2026-08-25 - Select Board

00:34Good evening. I'd like to call this

00:35meeting to order. This is the August

00:3825th, 2026 meeting of the Shrewsbury

00:41Select Board. We will start with

00:43introducing board members and staff

00:46members present. I am Teresa Flynn.

00:48Carlos Garcia,

00:49>> Michelle Conland,

00:50>> Greg Richards,

00:51>> Han in the mall,

00:52>> Kevin Mizakar, town manager.

00:54>> Keith Baldinger, assistant town manager,

00:56public works.

00:57>> Christian Ordong, assistant town

00:59manager, administration and finance.

01:01>> Tracy Vitz, the assistant to the town

01:03manager and select board.

01:06>> Thank you. The first item on our agenda

01:08is to approve the bills, payrolls, and

01:11warrants.

01:11>> Move approval.

01:12>> Second.

01:12>> All in favor say I.

01:14>> I. Opposed.

01:15>> Motion carries. Item number two is to

01:17review an act to approve the minutes of

01:19the August 11th, 2026 select board

01:22meeting.

01:23>> Move approval.

01:24>> Second.

01:24>> All in favor say I.

01:26>> I. Opposed? Motion carries. Item number

01:29three is announcements and reports.

01:31Board members, any announcements,

01:33reports this evening?

01:35>> I think we just want to mention that we

01:37all just came from the ribbon cutting at

01:40the new Arowwood playground and it was

01:44amazing. Um hopefully there will be some

01:46pictures that are posted. I see some

01:48residents who were also there. It was

01:51amazing that once the ribbon was cut,

01:53the gate was open and there was just a

01:54flood of children that went out there

01:57and started enjoying it. So um many

01:59thanks to the the residents and the CPC

02:03and just everybody that was involved, uh

02:05town staff, uh parks and wreck and um

02:10highway, not highway division, um other

02:13town departments. So, thank you to

02:15everyone and it was lovely to see.

02:18Item number four is the town manager

02:20report. Miss Nikar,

02:21>> I don't have anything this evening.

02:22Thank you.

02:23>> Okay.

02:25Item number five is public comment

02:27pursuant to select board policy 31. We

02:29actually have four requests um for this

02:32evening. So, we'd like to start with

02:35Miss Hilton.

02:37>> You're listed first on the agenda, so I

02:39will go in order. If you wouldn't mind

02:41uh stating your name and your address

02:42for the record. Certainly. I'm Bridget

02:44Hilton and I'm at One Jacobson Drive

02:46here in Shrewsbury. Um, thank you all so

02:49much for the opportunity to comment um

02:51on this uh proposal. Um, I think I think

02:56every single person who knows me in

02:58Shoes knows that I am a first generation

03:00immigrant to this country and that my

03:02grandparents came, my parents came and

03:05here I am. Um,

03:08when I think about this proposal, I

03:11think about in particular my

03:12grandmothers. Both of my grandmothers

03:14were immigrants. Um,

03:17both were farmers before they came to

03:20the country. Um, my mother's mother was

03:23a bit of an entrepreneur. She raised

03:25chickens and she owned a little chicken

03:27business and sold eggs and things like

03:29that. So coming to the states at the

03:31time that they did in the 1980s, the

03:34landscape was significantly different

03:36than it is today. The immigration system

03:38was significantly different than it was

03:40today. They came primarily, actually my

03:42mom came first, believe it or not, and

03:44her parents came afterwards to take care

03:47of me.

03:49And so neither of my grandparents uh

03:52worked in this country, but they

03:55contributed something priceless to not

03:59just my generation, but through the work

04:02that they did for myself, for my

04:04friends, for my siblings, for their

04:06church, for their community

04:08organizations. They were vibrant members

04:11of this community to the point that I

04:13called the church on the common to ask

04:15them to do me a favor and they go, "Are

04:17you Winnie's granddaughter?" And so they

04:20were vibrant members of our community,

04:23but they were also aware that they were

04:26coming from a place where they sounded

04:28different than everyone else. They look

04:30different than everyone else. And I

04:33don't know that despite all of their

04:36amazing qualities that they would have

04:38been able to articulate to somebody what

04:40their immigration status even was. It

04:42was something that my parents helped

04:44them to navigate. And I think about in

04:47particular my grandmother who is busy

04:49chasing after five kids. I'm one of

04:51five. Um and helping my family in

04:54cooking and cleaning being called to

04:56task about whether or not a piece of

04:58paper said that she was allowed to live

05:00in this country or not. in spite of all

05:02the things that she was doing. And

05:04that's why I think it is so important. I

05:06think about that because there are other

05:09women and men like my grandparents um

05:11living in our community, living amongst

05:12us who are valuable, invaluable members

05:15of our community who would be negatively

05:18impacted by such inquisition and and I

05:22use that word intentionally.

05:24Um, I know that it is, you know, maybe

05:28could be seen as a litmus test of kind

05:30of where our town is, but it's not that.

05:32Um, and I wanted to put a face and a

05:35family to the lives that are impacted

05:38when you

05:40impose yourself into the lives of other

05:43people unnecessarily. I'm all for

05:45government. I'm all for building

05:47playgrounds and doing the things that we

05:49can do to help one another so that life

05:51is easier for the people living in our

05:52community. But what I'm not for is

05:54putting in people into undue fear over

05:57something that has become increasingly

06:00difficult and increasingly challenging,

06:02particularly for people that look like

06:04me. So, thank you all for the

06:06opportunity to speak on this matter. I

06:08hope that you will adopt it.

06:10>> Thank you. Thank you. [clears throat]

06:14>> Next is Miss Zire.

06:19>> Whichever you prefer.

06:21>> Okay.

06:24>> My name is Sam Zire and I'm here to

06:27voice my support for the DEIB

06:29recommended welcoming communities policy

06:31and statement.

06:32>> Sam, I'm sorry to interrupt you. Could

06:33you just state your address for the

06:35>> My address is 8 Jimmy Lean.

06:36>> Thank you. Um, so again, I'm here to

06:38voice my support for the DEIB

06:40recommended welcoming communities policy

06:42and statement. As someone who frequently

06:44works with undocumented people in the

06:46area, I have seen firsthand how fear

06:49shapes even the most basic decisions of

06:51daily life. I know parents who delayed

06:54taking a sick child to the doctor. I

06:56know survivors of crime and abuse who

06:58chose not to call the police. I know

07:01people who kept their children out of

07:03school activities, avoided public

07:05services, and quietly withdrew from

07:07community life, not because they didn't

07:10need help, but because they were afraid

07:12that asking for it might expose them or

07:14someone they love to detention or

07:16deportation.

07:17This policy will not undo that fear and

07:20it will not fix the underlying

07:22immigration system that produces it. But

07:24it can send a clear and meaningful

07:26signal that this community does not see

07:29immigration status as a condition for

07:31basic dignity, safety, or belonging. For

07:34a population that is constantly weighing

07:36the cost of visibility, that signal

07:38matters for people who live with

07:40persistent fear that shapes nearly every

07:43interaction with institutions. Even a

07:45small credible assurance of safety can

07:48open a door that fear had kept closed.

07:52That policy offers this policy offers

07:54that assurance. It tells undocumented

07:56residents that their access to health

07:58care, education, and public safety will

08:01not be used against them. And it tells

08:03the broader community that we are

08:05willing to stand behind that commitment.

08:08I encourage you to adopt this policy not

08:10as a complete solution but as a humane

08:12step towards a community where everyone

08:15can access the services they need

08:16without fe fear. To those of you who may

08:20oppose this policy, I would ask a simple

08:22question. Have you ever actually sat

08:25across from an undocumented person and

08:27heard their story? Or is your certainty

08:29built entirely on what a headline or a

08:32comment section told you to feel? I

08:34think it is easy to vote against a

08:36statistic. It is much harder to vote

08:38against someone whose name you know.

08:40Thank you for your consideration.

08:42>> Thank you.

08:46>> Next, u Mr. Roberto,

08:49you could just state your full name and

08:51address for the record, please.

08:55>> Good evening, everyone. My name is Luis

08:57Rodriguez. Um for um 465 Boston

09:00Turnpike. Um

09:03my name is Luis Rodriguez. I'm a town

09:05meeting member, the current vice

09:06chairperson and a concern, sorry, the

09:08current vice chairperson of the

09:09diversity, equity, inclusion, and

09:10belonging committee and a concerned

09:12resident. I'm here to ask the select

09:14board to accept the welcoming

09:15communities policy recommendation. The

09:17committee has put almost two years of

09:20hard work into this with a lot of

09:22roadblocks along the way. This is an

09:24opportunity to build and strengthen our

09:26town. I don't want I don't want our

09:28immigrant neighbors to be an to be an

09:31object or an afterthought of civic

09:33renewal. If we ignore if we ignore this,

09:37we are choosing stagnation over

09:39progress. If we ignore this, we're

09:40limiting our potential. Right now, as

09:42communities push back against harmful

09:44federal policies, we're also have the we

09:47also have the chance to imagine

09:48something better and start building it.

09:50That starts by valuing the people that

09:52are already here, no matter where they

09:54came from. We cannot afford to be

09:56passive anymore. The five of you today

09:59have the opportunity to lead by example

10:01and make sure that this community makes

10:03everyone feel welcome. If you vote no

10:05tonight, understand the harm that you

10:07are choosing. People in our town are

10:09already living it. Residents in the main

10:12election poll asked by poll workers if

10:14they were citizens instead of registered

10:16voters. Neighbors who avoid calling the

10:18police even when they need it because

10:20they don't trust the response. family

10:22who hesitates to call Sulco to get their

10:24Wi-Fi fixed because they fear of

10:26exposure. Residents who won't go into

10:28town hall to ask clarification about an

10:31official letter because they worry about

10:33consequences. Not to mention many that

10:35have stayed away from community events

10:38because they don't feel safe or welcome.

10:40These are just a few of the stories that

10:41we'd heard during this process. The

10:43committee took this on because we heard

10:45these stories over again and again and

10:47again. Fear, exclusion, and longing to

10:49belong. This recommendation is simply

10:52asking this body or the town manager's

10:54office to take action and enact a policy

10:57that would help us build trust that we

10:59need so everyone can thrive during these

11:01volatile times. Adopting a policy it is

11:04a straightforward step towards a

11:07stronger fairer community. The five of

11:09you today on this board can lead by

11:11example and stop making people ch and

11:13stop making people choose between safety

11:16and civic life. Do not let this

11:18opportunity slip by. I urge this body to

11:20adopt this policy and show that you are

11:22comm committed to real change, to

11:25diversity, to equity, to inclusion, and

11:27to belonging. Thank you so much for

11:29having me today.

11:31>> Thank you.

11:34>> Last, uh, Miss Jones,

11:39if you could state your full name and

11:41address for the record, please.

11:43>> I'm Diane Jones, 29 Francis Avenue.

11:46So, I'm here tonight because

11:50um well, they've already said all the

11:53reasons why I'm here tonight. Um but I

11:56just want to say that um there is

11:59definitely a population within

12:00Shrewsbury that does not feel safe here.

12:04And uh one of the last things they need

12:08is to be asked what their immigration

12:10status is because that is actually not

12:13our business,

12:15right? It's not our business and it

12:18keeps them from well feeling safe enough

12:21to get help or to um participate in

12:25civic life here in town, which makes all

12:27of us less safe. Our town is much safer

12:31when we just accept people as they are

12:33as long as they're not breaking federal

12:35law, right? And and keep them in the

12:40community feeling safe if they don't

12:44contact the police because um maybe

12:49there was domestic abuse and

12:52uh they're afraid, oh my god, what

12:55happens if I call the police and ask for

12:58help?

