bylaws. Um also um you know one one
[4:30:43] concern we got was well you know this
[4:30:45] codifies it. What if we want to change
[4:30:47] our minds? Well first of all I hope we
[4:30:49] never do change our minds that our
[4:30:51] values will stay the same in terms of
[4:30:53] not cooperating with civil immigration
[4:30:55] enforcement. But if it um does change,
[4:30:58] you know, town meetings should have a
[4:31:00] say in that as legislative body for
[4:31:03] Brooklyn, both in terms of making this
[4:31:04] permanent and if a reversal is sought.
[4:31:08] Um finally, um we did have a
[4:31:12] conversation with the police department.
[4:31:15] We had it after we submitted it this as
[4:31:17] a warrant article. Um so this did not
[4:31:20] make it to the version that is in the
[4:31:22] warrant. Um the police department
[4:31:24] expressed some concerns about
[4:31:25] enforcement of this bylaw and that they
[4:31:27] were concerned, you know, that they
[4:31:29] didn't want police officers pressured
[4:31:31] into arresting ICE officers or getting
[4:31:33] into conflict with ICE officers um or
[4:31:36] having some sort of uh issue um um where
[4:31:40] uh where a police officer was only aware
[4:31:43] of the bylaw and not the proclamation.
[4:31:45] um you know they pointed to paragraph
[4:31:48] three of the proclamation of something
[4:31:49] very important that the enforcement is
[4:31:51] reporting to the time administrator and
[4:31:53] seeking uh an injunction. Um and so we
[4:31:57] are willing you know we are more than
[4:31:58] happy to add paragraph 3 to the warrant
[4:32:02] article to the bylaw. We have consulted
[4:32:04] with the moderator um and the moderator
[4:32:06] said that this would be considered in
[4:32:08] scope. Um, so we would be willing to
[4:32:11] move a motion that includes paragraph
[4:32:13] three and that um that changes the
[4:32:15] second sentence of the second paragraph
[4:32:17] per um the text that I showed you
[4:32:20] earlier and happy to answer any
[4:32:21] questions at this point.
[4:32:25] By the way, the uh duty to intervene and
[4:32:28] report is part of the post um uh law
[4:32:35] with respect to law enforcement
[4:32:38] officers. So there's some ambiguity as
[4:32:40] whether that covers federal officer, but
[4:32:43] that that language is in the post
[4:32:45] statute or regulations.
[4:32:49] Paul,
[4:32:49] so this may be a question for uh town
[4:32:52] council if he's he's on. Um so
[4:32:57] is Joe on?
[4:32:58] Yes.
[4:32:59] Okay.
[4:33:01] I'm gonna wait to see his face
[4:33:05] or hear his voice
[4:33:06] or hear his voice. There he is. All
[4:33:07] right. his popped up. So, uh, Joe, I I
[4:33:11] have a question about um the statement
[4:33:14] that the petitioner made about the the
[4:33:18] town administrator's ability to seek an
[4:33:20] injunction or whatever the phrasing was.
[4:33:23] Um, given that uh we either a
[4:33:26] proclamation, I thought we we set a
[4:33:28] policy, but maybe it was a proclamation.
[4:33:30] Um, are we unable to enforce
[4:33:35] our policy because it's a policy or a
[4:33:38] proclamation versus a bylaw?
[4:33:42] No. Uh, so sorry, I was uh chewing
[4:33:45] potato chips. That's what took me a
[4:33:47] while to get the my video.
[4:33:49] They're French onions
[4:33:51] and now I'm choking on them because I
[4:33:52] was trying to uh eat them. But um no uh
[4:33:55] Joe Kalan and town council um you know
[4:33:59] if this situation were to arise uh
[4:34:01] without the bylaw as opposed to just the
[4:34:04] policy you know I'd ask Chaz to send
[4:34:06] something in writing to whatever you
[4:34:09] know the uh officer in charge you know
[4:34:12] the special agent in charge whoever you
[4:34:14] know is in charge and we would enforce
[4:34:16] that that would be a directive from the
[4:34:18] town. So, it doesn't matter if it's a
[4:34:19] letter, it's an email, it's a policy,
[4:34:21] it's a, you know, something. It would be
[4:34:24] the feds would be uh using town property
[4:34:27] without our permission and that's what
[4:34:29] we'd be seeking to uh enforce.
[4:34:31] Thank you.
[4:34:32] But it is true that uh proclamation
[4:34:35] really is just the the opinion of the
[4:34:37] select board doesn't really have much
[4:34:38] power beyond that and the next select
[4:34:41] board could could reverse it. So, you
[4:34:44] know, having a bylaw is is a little more
[4:34:46] substantive than
[4:34:48] or substantial than um just a
[4:34:50] proclamation.
[4:34:52] Uh John,
[4:34:55] uh yeah. Um thank thank you to the
[4:34:57] sponsors for bringing this Warren
[4:34:59] article. Um there's a lot to discuss
[4:35:01] here. Um,
[4:35:03] I'm just wondering uh because a a lot of
[4:35:06] this is just going to um take effect in
[4:35:11] in situations in which the police have
[4:35:13] to make a decision uh about how to
[4:35:16] behave toward, you know, um federal law
[4:35:20] enforcement that are on property in in
[4:35:22] the town of Brooklyn, uh whether it be
[4:35:25] public or private property. Um if the
[4:35:28] select board have made a policy and then
[4:35:32] if town meeting makes a policy and town
[4:35:35] meetings policy doesn't entirely square
[4:35:38] with the select board's policy
[4:35:41] um who who are the police expected to
[4:35:44] answer to
[4:35:45] well the town meetings policy is a law
[4:35:48] bylaw an ordinance
[4:35:51] all right
[4:35:52] I that that would I would think that
[4:35:54] would control
[4:35:56] I I would also point out that you know
[4:35:58] we wrote the bylaw to be very similar to
[4:36:01] the proclamation so that it matches uh
[4:36:04] what you issued as the select
[4:36:06] right- which you know um kind of gets to
[4:36:10] my point in a different way um if
[4:36:13] they're the same
[4:36:15] you know I'm
[4:36:18] e either they're different and there's a
[4:36:20] material difference and then you got to
[4:36:22] get into all these questions of you know
[4:36:24] that I think our town council has has
[4:36:26] raised as to whether we're suggesting
[4:36:30] that um uh there there can be some kind
[4:36:34] of uh interference in federal law
[4:36:37] enforcement that is not something that
[4:36:38] the police are comfortable doing in
[4:36:41] certain circumstances.
[4:36:43] Um or there's no difference. Um and I
[4:36:47] guess we could just go ahead and you
[4:36:48] know say we'll have it in a select board
[4:36:51] policy but and in a bylaw as well. Um,
[4:36:56] I'm I'm a little puzzled by the
[4:36:58] difference. I think there is a
[4:37:00] difference others can help me out with
[4:37:02] this between a a bylaw that that governs
[4:37:07] um all behaviors of all people in the
[4:37:10] town or a policy that is in the hands of
[4:37:14] the select board in terms of their role
[4:37:17] visav the police department. Um, and
[4:37:21] that policy
[4:37:23] speaks to interactions between our
[4:37:26] police department and other police
[4:37:27] departments. And and I'm I'm a little
[4:37:30] bit confused about the extent to which a
[4:37:33] bylaw can trump
[4:37:36] a police department policy uh set by the
[4:37:39] select board. Um because the, you know,
[4:37:41] police department isn't just anybody.
[4:37:44] They're the police department.
[4:37:45] Yeah. So, so there's we have to separate
[4:37:49] a couple things.
[4:37:49] Yeah.
[4:37:50] The proclamation is not a policy. What
[4:37:53] is a policy?
[4:37:55] Well, okay. So maybe someone can
[4:37:58] convince me that it is the policy that
[4:38:02] that's relevant is uh general order 42
[4:38:06] and general order 51 which were policies
[4:38:10] in uh uh executed by the select board uh
[4:38:15] to govern the police department. So why
[4:38:18] okay so tell me why a a proclamation is
[4:38:20] is the same as as a regulation.
[4:38:23] It's so it's not the same as a general
[4:38:25] order. It's not the same as a
[4:38:26] regulation, but it is it is a pol it's
[4:38:28] policy directive from the select board
[4:38:31] and when you issue a policy directive,
[4:38:33] it's my job to implement that policy
[4:38:34] directive regardless of the form that it
[4:38:36] takes. So by structuring it as a
[4:38:39] proclamation because you do you are not
[4:38:41] in the habit of issuing executive orders
[4:38:43] which is what other communities have
[4:38:45] done. And I don't necessarily know if as
[4:38:47] a executive body as a whole you want to
[4:38:49] get in the habit of issuing the
[4:38:50] executive orders. I tend to think of
[4:38:52] that as something that's a little it's
[4:38:54] it's not necessarily congruent with what
[4:38:56] you as a select board tend to do. Um so
[4:38:59] coming up with a way to put together a
[4:39:01] public pronouncement of your policy
[4:39:04] guidance that we then implement which we
[4:39:07] implement through you're right that
[4:39:09] there are elements of this that are
[4:39:11] reflected or you know that you know some
[4:39:14] elements of the policy reflect back to
[4:39:16] the two general relevant general orders.
[4:39:18] the orders about the reference of duty
[4:39:20] to intervene which as you pointed out
[4:39:22] came up after post and then um the
[4:39:25] non-ooperation um with you know refusing
[4:39:28] to provide um services related to civil
[4:39:31] immigration enforcement. Um you know it
[4:39:34] references those but those are those are
[4:39:36] general orders that are that are more
[4:39:39] specific and directed to the police
[4:39:40] department. Your general policy
[4:39:42] guidance, however, is, you know, it's my
[4:39:45] job to follow that and so I implement
[4:39:47] that in accordance with your directives.
[4:39:49] So when you issue that and you, you
[4:39:51] know, it says in the last paragraph, the
[4:39:52] town administrator is directed to
[4:39:54] implement this. That's what I'm doing.
[4:39:59] David,
[4:39:59] I think the petitioner's point is that
[4:40:02] structurally a bylaw, as long as it
[4:40:05] complies with state law, federal law, is
[4:40:08] going to supersede a policy of a
[4:40:11] subgroup within the municipality. So, I
[4:40:14] think the idea is to formally codify
[4:40:17] our proclamation
[4:40:19] so that there is a basis for potential
[4:40:23] court action to enforce it. It's less
[4:40:26] clean enforcing a policy.
[4:40:30] Well,
[4:40:31] well, I guess I I would just say that
[4:40:32] that that that subgroup within the town
[4:40:35] governance is actually the police
[4:40:37] commissioners
[4:40:38] and you have a bylaw going to over
[4:40:41] override the police comm. I mean, we're
[4:40:43] the executive body for the town. Um, we
[4:40:46] issued a policy um which is fully
[4:40:49] enforceable and being executed by the
[4:40:51] town administrator. Um, extrapolate this
[4:40:54] out. Um, does this town meeting start
[4:40:56] setting policy for the police with
[4:40:59] respect to how they enforce the roads or
[4:41:02] when they can pull people over? Uh, what
[4:41:05] I guess they could do anything, but
[4:41:06] right
[4:41:07] I'm I'm just talking about structurally
[4:41:09] a bylaws higher level.
