Essex selectmen back all 19 fall town meeting articles as the Finance Committee holds off on public works spending

Essex selectmen will be listed as recommending a yes vote on all 19 articles at the Nov. 16 fall town meeting, the board decided Monday. But three of those articles, the public works spending, still lack the Finance Committee's support. Committee members told the Board of Public Works they want a permanent superintendent hired before the town takes on new capital projects. The committee meets again Tuesday, Nov. 10, to decide.

What happened

• The board voted, from the meeting video, to have "Board of Selectmen" appear as recommending a yes vote on every article in the town meeting handout.
• Residents asked about the Essex Elementary School borrowing, the walking trail idea along the old rail bed, and the switch to a full time fire chief.
• The fire chief screening committee is set at five members: the town administrator, Selectman Dexter Lee-Viator, Fire Chief Christian Hassel, a fire company member to be named by Nov. 6 and Finance Committee member Joshua Franklin.
• The board approved a new auditing firm, a fuel credit trade for the old harbormaster boat, and notice to Comcast that the four Cape Ann communities are starting cable license talks.
• The next meeting is Monday, Nov. 16, at 5 p.m. at Essex Elementary School, before town meeting starts at 6:45 p.m.

Questions on the warrant

Town Administrator Brendhan Zubricki said the only off limits topic was using town resources to promote a ballot question, which is the Dec. 10 school vote. A resident asked that any town meeting motion on the rail trail be for a feasibility study of the whole right of way, from the transfer station to the river, rather than design and permits for one segment. Selectman Peter Phippen said the Community Preservation Committee will meet before town meeting to discuss the trail and its timing, and that nothing on the trail will be recommended this time.

On the school, a resident asked about the roughly $38 million in costs the state will not reimburse and why the building is larger than the current one. A board member said the state pays only a set amount per square foot and does not cover some site work, and that the design adds a preschool and brings back a special education program the district now sends elsewhere. Another resident asked whether the project cost includes interest. Zubricki said it does not, that the district plans interest only payments on short term notes at first, with permanent borrowing in 2029 and 2031, and that the level payment plan was chosen because the town still carries debt on the Memorial School and the middle high school. (Read how the school cost would land on a tax bill.)

On the fire chief, Zubricki explained that Article 8 would adopt Chapter 48, Section 42A, the so called weak chief statute, used by more than 60 percent of Massachusetts communities. The strong chief law gives a chief full control of the department with little oversight from the selectmen. Board members said the fire company first proposed a strong chief, that the board wanted the chief accountable to the selectmen the way the police chief is, and that the pay is about $120,000. The Board of Fire Engineers ends when the statute takes effect.

Public works and the Finance Committee

The joint session with the Board of Public Works and the Finance Committee, the first since February, turned on the three DPW articles: Article 10, $175,000 to replace the carbon filter media at the water plant from the PFAS settlement fund; Article 11, $60,000 for water and sewer rate studies; and Article 12, a sidewalk tractor of about $74,000, a generator for the highway barn and fuel depot, and plastic sanders for the trucks.

Water staff said the carbon media was last replaced in 2016, lasts about 10 years and removes PFAS, so the settlement money is a proper use, and that the drinking water sent to customers has no detectable PFAS. Board of Public Works Chairman Nick Ellis said the rate studies would give the town a steady path to raise rates for coming work, including the town's share of Gloucester's wastewater plant upgrade, which he put at $6 million to $7 million, instead of a sudden 25 to 30 percent jump.

Finance Committee Chairman Jodi Harris said a straw poll of her committee was unanimous: after 10 months with an interim superintendent, the committee wants an experienced permanent hire before capital projects go forward, because a new superintendent may want a different direction. Ellis said the job description was changed at the selectmen's urging and that the requirements, including an engineering degree and a preferred professional engineer license, are keeping candidates away. Others at the table said the $160,000 salary is at the top of what nearby towns pay. A selectman said money should not be held back to force a hiring outcome. The Board of Public Works agreed to redline the job description within two to three weeks. The Finance Committee takes up the articles Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m., with DPW members invited.

