Yeah. No, no. I'm just I was just curious because like we have, you know, our financial policy talks about how we how we allocate schools side and um and also it would be interesting to see these communities too, how many school age children they have because that's like a that's also a driving factor. So I I assume the Collins Center will provide a lot of that kind of background too as far as um so we can definitely fill that in. Whether it would be the Collins Center, you know, finding school population is pretty I just want to make sure we're like we're we're really kind of having a very open look at what it what what those numbers entail. So you want to get a full picture. Yeah, it would be helpful. Yeah. I I think just overall if we have an understanding of like methodology, I think that's what Brandy's talking about.
If we could get an idea of like what what that is so that when we do get a chance to take a look at it, we know what we're looking at. We know how to analyze it. But we'd love I' I'd love to see like just what that methodology is. Um and maybe we'd all like to see a copy of of of that because Sudbury may spend a lot more money on schools than we do and Sure. am less on the municipal side, you know, like it just I you know, it'll be really interesting, I think, to see um because I think once you get that data, then you can also decide where you might want to do a little deeper dive. Now, obviously, we wouldn't necessarily use the Collins Center for that, but we could do that. I was going to say that some of this data is available online already through MAPC.
We've u and I'm sure I think the first round utilized. Okay. because they've done so many different studies and they they collect data on a regular basis about what communities are doing. Yeah, I'll use like the the good uh IT example. Paul always threw this out and Katherine have a little bit more closer experience with the town of Medway than I do, but I believe so like we have five people in our IT department that supports town and schools. And I think Medway the total is like 14 between town between municipal and school. So I have a terrible memory. That was two years. Okay, that was two years ago. Go. I don't think they have that many though. Um I'm not sure what it looks like now, but Okay. I don't think there are that many, but Okay. How How do you even it out for a town that like Milford that has, you know, many more businesses and a much larger Well, hopefully their IT department's not um supporting the businesses.
Well, I'm not talking about their IT department. I'm talking about overall how does it how do you make it compare to us? Yeah. Yeah. I'm not necessarily sure striking difference to me, right, is Milford's Well, that would probably show Well, that would show up in your tax base, right? Very different. Um, very That's something I think you'd probably want to know, right? And their budget might be, right? They could have a similar budget to us, right? But how that budget is funded, are we looking at that as well? Wouldn't it be offset by what they're raising from their businesses? Yeah, I don't Well, I mean, and that that could be important data, but you're looking at what is being spent as opposed to where the money that is being spent comes from first, which I think is probably certainly an important I think information to have, but wherever the money, like you got to spend the money somehow, where wherever it's coming from.
Um, so that's really kind of why we're looking at service levels and what's spent. Again, we're that's a completely like the makeup of the tax base is a completely separate thing than what is being spent in what's being spent and what are you getting for it. Okay. Yeah, that's that's what it is. Again, I think if we just saw like we're we're talking about methodology here. So, like if we could just see like a write up of like, you know, how how the study was designed. I think that might answer a lot of questions that we're asking right now and then we could, you know, come back with follow-ups. But I think that's that would be helpful. But I think that the what you guys have put together here is great because I think it's I think 100% it does sound like that this is really bringing this staff together and it feels like people are having a voice in how um their work environment, their career development, all that stuff.
So yeah, and I will say actually some of these changes that you're seeing here at the table like with just kind of the restructure really a a Part of that was based in some of the feedback that we got in the fall. People were having a hard time getting facetime with their managers. Um, with me um and we were hearing that that was something that was really really lacking. Um, and so part of the whole rationale behind the structure was to hopefully, you know, be able to to get us out a little bit more and just, you know, even just some quick contact. I mean, what is it? People don't people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. It's and you know it's trit and it's um maybe overused but man sometimes they're overused for a reason. It's because it's true.
Good. Any other questions on the organizational plan? Moving on. Yeah. Um, so I did receive u a call from our senator, Senate President Spila, who um was successful in including uh $500,000 in um additional complete streets funding uh through the supplemental spending bill that was based specifically on transportation and education. Um so my understanding is that I um believe that might be in conference. I I don't know. I I haven't got the latest update but um we feel confident that we will receive something. So is the plan because I don't know six five six years ago we put a complete streets plan together. We worked with green I think to you know do that work. Yeah. So, are we like ticking stuff off of that list that this funding will help pay for or what's the plan if should it come through? Um, so you know, complete streets in this respect, it was it wasn't necessarily limited to the complete streets program, okay?