[4:41:11] Now whether we like that or not is
[4:41:12] another question, but I think the the
[4:41:15] point is to have something that's
[4:41:18] uniform that's at the municipal level,
[4:41:21] not a subcomponent below it.
[4:41:24] Michael,
[4:41:25] um I mean I I have comments that are not
[4:41:27] related to this particular point, but to
[4:41:30] this particular point, just as another
[4:41:32] example, Paul, um I would raise the tree
[4:41:35] protection bylaw, um which has a lot of
[4:41:38] specifics in terms of how it gets
[4:41:40] implemented. And because that was passed
[4:41:43] as a bylaw through town meeting, the way
[4:41:47] in which that bylaw is implemented by
[4:41:50] DPW
[4:41:52] is constrained to the specifications
[4:41:56] within that bylaw. So in my in my
[4:41:59] opinion, I don't think
[4:42:01] we as the executive have the power to
[4:42:04] say, "Oh, no, that's not really the way
[4:42:06] we should implement it. We should do it
[4:42:08] a different way.
[4:42:12] John.
[4:42:13] Um, so let me see if I can explain
[4:42:17] myself a little bit better. Um if if the
[4:42:21] bylaw
[4:42:22] directed the select board to direct the
[4:42:27] police um to do this,
[4:42:31] would the bylaw have the force of you
[4:42:34] know trumping the role of the select
[4:42:37] board as police commissioners of the
[4:42:38] police to to dictate you know what
[4:42:41] policies the commissioners of police
[4:42:43] should be setting for the police
[4:42:44] department?
[4:42:47] Uh Joe, do you have any insight on that
[4:42:50] question?
[4:42:52] For Joe Kalan, town council, um you
[4:42:55] know, a bylaw directing the select board
[4:42:57] to exercise its discretion in one way or
[4:42:59] another would be problematic. It would
[4:43:01] be a you'd run into a problem of
[4:43:03] separation of powers. You are the
[4:43:04] executive. Town meeting is the legislate
[4:43:07] legislative branch. So that would be
[4:43:09] more problematic than say how this bylaw
[4:43:12] is u drafted.
[4:43:14] Yeah. And that kind of gets to what's
[4:43:17] making me a little uncomfortable about
[4:43:18] this is it feels like it's doing an end
[4:43:20] run around the role of the police of the
[4:43:23] select board as the commissioners of the
[4:43:25] police in um setting policies for the
[4:43:29] police department especially in the area
[4:43:31] of the ver the the cooperation of the
[4:43:34] police department with other authorities
[4:43:36] state authorities and federal
[4:43:37] authorities. Um you know th those can't
[4:43:40] be simply
[4:43:41] redrawn at the local level. um when in
[4:43:45] fact there's you know uh very severe
[4:43:48] consequences
[4:43:50] for for for crossing lines in terms of
[4:43:53] cooperation between law enforcement
[4:43:55] agencies. I I I am led to understand.
[4:43:58] Yeah.
[4:43:59] So if I I could point out what we're
[4:44:01] talking about the the bylaw um which in
[4:44:05] its current form without paragraph 3 is
[4:44:07] simply um setting forth what's pro a
[4:44:09] prohibited activity on town property. Um
[4:44:13] I I I'm wondering if you're referring to
[4:44:16] the resolution that we're going to talk
[4:44:17] about next.
[4:44:20] Yes, if I may. I was just about to make
[4:44:22] that point. Thank you. So I don't see
[4:44:24] anything in this language that is
[4:44:26] demanding that any action be taken by
[4:44:28] the police. This is just describing what
[4:44:31] actions would be prohibited.
[4:44:36] Good point.
[4:44:37] Um uh to to a couple of other points. Um
[4:44:41] the first is a is a drafting just a
[4:44:44] drafting question. In the first
[4:44:46] paragraph there's a reference to civil
[4:44:48] immigration enforcement and subsequently
[4:44:52] in the same paragraph there's a
[4:44:53] reference to federal civil immigration
[4:44:55] enforcement. And I'm just wondering if
[4:44:57] that diff was intentional or noteworthy
[4:45:01] in any way.
[4:45:09] Um this is in the text of the bylaw
[4:45:13] itself.
[4:45:14] Yes.
[4:45:16] Um so as I said we um basically tried to
[4:45:20] copy paste as much of the proclamation
[4:45:23] as we could. So that is probably in the
[4:45:26] proclamation.
[4:45:28] Okay. So, I I I would recommend that you
[4:45:31] consider making those phrases consistent
[4:45:33] even if they're not in the proclamation
[4:45:35] because I'm I'm not sure why they're
[4:45:37] different. Um that that's number one.
[4:45:40] Um, number two, um, I have a concern not
[4:45:46] only in the second sentence, but in the
[4:45:48] first sentence of the second paragraph
[4:45:51] in the sense that that, uh, that
[4:45:55] sentence is an action on a group of
[4:45:58] people and not an action on a set of
[4:46:02] behaviors or actions by those people.
[4:46:05] Um, and I'm a little concerned about the
[4:46:09] precedent of saying this is a group of
[4:46:13] people who aren't allowed in the
[4:46:16] non-public spaces of public buildings.
[4:46:19] Um you know in the extreme case for
[4:46:22] example you know a civil who a person
[4:46:26] might be considered a civil immigration
[4:46:28] enforcement official for example if they
[4:46:30] are a high up uh appointed official
[4:46:35] within DHS you know not necessarily
[4:46:38] related to ICE but they may have a civil
[4:46:40] immigration enforcement role and by the
[4:46:44] by this language would those people be
[4:46:47] banned from the non on public spaces of
[4:46:50] public buildings or would a civil
[4:46:53] immigration enforcement official who is
[4:46:56] not at that moment carrying out their
[4:46:58] duties as a civil immigration
[4:47:00] enforcement official be similarly banned
[4:47:03] from non-public spaces of public
[4:47:05] buildings. So I just as a as a matter of
[4:47:09] precedence, I think if our concern is
[4:47:12] about preventing particular behaviors,
[4:47:14] then we should specify the behaviors as
[4:47:17] opposed to the individuals.
[4:47:20] The third point I I'm I'm wondering if
[4:47:24] you considered is that this war this uh
[4:47:28] bylaw is specifically focused on civil
[4:47:31] immigration enforcement. And and I'm
[4:47:33] wondering if uh over time
[4:47:37] um one of two things is possible. One is
[4:47:40] that civil immigration enforcement will
[4:47:42] change its character in such a way that
[4:47:45] this bylaw would be inappropriate. Or
[4:47:49] alternatively, there may be other fu uh
[4:47:52] actions by different federal agencies,
[4:47:56] you know, uh impos uh what's the word?
[4:48:01] enforcing a draft, for example, that we
[4:48:04] may as a town object to uh or some other
[4:48:07] action of federal enforcement that we
[4:48:10] would want to this to uh also apply to.
[4:48:15] And I'm wondering whether the language
[4:48:17] is either
[4:48:19] is is is too specific in that regard.
[4:48:25] Does she have do
[4:48:26] you have any comments?
[4:48:29] Um
[4:48:31] well with respect to that the the latter
[4:48:34] point um uh I mean we were focused on
[4:48:38] immigration issues because that's what
[4:48:41] is currently
[4:48:43] um the big issue in this country um and
[4:48:49] you know in in Massachusetts and it and
[4:48:52] again um we the idea was basically to
[4:48:55] take the proclamation and turn it into a
[4:48:58] bylaw. So, we did try to hue as closely
[4:49:00] to the proclamation thinking that um
[4:49:03] since the select board did approve it um
[4:49:07] that it would be actually the least
[4:49:09] controversial step to to simply codify
[4:49:13] it in the bylaws.
[4:49:15] John,
[4:49:15] and can I just briefly add Alec Levitz,
[4:49:17] Town Meeting Member Precinct 8, one of
[4:49:19] the co- petitioners. Um I think to the
[4:49:21] first point you in your question there
[4:49:23] Michael um there is already an exception
[4:49:26] and kind of a safety valve built into
[4:49:28] this bylaw which is um these civil
[4:49:31] immigration enforcement officials are
[4:49:33] allowed in the non-public spaces if they
[4:49:36] have a judicial warrant. Um, and so I
[4:49:38] think that provides some flexibility
[4:49:40] should the course of civil immigration
[4:49:43] enforcement return um to I think a more
[4:49:46] normal or more um appropriate
[4:49:49] application of federal law. Um, we've
[4:49:52] seen I think with some exceptions of
[4:49:54] course that largely right now the
[4:49:57] unlawful and I'd say rogue actions of
[4:49:59] some of the enforcement agencies in the
[4:50:01] federal level have been held to account
[4:50:03] by the courts. So, I think we see that
[4:50:05] the provision of a judicial warrant
[4:50:07] granted by the courts um you know
[4:50:09] provides some flexibility in the bylaw
[4:50:11] and certainly should the tenor and and
[4:50:13] um effectiveness and appropriateness of
[4:50:16] civil immigration enforcement changes.
[4:50:18] That's also something a future town
[4:50:19] meeting could certainly revisit in
[4:50:20] amending or repealing this bylaw.
[4:50:22] Okay, John. And then
[4:50:24] well a a good question was asked and I I
[4:50:26] thank um uh the sponsor for that as to
[4:50:30] you know am I confusing the uh article
[4:50:34] uh the two articles that are in front of
[4:50:36] us and um yes my comments I think apply
[4:50:41] most you know uh directly to the
[4:50:44] proposed article 25 but on the other
[4:50:48] hand uh under article 17 the bylaw to
[4:50:51] prohibit civil immigration ation
[4:50:53] immigration enforcement activities on
[4:50:55] town facilities.
[4:50:57] Who do we think is going to enforce
[4:50:59] that? I mean, it's going to be police.
[4:51:02] It's going to be our our local police.
[4:51:04] It's a town bylaw uh to be to be
[4:51:07] enforced, I presume, by town police
[4:51:10] department. Um and so the bylaw
[4:51:13] effectively um puts the uh town police
[4:51:16] department in the position of having to
[4:51:19] take on ICE and forcibly remove them
[4:51:23] from um town facilities. And that was
[4:51:28] never the intent of the um select
[4:51:30] board's proclamation. Um we we've dealt
[4:51:34] mainly with issues of cooperation and
[4:51:37] you know and you we want to very clearly
[4:51:40] state th those um actions by ICE that
[4:51:44] our police department will not engage in
[4:51:47] jointly or cooperate with. But I don't
[4:51:50] think it was ever the intention of
[4:51:52] anything that we adopted that we would
[4:51:54] set our police department um at odds
[4:51:57] with ICE if they are, you know, um
[4:52:01] if if they are present on town
[4:52:04] facilities um in in ways that federal
[4:52:07] law enforcement is actually u permitted
[4:52:11] to to uh engage to uh be present at.
[4:52:17] David,
[4:52:17] so
[4:52:19] just g getting back to the uh previous
[4:52:22] point. So I agree with Michael. I I
[4:52:24] don't think it's sufficient that because
[4:52:27] an immigration enforcement official
[4:52:29] could secure a warrant, therefore it's
[4:52:32] okay to have this prohibition because
[4:52:35] it's not that we are necessarily against
[4:52:38] an entire class of people from being in
[4:52:41] a non-public space of a public building.