12:59what happens if you don't call the

13:01police and ask for help. It's really

13:04serious. Or at a smaller level, any kind

13:06of um ability to walk into a building

13:09like this and get something

13:10administrative taken care of without

13:13being asked what's your immigration

13:16status? Because that is not our

13:19business. And it's the same for the

13:21police.

13:22The police in Massachusetts are not

13:25supposed to ask anyone what their

13:27immigration status is unless they've

13:29done something like break a federal law,

13:32right? And [clears throat] that is

13:35really important because otherwise we

13:37have people who are incredible danger

13:40and they know they are.

13:43So it's already the same. This this

13:46policy is already in place for police

13:48basically. It should just be in place

13:51for everybody.

13:53It's not a question that you ask.

13:56>> Thanks.

13:57>> Thank you so much.

13:59>> Uh appreciate the residents who came

14:00forward to speak this evening. We will

14:02be taking up this topic under agenda

14:04item number 10.

14:08Next item on our agenda is a 705 public

14:11hearing regarding a request to honor

14:13former town employee Don Shannon through

14:16the naming of a public space or

14:20building. Um before we start, I thought

14:24it would be very important to clarify

14:27that the building will remain named in

14:31honor of World War I veteran sergeant

14:34first class Raymond Stone. This is not

14:36in any way um a consideration of

14:40removing um Mr. Stone's name from the

14:43building. Um the family of Don Shannon

14:46has requested that a portion of the

14:48building's interior be named in her

14:50honor. Um so that is what we are here to

14:56um to consider. So we would like I I

15:01really don't want to cut off anyone. We

15:03would like to keep this uh public uh

15:06hearing to about 15 minutes. So I will

15:10um ask anyone who is interested in in

15:13coming forward if you could state your

15:14name and your address for for the

15:17record. And we generally like to keep

15:20people to about three minutes just so we

15:22can get as many people included as

15:25possible. Hello sir.

15:27>> Hi. Uh I'm [clears throat] Rob Shannon,

15:29Don Shannon's son. address. Uh born and

15:33raised on 7 octourus drive and raised at

15:3762 Homeman Street. U worked for the town

15:41myself

15:44cemeteries

15:46for the parks for various opportunities

15:48that was presented.

15:51My mom um God bless her passed February

15:5513th

15:57of this year

15:59and

16:00while she was here in Shrewsbury

16:04she gave 30 years of her life to

16:08developing the parks and recreation

16:10department more on the recreation

16:13department side.

16:15Um what few knew is that

16:19mom would do this job with such love for

16:22the town residents and for the children

16:25and for the families

16:28and a lot of times we as a family we we

16:30got the short end of the stick because

16:32of it. Um, the town could not afford to

16:35have janitors stay uh in the facilities

16:39to open and close buildings at night so

16:41they could have adult or men and women

16:45or whatever recreation department office

16:47uh uh activities take place. She would

16:50get up from dinner and go open up the

16:52buildings. After the event, she'd get up

16:54again and go outside and close the

16:56buildings.

16:58nothing I would really want my wife or a

17:00single mother to do day after day, year

17:03after year. Um, on top of that, she was

17:07a town meeting member for many, many

17:09years. And I did say she was over 30

17:10years, I believe, with the town.

17:13She

17:15uh was president of the special needs

17:17program,

17:20a town meeting member, a wonderful

17:24mother but mentor to so many. Um, one of

17:28my friends from Alaska, Jim Keegan from

17:30Shrewsbury, said it best in a a letter

17:33to me that

17:35your mom always gave kids a point in the

17:40right direction, uh, a smile, some

17:43positive feedback, and sort of gave the

17:45kids that needed that that little extra

17:48oomph to do the right thing. Um I am

17:52thrilled that so many of her friends,

17:54the ladies over that I've become very

17:57close to have come tonight as well. I'm

18:00glad you mentioned that uh chairperson

18:02uh Flynn. That was never my desire to

18:07strip the building of the recognition

18:10that Ray Stone earned and still has.

18:15There's a separate entrance uh to the

18:17facility that I was hoping that we'd be

18:20able to say the Don Shan Parks and

18:22Recreational Park facility or park

18:24office and have a sign on the outside.

18:27If that is uh too much to ask, I

18:31understand and appreciate.

18:33But I do believe that for all she's done

18:36for this town and for his residents that

18:39uh it'd be fitting to recognize her with

18:43some sort of a dedication whether it's a

18:45park part of the building um or what

18:48have you. But I'm going to yield the

18:50rest and sit down. But I very emotional

18:53about this. So I apologize and uh thank

18:55you very much for listening and uh

18:58entertaining us. Have a great night.

19:01Thank you so much and thank you to your

19:04entire family. Um, your mom was clearly

19:06very special. Are there any other

19:08residents that would like to speak?

19:12Please come forward.

19:16>> If you could please just state your name

19:18and address for the record.

19:21>> Good evening. I'm Fred Russell uh 104

19:23Old Miller Road and I'm also the

19:25commander of the uh post 397 Verto Post.

19:30We do not have any objection to naming

19:32part of the building after u Mrs.

19:34Shannon.

19:36Think that's all I wanted to say. So on

19:38record,

19:39>> thank you so much.

19:51Um, Carol Mc Williams, uh, 28 Colton

19:54Lane Shrewsbury. I wasn't planning on

19:56saying anything, but there's been such

19:59an undercurrent of, uh, information

20:02about Don Shann and I know you've

20:03received lots of letters and, um, even

20:06though I don't do Facebook, I understand

20:08there's been lots of it. Um, Bob was

20:11speaking about his mother. I know it's

20:13been very emotional for him, but any one

20:15of us that knew Don Shannon and probably

20:17three generations of anyone here would

20:20know her. She was vivacious. She was

20:22giving. She was funny. She always had a

20:25smile. Um, she gave so much of herself

20:29to the kids and even the adults, the

20:32trips that she used to run. I mean, she

20:34could have been Miss Mrs. uh Shrewberry.

20:37So, I hate to see us kind of dismiss

20:40this and do nothing, but something

20:42definitely should be done because she

20:44was the pox and wreck department for

20:48almost 30 years.

20:50Okay, so thank you.

20:52>> Thanks.

20:56>> Anyone else?

20:59>> Um, if not, I would entertain a motion

21:02to close a public hearing.

21:03>> Some moved.

21:04>> Second. All in favor say I. I.

21:06>> I. [clears throat] post. Motion passes.

21:09So, this is part of our policy to hold

21:12the public hearing to receive feedback.

21:15Greatly appreciate the comments. We have

21:19received a lot of correspondence as

21:22well. So, we will add to a future agenda

21:26um the opportunity for the select board

21:29to deliberate over all of the

21:31information we have and um formulate our

21:35next steps. So, we won't be doing that

21:37this evening. Um we have to do the

21:40public hearing and we greatly appreciate

21:42everyone um who who participated and and

21:45came to attend.

21:48Okay.

21:50Agenda item number seven is to review an

21:52act for the assignment of host community

21:54agreement for Pharmarmacannis

21:57Massachusetts Inc. to Milu or Milu Ma

22:02LLC.

22:04Under the town's host community

22:06agreement in state law, the business

22:08cannot transfer its agreement to a new

22:10owner without written consent from the

22:13town. Um I see that we have some

22:16attendees. So rather than kind of going

22:18through my summary,

22:20um we will ask you to introduce yourself

22:25and tell us a little bit more about this

22:28this transaction.

22:31>> Absolutely. Madame Chair and members of

22:33the select board, thank you very much.

22:35I'm Jesse Alderman. I am uh here on

22:38behalf of Milu uh Shrewberry LLC which

22:42um does business as Very Mary. Um and

22:47with me is uh the sole owner, the 100%

22:50owner of uh Milu, uh Meredith Mimi and

22:55Adam Ilman, who is the current um one of

22:58the current managers at the store. Uh

23:01has been for five years. Adam? Yep. and

23:04uh Avery Jones who's the operations

23:06manager at the store and has also been

23:08uh there for a while. Um as you stated,

23:13Madame Chair, the section 10 of your

23:16host community agreement, which is a

23:18requirement of state law to have a

23:20cannabis license um from the Cannabis

23:23Control Commission, states that that

23:25host community agreement cannot be

23:28um transferred or assigned without your

23:31approval. um which shall not be

23:34unreasonably withheld or conditioned.

23:37So, we're here tonight to explain to you

23:38a little bit about the background of the

23:40transaction um that's in process and Mr.

23:43Mizar, could I ask you to go forward

23:46with the slides if you're able? I'm

23:47sorry. And thank you very much for

23:49hosting those for us. Um the company

23:52that owns the VeraLife dispensary at 939

23:55Boston Turnpike is Pharmarmacannist

23:58Massachusetts Inc., which is a

24:01subsidiary of a company called

24:02Pharmarmacan which is in essentially and

24:04I'm not and I they've likely notified

24:07you in some measure of this is in

24:09essentially what is the equivalent of

24:10bankruptcy. Um so they have um through a

24:14public process um proposed to auction

24:17off many of their assets those here in

24:19Massachusetts as well as in some other

24:21states. And the um the uh selected

24:27winner um of that bid process is u Mu

24:31Shrewberry LLC. Um and Milu is uh owned

24:37by Meredith who's sitting next to me and

24:40they are proposing to um acquire all of

24:43the assets essentially of Pharmarmacan

24:45Massachusetts. And that would include

24:48this host community agreement as well as

24:49the Cannabis Control Commission license.

24:52And um although there's four of us up

24:54here and I've probably rambled on for

24:56too long already, we promise to be

24:57brief, but Meredith and the team will

24:58very briefly introduce themselves so you

25:00can hear from them directly. Um if

25:03there's one um point that I'd like to

25:06get across on this slide and the and the

25:07next couple, it is that there will be no

25:10changes um as you um as the other town

25:14boards and departments um experience

25:17them and as customers experience them at

25:20the store. Um it will uh remain um with

25:25the same management with the same

25:26on-site staff, same physical layout,

25:29same number of parking spaces, same

25:31interior layout. If in the future there

25:34are branding changes, for instance, to

25:36be called uh very Mary instead of uh

25:39Pharmarmacan and look something like

25:41this rendering up there, that has to go

25:43through a state approval process and

25:44would certainly go through any design

25:46review or other process that you would

25:48require. But for the near term and for

25:50the foreseeable future, no one will know

25:52that there has been a change in the uh

25:55parent level uh ownership of this

25:58company to Miss Minimi. Um

26:02with that, um if we could just move

26:04forward in the slides a little bit, I

26:06just wanted to turn it over to Adam and

26:07Avery to very very quickly orient you um

26:11on the site um in case there's any

26:12unfamiliarity.

26:15for sure. So, as you can see, uh on the

26:18entrance, we have right off 939 Boston

26:21Turnpike Road, um right near the

26:23Wegman's. I'm sure you're familiar. Um

26:25we have 20 spots plus ample parking. Our

26:28security system is up to date with

26:31everything that the CCC requires for us

26:33to remain operational and function

26:35properly.

26:36>> Um, yep.

26:39in there.

26:42>> And I know our operational layout, if we

26:44want to move forward one more slide.

26:46>> Slide.

26:47>> And then inside here, you can see the

26:49layout of our store. Um, the entrance

26:51right down once you make your way into

26:53our parking lot. Um, and then the

26:55vestibule, which is the first round of

26:59security before we have our multistack

27:01check, uh, where we check everybody

27:03through the TE's to make sure everybody

27:05is, of course, we're remaining up to all

27:07of the guidelines that the CCC requires.

