Thomas Millias welcomed to Board
Selectmen in Halifax met on Tuesday evening this week, quickly moving through a long agenda. A new face joined the board that night, Thomas Mellias, who had already been sworn in, and a new member was appointed to the Halifax Housing Authority, Patricia McCarthy, among other business.
Millias, who has served in many positions in the Town of Halifax including Building Inspector, Assessor, Zoning Inspector, and years ago as a School Committee member, brings a wealth of experience to the board. He is replacing Michael Schlieff, who did not run for reelection. Millias’ term will end in 2018.
In the Board’s annual reorganization, Selectman Kim Roy was elected Chairman, Selectman Troy Garron, Vice-Chair, and Selectman Thomas Millias was elected Clerk.
The Selectmen held a joint meeting with the Halifax Housing Authority to fill a vacancy which occurred when a candidate withdrew after the election ballots had been printed. McCarthy ran an unsuccessful write-in campaign for the opening.
Despite this, she still showed interest in the position and had the support of the Authority. The joint meeting appointed McCarthy, a 20 plus year resident of Halifax and five-year resident of Parsons Lane, unanimously.
Another appointment was made Tuesday. Robert Badore was reappointed as Cemetery Commissioner through 2016.
Also, the Board discussed the water quality issues at Monponsett Pond, and upcoming treatments scheduled on both the East and West sides of the pond. The treatments are tentatively scheduled to begin May 28th (east) and June 2nd (west).
Selectmen also discussed the impact of a proposed casino in Brockton. Having been contacted by the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Agency, they learned the casino was expected to use 120,000 gallons of water a day. The Halifax watershed already supplies much of Brockton’s water, while Brockton sells water to other cities and towns.
Also of concern are several recent fish kills around the area, in the past week and at the beginning of spring. Selectman Garron is concerned how the casino would have an impact on both the fish and the watershed, as was the rest of the Board.
Town Administrator Charlie Seelig reported on continuing issues with junk and unregistered cars on properties throughout town. Selectman Roy stated that this has started to become an ongoing issue across town, and the Board decided to send a “strongly worded” letter to the property owner currently at the center of this controversy.
The Board wants the letter to make clear that they will enforce by-laws including one that states that only one unregistered car may be on a property without a permit, and others that prohibit leaving clutter and junk in plain view.
In other business, the Board offered to allow the Boy Scouts to use a “sandwich board” sign several times a year on town property for their fundraisers and approved several standard permits for the Halifax in Lights festival coming up on Saturday, June 27th, including fireworks permits. They also approved several routine “use of town property” permits for various groups.
Finally, the Board went into executive session to discuss wage negotiations with unionized town personnel that had already been approved at town meeting (expected to be on par with wage personnel, a 1% increase.)
The Board will meet next on June 9 at 7:30 p.m.