Meeting transcript
Board of Selectmen - Special Meeting Part 1
March 24, 2022 · Watch on YouTube · All meetings
Board of Select. Oh, I am sorry about that, Eric. I'll do it again. We're gonna call to order this Board of Selectmen special meeting for Thursday, 03/24/2022 at 01:00. First order of business is the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of The United States Of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, liberty, and justice for all. All right. First, I'm going to apologize for having the meeting at 01:00 on a Thursday. It's totally on me. I have some personal matters I got to deal with later today and tomorrow. So I apologize. I do not like having meetings during the work day and not allow as many people from the public to attend as possible. All right, so we'll get started. Item two is new business discussion of the finance department structure. Before we get started, there's a lot of drama going around about a meeting that was to be held with Adrian and members of the finance department to make it very clear, people were aware that there was to be a meeting with Adrian and
members of the finance department. The board of selectmen was aware, I was aware. I believe other members out there in the community and different staffs were aware. So I'm just gonna make that clear. Related to the meeting not occurring, it was more that it exploded to a little bit larger than what I would have anticipated. So, but let it be known that Adrian, we've all had conversations separately offline, individually about the finance department and changes that could be made and should be made to that finance department. So anybody who thinks that this was Adrian running around doing something that he wasn't supposed to do, it's inaccurate. So I figured I'd get that out there before everybody else was worried about it. So now let's actually do what we need to do related to the finance department and have a discussion as to what the board of selectman wants to do with the finance department as it's currently structured. Anybody wanna go first besides me?
I would make a motion that pursuant to the memorandum of understanding we have with the school, that we give sixty days notice to, on Sherri's contract, that we will not be utilizing those services anymore. Okay. Somebody want to second that? I'll second. Okay.
Alright. So further discussion. Just so everyone is clear, we put that finance department together so that we could have one central location for the town to have its finances, managed and directed into save some money doing this is going to cost us to cost us additional funds. And, and, and I'm really okay with that but what I am not okay if we do this is the treasurer position cannot be either one of those two individuals. I'm just telling you flat out I had a problem with this. Mean, part of this is related to the software part of this is related to the department as it in its totality. The treasurer's position has to be a separate position. We have to run it as a treasurer. We have to have a report to the Board of Finance. The Board of Finance has to have information the way the Board of Finance needs information. We can't have this going back and forth related to how information is presented. So I have no problem with the splitting of the
finance department and having a member handle the board of education, a member handle the board of Selectmen, but I am going to be totally opposed to the treasurer's position. So, and I apologize for all the texts. That's my take on this. Anything else?
No, I think what we probably need to do is over the next, I think over the next sixty days, we have to take stock of what's going, you know, what the current status of the office is and how we want to move forward after the sixty days.
Okay. So. I'm going to recommend that in your motion, Adrian, you address this to Eric and Eric is required to work with Valerie about the split of the office.
Yeah. I mean, the transition pretty much is, you know, we have to give notice. I don't is there something specific that you wanna address?
No, I want Eric to make sure that that split is handled appropriately. I don't want it to be When we sit there and say, okay, we're gonna give sixty days notice and that we wanna terminate the joint, the agreement. I want to make sure that Eric is understanding what the Board of Selectmen wants done and gets it accomplished. Yeah,
I think he needs to work with Val for the, you know, just for the cross training so that they can each pick up the things that the other person's been doing. When speaking with Val, she thought it would take two payroll periods to, you know, for Sheri to pick up on it. But if we're doing it with sixty days notice, that would give them at least four payroll periods. So that should be adequate given what was discussed. Is there anything else? I have no problem with Eric, you know, shepherding this. Is there anything else we want to I mean, I guess at this point, we just need to evaluate what the office can handle and what we need to farm out at that point. And do we want to start advertising for a part time treasurer or do we want to wait a couple couple weeks and try to figure out what exactly we're looking for.
