2013 Fall Special Town Meeting Day One - Grinder Pump Decision Delayed Until Thursday

7:08 p.m. - The Chelmsford Senior Center is slowly filling up and about 20 to 30 members of the Sewer Fairness Alliance, such as the Chelmsford Public Library's Maureen Foley (pictured) are outside.

We'll be here all night with updates. For more information on each article, check out the Finance Committee's report on the town website.

7:16 p.m. - We have a quorum. Moderator Richard DeFreitas is going over the rules.

7:18 p.m. - Permanent Building Committee chairman Pat Maloney is going over an overview of capital projects as part of Article 1. 

7:25 p.m. - We're now onto DPW Director Gary Persichetti. Maloney said that Phase One of the Billerica Road Fire Station was completed last week.

7:35 p.m. - Finance Director John Sousa is now speaking on the town's finances.

7:36 p.m. - Just a reminder, you can watch the meeting on Chelmsford Telemedia  (use us as your guide if you've got Telemedia's coverage on Tivo!)

7:50 p.m. - We're now onto questions, the first question was related to why the town expects to raise taxes. 

7:58 p.m. - Finance Committee chairwoman Patrice Garvin announced she will have to resign as a Finance Committee member due to getting a job as town administrator in Shirley. 
She gets a round of applause.

8:01 p.m. - Voting on Article 2, the voting machine is broken again. 

8:10 p.m. -- And the clickers are working again... we're making some steady progress here....

8:15 p.m. - Now onto additional funding for the new fire station. Chairman Mahoney is explaining why the town is back to ask for more money.

8:25 p.m. - Now onto questions.

8:34 p.m. - David McLachlan asks Mahoney why all of the project's contingencies aren't being used to compensate for the additional money needed, Mahoney says there may be unforeseen problems still yet to come, necessitating the money.

8:43 p.m. - Selectman Jim Lane asks to amend this article to take the money from free cash, Peggy Dunn seconds. Town Manager Paul Cohen calls the amendment a false choice due to concerns over OPEB, saying this will stick the bill to those who come after us, since OPEB must eventually be paid.

8:48 p.m. - Cohen gets applause for his speech, which he describes as putting OPEB funding on a credit card. The original article would get the money by bonding.

8:50 p.m. - Cohen says Chelmsford is ahead of the curb, but not as far ahead as Wellesley, who had an override for OPEB funding. He implies the legislature is unlikely to help, but bond rating agencies will judge the town by how it acts on OPEB.

OPEB is not mentioned in the amendment according to Moderator DeFreitas.

8:54 p.m. - Town Meeting Representative Brian Latina advocates for the free cash amendment, saying that OPEB liabilities were just cut in half, saying that free cash is basically what tax payers overpaid. 

8:58 p.m. - Town Meeting Representative Glenn Thoren says "you don't just take a giant chunk of money and throw it at a problem," but you have to think of the long term consequences. He opposes the amendment.

9:02 p.m. - Town Meeting Representative and former Finance Commitee/Selectman Jon Kurland praises Paul Cohen, asking people to trust his judgment due to his ability to raise the town's bond rating twice during a recession.

9:06 p.m. - Town Meeting Representative Clair Jennotte asks for amendment to go down to $400,000. First amendment fails.

9:09 p.m. - Thoren asks to vote against the second amendment. 

9:11 p.m. - Maloney says he is happy to come back and give back the money after the project is done, but he's not comfortable with the money provided in the amendment in terms of contingencies.

9:20 p.m. - Second amendment fails badly. Now to the original article.

9:32 p.m. - Motion to go to Article 18 first. Originally it was 17 and 18.

9:34 p.m. - Several speakers expected 17 and 18 to occur on Thursday, saying this amendment should not happen. Tom Christiano says that 18 should occur now because many people are here now for 18.

9:36 p.m. - Planning Board member Colleen Stansfield recommends the zoning articles be done later as they will require significant explanation.

9:38 p.m. - Long line on the motion here. 

9:39 p.m. - Sam Poulton moves to question (125-12-0)

9:40 p.m. - Vote on taking Article 18 out of order is 87-52-0. Time for Grinder Pumps...

9:42 p.m. - Town Meeting Representative Stefani Bush requests a five minute break. It is granted.