27:10>> There's the operational history here of

27:12full compliance, no CCC violations, no

27:16uh to to our awareness and to Adam's

27:18awareness, no incidents at the store

27:20with police or fire. Um, and uh, this is

27:23the host community agreement language

27:26um, that I've highlighted on the screen

27:27for you. And I'll turn it over to

27:28Meredith in the next slide to introduce

27:30herself.

27:32>> Hello. I'm excited to be here with

27:34everyone tonight. I'm Meredith Mogimi.

27:37Uh the very merry experience we want to

27:39bring to Shrewsbury brings you 24 plus

27:42years of cannabis experience, 30 plus

27:45years of leadership in retail, uh

27:47customer focused leadership, curated

27:50menu and products and a community

27:53partnership that we're excited to be

27:55here and be part of your community.

28:00Next,

28:02>> I have been a consultant here in

28:04Massachusetts, working in the private

28:06and p public sector for close to 15

28:10years now. I'm excited to be working in

28:14cannabis and I am excited to bring a

28:18female forward um

28:22cannabis product to Shrewberry. Um,

28:26Massachusetts is my home and I love

28:30doing business here and I've worked in

28:33everything, all parts of the state and

28:36um, excited to be here in Shrewsbury

28:38with you all.

28:42This is the leadership team. I'm going

28:43to let Avery introduce himself and then

28:45I will talk about Ally who unfortunately

28:47had a family um, obligation that she

28:49couldn't be here tonight.

28:51>> Hi, I am Avery Jones. Uh, I been in

28:55Boston since about 2016 going to college

28:58in Berkeley College of Music pursuing a

29:01music business degree. Um, that said,

29:052020 during the pandemic, I pivoted over

29:07to working at a local testing site in

29:10Boston area to give back to my community

29:12and thankfully was able to actually go

29:15outside of it and work on some contracts

29:16as well with some of the local

29:18entertainment companies and some of the

29:19bigger entertainment companies, which

29:21has been fantastic. But after that all

29:23died down, I was able to focus back on

29:26retail and came into the cannabis

29:28industry, which I absolutely love and I

29:30love the community that it brings in.

29:35>> The remaining slides we have um I'll

29:37leave for the the board to review if

29:39they'd like. They're just a summary of

29:40the security protocols at the store. Um

29:44and I would uh thank you for your time

29:47and your consideration of our request.

29:49We are also to go before the planning

29:51board. um next month uh hope maybe next

29:55month hopefully uh we'll we plan to

29:57submit an application in in a matter of

29:59days to transfer the special permit at

30:02the site um which was awarded in 200

30:05which was granted in 2018 and unlike

30:07most special permits this one has a

30:09condition that it doesn't run with the

30:10land that in fact runs with the operator

30:12so we'll essentially have the same

30:14introduction and and discussion with

30:16them um and like I said the Cannabis

30:19Control Commission is in the very final

30:21stages of its approval um of this

30:23transaction and there's no issues and we

30:26expect to be on one of their forth

30:28upcoming agendas perhaps as early as

30:30next month to have this transaction

30:32approved. Thank you very much for your

30:34time. If there's any questions,

30:37>> that was um very thorough and um very

30:40respectful. Thank you for taking the

30:41time to give us all of that background.

30:43Board members any questions for

30:47>> Yeah. So I have one question like you're

30:49transferring the business from one owner

30:52to the other one. So when you uh applied

30:54for the certificate or all kind of

30:56permits are going to do the same thing

30:59again the background check or

31:03Miss McGimi has been background checked

31:05by the cannabis control commission. She

31:07passed and that process is complete with

31:10the CCC. they will recommend this

31:13transaction for approval. Um the staff

31:16will recommend this this acquisition the

31:19transfer of the state asset which is the

31:22cannabis control commission license um

31:25to the full board of the command

31:26cannabis control commission the full

31:28three member board which will vote on it

31:30at a public meeting and we certainly

31:32don't expect to encounter any difficulty

31:34there. Um in terms of um Mr. Jones and

31:38Mr. illman. They've already passed their

31:39background checks and are registered

31:41agents for the dispensary with the

31:43cannabis control commission, as is all

31:45the on-site staff. And since Miss Moimi

31:47is the only owner and the sole manager

31:49of the company, she's the only one that

31:51requires additional vetting by the

31:53Cannabis Control Commission. Does that

31:55does that answer your question?

31:57>> Thank you.

31:57>> Okay. Thank you so much.

32:00>> There are no other comments or

32:02questions. I will entertain a motion.

32:04>> I move the board uh I'm sorry. I move

32:07the board vote to authorize the town

32:09manager to execute the host community

32:11agreement amendment and assignment as

32:13substantially drafted with farm mechanis

32:15Massachusetts Inc. with Mu Shrewbury

32:18LLC.

32:19>> Second.

32:19>> All in favor say I.

32:21>> I oppos. Motion passes. Thank you so

32:24much. We wish you all the best. Welcome

32:26to Shbury.

32:27>> We're excited to be here. Thank you.

32:30>> Thank you very much.

32:31>> Thank you.

32:31>> Thank you.

32:33Agenda item number eight is to review

32:34and discuss the year-end financial

32:36results for fiscal year 2026.

32:39Is Alex joining us? Okay.

32:42>> Hi, Alex.

32:46>> You need a second to get set up.

32:48>> All right.

32:59All right.

33:01Um, thank you board members. I'm Alex

33:03Martinez. I'm the director of fiscal

33:04planning and this evening I'll be

33:06walking through a handful of slides to

33:07provide a preliminary overview on the

33:09close out of the fiscal year 26 budget

33:12that concluded on June 30th. Um, you

33:14also have a memo in your drive that

33:16provides some further data and

33:17explanation.

33:19So, some of the things that we'll touch

33:20on tonight are local receipt

33:21performance, general fund expenditure

33:24performance,

33:25uh, and turnbacks, tax collection data,

33:28and a preliminary free cash balance

33:30estimate.

33:35So, starting off with revenue

33:37performance, specifically um, schedule A

33:41local receipts. Local receipts are

33:43locally generated revenues other than

33:45real and personal property taxes. and

33:47local receipts is the third largest

33:49source of revenue for the town after

33:51taxation and state aid.

33:53Within local receipts, the largest

33:55components accounting for approximately

33:5785% are motor vehicle excise tax,

34:00investment income, building permits, and

34:03landfill revenue from the ash monofil.

34:06And the budget amount for local receipts

34:08for FY26 was 17,191,122.

34:14Actual local receipts came in at

34:1619,875,826,

34:21exceeding the budgeted amount by

34:23approximately 15% or just over $2.6

34:26million.

34:27So, I just want to pause on this slide

34:29just for a moment to see that between

34:31FY25 and FY26,

34:34we increased estimated revenue by just

34:38over 10%. This is the largest jump in

34:41budgeted year-over-year local receipts

34:43that we've done in quite a few years.

34:45Um, just feeling confident in the double

34:48digit percentage performance that local

34:50receipts have had over the past few

34:52fiscal years. [snorts]

34:56And then just touching on a few. So

34:58within the memo you received um some

35:01revenue outperformers were highlighted

35:03as well as some revenue underperformers.

35:06And I want to touch on um just one

35:09driver of excess logo receipts that um

35:12we've been seeing for the past few

35:14fiscal years. So since fiscal year 23,

35:17investment income has outpaced the

35:19budgeted amount by over $2 million each

35:21year. Um the average is about $2.3

35:24million.

35:26This trend has obviously significantly

35:28benefited the financial performance of

35:30local receipts, but is a just an outlier

35:32to, you know, take into consideration um

35:35that the next closest overperformer is

35:38licenses and permits and that generated

35:40420,000 additional revenue.

35:49So although local receipts have shown a

35:51strong financial results, um we

35:53anticipate that the long-term financial

35:55outlook should still maintain a more

35:57conservative stance. As you can see in

35:59this chart, we've trended up from FY22

36:03to FY25 and have just maybe peaked in 25

36:06and are starting to trend back down to a

36:08more normal average baseline. Um, so we

36:13want to balance generating excess

36:15revenue but not putting ourselves in a

36:17position where we're not accurately

36:19capturing recurring revenues.

36:26So now pivoting to expenditures

36:29um specifically general fund

36:31expenditures. The FY26 municipal and

36:33education budget as of the fall 2025

36:37special town meeting was 161,873,040.

36:44At the end of each fiscal year, any

36:45funds that are not expended or

36:47encumbered within the operating budget

36:49have to be turned back yet returned to

36:51the general fund. Town meeting controls

36:54expenditure appropriations on a fiscal

36:56yearby- fiscal year basis. So those

36:58funds cannot be used for anything other

37:00than their intended and appropriated

37:02use. So in addition to excess local

37:05receipt revenue that was discussed

37:06previously, turnbacks are a primary

37:08contributor to the town's free cash

37:10balance each year.

37:12Over the past five fiscal years, the

37:14average balance of funds that have been

37:16turned back is just over $1.7 million or

37:20approximately 1.2% of the annual

37:22operating budget.

37:28So

37:30FY26 looked a little bit different.

37:320.51%

37:34of the FY26 budget was turned back which

37:37results in just over $820,000.

37:40This is a pretty significant decline

37:42compared to the last two fiscal years

37:45which had turnbacks of over $2 million

37:48each year. So although final department

37:50expenditures remained within the

37:52authorized budget, the turnback

37:54percentage highlights some of the

37:55challenges we did face in the FY26

37:57budget.

38:01So just touching on those challenges

38:03quickly, um we saw some budget pressures

38:06in utility costs, specifically gas and

38:09electric to heat and cool our schools

38:11and other municipal buildings. The

38:13challenging winter months also impacted

38:15snow and ice operation costs that are

38:17funded within the highway department.

38:19And we also experienced some pressures

38:21in recruitment and retention of staff

38:23that drove up some personnel costs.

38:26To address these challenges, we did seek

38:28approval from town meeting, the finance

38:30committee, and the personnel board to

38:32ensure that department budgets stayed

38:34balanced and had appropriate funding to

38:35cover all costs.

38:38Throughout FY26, the finance committee

38:40considered and approved $360,000 in

38:43reserve fund transfer requests across

38:45seven departments, which completely

38:47utilize the entire balance of the

38:49reserve fund.

38:51The personnel board authorized just over

38:54$270,000 in transfers, which is about

38:5665% of their available budget to cover

39:00performance appraisal adjustments, union

39:02contract implementations, and staff

39:04recruitment and retention efforts.

39:07So in total between the fall 2025

39:09special town meeting and the May 2026

39:12annual town meeting, town meeting also

39:14authorized a net of $972,000

39:17in departmental transfers to cover

39:19necessary budget adjustments, including

39:23um $500,000 for additional funding for

39:25the pension system, $100,000 for staff

39:29recruitment, retention, and training,

39:31and then $300,000 specifically for those

39:34public buildings utility costs.

39:37The total result of all those

39:38adjustments is about $1.5 million. And I

39:41just want to note that these funds were

39:43all encompassed within the appropriated

39:45FY26 budget using recurring revenues. So

39:48while there was no net increase to the

39:50operating budget, we still needed to

39:52rely on departments that had healthy

39:54surpluses to absorb and cover cost

39:57overruns in budget with budget

39:59challenges in other departments.

