The Halifax Board of Selectmen met in-person on Tuesday, June 23. They began with a reorganization of the Board naming Tom Millias as the new chair, Gordon Andrews as the new vice chair, and Troy Garron as the new clerk.

Town Meeting Update

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig said that while the town meeting is currently scheduled for July 11, it will likely have to be postponed even further. According to Seelig, it is unlikely that local aid numbers will be available until the end of July. Seelig told the Board that he recommended them having a special meeting with the town moderator and town counsel to postpone town meeting to August 8 at 9 a.m.

Seelig said that possible venues for town meeting include the Halifax Elementary School gym, the fields behind the elementary school, or the Silver Lake Regional High School Auditorium. Garron said that if holding the meeting outside, it may be necessary to rent tents in the event of inclement weather. Millias said another option would be to have multiple rain dates available. Andrews said that his preference would be to hold the meeting in the elementary school gym. Since space is an issue due to social distancing precautions, Andrews also proposed having family members sit in groups within their own 6- or 8-foot bubble. Another idea that was floated was to utilize multiple rooms for town meeting as was done in Plympton. Millias said, “We’ve done that in the past and it can work but it is a lot more difficult.”

Seelig also told the Board that there was an allowance for temporary quorum changes for town meeting during the state of emergency. Seelig said if the Board wished to consider a temporary change, they would need to give advance notice. The Board said they were inclined to leave the quorum at 100.

Town Election

Regarding the recent election, Seelig said, “town clerk Barbara Gaynor thanks everyone for making the town election a success given the conditions.” Most residents that voted did so in person with fewer electing to mail-in their ballots. Seelig said that the town would face greater challenges in November as there would likely be a much larger voter turnout.

Town Reopening

Of the reopening of the town hall, Seelig said, “all signs are that everything worked.” He continued, “People who are coming in have been working with the town employees and town officials on the pandemic protocols.”

Library Director Jean Gallant is currently looking towards a July 13 opening of the Holmes Public Library though that is subject to change depending on the state’s phase 3 guidelines. Council on Aging Director Susan Lawless is looking into the possibility of renting a tent for a couple of months in order to hold outdoor gatherings.

Personnel Changes

Several changes to elected and hired positions were also discussed. The selectmen said they wanted to thank both Ashley DiSesa and Karlis Skulte for their service on the Planning Board. Millias, who encouraged them to serve in other capacities said, “We can always use informed folks that want to serve.” As of July 1, Robert Valery of Plymouth will be the new Board of Health agent. Town Accountant Sandra Nolan is also in the process of hiring a new assistant accountant. Current Animal Control Officer Noreen Callahan has given her notice and will leave the position as of July 7. Seelig said he is working with Police Chief Joao Chaves on finding applicants to fill the position.

Liquor License Request

The Board had an appointment with George Latini of In Season Restaurant to hear his request for a 1-day liquor license in order to hold weddings and/or functions outside. Following a brief discussion with Latini, the Board voted to allow it.

Revised Contract for Seelig

Seelig told the Board that they would need to revise his contract to indicate that he would not be receiving a pay increase this fiscal year. “I applaud you for bringing it up because basically you’re looking to cut your own pay, which is admirable, especially knowing from the inside the type of work and the amount of time and effort you put into it. A thank you is in order,” Millias said to Seelig.

Recognition for Town Employees

The Board also took time during Tuesday’s meeting to applaud and recognize the efforts of the municipal building department including Maintenance Director Scott Materna as well as staff Tom Schindler and Andrew Elliot Smith.

“They have not missed any workdays through the whole COVID situation; they have adjusted their schedules to accommodate the cleaning,” Millias said.

“They have done a fabulous job. We can’t give them any money, but we can give them some recognition,” he continued. Garron also mentioned that Schindler recently rescued a fox.

Another town employee was also recognized during the Board’s meeting. Seelig said he received correspondence from the Wareham police chief regarding Halifax’s assistance on June 6 during a large protest at the Wareham Police Station.

The Wareham chief said, “During the event your Police Chief Joao Chaves was instrumental in securing our station, providing expert advise and counsel; our officers were very impressed with Chief Chaves and found him to be a consummate professional…Halifax is very lucky to call him Chief.”