[4:52:44] it's what that person would actually do
[4:52:46] while there. And I do appreciate that
[4:52:49] the petitioners were basically modeling
[4:52:51] this off of our proclamation. So I think
[4:52:54] this is actually a deficiency that was
[4:52:57] on our end that we didn't catch at the
[4:52:59] time and we perhaps may want to
[4:53:02] reconsider our proclamation. Uh but it's
[4:53:04] still a valid point even if it's coming
[4:53:06] up now as opposed to before when we
[4:53:08] passed the proclamation. I do feel that
[4:53:10] the second sentence in uh paragraph 2 is
[4:53:14] addressing the actual concern here and
[4:53:16] the second sentence going back to
[4:53:19] Michael's points focuses more on the
[4:53:21] behavior or the conduct that we want to
[4:53:23] see occurring in these spaces. So I'm
[4:53:26] not sure that we necessarily need the
[4:53:29] first sentence. And again this isn't a
[4:53:32] criticism of the petitioners. This was I
[4:53:34] think a mistake that we made in the
[4:53:36] proclamation as well.
[4:53:39] May I address John's point regarding um
[4:53:42] the enforcement by police? Um so during
[4:53:45] the my presentation I did point out we
[4:53:47] met with the police department. They
[4:53:49] raised that concern and um they raised
[4:53:52] that we had not adopted the third
[4:53:55] paragraph of your proclamation. Um we
[4:53:57] are willing to include that in in the
[4:54:00] warrant article. Um and we have talked
[4:54:03] to the moderator about that and he um
[4:54:05] said that would be within scope. So we
[4:54:07] we specifically um uh are are cognizant
[4:54:11] of that concern. Also I would note that
[4:54:14] the this particular bylaw would be in
[4:54:16] the section of the bylaws part six that
[4:54:19] deal with prohibited um activities on
[4:54:22] town property. So for example, it's
[4:54:24] where the bylaws talk about no alcohol
[4:54:27] on town property, which the police do
[4:54:29] enforce that, but it may not necessarily
[4:54:31] be arresting anyone. um it might be just
[4:54:34] a a a fine or it might just be a verbal
[4:54:37] warning. Um so, you know, it isn't the
[4:54:40] part of the bylaws that deals with what
[4:54:42] is prohibited or and not allowed on town
[4:54:45] property um in general. So, it it kind
[4:54:47] of fits there.
[4:54:48] That's good.
[4:54:49] Okay, Paul.
[4:54:50] Yep. Uh thanks for clarifying that,
[4:54:52] Chichi. that there may be just a little
[4:54:54] bit of a difference between a police
[4:54:57] officer enforcing not having alcohol in
[4:54:58] a at a park and them having uh a
[4:55:02] confrontation with another uh you know
[4:55:06] entity that a federal entity that
[4:55:09] believes that they have jurisdiction. Um
[4:55:11] it just you could see where it could it
[4:55:13] could be problematic. Um but I do want
[4:55:16] to go back to I want to make sure I
[4:55:18] understand the issue that Michael
[4:55:19] brought up and I think David reinforced
[4:55:21] but I'm not sure. The first sentence of
[4:55:23] the second paragraph, non-public spaces
[4:55:25] of public buildings shall be offlimits
[4:55:27] to civil immigration immigration
[4:55:30] enforcement officials in the absence of
[4:55:32] a judicial warrant. Um, this could be
[4:55:34] read that if if there is a member of the
[4:55:37] Brooklyn public, uh, maybe they're a
[4:55:39] resident and they happen to be a civil
[4:55:41] immigration immigration enforcement
[4:55:43] official, they would be barred from
[4:55:45] going into the police station by this
[4:55:47] wording. uh because it's as Michael
[4:55:49] said, it's identifying an individual or
[4:55:51] a group versus the the actual activity
[4:55:55] above. You're talking about the actions
[4:55:58] um in the first paragraph. In the second
[4:56:00] paragraph, you're actually identifying a
[4:56:01] people group. Um and I, you know, I I
[4:56:05] think that would need to be cleaned up
[4:56:07] um a bit. So, it's about the action. So,
[4:56:09] that if someone is a civil immigration
[4:56:12] official and they live in Brooklyn and
[4:56:14] they need to go pay their taxes or they
[4:56:16] need to go do something to challenge a
[4:56:18] ticket at at the police station, they're
[4:56:20] not chased off the property because they
[4:56:22] have uh
[4:56:24] a particular
[4:56:25] a particular role, right?
[4:56:26] I will just note though that it's
[4:56:28] non-public spaces, right? Like you can
[4:56:30] go pay your taxes like that's that's a
[4:56:32] public space of a public building. It's
[4:56:34] you can't come behind the counter, which
[4:56:36] is true of anybody. But, you know,
[4:56:38] again, it's just
[4:56:39] this this does this language when you
[4:56:41] adopted it was designed for nonpublic
[4:56:45] spaces. Um, and designed to make very
[4:56:49] clear that you can't, you know, we don't
[4:56:52] want to have situations like it when
[4:56:53] it's been reported, which is people, you
[4:56:55] know, walking behind the counter here in
[4:56:58] the sixth floor and saying, I'm, you
[4:57:00] know, I'm with the US government. you
[4:57:01] have to do what I say without a warrant.
[4:57:04] Um, they have they if they want to go
[4:57:06] back there, they need a judicial warrant
[4:57:08] to do it. That's that's what that
[4:57:10] language is about.
[4:57:11] But wouldn't that be true of any
[4:57:13] individual regardless of their role?
[4:57:15] Yes. Again, you know, we're this is why
[4:57:17] we're talking about why why it's why
[4:57:20] from a policy perspective, a lot of this
[4:57:22] is reinforcing existing,
[4:57:25] you know, reinforcing and codifying
[4:57:26] restrictions that already existed
[4:57:28] because a lot of this is about, you
[4:57:30] know, making sure the public feels
[4:57:32] confident that that we are that we have
[4:57:35] the tools available to us to the extent
[4:57:37] possible under given the limits that we
[4:57:40] have under the supremacy clause of the
[4:57:41] Constitution um to do what we can to
[4:57:44] resist unlawful activity um in town
[4:57:47] buildings and on town property. Um so
[4:57:50] yes, a lot of this to Bernard's point
[4:57:52] references back to things that are
[4:57:54] already true um but recodifies them in a
[4:57:56] different way so that people understand
[4:57:58] clearly what can and can't happen in a
[4:58:01] public building on public property.
[4:58:02] So So Chz, I I think there's an easy fix
[4:58:05] to this if we just listen to what the
[4:58:07] issue is. I don't think it's that
[4:58:08] complicated. the the activities that are
[4:58:12] in the paragraph above would just need
[4:58:15] to be brought down to the paragraph
[4:58:18] below in the non-public spaces. So the
[4:58:21] above it's any town facility, right? Um
[4:58:24] can't be used and then below it's
[4:58:27] essentially saying the same thing. It's
[4:58:28] just saying non-public spaces, right?
[4:58:31] No, because it's this is paragraph one
[4:58:33] is about staging. It's about using these
[4:58:36] things for a specific purpose. Um
[4:58:39] whereas paragraph 2 is more broadly
[4:58:41] about access generally. Um so you can't
[4:58:44] just you know dragging it down and
[4:58:46] saying dragging that down and saying you
[4:58:48] know you can't use non-public spaces of
[4:58:50] town buildings for staging. Well yes
[4:58:52] that's true. That's not what this is
[4:58:54] designed to counteract. It's designed to
[4:58:56] counteract people saying you know people
[4:58:59] flashing a badge and saying I'm allowed
[4:59:00] to be back here when in fact they don't
[4:59:02] have a warrant to be back there. Um
[4:59:04] but that but as Michael said that's
[4:59:05] anybody. I mean,
[4:59:07] it's not anybody because
[4:59:08] the public just can't walk behind the
[4:59:10] counter at the town clerk's office and
[4:59:12] say, "I'm in here."
[4:59:13] That's right.
[4:59:14] The second paragraph says, "Non-public
[4:59:16] spaces of public buildings should be off
[4:59:18] limits to civil immigration
[4:59:21] enforcement."
[4:59:23] Officials
[4:59:23] officials.
[4:59:24] Officials.
[4:59:24] Well, if if you stopped at enforcement,
[4:59:26] you might be okay.
[4:59:28] If you when you add officials, you're
[4:59:29] actually talking about a person as
[4:59:31] opposed to an act an activity. So maybe
[4:59:33] you just get rid of officials in that
[4:59:36] solves the issue.
[4:59:37] Well, I'm not sure I would want to word
[4:59:39] smith this.
[4:59:40] Yeah, but I agree with your feedback.
[4:59:42] You you raised a good point.
[4:59:44] Yeah.
[4:59:45] I mean, there are other ways to solve
[4:59:46] this, too, I'm sure.
[4:59:50] Okay. Where are we?
[4:59:53] Public hearing.
[4:59:54] I Yeah. Right.
[4:59:56] Okay. Let's go to the public hearing.
[5:00:01] Jessica has her hand raised or had her
[5:00:03] hand raised.
[5:00:04] Who? Jessica.
[5:00:05] Okay.
[5:00:07] Yes. Good evening, Jessica Kiko co-
[5:00:09] petitioner. I was actually going to
[5:00:11] address that last point and see if I
[5:00:12] could suggest some phrasing that might
[5:00:14] address that particular issue. Uh and so
[5:00:17] wanted to know whether if we rephrased
[5:00:19] it to non-public spaces of public
[5:00:21] buildings shall be off limits to anyone
[5:00:24] carrying out civil immigration
[5:00:25] enforcement in the act judicial warrant
[5:00:28] or court order authorizing their
[5:00:29] presence therein. I feel like that
[5:00:32] language would would address what what
[5:00:34] has I think been correctly identified as
[5:00:36] the potential unintended um issue with
[5:00:39] with the current language.
[5:00:41] Sounds like you're talking about the
[5:00:42] activity.
[5:00:43] Pardon me.
[5:00:44] She's she's limiting it to the activity
[5:00:46] and not the individual.
[5:00:48] Correct.
[5:00:51] Okay. Um you should make that amendment
[5:00:55] when this comes to us next time.
[5:00:57] Yeah. Any
[5:01:00] other uh public uh comments?
[5:01:05] Yeah, members of the public can always
[5:01:06] use the hand raise feature on Zoom if
[5:01:08] they want to make a public comment.
[5:01:12] Not seeing any.
[5:01:13] Okay, let's close the hearing. Um,
[5:01:16] and uh I don't think of course we're not
[5:01:19] ready to take this up right now, but uh
[5:01:22] there I think Jessica has a proposal a
[5:01:26] proposed amendment u probably makes
[5:01:29] sense when it comes back next time
[5:01:32] to the blackboard
[5:01:33] and Bernard when it when it comes back
[5:01:35] if I may um it might be helpful to hear
[5:01:37] from the chief.
[5:01:38] Yes.
[5:01:39] I would say so Paul Campbell the
[5:01:41] superintendent is online. Thank you
[5:01:42] Paul. The chief is unfortunately away.
[5:01:44] she did ask to have the opportunity to
[5:01:46] speak.