9:48 p.m. - Okay, we're back. We'll go until 11 p.m. it seems.

9:50 p.m. - McLachlan asks for a quorum, there is a quorum.

9:58 p.m. - "Grinder pump residents currently pay more for an inferior service."

9:59 p.m. - Maintenance of all grinder pumps would cost all households $10 per year.

10:10 p.m. - Cohen says 100 percent sewerage was not a spiteful decision, other nearby towns wish they could have complete sewerage and that many homes with grinder pumps would have to pay for costly septic systems.

10:13 p.m. - Latina asks that Cohen wait under parliamentary procedure to avoid confusion between the presentation and the question and answer period.

10:17 p.m. - Richard Day (now with the Health Department, then on the Sewer Commissioners), said that the state quasi-ordered the town to go to full sewerage due to pollution issues, also explains why which parts of town were sewered first.

10:38 p.m. - Residents in the back are getting a bit upset following Day's explanation regarding the town's requirements over pumping, which led to F.R. Mahoney being the sole provider of Chelmsford's grinder pumps.

10:42 p.m. - Cohen says this bylaw change would have unintended consequences with condominium units, which have systems similar to grinder pumps.

10:50 p.m. - Nick DiSilvio asks questions on the quality of E1-style grinder pumps as well as development/street size on choosing whether to sewer or not.

10:54 p.m. - "We have to get more efficient (with the questions) because we're really getting late" - Moderator DeFreitas

11:00 p.m. - Grinder pumps were seen as a middle option regarding the potential sewerage plans.

11:02 p.m. - People on grinder pumps will have to stay on grinder pumps.

11:05 p.m. - Eight people in line. Make that nine. 

11:17 p.m. - Latina asks if upgrades to the Mill Road area, which was sewered 20 years ago, is due to potential 40B projects in the area. Earlier in the meeting, it was mentioned the sewerage in that area is getting to the age where it will need to be replaced. 

11:24 p.m. - Town Meeting Representative asks that further discussion be delayed until Thursday. 

11:28 p.m. - Day is against adjourning due to the fact that this was taken out of order. There's a motion on the floor to adjourn until after the other Special Town Meeting on Thursday. 

11:30 p.m. - Meeting is adjourned after system breaks again. 

Article 1 - To Hear Reports 7:18 p.m. to 7:58 p.m. (No Vote)

Article 2 - Sewer Construction Stabilization Fund 7:58 p.m. to 8:02 (passes by hand vote, more than 2/3rds)

Article 3 - Other Post Employment Benefits Liability Trust Fund 8:03 p.m. (motion to postpone until after Article 8 - passes by hand vote) 9:22 p.m. to 9:25 p.m. (136-6-0)

Article 4 - Other Post Employment Benefits Liability Trust Fund - Sewer Enterprise 8:03 p.m. to 8:06 p.m. (passes by hand count)

Article 5 - General Stablization Fund (no action)

Article 6 - E Rate Reimbursement 8:07 p.m. (passes by hand count)

Article 7 - Collective Bargaining Agreements - 8:07 p.m. to 8:10 p.m. (138-0-0)

Article 8 - Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Admendments - 8:11 p.m. to 8:14 p.m. (138-1-1)

Article 9 - Center Fire Station Headquarters Construction Additional Funding - 8:15 p.m. to 8:43 p.m., 9:21 p.m. (122-19-5)

Amendment (moving from free cash the sum needed for article 9) 8:43 p.m to 9:06 p.m (21-123-2)

Amendment  - (reduce to $400,000) 9:06 p.m. to 9:20 p.m. (26-118-2)

Article 10 - Cemetery Improvement Fund 9:25 p.m. to 9:26 p.m. (136-1-0)

Article 11 - Community Preservation Fund: Rescind Unexpended Appropriations  9:27 p.m. to 9:29 p.m. (137-0-0)

Article 12 - Community Preservation Fund FY 14 Debt Service - 9:29 p.m. to  9:31 p.m. (142-0-0)

Article 13 - 

Article 14

Article 15

Article 16

Article 17

Article 18 - Citizen's Petition: Bylaw Amendment for Grinder Pumps 9:50 p.m. to tba