40:03>> [snorts]

40:04>> So the town's largest source of revenue

40:07is taxation

40:09and the chart on this slide highlights

40:10tax collection performance as of the end

40:13of the fiscal year June 30th 2026. I

40:16want to note that this data is a

40:18snapshot in time and the year-end

40:20balances for prior fiscal years are

40:22essentially moving targets. Tax

40:24collections that are received after the

40:26fiscal year ends do get retroactively

40:28applied to the tax year for which they

40:31were levied. So FR26 on the screen might

40:34look like an anomaly, but on average

40:36between FR22 and FR26,

40:39we typically have ended each fiscal year

40:41at approximately a 98.6%

40:44collection rate for real estate taxes

40:47and 96% for personal property.

40:55And then lastly, free cash. So free cash

40:57represents the portion of general fund

40:59surplus revenue that is unrestricted and

41:01available for appropriation. Free cash

41:04is certified on July as of July 1st each

41:07year by the state department of revenue

41:09and all of the figures discussed in this

41:11presentation directly impact the free

41:13cash balance. Free cash is generated

41:16when the actual operating results

41:18compare favorably with the budget such

41:20as when his actual revenues exceed the

41:22budgeted amount or when expenditures are

41:24less than appropriated.

41:26Free cash can also be affected by

41:28increases or decreases in uncollected

41:30property taxes, deficits in non-general

41:32fund accounts, and other legally

41:34incurred operating deficits or

41:36overdrafts.

41:38The Department of Revenue recommends

41:40that municipalities maintain a free cash

41:42balance of no less than 5% of the fiscal

41:45year operating budget. In 2018, the

41:48select board adopted a fiscal policy to

41:50generate free cash in the amount of 3 to

41:525% annually.

41:55The current free cash balance as of

41:57today is $6,152,852.

42:02This is after all of the intended use of

42:04free cash that was approved at the May

42:062026 annual town meeting and is prior to

42:09certification by do for 712026.

42:14solely accounting for the excess local

42:16receipts and the turnbacks that were

42:18outlined in this presentation. It's

42:20estimated that free cash will be

42:21certified at 9,654,63

42:27which is 5.69% of the FY27 operating

42:31budget meeting the threshold of 5%.

42:34This does not account for the full

42:36reconciliation of the balance sheet. So,

42:38it is very likely that free cash will be

42:40certified [clears throat] at a higher

42:41rate later this fall.

42:44So, just to highlight and encompass the

42:46summary, despite FY26 being a generally

42:50challenging year, the town is still in a

42:52very healthy and stable financial

42:54position. Between free cash, the

42:56override stabilization and general

42:59stabilization, the town has over $26

43:01million in reserves. Departments strive

43:04to maintain appropriated budgets and

43:06strategically generate excess revenue.

43:09Despite the strong performance, we do

43:11recommend maintaining a more

43:12conservative, longer term approach in

43:14our revenue projections. Thank you for

43:16your time and I look forward to

43:17answering any questions.

43:19>> Thank you, Alex.

43:21Miss Carr, anything to add before

43:23members? Okay, board members questions,

43:25comments,

43:26>> I have a couple. Thank you, Alex. Um,

43:28the one question I have is just just

43:30some clarification on the investment

43:32income side.

43:34What buckets of money make up the

43:36principle in which is earning that

43:39investment income are the

43:42like what buckets of money I'm assuming

43:44I know it's is it free cash

43:46stabilization general stabilization

43:48override stabilization plus is there or

43:50what what goes into that number

43:53>> take that

43:54>> so the vast majority of of the

43:57investments that we have that we pull

44:00the interest off of every quarter is um

44:04essentially what's called the operating

44:06fund which is an excess it's like the

44:08checking a book a checkbook balance at

44:11the end of any any month or quarter that

44:14um the treasurer does not feel that she

44:16needs to draw upon. So in total it is

44:20about 60% of our annual revenues that we

44:24are able to invest because we can manage

44:26the cash flow on a monthly basis without

44:28kind of dipping into those you know

44:31other funds. Um and that differentiates

44:35from those other accounts like

44:36stabilization funds and trust funds

44:39because those accounts themselves retain

44:42their own interest. So as the

44:44stabilization fund or the the override

44:47stabilization fund earns interest, it is

44:50reinvested or or added to that um

44:54account balance every year.

44:56>> Okay. So yeah, so essentially because

45:01the budget or that operating balance is

45:04increasing year-over-year because you're

45:06always effectively increasing because

45:08we're not drawing down from that. So

45:10unless there is some external impact

45:14that's going to affect overall interest

45:15rates, you should consistently see

45:18performance on that invested income

45:19because the base amount that you're

45:22using is always going up year-over-year.

45:25>> That yeah, that is that is correct.

45:27Barring a reduction in in people paying

45:30their taxes obviously. And the reason

45:32that has been a little bit elevated is

45:34because treasury notes, you know, have

45:36averaged between, you know, three and a

45:38quarter and 4%. So that has brought us

45:41additional revenue. But in theory,

45:43you're absolutely right. Like we, you

45:44know, we shouldn't have to draw upon

45:46these funds and they should be reliable.

45:48What we do with our financial advisor is

45:50every January we sit down with them and

45:53we look at um the date to maturity of

45:57those treasury funds and ensure that

45:59they provide us with a good estimate on

46:01revenues as we build the the um the

46:05local receipts plan for that fiscal

46:06year. And we normally average about just

46:09less than four years uh um to maturity

46:12on all those notes. So we do have kind

46:15of a leading indicator if if once

46:17treasury notes turn it's not going to

46:18turn on us immediately

46:20>> and they will budget accordingly for

46:21that that revenue source.

46:23>> Correct.

46:24>> Okay. [clears throat]

46:29>> Yeah. I have two questions. So first

46:31question like you mentioned like 10%

46:34increase in local receipts. uh I would

46:36like to know what is the source of that

46:39increase like coming from the excise or

46:42some where is coming from that money.

46:44>> So um definitely motor vehicle excise is

46:46a big contributor to us feeling

46:48confident in increasing that budget

46:50amount also investment income um and

46:54then just you know knowing that

46:56the revenue lines that we've far

46:59exceeded the budget amount felt more

47:01confident in bringing up those

47:02baselines. So anything coming from the

47:04permit like I heard a lot of ADU are

47:07coming and that also

47:09>> Yep. So licenses and like building

47:10permits things that category has also

47:12been performing very well over the past

47:14few years as well.

47:15>> Uh the second question is like you

47:18mentioned uh on the expenditures

47:21declined 10%. I would like to know which

47:24department which like where we are not

47:26spending like or decline is there

47:29>> which departments turn back Yeah.

47:31>> funds.

47:32>> Yeah. No, no. You mentioned like the

47:34expenditure also declined

47:37expenditure.

47:40>> I don't

47:41>> I don't think so. No,

47:42>> expenditures haven't declined.

47:43>> So, can you just summarize the total

47:45expenditures percentage-wise and what we

47:47did turn back?

47:47>> Yep. So, um

47:50we spent 99.49%

47:54of the FY26 budget. So that equates to

47:59so essentially $820,000

48:01across all town departments was left

48:03unspent at the end of FY26.

48:05>> So it's happened every year or this year

48:07is more amount like that's my question.

48:09>> Um this year is lower compared to

48:11previous years as far as what's been

48:12left unspent.

48:13>> Now my next question like where we

48:15didn't use it what example like last

48:18time you used that money somewhere why

48:20not this year like we have 800 back.

48:25Why did why is it lower?

48:27>> Yeah.

48:28>> Um I think the so the areas that we

48:30touched on with public buildings and

48:32increased utility costs um staff

48:35recruitment and retention. It was just

48:37it was a year where a lot of departments

48:40were spending essentially very close up

48:43to their budgeted amounts just due to

48:45inflation and higher costs in areas.

48:48>> Okay.

48:49>> Thank you. I do have

48:52>> another question.

48:54[snorts] Um, pivoting here on to the

48:56real estate and personal property. I

48:59know we had talked I was in a workshop

49:02about um let's say outstanding

49:06receivables let's say on the then the

49:08tax side

49:10if it shows here that we're collections

49:12are let's say 99%

49:15uh in a given year is there a separate I

49:19obviously I think we're separate or

49:20tracking it separately but some of these

49:22years it seemed like there was a bigger

49:23gap than let's say $1,400 or um you know

49:28$4,000 gap between what was build and

49:31what's actually collected. So where is

49:32that

49:33>> is it

49:34>> kind of the historic tracking of that

49:37non-payment let's say because it is that

49:40understand what I'm kind of asking.

49:41>> I think I understand what you're saying

49:42>> because you're showing I guess because

49:44my understanding was there was a there

49:46was essentially a an unbuild

49:49or not say I say unpaid tax balance I

49:51thought was over $2 million for the

49:52entire town but I don't know where that

49:54doesn't really show up here as how we're

49:56>> No. So it'd be it'd be the aggregate of

49:58of all literally all years prior. So

50:02it's you know some property 30 years or

50:05or or something like that. Um and

50:10it gets pulled into a tax title account

50:12and once it's moved into tax title it's

50:15it's no longer

50:17>> shown. Okay. That's that's what I would

50:19So does the actual build amount come off

50:21as well of this if it's in tax title?

50:25>> It does.

50:26>> Okay. That's where I was. Okay, that

50:27makes more sense.

50:28>> And I'll follow up is on the personal

50:30property like I don't know if we really

50:31This is commercial property equipment,

50:34correct?

50:35>> What is our recourse on collection

50:38when it comes to personal property?

50:41I know it's

50:42>> okay. It's $100,000, but it's still

50:44$100,000. So that 7%, do we have any

50:46recourse on collection of that?

50:48>> Very little. uh personal property law um

50:52is almost an honor system. The

50:54businesses have to report to us on

50:56what's called uh form of list which is

51:00all their listed assets within their

51:02buildings for their businesses. Um what

51:05we have been doing over the past four

51:07years since Ruth Anderson's been

51:09principal assessors, we've been spending

51:11$10,000 a year to hire an external

51:13auditor to go out and physically audit.

51:15and that has yielded um over $800,000.

51:19So, um it's just um doing that extra

51:23work every year to go in and verify and

51:25then um collect.

51:27>> And if they don't allow you can you can

51:29estimate. Are you you're allowed to do

51:31an estimate with that?

51:32>> Yes.

51:32>> Okay.

51:37>> Madam Chair,

51:38>> yes,

51:38>> I do have some questions. Sorry about

51:39that. Um, Director Martinez, thank you

51:42so much for being here uh with us and

51:45for this work and for the information.

51:48Um, I had a question about I'm I've lost

51:51it for some reason. Um, I had a question

51:55about the under revenue underperformers.

51:58Um, I'm in particular I think looking at

52:01the bottom three which are about half uh

52:03collected. Um cannabis I know is a new

52:08relatively new for us to budget. Are we

52:11thinking of readjusting that to lower it

52:14set better expectations?

52:15>> Yeah, I would say the last two

52:18specifically other excise and other

52:20departmental revenue um when we look to

52:22the FY28 revenue manual in the coming

52:25weeks um we would definitely make an

52:27adjustment. [snorts] you know, those are

52:29things that maybe have fluctuated a

52:31little bit, but especially the other

52:33excise for cannabis, we've seen that

52:35trending down consistently pretty much

52:37year-over-year. So, we will rightsize

52:39these lines in the FI28 revenue manual.

52:44>> Great. And then I think um I I was a

52:47little bit surprised to see um that the

52:49meals tax was a little bit shy too. Are

52:52we seeing that trending?

