Halifax was able to complete its Annual Town Meeting Monday night, May 17, after failing to meet its quorum last week on Tuesday.   With just about half of the articles acted on Monday, May 10, the meeting adjourned Tuesday at 8:05 when the quorum of 100 voters could not be reached.

There were several hot button topics left to vote on: Article 55, to see if the town would authorize the Board of Selectmen to petition the General Court to enact legislation that would allow Halifax to expand the membership of the Board of Selectmen from three to five members.

Had this passed, the selectmen would have been able to put the question of expanding the board on the ballot in Spring, 2022.  Discussion ensued for most of half an hour both for and against the measure.  Selectman Gordon Andrews spoke to his article, saying that two more members of the select board would allow the business of the town to be completed more efficiently, as there wouldn’t be as many votes tabled due to conflicts of interest.  It would also allow current board members to share the ever-increasing burden of the work of the Board of Selectmen.

Candace Kniffen spoke to the room saying that for many years the position of selectman has gone unopposed, and for many boards and committees it is difficult to get people to fill the empty positions.  She also brought up the cost of health insurance for an additional two board members as a deterrent.

Retiring Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor said that she had never experienced a more contentious election ever!  “Lately every one of us has been torn down.”  Gaynor said she didn’t think that growing the board to five members would solve anything.

Kim Cavicchi said that she felt it would bring “transparency” to the board, and not have as many conflicts of interest.  “If we don’t expand we’ll continue to have lawsuits.”

Alison Long took the microphone to oppose the expansion of the board stating that she strongly feels “we have a good working system.”   She has resided in Halifax for 48 years and recognizes that having a good town manager takes a lot of the work selectmen would formerly have done.

Paula Hatch, chairman of the Silver Lake Regional School Committee said she has made Halifax her home for 25 years.  The complexity of the issues she has to face on our boards can be overwhelming.  “What are we afraid of?   I have no reservations as to increasing the board,” she said.

After all was said and done, Article 55 failed.

Despite an impassioned plea from Shirley Graf speaking for her article to ban the sale of “nips” in Halifax, nips will still be sold for the foreseeable future.

Joe Tonello, owner of Harmony Liquors in Halifax, told the assembly that nips make up 17% of his liquor sales.  He said that taking away nips sales, after the state curbed flavored tobacco sales, menthol cigarettes, vaping, and some cigar sales, he said his business is feeling these losses.  “Where does it end?”

Tom McGrath got up to say, “I don’t want the town of Halifax to tell me what I can and cannot drink.”

Two voters pointed out that Halifax has no litter laws and that Halifax policemen have issued no tickets for littering.   In fact, there were only 12 arrests for DUI and three for open container violations since Jan. 1, 2019.

Halifax voters did not vote the $105,000 requested to resurface the five tennis courts at Silver Lake Regional High School.  There was much debate as to why there wasn’t an option to repair the courts, rather than reconstruct the surfaces.  A repair would only be guaranteed for two years and a reconstruction would last 15 to 20 years.    Because the article stated its funding source would be the general stabilization fund, the article required a 2/3 vote to pass.

Paula Hatch, Chairman of the Silver Lake Regional School Committee, defended the article and asked where the $312,000 that was Halifax’s share of the settlement when Pembroke left the region.  That money, Hatch said, was to be set aside for capital expenses at the high school just like this.  The Town Accountant said the funds were in the general stabilization fund and a 2/3 vote was needed to spend them.  The article failed.  Halifax may yet have to spend that money as Plympton voted for its share of the article last Wednesday and Kingston will vote for or against its share on Saturday, May 22.  If Kingston’s article passes, Halifax will need to conform to the majority.

Later in the evening, School Committee chairman Gordon Andrews, with other members of the school committee, attempted a reconsideration of the article, but that failed as well.

Articles 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 42, 51, and 52 were passed over.

Article 14 approved $150 for the use of the Trustees for County Cooperative Extensive Service.

Article 18 asked the town for $110,000 to purchase and equip two new marked police vehicles to be used for patrol.  Police Chief Joao Chaves spoke to the article saying this is part of an ongoing program of updating and replacing his rolling stock, transferring the replaced vehicles to other departments in Halifax that could use them.  Karen Fava amended the article so that the replaced vehicles would have to be sold or traded in and the resulting funds be used in another way.  The amended article passed.

Article 20 asked for $6,850 to fund an actuarial study of Town-paid post-employment benefits.  The article passed.

Article 21 asked the town for $25,000 to reseal the Halifax Elementary School parking lot.  Passed.

Article 22 asked the town for $30,000 to replace the kitchen flooring at the Halifax Elementary School.  Passed.

