It could not be on any pavement. There couldn't be any buildings on it and it had to be on your own lot. So none of the 13 public water supply wells we currently have would be allowed to for new construction. and that causes all kinds of problems in terms of improving properties and that sort of thing. There are safety concerns with having this concentration of septic systems. In fact, the reason we see that the state regulations have changed because a lot of these there's contamination potential from septic systems, accidents like a train wreck or a truck wreck. Several I would say many wells in this area are not tested at all once they're built. All the private wells are only tested once unless your bank makes you do it. There are no public restrooms in the town which really hampers a lot of businesses and sports teams.
Uh if you have a recovery problem they get through from some kind of contamination, it can take a long time and a lot of money. The Wood Haven project a number of years ago ran into some trouble with the state and it wound up costing over $350,000 using the existing wells. Uh there are few automatic sprinkler systems and buildings because the fire main is not pressurized regularly. Next, so we were concerned about the viability of the town center under these current constraints. The risk in the that we talked about discourage improvement and investments. The town wells that are in this area are kind of marginal in capacity. Um the commercial tax base is pretty stagnant or perhaps even decreasing. It's hard to tell. A lot of desirable things people would like to see takes more water. You know, a nice grocery store, maybe some residential use, restaurants and whatnot.
and even watering the sacred purple beach tree has become a problem. The state's newly required and enforced sprinkler system for any new construction or major expansion has become a real problem. The library is going through a significant addition, but there's a $500,000 in the budget to put in a sprinkler system. And a lot of that cost relates to the fact that they have to put in a big tank and a pump and a backup generator because we don't have a fire main hooked up to it. Next, we have a good potential place to put a well. This is in the Price Woodlands area here uh at the end of Morse Road. The town center is down here. Uh this nice gravel area. This red says it's pretty good uh potential for doing that. We have a test well there now. Um, the way this would work, water would go from there to a pump station and treatment center at the town garage.
There'd likely be a a uh water tower next to Pineh Hill School. This would use the existing fire manes, these now dry fire manes that takes care of the downtown area. We don't know the capacity, but there might be some capacity for growth in in that area. To put in a public water system that would cover most of this area here is about a $4 million job. I'd like to call that four fire engines. But next, uh, shared septics. It's become very common even in new constructions, in new development, is to have everybody have a septic system and you only pump the liquid to a treatment facility. That's a little simpler than a classic water treatment system. You can knock down the nitrates. Um, you can pump at long distances without a lot of difficulty. There's possibility of using the ball fields here to put in a field.
There's also town forest all around in here. And there's an interesting situation here at the end of Zion's Lane. The town uh land acquisition committee, I guess, has bought a chunk of land over here that was has a lot of room that could possibly put a septic system in that. The nice thing about the the shared system is you don't have to do everything in all at once. You can do just the business section here if you want. This south end in our view is fairly safe for the time being, but you can wait and do that later if you want. Again, to do a shared sept septic system for most of this section here is another $4 million. Next, we're still researching things like a matrix of district boundaries. We haven't settle on a firm set of customers. if you will, because we don't know the capacity of the well we're going to get.
We don't know what the ambitions of the planning board are. So, we can look at, you know, what happens if you add more customers or reduce the number of customers. And there's a difficulty in figuring out a fair way to assign cost to the various users. Right now, in that dense town center, the town uses a third of the water that's consumed down there. So they're a big customer to begin with. Uh funding sources, there may be some grants. We know they're low interest loans that the state can give us. Then the legal framework of how do you protect the district? How do you get things paid for? How do you collect the bills and all that sort of stuff we're working on? And again, we're supporting the planning board, general plan, and we're working with them when they say, "What happens if we want to do mixed uh use downtown and we need more water?
what would that cost us? That sort of thing. Next, now if in the future we come to the town meeting and and the town is interested in taking another step to look at this and it seems like a reasonable thing to do with this other information we're going to get you. Uh these two engineering steps would be the next logical thing. We'd like to do a proof test of the well and price woodlands. you know, put in a fulls size well, pump it to find its capacity. This would have monitoring wells around it so you can find out what happens to the uh water table and possibly other wells. That that kind of work is about $100,000. We'd also like to do some soil sampling in support of potential septic systems. There's a quite a bit of mystery about what goes on in the ball fields and we like to go through that and find out what's practical there.
And again, this is a $40,000 task thing. So, thank you for your time, but you're not asking for any money this year, so I'll get off easy. Thank you. [Music] [Applause] Thank you. Um, I'd like to remind you that we are not uh voting on any actionable item. We are not voting on the content of any of the reports. We are simply voting to acknowledge receipt of them. So, is there any debate on the emotion to accept the town reports? Seeing none, all those in favor, please say I. I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes. Article two, unpaid bills. Madam moderator, Mrs. Alis, I move that the sum of $6,74344 be transferred from free cash in the treasury for the purpose of paying bills dated 2016 from CMD for the Millis Police Department $41656 for CMD item is Shady Tree Landscape $3,325 for CMD first $69.
