Um, however, I know um we struggle with multiple definitions of that and I wonder if one of two things has to occur. We either need to define what those the differences are between those three groups as a board and be comfortable with that and then um also define what our goal is or what we're looking for >> and then align the two and that would be um something that could produce a successful outcome of what we need. Um >> yeah. >> Okay. Thank you. >> And >> well, we spent about an hour talking about these last time. I really don't think it's necessary to revisit this to the same degree. the the three options as you mentioned are forming a standing committee which seems to structurally limit um some of the broad participation that we're specifically trying to get um for you and Mr. Roland to to accomplish the important goals that you've laid out.
But my reading is that they will have some discretion to negotiate, but we'll only have that control and that ability to negotiate and protect uh important public interest if we proceed with this. If we don't, it's it's gone. Who knows what's going to happen. People may make promises now and be, you know, really mean it, but that doesn't protect things. We all know what happens in a few years. things change and you know we lose the ability to protect this land. So I would urge approval. Thank you. >> Before I recognize the next speaker, um I see a gentleman coming down the aisle. If you're not in line, and you count because you're on your way down. If you're not in line, these are the only speakers we're going to hear from in this article. Uh Rob, I assume you're speaking as an individual at this point, not as the presenter of the article.
Ad hoc also has limitations because um it is designed for a specific targeted purpose and once that purpose is achieved it is necessarily disbanded as we know that's what ad hoc means so the most flexibility seems to be with advisory committee the chief objection that I heard from our group last time was that some advisory committees exist and feel that they are unable to get um meaningful action pushed through but because this and I hear that and that is a that would be a huge frustration um because it makes you it's like doubly frustrating um but if this whole impetus is emanating from you and Mr. role in for this specific purpose of improving our systems. It seems to me that an advisory committee is the most powerful far-reaching u mechanism to deliver the desired results. So for that reason that's what I advocate and that's what I'm going to support.
I'm here to offer a couple additional points in answer to uh questions that were raised. >> I believe we got all the answer questions answered. >> May I? >> If you want to speak as an individual, you are entitled to speak as an individual. >> I am speaking as an individual. >> There you go. >> Um ladies and gentlemen, this is not the only house. >> I didn't say a word. I don't care. >> This is not the only house in Ashlin. A quick cursory look at the internet shows 10 additional houses in much better shape of similar cost. Um this vote tonight does not lock in automatically eminent domain. What it does is give the select board a tool so this transaction if you will can be properly negotiated. Everyone was in favor of this until just a few days ago and then overnight this offer appeared.
>> Okay. Any >> I just want to make sure there's no one else. >> Anyone else? So I just I wanted to let everyone know I did some research into because there were some questions about like reporting FOI requirements and you know agendas and things like that. um all three if it is an entity of the board. So if it's a if it if it's a entity created by a public agency so in this case the board supported supporting the superintendent it is required under FOIA to um have an agenda um report on minutes and report to the board. So whether it's an ad hoc or a um standing or advisory committee, Stephen would still put out an agenda. um someone would take minutes and then part of his superintendent update would be reporting on their meetings. So that part of it I don't want anyone to get hung up on because I wanted to make sure like we were we had the correct information on that.
So we need time to process this and as Mr. Sher just said um if we don't um allow this tonight um the property is essentially gone. It's gone forever. >> Sir Rick James 19 Tyler Lane CPC member at large. Uh, I'd just like to clarify something here that this is just a funding mechanism. The $845,000 is what the CPC is asking the town to approve in negotiations. It is not a set in stone amount. It is not necessarily saying we're going to take it with eminent domain. We are just the funding vessel for this negotiation. >> Thank you, sir. >> Why don't you pull that microphone around? >> There you go. Hello, my name is Peter Gorman. I live at 48 Tri Street. Um, I actually had the opportunity to walk this property with the potential buyers. Uh, I'm a local contractor and I just want to make sure everybody understands this house is in decent condition.
I don't want anyone to get hung up on like and some of the conversation last time was around the structure of it and making sure it was you know um we're keeping track or whatever. Um I'm with Wendy on the like I think that in looking at the three structures advisory seems to be the most useful for the purposes and we can always revisit it if we want it like if it's too broad or they're finding that they're not it's you know not um I mean an advisory committee could also just choose a topic as well but >> I would say I would support making a motion to create it make it an advisory committee at this point. >> Okay. Thank you. Yeah. >> Are you making the motion? >> I will. I just want to make sure no one else has anything I mean I'm, you know, obviously I live it every day.
