THE ROTTEN SMELL OF YET ANOTHER SELECT BOARD POWER GRAB–THE CITIZENS’ PETITION (WINK, WINK) WARRANT ARTICLE TO ELIMINATE THE D.P.W. BOARD

In case you hadn’t noticed, the dishonest hacks constituting the Sterling Select Board are completely out of control and running amok. They want to be the new “Permit Granting Authority” (PGA) under the thoroughly bent, crony crafted, developer promoted proposed new Earth Removal By-Law (Article 47, 2021 Annual Town Meeting Warrant– ( https://www.sterling-ma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif1266/f/uploads/2021_6_14_atm_sterling_warrant_0.pdf ) — SEE previous post, this Blog, entitled “BEDROCK CRONYISM-THE PROPOSED, REVISED EARTH REMOVAL BY-LAW,” and are now displaying their contemptible underhandedness by abusing the Town Meeting “Consent Calendar” process in an undisguised effort to ram through multiple Zoning By-Law changes set forth in Articles 28 through 41 of the Annual Town Meeting Warrant. SEE previous post, this Blog.
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So check out Annual Town Meeting Warrant Article 54, “CITIZENS PETITION [WINK, WINK]: ELIMINATE THE PUBLIC WORKS BOARD.” Eliminating the D.P.W. Board will vest all of its powers and authority in the dishonest Select Board hacks, the thought of which should make us all recoil.

SO SEND A MESSAGE TO THESE HACKS: VOTE DOWN WARRANT ARTICLES 28 THROUGH 41, ARTICLE 47, AND ARTICLE 54.

J.G.

STERLING SELECT BOARD, PLANNING BOARD, AND ZBA REPROBATES NOW ABUSING “CONSENT CALENDAR” PROCEDURE

Long-time Sterling resident Peter Monaghan kindly reminded me that the Town Meeting “Consent Calendar” procedure was intended and formerly used to speed through for approval only relatively minor and mundane Annual Town Meeting Warrant Articles. A tip of the hat to him. For a good example of such previously employed “Consent Calendar” methodology see the 2019 Annual Town Meeting Warrant– https://www.sterling-ma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif1266/f/uploads/2019_atm_warrant-_final_4-5-19_0.pdf

The abusive and dishonest reprobates on the Select Board, Planning Board, and ZBA have now warped the “Consent Calendar” procedure in a transparent effort to ram through controversial, consequential, and far-reaching so-called “PROTECTIVE ZONING BYLAW UPDATES” by means of the “SECOND CONSENT AGENDA-ARTICLES 28 THROUGH 41.” SEE 2021 Annual Town Meeting Warrant beginning at page 13– https://www.sterling-ma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif1266/f/uploads/2021_6_14_atm_sterling_warrant_0.pdf
This is a glaring abuse. Each one of those Articles should receive stand-alone consideration and a stand-alone up or down vote–AND THOSE REPROBATES KNOW IT.

SO, FOLKS, HERE’S THE SOLUTION–VOTE DOWN ALL ARTICLES 28 THROUGH 41.

J.G.

STERLING FINANCE COMMITTEE SAPS WANT ADDITIONAL FIREFIGHTER/EMT-PARAMEDIC HIRE–IS THAT TO COVER ALL THE STERLING AMBULANCE RUNS FOR CLINTON RESIDENTS???

The Sterling Finance Committee saps want to hire another Firefighter/EMT-Paramedic. SEE Article 27, Annual Town Meeting Warrant– https://www.sterling-ma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif1266/f/uploads/2021_6_14_atm_sterling_warrant_0.pdf

Is that to cover all the Sterling ambulance runs to Clinton because the unionized Clinton Fire Department EMTs/Layabouts rendered the middle finger salute to the Clinton Select Board and refused to get certified as Paramedics, whereas Sterling has Paramedics???

SEE prior post, this Blog, on this subject. At least the Select Board says that it does not recommend passage of this boondoggle.

VOTE a BIG “NO” on this one, folks.

J.G.