Article 24 asked for $23,000 to install and extend pedestrian pathways from and around the Halifax Elementary School including but not limited to improving ADA access to areas of the HES.  Article passed.

Article 29 asked the town for $3,500 to support South Shore Resource and Advocacy Center for domestic violence intervention and prevention services for its residents.  Selectman Troy Garron spoke in support of the article saying that over the past 30 years people in Halifax have used the services and it deserves support. The article passed.

Article 30 asked the town to add $300,000 to the General Stabilization fund.  The article finally passed after a little lesson in free cash that is neither free nor cash, and it left unaccounted for it would cause accounting problems.

Article 31 asked the town for $32,000 to purchase a document management/digitization/e-permitting/workflow system.  The article passed.

Article 33 asked the town for $135,000 for a new backhoe for the highway department.  Highway Superintendent Stephen Hayward spoke to his article saying that he was replacing a 2010 John Deere backhoe with 6,600 hours on it.  He expects the trade-in value is about $20,000.  The article passed.

Article 35 asked the town for $29,000 to replace 24 windows in Pope’s Tavern.  Jeff Bolger asked how much money the town was going to put into the “sinkhole” Pope’s Tavern?  We must have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars over the last 10 years.” Jean Gallant, Holmes Library Director, told the group that the old building has seen a lot of history and deserves to be preserved.  The article passed.

Article 36 asks to fund $17,500 to upgrade alarm systems at the Town Hall, Highway/Water Bar, and recycling Center.  Passed.

Article 39 asks for $90,000 to replace 72 windows at the Town Hall.  Pam Aducci who works in the town hall spoke about the non-functioning windows that won’t stay open, that close with a bang, leak water and wind.  The article passed.

Article 43 asked the town for $2,500 to purchase three new computers for the Holmes Public Library.  Passed.

Article 44 asked the town for $6,500 to purchase and install an OSHA required mezzanine gate in the highway barn.  After discussion about the amount of the bids, is $6,500 sufficient to complete the job, and whether or not engineering would be required, the article passed.

Article 46 asked the town for $50,000 for a fraud risk assessment on the recommendation of the town’s auditor.  Town Administrator Charlie Seelig said the program was necessary to outline areas that need to be addressed.  “If we don’t know what’s wrong, we can’t correct it,” Seelig said.  The article passed.

Article 47 asked the town for $20,000 to add to the Unemployment Compensation account.  Passed.

Article 49 asked the town for $7,500 to repair and replace the fence at the Lingan Street beach area.   After conversation about whether the fence is in poor condition, do we need a fence there anyway, or is this enough money to complete the job, the article passed.

Article 53 dealing with the floodplain district regulations was considered and since its passing is necessary to getting flood insurance in these areas the article passed.

Article 56 asked the town to allow the establishment of a stabilization fund for the Silver Lake Regional School District.  The Finance Committee did not recommend it saying that there is no control over how it is spent once it is funded.  The article failed.

Article 57 asked the town to vote to amend Chapter 146 (Stormwater Management) as recommended by the Massachusetts Attorney General.  The article passed.

Article 58 asked the town permission to acquire by gift, transfer, temporary easement for bridge construction, access and/or related purposed in, on, and under parcels of land abutting Pine Street, shown on a plan entitled “Pine Street over Cranberry Bog Overflow Right of Way Plans”.  Highway Superintendent Hayward explained that this was a formality so he would have a place to park his equipment while he was working on the area.

The original article was amended by Amy Troup and Karen Fava to eliminate any reference to monetary compensation.  The article passed.

Halifax Annual Town Meeting adjourned at 11 p.m. Monday night, May 10, with less than half of the 59 articles voted on.  Left for Tuesday were two of the most contentious articles – the ban for the sale of nips, sponsored by Shirley Graf and enlarging the board of selectmen from three members to five, sponsored by Selectman Gordon Andrews.   However, even those articles couldn’t bring Halifax townspeople out a second night in a row and Tuesday’s assemblage was dismissed at 8:05 for lack of a quorum.  It was 13 voters short of the needed 100, according to Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor.  This is Gaynor’s last Town Meeting as she is retiring May 22, and then the new town clerk, elected on May 15, will take over.

The Halifax Elementary School budget was voted with little discussion, after the finance committee requested the school committee to hold to a 2% increase.   

Paula Hatch, chairman of the Silver Lake Regional School Committee asked the town to put back the funds that were deleted in order to keep to the 2% increase that the elementary school had abided by.   This would have put back $130,890 into the Silver Lake District budget.   Regional Halifax Elementary School Committee chairman Gordon Andrews defended the Silver Lake budget and the request for the deleted funds saying that some of the issues are reduction of state reimbursement with a number of students going to Charter Schools, taking those state education dollars with them.  “We need to fund the schools,” he said.  The townspeople did not agree, and the amendment failed.

