Annual Town Report Bolton Massachusetts 2019 THE TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FIRST REPORT OF THE SEVERAL BOARDS AND TOWN OFFICERS FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2019 TOWN OF BOLTON MASSACHUSETTS Alphabetical Listing of Reports ADVISORY COMMITTEE ......................................................................................................... 10 AFFORDABLE HOUSING PARTNERSHIP TRUST FUND .................................................... 71 AGRICULTURAL COMMISSION ............................................................................................. 97 ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER ................................................................................................. 58 ANIMAL INSPECTOR ................................................................................................................ 58 ASSISTANT ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER ........................................................................... 58 ASSISTANT ANIMAL INSPECTOR ......................................................................................... 58 BOARD OF ASSESSORS ........................................................................................................... 50 BOARD OF HEALTH ................................................................................................................. 53 BOARD OF REGISTRARS ......................................................................................................... 49 BOARD OF SELECTMEN ............................................................................................................ 3 BOLTON ACCESS TELEVISION CORPORATION ................................................................ 74 BUILDING DEPARTMENT ....................................................................................................... 76 CABLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ........................................................................................... 75 CAPITAL PLANNING COMMITTEE ....................................................................................... 71 CEMETERY COMMITTEE ........................................................................................................ 93 COMMUNICATION CENTER ................................................................................................. 106 CONSERVATION COMMITTEE ............................................................................................... 60 COUNCIL ON AGING ................................................................................................................ 81 CULTURAL COUNCIL .............................................................................................................. 98 DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS ....................................................................................... 84 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS’ SERVICES .......................................................................... 97 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ................................................................................................ 99 FIRE DEPARTMENT ................................................................................................................ 107 HISTORICAL COMMISSION .................................................................................................... 72 HOUSING AUTHORITY ............................................................................................................ 71 HUMAN SERVICES AND SAFETY COMMITTEE ................................................................. 93 LAW COMMITTEE ..................................................................................................................... 11 MINUTEMAN HIGH SCHOOL ................................................................................................ 121 MODERATOR ............................................................................................................................. 11 NASHOBA ASSOCIATED BOARDS OF HEALTH ................................................................. 54 NASHOBA REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT ........................................................................ 110 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION ................................................................................. 94 PLANNING BOARD ................................................................................................................... 63 PLUMBING AND GAS INSPECTOR ........................................................................................ 78 POLICE DEPARTMENT ........................................................................................................... 102 PUBLIC LIBRARY ...................................................................................................................... 79 PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING .................................................................................................. 105 PUBLIC WAYS SAFETY COMMITTEE ................................................................................... 59 TOWN ADMINISTRATOR .......................................................................................................... 6 TOWN CLERK ............................................................................................................................ 12 TREASURER/COLLECTOR..................................................................................................... 124 TREE WARDEN .......................................................................................................................... 83 WIRING INSPECTOR ................................................................................................................. 78 ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS ................................................................................................ 69 ELECTED TOWN OFFICIALS Moderator Douglas Storey 2020 Town Clerk Pamela H. Powell 2020 Selectmen Jonathan Keep 2022 Stanley M. Wysocki 2020 Robert Czekanski 2021 Board of Health Scott Powell 2022 Christopher Rogers 2020 Christopher Slade 2021 Board of Assessors Wendy Rogers 2022 Charlotte Johnson-Zembko 2020 Jeffrey D. Nichols 2021 Library Trustees Patricia Neron 2022 Pamela Czekanski 2020 Robert Zak 2021 Cemetery Committee Betsy Taylor-Kennedy 2022 Brenda Baum 2021 Roger Breeze 2020 Constables Barbara R. Brown 2022 Harold E. Brown 2022 David A. Goulding 2022 Christopher Slade 2022 Sean Collins 2022 Park and Recreation Commissioners Edward Sterling 2022 Laura Roberts 2022 Tammy Ballard 2020 Linda Herbison 2020 Lauren Cilley 2020 1 Planning Board Erik Neyland 2024 Mark Sprague 2020 Danielle Spicer 2021 Peter Driscoll 2021 Michael Gorr 2022 Bolton Housing Authority Kevin O'Brien 2023 Open Seat 2022 Mark Duggan 2020 Open Seat 2022 Nashoba Regional School District Committee Mary D.H. McCarthy 2022 Michael Horesh 2021 FEDERAL AND STATE REPRESENTATIVES United States Congress: Senator Elizabeth Warren (D) 2400 JFK Federal Building, 15 New Sudbury Street, Boston, MA 02203 (617) 565-3170 317 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510 (202) 224-4543 E-mail through web site: www.warren.senate.gov/ Senator Edward Markey (D) 975 JFK Federal Building, 15 New Sudbury Street, Boston, MA 02203 (617) 565-8519 255 Dirksen Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510 (202) 224-2742 E-mail through web site: www.markey.senate.gov/ Representative Lori Trahan (D) 3rd Congressional District 126 John St., Suite 12, Lowell, MA 01852 (978) 459-0101 Mon-Fri 8:30am-5:30pm 15 Union St, 4th Floor, Lawrence, MA 01840 (978) 258-1138 Tues & Thurs 8:00 am-12:00 pm 1616 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-3411 E-mail through web site: https://trahan.house.gov/contact/ Massachusetts General Court: Senator Dean A Tran (R) Second Worcester & Middlesex District 25 Beacon St, Rm 504, Boston, MA 02133 (617)722-1230 14 Wallace Ave, Fitchburg, MA 01420 (978) 829-1796 Email: [email protected] Representative Kate Hogan (D) 3rd Middlesex District First Division Chair 24 Beacon St, Rm 133, Boston, MA 02133 (617) 722-2199 36 Hastings Street, Stow, MA 01775 (978) 897-0821 Email: [email protected] 2 BOARD OF SELECTMEN Stanley M. Wysocki, Chairman .......................2020 Robert B. Czekanski ........................................2021 Jonathan D. Keep .............................................2022 2019 was a relatively quiet year for the Town of Bolton from the perspective of events in general. The budget presented at the 2019 Annual Town Meeting was challenging in a number of areas including the need to draw down Free Cash more heavily in order to balance the budget. At the end of the FY 2020 budgeting process, Free Cash stood at $124,650 where normally the target would have been at least $325,000. It was also a watershed budget year in that the portion of the overall town budget that represents Bolton's total assessment to the Nashoba Regional School District reached an all-time high of 63% or $15,570,994 with an increase of 4.87% over the previous year. Numerous Town officials have stated that the FY2020 budget was the tipping point in the Town's ability to continue to provide level-funded services, when the NRSD budget increases in the absolute dollar amounts that it does, given the overall percentage that the NRSD budget consumes in the Town's yearly budgets. To put it in another perspective, looking over the budget from the last couple of years, the budget expenditures for the Town of Bolton have increased $2,260,000. Of that, the increase of expenses for the town was $161,000. The remaining $2,100,000 has all gone to the