I would like to get together, I personally would like to sit there and hold that off and wait until we get in, I mean we talk about what we really are looking for and what we need, and sit there and see if there's someone within the community that can assist us to get it done.
Yeah, I mean, what I was trying to do when meeting with Marina was figure out what she is comfortable handling and what she's not comfortable handling at this point. So we still have to have that meeting at some point and figure that out. Okay. Eric can schedule that up.
All right. So does any of the other members of the board have any other issues that they want to address related to this topic?
Nobody? Okay. I don't have any issues. I just want to make sure that we are just super clear with what our expectations are. And if, you know, if Eric has any questions, we just we we wanna make sure that we're clear with what we're intending.
So that's just my comment. Exactly. Mine too. The specifics have to be more specific.
Well, I think so. For clarity, we are terminating Exactly. Meant that we're for clarity on the motion. We're terminating we are terminating the memorandum of understanding. And over the next sixty days we will. Work out what we need to. What we need to acquire for services outside of that agreement.
So Basically, Scott, there'll be one administrative or finance directorate at the board of ed and one for the town. Right.
And then the question that is left open for all of us and for is us is who is appointed treasurer to the town? That's it.
What I was really talking about was what Paula was talking about is I think that Eric's direction needs to be specific.
And so Eric needs to give a formal written notice to the school that we're terminating the agreement. Yep. If this vote passes.
Okay. Let's let's talk about this in steps. I I think we need to talk about this in steps and phases. Right? So I'm not the best person to explain that, but I think if we explain it in steps first, send a letter to the school. Right? What's the next step? What's the next step? What's the next step? And then when we're talking about the role, let's be very specific. What are the hours? What are what are the roles? Let's let's write it out. Let's be very, very detail oriented.
I I don't think it's fair for us right now until we have a handle on what Marina feels capable with. And that's, again, why we're trying to have the meeting. Until we know what Marina feels capable with, we're not gonna be able to define what we're looking for and what those what what those hours need to be outside.
Understood. But let's put that in our steps and explain Mhmm. And say, we're gonna do this. We need to do this to get to here so that everybody understands what step you know, what the steps are and and who's in charge of of steps.
Okay. So step one would be notification of the school termination of the agreement. Step two would be in the next thirty days, we do an evaluation of the office and determine what we are seeking exactly As far as ours and how things break out what respond who's who's going to pick up what responsibility with with the new separated offices. Step three would be to then go out and hire for the for that treasurer slash, you know, treasurer director position. Adrian, is Eric handling all these? Who's responsible for these Right. That's up to the board to decide. Right. Adrian,
do you want to see the separation agreement before it's finalized, are you going to give it to Dennis.
I don't I don't think there's a separation agreement there's just a notice of separation required by the required by the contract. We have to give notice of that work a sixty day notice that we're terminating the agreement. Dennis, is that possible? Yeah,
I don't have the entire agreement. If I do, I didn't, I didn't know I did, but I do have the termination clause and sounds to me like, seems to me like Adrian is correct that it is term, it is terminatable on sixty days notice from either side and presumption is that you're going to have another document, memorandum of understanding, agreement, whatever, that's going to be developed to replace it. That's what I would do. We've never
had one prior because this was the only shared service there. So I don't know that we would develop another one. We would terminate this one and then have to go, you know, we need to figure out what we're doing on our side and they'll figure out what the it kind of goes back to what it was before. I get it. Laura was a point Laura was a point eight employee, you know, up at the up at the school. So I'm not sure what the the school will have to determine how they want to move forward. Okay. That's up to them.
Okay. Don't, you know, I don't know who the players are. Don't know how the system is set up. All I know is about the termination clause and Yeah. Adrian is right. Sixty days notice for, you know, at will can be done by either party, the Board of Ed or the Board of Select. And that's it.
Will gladly sit down with Eric and, you know, try to figure out what we want to do moving forward in the next thirty days as far as what we're going out for. Once we've had a meeting with Marina and figure out what her capabilities are at this point.