9 for the selectman Caruzi refrigeration $237.50 50 for the police sprint. $42743 for the transfer station electronics redux corporation. $419.91 for the selection Verizon $47.35 for a total of $6,74344. Second. It's been moved and seconded. Is there any debate? If not, we'll proceed to the vote. This requires a fourfifths vote for approval. So, we'll try for a unanimous voice vote. All those in favor, please say I. I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes unanimously. Article three, supplemental appropriations. Madam moderator, Miss Ronian, I move favorable action that the sum of $319,261 be transferred from free cash in the treasury as printed in the advisory committee booklet. Elections and registrations, contractual services, $873. Elections and registrations, supplies, printing and mailing, $1,478. Board of Health agent work on general chemical $7,500. Board of Health Computer and Phone costs $2,410. Board of Health 50% cost of vaccine refrigerator $1,000. Pineh Hill School out of district costs $70,000.
Snow and ice. Snow and ice expenses $171,000. Ambulance reserve fund. Ambulance re reserve fund subsidy $65,000 for a total of $319,261. Second. It's been moved and seconded. Is there any debate? If not, this is a majority for passage. All those in favor, please say I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes. Article four, omnibus budget. Madam moderator, yes. I move that the numbered items appearing in the advisory committee's fiscal year 2018 omnibus budget and the amount indicated in the column under the heading recommended fiscal year 2018 be called over by the moderator. And if no objection is made that such amounts be raised and appropriated for the purposes specified, except that where a transfer is indicated by a numbered footnote, the specified amount shall be provided by such transfer that the salaries for the various town officers including those indicated by numbered footnotes be fixed effective July 1, 2017 as specified in the omnibus budget that becomes effective pursuant to this motion and that any item to which objection is made be separately considered and disposed of in accordance with the vote of the town.
Second. It's been moved and seconded, but I have to wet my whistle. I'm going to read through the budget line by line. If for any reason you want to ask a question or debate the number, please just call out hold. I will mark it. At the end, we will review to make sure that we agree on where the holds are. and then we'll proceed to a vote for all of the non-held items and then we will return to the held items and consider them line by line. So we'll begin with the general government selectman line 122 selectman salaries $263,566 122E selectment expenses $44,350 zoning board of appeals expense $2,700 legal counsel 151E $80,000 assessors assessor salaries 103 $3,937 assessor's expenses $14,70 treasurer salaries 53,798 treasurer expenses $9,545 collector salaries $15,12 collector's expenses um $19,385 accountant Account salaries 178,694 accountant expenses 82,710 advisory salaries $483 advisory expenses $3,310 conservation salaries $48,589 conservation expenses $9,143 planning Board salaries 46,260, planning board expenses 3,936.
Town clerk salaries 113,561. [Music] Town clerk expenses 5,893. Election salaries 15,317. Election expenses 11,514. Town buildings expenses $228,610. Police salaries 1,65,023. Police expenses $110,98. Police equipment $16,857. Fire and rescue salaries $247,023. Fire and rescue expenses $69,742. Ambulance salaries 80,000. Building inspector salaries $86,820. Building inspector expenses $3,863. Minute man Regional High School zero. Do Sherburn Regional School District DS Regional Assessment 9,358,457 Tri County Vocational 1,300 Sherburn School total 6,947,28 Norfolk Agricultural zero community maintenance and development $553,184 community maintenance and development expenses 316,473 Snow and ice salaries 29,574 expenses 52,790 street lighting expenses 22,000 solid waste expenses 238,000 564 recycling expenses 3,230 cemeteries expenses $63,000 excuse me board of health salaries 106,923 board of health expenses 21,681 Council on Aging Salaries 114,524 Council on Aging Expenses 29,250. Veterans expenses 6,490. Library salaries 326,436. Library expenses 151,629. Recreation expenses $15,000. Historical commission $500. General insurance $245,983. Employee benefits including OPEDB and retirement 2,688,268.
Debt service 1,637,850 reserve account 281,36. And that's it. The only hold I heard was on Pineh Hill School. Does everyone agree? Okay, then we will. All those in favor of the lines without a hold, please say I. I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes unanimously. Madam moderator, Mr. Pollock, I move that the amount of $6,947,028 be appropriated for Sherburn schools and that of this amount $100,000 be transferred from the special education stabilization fund and the balance be raised and appropriated. Second. It's been moved and seconded. Is there any debate on this item? If not, all those in favor, please say I. I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes unanimously. Madam moderator. Yes. Mr. Wald. Uh, article five, premiums. Yes. I move that the town vote to supplement each prior vote of the town that authorizes the borrowing of money to pay costs of capital projects to provide that in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 44 section 20, the premium received by the town upon the sale of any bonds or notes there, less any such premium applied to the payment of the costs of issuance of such bonds or notes may be applied to pay project costs And the amount authorized to be borrowed for each such project shall be reduced by the amount of any such premium so applied.