But, you know, work that would help us comply with complete streets policies. Okay? Uh, we can use it for sidewalks. We could use it to tick off some of our complete streets plans or plan Yeah, we have some flexibility and it was designed that way. I'm realizing it's probably more than six years ago because it was before Pete was here. So, okay. So, so thank you um Senate President Spok. It's uh it is always um it's always nice when you get a call from the Senate President and you know she's got she's got good news on the other line which which she does relatively often. Good. Um and then let's see then next the pen ultimate item uh is the IMA intermunicipal agreement between the city of Framingham the town of Ashland um to do the preservation study over on wash. So just to let you know we were using CPA funds uh for that.
So um I think you'll see the scope of the study. I believe we included that in your packet everything. So it's good to to move forward with that. That's been a long road. Now, did we This didn't get voted the last town meetings. Has this been voted before the 25? It was the 24. It was in the at the 24. All 24 we voted. Okay. I I was just I thought we had done something but Okay. Any comments or questions on this agreement? It's pretty straightforward. Okay. Um and then again, last but uh not least, uh we did want to talk about dates for a board retreat. Um, and so we've identified three Saturdays, I believe in July as options. I know we were going to try to talk to the Warren Conference Center and see if those they were available. Oh, Susan, did we have a chance to hear back from them yet?
I reached out, but I haven't heard back. Okay. Um, so hopefully if you can let us know. So, the dates that we're looking at are either the 12th, the 19th, or the 26th of July for possible retreat. I'm not available the 19th. And I'm not available the 12th. I'm not available the 26th. Sounds like the 12th. Okay. Looks like we're looking at the 12th then. Yep. Um, what time would you want to start? Would I I would anticipate us working in the morning and going in breaking for lunch and maybe, you know, putting in another hour or two in the afternoon. How early do people like to start? 4:30. 8 nine. Not 4:30. Nine would be great. Nine would be great. Yeah. Nine o'clock. Nine o'clock. Okay. Nine to one, nine to two. Um, I would say can can we just book from 9 to 2:30?
Not saying we would use that whole time. Okay. Um, and so July 12th, 9 to 2:30 and we're looking at potentially doing it at the conference center. Correct. Um, going back going back old school. Yeah, we haven't done that in a while. Um but I think also just thinking about the structure of this u I think you know one of the things that we have realized over the last few months especially with the FY26 budget discussions is that we have um some some fiscal pressures make uh to say it lightly um that certainly need to be a priority uh but I think we also need to look at kind of what is being done. I think we need to prioritize things. Uh just remember if you say u yes to everything that means nothing is important. Um and so I think you know we need to make some hard choices uh at that point.
And so I think if we could spend our morning focusing on that. Um and then the second part once we have those identified the second part like in the afternoon we can start identifying what we're going to need to start having a little bit more um substantive discussions on those items. I think that would be at least the the the skeleton I guess you could say of a structure but uh certainly open to feedback. Okay. Yeah. We have further discussion about the retreat as we do have our have our June meeting. As long as we I think before we go on the retreat, as long as we can identify exactly like, you know, what what what our outcomes, you know, what we're expecting to accomplish that day, make sure we stick to it, whatever that is, you know, before that, that's fine. Just keep make sure that we stay on target.
Yeah. Yeah. Nikita, have you ever heard of appreciative inquiry as an approach to this? No. Okay. I thought I thought if anybody sitting at the table you might you might have known this with your with your with your background but um we actually used that approach on Friday. Appreciative inquiry is a is um a way of approaching solving problems that you know the traditional model is okay what's broken how do we fix it right appreciative inquiry starts off really kind of like what are we what are we doing well like which of the projects are we doing okay how do we do more of that how can we take what we learn from those and how can we replicate that then yes I am familiar with okay so just a different but by by a different moniker but But um but yeah, I think you know this I think you've noticed we've built off uh previous retreats.