52:54Is that stabilized? Is that stable or is

52:56that trending downward as well? We've

52:58seen that be pretty stable since co

53:01right

53:02>> um it's it's not off by by a lot but you

53:06know just something that we will keep an

53:07eye on but it's it's maintained pretty

53:09stable

53:11>> think and I I think you may have touched

53:12on it but I I think my last question was

53:14just on the turnbacks if there any

53:15trends within the turnbacks any

53:17departments in particular that are

53:20>> um honestly probably not this year that

53:24we could that have been in previous

53:26years. So, in previous years, I would

53:28say our big turnback categories were

53:30police and highway um due to vacancies

53:33and due to the snow and ice. And so,

53:35those were actually challenges this

53:37year.

53:37>> So, um much more like truly department

53:41by department, you know, maybe $50,000

53:43here, right?

53:44>> Maybe, you know, a vacancy that was

53:46wasn't filled for half the year. So, um

53:50nothing nothing really significant from,

53:52you know, one or two individual

53:54departments.

53:55>> That's helpful. I I think um you know I

53:57appreciate the culture that we have

53:58where those the budgets that we set for

54:00each one is a is a spending um cap

54:03versus a target. I think that that's

54:05really important to call out. So thank

54:07you.

54:10>> A few questions. Um you mentioned we

54:11have about $26 [clears throat] million

54:13in reserves between our um general

54:16stabilization overhead stabilization and

54:18free cash. Is that correct? So, I know

54:20we have a 5% um

54:23uh our policy on free cash is to have uh

54:26at least 5% of our operating budget held

54:28in free cash. Um, can you talk to us

54:31about,

54:32you know, we we talk about overrides and

54:35and, you know, needing an override in

54:37the future when we have, you know, $26

54:39million in reserves, but understanding,

54:42can you explain um sort of what we're

54:45approaching with our override

54:47stabilization, what our policies are on

54:49general stabilization, and why it's

54:50important to keep those in reserves?

54:52Like even while we have some of that

54:54funding in reserves, we may still start

54:56talking about needing an override. um

54:58and why that matters.

55:00>> Yep. Yeah. I mean, I think talking first

55:03to the override stabilization fund um

55:06which I think is just over $10 million,

55:09you know, when we get to the point of

55:11needing to draw down on that, it's going

55:12to go very quickly.

55:14>> Um so, while it's it's a substantial

55:18amount, um it's almost, you know, it's

55:20over the actual ask of the override, it

55:22will go quickly once we start to draw

55:24down on it. And that I think are we can

55:28you remind me of when we're projecting

55:29to start drawing down on the override

55:31stabilization

55:32>> year 28.

55:33>> Okay. Thank you.

55:38>> And can you talk a little bit about um

55:40general stabilization and what we use

55:41that for like when we use the funding in

55:45general stabilization and and why we

55:47hold that funding.

55:49>> Yeah. So um we aim to have general

55:51stabilization also at 5% of the general

55:54fund. Um, that's really the town's true

55:56rainy day fund to cover emergencies and

56:00unexpected events or circumstances. I

56:02don't recall the last time we've

56:04actually drawn down on general

56:05stabilization. Um, we would prefer not

56:07to. So, it'd really be, I think, a, you

56:09know, something catastrophic to the town

56:11finances to draw down on that.

56:13>> Thank you. So, can I

56:16>> So, if if you look at that $26 million

56:19of the appropriated budget for fiscal

56:21year 27, you're at about 15%. Uh, if

56:25you're not at 15% and you go for a bond

56:28rating, you won't get a AAA. I mean, 15%

56:32is the the standard floor for a aaa bond

56:36rating. Um, and

56:40you know, so it's really in these three

56:42separate buckets that that Alex talked

56:44about. Um, and they can all they can be

56:47used for specific purposes, but together

56:51having them at 15% means that we're able

56:54to achieve aa one of the reasons that

56:56we're able to achieve a AAA bond rating

56:58and one of the reasons one of the

57:00outcomes from that is much lower

57:02interest rates when we borrow. So, we

57:04have to go out to borrow for something.

57:06We're saving in some cases, depending on

57:09a major capital improvement project,

57:10hundreds of thousands of dollars every

57:12year because of that AAA bond rating

57:14versus a much lower bond rating. Um,

57:17especially in in a volatile, uh,

57:19municipal bond market like we're in

57:20right now. So, um, we put all those

57:23three things together and that's why as

57:25we're going through the budget process,

57:26we're advising the board how much money

57:28we're spending in free cash at town

57:31meeting. So, we are using those

57:33reserves, but then replenishing them um

57:36from the excess revenues and and

57:39unexpended appropriations. So, it's

57:41we're looking at that throughout the

57:43course of the year, making sure we line

57:44it up. And as you can see, this year,

57:45Alex's estimate is that we're 5.6% on a

57:495% policy level. So, um we're spending

57:52the resources that we have to provide

57:54services and and maintaining reserves so

57:56we're flexible if something goes wrong.

58:02I appreciate the diligence in keeping us

58:07in budget uh very consistently when a

58:10lot of other cities and towns have have

58:12not been able to do that. And I know

58:13it's at balance and we'll clearly go

58:15into those discussions when we start

58:18getting into fiscal 28 as to you know

58:21how to project with the appropriate

58:25balance of conservatism to ensure we can

58:28stay in budget as well as being

58:30aggressive where we don't want to you

58:34know ask for significantly more than

58:36than what we need. And I think the good

58:38thing about our stabilization strategy

58:40is in years like 25 when local receipts

58:43were

58:44>> um I don't want to call it abnormally

58:46high but higher than than expected that

58:49money was pulled into that stabilization

58:52fund in order to prolong the time period

58:55>> of needing to ask the community for a a

58:58tax increase. So, um I I appreciate the

59:02update and um I'm sure we'll be

59:05reflecting on a lot of this as we go

59:07into this this next budget cycle, which

59:10we're kind of already starting. So, look

59:13forward to those discussions. Board

59:14members, any other questions or comments

59:16for Alex,

59:18>> thank you for being here. Really

59:19appreciate it.

59:20>> Thank you.

59:24>> Agenda item number nine. I am so excited

59:28for this. I've been waiting is to review

59:31and discuss the future use of 15 Maple

59:34Avenue known locally as

59:38Empire Dry Cleaners. Mr. McGold, how are

59:40you?

59:41>> Thank you, Christopher [clears throat]

59:42McGold, director of planning, economic

59:43development. Um, thank you for having me

59:46tonight. I'm equally excited um to

59:48discuss this uh with you uh this

59:51evening. Um my slides,

59:54>> sorry.

59:55[clears throat]

59:57So, um before we get started, um staff

59:59is in the process of finalizing

1:00:01recommendations

1:00:03uh regarding the 15 Maple Lab property.

1:00:05Um for this evening, we've been asked to

1:00:07uh summarize the community engagement

1:00:09findings that we have uh uh gone

1:00:12through. Um the public outreach process

1:00:16consisted of an online survey, two

1:00:19community workshops, uh and we had one

1:00:22of the highest levels of public

1:00:23engagement.

1:00:25um for some of our uh other um similar

1:00:30uh activities. So we received 1,029

1:00:33survey uh responses. Um the vast

1:00:36majority of those um were uh residents.

1:00:41We also had strong attendance uh at the

1:00:43workshops which were held on March 31st

1:00:46and April 14th. Uh the goal of these um

1:00:51uh exercises was to gather insights to

1:00:54guide the future decision- making uh

1:00:56ensuring that the community preferences

1:00:58are balanced against critical factors

1:01:00which included environmental

1:01:02constraints, regulatory requirements,

1:01:04financial considerations

1:01:06uh and really sought to see the

1:01:08community's idealized version uh of the

1:01:10property. um and then look at those

1:01:13constraints uh in relation to that

1:01:16idealized uh vision.

1:01:19Next slide please.

1:01:21So as we engaged with the residents um

1:01:24two distinct versions of the property

1:01:26and visions kind of emerged. Um there's

1:01:29very strong consensus uh along both of

1:01:31these two visions. Uh and it really de

1:01:35um developed around uh public parking or

1:01:38public recreation facilities.

1:01:41Um we had significant input in relation

1:01:44to operations considerations

1:01:47uh and amenities that would be uh useful

1:01:49in these areas. Um concerns were uh

1:01:53brought up whether uh the two could be

1:01:55effectively balanced or combined or

1:01:57whether they would retract uh detract

1:01:59from each other. So there is a desire

1:02:01for both um but there is a desire to

1:02:03make sure that they're not detracting

1:02:04from each other. So they have to be

1:02:05balanced in uh in the way that they

1:02:07would be uh developed.

1:02:10Next slide, please. [snorts]

1:02:14Um, as part of our analysis, we we ran a

1:02:17correlation analysis on the survey

1:02:18responses. So, with 1,029 responses, we

1:02:21did go through most of those, but um, we

1:02:24did use that correlation analysis to

1:02:26help us kind of find uh what are the

1:02:28common themes uh related to u some of

1:02:31the open-ended responses that we

1:02:32received uh and the questions that we

1:02:35had uh directed towards the community.

1:02:37Um, one of the ways that we formulated

1:02:39the questions was around uh agree and

1:02:42disagree. Um, what this shows is both uh

1:02:45what amenities received the most

1:02:47engagement and the most discussion. Uh,

1:02:49as well as showing the public sentiment

1:02:51generally around each of those. So

1:02:53whether they uh were engaging with that

1:02:55amenity in a you know disagree with

1:02:58having that or agreeing with that.

1:03:01So

1:03:04next slide please.

1:03:07Uh a number of other uh additional

1:03:09discussion points also emerged. Uh a lot

1:03:11of the conversation uh again around

1:03:14parking versus recreational recreation.

1:03:17Um we saw that there was a weak negative

1:03:19correlation between those who prioritize

1:03:21parking and those who prior prioritize

1:03:24recreation.

1:03:26Uh the site's limited size also

1:03:28necessitates trade-offs. So again, when

1:03:30a in a tight site, how are we balancing

1:03:33efficient parking, providing enough

1:03:35parking spaces with providing enough

1:03:37recreational amenity that's useful to uh

1:03:40develop and maintain?

1:03:43Uh the main tension is really uh how to

1:03:45design a layout that does not result in

1:03:47an ineffective halfmeasure for either of

1:03:49those functions.

1:03:52In addition, parking management uh was a

1:03:54key discussion point. Um while there is

1:03:56a majority support for providing public

1:03:58parking, there is no consensus on

1:04:00charging for it. Um slightly more

1:04:02respondents uh opposed paid parking than

1:04:05supported it. So there's a rough

1:04:07sentiment against paid parking.

1:04:10Uh and then environmental constraints.

1:04:13Uh u there was conversation uh around

1:04:17the existing uh uh whether the site's

1:04:20existing contamination makes public

1:04:22recreation or gardening inappropriate or

1:04:25if it presents an opportunity to

1:04:26demonstrate sustainable remediation

1:04:28techniques. Um it also uh had

1:04:32conversation whether the public

1:04:34recreation or gardening is inappropriate

1:04:36and does it present an opportunity to

1:04:37demonstrate sustainable remediation. um

1:04:41techniques.

1:04:44Uh and then public versus commercial. Um

1:04:47I understand that the town is currently

1:04:49uh exploring public uses, but there was

1:04:51some sentiment uh for the community that

1:04:53favored commercial redevelopment to

1:04:55generate tax revenue and support local

1:04:57businesses. So I understand that's not

1:04:59uh directive for the board. Um but that

1:05:02was a sentiment that did emerge in some

1:05:04sense.