STERLING FINANCE COMMITTEE MISLEADS BY OMISSION–THE WACHUSETT REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT “ASSESSMENT” HIDES ITS FULL BUDGETARY RACKET

The Sterling Finance Committee, in its “Finance Committee Report” beginning this year’s Sterling Annual Town Meeting Warrant, says that “The Wachusett Regional School District increased their overall assessment by 1.44%…” imposed on Sterling. What the Finance Committee did not acknowledge is that, among the five Towns in the WRSD, Sterling has had the largest percentage drop-off in student enrollment over the years, and that the WRSD full budget increase over last Fiscal Year is 2.88%. SEE http://www.wrsdonline.net/finance/FY22BudgetBook.pdf

Moreover, the Finance Committee remained silent about the fact that the WRSD budget has increased an absolutely outrageous 25%–$22 million–just since Fiscal Year 2016, despite annual district-wide falling student enrollment numbers since 2012. The Finance Committee wimps are supposed to protect Sterling taxpayers but, of course, stay contentedly supine.

Of course there was no mention that Sterling Finance Committee member Ezequiel Ayala and WRSD Committee member Melissa Ayala share the same home here in Sterling. NO CONFLICT OF INTEREST HERE, FOLKS, NO SIREE, SO JUST MOVE ALONG NOW…

For more on the WRSD Racket see prior post, this Blog.

J.G.

TWO PRO-TAXPAYER ARTICLES–NOS. 52 AND 53–ON THE STERLING ANNUAL TOWN MEETING WARRANT, SO SHOW UP AND VOTE FOR THEM

Our “Profiles in Courage” Select Board waited until the last day permitted–7 June 2021–under Mass. Gen. Laws Ch. 39, Sec. 10, before posting the Warrant for this year’s 14 June 2021 Sterling Annual Town Meeting. Despite the fact that they are shameless, nevertheless I assume that they are somewhat embarrassed by it. They should be. It is chock full of ‘dogs.’ Obviously they did not want to provide Sterling voters much time to analyze it. Here it is–https://www.sterling-ma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif1266/f/uploads/2021_6_14_atm_sterling_warrant_0.pdf Please take the time to study it carefully. Be wary. Spot the ‘dogs’ yourself. I’ll be posting about some of the harmful Articles in coming days, so stay tuned!


ARTICLE 52 RESTORES STERLING TOWN MEETING HISTORICAL PRACTICE AND EMBODIES IT IN THE GENERAL TOWN BY-LAWS, CH. 180

Before the 2019 and 2020 Sterling Annual Town Meetings there were NEVER any so-called “Omnibus Budget” Warrant Articles consolidating the Sterling Municipal budget, the Wachusett Regional School District budget, and the Montachusett Regional Vocational School District budget in a single Article for an up or down vote. Such consolidation had the practical effect of limiting questions, discussion, objections, and debate, because each component’s special interest group factional voters present would combine in voting to ram through the entire package. The Select Board and the Finance Committee knew that, of course. Such consolidation is their quick and dirty way of hosing Sterling taxpayers. This year Sterling registered voters, by petition, got Article 52 on the Warrant. It prohibits such consolidation and requires that each such school district’s annual budget request be set forth in a separate, distinct Warrant Article. Likewise each annual Sterling Municipal budget request. Moreover, those requirements will now be set forth in the Town’s General By-Laws, Ch. 180. So come out to this year’s Annual Town Meeting and vote to protect your wallets by approving Article 52.


ARTICLE 53 RESTORES STERLING TOWN MEETING HISTORICAL PRACTICE AND EMBODIES IT IN THE GENERAL TOWN BY-LAWS, CH. 180

Until recent years there were NEVER any so-called “Capital Plan” or, for example, this year’s so-called “Capital Improvement Plan” Warrant Articles in which disparate, unrelated, significant capital spending items were lumped together to be rammed through by the disparate factions supporting the goody-grab-bag components listed. Check out Articles 16, 18, 19 in this year’s Warrant as prime examples of this taxpayer-abusing practice.

NOW, compare THOSE Articles to the capital spending requests set forth in the 2014 Sterling Annual Town Meeting Warrant when EACH capital item exceeding $19,000 in costs was set forth in a separate, distinct Article for an up or down vote– https://www.sterling-ma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif1266/f/file/file/2014_warrant_compiled.pdf

The Select Board, the Finance Committee, and the Capital Budget Committee know that consolidating disparate capital spending requests is the quick and dirty way of hosing Sterling taxpayers. This year Sterling registered voters, by petition, got Article 53 on the Warrant. It prohibits such consolidation and requires that each capital spending request be set forth in a separate, distinct Warrant Article. Moreover, that requirement will now be set forth in the Town’s General By-Laws, Ch. 180. So come out to this year’s Annual Town Meeting and vote to protect your wallets by approving Article 53 too.