Is there a second? It's been moved and seconded. Is there any debate? If not, this is a I beg your pardon. Um, do you have your report with you? Did you read it? I can't translate it. Would anyone like to translate it? Sure. Town council will give it a shot. Thank you, Madam Moderator. Uh Barbara St. Andre with KP Law Town Council. Um this um this language was a change that was made in the municipal modernization act that was passed last year by the legislature which made numerous changes to the uh municipal finance laws and this was one of them and it it has been recommended uh I would say pretty much across the board that towns adopt this. I was dreading that someone would ask me to explain it because uh it's the the vagaries of it are probably beyond my skills and bond counsel would probably be able to explain it better.
But in summary, what it means is that when the town sells bonds, different companies bid on those on those bonds. And one of the things that those companies do to try to to win the bid is they pay a so-called premium, which is a a cash amount to the town. It's all perfectly legal. And what this what the municipal modernization act has done is said that you can now take that premium and apply that upfront to the costs that you have with borrowing. There are always costs involved with borrowing. So that you actually can end up borrowing less money and saving the town money in the long run. So my understanding is that now under this if we adopt this we can now uh do that um for bonds that have already uh been um issued by the town. And when we get to the um capital items, you will notice that there's language in each of the items that we're going to borrow that mirrors this this language right here.
So that going forward for each bond that we uh go out for, we're now going to include include this language so the town has the flexibility of how to use those premium payments in the best manner possible to try to reduce the town's costs. Thank you. Did that answer your question? Oh, good. Thank you. All right, then we'll proceed to the vote. This is a majority vote. All those in favor, please say I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes unanimously. Article six, cemeteries. The moderator, Mr. Williams. I move that $20,000 be transferred from the cemetery enlargement fund to be used pursuant to Massachusetts general laws chapter 114 section 15 for the improvement or embellishment of the cemeteries throughout the town the care preservation or embellishment of any allot or its pertinances therein. Second. It's been moved and seconded. Is there any debate on this item? If not, we'll proceed to the vote.
This is a simple majority for passage. All those in favor, please say I. I. Those opposed, nay. Motion passes unanimously. Article seven, revolving funds. Madame moderator. Miss Wolf. Advisory will be making eight separate motions under article 7. First motion. I move that the town vote pursuant to the provisions of general laws chapter 44 section 53E and a half as most recently amended to amend the general bylaws by inserting a new bylaw establishing various revolving funds specifying the departmental receipts to be credited to each fund, the departmental purposes or programs for which each fund may be expended and the entity authorized to expend each fund. such bylaw to provide as follows. Chapter 28 revolving funds section one. There are hereby established pursuant to the provisions of general laws chapter 44 section 53e and a half the following revolving funds. Elder housing rents for units uh sorry elder housing committee rents for units at Wood Haven to maintain buildings and grounds.
Farm Pond Farm Pond Advisory Committee fees in connection with Farm Pond sticker fees used to maintain the property and pay waterfront personnel. Council on Aging Programs. Council on Aging fees in connection with lifetime learning, social events, transportation, and home delivered meals for Sherburn seniors. Board of Health Immunization Clinic. Board of Health. fees and charges received from emergency clinics, from Medicare, and other private insurance reimbursements from administration of vaccines at Board of Health immunization clinics. Town forest sale of firewood. Town forest committee fees and charges received from the sale of firewood. Recycling committee sale of bins. Recycling committee fees and charges received from the sale of bins. ambulance, fire chief fees and charges in connection with ambulance services. Section two, expenditures from each revolving fund set forth herein shall be subject to the limitation established annually by town meeting or any increase therein as may be authorized in accordance with general laws chapter 44 section 53 and a 53e and a half and further to set FY 2018 spending limits for such revolving funds as follows.
Elder housing, $291,482. Farm Pond, $110,000. Council on Aging Programs, $50,000. Board of Health Immunization Clinic, $10,000. Town Forest Sale of Firewood, $5,000. Recycling Committee sale of bins, $860. ambulance $235,67. Second. It's been moved and seconded. Is there any debate on this motion? If not, we'll go. Oh, there is someone. I'm sorry. I have a I have a question relative to the inclusion of um Could you tell us who you are, sir? I'm sorry. George Shay, 19 Deerfield Road, Sherburn, Massachusetts. Thank you. Um my question is are all of the uh operations of the town that receive revenue uh eligible to create a re revolving fund? Are you the one who can answer the question? Thank you madam moderator through you. Uh there are a few exceptions. There are a few departments that are not allowed uh to use revolving funds, but for the most part, um the town can set up revolving funds for pretty much any um any uh receipts that they want to to do that for.
Okay. I have another question. Yes, your question. Second question, u what criteria was used to uh identify these particular revolving funds? The only the only new revolving fund this year is the ambulance revolving fund. That's not my question. I'm just sad that my first answer. Um anybody want to field that question from the selectman? Receipts. Well, anyone George, these specific items we have cash receipts for. And we have a history of receipts. Are there any operations in town that you have cash receipts for that are not listed? I think that was already answered. Did Mary already answer that? There are some. Mary, are you talking to me? Barbara, are you saying that Mary answered the question? No, I meant Barbara. Oh, there are some that don't qualify for this. Does the library have receipts? What was that question? Does the library have receipts? Income? It's your question.