Updates from the Feb. 26 Board of Selectmen meeting.
Selectman Kevin DiMarzio once again was in attendance via Zoom. Chairman Kevin Donovan said at the start of the meeting that DiMarzio is suffering from a back issue and will be attending via Zoom for the foreseeable future. DiMarzio has only attended one of the board’s four meetings this year in person.
The other three board members were in attendance.
COUNTY GIVES ABINGTON $500K GRANT FOR PFAS PROJECT
Abington is getting nearly a half million dollars in federal money to put towards the Abington/Rockland Joint Water Works PFAS eradication project. Congressman Stephen Lynch was joined by Plymouth County Commissioners Greg Handley and Jared Valanzola, as well as state Sen. John Keenan and state Rep. Alyson Sullivan were on hand Monday night to present an oversized cardboard check to the town. (Rockland is receiving a similar grant for the project.)
Pre-construction preparations are underway for $32 million in upgrades to the Water Works’ Hingham Street and Myers Avenue treatment plants. The work involves installing new treatment filters in both locations that will pull out PFAS from the water.
Lynch said it’s one of the best uses of CARES Act funding he’s seen in his district.
“It’s important to every single man, woman, and child in town,” he said.
Back in April 2020, Plymouth County applied for and received $90 million in federal CARES Act funding to help communities handle pandemic-related economic impacts. The City of Boston was the only other government entity in the state besides the Commonwealth to receive CARES Act funding. Then-Gov. Charles Baker tried to get the county to turn the funds over to the state, but county officials refused and have been awarding grants for the past four years. The delegation took turns Monday night praising the county for digging their heels in, and administering and distributing the funds with less than 1 percent overhead – “the lowest cost in the country,” they claimed. Valanzola said Plymouth County communities have received on average 50% more in CARES Act funding than similar communities in other counties that relied solely on state largesse. Plymouth County Treasurer Tom O’Brien said Abington has a couple more federally funded grant awards in the pipeline.
ROCKLAND MAN ALLOWED INTO ABINGTON MEETING
Elected officials from Abington and Rockland rarely miss an opportunity to tweak each other.
“I was told I’m only allowed in Abington if I bring a giant check,” said Valanzola, a Rockland resident.
Everyone was amicable during the group photo. The love was short-lived, however.
“Do you need directions back to Rockland?” Selectman Tim Chapin asked Valanzola afterwards.
BOARD GIVES $300K TRANSFER INTO COUNTY FUND
The board voted unanimously and without much discussion to give the town’s $300,000 in OPEB reserves to a similar fund managed by Plymouth County. OPEB stands for Other Post Employment Benefits. Historically, while communities were required to make annual contributions to fully fund employee pension plans, they were not required to do the same for other retirement benefits, such as health care. That has started to change in recent years, however, although the amounts set aside typically have been relatively small compared to the liability. Abington, for example, has set aside $300,000 over the past decade, but has a long-term liability of about $75 million, Town Manager Scott Lambiase said. The county says it will be able to better manage and invest the funds as part of a larger pool than if towns kept the funds in their own accounts. The county already manages the town’s retirement funds.
SULLIVAN, KEENAN SAY STATE BUDGET PICTURE REMAINS UNCLEAR
State Rep. Alyson Sullivan and state Sen. John Keenan gave selectmen a budget update – and it’s not great news.
State tax revenues continue to fall below benchmarks, widening an existing budget gap. And budget writers are struggling to figure out revenue estimates for the fiscal year starting July 1; although state tax collections are soft, national economic indicators remain strong.
“We just don’t know at this stage what to expect for FY ’25,” Keenan told selectmen.
The state has so far avoided making major cuts to balance the current budget. Gov. Maura Healey in January announced limited cuts in state accounts under the control of her office, mostly impacting budget earmarks. This included half of a $50,000 grant for a new van for the Abington Senior Center.
Sullivan said she was concerned about the lack of transparency from Healey’s office regarding the budget cuts, noting she found out moments before the town did.
The first draft of the budget authored by Gov. Maura Healey contains a relatively small increase in state aid. Abington would receive about $316,000 more in education and general government aid next year than this year. According to an analysis provided by Keenan, Abington has seen on average a $980,000 annual increase in state aid over the past five years, driven by sizeable jumps in education aid.
“Hopefully we (the Legislature) can do better, but I’m not sure,” Keenan said.
The House will unveil and debate its version of the budget in April, followed by the Senate in May.
The state has more than $8 billion in its rainy day savings account, but is not likely to tap into it this year, the legislators said.
VOTE ON NEW $283M SOUTH SHORE VOKE PROJECT LIKELY NEXT YEAR
A new South Shore Vocational Technical High School could result in a $600 increase to Abington’s tax bills, the school’s superintendent, Thomas Hickey, told selectmen. The school is looking to replace the decades-old facility in Hanover with a new three-story 256,000 square foot building that will be capable of holding additional students and programs. The new high school would be built on the existing fields out back, with the fields eventually being relocated to the front of the property where the school currently is sited. Hickey told selectmen that he envisions welcoming up to 900 students, including new students from Marshfield. The expanded school could also offer new plumbing and veterinary science programs. Initial costs estimate the new school will cost $283 million, with the state picking up about $107 million of the cost. Abington’s share would be about 16.7 percent of the cost, or about $551,000 annually. If Marshfield joins the school district, the project would increase the average Abington tax bill about $586; the amount will be higher if Marshfield doesn’t join.
Towns will be asked to vote on the project sometime next year. Each town will go to the ballot on the same day with votes counted in the aggregate.
Abington selectmen said they support the high school’s mission but expressed concern about the size of the tax hike, especially after voters approved a tax hike to pay for a new fire station/DPW yard.
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