Protocol for Requesting Documents

Andrews also requested that the Board discuss the current protocol for handing a department to department request of official documents. According to Seelig there was a recent incident where a town official made an on-the-spot demand for many documents to be immediately turned over from another town official. Seelig made a point of saying that he felt that the requestor’s approach and attitude was inappropriate.

Garron said the he believed that the policy has always been that documents be turned over in a “reasonable amount of time.”  Millias said he is concerned with the possibility of someone checking out records and potentially removing documents from folders, etc. Andrews recommended instituting an electronic filing system to avoid such problems. Garron said he would be interested in knowing the cost to the town for implementing such a system. Millias said it might be possible to use COVID funds to cover some or all of the expense. The Board decided to temporarily table the conversation in order to get feedback from other departments before making any decisions.

Other News

Seelig said that the Board had received a request from the Conservation Commission Chair Gerry Fitzgerald asking that Amy Troup be barred from any interactions with the Secretary of the Conservation Commission Terri Renaud. Town counsel advised that if the Board wanted to consider the matter they should do so with a public hearing. Millias suggested that the parties involved utilize the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) as a means of arbitration. “I’ve used it in the past and I’ve thought it was pretty helpful,” Millias explained.

Seelig said that the Youth and Recreation Department had preliminary plans for the summer though it would ultimately be dependent upon what the state will allow.

Seelig also said that the algae in the Monponsett Ponds are still at a low level and the ponds are therefore still usable. A treatment will hopefully be scheduled in July.

Halifax Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor has released the unofficial results from Saturday’s election, June 20, showing 628 of Halifax’s 5,874 registered voters, cast their ballot, a mere 10.70 per cent,

The ballot showed only two contests, with Highway Surveyor incumbent R. Steven Hayward getting 503 voted to Michael J. Schlieff ‘s 106.

The other contest saw Alan J Dias and Ashley DiSesa both seeking the single one-year term on the Planning Board.  Dias got 312 votes to DiSesa’s 254.

For the Board of Assessors, 3-year term, John J.R. Shiavone, candidate for re-election, got 471 votes.  There were 3 write-ins and 154 blanks.

Steven MacFaun won a three year term on the Board of Health with 460 votes.  There were also 3 write-ins and 165 blanks.

The Housing Authority, 3-year term, no candidate drew papers, but there were 46 write-ins while 582 left it blank.

Housing Authority, 4-year term, saw Patricia McCarthy, candidate for re-election, win 436 votes.  There were 4 write-ins and 188 blanks.

Richard Clark, candidate for re-election won another 5-year term on the Housing Authority with 455 votes.  There were 6 write-ins and 167 blanks.

Diane Ruxton won another 3-year term on the Board of Library Trustees with 474 votes.  There were 7 write-ins.

Park Commissioner, 1-year term, saw no candidate on the ballot but 40 write-ins.  588 voters left that position blank.

Park Commissioner, 3-year term, also had no candidate on the ballot, but got 31 write-ins and 597 blanks.

The Planning Board, 5-year term, race saw write-in candidate Rick Merry best Ashley DiSesa with 98 votes to her 50.  There were 21 other write-in votes for the position, with 459 blanks.

Two incumbents for the Halifax Elementary School Committee 3-year term, Robert Johnson and Alison J. Vance, easily won their positions again with 402 and 418 votes respectively.  There were 5 write-ins and 431 blanks for the two positions.

Edward Desharnais, Jr., a candidate for re-election, won a 3-year term on the Silver Lake Regional School Committee, with 428 votes.  There were 6 write-ins and 194 blanks.

Troy E. Garron, a candidate for re-election, won a 3-year term on the Board of Selectmen with 497 votes.  There were 37 write-ins, and 94 blanks.

Richard Clark won re-election to the 3-year position on the  Board of Water Commissioners with 460 votes.  There were 2 write-ins and 157 blanks.

The single ballot question asking “Shall the town vote to accept the provisions of section thirteen of chapter two hundred and fifty-eight of the General Laws which provides that the town shall indemnify and save harmless municipal officers, elected or appointed, from personal financial loss and expense including reasonable legal fees and costs, if any in an amount not to exceed one million dollars, arising out of any claim, demand, suit or judgment by reason of any act or omission except an intentional violation of civil rights of any person under any law, if the official at the time of such act or omission was acting with the scope of this official’s duties and employment?”

