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The Raynham Channel
Board of Selectmen 12/17/2024
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(Episode Description is AI generated and may be errors in accuracy)
Unlock the complexities of municipal governance with us as we navigate through crucial topics that define community health and regulatory processes. Ever wonder how the Board of Health decides on tobacco regulations? Our deep dive into the current debates, including a proposal to cap tobacco licenses and discussions around sales, will enlighten you on the meticulous decision-making that impacts local businesses and public health. Health Director Paula, provides insightful updates on the smooth handling of end-of-year permits and the status of restaurant inspections, setting the stage for an engaging dialogue about potential new regulations and their implications.
We dissect the formal steps required to enter such sessions. From making a motion to conducting a roll call vote, these processes highlight the importance of transparency and structure in municipal meetings. This episode promises to enhance your understanding of the essential roles and processes that sustain effective local government operations.
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All right, good evening. I call the meeting to order at 7 pm and inform the public this meeting is being both broadcast live and recorded by the Rainham Channel and I would ask those in attendance to join us in the pledge, please.
Speaker 3I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands.
Speaker 1One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. I will entertain a motion to approve both the regular session and executive session minutes from December 10, with the executive session minutes being withheld.
Speaker 4I make a motion to accept the minutes as printed.
Speaker 1Second All in favor. Aye, it's approved unanimously. Department heads our health director, Paula Rossi, Clap Paula.
Speaker 3Yes, hello, I have a short report, but it doesn't mean that the Board of Health hasn't been busy. We've been keeping busy. The end of the year permitting is being processed by Kim, so all the permits are due by December 31st. People are coming in and they're being really good. We continue to work on all the paper documents being uploaded to our online files and restaurant restaurant inspections are up to date by mike, our health inspector, and no unusual complaints to report, but we do get a steady amount of them that we have to take care of. No communicable diseases reported of any concern from our town nurse Lindsay and I continue to work with Greg on updating border health regulations, like tonight's discussion on the tobacco regulations, and that's all I have.
Speaker 1thank you, mr Allen questions comments.
Speaker 4No, I have no questions, thank you.
Speaker 1Paul. No questions, paul, thank you very much. Have a great Christmas. I don't see you. You'll be seeing me. Oh, that's right, stay, that's right, you're staying. I forgot, all right. No appointments this evening, no hearings. Old business, ms Riley. I have none, mr Collins. No, sir, all right, all alcohol restaurant license renewals contingent upon building and fire inspections, and those are all listed on the public facing agenda. So I'm gonna dispense with the reading. What is the board's pleasure?
Speaker 1motion to approve second all in favor. Those are approved unanimously. Item B wine and malt beverage. Restaurant license renewals contingent upon building and fire inspections again, they're all listed on the agenda. What's the board's pleasure? Motion to approve. Second all in favor. It's approved unanimously. See farmer distillery pouring license renewals contingent upon building and fire inspections, again listed on here.
Speaker 1Motion to approve second all in favor, approved unanimously. D all alcohol package store renewals again listed on here. Motion to approve Second All in favor. Aye, that's approved unanimously. E wine and malt beverage package store renewals contingent upon building and fire inspections. It's a voice of pleasure.
Speaker 4Motion to approve.
Speaker 1Second All in favor. Aye, that is approved unanimously. Class one dealer licenses contingent upon building and fire inspections. Motion to approve Second All in favor is approved unanimously. Item G class 2 dealer licenses contingent upon building and fire inspections motion to approve second favor for approved unanimously item H, class 3 licenses contingent upon building and fire inspections. Motion to to approve Second.
Speaker 2All in favor. Aye, that is approved unanimously.
Speaker 1Next is discussion and preliminary review of draft Board of Health tobacco regs and a subsequent vote to set a hearing date. Paula, did you want to come back up?
Speaker 3So I sent you all the paperwork and what my suggested draft would be. It's following state guidelines and state recommendations and area towns have adopted as well. But certainly it's all up to the board to decide what you would like to do and how you'd like to proceed, and I'll follow.
Speaker 1Good Ms. Riley questions comments. Like to proceed and I'll follow. Good Ms.
Speaker 4Riley questions comments. It's just very comprehensive. It's a lot involved. Yes, for sure Very detailed.
Speaker 1Ms Fallon, I don't have any questions. Okay, I do have a few. One question and a couple comments. Just to clarify, paula, in one of the documents I saw it said that we had 19 tobacco licenses currently, but on this handout it says 25.
Speaker 3you know which one's accurate so from the document that I had sent up that pricing survey, that might be what you saw. The 19.
Speaker 1Since then we have had new permitting and we're up to 25 and you're proposing in these draft regs, a cap of 25, which would mean no new license.