[5:01:47] I know on on this one, we've we've
[5:01:49] worked together on this, you know, with
[5:01:51] town council's office to address those
[5:01:53] concerns and we the grateful to the
[5:01:55] petitioners for their involvement there.
[5:01:57] Um I think really where the chief wants
[5:01:59] to be heard and and have the opportunity
[5:02:01] to speak is on article 25. Uh I'm sorry,
[5:02:03] article um
[5:02:05] no no uh sorry, article 21.
[5:02:07] Oh, what's that?
[5:02:08] Um the resolution involving the um Oh,
[5:02:11] I'm sorry. That's that's No, I'm sorry.
[5:02:13] I'm reading
[5:02:14] 25 is no cooperation with ICE. It's um
[5:02:18] but it has a lot of things that I'm sure
[5:02:20] the police are interested in
[5:02:23] talking.
[5:02:24] It was it was one that was actually
[5:02:25] pulled. I'm sorry. It was the one about
[5:02:26] uh the brick.
[5:02:30] Okay.
[5:02:31] Before we leave this one, I just have a
[5:02:33] question.
[5:02:33] Oh, yes. That is that is article 25.
[5:02:35] Yes. the chief did want to have the
[5:02:37] opportunity to speak on that and to
[5:02:38] potentially have um someone from the
[5:02:41] brick come in and have a conversation
[5:02:43] about that.
[5:02:44] Okay,
[5:02:45] Michael.
[5:02:46] Yeah, I I just wanted to ask the
[5:02:48] petitioners what their current status is
[5:02:50] on the second sentence in the second
[5:02:53] paragraph that the uh town council
[5:02:56] flagged.
[5:02:58] Um
[5:02:59] yes, um we uh are willing to modify that
[5:03:04] sentence. Um I had put it in the
[5:03:07] PowerPoint are um that we the so one of
[5:03:12] the options that town council had uh had
[5:03:16] suggested is to modify the language to
[5:03:19] be closer to that of Cambridge and
[5:03:22] Somerville.
[5:03:23] So, um, the way that would be modified
[5:03:26] for Brooklyn would be that the town
[5:03:28] reaffirms its position that public
[5:03:30] buildings are available to provide
[5:03:32] specific services to members of the
[5:03:35] public and to conduct town operations
[5:03:37] and to and are to be accessed for those
[5:03:40] purposes only. So, that's similar
[5:03:44] to um the the language from Cambridge
[5:03:47] and Somerville.
[5:03:49] Okay.
[5:03:50] And I I can I I can try to uh you can't
[5:03:53] see the chat, right? I post it in the
[5:03:54] chat.
[5:03:56] Okay. So, we
[5:03:58] The reason the reason I ask is, you
[5:04:01] know,
[5:04:03] I'm a little concerned that by
[5:04:06] referencing specific services, it begs
[5:04:09] the question, okay, so is there an
[5:04:11] enumeration or what are those specific
[5:04:13] services? So that so that the bylaw is
[5:04:16] clear. And if something falls out of
[5:04:19] that that set of services,
[5:04:23] um that sentence is very restrictive and
[5:04:27] and you know again could be interpreted
[5:04:31] that to exclude something that we uh
[5:04:37] do not want to so exclude.
[5:04:41] So so the the language about access to
[5:04:44] specific services was also in the
[5:04:46] proclamation. So
[5:04:48] um
[5:04:50] I I I appreciate that that that problem.
[5:04:56] Need a bylaw to improve our proclamation
[5:04:58] language.
[5:05:00] Well, capability
[5:05:01] bylaws bylaws in my mind have have more
[5:05:04] weight and deserve
[5:05:07] okay
[5:05:07] deserve this close scrutiny which they
[5:05:09] are getting.
[5:05:09] You're raising a good point, Mike.
[5:05:11] Okay. So, um, here the hearing still
[5:05:13] open and I understand that Marty
[5:05:15] Rosenthal is trying to get in.
[5:05:17] He's here. Marty, can you just unmute
[5:05:20] yourself?
[5:05:26] You can hit star six on your phone.
[5:05:39] So,
[5:05:43] Oh,
[5:05:44] there he is.
[5:05:44] Here.
[5:05:45] Yes. Speak louder, Marty.
[5:05:49] I'm sorry.
[5:05:50] Speak more loudly.
[5:05:53] Should I try off speaker phone? Is this
[5:05:56] better?
[5:05:58] Yeah, just speak up.
[5:06:01] All right. Well, anyway, I've been
[5:06:02] trying for an hour and with a problem.
[5:06:05] So, uh, it's Marty Rosenthal. um town
[5:06:09] meeting member nine, precinct nine,
[5:06:11] former select board member and chair and
[5:06:13] co-chair of PAX. Uh the travesties that
[5:06:17] have gone on in Minneapolis have just
[5:06:19] been so overwhelming to me. They've
[5:06:21] brought up memories of things like the
[5:06:23] Kent State murders, the Napal girl in
[5:06:26] Vietnam, George Floyd, Eric Garner. So I
[5:06:29] really um am appreciative of what the
[5:06:32] board has done February 10th and what
[5:06:34] the petitioners have done. However, I do
[5:06:36] have some problems and questions
[5:06:38] especially on number 17. So I I can't
[5:06:42] talk much about 25 because of the time
[5:06:44] limit and uh the one thing I want to say
[5:06:48] I want to add some things to 25 which
[5:06:50] the moderator said if I can get the
[5:06:52] agreement the petitioners which I hope I
[5:06:54] will uh I'll bring up later but the main
[5:06:58] one on that would be to get
[5:07:00] clarification that the state will either
[5:07:02] requires someone under arrest to get a
[5:07:05] phone call within an hour is not limited
[5:07:08] to anything to state and local police.
[5:07:11] So I think that ought to apply to ICE.
[5:07:15] That's a whole separate set of issues
[5:07:16] probably for the resolution. Okay. So,
[5:07:18] Article 17 half addresses my concerns on
[5:07:22] February 10th, which I sent in one of my
[5:07:25] classic Magnum opuses. Uh, that it tries
[5:07:29] to be binding, but I don't I I and it is
[5:07:32] more binding than than the proclamation,
[5:07:35] but it's complex, risky, and I think
[5:07:38] dangerous. And the reason I think it's
[5:07:40] dangerous is that bylaws get reviewed by
[5:07:44] the attorney general. And I think this
[5:07:46] one has a lot of legal issues. Some of
[5:07:48] which you you've highlighted. I've been
[5:07:50] watching the meeting even while I try to
[5:07:52] get in. I think the attorney general
[5:07:55] there's going to be qualms and that
[5:07:57] could raise problems for all the
[5:07:59] executive orders because the same legal
[5:08:02] issues are in many of them. So let me
[5:08:04] just try to go through a few of them. I
[5:08:06] sent yesterday to the board the
[5:08:08] wonderful Vera article from about ice
[5:08:11] jones zones and I tried to reach one of
[5:08:14] the petitioners today to send it to them
[5:08:16] and I'll do so after after the meeting.
[5:08:18] The biggest gorilla to me is that
[5:08:21] nobody's mentioned that creating a bylaw
[5:08:24] creates a misdemeanor. So, it's a crime
[5:08:27] and it has extra hurdles to pass with
[5:08:29] the AG's office like clarity,
[5:08:32] constitutionality, and not being state
[5:08:34] preempted. Basically, it creates pretty
[5:08:38] much a trespass offense. Doesn't call it
[5:08:40] that, but there is a law on trespass on
[5:08:43] municipal property. It's very limited,
[5:08:46] and I don't see how this could avoid
[5:08:49] being preempted by that limited state
[5:08:52] law. and maybe that it needs to be a
[5:08:54] better state law, but that's a one of
[5:08:56] the things for the resolution I think is
[5:08:58] some things that that are needed at the
[5:09:00] state house. So,
[5:09:02] a couple of issues that I just want to
[5:09:04] highlight. I don't have much time, but
[5:09:06] some of these there's a void for
[5:09:08] vagueness principle that governs
[5:09:10] criminal offenses. I don't think there's
[5:09:13] there is no definition that I see for
[5:09:15] facilities
[5:09:17] and the
[5:09:20] the main prohibition for uh the
[5:09:23] facilities paragraph talks about public
[5:09:25] property but why aren't streets and
[5:09:28] sidewalks considered uh banned and ISIS
[5:09:32] are waited outside the police station to
[5:09:34] grab people who've been arrested and
[5:09:36] bailed. Can we really ban that? I wish
[5:09:39] we could, but they're using public
[5:09:41] property. And I don't see how this,
[5:09:46] you know, basically narrows and avoids
[5:09:48] that. And so basically, they're create
[5:09:51] they're having they're conduct they're
[5:09:53] doing a misdemeanor to do that arrest.
[5:09:56] And the the issue of police intervention
[5:09:58] is a very complicated issue. And I think
[5:10:01] that Bernard would I think mention the
[5:10:03] duty to intervene, which you know is not
[5:10:06] mentioned in this. And I suppose that's
[5:10:08] a separate issue. But so let me get to
[5:10:11] the part two of the uh of the binding
[5:10:16] u bylaw because I agree with town
[5:10:20] council that part one looks okay but not
[5:10:22] for the reasons they say. And I also
[5:10:25] agree that part two was very risky. I
[5:10:27] heard some talk tonight about amending
[5:10:29] it. And Marty,
[5:10:30] your time is up.
[5:10:34] Well,
[5:10:38] but we got we got your points.
[5:10:40] Yeah.
[5:10:43] Thanks, Marty.
[5:10:45] Can we have maybe tell town council?
[5:10:47] It's an interesting point that he makes
[5:10:48] that that does this is there some issue
[5:10:52] that the attorney general now we
[5:10:53] wouldn't find out until we passed it and
[5:10:54] then sent it to the attorney general but
[5:10:57] does it is there some risk of of
[5:10:59] impacting these other executive orders
[5:11:01] that
[5:11:02] Yes. I mean and it's I mean you know we
[5:11:04] we we've been frank on this for a while
[5:11:06] now which is the community has wanted us
[5:11:09] to be proactive in this. We want to be
[5:11:11] proactive. We want to make it stick as
[5:11:12] best we can, but the reality of the
[5:11:14] situation is, yeah, this is this is not
[5:11:17] easy to do. Um, you're dealing with a
[5:11:20] system that inherently favors the
[5:11:22] federal government. They hold all the
[5:11:23] cards.