Voting yes, 327 agreed, while 168 voted no.  Evidently not caring one way or another, 133 voters left the question blank.

The Silver Lake Regional School Committee met for the third week in a row on June 11 to once again reconsider their decision regarding the fy21 budget. Committee member Christopher Eklund, who was on the prevailing side of the previous week’s vote, asked for a reconsideration of that June 4 vote.

The budget process began way back in September and went from a budget version 1 to a budget version 4. In January the committee considered a budget with a 3.31 percent increase over the fy20 budget of $25,992,354. On March 12, the committee voted on a fourth iteration of the budget in the amount of $26,698,578 for an increase of 2.71 percent over the fy20 budget. According to committee Chair Jason Fraser, the March 12 budget was lauded by Halifax, Kingston, and Plympton. Everything changed, however, following that meeting and the state essentially shut down due to the pandemic.

The state has until July 1 to offer a revised budget that will reflect the short- and long-term fiscal effects of the pandemic. The extent of the cuts to local aid are unknown complicating the towns’ and schools’ budget processes.

In May, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) requested that districts provide them with a budget despite not knowing what kind of cuts will occur to Chapter 70. As a result, the regional school committee met on May 28 to vote a revised fy21 budget. Prior to that meeting, Superintendent Jill Proulx had presented nearly a million dollars in potential cuts to the version of the budget previously voted on by the committee. At the May 28 meeting the committee voted to approve the March 12 number as a sort of act of rebellion against DESE. Their plan at the time was to ask the towns to vote no to the budget at their respective town meetings. The no vote would then force a one-twelfth budget which would default back to fy20 levels. The committee hoped that this would buy them additional time to create a budget that would reflect actual numbers from the state.

The regional school committee met again on June 4 and voted to rescind their vote from the previous week. With the exception of committee members Gordon Andrews and Leslie-Ann McGee the committee voted through the fy20 budget number of $25,992,354 which represented a $706,000 reduction from the March 12 budget. At the time, Fraser cited the desire to work with the three towns in providing them with the requested combined reduction to their assessments of $525,000 as the impetus for reconsidering the May 28 vote. Fraser said that he wanted to provide the communities with a number that they could approve at town meeting. Many on the committee felt that it wouldn’t be fair to ask the communities to hold a special town meeting just to vote through the final budget number when the time arose. In addition to the reduction to the assessments, the budget also included a reduction of 2.5 percent in state aid. This estimate was a point of contention on the dissenting side of the vote as it is likely far lower than the actual reduction will be once the state numbers are known.

Fraser told the committee on June 11 that following the June 4 meeting he began to receive new information including from Silver Lake counsel. In light of the new information as well as Eklund’s request for reconsideration, the committee decided to meet again on June 11 for another vote.

The committee first took a vote to rescind their vote on the budget from June 4. The motion passed unanimously as did the following vote to once again approve the March 12 number of $26,698,578 for fy21. Andrews addressed his fellow committee members saying, “Thank you to everybody on the committee for reconsidering the vote; I think it’s the right decision.” McGee, who was always against the June 4 vote said she was appreciative of the number of people attending the meetings recently. She also emphasized that she didn’t think it was right to ask residents to go to town meeting and vote for a budget, the contents of which were still unknown.

The June 11 vote means that if two out of the three towns approve the budget at town meeting, the region has a budget, albeit one that is likely still subject to amendments based on actual numbers from the state. If the assessments to the towns remain the same or get lower, no special town meeting would be required, and the budget would be set by default after 45 days. If two out of the three communities vote down the budget at town meeting, the school will be in a one-twelfth budget situation. “This reconsideration and the rescinding of our budget was not an affront to any individual or town; we are doing what we think is in the best interest of the district and the students that we serve,” Fraser explained.

The committee stressed that they are nowhere out of the woods yet in terms of the budgets for either the region or the towns. They emphasized that difficult decisions are likely still ahead. They did, however, ask that the towns vote yes to the budget number approved by them at the June 11 meeting.

As of the time of publication, Plympton’s town meeting occurred on Wednesday, June 17. Both Kingston and Halifax have elected to postpone their town meetings to Saturday, July 11. Kingston’s decision to postpone was made after the school committee’s June 11 meeting.