A young man came to the microphone to say, that if the town keeps turning down Silver Lake budget items, they won’t want Halifax to be part of the region.

Salaries were reclassified for several Halifax employees, including the Fire Chief, Police Chief, and Town Administrator, so their salaries would be greater than those who work for them.  This was recommended by the Finance Committee.

Item 6 in the General Government budget had $124,500 for Law.  Selectman Andrews asked that it be reduced to $74,500, saying that the town spends too much money on legal fees.  It was pointed out that much of the legal fees are spent defending the town against suits by Selectman Andrews and that reducing the law category would hamper the town’s defense.  One resident stood to say that if the town would just do what the judge said (and not appeal the decision) the town wouldn’t incur extra costs.   Town Administrator Charlie Seelig pointed out that the first suit that was successful gave Andrews only $200 in damages.   It was Andrews who appealed, “seeking greater relief”, Seelig said.  The amendment failed and the Law line of the warrant  article was voted  at $124,500.

Also questioned in the General Government budget was the total Town Clerk salary of $57,062.   Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor pointed out that the total town clerk salary included the $1,000 reward for her certification.  The total was reduced by that $1,000 and the General Government budget passed.

Amy L. Troup questioned the Animal Control Officer salary that increased from $18,105 budgeted for FY21 to $21,619 for FY22.    She was told that it was a step increase for that contract approved by Wage & Personnel.    Also questioned was the wages increase for the Building Inspector, that was also the result of a step increase.  Jeff Bolger said he thought that step increases needed to be voted on in order to make that change.   Town Administrator Charlie Seelig said that the change was voted on in the previous year.

The Public Safety budgets were approved, as well as the Public Works, and Highway budgets.

Public Works Cemetery, Walter, and Solid Waste Management budgets were all approved unanimously.

Health and Human Services budget, the Culture and Recreation budget, the Debt Service budget, and Fixed Costs all passed unanimously.

Jeff Bolger asked for an explanation as to how the Gas and Oil and the Heating Oil prices could be the same from last year to this year.  “Can you share the secret?” noting the rising oil prices.  The Finance Committee answered that there is a buffer amount to address fluctuations in oil prices, and if the true total, at the end of the fiscal year, is much more than the budgeted amount, that can be dealt with by a transfer from the reserve fund or free cash.  The FinCom member said that last year only 80% of the budgeted amount was used.

Article 5, dealing with all of the various Revolving Funds, were consistent with what has been done in the past and passed unanimously.

Articles 11 and 12 asked the town to fund the provisions of collective bargaining agreements between the town and the Police Chief Joao Chaves and Fire Chief Jason Viveiros.  They passed unanimously.

Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward asked the town to approve Article 15 for $300,000 to maintain town roads.  Hayward told the group that the $150,000 that has been allocated in past years, “just doesn’t go very far anymore.”   The town agreed and approved the article.

Article 16 to fund the purchase of parcels of land between Carver Street, South Street, and Plymouth Street was passed over.

Article 17 to transfer from available funds $18,500 for the Assessors’ Recertification Account passed.

Article 19 voted $5,000 for the purchase, installation,, and implementation of a new copy machine for the Police Department.

Article 23 was voted by the town to replace hallway flooring at the Halifax Elementary School as part of ongoing maintenance.

Summer Schmaling, Halifax Elementary School Committee member spoke to Article 25 which would use $18,600 to install central air conditioning in the Tech Lab and Art room to keep the school’s computer networks cool.  The article passed.

Article 27 saw the town vote $5,400 for the repair, reconstruction, and replacement of the fences at the Vaughn Fields at the Police Station.   Dick Steele spoke to the article.

Article 28 asked the town for $3,500 to support South Coastal Counties Legal Services, Inc.’s continued free legal services in civil matters to elders, low-income families and their children.  FinCom recommended; the article passed.

Town meeting voted to pass over Article 32 that would purchase a work order/asset management system.  The finance committee did not recommend it and it was passed over.

Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward asked the town to approve $71,000 for a new F550 gasoline powered truck with a dump body, sander, and plow for the Highway Department.  The guys in the room picked over the requirements, whether it should be gas or diesel, and how many plows does the department need, should we spend more to save in the long run…   In all, they settled down and the town voted to pass Article 34.

