Randolph, Braintree at Odds
On Fire Assessment

By Ben Merrill

The Randolph Selectboard on Tuesday agreed to invite the Braintree Selectboard to an in-person meeting to resolve an ongoing disagreement over how much money Braintree should pay for fire protection services.

In a January letter to the Randolph board, Braintree proposed reducing its fire services assessment from 100% of its grand list to 70%. Among the reasons Braintree gave for paying a reduced assessment is that it has "no voice" in the funding or operation decisions of any of the three Randolph fire departments, and only limited input on the Fire Advisory Committee.

The Braintree board also noted that at the 100% level, it was essentially paying for equipment used by three departments, not all of which are needed to fight Braintree’s fires.

"While we are truly fortunate to have volunteer fire departments with members so committed [to serving] their communities," the board said, "it is our responsibility to…make sure that Braintree residents are getting the maximum value for their tax dollar."

"We are funding an equipment replacement fund in which we are not owners," the Braintree board continued, "and up until the last few assessment years, Braintree [has] been assessed at somewhat below 100%."

In fact, Braintree was assessed at just 50% of its grand list in 1989 and at 70% of its grand list between 1991 and 2000.

But according to a June, 2000 letter from Randolph Assessor Pat French to the Braintree board, the assessment was scheduled to increase by five percent annually in 2000 until it reached 100% in 2006.

"Randolph is more than willing to listen to any legitimate concerns" Braintree might have, French wrote in a memo to the board, adding "Braintree also does not have the hassle or responsibility of managing and running a fire department."

"I don’t think Braintree’s arguments are valid," selectboard member Dawn Butterfield said.

"Well, they have come back and offered to pay 80%," said Selectboard Chair Jim Hutchinson, "but I think I’d still like to see it at 100%."

French agreed. "I don’t think it’s fair," he wrote, "for Randolph taxpayers to continue to subsidize fire protection in Braintree."

"Why don’t we have them come in here to negotiate this in person," suggested board member Larry Townsend, "instead of us negotiating it in the paper and on camera."

WRVA Assessment

Assistant Town Manager Joe Voci notified board members he’d reached an agreement with White River Valley Ambulance (WRVA) to pay Randolph’s share of its funding on an accelerated basis.

"Our current monthly payment of $13,279 will increase to $18,722 for three months," Voci said, with a final payment of $10,228 due in May, bringing Randolph’s total contribution to $66,395."

The reason for the increase, he added, is to help WVRA make it through a crunch cash-flow period, and to ensure the town continues to receive a much-needed service.

"They just better not be short of cash in June," Voci said, "because we’ll be paid in full by then."

Chandler Request

The board also voted to ask members of the Chandler Board of Directors to meet with interested taxpayers prior to Town Meeting to outline and overview why it is asking for a $750,000 bond to repair the town-owned structure.

"This is a lot of money," Chair Hutchinson said, "and I think it would be helpful for taxpayers to know just what the money will be used for."

The meeting was set for Thursday, February 22 at 7 p.m., tentatively at the Chandler Music Hall main gallery.

Joe Voci, now wearing his public works director hat, informed the board that the town would soon need a new loader.

"Our current loader is 12 years old," he said, "and just about at the end of its useful life."

There is an opportunity, he added, to pick up one that the state had bid on earlier this year for $118,167, minus a $25,000 trade-in on the old one.

"But I wouldn’t want to pursue any of this until and unless the capital budget passes," Voci said

He asked whether the board would trust the state’s bidding process on this particular piece of equipment, which would allow Randolph to avoid going through its own bid process.

The board agreed, pending approval of the capital budget, and encouraged Voci to purchase the loader outright versus choosing a financing option.

"Assuming the budget passes we’ll have the money," Voci said, "mostly because for the past few years we’ve been setting funds aside for just this kind of purchase."

No Mo’ Plowing

Voci reported that he was ready to begin contacting residents on private roads that their town-provided snowplowing services will cease beginning next year.

"There are several roads out there which the town has been plowing for a number of years, but the reality is, they simply aren’t town-approved roads," he said.

"We aren’t going to leave these people stranded this year, but we want them to know that beginning next year, we won’t be coming by with the plow."

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