Jeff, can I just interject one thing? Sure, go You clearly as a board have the right to terminate this agreement. Nobody is arguing with that. I would still suggest that you consider consulting with the school board before you do it. I'm not saying you have to. Legally, you can do exactly what you're doing right now, which is motion to break this contract, and the contract is null and void in sixty days. I'm just saying that it would be smoother if you had that discussion with the school board about how to proceed. That's that's the only point I wanted to make. Other than that, if you choose to do this, it will be my job and my responsibility to execute it on the downside, period, with your guidance.
Well, the school board, we could obviously sit down with Jerry and Val and have a discussion related to this.
I don't think it's going to change anybody's mind. So what's the point of it? I mean, obviously we've got, we've gotten to this point. So why are we, and it's not required by the memorandum of understanding. So I don't understand the point of it. No, I do believe Adrian, that we're going to go this way. And
we have ninety days before the end of the fiscal year. So what's the point of us pushing this to our April meeting and meeting with Jerry and Val, and out of goodwill and sitting there saying, okay, we're gonna come back to this anyway, but at least it's on the public and now we can sit there and go get it because I have no problem. So when's our next meeting?
April what, Eric? We meet before they do by two days.
Okay. So if we meet with Val and Jerry and we sit there and we tell them what we'd like to do, and we have an open discussion as to where they're, I mean, we know they are thinking along the same lines anyway.
Again, so why are we having, I just don't see the point. Listen, we're all volunteers and put enough time Goodwill. Into don't.
I understand, but Goodwill. I see the point of it. You know,
that was the intent of the agreement, I mean, they did the bulk of the work on the memorandum of understanding. If the school board wanted that, they should have had that clause in there and they didn't.
You know, I'm following the, I'm following the memorandum of understanding to the letter. I, I totally get what you're doing, but I'm telling you from the standpoint of goodwill, that it might be in our interest to sit there and do that. Well, how many days are we talking Adrian? Mean, be really honest, Adrian, now that it's all out there and we have made our point, all the discussions can be had and no one could say one word to us. And I know where you're coming from. I understand your angst and where you were coming at. I get it, but what's the difference?
If we're going that way anyways, and we're ripping, you might as well rip off the band aid. I just don't see the point in dragging it out. That's okay. I see it as goodwill and going to the board of
education and the board of finance and saying, this is why we're trying to do this.
I don't really wanna air somebody's laundry in public personally. I don't think we don't know why this is happening. We, you know, we're all frustrated with what we're getting for reports and how we're getting them and transactions not being posted. You know, I don't want to go beyond that.
It's okay. I get it. I still believe that if you sit there and you show some goodwill, that it may all turn out in a positive light rather than just totally being negative. That's me. Rest of the board can decide what they really wanna do.
You wanna do a round robin, see what people wanna do? Because I think if we take the vote, we know where it's going. So Well, we know where the vote's going to go.
It's a question of whether we vote today or we vote at our next meeting, which is still within sixty days of the end of the year.
I mean, we can vote today, and if the Board of Education comes back to us and says from their next meeting, or if they have a special meeting and say they'd prefer us not to, then we can. It's good always unwind it.
It's goodwill. You're the board chair, however you wanna move forward. No. No. No. No. Listen. This motion is Motion's on the table. It's I If the board Jeff
here. The other Jeff here didn't we didn't we actually get in correspondence from Valerie that said she was comfortable with the decision of separating the two?
She did but you know I actually spoke to Jerry Kermej, Jeff and I personally just sit there and go, if it's okay with you guys, let me sit down with Jerry, let me sit down with Valerie. Adrian joins us and we sit there and we just say this is what we're doing. We get the Board of Finance people there, and we say why we're really doing it. And we do it the next meeting. What's our next meeting? In ten days? Fifteen days? Yeah, two weeks.