Speaker 3I am a I, I should sit back there. We have 24 and we just got an inquiry, uh, to apply for a 25th. So that's being, you know, that's in the beginning stages of that process, but, um, I am, I'm proposing the 25, so we can put at that and we only have the one in queue correct, okay, um, and then going to the regulations restricting the sales, a couple things for you.
Speaker 1The first is item J, prohibition of the sale of blood wraps. There's nothing that follows, so we're either missing the text or J should be stricken, and it should be remembered.
Speaker 3So okay, I'm sorry, j, let me catch up to you. Oh, so, that was a little bit of confusion, because it says prohibition of blunt blunt wraps. I'm not recommending that we prohibit them, because they're already being used for sale to wrap cigars and you know tobacco products. So I left it in there because it was part of the lettering. So I don't know if the board wants to word it that we are not, or however. Your pleasure is to Decide, but I'm not recommending that we prohibit, okay.
Speaker 1Yeah, my suggestion would likewise to be taking it out and then renumbering it.
Speaker 3So remove J and I can. I just want to make sure that it all makes sense, for there's a few references Of lettering, so I will double check that and then my final piece is G.
Speaker 1I don't know where my two colleagues are, but I will not be supporting section G. I don't believe this board, or really any local board, should regulate the price of a commodity. We don't regulate the price of coffee, we don't regulate the price of beer and I don't want to start regulating the price of coffee. We don't regulate the price of beer and I don't want to start regulating the price of cigars. If Massachusetts, if the state in their infinite wisdom, thinks it's appropriate, then they should do a blanket law statewide, as opposed to leaving it up to the local jurisdictions. But you know again, I am definitive on the fact that I will not support regulating prices on a commodity. So I think it's a government overreach and exactly why people are displeased with government. And that is all. I have. Anything else? I have nothing else to add. Okay, anything else you want to add, paula?
Speaker 3No, that is all I have. Anything else? I have nothing else to add. Okay, anything else you want to add, paula? No, just if I can answer any questions. I know I did bombard you with paperwork, but I wanted to make sure you had all the information to be able to make your decisions. So if I can explain anything, I certainly will.
Speaker 4Mr Chairman, maybe just for the benefit of the public, if, paula, you could just kind of read the main points, for example, like first, no tobacco sales to persons under the age of 21. Tobacco product sales require permits. It goes on. Prohibition of smoking bars. Cigar sales are regulated, with the exception that you printed there. Sale of flavored tobacco products are prohibited. Nicotine content in electronic nicotine delivery systems there's information about that. Free distribution and coupon redemption is not allowed. Out of package sales are prohibited. Self-service displays are prohibited. Vending machines prohibited. Am I going? Am I Yep? Okay, I'm on track. Okay, non-residential roll your own machines are prohibited. Prohibition of the sale of tobacco products in health care institutions, one would hope. Prohibition of the sale of tobacco products by educational institutions. And then obviously, you incorporate state law and state regulations.
Speaker 3And, if I could interject, the statement of purpose backs up why the need for the detailed regulations and it does have to do with the health of the youth coming up. So a lot of these regulations are not necessarily banning, they're just restricting to sort of help. The youth, you know, cope with all that's out there attempting and all that to to deal with it. So it's helping us to work with the businesses and they're very open to us coming in there. Mike's got a great relationship with them as far as education and helping them out with signage and whatever we can get for them. We're helpful that way and they just want to do what's right. So whatever you all decide on, but, as I said, the statement of purpose is really the key to it.
Speaker 4It does amaze me that, with everything that's known from health concerns, that there's still so many young people yeah well, I think the flavored.
Speaker 3A lot of what I've done in the research that I found out about it's the flavored flavored enhancers and tobacco and the vaping products and things like that are just getting into the to the youth right now and just creating that issue, unfortunately. We did grew up I mean my generation grew up with candy cigarettes, so I mean we've got come a long way.
Speaker 4That doesn't exist anymore, and so this is just continuation is it possible, before the public hearing, that we put this on the website?
Speaker 1yeah, I don't have any issues with that? Absolutely okay. Anything else for paula?
Speaker 5all right, we just have to set the hearing name christoph yeah, it would be helpful in terms of uh getting a sense from the board as to whether they support g or not.
Speaker 1Your chair has indicated he does not, so obviously yeah so I personally have no objection with G, but I also don't mind amending it. If that's what it takes to get this through, I can go either way.
Speaker 4I don't know if that's wrong. That's wrong. I'm going to go in on G.
Speaker 1Yeah, I can go either way anyway, yes yeah, I would support the regs outside of that. Okay, so that seems to be the consensus. Then the strike G just alright, you need to stand a hearing date. Yes, I just looked, it would be January 7th two weeks out, unless we wanted to go later.
Speaker 4I'm just thinking with the holidays if people have a chance to, even you know. Take a look at it right.