[5:11:25] Any anything that they argue is, you
[5:11:28] know, they're going to argue all of this
[5:11:30] is barred under the supremacy clause,
[5:11:32] that all this is preempted under federal
[5:11:34] law that we can't say anything about
[5:11:36] immigration enforcement at all. um and
[5:11:40] any attempt to do so is automatically is
[5:11:43] automatically unlawful. Um that's going
[5:11:45] to be their position. That's going to be
[5:11:47] the federal government's position. And
[5:11:49] the state AG may look at may may take
[5:11:51] that as a jumping off point and say,
[5:11:53] "Yeah, you can't do this, you can't do
[5:11:54] that." Um which is why I think we it's
[5:11:58] important for us to workshop this as
[5:12:00] best we can to get it to a point where
[5:12:04] we think it stands up to the best
[5:12:05] scrutiny. But we have to be, you know,
[5:12:07] too, the other thing that we talked
[5:12:08] about when this proclamation first went
[5:12:10] out is setting reasonable reasonable or
[5:12:13] or set setting expectations accordingly
[5:12:16] on what can and can't be done. You know,
[5:12:18] the we can't arrest ICE agents like
[5:12:21] that's just not possible. Um,
[5:12:23] can I can I ask another question? So
[5:12:27] the you raised the leg maybe the
[5:12:30] legality of it. Are we the first to
[5:12:32] propose a bylaw that would essentially
[5:12:35] as Marty says be trespassing or some
[5:12:38] other uh you know misdemeanor and and
[5:12:41] does it does it do we become the test
[5:12:43] case for the federal government to go
[5:12:45] challenge this?
[5:12:46] I don't know the answer to that. We'll
[5:12:47] take a look. I all of these all I will
[5:12:49] say all of these things passed initially
[5:12:51] as executive orders, right? I don't
[5:12:53] know. I don't believe, for example, that
[5:12:55] the Cambridge City Council has taken
[5:12:57] this up yet. Um, or any of the other
[5:12:59] communities, city councils or town, you
[5:13:01] know, boards have taken this up. You
[5:13:03] know, we're the only we're the we're the
[5:13:05] last town, you know, classic town in the
[5:13:08] metro area. So, um, well, not not in the
[5:13:11] metro area. We're the last classic town.
[5:13:14] Take it back. That's
[5:13:15] of our size.
[5:13:16] That's all right. Of our size. Um, so
[5:13:19] but we've got to um, so I don't I don't
[5:13:23] know the answer to that. We'll take a
[5:13:24] look into it. Um, but I don't believe
[5:13:26] so. Um, I think
[5:13:30] maybe Somerville has, but we'll we'll
[5:13:32] I'll do some digging.
[5:13:34] And isn't there a state law?
[5:13:37] There's a state executive order which
[5:13:39] some of some of this language is modeled
[5:13:41] after the governor's executive.
[5:13:42] But the AG doesn't review executive
[5:13:43] orders of cities. Only bylaws are
[5:13:46] it's some precedent.
[5:13:48] the EG would look at it. I would think
[5:13:50] I think in all you know in all these
[5:13:52] cases it's it's
[5:13:54] we're in we're in uncharted territory
[5:13:56] here. Um
[5:13:57] you know we have not had a situation in
[5:14:00] recent memory where the federal
[5:14:01] government has been so actively hostile.
[5:14:04] I think you have to go back to you know
[5:14:06] not to not to I was going to say not to
[5:14:08] be hyperbolic about it but you got to go
[5:14:09] back to the fugitive slave act. Um
[5:14:11] that's really the last time
[5:14:17] We gonna move to the next article.
[5:14:18] Yeah, let's go on to the next article.
[5:14:20] Um,
[5:14:21] as uh Chad said, uh, Chief Pastor wants
[5:14:25] to bring in someone from Brick to answer
[5:14:28] some of the questions that were raised
[5:14:29] in this article. So, we'll have the
[5:14:32] hearing, but continue it into uh another
[5:14:35] meeting so that we can have a hearing
[5:14:37] with that uh
[5:14:40] with them here.
[5:14:42] So, they're not here tonight. No,
[5:14:45] they're not here tonight. Okay,
[5:14:46] it's Paul.
[5:14:47] Yeah.
[5:14:47] So, uh Gi, who's gonna talk about
[5:14:50] foreign article 25?
[5:14:53] That would be uh me, Bernard. And I'm
[5:14:56] going to start things off and then I'm
[5:14:57] going to hand them over to uh my
[5:14:58] co-etitioner, Jessica Kiko.
[5:15:02] Um can everyone see the slides?
[5:15:07] Yes.
[5:15:08] Excellent. Um so, good evening everyone.
[5:15:10] Alec Levitz, town meeting member,
[5:15:12] precinct date and member of the advisory
[5:15:14] committee. Um speaking here on behalf of
[5:15:16] myself and the other co-etitioners of
[5:15:18] Warrant Article 25. Um Warren article 25
[5:15:22] um is the companion article to 17 which
[5:15:25] where the approach in 17 was essentially
[5:15:28] identify what we can do locally we think
[5:15:30] by bylaw. Uh, Warren Article 25 takes a
[5:15:34] broader view of additional policy
[5:15:36] changes that we believe um would
[5:15:39] strengthen Brookline and the state's uh
[5:15:42] commitment to no cooperation with ICE,
[5:15:44] which unfortunately in the uncharted
[5:15:46] territory we are in, we feel must be a
[5:15:49] policy priority for the town um given
[5:15:52] the rogue direction the agency has gone
[5:15:54] in and the um loss of human life that
[5:15:56] they've inflicted without need or cause.
[5:15:59] Um, so I I'll briefly cover um some of
[5:16:02] the resolutions provisions that are
[5:16:04] specifically directed at state officials
[5:16:07] and then I'll pass it over to Jessica
[5:16:09] who's going to talk more about the local
[5:16:11] facing provisions of the resolution. Um
[5:16:14] on the state side um there's three main
[5:16:17] requests included in the resolution um
[5:16:21] or provisions I should say. One is um a
[5:16:24] condemnation of the actions taken by the
[5:16:26] Trump administration um and federal
[5:16:29] officials in their targeting in the con
[5:16:32] the conducting of federal immigration
[5:16:34] enforcement um of targeted enforcement
[5:16:38] based on perceived race, ethnicity,
[5:16:40] language or political preferences of
[5:16:43] residents in the country. Um this is
[5:16:46] something that's been unfortunately very
[5:16:47] well documented in legal filings from
[5:16:50] the Trump administration. um and seems
[5:16:52] to be a commitment of their immigration
[5:16:54] program. We find that completely
[5:16:56] reprehensible and unconstitutional and
[5:16:59] certainly not in keeping with the values
[5:17:00] of Brooklyn under the United States. Um
[5:17:03] focused at the Healey administration, um
[5:17:06] this resolution requests that the state
[5:17:08] exit the sole remaining 287g agreement
[5:17:13] held by a New England state which is
[5:17:15] held by the state's Department of
[5:17:17] Corrections. This is the official
[5:17:19] cooperation agreement provided under by
[5:17:22] by federal law by which state um
[5:17:25] entities can formally cooperate with
[5:17:27] ISIS activities. Um in this case,
[5:17:30] Department of Corrections um officially
[5:17:32] participating in federal immigration
[5:17:34] enforcement. Uh again given um the fact
[5:17:37] that death and injury in ICE captivity
[5:17:41] has risen precipitously uh and their
[5:17:44] behavior in the pursuit of the Trump
[5:17:45] administration's um goals on
[5:17:47] immigration. We just feel this is
[5:17:48] something that the state can no longer
[5:17:50] countenance um and can no longer in good
[5:17:52] conscience provide transfer of anyone uh
[5:17:55] to ICE custody for fear of their their
[5:17:57] personal safety and violation of their
[5:17:59] rights. Um and finally, we also make a
[5:18:02] request of the state legislature, which
[5:18:04] is we call on them uh and particularly
[5:18:06] Brooklyn's delegation to advance
[5:18:08] legislation um um substantively similar
[5:18:13] to um your general order 43 um that
[5:18:17] seeks to um prevent or prohibit any
[5:18:20] cooperation and further cooperation
[5:18:22] between both state and local law
[5:18:24] enforcement and federal immigration. Um,
[5:18:27] and with that, I'll hand it over to
[5:18:28] Jessica to talk about some of the local
[5:18:29] facing provisions.
[5:18:31] Thank you, Alec. Thank you, everyone.
[5:18:33] Um, Jessica Kiko once again. I'm the
[5:18:35] chair of the immigrant advancement
[5:18:36] committee of the CDICR,
[5:18:39] uh, where I've served since 2018. My day
[5:18:41] job is as an immigration lawyer and
[5:18:44] director of training at the
[5:18:45] Massachusetts Immigrant Refugee Advocacy
[5:18:47] Coalition, Mera, though I'm here in my
[5:18:49] personal capacity, 14-year Brooklyn
[5:18:52] resident, parent of BHS um, kids. So, in
[5:18:56] addition to what was just presented, the
[5:18:58] resolution calls on the town to apply
[5:19:00] general order 51 uh for peaceful
[5:19:02] demonstrations and legal observers to
[5:19:04] ICE actions and to investigate excessive
[5:19:07] use of force by federal officials under
[5:19:09] general uh order 50. To withdraw from
[5:19:12] the Boston Regional Information Center
[5:19:14] or brick. uh to stop sending
[5:19:16] fingerprints to the FBI for misdemeanors
[5:19:19] and for minors and to stop applying for
[5:19:22] grants under the urban area security
[5:19:24] initiative or boyc program. And I'm
[5:19:27] going to say a little bit more about
[5:19:28] each next slide. Um so when we spoke
[5:19:32] with our police department just last
[5:19:34] week including Chief Pastor and
[5:19:36] Superintendent Campbell who's here
[5:19:37] tonight, they highlighted for us the
[5:19:39] value of the shared resources that
[5:19:41] Brookline has access to through the
[5:19:42] brick. But the brick is not just about
[5:19:45] sharing resources. It's been well
[5:19:47] documented that the brick includes
[5:19:48] massive surveillance efforts, including
[5:19:51] surveillance of lawful political
[5:19:53] activity protected by the first
[5:19:54] amendment. And we know that the brick,
[5:19:57] which was originally created as an
[5:19:58] anti-terrorism tool, has really drifted
[5:20:01] from that mission and collects
[5:20:02] information on everyday people who are
[5:20:04] not suspected of any criminal activity
[5:20:07] through all sorts of surveillance tools,
[5:20:09] license plate readers, etc. We know that
[5:20:11] the brick has monitored social media of
[5:20:14] um Occupy Boston activists, Black Lives
[5:20:17] Matter activists, Muslims. We also know
[5:20:20] that the brick disproportionately
[5:20:22] collects and stores information on
[5:20:24] black, latina, and Muslim communities.
[5:20:27] So much so that nearly 98% of the people
[5:20:30] in the database uh in the gang database
[5:20:33] that is maintained by the brick or
[5:20:34] people of color. So to the extent that
[5:20:37] the brick facilitates information
[5:20:38] sharing among law enforcement agencies,
[5:20:41] we are confident that Brookline has all
[5:20:44] sorts of collaborative relationships uh
[5:20:46] with our neighboring cities and towns
[5:20:48] well beyond the handful uh of cities and
[5:20:51] and towns that belong to the brick and
[5:20:53] that any kind of needed information
[5:20:55] sharing can and does still happen
[5:20:56] outside of the program. Um, but most
[5:20:59] importantly, we know that information
[5:21:00] shared through the brick can and has
[5:21:02] been used uh by immigration, by the
[5:21:05] Department of Homeland Security, an
[5:21:06] agency that I think we can all agree uh
[5:21:09] right now at least is marked by lawless,
[5:21:12] unconstitutional, and violent behavior.