I mean, you could move into it tomorrow. They mow the grass. It's it's a normal house. It's not some dilapitated thing that needs to come down. Um, I just for me personally, I feel like to take something from eminent do through eminent domain, there has to be a legitimate reason to. And I just feel like you're setting a bad precedent by taking this property because, you know, we want an open space. It's it's it's a it's a house on a on a land that's surrounded by the town forest. It's a really nice piece of private property. So, what happens next time when a really nice piece of private property comes up that other people have interest in? I just think it sets a bad precedent and I don't think that's the right thing to do. Back. Last comment. You weren't in line.
So, I mean, I have a way different opinion of it. I mean, I think special ed parents or anybody of an identified student. Um, these are our forgotten students. Um, it's a small group of them and the parents do not have a voice um in what happens and how to make this better. So, for that reason, I mean, I've sat on advisory committees in this district um under Mr. Roland and we met Mo once and never met again. It was probably one of the best conversations that I've heard with parents coming together and I don't even know if it ever got finished. So for that reason, I feel like if we are going to do it, I feel that this is a population we owe it to our staff. We owe it to our students and we owe it to the to make a positive impact and change on this district with special education.
>> I just said three minutes a five minutes ago that that was the last comment. >> Hi, I'm Scott Pellet from 61 Warren Road. I am a planning board member and a CPC member, but I'm speaking on just my own behalf. Um, I have a couple of questions. If the the back and forth on the possible offer does not go through and we decide to go the route of eminent domain, how are we going to pay for the legal fees? >> The legal fees for >> eminent domain. >> Oh, the I don't know if councelor, Mr. manager is better to answer that. >> Um, we would have to look at the legal budget since my understanding is CPC did not appropriate money for legal fees. >> Right. Thank you. We only able to >> recommend I'm sorry. >> We're only able to approve up to the estimated amount.
So um I know our bylaws really prevent us really. Um we had bylaws years ago and I don't know what happened to them, but our committee stuff is missing. Um it never got transferred over. Um, and Lisa was looking into that. Um, I just I mean, look, if we're looking for feedback, I think, um, then >> I think if we're looking for feedback on programs from staff and from parents and and and potentially students, I mean, there's students that could have an active voice in this. I think at this point if we're soliciting feedback to look at systems and structures and programming, I think that that is one specific goal that can be accomplished in an ad hoc committee and then figure out where to go from there. Right? I think special education is such a big umbrella that I think at some point it possibly could be a standing committee with branches off of it where you ad hoc the Cubs club where you ad hoc you know everything else that tentacles off of it right progress monitoring autism there's just there's it's never going to stop right just like we sit in facilities there's always going to we're going to have to do that right?
Um, and then my second question is is if we do go through eminent domain and it does come back at a larger value because it's two or three, four years down the road when this happens. Um, since we at the CPC were only able to approve up to $845,000, does it mean that we'd have to come back and approve a larger amount based on a new evaluation for it? And so that's my first part of that question. >> Mr. Mr. Manager attorney, >> you can't spend more than what's appropriated here. So if it were more than that, it would have to come back to town meeting. >> Thank you. And then if that amount was higher than what we had in the CPC funds for in this bucket of funds, what happens at that point is the town now on the hook to cover the difference, >> right?
Special education, it's always going to be here. We're always going to have students that need, you know, additional services or different services. And I think that we need to be proactive to do that. So, I mean, that's my opinion. And so, >> thank you. >> All right. Anyone else? >> Anyone Carolyn? >> Yeah, I mean, I I did have a few follow-up conversations. Um, and I think behind the scenes we're aligned to the intent of whatever endeavor we go behind. Um, I I'm comfortable with an ad hoc to Aerin's point if we define the scope and the goal of that ad hoc, right? Because it does have to come to a close once those items are achieved and then we can make a different decision on things. So if that's what we align upon tonight around gathering the feedback, right, gathering feedback on the current state of our system and gathering feedback on maybe the potential proposal on the Cubs Cubs Club, right, if that's what we want to scope that endeavor to, I'm I'm okay with that as well.