Two weeks. I mean, I did have conversations with Val, and Val thought that it was the best choice as well. She didn't think it was working. Okay. So.
So, so then, then what's the difference? We're going to get it done within sixty days of the end of the year. This whole thing really needs to be unwound at the end, the last day of this fiscal year. And then we move forward. I mean, you spoke with Jerry, what was Jerry of the belief that it shouldn't be unwound? Is he, does he feel differently? I don't, I don't want to- I'm trying to understand your, if you've had conversations with Val and- I didn't have a conversation with Val. I had a conversation with Jerry, and Jerry is on the call, and I don't want to speak for Jerry. I just expressed to Jerry my logic and where I thought it was, we'd end up. So and I think if we have that conversation with all the stakeholders, we're better off. And and I will be honest, I'm voting for
because I personally think that our records are just, I don't get information. I've been on these boards for seven years, and the only time I ever got information is when I did it. Yep.
So, it's up to the board. Listen, if we if we. I think the Board of Finance, honestly, is getting the short end of this whole thing. You know, we're not getting information. We're not capable of really doing as good a job as we could. And to be really honest, this board has been doing a pretty good job. So we're doing a pretty good job with a little bit of a hand tied behind our back. But we're doing a pretty good job, but I would sit there and tell you that I think the board of finance, I would be. I wouldn't be happy. So that's me. You gotta ask yourself, Adrian, are you willing to wait fifteen days or you just wanna do it today? Because we have other things to do and we gotta get going.
Not up to me, Jeff, it's up to the whole board. I think if the motion doesn't pass, then
you're saying one thing. No, I don't. I'm going to tell the board members, if we vote, I am voting for it. Okay.
I am sitting there saying, as a goodwill gesture to get out to our other boards and to do it correctly, just wait two weeks.
And so what are we doing in those two weeks?
Paula said, what are the steps? No, no, no, no. We're going to have conversations with the other boards and then we'll actually get with Eric and everybody else and have the steps outlined for our next meeting. Still going to be the same vote, going to be the same motion. Right. In the interim, Eric can get all this stuff ready.
Okay. Scott, would you rather have discussions or, I mean, don't it's not about voting yes or no, but I mean, would you rather have discussions?
For goodwill, guess it's a better idea. All right, Jeff Murray.
Kind of on the fence on this whole thing. I think everybody's pretty unhappy with the current situation And I kind of side with Adrian a little bit that you know, like why wait? But you know, on the other hand. It would be good to be as a courtesy to let them know, but you've already spoken to Jerry and we've already heard from Val so.
I don't I don't know what waiting would really add I guess that would be my point too is right. You're asking my personal take on it. I don't know what Jerry's take is. Didn't talk to him. It sounds like you may have. Val has said that she feels it's going in this direction anyways as well, that it wasn't working. So,
I don't see who we're waiting to talk to, you know. Well, Jerry's on this call. Let's ask Jerry. Was he comfortable? Does he want to discuss it with the board or does he, is he comfortable?
Yeah, I mean, do you want to try that Jeff do you want to open up Jerry's thing. Jerry, do you want to sit there. I'm here.
Can you hear me. Yep. I appreciate the Board of Selectmen meeting this afternoon. And Jeff, I appreciate your wanting to wait and as a gesture of goodwill to get together. I support you, and I support the Board of Selectmen. And I'm willing to do whatever is best for the Board of Selectmen. And I appreciate your support, Jeff, and all the other people on your board. I'll go along with whatever you decide.
Jerry, do you have it? Jerry, do you have any concerns about unwinding this? I do not.
And Jerry, have you had have you had discussions with the superintendent? Yes, I have. Okay. So that's that's coming from the superintendent discussions?
Yes, it is. Okay. You would like to have additional conversations, I'd be more than happy to do that. So it can happen after we have this vote? Sure. Okay. That's the answer. I'm flexible. I said, I wanna support all of you.