[5:21:15] Um, and in fact, there's a DHS agent
[5:21:17] that is located within the brick. Um,
[5:21:19] and we know that this information
[5:21:21] sharing has led to deportation that's
[5:21:23] been shown. Um, now town policies and
[5:21:26] stated values are that we're not going
[5:21:28] to use town resources to facilitate
[5:21:30] civil immigration enforcement, but
[5:21:32] staying in the brick does just that. The
[5:21:35] second aspect of the resolution I wanted
[5:21:37] to speak to calls for limiting the
[5:21:39] sharing of fingerprints uh with the
[5:21:41] federal government. We know that
[5:21:43] immigration civil arrest can happen
[5:21:45] after an individual is fingerprinted by
[5:21:48] the local police and that's regardless
[5:21:50] of whether that person is ultimately
[5:21:52] charged or whether that person is
[5:21:54] ultimately found guilty. And those
[5:21:56] prints are currently automatically
[5:21:57] shared
[5:21:59] um with the federal government,
[5:22:00] including immigration. Um in fact, most
[5:22:04] if not all of immigration arrests that
[5:22:06] have taken place in Brooklyn in the past
[5:22:07] year have happened as a result of this
[5:22:10] fingerprint sharing. So though we have
[5:22:13] policies that are meant to ensure
[5:22:14] Brooklyn police doesn't assist civil
[5:22:17] immigration enforcement, sharing
[5:22:19] fingerprints in that way does just that.
[5:22:22] And so because we can't control how
[5:22:24] fingerprints are shared among federal
[5:22:26] agencies uh once they they're passed on
[5:22:29] to federal agencies, what we can control
[5:22:31] is is when we share them. And so
[5:22:33] limiting the sharing of prints uh for
[5:22:36] children uh and for those with lower
[5:22:39] level offenses would not only ensure
[5:22:41] that we're acting in accordance with
[5:22:43] their values, but would also allow due
[5:22:45] process in criminal proceedings.
[5:22:48] If someone who's arrested on a criminal
[5:22:50] charge is then whisked away by ICE, the
[5:22:54] criminal case remains open. That person
[5:22:56] is not given an opportunity to defend
[5:22:58] themselves.
[5:22:59] That victim is not given an opportunity
[5:23:01] for a resolution in that case. Um and
[5:23:04] finally, it would help to avoid
[5:23:06] disproportionate consequences, right?
[5:23:08] Someone may be arrested by the police,
[5:23:12] um, may even be found guilty or, you
[5:23:15] know, receive a sentence or probation,
[5:23:17] but a non-citizen charged with the same
[5:23:20] offense would instead find themselves in
[5:23:22] the hands of ICE and facing deportation.
[5:23:24] And I've seen this play out time and
[5:23:26] time again in my work, including in a
[5:23:28] case that I was working with today, um,
[5:23:31] and countless families torn apart as a
[5:23:34] result of that desperate outcome.
[5:23:37] And then the last topic uh we wanted to
[5:23:39] address this evening is the UAC funding
[5:23:42] uh which I know that the select board
[5:23:44] discussed uh not too long ago. Um among
[5:23:47] other things UAC funding supports our
[5:23:50] participation in the brick but it's not
[5:23:51] the only thing that it does. Um, and
[5:23:55] specifically I wanted to point out that
[5:23:57] the federal fiscal year 2025 notice of
[5:24:00] funding opportunity, the NOFO put out by
[5:24:02] the federal government for these grants
[5:24:04] requires uh recipients to spend 30%
[5:24:09] uh of the funds that are received on
[5:24:11] what they identify as national priority
[5:24:13] areas. And the boxes that you see here,
[5:24:16] I apologize, I'm not sure why they're
[5:24:17] showing up black with white print. Hope
[5:24:20] they're not too hard to read. um are
[5:24:22] screenshots, screen grabs directly from
[5:24:24] from the NOFO and that includes a
[5:24:28] minimum spend requirement for all
[5:24:30] recipients on what they call supporting
[5:24:33] border crisis response and enforcement.
[5:24:36] Um and the types of activities that the
[5:24:38] NOFO lists as examples of this are types
[5:24:41] of activities that we've already said as
[5:24:43] a town we're not going to do, right?
[5:24:45] participation in 287g agreements,
[5:24:48] cooperation with detainers, support of
[5:24:51] enforcement of immigration law. Now, in
[5:24:54] the proclamation that we've been
[5:24:55] discussing for some time this evening,
[5:24:57] um the select board stated, and I quote,
[5:24:59] "The town of Brooklyn does not aid,
[5:25:02] abet, or participate in any way in civil
[5:25:06] immigration enforcement." And so, it's
[5:25:08] clear that we can't apply for and
[5:25:10] receive funding that has these types of
[5:25:12] strings attached. Um, so I will end
[5:25:15] there. Thank you very much.
[5:25:17] Look forward to the questions.
[5:25:20] Any questions before we go to public
[5:25:22] hearing?
[5:25:23] I do just want to note Chief Sullivan is
[5:25:25] online. Um, Chief Sullivan administers
[5:25:28] our um relationship with the consortium
[5:25:32] on Yuasi. Um I will let him speak to
[5:25:36] some of the issues here, but I will just
[5:25:38] note that there's been an injunction uh
[5:25:41] that wave that uh waves that requirement
[5:25:44] that immigration that we that we spend
[5:25:47] some of that money on immigration
[5:25:48] enforcement. Um so that's a positive
[5:25:50] development for us. Um
[5:25:53] um and under those circumstances, UASI
[5:25:57] remains an extremely critical source of
[5:26:00] funding, especially given the funding
[5:26:02] crisis that we're currently in. Um I
[5:26:05] think it would be, you know, it would be
[5:26:08] extremely difficult for us um to
[5:26:12] um operate without those funds given the
[5:26:14] current economic conditions that we're
[5:26:16] in. Um but I'd let Chief Sullivan speak
[5:26:18] on that matter. Um,
[5:26:24] Chief Sullivan,
[5:26:26] where are you? There you go.
[5:26:31] Good evening. Uh, John Sullivan, uh,
[5:26:33] fire chief and emergency management
[5:26:35] director and also the jurisdictional
[5:26:37] point of contact for the UASI um
[5:26:40] metropolitan um homeland security
[5:26:42] region. Um, yes, to Chaz's point, um,
[5:26:46] when the NOFO came out for the fiscal 25
[5:26:49] grant, uh, and we, we parsed through all
[5:26:53] of the, uh, conditions, uh, I was
[5:26:55] actually the one that brought this issue
[5:26:58] up before all the JPOX at that at that
[5:27:02] meeting. Um we we reached out through
[5:27:05] EOPS uh the executive office of public
[5:27:08] safety uh which administers the grant
[5:27:10] for the state uh and um looked for
[5:27:14] clarification on how that was going to
[5:27:16] affect us. uh and that it was made clear
[5:27:20] that not only Brookline but many of the
[5:27:23] jurisdictions within the MBHSR
[5:27:27] uh have substantial conflicts with the
[5:27:31] requirements uh that were just noted by
[5:27:34] the petitioners. um that was um put to
[5:27:38] EOPS which was then put to FEMA. Uh, and
[5:27:41] as Chaz just pointed out, um, the the um
[5:27:45] the injunction was put forth in when we
[5:27:48] we were just uh given a uh the just last
[5:27:52] week the the go-ahad from EOPS to be
[5:27:55] able to then um make allocations and
[5:28:00] submit our final um um our final bid, if
[5:28:05] you will, for the grant. Um, I would
[5:28:08] just say that it was it was made clear
[5:28:12] uh the position of Brookline uh and many
[5:28:15] other communities with regard to these
[5:28:17] provisions and u that it would be a
[5:28:21] non-starter for us. Um, I think this
[5:28:24] petition at this point uh goes um goes
[5:28:29] against us in terms of our ability to um
[5:28:33] continue to receive those grants without
[5:28:38] those provisions. Um it would it would
[5:28:41] it the way that I read it, it it
[5:28:43] requires us to withdraw from UASI. Uh
[5:28:46] and um as Chaz just pointed out, there
[5:28:49] has been hundreds of thousands of
[5:28:51] dollars over the years to not only the
[5:28:53] police department, um the fire
[5:28:56] department, the health department, the
[5:28:58] IT department, uh for uh cyber security
[5:29:02] initiatives, um the pays for a number of
[5:29:05] the cyber security initiatives for that.
[5:29:07] uh also pays for uh some wonderful
[5:29:11] programs that we've had throughout the
[5:29:13] years in Brooklyn uh like the uh the uh
[5:29:16] EP Buddies program and the Tech Buddies
[5:29:19] program which benefited our seniors
[5:29:21] during COVID uh and allowed them to get
[5:29:25] access to um email addresses and um
[5:29:29] technologies that they would never have
[5:29:30] had otherwise and training through um
[5:29:34] the grant. uh it it it it provides us
[5:29:37] with a myriad of things that go
[5:29:41] nowhere near any of the the petitioners
[5:29:45] um problematic areas. And so I would
[5:29:48] just caution that, you know, we'd be
[5:29:50] throwing the baby out with the
[5:29:51] bathwater. There was there's there's I
[5:29:54] think a better way for us to address the
[5:29:58] concerns of the petitioners and and
[5:30:00] uphold what we know as the um
[5:30:05] representatives of this town at at this
[5:30:08] level of government. Uh what what the
[5:30:12] feelings of the town are and what the
[5:30:14] this community represents. Um I I'm just
[5:30:18] concerned that the way this is is uh is
[5:30:21] put forth that it it doesn't give us an
[5:30:24] ability to move forward and try to work
[5:30:26] within the system while continuing to
[5:30:28] uphold uh the values and the uh wishes
[5:30:32] of the the greater uh community. So um I
[5:30:36] would caution that
[5:30:39] it's not it's not well thought through
[5:30:42] that particular piece of this. I I I
[5:30:44] can't address the other things about the
[5:30:46] brick. Uh Paul Campbell is here to be
[5:30:47] able to do that. Uh but uh this piece
[5:30:51] about the uh the UASI funding um it it
[5:30:54] it does it does give me pause and I I
[5:30:58] would ask that we consider um removing
[5:31:01] that piece from this resolution if if it
[5:31:05] was to go forward.
[5:31:07] Okay. Uh, I see Alex Leo's um, excuse
[5:31:11] me, he has his hand hand up.