1:05:07Next slide.

1:05:10Um, so we also saw strong uh community

1:05:13support for green space and recreation

1:05:15specifically uh support for that

1:05:17multifunctional design uh as long as

1:05:19it's compatible supporting youth needs

1:05:22uh specifically walking home from

1:05:24school. So those familiar with the area

1:05:26said it a couple times. Um the middle

1:05:28schoolers will walk along this area

1:05:30towards the library uh towards the

1:05:32Dunkin Donuts. Uh and it is a a frequent

1:05:35uh travel area. Um we did have

1:05:39attendance of some middle schoolers at

1:05:41the actual uh workshops. Um and they

1:05:44indicated that you know there is

1:05:46interest in having a place to hang out

1:05:47and socialize uh that wouldn't be

1:05:50impactful on a butters and this may

1:05:51provide that opportunity for that space.

1:05:53Um I did like the sentiment from one of

1:05:55the middle schoolers of keep it simple.

1:05:57They don't need too many of amenities

1:05:59and and kind of crazy things. Um but

1:06:02just something to hang out and a space

1:06:03to be. Um and then um there was also the

1:06:09sentiment that it needs to be designed

1:06:10to fit into the broader town center

1:06:11fabric and how does that property relate

1:06:14um not just to um the surrounding of

1:06:17Butters but the town center as a whole.

1:06:20Um a key uh element would be supporting

1:06:23existing businesses and their operations

1:06:25and their vibrancy.

1:06:28Next slide.

1:06:30Um so as we evaluate uh hybrid AV

1:06:33alternatives um rather than selecting

1:06:35that singleuse option um staff intends

1:06:38to model conceptual alternatives that

1:06:40would combine compatible uses such as

1:06:42public parking with integrated green

1:06:45space and recreational amenities

1:06:47uh and define a parking policy. Um we do

1:06:51need to develop a clear policy decision

1:06:53in in uh regarding parking management uh

1:06:57free versus paid and set public

1:06:59expectations as the community is divided

1:07:01on that issue uh despite the supporting

1:07:03the provision of parking itself.

1:07:13Um, future planning must reconcile

1:07:16community desires for features like

1:07:17community gardens or playgrounds with

1:07:19the reality of site contamination and

1:07:21remediation requirements.

1:07:23Um, we recommend continued engagement.

1:07:26So, proceeding with the designs that

1:07:27reflect the strong interest in youth

1:07:29oriented spaces and third spaces uh

1:07:32while remaining sensitive to the small

1:07:34uh quarter acre footprint.

1:07:37The principal community debate is not

1:07:38between dozens of unrelated amenities.

1:07:40Rather, it's primarily about the balance

1:07:42among community recreation space,

1:07:44parking, and green space. There's

1:07:47meaningful community support for

1:07:48providing public parking, but not a

1:07:50clear consensus that parking should be

1:07:51priced. Uh, and there is considerable

1:07:54public interest in better understanding

1:07:55the existing and past site

1:07:57contamination, especially as it relates

1:07:59to the reuse of the site. Clear comma

1:08:01comm communication and public education

1:08:03around the technical aspects of the

1:08:05contamination and cleanup strategies

1:08:07will be crucial.

1:08:09Next step

1:08:12um so the next steps uh are to provide

1:08:15staff with a clear direction on which

1:08:17option recreation or parking to

1:08:19prioritize. Evaluate opportunities for

1:08:21mutually supporting objectives whether

1:08:23it's street trees, paving options uh and

1:08:26more. uh to determine if staff should

1:08:28evaluate paid parking opportunities or

1:08:31pursue uh no paid parking uh and then

1:08:34evaluate findings of the recent

1:08:36environmental reviews conducted by Beta

1:08:38Group Inc. Uh the environmental site

1:08:40assessments and develop public

1:08:42communication materials around uh those

1:08:44findings.

1:08:46A draft report is anticipated by the end

1:08:48of August. Um and we have some

1:08:51additional uh considerations um that we

1:08:54may want to consider with uh some of the

1:08:56zoning and uh other matters coming down

1:08:59the pipeline. So uh one of the items

1:09:01that came up was solar canop canopy

1:09:04feasibility uh especially in relation to

1:09:06battery energy storage and EV uh

1:09:08opportunities if that's something that

1:09:10should be explored as a moving target.

1:09:12Uh and then refining that preliminary

1:09:14schematic design uh in relation to the

1:09:16findings of the community engagement.

1:09:21Chris, before I turn it over to

1:09:22questions, when you say a draft report

1:09:24is anticipated by the end of August,

1:09:26what do you mean? Is that the the

1:09:29environmental report? Is that a report

1:09:32that you're developing? What?

1:09:33>> Yeah. So, it's a comprehensive report

1:09:35from our office. So, it includes uh the

1:09:37findings and summary of the public

1:09:39engagement. Uh includes a summary of all

1:09:41of the environmental reports uh to date.

1:09:44Uh and then would provide

1:09:45recommendations for next steps. We've

1:09:47kind of previewed a few of those here,

1:09:49but again, we'll refine those in

1:09:51relation to the public engagement and

1:09:53kind of discussion with the board.

1:09:54>> Great. So, when you say you want staff,

1:09:58you you need clear direction, you're not

1:10:00looking for that direction right now.

1:10:01>> No.

1:10:02>> Thank you. Okay. I was a little worried

1:10:03at first. So, thank you. That's uh

1:10:06important. [clears throat]

1:10:07>> Board members, comments, questions.

1:10:13I think that um

1:10:16having more details around

1:10:20aligning with what you heard for

1:10:22community preferences and what is

1:10:24realistic. So I heard you say that

1:10:28there's a preference for it to be not

1:10:30just parking or not just recreation or

1:10:33and I do think that from a technical

1:10:34perspective we need to define what green

1:10:36space is. Um but it would be interesting

1:10:40you know to call out the fact that it is

1:10:41a quarter acre lot. I mean we have to be

1:10:45mindful about what realistically

1:10:48can be done there. So I'll be very

1:10:49curious as part of your reporting to

1:10:52understand what some of those those

1:10:54options are to if it is an option to

1:10:57have multiple things there.

1:11:00>> Yeah. And to add a little bit of context

1:11:02and flavor to that. So part of the

1:11:04discussion that we had um we do have uh

1:11:06schematic designs really preliminary

1:11:08that um kind of conceptual level uh that

1:11:11DPW did develop for us that showed I

1:11:13think it was 15 parking spaces on the

1:11:16lot um leaves a little bit of green

1:11:19space um that could be programmed. Um,

1:11:22and that was a lot of the discussion of,

1:11:23you know, is 15 spaces, is that really

1:11:25providing the parking that we want to

1:11:27see in the center of town? Um, or, you

1:11:30know, if we do green space, you know, it

1:11:32it is a small amount of green space

1:11:34left. So, again, that kind of balance.

1:11:36Um, and I think one of the comments that

1:11:38kind of struck me was was someone

1:11:41struggling with that themselves and they

1:11:43said, you know, I want to have parking.

1:11:45I want to have green space. I know we

1:11:46can't have both, but why can't we have

1:11:48both? And I I think we can try to look

1:11:50at how we can refine those for balancing

1:11:54um those kinds of amenities that support

1:11:56parking and parking that supports green

1:11:58infrastructure um and hopefully meet

1:12:00somewhere in the middle. Um

1:12:02>> I think understanding what those

1:12:03trade-offs are. So if you if you if you

1:12:06start with if we do just exclusively

1:12:08parking, we get X spaces and then sort

1:12:11of what the trade-off is, how many

1:12:12spaces we have to give up in order to

1:12:14accommodate some of these other um

1:12:17options.

1:12:21I just have one I guess comment or

1:12:23question too is are you because there is

1:12:28um

1:12:30sur I say surplus land but the from the

1:12:32actual be project there's still at the

1:12:36backside of let's say Haskell Wesian

1:12:38town owned there's a remaining

1:12:40>> set of land there

1:12:42>> is there any connection meaning like

1:12:45tying that remaining parcel to the

1:12:49quarter acre because we do have I mean

1:12:52we gave up more than that but I digress

1:12:54we won't talk about that tonight but

1:12:56to have let's say green space or what

1:12:59are we going to do with that leftover

1:13:02land as well as what's left over for

1:13:05Empire Cleaners was there any plans to

1:13:07connect it to

1:13:08>> so in this scope we haven't looked at

1:13:10both uh parcels um that was one of the

1:13:13sentiments that was raised of uh fitting

1:13:15it within the larger town center um

1:13:18fabric. Um so as we look at uh possible

1:13:21disposition, so I know that that

1:13:23remaining parcel would return back to

1:13:24the town. Um and we would do a similar

1:13:27process as this to figure out what the

1:13:30town wants to do with that parcel. Um

1:13:34but at this time and for this report, we

1:13:36haven't connected those

1:13:39because that's not undetermined at this

1:13:40stage.

1:13:42>> Okay.

1:13:45>> [snorts]

1:13:45>> So in this case I want to suggest like

1:13:48uh the the laundry one we can use as a

1:13:51parking space. The second one we can

1:13:53create the youth focus area where kids

1:13:56can come from the school and they can

1:13:58hang around that area and we could have

1:14:00a parking complete parking in the town

1:14:03like people are looking for that option

1:14:04too.

1:14:09>> We good?

1:14:10>> Okay. Thank you. We really look forward

1:14:13to um hearing more. in

1:14:16I guess a few weeks.

1:14:19>> Okay.

1:14:21Thank you.

1:14:22>> Thank you.

1:14:31>> Agenda item number 10 is to review and

1:14:32act on the proposal for a welcoming

1:14:34community statement by the diversity,

1:14:36equity, inclusion, and belonging

1:14:38committee. The committee has asked the

1:14:40town to adopt a welcoming community

1:14:41policy intended to to affirm that all

1:14:44residents are welcome and treated fairly

1:14:46in Shbury and reinforce expectations for

1:14:48interactions between town government,

1:14:50public safety, and residents. So, our

1:14:52discussion tonight is about whether

1:14:54adopting this policy is the right way to

1:14:56proceed given our existing laws,

1:14:58policies, and responsibilities as a

1:15:01governing board.

1:15:03With that said, um I will turn it over

1:15:06to board members for

1:15:09uh any comments or discussion. Is there

1:15:11anyone who'd like to go first?

1:15:14>> Yeah, I can go first.

1:15:15>> Okay.

1:15:15>> So, um I went to tell from my side. I

1:15:18born in the small village where we don't

1:15:20have running water or toilet and I came

1:15:24from there and when I came this town uh

1:15:26this town is adopted me without asking

1:15:30my immigration systems what is my race

1:15:32or where I come from and the outcome

1:15:34also in the election time also a lot of

1:15:36people no one is right about about my

1:15:38where I I'm come from so recently the um

1:15:44governor

1:15:47Moravi

1:15:48the uh the protect act is cover most of

1:15:50the things what we are looking for even

1:15:53in the end it says all the town entity

1:15:55is come under the that law so we are

1:15:58fully protected and uh we I support this

1:16:01policy in the June time they came that

1:16:04time we were it was not there but now

1:16:06it's you can see the act is covering

1:16:09most of the things so we can say like we

1:16:13don't need that policy but we can

1:16:14welcome that policy like it was for when

1:16:17it will not be.

1:16:21>> Thank you.

1:16:24>> Any other comments?

1:16:26>> Madam Chair, I do have

1:16:27>> Mr. Garcia comments.