Director of Building Maintenance Scott Materna answered questions about his Article 37 that asked the town for $81,000 to be combined with the $35,000 already voted for the same purpose at the Special Town Meeting of August 2018, to repair and replace the handicapped ramp and portico at the Town Hall.  When asked why it costs so much, Materna answered,  “We tried to fix it in house, but found it needs to be re-engineered.”  He told the townspeople that the proposed ramp, for which he is still receiving bids, will be concrete, not wooden, and will be maintenance-free for a long time.  Questions arose as to whether a concrete ramp can be attached to an historic building and how would it look?  Materna said that the ramp needs to be ADA compliant and the proposals he has will be so.  The FinCom recommended the project and the article passed.

Article 38 asked the town to transfer from undesignated fund balances the sum of $10,000 to repair the roof at the Holmes Public Library.  The article passed with the Finance Committee recommendation.

Article 40 was passed over.  It asked the town to fund a new Council on Aging van.

Article 41 asked the town for $10,000 to hold a series of workshops for department heads concerning personnel practices including recruitment and hiring, and proper procedures relating to discipline and termination.  The article passed.

The town voted to approve spending $21,500 to purchase and install overhead doors at the Highway Barn in Article 45.

The town voted to support a part-time school resource officer for the Silver Lake Middle School at a cost of $36,000 for Halifax’s share in Article 48.  Plympton’s share of $14,000 will be voted at their town meeting later this week.   The position has been totally funded by Kingston for the past two years.  The town voted to approve the article.

The town passed over Article 50, which would fund a new portable PA system.

Article 56 asked the town to vote to allow the Silver Lake Regional School District to establish a stabilization fund. The Finance Committee spoke against the article saying that there would be no control over how the money is spent once it is funded. Paula Hatch, chairman of the Silver Lake Regional School Committee  said that the money would have already been voted by the towns to add to the stabilization fund.  Some likened it to giving the schools a blank check.   The article failed.

Next Monday night, May 17, the town will once again attempt to get a quorum to discuss several items that could change the face of Halifax, from how many selectmen will be on your board, how the planning board changes in flood plain maps can affect your properties, or whether or not you can buy a sleeve of nips at your local liquor store, drink them on the way home and throw the empties out the window.  There is a lot to talk about and if you don’t take part in the decisions you can’t complain if they don’t go the way you wanted.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met in-person on Tuesday, April 27. Town Administrator Charlie Seelig provided the Board with a COVID update saying there had been 10 additional cases since April 17 and 18 total cases in the previous two weeks. Those numbers bring the total for Halifax, who moved from the red to the yellow risk zone, to 513 total cases. Seelig also reiterated the Governor’s state-wide update which includes reopening dates. Additional outdoor activities are approved as of May 10 with further reopening occurring on May 29. A full reopening of the State is scheduled for August 1. “Of course, all of that is dependent on case loads and vaccines,” Seelig explained. Seelig said he plans to talk to the Board of Health agent about increasing capacities in the town meeting rooms. He also noted that town meeting is not considered a gathering per the State. Town employees were issued a return-to-work order per the approval of the Selectmen at their previous meeting.

Concerns Over Speeding

The Board had an appointment with Owen Graves, a resident of South St. in Halifax for over five years. Graves attended the meeting in the hopes of drawing awareness to the lack of speed limit signs on South St. and the resulting problems with speeding that occur. “The speed limit is supposed to be 30; people go nowhere close to starting at 30,” Graves explained. He told the Selectmen that cars fly down the street at 40, 50, and even 60 mph. He noted two deaths that occurred as a result in just his first two years living on the street. Graves noted that he drives a lot for his work and said that he sees many signs in other communities alerting drivers to the appropriate speed. Selectman Chair Tom Millias told Graves, “I’ve lived your pain living on South St. and in particular motorcycles are incredibly scary because they come screaming down the street… this is something we can and should refer to the Highway Safety Committee.” He added, “It probably should be looked at harder than it has been in the past and this is a good impetus to do that.”

Another resident also attended Tuesday’s meeting to discuss what he sees as a need for a 4-way stop on Circuit and Laurel streets to force drivers to slow down. While Seelig said that it had previously been determined that a 4-way stop wouldn’t be appropriate for the area, the Board said they would like to see the issue taken up by the Traffic Safety Committee.

Request for a Nips Ban

Another concerned resident Shirley Graf also met with the Selectmen. Graf had previously been named as the Litter Buster of the Year award winner for the entire State of Massachusetts during 2020. Graf asked the Selectmen for their support of an article on the Annual Town Meeting warrant to ban the sale of single use containers for alcoholic beverages in Halifax. Graf provided statistics including that she had picked up 8,443 nips bottles in town since beginning to do so 28 months prior. She also stressed that after speaking to Police Chief Joao Chaves she learned that very few littering citations are issued despite the large amount of litter in town. Selectman Troy Garron said, “Personally, I don’t drink and I can’t understand how so many liquor stores are still selling it knowing the problem that we have.” For their part, both Millias and Selectman Gordon Andrews said they would like to invite the local liquor establishments in to voice their side of the argument before endorsing such an article. Before she left, Millias told Graf, “We applaud you for your efforts… I am just overwhelmed by it.”