[5:31:14] Yeah, thanks so much, Bernard. I I just
[5:31:15] wanted to to respond briefly to uh, to
[5:31:18] Chief Sullivan and first off, thank him
[5:31:19] for um, his many years representing
[5:31:22] Brooklyn uh, in this consortium. Um, and
[5:31:25] you know, I think from our perspective,
[5:31:27] um, this is part of what is so
[5:31:30] unfortunate and I'd say insidious about
[5:31:33] the federal government's actions in
[5:31:35] trying to attach this kind of
[5:31:37] conditioning to AASI funding is they are
[5:31:41] trying to compel communities like
[5:31:42] Brookline whose um values hold what they
[5:31:47] are doing in Athema to participate in in
[5:31:50] their political program essentially. And
[5:31:53] the implicit threat in that is they will
[5:31:55] defund our public safety agencies if we
[5:31:58] don't do that. Um, and I think, you
[5:32:01] know, we've been forced into an
[5:32:02] extremely difficult and unfortunate
[5:32:04] position because of these actions taken
[5:32:06] by DHS. Um, I think the intent here and
[5:32:10] and speaking for myself, I'll need to
[5:32:12] conference with my co-petitioners before
[5:32:14] we make any amendments, but you know,
[5:32:16] the the intent here is not to be in any
[5:32:17] way fiscally punitive to the town or
[5:32:20] certainly the fire department or the
[5:32:21] police department. Um the intent here is
[5:32:24] we want to ensure that where Brooklyn
[5:32:26] has made both now we think a legal and
[5:32:29] moral commitment not to supporting these
[5:32:31] immigration activities that we don't
[5:32:34] participate in federal funding
[5:32:35] activities where that kind of
[5:32:38] participation is required. So it's great
[5:32:42] to hear that the injunction has been
[5:32:44] issued. Um I for instance would be
[5:32:46] willing to maybe entertain an amendment
[5:32:48] that says we don't apply for this
[5:32:50] funding should that requirement take
[5:32:52] effect. Um that I I hope might address
[5:32:55] this concern. Whereas if there is no
[5:32:57] actual federal um requirement that we've
[5:33:00] described that is in legal effect um
[5:33:03] then perhaps the town should still
[5:33:05] consider pursuing those funding options.
[5:33:07] I see my my co-etitioner wants to add
[5:33:09] something.
[5:33:11] Uh first, uh John,
[5:33:14] I just want to raise a question of uh
[5:33:17] our procedure um going forward. My
[5:33:20] understanding is we're going to continue
[5:33:22] this next week, correct?
[5:33:24] This article, it is now uh two minutes
[5:33:27] of 11:00. Um there are several other
[5:33:31] items on our agenda for tonight.
[5:33:34] Uh, I I for one would very much
[5:33:37] appreciate a decision by the board at
[5:33:39] this point as to um moving on to another
[5:33:43] item since we're going to continue this
[5:33:44] one next week anyway. Um, and maybe
[5:33:47] even, you know, uh, trimming down the
[5:33:50] remaining items that we're about to
[5:33:51] discuss.
[5:33:55] That sounds like a good idea to me. The
[5:33:58] continuation would be clear from
[5:34:00] somebody from the
[5:34:02] Yeah. Continuation or
[5:34:04] Yeah.
[5:34:04] Yeah. Yeah.
[5:34:06] So,
[5:34:08] we have not yet opened the public
[5:34:09] hearing, right? And are you proposing
[5:34:12] that we continue this discussion before
[5:34:14] we open the public hearing or just open
[5:34:17] the public hearing and then immediately
[5:34:18] continue?
[5:34:19] Why don't we open the public hearing,
[5:34:21] close it, give it, continue it to
[5:34:24] adjourn it to next week. It next week
[5:34:27] and um then go on to another item on the
[5:34:30] agenda.
[5:34:31] Sounds good to me.
[5:34:32] Um okay. Uh let's open the public
[5:34:34] hearing
[5:34:38] and I see a hand up. Who is that? Oh,
[5:34:42] Jessica. Yes.
[5:34:45] Yes. This wasn't so much as part of
[5:34:47] public hearing as as following up on
[5:34:48] Alex's comments, but if I can make them
[5:34:50] now, I'll I'll go ahead. I just wanted
[5:34:53] to point out two other things in
[5:34:55] response to what was just shared. One
[5:34:57] is, you know, I I am happy that there's
[5:34:59] currently an injunction and that's great
[5:35:01] news and we're seeing a lot of
[5:35:04] injunctions being granted upon initial
[5:35:06] filing of litigation and then later be
[5:35:08] overturned. Uh and so though, you know,
[5:35:11] the fact that there's an injunction
[5:35:13] creates you know a sense of relief in
[5:35:15] the moment, I don't think it necessarily
[5:35:17] addresses the longer term concerns. Um,
[5:35:20] and then the other thing that I just
[5:35:21] wanted to point out, and maybe this is
[5:35:23] something that we can continue
[5:35:24] discussion of when when we discuss this
[5:35:26] war article again next week and Chief
[5:35:27] Sullivan can provide more information
[5:35:29] perhaps around this is to the extent
[5:35:31] that receiving um way grants would
[5:35:36] require um uh Brookline's ongoing
[5:35:40] participation in the brick then you know
[5:35:42] we would raise the similar objections um
[5:35:45] that we have raised in that context as
[5:35:47] well.
[5:35:48] Okay. Okay, thank you.
[5:35:52] Um,
[5:35:53] any other
[5:35:56] comments from the public? I see none
[5:35:58] none on the screen here.
[5:36:01] Okay, so let's uh adjourn and adjourn
[5:36:04] this hearing until next week and let's
[5:36:08] move on to our next item. Thank you uh
[5:36:11] Gi, Jessica, Alec,
[5:36:14] and whoever else is on.
[5:36:17] Thank you very much.
[5:36:19] Okay. So, um
[5:36:25] um Okay, where are we?
[5:36:27] Article 21.
[5:36:28] Yeah, this hopefully should be quick. Uh
[5:36:31] 21 is the Medicare for all resolution
[5:36:35] in the board's packet. Uh there's a
[5:36:37] revised version.
[5:36:38] We had the public.
[5:36:40] Yeah,
[5:36:40] this is our second.
[5:36:42] Yeah.
[5:36:42] Yes. So the the update since your public
[5:36:44] hearing uh is that the petitioner has
[5:36:47] revised the article. That revised
[5:36:48] version is in your packet. The advisory
[5:36:50] committee is actually taking that up
[5:36:52] tomorrow night. So I don't have any
[5:36:53] other version besides the revised
[5:36:56] version and that has been approved by
[5:36:57] the moderator.
[5:37:01] Okay. So
[5:37:02] I think we should
[5:37:02] Why don't we put this off until next
[5:37:04] week, too?
[5:37:05] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
[5:37:07] Okay. Moving right along. Uh article
[5:37:09] seven, establish an override
[5:37:11] stabilization fund. We already had the
[5:37:13] hearing. We know what this is about. We
[5:37:15] we passed a uh or approved an override
[5:37:19] that would make use of this with respect
[5:37:22] to the town funds.
[5:37:24] Uh so um I move approve I I move
[5:37:28] favorable action on article 21 uh I'm
[5:37:31] sorry article 7 to establish an override
[5:37:35] stabilization fund. All in favor John
[5:37:37] Vascoyette.
[5:37:38] I Paul Warren.
[5:37:39] Hi.
[5:37:39] David Pearlman.
[5:37:40] I Michael Rubenstein. Hi
[5:37:42] chair vai. Okay, what do we have next?
[5:37:46] Update on Chestnut Hill West MOA.
[5:37:52] Okay, go.
[5:37:55] Thank you. Um, uh, and so, uh, I asked
[5:38:00] that this be put on the agenda on
[5:38:02] Thursday, um, not knowing necessarily
[5:38:05] where we would be at this point. Um so
[5:38:09] the thing that I want to report to the
[5:38:12] rest of the select board is that um uh I
[5:38:15] have been engaged in negotiations
[5:38:17] ongoing um since
[5:38:20] since uh Janice Khan made her uh
[5:38:23] proposals uh at the EDAB meeting which
[5:38:26] is now 15 days ago I believe um in order
[5:38:30] to bridge the differences between uh the
[5:38:35] town meeting members neighbors uh in
[5:38:38] precincts 14 and 15 along with neighbors
[5:38:42] in precinct 15 on the one hand and city
[5:38:45] realy on the other hand to come to an
[5:38:47] agreement for a set of proposals uh a
[5:38:50] proposed amendments that would earn the
[5:38:54] support of the town meeting members in
[5:38:58] precincts 14 and 15 that were on the
[5:39:00] community advisory group and then by
[5:39:02] extension
[5:39:04] uh other town meeting members in those
[5:39:05] precincts
[5:39:07] So that has been my objective. Um when
[5:39:10] uh at uh Janice Khan who has been uh
[5:39:15] engaged in the direct conversations with
[5:39:17] me on behalf of the other uh community
[5:39:21] advisory group town meeting members um
[5:39:23] put forth a set of five issues. Um two
[5:39:27] of them related to the intersection of
[5:39:30] height and uh commercial percentage. Um
[5:39:35] that's two of them. Uh and the other
[5:39:37] three, one was related to a proposed
[5:39:40] sunset provision and two uh were related
[5:39:44] to tree canopy requirements. Um of those
[5:39:48] five, the two related to the tree canopy
[5:39:51] requirements have been resolved. They're
[5:39:53] languages that are proposed. Um the
[5:39:56] sunset requirement has been uh replaced
[5:39:59] by an incentive that um is proposed to
[5:40:03] be added to the memorandum of agreement.
[5:40:06] Um that revised memorandum of agreement
[5:40:08] which was drafted by Jonathan Simpson is
[5:40:11] in our packet for today um for your
[5:40:14] review and consideration. Um and as far
[5:40:16] as the other issues, those issues are
[5:40:19] still under negotiation um between the
[5:40:23] parties. Um and the parties are
[5:40:26] continuing to bring ideas forward,
[5:40:29] are negotiating in good faith, um and I
[5:40:33] am hopeful that we can reach resolution,
[5:40:36] but we are at this point not there yet.
[5:40:39] Um, with regard to the issue of having
[5:40:41] both 12A and 12B, um, I did reach out to
[5:40:45] the moderator, um, and have reached out
[5:40:48] to the moderator a couple of times about
[5:40:50] the question of scope. Um all of the
[5:40:54] proposals that Janice had originally
[5:40:56] made um were drafted by Jonathan Simpson
[5:40:59] into modification amendments to the
[5:41:02] zoning which will uh which we passed to
[5:41:06] the moderator for his preliminary ruling
[5:41:09] on scope and he ruled for various
[5:41:11] reasons which he provided explanations
[5:41:13] for that they were all within scope. Um
[5:41:16] so uh at this point uh given the
[5:41:21] deadline that was provided I think by
[5:41:24] Melissa that today would be the last day
[5:41:27] that it would be uh possible for us to
[5:41:30] have a
[5:41:32] a second special town meeting. Um, I
[5:41:36] thought it prudent to put both items on
[5:41:38] the agenda so that if the select board
[5:41:39] decided that we wanted to move forward
[5:41:41] with a second special town meeting with
[5:41:43] any subset of changes that we had the
[5:41:46] opportunity to do so. But at this point,
[5:41:49] I don't have a proposal for that because
[5:41:52] we are continuing to work on the
[5:41:54] negotiations
[5:41:55] and I'm ready to take questions or
[5:41:58] feedback.
[5:41:59] Okay. So, you're not proposing any
[5:42:01] votes?
[5:42:02] I am not at this point proposing any
[5:42:03] votes. This is strictly an update and
[5:42:05] discussion.
[5:42:06] Michael, you went fast.
[5:42:08] I did. It's late.
[5:42:10] So 12A and 12B was that.