Well, Jerry, it's not Jerry, we've It's not about support. We wanna know that if there's any reservation that you have about us moving forward with this, it'd be better to have I do not have any reservations. Okay.
Adrian, to be clear, I feel the same way you do and the way Jeff feels, we all do. Yeah. All I'm saying is that, you know, I would do it today if you if I think we should take on the fence like Jeff Murray, kind of, but I believe it's right. You just
got your answer. Yeah, I mean we all just got our answer. Jerry, Jerry is the is the chair of the Board of Education, he had conversations with the superintendent, the direction from the Board of Education is going to be to go into this direction, I mean, it's just that. Yeah, that's fine. Vote, vote now. I'm gonna any further discussion that we need to have. Are your concerns allayed at this point.
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, listen, I'm telling you, spoke to Jerry yesterday. Jerry obviously went back and spoke to the superintendent. The superintendent is acceptable to this. We're going to have to have further discussions and a group dynamic to understand how we're unwinding it and what we're doing, and we really don't we really should the only thing I would probably say, Adrian, is it probably shouldn't be sixty days. It should probably be June 30.
That's, I have no problem with that. And the fiscal year is fine.
As long as Jerry and the board of education understands what we're doing and they're in agreement,
let's go. So I would amend my motion if someone will second it that we give notice that at the end of the fiscal year we will not be, but we'll be terminating as of the fiscal year. I'll second that. Okay, further discussion?
One last thing, Eric, do you have any other concerns or your concern delayed at this point?
It's my job to execute it. The only thing I would say is that we went through a pretty hard process to make this happen. And then roughly a year later, you know, we decide to unwind it. I'm not sure we shouldn't have given it a little bit more time to make it work, but ultimately that is your decision as the board. I respect that and my job is simply to execute it once you've made that decision.
Any further discussion, any of the I'm good. All right, so we'll call the question. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye.
Alright. So it's five in favor, zero opposed, no extensions. Alright. Let's move on to the two b charter revision commission. Wanna take it over to Dennis?
Dennis is gonna take over this. He's the foremost authority on charter revision.
In the entire state of Connecticut. And the entire state. At least the Eastern half from the river on East
of the I think you're the only lawyer on the Eastern half.
No, no, no. That's not true. You'd be surprised. Anyway, yeah, I think I sent out materials to you in response to questions from Carol Lee regarding charter revision. There were two issues that people were talking about. One of course was the issue of possibly bifurcating the vote on the the budget vote on, you know, into two separate votes, one on the education budget and one on the town budget. And of course I'm talking about the local education budget. And, the other issue was the question of the May elections. As I pointed out in my in my cover letter on one of those things, the question of the May election and whether it's in the May or November is one for a special town meeting, not for the charter. The charter already says that the elections will be held in May. So anybody right now, if you do nothing by special town meeting, you will have your next election in November 2023. So it would take a special town meeting to overcome that. And I believe it has to be by a three quarters vote or two thirds. I don't remember what the fraction is, but in any event, that's not an issue that should be on the agenda for charter revision. Okay. I gave you a basic timetable for how the provision works and I've also given you some suggestions as to motions and when those motions can be accomplished. The first step in a charter revision is to is to vote to and devote to basically impanel
a charter revision commission. That's it. You don't have to name the members. You have to do that within thirty days. So you could you could actually vote today. I'm not sure it's okay under the agenda, but certainly at your next meeting you should vote to create the Charter Revision Commission if in fact that's what you want to do. It will take a vote of four of you to to to make that happen because it has to be by a two thirds vote. But that is the first step. Just simple motion. I've got it in my materials I sent to you. Simple motion to impanel a Charter Revision Commission pursuant to general statute section seven-one 188. The next step is to impanel a Charter Revision Commission and I think you, what you want to do if you want to get it done quick is you want to do it with five members. Right. You can, you can do up to 15 but, the more members you have the longer it'll take. That's the way it works and, sorry.
