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Date: 2/16/2022
EAST LONGMEADOW – The East Longmeadow Town Council has appointed Sidney Starks to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Councilor Thomas O’Connor in January. Starks served on the Planning Board during the creation of Center Square and currently sits on the Town Council Planning Matters Subcommittee, where he helped draft the mixed-use village bylaw.
At the Feb. 8 meeting, Council President Michael Kane said that Starks does not plan to seek election to the seat this spring. Starks was the only person to submit a formal letter of interest in the position. Kane said several individuals inquired about it informally, but all of them expressed interest in running for the permanent position in the election.
Financial Matters
Finance Director Stephen Lonergan told the council the investment and municipal ratings company Standard & Poor’s had returned a positive report for the town. East Longmeadow’s rating remained at AA+, just under the highest rating of AAA.
“I cannot say how pleased I am with this report,” Lonergan said. He gave credit for the town’s financial state to a “strong local economy, strong management, good financial policies, strong budgetary performance, liquidity and a strong debt and contingent liability profile.”
The only weaknesses identified by the report were the town’s pension and other post-employment benefits (OPEB) accounts. The Hampden County Regional Retirement System is approximately 53 percent funded, “Which isn’t bad, it’s just not where they want us to be,” Lonergan said.
The OPEB account pays for town retirees’ benefits, such as health insurance. It is 15 percent funded, with $56.8 million in outstanding liability. East Longmeadow is “aggressively” funding the OPEB account and Standard and Poor’s took this into account when issuing its report.”
Council Vice President Ralph Page asked Lonergan if any municipalities’ OPEB were completely funded. Lonergan knew of none and said, overall, “We’re better than most in the state.”
As part of the aggressive funding, the council approved an extra $1 million to be added to OPEB from free cash. Kane noted there is still $4.6 million in free cash after the appropriation for emergencies.
Solar Bylaw
An update to a zoning bylaw concerning ground-mounted photovoltaic arrays in residential areas. Planning Board Vice Chair George Kingston explained a company had approached the Planning Board about a residential area solar array and was rejected. After Massachusetts Land Court found in favor of the developer, the town was required to update the bylaws to reflect such use and regulate it.
The language in the bylaw is based on the “best practice” from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC), a public advisory and consulting agency that works with member towns on community development projects.
During the first reading of the bylaw before the council, Page suggested the bylaw is not yet ready for adoption. He cited language inconsistencies and other details that had to be rectified. Richards agreed and pointed to an example in Section 7.5.9 in which the bylaw required a registered professional engineer, but later provides an option for a land surveyor to do the work, presenting a contradiction.
The issue was continued to April 12 and referred to the Planning Matters Subcommittee in the meantime.
Other topics
Outgoing Town Manager Mary McNally reported East Longmeadow will receive a $100,000 grant from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. McNally praised the work done by Deputy Town Manager Karen Korpinen to secure the grant, which “allows us to hire a consultant to develop a business resource portal,” McNally explained.
The intersection at North Main Street and Mapleshade and Westwood avenues will be upgrading with $2.2 million in state funding. McNally said she had reached out to legislators but did not yet know when the money would be received.
The town is feeling the effect of international supply chain issues. McNally said vehicles for various departments are on backlog and are not expected to be delivered for at least 12 to 14 months after order.
A COVID-19 vaccine clinic at Birchland Park Middle School was successful. More than 50 people attended the clinic, with “a number of unanticipated walk-ins,” she said. A second clinic will be hosted at the school on Feb. 28. The town’s COVID-19 positivity rate was still over 16 percent as of Feb. 8, but was trending downward.