[5:42:12] So the difference between 12A and 12B is
[5:42:15] that 12A is a proposal for amendments to
[5:42:18] the existing special town meeting which
[5:42:21] the moderator has ruled is would be
[5:42:24] allowed for the amendments that are
[5:42:26] under
[5:42:26] 12 references that in the agenda. Is
[5:42:27] that the agenda item or
[5:42:29] 12A? Yes, 12A is the agenda item. 12
[5:42:31] was in my head and then suddenly I was
[5:42:32] looking Yes. Yes. 12 A is the agenda
[5:42:35] item. 12A is amendments. Agenda item 12B
[5:42:40] is the question of calling a second
[5:42:42] special town meeting which we would need
[5:42:44] to do if we wanted to make changes that
[5:42:46] were not within scope.
[5:42:47] Okay.
[5:42:48] However, at this point, all of the
[5:42:49] changes are that are under consideration
[5:42:53] are are by the preliminary ruling of the
[5:42:57] moderator within scope.
[5:42:58] So the second question I have is is
[5:43:00] related to the MOA. So there's language
[5:43:02] in the MOA
[5:43:04] um that is kind of the behavior of town
[5:43:09] meeting what town meeting does what the
[5:43:11] advisory committee does or what the
[5:43:13] select board does and you know for
[5:43:15] example the I'm going to read it real
[5:43:17] quick quickly the proposed zoning
[5:43:19] amendment as presented in the reports of
[5:43:21] the select board and advisory committee
[5:43:23] for the contemplated special town
[5:43:24] meeting along with any amendments there
[5:43:26] too prepared by the select board
[5:43:28] planning board or advisory committee
[5:43:30] submitted with the combined and reports
[5:43:32] for a relevant special town meeting will
[5:43:34] be considered not to be material adverse
[5:43:36] to the financial feasibility of the
[5:43:38] project unless city has indicated such
[5:43:41] in writing within seven days. So there's
[5:43:43] these restrictions about timing. Does
[5:43:47] how do the how does this language and
[5:43:50] also there's another sentence any other
[5:43:51] amendments proposed?
[5:43:53] How do those intersect with the timing
[5:43:55] of a special town meeting us making
[5:43:57] changes? Um this this grants a
[5:44:00] tremendous amount of power uh to void
[5:44:04] everything city unilaterally just based
[5:44:08] on the natural course of us doing our
[5:44:10] work the advisory committee doing their
[5:44:13] work the planning board doing their work
[5:44:15] or town meeting um my read here is that
[5:44:19] city could just say we're avoiding it uh
[5:44:22] and they could do that within seven days
[5:44:23] of the publish so one is what's the
[5:44:26] intersection and risk this add to us
[5:44:28] that they're taking away the authority
[5:44:30] of us the planning board and the select.
[5:44:33] Okay. Okay.
[5:44:35] So, so, so, um, this was a matter of,
[5:44:41] uh, of intense negotiation mostly, uh,
[5:44:46] between councils um to make sure that
[5:44:49] that this language was was precise and
[5:44:52] tight and and uh that both sides had uh
[5:44:57] the uh reasonable asurances that the
[5:45:02] that the project would move forward.
[5:45:04] forward in a way that they expected. The
[5:45:06] issue that uh the developer is trying to
[5:45:10] protect themselves against is being
[5:45:13] bound by an MOA that is associated with
[5:45:17] the zoning that makes their project not
[5:45:20] economically viable. if if if town
[5:45:23] meeting passes zoning that makes their
[5:45:26] project uh impossible to build but they
[5:45:28] are still required to implement the MOA
[5:45:31] under those conditions then they they
[5:45:34] can't move forward. Um and so the
[5:45:37] balance that was struck was to use the
[5:45:41] combined reports as the sort of marker
[5:45:45] between
[5:45:46] uh changes that are presump presumed to
[5:45:49] be acceptable versus changes that are
[5:45:52] presumed to be not acceptable. So before
[5:45:56] the combined reports you know and you
[5:45:58] know while we are in this process of
[5:46:00] negotiation
[5:46:01] does that include supplements? Uh, no.
[5:46:04] It does not include supplements. Okay.
[5:46:06] I'm I'm I'm just trying to lay it out.
[5:46:08] Yeah. I'm I'm just trying to say it's
[5:46:10] time because all of this stuff often
[5:46:13] comes up at the last minute. Supplements
[5:46:15] are a way of I I understand. So
[5:46:20] before combined reports,
[5:46:23] all changes are presumed to be accepted
[5:46:26] and with this 7-day caveat. But they
[5:46:30] can't just walk away from the MOA in the
[5:46:33] absence of a in the absence of a change.
[5:46:35] That's why at this point as we are
[5:46:39] trying to figure out changes
[5:46:42] um that would bring the P14 and P4 15
[5:46:46] town meeting members on board. We we
[5:46:49] have to negotiate those as part of the
[5:46:51] negotiation with city realy. And
[5:46:54] so you do you do understand my concern?
[5:46:57] I I I understand your concern that it is
[5:46:59] that it is limiting the it is it is a
[5:47:03] limitation of the legislative process,
[5:47:06] right?
[5:47:07] The entirety of the process. It's taking
[5:47:09] away the ability of this board to make
[5:47:11] an amendment. It's limiting the ability
[5:47:13] of advisory to make an amendment landly
[5:47:16] makes changes and it's limiting the
[5:47:19] planning the usually taking away the
[5:47:21] power to legislate from Tom
[5:47:24] the the the greatest risk in in this um
[5:47:30] is if we end up passing the zoning
[5:47:32] without the MOA in place right that
[5:47:35] every everybody sort of on the town side
[5:47:37] understands that that is not a desirable
[5:47:39] outcome because then that gives city
[5:47:41] realy the desire to do whatever they
[5:47:44] want to in the context of the zoning
[5:47:46] without without an MOA in place that
[5:47:49] gets the town the benefits that it
[5:47:51] should expect from the from the
[5:47:54] development including the the 11 million
[5:47:57] um etc.
[5:48:00] Um, so, so
[5:48:05] I I'm not sure whether Jonathan or Joe
[5:48:09] or anybody else who was involved in the
[5:48:11] previous projects with Welltower or
[5:48:14] Waldo Durgen, which were essentially had
[5:48:17] the same result, can speak to the
[5:48:20] similarity between this and those
[5:48:22] processes. So, we understand the level
[5:48:24] of precedent. Um but at the at the end
[5:48:27] of the day if
[5:48:30] if you know the advisory com committee
[5:48:33] or town meeting or somebody like wants
[5:48:36] to make an amendment and
[5:48:39] you know we determine that the MOA is
[5:48:45] or city realy determines that the MOA um
[5:48:49] it the city that city realy voluntarily
[5:48:53] negotiated with the town they no longer
[5:48:56] want to participate in. That doesn't
[5:48:58] stop us from moving forward with the
[5:49:00] amendment. The thing that it prevents us
[5:49:02] from and and passing the zoning or not
[5:49:05] passing the zoning. The thing that it
[5:49:07] that it could stop is the execution of
[5:49:11] the MOA, which is the voluntary
[5:49:13] agreement between the developer and the
[5:49:15] town.
[5:49:16] Hey, John.
[5:49:18] Well, um I I had the benefit of watching
[5:49:21] the video of the meeting uh that Michael
[5:49:24] and others participated in, the most
[5:49:26] recent meeting of the UH
[5:49:29] Chestnut Hill West Advisory Group. And
[5:49:32] uh I just want to say Michael has his
[5:49:35] work cut out for him because uh I I I I
[5:49:41] the thing the remark that caught me that
[5:49:44] made the most uh uh impression on me was
[5:49:48] after there had been a fair amount of
[5:49:50] discussion among the various people at
[5:49:52] the meeting who came to the meeting, you
[5:49:54] know, with the idea in mind of hammering
[5:49:57] out some sort of a of a of a path
[5:50:00] towards
[5:50:02] towards development that is contingent
[5:50:04] on height as a reward for greater
[5:50:09] commercial percentage of the property.
[5:50:12] Um and when all when all was said and
[5:50:15] done and people had discussed issues
[5:50:17] like you know tree removal uh and other
[5:50:20] issues um Cliff Kensington from city
[5:50:23] realy weighed in and basically said you
[5:50:26] know if you do this we walk if you do
[5:50:29] this we walk if you do this we walk you
[5:50:31] know I don't know that there's that much
[5:50:34] common ground right now between what
[5:50:36] city realy has very clearly said is
[5:50:39] their minimum requirement for this to be
[5:50:42] an economically feasible development.
[5:50:44] And the very understandable ambitions of
[5:50:47] of people in the neighborhood group or
[5:50:50] on the study committee to somehow get
[5:50:54] get a little bit more in return than
[5:50:58] than they're getting in the form of
[5:51:00] upping the commercial uh percentage um
[5:51:04] in return for height bonuses. And uh the
[5:51:08] message I heard delivered by city realy
[5:51:10] is you know the commercial um the
[5:51:13] increase in the commercial percentage of
[5:51:15] the property is totally outside the the
[5:51:17] bounds of what uh would be feasible for
[5:51:20] them and and I'm not sure what there is
[5:51:22] to discuss. Right. Um so I will say that
[5:51:25] happened
[5:51:26] discussing it tonight.
[5:51:27] That happened that happened on a
[5:51:28] Wednesday night. Um substantive
[5:51:32] negotiations between the parties began
[5:51:35] on Thursday morning that once those
[5:51:37] positions were outlined and I believe we
[5:51:40] are continuing to make progress. The
[5:51:43] numbers have shifted the positions have
[5:51:45] changed but they aren't at agreement yet
[5:51:48] so I can't bring something for you
[5:51:50] forward. All I can do is report that of
[5:51:54] the of the issues that were raised,
[5:51:56] we've addressed three of them and we are
[5:51:58] still working and making progress on the
[5:52:01] others.
[5:52:01] Well, I I commend you and when you're
[5:52:03] done, would you be willing to negotiate
[5:52:05] the straight of Hormuz for everybody?
[5:52:08] Um,
[5:52:09] well, okay.
[5:52:11] One one thing at a time.
[5:52:13] I have one more question.
[5:52:14] Quick question,
[5:52:15] but it's just because I because I don't
[5:52:17] have my head around the timing yet.
[5:52:19] Yeah.
[5:52:19] So, the language in the MOA talks about
[5:52:23] combined reports.
[5:52:25] If we if we're not going to do it
[5:52:27] tonight,
[5:52:28] right? Let's say next week or we issue
[5:52:31] another special town meeting.
[5:52:33] I assume we would issue combined reports
[5:52:36] for that special town meeting. So, that
[5:52:37] is that when the clock starts because a
[5:52:40] town meeting has a combined report. A
[5:52:42] special time meeting has a combined
[5:52:44] report, doesn't it? Uh I believe the
[5:52:47] answer to your question is yes. It is
[5:52:49] the combined reports for the special
[5:52:51] town meeting
[5:52:53] in which the MOA and the zoning would be
[5:52:57] considered.
[5:53:00] Okay. Um since we don't have a question
[5:53:02] before us
[5:53:04] unless you have other questions or
[5:53:06] comments.
[5:53:06] Pardon me.
[5:53:07] Unless you have other questions or
[5:53:08] comments, I'm happy to take them. But
[5:53:10] not that many.
[5:53:12] So uh let's move uh on to our post
[5:53:16] meeting public comment period. Anyone
[5:53:22] public comments? Okay, seeing none, I um
[5:53:26] declare that this meeting is over. Ah,
[5:53:30] good.
[5:53:32] Recording stopped.