1:16:30>> So, I first want to thank the members of

1:16:32our of our diversity, equity, inclusion,

1:16:34and belonging committee for bringing

1:16:36this matter to us. This recommendation

1:16:38for the town to create and adopt a

1:16:40welcoming community policy is one that

1:16:42the committee has worked on since

1:16:43December of 2024. and I commend them for

1:16:46gathering information in town as well as

1:16:49from the various communities across the

1:16:51Commonwealth that have adopted similar

1:16:53policies. I appreciated learning that

1:16:55since 2017, many other communities have

1:16:57taken action on accepting a welcoming

1:16:59community policy or similar and I

1:17:02commend them for their courage in

1:17:03standing up for the the immigrants in

1:17:05their communities. I also want to thank

1:17:07the members of the public who have

1:17:09spoken in favor of this today either in

1:17:11public comment or by email

1:17:12correspondence. While we received a

1:17:14handful of outreach in this, my thoughts

1:17:16are also with the folks in our community

1:17:17who might not ever reach out to us or

1:17:19come to public comment out of real

1:17:21concern that they have for their safety.

1:17:24I am in full support of creating a

1:17:26welcoming community policy. Through the

1:17:28many conversations I have had with

1:17:30community members, I know that there is

1:17:32real concern about the well-being of our

1:17:34immigrant neighbors and those residents

1:17:36have expressed to me in confidence that

1:17:38they would like to see their own

1:17:39community take proactive steps to

1:17:41protect them. With ongoing fear stemming

1:17:43from federal immigration enforcement, I

1:17:45believe it is prudent that Shrewsbury

1:17:46stand up and write down in policy that

1:17:49we support the immigrants in our

1:17:50community that help make Shrewsbury the

1:17:51incredible town that it is. Supporting

1:17:54this pal policy is a matter of public

1:17:56safety and accessibility to our local

1:17:58government. We have here in Shrewsbury

1:18:00an increasingly diverse population where

1:18:02over one-third of our residents are

1:18:04immigrants. These same folks are also

1:18:06more likely to view government as a

1:18:08threat rather than a source of support.

1:18:10As is stated in our recent unanimously

1:18:12approved hazard mitigation plan,

1:18:14adopting a welcoming community policy

1:18:16that expressly prohibits municipal staff

1:18:19from inquiring about immigration status

1:18:21is a proactive step that we can take. It

1:18:23would help us build trust with a segment

1:18:25of our population that already is

1:18:26inclined to not trust their local

1:18:28government. In conversations I have had

1:18:30with residents, there are folks who have

1:18:31real fear of showing up to town events,

1:18:34coming to town hall or other public

1:18:35buildings, and participating in civic

1:18:37life. And I want to clarify something

1:18:39that appears to be misunderstood about

1:18:40what was sent over to us from the DEIB

1:18:42committee. In the committee's letter to

1:18:44us, they do not say that there is a

1:18:46policy that they have drafted. Instead,

1:18:48what they say is that they recommend

1:18:50that this board use the Nic Select

1:18:52Board's policy as a blueprint for one

1:18:53that we would develop ourselves. I am

1:18:56confident that any concerns about

1:18:57encroachment into the town manager's

1:18:59responsibilities can and would be

1:19:01addressed in the work that would come if

1:19:03the board moves affirmatively.

1:19:05While it is expected that town staff do

1:19:07not collect information regarding

1:19:09immigration status, a written policy

1:19:11would demonstrate to the public our

1:19:13commitment to protecting our immigrant

1:19:15residents. As the only person on this

1:19:17board that grew up in town, I can

1:19:19proudly say that I wholeheartedly love

1:19:20this community and I'm grateful for all

1:19:22the ways that this town has given back

1:19:23to me and my family. But as a person of

1:19:26color, I can tell you that throughout my

1:19:27c the course of my life, my family and I

1:19:30have experienced discrimination from the

1:19:31government and from the community

1:19:33members even to this day. Those lived

1:19:35experiences are what motivated me to get

1:19:37involved in local government and what

1:19:39encouraged me to seek ways to help

1:19:40Shrewsbury become even more welcoming.

1:19:44Exactly four years ago in 2022, well

1:19:46before I was elected to this body, I

1:19:48celebrated the select men at the time

1:19:50for establishing the diversity, equity,

1:19:52inclusion, and belonging committee.

1:19:54Their mission to help the town foster an

1:19:56inclusive and equitable community that

1:19:58enhances belonging for all residents is

1:20:00a noble one. This is the committee's

1:20:02second recommendation to this board. And

1:20:05as a a reminder for my colleagues, this

1:20:07board chose to pass on accepting their

1:20:09first recommendation back in 2023. I

1:20:12respectfully ask my colleagues to

1:20:13consider what signal this will send to

1:20:14the committee and community members if

1:20:16once again this board chooses to decline

1:20:18accepting a recommendation that is in

1:20:20line with the charge that the board has

1:20:22set out for them. I do also want to

1:20:24commend the Commonwealth for enacting

1:20:25the Protect Act. This act expands ways

1:20:28that the Commonwealth will proactively

1:20:30protect our immigrant neighbors across

1:20:32the Commonwealth. The state

1:20:34administration just today released

1:20:35guidance on how schools can can keep

1:20:37immigrant students and families safe. I

1:20:39would like all Shrewbury I would like

1:20:41Shrewsbury to expand on this and

1:20:43establish a policy that encompasses all

1:20:44municipal staff so that we are doing our

1:20:46part in standing up for our immigrant

1:20:48residents. I will be voting in favor of

1:20:51this recommendation to stand up for our

1:20:52immigrants here in town and I strongly

1:20:54urge my colleagues to do the same. I

1:20:56also respectfully request that any

1:20:57action on this item be by roll call.

1:21:01Thank you.

1:21:05>> Go ahead, Michelle. Sure. Thank you. Um

1:21:08it's hard to follow Carlos. I don't have

1:21:10prepared remarks on this. Um [laughter]

1:21:12I am in support of um articulating a

1:21:17policy on this as requested by the DEIB

1:21:20committee. Um I think that it's

1:21:22important that

1:21:24essentially what they presented to us a

1:21:27lot of [snorts]

1:21:29what they are requesting are things that

1:21:31we already do in practice. And there are

1:21:33things many things that um last year the

1:21:36um police department issued a statement

1:21:39um articulating their policies around

1:21:41immigration enforcement. [clears throat]

1:21:43And so what um the DIIB committee is

1:21:46asking us to do is to sort of reaffirm

1:21:49the statement that the police put out

1:21:51last year and to articulate some of the

1:21:53practices that we already have um in

1:21:56place here at town hall and um

1:22:01and and just get those you know sort of

1:22:03codified. And

1:22:06I think it's really important um the

1:22:09thing that really impacted me in reading

1:22:11your recommendations and um the research

1:22:15and all of the um references that you

1:22:18included in um your presentation that

1:22:22there are people who are victims of

1:22:24crime who don't seek [snorts] help

1:22:27because they are afraid. and having a

1:22:30family member who did work um for

1:22:32several year several years working with

1:22:35um unaccompanied minors and doing work

1:22:38at the federal level um helping to

1:22:40support um and bring children out of

1:22:44human trafficking situations.

1:22:46You see the reality of this really dark

1:22:49underbelly that exists in our world

1:22:52today. Um that you know we live in this

1:22:54beautiful community and we go about our

1:22:56day and we don't see things that are

1:22:57happening. you don't know what's going

1:22:59on behind closed doors. Um, and you

1:23:01don't know when people are in crisis and

1:23:04they can't come forward and ask for help

1:23:08because they're afraid. And I think that

1:23:10if we were to adopt this pol or adopt

1:23:13develop and adopt a policy, um, just

1:23:15sort of affirming our commitment to

1:23:18representing every resident of this

1:23:21community regardless of their

1:23:22immigration status and that our job is

1:23:24is to support and protect u members of

1:23:27our community. If it only helps one

1:23:29person, it will have been worth it.

1:23:36>> Thank you, Michelle.

1:23:37Okay. I'll [snorts] um I I do just want

1:23:41to second the uh I do appreciate anytime

1:23:44anybody comes and comes [snorts] and

1:23:46does public comment in front of our

1:23:47board. I know it's not always easy to

1:23:49stand up in public and uh and do that.

1:23:51And I think as a board we really

1:23:52appreciate the feedback because

1:23:53oftentimes as many people think we know

1:23:56how people believing or how people are

1:23:58thinking on things we really don't. So I

1:24:00do appreciate all the emails and the

1:24:02individuals who came tonight to speak. I

1:24:04I I kind of look at this more from kind

1:24:07of an operational lens and um you know I

1:24:11think the original meeting we had was

1:24:14back in July or July the 6th I believe

1:24:17um when the DIIB committee was in front

1:24:18of us but I think it was as was

1:24:20mentioned before you know since that

1:24:21time on I think August 5th you know the

1:24:24the state has has passed the protect Act

1:24:27which essentially encompasses a majority

1:24:30of what we're talking about today

1:24:32specifically some of the comments that

1:24:34were made here by the board as well as

1:24:36um the residents who came and spoke

1:24:38about let's say fear about um when it

1:24:41comes to police or interaction with law

1:24:42enforcement and now to me you know as

1:24:46much as I think people believe that we

1:24:48have powers or ability to enact whatever

1:24:51we want to on top of Shrewbury you know

1:24:53we are governed by Massachusetts general

1:24:55law and that's a very strong um act by

1:24:59having mass general law that's

1:25:00essentially saying that we as

1:25:02municipality

1:25:03have to operate within those boundaries

1:25:06and that's been very clear. So by us as

1:25:10a board, I mean my belief is ensuring

1:25:13that Mr. Mizakar and town staff are

1:25:16abiding by the state law that was passed

1:25:19and ensuring that we're following those

1:25:21guidelines. Um in terms of the municipal

1:25:24employees, you know, I believe in

1:25:26conversations I've had with Mr. Mizakar

1:25:28along, you know, along the way here is I

1:25:31I'm not aware of any interactions or any

1:25:35um department that has ever asked or

1:25:38would ever need to ask the immigration

1:25:40status of of anyone who would come into

1:25:43town hall and interact with the town of

1:25:46Shrewsbury as a government. Um,

1:25:50I don't believe that us putting a policy

1:25:54in place would change um the way that we

1:25:59operate as a town or the way anybody in

1:26:04the member of the community interacts

1:26:05with any municipal employee or any

1:26:08member of the police department. And I

1:26:11would much rather have us make a

1:26:14statement that we fully support

1:26:17the Protect Act and that we set

1:26:21expectations with Mr. Msikar about how

1:26:25our staff should in fact interact with

1:26:28residents. And from my standpoint, I I

1:26:32just don't want to put in place a policy

1:26:34that doesn't really change anything

1:26:36operationally. And I and I do feel that

1:26:38that would be the case here. the state

1:26:40law is much power much more powerful.

1:26:42It's a much stronger um ability to

1:26:45control behavior. And so for me, I don't

1:26:49believe this is something that we as a

1:26:51board should take up and put into place

1:26:54because I think we're already operating

1:26:56that way. And as I mentioned that the

1:26:59state law will be guiding us as how we

1:27:02operate as a community.