Dennis, real quick, the agenda item number four is discuss and act upon
items one through three. Oh, okay, so you could. You should make if you want. You I for reminding just took a quick look at it and I I forgot about that. But you could today, if you'd like, impanel a vote to, generally to impanel a Charter Revision Commission. You have all five members here. It would take a vote of four of you, if not five. The
only hiccup to that Dennis. Yep. Is if we do that now within thirty days we have to appoint. Right. So we might, if we don't get enough people between now and our next meeting. We might have to then a special meeting for the appointment. That's my only concern. I thought about that myself. We will get those individuals, Adrian.
Do want it in panel today, Scott? I mean, this was really your baby. Do you want it in panel today?
I I I think that we should motion it to get it in the paper. Okay.
But Scott, the one thing is that thirty days starts from today. Right. And then we have to vote again in thirty days to impanel them.
No, you could do it at your next meeting if you have enough.
How many days between now and our next meeting? My only concern is we have to put in the paper what the deadline for response is.
I actually think you do it at the next regularly scheduled meeting Scott. So now everybody is aware we're gonna do this.
Okay. Dennis, is that, is the timetable still okay if we do it at the April Yeah, I mean, as
as there's not a lot of disagreement as you go forward among members of the panel and ultimately members of the panel and this board, I suggested in my materials that you have the deadline for the final report of July 12. That should give you plenty of time to get it ready in time for transmission to the Secretary of State's office to get it on the ballot for the November, I think it's November 8 this year, November eight election. So I I I
Go ahead. I was gonna say, if the river east has changed their publishing schedule. So even if we did something today, it won't go in until next week. It won't get published until the first, right? If we make it, if we do it at our next meeting on the eleventh, it'll go in for the fifteenth. So you're basically losing a give or take two weeks.
Yeah, I don't I don't see a problem. I just thought you know you should do this as soon as possible because you're going to be up against. You know, a tough schedule and you don't know what's gonna happen. I mean, can't, you can say to them, we want you to look into the issue of bifurcation of the town budget vote and they can come up with six more issues that they want to deal with. Well I think it's it's going be dependent upon whoever the chair is, right? Well it's going to be dependent upon whoever is on the commission. You're right. The chairs chairs usually have a lot to say about what goes on but as Jeff Jeff
will tell you, Jeff Maguire will tell you, you know, he doesn't always get his way. And I've chaired I've chaired several commissions and I don't always I I haven't always gotten my way either. And you gotta remember that just like this board, this board is very bipartisan. You have three Republicans, two Democrats. Just like this board, the commission has to be bipartisan. It cannot be no party can have more than a majority of the seats. And you can only have one person on the board who is a current office holder in the town. And that includes So
the question goes, do you think it would give us if we put if it goes in, if we agreed today, it doesn't go in until the you know it won't actually show up in the paper until the first that would only give. If it went in on the first that would give give or take ten days before our next meeting for submissions?
Well, know, you have a long time for submissions, you may get 20 applicants. If you get 20 applicants and believe me, I've been through this before in Wyndham for a building committee for our high school, I got 20, we had 22 applicants for six positions, eight positions and everybody who didn't get on was really angry. We had some people in public comment curse us out big time. You know you don't want to, if you have a long period for people to you know, respond, you could end up with that kind of a situation. I'm just telling you based on my experience that
And that's fine. The question ends up being, do we do it You can handle it, you guys are tough, right? We do it at the next meeting. I mean, because, yes, we, you know, listen, this board is three Republicans and two Democrats. Right. We don't really fight horribly.
Not- not along party lines, no. So- Not even- not at all.
No, we do fight. We do it behind closed doors.
That's what I do. We kind of fight like a family we fight and we come back.
It's okay, we got to keep working together. There's only one thing to do. Anyway, listen, do we do it today? Or do we do it at our next meeting?