A Finance Committee member said the fuel depot, which cost $418,750, saved the town about $300 in July and $540 in October against prevailing prices and will not pay for itself. Public works officials said the depot was built mainly to have 24 hour diesel in town. Other updates: the OpenGov work order and asset system is being loaded and should be fully in use by April 2027; the DeSoto Road watermain earmark is in federal review, with design going out to bid this winter; and the Centennial Grove restrooms are framed, with volunteer plumbers and electricians next and an opening planned for spring. The next joint meeting is Feb. 8 at 7 p.m.

Fire chief search

Zubricki said he will convene the screening committee quickly to settle the process and where to advertise, now that the job description is approved. The board also agreed to let Zubricki and one selectman hold a preliminary interview with the one qualified applicant so far for town accountant, a job posted since September. (Read how the search was set up.)

Other business

• Auditor. The town's audit firm has been bought twice, Zubricki said, and service has dropped. The board signed an engagement letter with Roselli, Clark and Associates, the firm the school district is also moving to, for a spring audit.
• Harbormaster boat. The old boat Marine 1 and two trailers go to Perkins Marina for an $8,000 credit for fuel and services. The police chief said a new boat bought with a grant is being sea trialed in Louisiana.
• Citizens Police Academy. The police department will run an eight week, two hour a week program. The board had no objection. Members asked about shorter sessions; the detective who wrote the course said a short version would not give the same picture of the department.
• Social media policy. A draft that bars AI generated images had its first reading and returns next meeting.
• Little League signs. Advertising signs on the Field of Dreams fence would need zoning relief and a policy that treats every group the same, with money going to a town fund for field upkeep. Zubricki will start with the Board of Appeals.
• Early voting. After a voter could not cast an early ballot when the town clerk had to leave Town Hall, the selectmen's office will keep a list of qualified registrars to call in.
• Centennial Grove erosion. Phippen said the Community Preservation Committee will most likely recommend the full erosion control project at town meeting, about $178,000 for design, permits and construction, plus $12,000 for kayak racks at Red Gate Road, with the rail trail put off to spring.
• Cultural district. Lee-Viator reported the fall arts festival drew 850 to 900 people. The board had no objection to holiday greens on the Essex River Bridge and at Paglia Park, but not on utility poles, and asked for a write up before deciding whether the festival becomes a town event, which would cost about $633 a year for a police detail.
• Marshview Farm store. The board approved owner Glenn Warren as interim manager while a new manager finishes training.

What was decided

All votes were voice votes with no count announced, from the meeting video.

• Weekly warrant, $381,169.06: approved.
• Minutes of Oct. 19: approved, Phippen abstaining.
• Change of manager, Marshview Farm store, to Glenn Warren: approved after a public hearing.
• Notify Comcast to start the cable license renewal: approved.
• Fire chief preliminary screening committee, five members: approved.
• Marine 1 and two trailers for an $8,000 credit from Perkins Marina: approved.
• Engagement letter with Roselli, Clark and Associates for the audit: approved.
• List the Board of Selectmen as recommending a yes vote on all 19 articles: approved.
• Chair to sign the Essex County Local Emergency Planning Committee charter and memorandum after legal review: approved.
• Ales Over ALS, Nov. 7, Centennial Grove Pavilion, event permit, one day wine and malt license and entertainment license, fees waived; Lions Club Turkey Trot, Nov. 22; Class II license renewal for Scott's Auto Clinic: approved.

What happens next

• Wednesday, Nov. 4, 6 p.m.: the last community meeting on the school design at Essex Elementary. (Details.)
• Tuesday, Nov. 10, 7 p.m.: Finance Committee on the warrant articles.
• Monday, Nov. 16: selectmen at 5 p.m., town meeting at 6:45 p.m., Essex Elementary School.
• Thursday, Dec. 10: special election on the school.

Where to find the records

• Selectmen's agenda, Nov. 2
• Board of Public Works agenda and Finance Committee agenda
• Meeting video, on the public access channel
• Board of Selectmen page, where minutes are posted when approved

Earlier coverage: Essex signs its Nov. 16 warrant (Oct. 22), Essex plans a fire chief search (Oct. 9), the fall town meeting preview (Sept. 30) and Monday on Cape Ann (Oct. 30), the preview of this meeting.

How we did this: Cape Ann Current watched the meeting online and checked names against the agenda and the board rosters on the town website. These are our meeting notes, not the town's minutes.