1:27:09Okay. Um, I also want to thank the DEIB

1:27:13committee and the residents who spoke to

1:27:15us this evening and who wrote to us. I

1:27:19fully recognize that I do not share

1:27:21every resident's lived experience. So, I

1:27:24also appreciate hearing why this policy

1:27:27matters to members of our community. For

1:27:30me, the question is not whether I

1:27:32support the values expressed in the

1:27:35proposal. I do. I share the belief that

1:27:38every resident should feel welcome,

1:27:40respected, and able to engage with town

1:27:43government without fear. The question is

1:27:45whether an additional town policy is

1:27:48necessary. As members of the select

1:27:50board, we serve as the town's executive

1:27:52policymaking body. Our responsibility is

1:27:55to determine whether a proposed policy

1:27:58is necessary to establish, change, or

1:28:01improve how the town operates.

1:28:04Massachusetts law, existing police

1:28:06department practices, and the town's

1:28:08current operations already address many

1:28:11of the issues raised in this

1:28:12recommendation. I understand why some

1:28:15residents would appreciate seeing these

1:28:17principles in a formal policy, but it

1:28:20would not provide protections beyond

1:28:22those that already exist and it would

1:28:24not change how the town serves its

1:28:26residents. And while I respect the

1:28:29intent behind this proposal, I am voting

1:28:32no from a new policy perspective. I

1:28:35remain committed to our focus on

1:28:37ensuring that our actions, our services,

1:28:39and treatment of residents reflect a

1:28:41welcoming community. I would also like

1:28:44to point residents to the select board's

1:28:46DEIB statement that we issued in August

1:28:49of 2022 where we affirm this commitment.

1:28:54Any implication that my decision

1:28:56represents me not supporting or standing

1:28:59up for residents or not supporting the

1:29:01DEI uh DEIB committee which I was a very

1:29:04active part in forming is categorically

1:29:08false.

1:29:13Yeah, I want to add also in the future

1:29:15if you have any issues regarding the

1:29:17welcoming policy is not the criteria of

1:29:20the governor uh act for protect act if

1:29:25you see please come again and we will

1:29:27hear and we will work on that. So all

1:29:29are welcome as immigrant I support your

1:29:32concern and everything and we want to

1:29:34support that too. So if you feel any

1:29:36time please come us come join us and

1:29:38come here and we will support that.

1:29:47There are no other um comments. I will

1:29:50entertain a motion. I think um it's my

1:29:54only comments or I guess questions. I

1:29:56know that Mr. Msar dropped us a memo um

1:29:59this afternoon and so there are some

1:30:02items in there that I thought were I I

1:30:04think the uh actions at the end um were

1:30:08something of interest to me. Uh in there

1:30:11he states passing perhaps the board

1:30:13could if desired pass a formal

1:30:16resolution on equal access to municipal

1:30:17services declaring Shrewsbury's vision

1:30:19as an inclusive community. I would be in

1:30:22favor of perhaps um taking that on and

1:30:26if my colleagues um agree, you know,

1:30:29certainly working on that with them and

1:30:31then making sure that the

1:30:34item B in here direct the town manager

1:30:36to ensure all policies and procedures of

1:30:38the town are fully aligned with the

1:30:40resolution. Um I think that that would

1:30:42be an important step. If we're not going

1:30:43to take up what the DEIB expressly

1:30:46recommended to us, then um I find that

1:30:49to be a good compromise.

1:30:58>> Mr. Makar, can you just give us a little

1:31:01bit more context around this formal

1:31:03resolution? Um

1:31:08what would necessitate it? I I just look

1:31:12at this as, you know, there are so many

1:31:14things where we could take a step back

1:31:16and like almost like reconfirm and

1:31:19restate like I just I'm curious what

1:31:22your thinking is here.

1:31:23>> Well, I think necessitate is the board's

1:31:26conversation that you just had when

1:31:27you're deliberating on that matter. I I

1:31:29wouldn't um state that it was necessary

1:31:33or unnecessary for the for the board to

1:31:36consider this action and I'm not trying

1:31:37to avoid this. I think the the true

1:31:39intent of my memo was to lay out two

1:31:42things. If a policy was adopted, how it

1:31:46would impact operations,

1:31:49and using NATIC as a template,

1:31:54cautioning about the differences between

1:31:57NATO's formal governance and

1:31:59Shrewsberry's formal governance, at

1:32:00least what I can see through the policy

1:32:02as it relates to day-to-day operations

1:32:04and the the town manager's authority. um

1:32:09within operations. It truly is a tossup

1:32:12that you all have discussed this

1:32:14evening. Um I don't envy the positions

1:32:16that you're in. Sometimes I think my job

1:32:18is harder and sometimes yours is harder

1:32:19and that's that's the balance that we

1:32:21have in our form of government. Uh you

1:32:23win that this evening. Um operationally

1:32:27the tie we are complying with everything

1:32:30within the protect Act within London

1:32:32versus Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

1:32:35um and other statutory prohibitions at

1:32:40the federal level under United States

1:32:41code that prohibit us from asking

1:32:44immigration as providing government

1:32:46services. Um my options at the end were

1:32:50to provide equal perspective to the

1:32:53diverse opinions of the board so that

1:32:55you had a route forward um that I

1:32:58thought wouldn't infringe upon any

1:33:00aspects of our governance structure. Um,

1:33:03happy to answer any questions on that.

1:33:04But this wasn't I'm not through this

1:33:07memo advising the board that one path or

1:33:11the other is necessary. I'm trying to

1:33:12lay out the implications of either.

1:33:16>> I ask a question.

1:33:17>> Um, Mr. Msikar, so I understand the

1:33:20Protect Act really applies to

1:33:24police officers and law enforcement. Um,

1:33:27but what we're talking about here is

1:33:31municipal employees. So, you know,

1:33:34employees that the public could come in

1:33:36and interact with um on a daily basis

1:33:40asking about or you know, changing the

1:33:43services provided based on someone's

1:33:45immigration status. Are there laws with

1:33:48at the state level that prohibit that

1:33:50from happening currently? And is there

1:33:53anything like in our employee, you know,

1:33:56manual handbook, you know, employee code

1:33:58of conduct, anything that prohibits um

1:34:00municipal employees from asking about

1:34:02immigration status?

1:34:04>> No, there's a federal prohibition of

1:34:06asking an immigration status for

1:34:08providing federal services, but there's

1:34:10not one at the state or local level.

1:34:13>> Okay.

1:34:13>> So, you're right. The Protect Act is law

1:34:15enforcement focused.

1:34:16>> Okay. There's a provision within the pro

1:34:18uh protect act related to us notifying

1:34:21all employees if um there's a search of

1:34:24I9 records uh that we hold but there's

1:34:27no other municipal employee

1:34:28implications. Um,

1:34:31I honestly in my several decades of

1:34:35experience

1:34:37don't understand why any municipal

1:34:38employee would ever have to ask an

1:34:40employee um or excuse me, a resident or

1:34:44anyone seeking services from the

1:34:45municipality of their immigration

1:34:47status. There's no implication either

1:34:50way.

1:34:51>> Um,

1:34:53>> are we aware of any situations where it

1:34:55has been asked?

1:34:56>> No. No, I'm not.

1:34:59I just go back to what are we trying to

1:35:01solve for? And I'm I'm struggling with

1:35:05um you know, sort of what I've heard

1:35:09from the residents. It's it's

1:35:14this isn't solving anything. It's not

1:35:16changing anything. It's not impacting

1:35:18our practices. It's more just a

1:35:22statement. And again, I I reflect on the

1:35:24statement that we've already made in our

1:35:27DEIB statement and forming the DEIB

1:35:31committee. I feel like we've we

1:35:35have done that. So, I'm I'm concerned

1:35:37about sort of this additional step when

1:35:39I'm unclear on what it what it

1:35:42accomplishes.

1:35:43>> I think um just respectfully

1:35:46that

1:35:48commitment was passed in 2022. we have a

1:35:51different board. And so I think what I

1:35:53would ask and I think what community

1:35:54members would welcome is for this board

1:35:56to reaffirm that commitment in some way

1:35:58in some formal way

1:35:59>> and that's not what's

1:36:02that's not what's before us.

1:36:04>> It's all part of this conversation. You

1:36:07you've raised it and again in Mr. Mr.

1:36:10Car's memo as one of things a step that

1:36:13we could take is passing some sort of

1:36:15resolution. So that's that's why I I say

1:36:18that that's why I say

1:36:21But I'm happy to make a motion. And I'm

1:36:24going to make the motion in the

1:36:24affirmative because I think it's easier

1:36:26to vote in the affirmative than making a

1:36:28motion then negative. So I move that the

1:36:33board

1:36:38I move that the board accept the

1:36:40diversity, equity, inclusion, and

1:36:41belonging committee's recommendation to

1:36:43develop a welcoming community policy for

1:36:45the town of Shersburg.

1:36:46>> Second.

1:36:47>> All in favor say I. and and point of

1:36:50order. I did request for this.

1:36:51>> I know you did. Um but we're we'll take

1:36:54the the vote as we typically do. So all

1:36:57in favor,

1:36:58>> Madam Chair, respectfully, I think it's

1:37:00important that members of our

1:37:02>> You may we will we I'm happy to

1:37:04summarize it at the end.

1:37:06>> I think the minutes should reflect

1:37:08>> that's where they will, Carlos. I will

1:37:11once we vote, I will

1:37:13>> confirm how we voted.

1:37:16>> All in favor say I. I

1:37:19>> opposed.

1:37:20>> No.

1:37:21>> No.

1:37:22>> No. Okay. So, the vote does not pass 3

1:37:26to two. And Miss Conlin and Mr. Garcia

1:37:30voted yes. Mr. Chararma, Mr. Richards,

1:37:33and Miss Flynn voted no.

1:37:37Does that satisfy your request?

1:37:47Agenda item number 11 is to review and

1:37:49act on a one-day alcohol [snorts]

1:37:51license application

1:37:54submitted by Matthew Zebert [snorts] on

1:37:57behalf of St. Mary's Parish and School

1:37:59grounds for St. Mary's Family Festival

1:38:01to be held September 17th, 2026 [snorts]

1:38:05through September 21st, 2026.

1:38:09>> Move approval.

1:38:10>> Second.

1:38:10>> All in favor say I. I. opposed. Motion

1:38:14passes. And agenda item number 12 is to

1:38:16review an act to appoint precinct

1:38:19officers. Town clerk Sharon Thomas has

1:38:22prepared a list of the recommended

1:38:24appointments for precinct officers. All

1:38:26of the precinct officers are reappoints

1:38:28except for three new members. And this

1:38:30is for a one-year term expiring on

1:38:32August 31st, 2027.

1:38:35>> Move approval.

1:38:36>> Second.

1:38:37>> All in favor say I.

1:38:39>> I. All board members, I have the copy

1:38:42here. If you could make signed before

1:38:44you all leave today, please.

1:38:45>> Absolutely. Thank you.

1:38:46>> Thank you.

1:38:47>> Motion passes.

1:38:51Next is correspondence. Um, so as you

1:38:55will see from the agenda, there's a lot

1:38:56of correspondence. I'm not going to list

1:38:59each one, but items 13 through 24 are 22

1:39:03emails that we received related to um

1:39:07the public hearing that we had this

1:39:09evening regarding the request to honor

1:39:13uh Don Shannon. So noted and items 35

1:39:18through 40 are six emails supporting the

1:39:21welcoming community statement. Um, all

1:39:25in favor of the uh welcoming community

1:39:28statement also noted.

1:39:30And if there is no other business before

1:39:33the board, I will entertain a motion to

1:39:34adjurnn.

1:39:35>> So moved.

1:39:36>> Second.

1:39:36>> All in favor say I.

1:39:38>> I. Opposed. Motion passes.

1:39:41>> That concludes our meeting. Thank you

1:39:43and good evening.