Speaker 1Aye, the 14th. 14th is our special town meeting. No, wait until 21st. 21st, okay, I'll make that motion January 21stst okay, all right, I'll make that motion, can you worry, 21st, and do I have a second second? All in favor?
Speaker 3aye, so that's set for january 21st great great I will work with greg to get it posted.
Speaker 5You know, yeah, it does not legally need to be advertised, but we will post it. Yeah, awesome, thank you all right.
Speaker 1Item j uh one day special license. Rainham Lions Club New Year's Day breakfast. And Park and Rec supports this request. What's the Board's pleasure? Motion to approve. Second All in favor. Aye, that is approved Any other new business, ms Riley. I have none, mr Collins. No, sir, alright Town Administrator's report, mr Barnes.
Speaker 5I just wanted to remind the board that we're meeting next week on Monday, not Tuesday, remind the public that there will be no town hall hours next Tuesday or the next week, and then, finally, that I wish everyone I guess I can say it next meeting, but I hope everyone's having a happy holiday.
Speaker 1Thank you. Any questions, Ms Riley?
Speaker 4No questions, mr Collin no questions.
Speaker 1All right, Selecting to report.
Speaker 4Ms Riley Just want to mention that we are having that special town meeting on Tuesday January 14th and this is a very special public hearing the planning board is having on Thursday January 2nd, starting at 6 o'clock here at Town Hall. They've got a couple different hearings that they are doing One regarding all site plans requiring a special permit. The second deals with the accessory dwelling units that we it's going to be for the special town meeting. And thirdly, that flood plane. And just mention for a moment I've been doing some looking into that accessory dwelling unit I saw there was some discussion on Facebook with.
Speaker 4Is this something the selectmen are proposing? Obviously, it's a state law that's going into effect. It was just voted in last August, pretty quick turnaround. I think it's part of the state's effort to what they'd like to add between 8,000 and 10,000 new ADUs across the state in the next five years, and obviously it's something that all cities and towns have to comply with. But local communities can put some regulations on it which, as building commissioner, zoning enforcement officer has pointed out, is really important because this is going to affect our residential communities, residential neighborhoods, I should say. So that's really important and so what's being proposed for the special town meeting is some local regulations to put on that state law, but it is a state initiative. It's nothing that we've come up with.
Speaker 4It was Selectman getting into trouble again. So just want to, you know, mention that and again, that's really important. So encourage people to go to that planning board hearing if they can, or watch it on cable, and certainly come to that special town meeting that we will be having. And other than that, just want to compliment everybody in town with their decorations. I love this time of year looks so great. And a special call, a shout out to Crimson Avenue and Maple Avenue. They just that neighborhood does a phenomenal job and they do it to try to raise money also for Children's Hospital, which is very commendable thank you, miss Riley.
Speaker 1Mr Collins nothing new to report. Right correspondence we have no items. No press time emergency. Thank you, ms Riley. Mr Collins Correspondence we have no items. No press time Emergency business, ms Riley.
Speaker 4I performance of administrative.
Speaker 1I'm not there yet. Oh, okay, I still have citizen and community input. No emergency business. No, I'm sorry, emergency business.
Speaker 4I thought you were asking for.
Speaker 1That's all right.
Speaker 2No, emergency business Citizen and community input business.
Speaker 1no, I'm sorry emergency because I thought you're asking for yeah, okay, citizen, the community they put. If you could just come to the podium, state your name and if you are a resident, please restaurant owner and random tropical llama been here before.
Speaker 2I had put in for a one-day request for a license for the summer 31st and I was told it was gonna be on in the hearing today that is not on our agenda.
Speaker 1Greg, do you have any? I thought I saw something.
Speaker 5I thought I saw something emailed from the police department today, but that can go on.
Speaker 1Next week's agenda so we'll be meeting next Monday, a special meeting here at 7 o'clock and, if everything is in order, it will be on next week's agenda. So I would suggest, either before you leave or tomorrow, check with our office to make sure we have everything we need to set it here, okay, not.
Speaker 2Okay, okay, all right, so for next Monday, yes, okay, thank you.
Speaker 1Yep, all right.
Speaker 4Now Ms Riley, performance of the administrative duties. Yes, I have reviewed and signed the invoice and payroll wants with today's date, December 17th. Thank, you.
Speaker 1I will entertain a motion to go into executive session Master and Laws, chapter 38, section 21A2, to conduct strategy sessions in preparation for negotiations with non-union personnel or to conduct collective bargaining sessions or contract negotiations with non-union personnel. Time illustrated we will reconvene in public session for the sole purpose of adjournment. What's the pledge of pleasure? I'll make that motion.
Speaker 4Second. I roll call Ms Riley.
Speaker 1Aye, mr Collins. Aye, what's the pledge of pleasure? I'll make that motion Second. I roll call Ms Riley Aye, mr Collins. Aye, she has votes. Aye, thank you all. Have a great evening.