Jeff, Paula, you guys are quiet. Can I ask one question? Sure.
And that is, other than bifurcation of the budget, Are there other things you as a board want to include in this charter revision? Or is this strictly to address the bifurcation of the budget? Well,
as has already been pointed out by Dennis, we can give we can give them things we want done. That doesn't mean they do them. So, Well, They my have to if you give them something to do, they have to address it. No, but they can add other things. So They can gloss over it, but but they have to back on it. I would also like them to strike that strike out all of the all the positions that are protected in the Charter. There's a bunch of positions that just don't make sense. They're in the Charter and they never should have been there. So those probably need to get pulled out like the dog catcher. I mean, there's like weird things in there. So we need to pull some of that stuff out. And then I would also, yeah, that's probably it that I can think of the top end. There's possibly Eric, there's
the answer that you wanted. There's two things that they're wanting to striking out of some things and the bifurcation.
Striking out of some things. So you want them to examine bifurcation of the budget and then things they can eliminate from the current garter. Strike. Yes. Dennis. Dennis.
Dennis. When do we have to give them the list of things we want them to address? When we empath when we empanel. Right? Right. Right. They have they have thirty days.
Yeah. You can do that at the same time you pick the the members. Great. And when we impanel.
Pardon. And then you give them a deadline for issuing their final report. They have to have two public hearings in the meantime. Before they can start, have to have a public hearing. They can have that the same night they have a meeting. Have a public hearing and then a meeting. I've been through this many times. I worked on the Charter revision that resulted in the position that Eric now holds. That was done in a fairly limited amount of time like this. And but there's always a possibility that you'll you know it'll go out of control. Yeah, we got it with that Charter Commission was impaneled in like June. We. So
you can get rid of two of the meetings in one night.
Yeah. That's how we did it. Right. Can get rid of a meeting and a you
you can have as many meetings as you want but you have hearing in a meeting in one night. Right. So can we can we ask Jeff and Paula whether or not they wanna do it now or they wanna wait till the next meeting?
So my okay. My thoughts are, Adrian, when you were on the last Charter Commission, were were people banging down the doors to be a part of that? Were were there a lot of applicants that you had to turn away?
No. We actually had to go out and solicit people to make sure we had enough.
Because I'm just thinking if we I mean, time is of the essence, but if we don't give enough time for people to see it in the paper, we have to go ask for people anyway.
I mean, I would encourage I would encourage every member of this board, Republican and Democrat, to go out and seek people because they have to be people that are not elected officials, and they have to not be on other other committees or commissions. So You can have one elected official on it. The
issue, Dennis, is we still have to wait thirty days to impanel that.
No, you don't have to wait thirty days. You have to do it within thirty days. Within thirty days. Right.
We're not going to well, and Adrian, what is the timeline to get publication?
It goes first. Yeah. If we do it now, it'd be April 1. If we do it on our next meeting, it would be the fifteenth.
And we have to publicize it for how long, Dennis?
You don't have to publicize it in any way, shape, or form. You you that's up to you how you do that. You you don't have to publicize it at all legally. What you do is is going to be done socio politically. Let's put it that way. Whatever you wanna do. However you wanna do it. So I I I the more I the more I hear you you talk about it, the more I think you probably ought to wait over the next week.
How come, Dennis? Why why are you thinking we should wait?
What's your thinking? Well, if if you you you seem to wanna publicize it far and wide all over town. And if you want to do that, as Adrian pointed out, you're not going to have very much time between now and your next regular meeting. So, you know, that might not work too well. Depending on you don't have a you don't have that old bulletin that was done by Mrs. Santa Claus and Mrs. Grunier.
And I know We may be able to get her to bring it out for one last hurrah. She's done that before.
Well, would that would be good. But but anyway If
we if we do that, Adrian, that's good then. Right? Yeah. Why not? Good to have Diane publicize it. Sure.