See you there.

J.G.

TOWN OF CLINTON MOOCHES OFF STERLING TAXPAYERS–APPROXIMATELY ONE-THIRD (1/3) OF STERLING AMBULANCE RUNS ARE FOR CLINTON RESIDENTS

Reliable sources report that approximately one-third (1/3) of Sterling Fire Department ambulance runs are for Clinton residents because the Sterling Fire Department has Paramedics whereas the Clinton Fire Department’s unionized lesser-qualified EMT semi-lay-abouts declined to get Paramedic certification despite being told to do so by the Clinton Select Board. Paramedics can administer medications and perform certain invasive procedures whereas lesser-qualified EMTs cannot. SEE https://www.ems1.com/ems-products/education/articles/what-do-paramedics-do-av5C8MG7jiwB4VpC/ So for more serious Clinton accidents, injuries, and acute medical conditions Sterling Paramedics are making the runs.

So-called ‘Mutual Aid,’ on occasion, is one thing, but having our Sterling Fire Department personnel, vehicles, and medical equipment exploited and tied up in Clinton consistently because we have saps on the Select Board is quite another.

Here are some pertinent questions: How long has this been going on? Why has this practice never been divulged to Sterling taxpayers at a Town Meeting or in any other forum? Has the Sterling Fire Department hired additional people in order to cover all those runs to Clinton? If so, how many and who are they? Do the Sterling Fire Department personnel take Clinton victims/patients only to Clinton Hospital or do they take Clinton victims/patients to Worcester hospitals also? Which Sterling Fire Department vehicles make the runs to Clinton? In terms of total accrued mileage/wear-and-tear on those vehicles, what percentage is attributable to the Clinton runs? Does the Sterling Fire Department bill a higher amount for the Clinton runs than it does for Sterling runs? What percentage of Clinton victims/patients are non-payers to the Sterling Fire Department (deadbeats)?

The Sterling Select Board owes us the answers.

J.G.

YEARS OF FALLING STUDENT ENROLLMENT NUMBERS BUT SHARPLY RISING ANNUAL BUDGETS–THE WACHUSETT REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT RACKET

FALLING STUDENT ENROLLMENT NUMBERS SINCE FISCAL YEAR 2012

Wachusett Regional School District (WRSD) student enrollment numbers have fallen every year since 2012. That year enrollment was 7472. Enrollment fell thereafter until it was 7010 in 2020 when the Chinese Communist Party Wuhan Virology Lab Coronavirus (CCP Virus) Pandemic was recognized. In the past year total enrollment has fallen precipitously, to 6586. SEE WRSD proposed FY 2022 Budget, graph, page 8– http://www.wrsdonline.net/finance/FY22BudgetBook.pdf

WRSD BUDGETS HAVE INCREASED $22 MILLION JUST SINCE FISCAL YEAR 2016

Those of you who still believe the teachers’ unions’ chants that school spending is “for the children” are soft as grapes. It’s NOT about the children. IT’S ALL ABOUT THEIR SALARIES, MEDICAL INSURANCE, PENSION BENEFITS, AND OTHER POST-EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS (OPEB). With WRSD student enrollment falling over the years you would expect to see incremental, permanent WRSD teacher and staff Reductions In Force (RIFs), right? Well, you would be wrong. That’s not how the ‘Education Establishment,’ feeding from the taxpayer-funded public mammary gland, works. Since FY 2012 WRSD has created and filled new positions. SEE, for example, this– https://www.telegram.com/news/20200214/wachusett-regional-school-budget-includes-7-new-positions  Back in FY 2017 the shameless WRSD Committee and Administration created a laughable and notorious new position, that of “HVAC Supervisor” at $83,000/year to start. They don’t even pretend to have any regard for District taxpayers and don’t pretend to exercise spending restraint.