You know these have become an iterative process and I think the last one we had it was um I enjoyed you know basically uh framing a few things for discussion and letting the board have that discussion and then providing input and providing data to help you you know facilitate that or you know that discussion. So, and I thought it worked. I thought it worked well. The feedback that we received, I think. Okay, good. Anything else, Michael? That's it. Okay. Uh, we have two items left in our agenda. Our board reorg and our board reports. Do we want to flip them or are we good with doing the board reorg and then the board reports? Either or. Doesn't matter. Okay, let's do it. We have 16 minutes before 10:00. I don't think we're gonna get it all done by then. I don't think so. Okay. Um, let's flip it.
Let's flip. Let's do board reports and then we'll do the board reorgan and finish it off. Yes. Okay. Makita. Well, uh, let's see. Uh, just want to say a couple things really quick. First off, again, thank you so much to town clerk and team and volunteers. Democracy starts in your backyard. I am very, very appreciative of the citizens who took the time to vote. in yesterday's election and also participate in town meeting. Uh let's keep that going folks. Um also looking forward to having our uh select board uh u I think not open house but like what do we the uh at the farmers market? What do we call it? Office hours. Yes. Office hours. Yes. Yes. So I'm looking forward to doing that this summer. It's uh it's going to be a busy one and I think uh I am very encouraged by seeing the kind of participation that we've seen leading up to town meeting and hopefully that will continue.
So uh yeah, that's all I've got. Okay. So, Claudia, yeah, I don't I guess I haven't been doing much, but so I don't have much to say except that I would certainly uh second Aita's comments in terms of uh all the hard work that goes into having a town election and all the people that came out to vote. Um, and I was really happy to see that we ended up with u the planning board positions filled. Um certainly happy to have you both back with us. So thank you and it's been a busy uh it's been a busy time for everybody and so that's it for me. Okay, Joe. Thank you, Madam Chair. Uh first and foremost, I would just like to thank everybody uh that came out yesterday uh to vote, express their democ democracy at at its finest. And um I appreciate the support.
I I appreciate the campaign that was done with Brandy and with Carlton. Um they're very professionally done. Um it's always nice to see that people have integrity when you run for office and not have to rely on negativity, but this was a positive u uh campaign for for all three of us and I really appreciate the fact and um I was thankful for Kent to to remind us of that and do the things that we needed to do. So I wish him while he's still on the affordable housing trust. So I will be seeing him and we will continue working. Um next week there is a uh a brown greaking ceremony uh at 487 uh Main Street and it's an actually an affordable house that's being built through uh Habitat for Humanity uh with the with the work of the town and approval of the town.
So I believe that's Thursday if I'm not mistaken. Yes. So uh hope you can make it. Uh I did send something along to all of you. So, I hope that I hope you have the opportunity to be there. And tomorrow, um we have the uh uh roadway traffic safety committee. Um a lot of the topics that we discussed tonight will be discussed at that that meeting. And I just want to make people aware that uh one of the topics that will be discussed um is the potentially the potential of private roads being gated off. And that's something that we need to be aware of because that's definitely going to cause some concerns and some issues safety wise and road rate reconstruction wise if this especially if they're private roads that are being gated off that we then plow and and well so I right now I know there's many years ago there was a memorandum of understanding.
I don't want to get into the this big get into the details, but I just want to say that, you know, we're working on it and hopefully it'll there'll be a a positive resolution instead of something that's going to be u blown out of the water. Anyway, so with that, that's what we have. And again, thank you everybody and u I'm happy to be back to and yes, it is this is my last this is my last term. I just want to let you know it's already done. It's already done. No, no, I may have said it. No, no. age becomes a factor, you know, and I want to watch my grandson play baseball. So, yeah, that's gonna be a lot. Great. Yeah. So, that's it. Thank you, Randy. Um, so, uh, I just want to echo everything that that Joe said about the election.
Thank you to everybody that came out. Thank you to the town clerk's office, um, and all the volunteers. It was a great it was a great yet cold cold, um, day. And so, everyone that came out to hold signs Bill Bill Gath is is Joe's uh number one number one supporter. So it's it's always really good to have people come out and I you know there um a contested election is a is makes us all a little bit better. So um and thank you to Yolanda and and Wacka for hosting um the candidates forum which I thought was a really good discussion. Um there's been a lot going on with this election. So um the last thing I will say is thank God it's over. So um other than that, we've been very involved in the in the comprehensive plan the last week. Um we've had two long meetings.