The Town Council voted to table consideration of a proposed change to the winter-maintenance memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Bedford School District to allow staff and the superintendent to provide additional financial detail.
Town Manager Rick Sawyer explained the change under consideration: the MOU adopted last year included a requirement to reauthorize the agreement annually; the recommended revision would remove the annual reauthorization requirement so the MOU remains in effect until either party terminates it. "The only change we're recommending this year is to make that so that it does not have to be, approved every year," Sawyer said.
Several councilors expressed concern about the MOU's budget effect given the town's default budget status and asked for a dollarized estimate of the cost to the municipal budget. Councilor Levesque and others asked whether the town should be charging the school for the cost, and Councilor Bemis requested a clear dollar figure for what the town provides under the arrangement. Sawyer said the work the town performs for the school has been ongoing for decades and that the costs are embedded in salt, sand purchases and staff time. "It's all part of the total salt and sand purchase, and then it's just the employees working," Sawyer said; he also agreed to follow up with dollar estimates and to discuss options with the superintendent.
After the discussion, Councilor Soule moved to table the item so staff could report back with cost and policy clarifications; the motion to table was seconded and approved. "If you'd like to table this, I'll have those discussions with the superintendent and we'll follow-up in August," Sawyer said when the motion passed.
Why it matters: the MOU changes how the town documents longstanding operational cooperation with the school district and has budget implications, particularly when the town is operating under a default budget.
Next steps: staff will obtain a dollarized estimate of the maintenance value provided to the school district and return to council with additional information in August.