The FY 2016 WRSD budget was  reduced to $83.3 after the intelligent voters in Paxton and Rutland rejected the whole hog then proposed by the tax-and-spend WRSD Committee and Administration. SEE https://www.thelandmark.com/article/20150702/NEWS/307029483  Smart voters/taxpayers know that WRSD budget increases, each based on the prior year’s figure, are COMPOUNDED in an ever upward spiral. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough intelligent voters in the other District Towns to keep a lid, consistently, on WRSD budgets. As of March 15, 2021, the proposed WRSD FY 2022 Budget was $105,053,279. SEE FY 22 Budget Book link, above. In a mere 6 Fiscal Years the WRSD Budgets have compounded and skyrocketed an outrageous $22 million! This has prompted new objections by Paxton and Rutland officials, and rightly so. SEE https://www.thelandmark.com/story/news/education/2021/03/08/paxton-balks-proposed-wrsd-budget/6823401002/

and   https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/rutland-voters-face-24500k-override-request-to-fund-budget/ar-BB1gtvfm

Let us hope that the intelligent voters in those Towns reject the WRSD FY 2022 Budget, thereby saving taxpayers in Sterling, Princeton, and Holden, whose sheep-like Town Meeting voters never fail to cut their own throats, some money.

Those interested in WRSD annual budgets and audits can view some here– https://www.wrsd.net/district_info/budget_and_finance

AFTER AN ALMOST ONE-YEAR PAID VACATION, THANKS TO THE CCP VIRUS PANDEMIC, FY 2022 WRSD EMPLOYEES’ SALARIES AND STIPENDS ARE SLATED TO INCREASE 2.64%, AND BENEFITS AND INSURANCE COSTS 11.43%

Thanks to the CCP Virus WRSD employees had an almost one-year paid vacation during which period your children had no classroom instruction. So one would think that unionized WRSD teachers and other WRSD employees would forego FY 2022 salary and stipend increases, right? WRONG! WRSD salaries and stipends are slated to increase 2.64%, and benefits and insurance costs 11.43%, for a combined increase of 4.37%. SEE FY Budget Book link, above, page 13.

This again prompts the question: Since student enrollment has decreased from 7472 in FY 2012 to 6586 now, why has the WRSD not RIFed teachers and staff, thereby curtailing salary and benefit increases to the benefit of District taxpayers? ANSWER: Because, as noted, the ‘Education Establishment’ doesn’t care about taxpayers.

EZEQUIEL AYALA, STERLING FINANCE COMMITTEE, AND MELISSA AYALA, WRSD COMMITTEE

Ezequiel Ayala, Sterling Finance Committee member, and Melissa Ayala, WRSD Committee member, share the same home here in Sterling. For those new to Sterling, the Select Board appoints Finance Committee members and the feckless Finance Committee, at Town Meeting, always recommends passage of the WRSD proposed budgets. It is readily apparent that these folks would not recognize a flagrant conflict of interest, such as this, if one reared up and bit ’em all in the A$$. This is but one example. You can just imagine how many conflicts of interest permeate the five WRSD member Towns.

14 JUNE STERLING ANNUAL TOWN MEETING

Do yourselves a favor and vote down the WRSD FY 2022 proposed budget at this year’s Sterling Annual Town Meeting.

J.G.

STERLING BOARD OF HEALTH SCHEDULES “EXECUTIVE SESSION” FOR MAY 20, RUMORS SWIRL

The Board of Health has scheduled an “Executive Session” for Thursday, May 20, 2021– https://www.sterling-ma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif1266/f/agendas/05-20-2021_posted_agenda_form_sterling_board_of_health_excutive_session.pdf Rumors swirl. One rumor has it that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General sent the Board of Health a letter about BOH Inspector David “Nowhere Man” Favreau’s Completely Non-Itemized Time Sheets (see previous post, this Blog) and that that is the “Executive Session” subject.

Another rumor is that Catherine Martin and Allen Hoffman, the two BOH members who are content with Mr. Favreau’s time sheets–Gary Menin being the honorable dissenter–will use that “Executive Session” as an opportunity to adopt this classic song- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FzCWLOHUes -as the new BOH anthem.

Perhaps both rumors are accurate.

In any event, vote to re-elect Gary Menin to the BOH this June.

J.G.

GIVEN STERLING’S PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY SHORTCOMINGS IT IS TIME TO RENEW THE “RATE OF DEVELOPMENT” ZONING PROVISIONS RATHER THAN EXPUNGE THEM

TOWN OFFICIALS KNOW THAT STERLING HAS WATER SUPPLY SHORTCOMINGS

Toward the bottom of almost every Sterling Select Board published Agenda are the words “Water Supply” in red. Here is but one example: https://www.sterling-ma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif1266/f/agendas/2021_4_14_agenda2.pdf

The Select Board members know that Sterling has water supply shortcomings. After all, for many years, Sterling residents have been presented with May 1 to September 30 water use restriction notices such as this: https://www.sterling-ma.gov/department-of-public-works/news/mandatory-water-ban-may-1st-september-30th

THE STERLING PROTECTIVE (ZONING) BY-LAW “RATE OF DEVELOPMENT” PROVISIONS

Years ago Sterling Town Meeting voters approved the “Article 4, SPECIAL REGULATIONS, 4.2 [et seq.], Rate of Development” “to phase growth so that it will not unduly strain the community’s ability to provide basic public facilities and services…”(emphasis original and added). SEE page 21– https://www.sterling-ma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif1266/f/uploads/2019_protective_bylaws_6_may_2019.pdf
Those provisions became effective in 1998 and, by their terms, expired 15 years later.