Request to Change Marijuana Bylaws

Representatives of the company Colonel Boothe met with the Selectmen to inquire about a change to the zoning bylaws surrounding marijuana and the buffer zone around venues serving alcohol. Currently, marijuana establishments are not allowed within 500 ft of venues that have a pouring license. Colonel Boothe asked the Selectmen if they would support a petition article to ban that portion of the bylaw saying, “there’s an effective ban on a second retail store.” According to Colonel Boothe, there are no lots in town left that are not restricted by the current bylaws. Millias said, “Obviously the town has been supportive of establishments based on the votes at town meeting… I personally think it ought to be a public initiative.”

According to the company, the bylaw most likely exists to prevent people from buying cannabis and then consuming it in a restaurant. They pointed out, however, that it feels redundant as public consumption is already banned by State law. Garron said that the bylaw was originally intended for the protection of the public noting, “the public need to decide whether to change that.” The Selectmen voted not to support an article at town meeting to amend the bylaw.

In other marijuana news, Seelig said that the town attorney had reached an agreement on a Host Community Agreement (HCA) with Flower and Soul on a proposed retail facility. Seelig said that the agreement would soon be posted online in order to receive public comments.

Update on Campus Building Project

Andrews told the other selectmen that the Committee had discussed a possible affordable solution to the problem of a senior center for the short term while they examine the other municipal buildings. “We all know the issues at Pope’s Tavern,” Andrews said. He said that the Committee is working on establishing short term, mid-term, and long-term plans noting that they hope to move forward with a solution for the senior center before tackling an overall campus solution including the Police and Fire stations. Andrews also noted mechanical failures with hot water pipes at the school. ““The one thing I’ve noticed being on the Committee is we’ve gone around to every building in town and every building in town needs work,” Andrews said.

Mosquito Control

Several residents attended Tuesday’s meeting after seeing the hearing to opt out of the state’s mosquito control program listed on the agenda. Seelig said that the State had issued a letter to all communities saying that there was a possibility to opt out of the program. The Selectmen had wanted to give residents an opportunity to come and speak on the issue. Seelig noted that they had not received any communication from anyone wanting to opt out. One resident spoke during the meeting saying he survived eastern equine encephalitis as a child. He recalled spending weeks in the hospital with frighteningly high fevers. He called it a “terrible idea” to opt out. All residents speaking during the hearing were against opting out.

Silver Lake Assessment

Seelig said he spoke with the Finance Committee about recommending an across-the-board increase for non-union employees. He said, “I understand it’s been a tough year for many including unemployment and under employment for many residents in Halifax however the town’s employees have, in general, worked above and beyond throughout the pandemic with few if any complaints.” Seelig said that the Finance Committee is not recommending approval of the Silver Lake assessment but noted that town meeting would make its own decision. Seelig said if Kingston and Plympton approve the assessment, Halifax will eventually have to as well. The assessment includes a 1.6 increase for Silver Lake employees. This would leave town employees without anything. “If school employees get something, town employees, union and non-union, deserve something too,” Seelig said. Seelig suggested a one percent increase.

Requests for Use of Town Property

The Board approved the use of the town green for the Historical Society plant sale on May 8 from 9 am through noon as well as a Boy Scout bottle drive on Saturday, July 17. Both events will include whatever COVID protocols are required by their respective dates. Seelig also said that line dancing groups were starting at the Great Hall and noted that they had worked with the Board of Health on appropriate safety measures.

Other News

Seelig alerted the Selectmen to the passing of longtime resident John Peck. Peck was a longtime member of the Conservation Commission. Seelig spoke of Peck’s charitable work including the annual Thanksgiving meal hosted by his family at the Country Club. Those present at Tuesday’s meeting observed a moment of silence in his honor.

Seelig also told the Selectmen that Finance Committee member Lauren Carmichael had resigned in late March. Seelig said he was appreciative of her service. Seelig also noted some awards that were recently granted including Firefighter of the Year for Jeff Arcieri, Officer of the Year for Matthew Cunningham, and Citizen Hero Award for the Halifax Building Maintenance Staff. In a final piece of good news, Seelig said that Halifax was listed as a top spot to live for communities south of Boston by the Boston Globe on April 21.