I would also assume we're gonna put this on the website or you're gonna put this we're gonna do a communication, a town wide communication, and we're gonna put it on the town social media site. Am I correct?
Don't know that I would do a blast on it, but I think we put it on social media and we run it in the River East and the JI if we can.
I just want to check to make sure I'm right about the thirty days and whether that means you have to do it within thirty days or you have to wait thirty days
because I haven't committed that to memory. Let me, I don't think it was wait thirty days. I think it's with it. I think you are correct. It has to happen within thirty days. I think your first instinct is correct. Let me check my other document. Jeff Murray, any opinion while he's looking? No, I'm good.
And Eric, before you put that in, just run what you're going to put in the in the ad by all of us before
you do. Right so given that let's do this let's let's in panel at the next meeting let's get a list together between now and the next meeting, so when we let's let's ask for this at the next meeting we'll have exactly what the what the notice is going to be already set for that meeting and that night we will approve it and he can put it out on Tuesday, so it goes to River East.
Okay, interrupt but I did check the. Did check my documents and it has to be done within thirty days. Right. So you so supposing your your your April meeting is the difference the space between your April meeting and your May meeting and you can check that quickly is more than thirty days. You'd almost have to have a special meeting because it's gotta be within thirty days. So if you did it tonight, today is afternoon, I'm sorry, not tonight. You did it this afternoon and you wanted to appoint,
what is it? April, what your your next meeting is? There, we're going from the eleventh to the ninth, so we're fine. April 11. Okay.
You have either option. Like I said, depending on how how you want to solicit members,
know, you'll have more time to do it the second. It's up to you. What do you want to do? Adrian, you're gonna be, you're gonna be in the main meeting when we're selecting the panel.
Okay. Do you wanna do it now? We'll do it now. It's ridiculous. We're gonna be wasting Then
make the motions. Make the motions, Scott. We'll do it now.
I motion to to create a charter revision commission to be initiated pursuant to general statute section seven-one 188. Seconded. Further discussion? All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Five, nothing.
Let's move on to it. Let's do it. Very good.
Okay, so before we move to our next section, we are moving to executive session. I would like to allow public speak now. So we'll move through. Jerry Creme, you're up first.
Okay. Can you hear me? We can. Okay. I wanna thank you for having this meeting. I appreciate your time and all that you put in in terms of volunteer hours to serve the town, and I appreciate each and every one of you. And I just wanna say thank you. Alright. Thank you, Jerry. Thanks, Jerry. Your time. I'm good. Thank you. Alright. Johann Ebert.
Just quick question, Jeff. So you're going to go into executive session and then are you going to end it then? Do you guys come back out to discuss?
You know, number four says discuss and act upon. So I didn't know. We've actually, we've actually discussed and acted upon. Well, we haven't acted upon three. We haven't. So
we may have. That was, that was it. I understand if you're not going to, I just wondered what the We know, I think is what Jeff's trying to tell you. Depends on what, how the discussions go on those.
Okay. Yeah, no, I would, because I was wondering if I was gonna stick around in the chat, you know, in that room or not, if you were coming back on. I took time off to be present just to listen to the finance part and everything. Okay. I'll hang out and, yeah, that's all. Thank you so Listen,
I don't necessarily know we're gonna come back and discuss anything related to the finance part. Anybody else? No. Okay.
Well, no, I take an interest in everything, but, no, thank you. That's all. All right, no problem. Thanks, Joanne.
We have other, know, Marina, would you like to contribute to public speak? Are on. Nope, I'm good.
Amanda, you're on. Would you like to contribute to public speak? Okay. All right. Someone make a motion to go on executive session and invite Dennis and Eric.
Motion to go into executive session regarding item three and four? 3A and 3B.
And 3B on the agenda. And if Dennis O'Brien and Eric Anderson can join us. I'll second that.
All right. All those in favor. Aye. Aye. All five, five zero. All right, everyone else, thank you very much. We appreciate your time.