THE PLANNING BOARD, CHAIRED BY DEVELOPER/HOME BUILDER CARL CORRINNE, NOW SEEKS TO EXPUNGE THE “RATE OF DEVELOPMENT” PROVISIONS RATHER THAN RENEW THEM

Despite Sterling’s known public water supply shortcomings the Planning Board, Chaired by developer/home builder Carl Corrinne, THIS GUY– http://www.cdcorrinnebuilders.com/ –now seeks to expunge the expired “Rate of Development” Zoning provisions rather than renew them. SEE https://www.sterling-ma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif1266/f/agendas/2-25-2021_stamped_proposed_zoning_amendments.pdf
If you are looking for intellectual honesty don’t look for it on the Planning Board.

TIME FOR THE SELECT BOARD TO CONSERVE THE TOWN’S WATER RESOURCES BY MOVING TO RENEW THE “RATE OF DEVELOPMENT” ZONING PROVISIONS

The Select Board can’t have it both ways. If its members are genuinely concerned about Sterling’s public water supply shortcomings then they cannot promote unrestricted development in this Town and should move to renew the “Rate of Development” Zoning provisions for an unlimited time period. Let’s see what they do.

UPDATE–TOWN MEETING WARRANT ARTICLE 36, “RATE OF DEVELOPMENT”

This is now Annual Town Meeting Warrant Article 36, part of the bogus, abusive “SECOND CONSENT AGENDA” that begins on page 13 of the Warrant. The shameless hypocrites on the Planning Board and Select Board–apparently wholly subservient to local developers–despite knowing that the Town of Sterling has a public water supply shortage, now seek to expunge the “Rate Of Development” provisions from the Sterling Protective (Zoning) By-Laws, rather than restoring and re-imposing them until additional public water supply capacity can be brought online.

VOTE DOWN ARTICLE 36.

J.G.

MORE INFO ON THE WEKEPEKE BROOK WATERSHED AND THE WEKEPEKE AQUIFER

NASHUA RIVER WATERSHED ASSOCIATION INFO ON THE WEKEPEKE BROOK WATERSHED AND WEKEPEKE AQUIFER

Here is the NRWA Wekepeke Basin webpage that provides good information about Wekepeke Brook, the Wekepeke Drainage Basin, and the Wekepeke Aquifer– nrwa@NashuaRiverWatershed.org I hope that the NRWA updates that page with current data soon.

GEOLOGY AND HYDROLOGY RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO TOWN OF STERLING OFFICIALS

Any Town of Sterling officials having a beef with the presently-mapped MassDEP Wellhead Protection Area Zone II boundaries for the City of Leominster Jungle Road well field, corresponding with the North Sterling Aquifer Protection Zone Overlay Map, should contact the Massachusetts Geological Survey and Massachusetts State Geologist who, in conjunction with the U.S. Geological Survey, work on Massachusetts hydrology studies and who are updating the Massachusetts surficial and bedrock geology maps. SEE http://mgs.geo.umass.edu/ and https://mgs.geo.umass.edu/about/mgs-staff

Research into groundwater storage continues. A UMass-Amherst hydrologist discovered recently that upland glacial tills store large groundwater volumes. Glacial tills were essentially disregarded as groundwater storage resources before 2017. Now those geological units must be factored into groundwater assessment and mapping, too. SEE https://www.umass.edu/newsoffice/article/new-england%E2%80%99s-glacial-upland-soils-provide

IN ADDITION, the U.S.G.S. New England Water Science Center is just down the road in Northborough. SEE https://www.usgs.gov/centers/new-england-water

Any new data indicating that that Zone II area should be reduced in size should be brought to the attention of MassDEP and MassGIS officials before attempts are made to re-zone at a Sterling Town Meeting the North Sterling Aquifer Protection Overlay area.

J.G.