It would have to be contingent upon town appropriation and this body is the only body that makes that appropriation. >> Okay. And then I'm just gonna any other then my last note is also the same thing where I get nervous as somebody who's up against uh the state park as property that's right there. I don't want my property eventually to be taken as eminent domain. So those are my final thoughts. Thank you. >> Because this is land acquisition, this will require a two-thirds majority. We'll start with a card count. All those in favor of the motion on article 8, please raise your cards. Thank you. And opposed. >> Yeah, the motion fails. >> Repeat. >> If there's six other of you who want to count, you're welcome to it. Let me just explain. uh mesh analog gives the moderator the authority to declare votes and determine uh the outcome of votes without a physical count.
So >> I Okay, >> my >> I think when we started this, I I could have sworn we wanted an advisory and we made a mistake and made it an ad hoc. That's I just want to make Okay. I just wanted to clarify that cuz I'm all right. Was anybody have a motion to throw on the table or? >> Yeah. So, I'll make a motion to change the current special education ad hoc committee to an advisory committee of the superintendent. >> I'll second that. >> Any other discussion on that before we vote? >> Okay. All those in favor of changing special education ad hoc to a special education advisory committee, please indicate by saying I. I >> I any nays? >> Nay. >> Did you I didn't 42. >> I was I >> Okay. 4242. So we'll be changed to an advisory committee. Thank you very much and I look forward to seeing all the awesome work that comes out of that for sure.
When a moderator does that, it is subject to what's commonly called the seven voter law. Any seven voters can stand or say whatever and say they want a recount and there this is a very reasonable case for doing so. I mean I don't have the discretion to say no and I wouldn't but that's what Rob is doing. So, if there are are six other individuals who would like to have a hand count, which we can do, stand up, please. Great. They're more than seven. That's fine. We're good. What we're going to do now is do a hand count. Remember earlier in the meeting, I said the tellers hadn't been sworn in yet because they're busy checking in. I have to swear the tellers in now and then we'll do a count. Just speak quietly amongst yourselves for a moment, please. You got I'm going to assign you when I do that.
All right. New business board of education dates and possible action. The dates are on in your packet. So, one of the things I wanted to bring up um before like as we start this discussion is we had all sort of collectively agreed that the April meeting since we only have one should be after spring break. >> It's currently on as April 7th. Um so I was wondering if we could change that because it's more useful to review the budget later in April. So you want to change the >> I would recommend um changing it to the 21st or the 28th but >> 21st is better because we need to make this close to the >> right. Oh yeah, good point. >> 21st. >> So the week after spring break because spring break is the week of the 12th again. So for April, the current April date is April 7th, which we had had the meeting the second week in April this year, and we decided that it was too soon to review the budget, sort of the what do we call the the basically what Stephen laid out of like we had to make all the decisions and it was too soon in April to really make those decisions.
I told you. So, I'm gonna give you those top >> I'm gonna give you. >> I'll take orchestra right. >> All right. Thank you for your patience while we took care of that administrative function. What I'm now is I'm going to ask You don't have to vote yet. I'll ask you to raise your cards if you are in favor. You're going to have to keep them raised for an extended period of time because the tellers have to get out there and have to go one, two, three, four for all of you. And we'll have you lower your cards once everything's been counted.
I can't I'm not thinking of the right word terminology. >> 21st is one thing. Remember how we reviewed on April 7 or the first week in April and we were trying to say like well we need more time to consider like what the potential >> what's the right word the right phrase the right way to >> restructure >> the budget adjustments the budget adjustments thank you that was the phrase I was looking for >> got it >> it was sort of too early in April like we couldn't really have the disc that's why we ended up having that special meeting that Monday in April so we had discussed maybe moving the April 7th meeting to the week after spring break so that the administration would have more time to review and make recommendations. >> Okay. >> Does that make sense? >> Yeah. I think we all had said that.
Anybody have any questions? Great. All those in favor, please raise your cards. Thank you. Keep them up. That's Which >> 24? >> You may all lower your cards. Thank you very much. All those opposed to the motion, please raise your cards. Which section? Top right. That was the top left. >> Thank you. >> You can all lower your cards now. >> Okay. Do some math now. >> It's okay. I'm a CPA. Okay, the results are in. Uh, not only didn't it get two/3s, it didn't pass. The yes's were 140. The nos were 157. The motion fails. Come on. You made it this far. Article nine to see if the town will vote to amend chapter 98 of the general bylaws by adding a new section five secondary suite as is printed in your handbooks or take any action relative to there too. The finance committee defers his recommendation to town meeting.