Special Town Meeting is expected to begin at 7:30 p.m. Framingham Patch will be blogging.

7:35 p.m. Special Town Meeting is doing a memorial ceremony to the late Edward Noonan, who was Town Moderator.

Valerie Mulvey is speaking - he was my friend ... when he died suddenly..

Honored to share with you some of his many accomplishments

7 years on capital budget Many years moderator

strong advocate for Town Meeting

Ed appreciated the moderator role in Town government

chair of capital budget committee to speak - Mike McCarthy

Town Meeting for 10 years -- we had a lot in common - Ed would inquire how the committee was doing - never try to interfer ...

last April about two weeks before Town Meeting ended - end had a grandson who died in a car crash ... played in basketball team -- all-around kid -- took a terrible toll on him ... most people didn't know it happened ... as it didn't affect him as Town Moderator ...

I hope that is how Town Meeting remembers Ed -- did best job he can ..and really cared.

Betty Funk speaking -- immediate past chair ... success of a community is bound by its participants .. many individuals contribute to the quality fo life .. unselfish committment -- love and respect of people and love and respect of community.

For those of us who was recruited by Ed to serve on the fiannce committee - seen as a gentleman -- well informed -- very grateful to the contributions he made to this community. .. appreciated his role as moderator of this Town Meeting.

7:46 p.m. Government study committee vice chair speaking about Ed Noonan

Selectman Ginger speaking ... our former respected town moderator

thank you for bringing your sense of dignity and responsibility to moderator.

thank for for being the Patriot reminded us of our duty - civic duty ...

began each session with pledge of allegiance ...

Thanks you for making this process seem seemless, when it is everything but.

Thank you for staying the course through controversy -- being aware of the sies, fractions and interest groups ... allowing each matter to be aired and leaving the decision to be decided by town meeting

knew how to win with grace and knew how to lose with grace.

Mulvey speaking filled with saddness losing my friend Ed Noonan.

Plant and gavel being given to Ed's wife Judy ... by Town Clerk Valerie Mulvey

Judy Noonan speaking -- know enough not to go over 10 minutes

Family and I would like to thank you for your tribute to Ed.

Town politics was extremely important to him .. he loved to talk about town politics. How much he admired and respected the process of Town Meeting.

He loved being Town moderator - his goal was to always be fair and neutral.

****

Voter registration - presidential election -- tomorrow until 8 p.m.

Moderator Banerjee -- moment of silence for Ed Noonan

Pledge of Allegiance

8:00PM

Apointments --

Finance Committee - Scott Estes, new fincom member; Nancy Wilson re-appointed

capital Budget -- Kevin Crotty, Ed Kross

****

Town Moderator Teri Banerjee reviewing procedures ...

8:06 p.m. Town Meeting called to order

Kevin Crotty -- Thank you Madam Moderator ... Precinct 7 -- that has a nice ring to it...

Move to table Article 15 - 2/3rd vote needed -- PASSED

First order of business Wednesday night.

Move to Article 17 -- move to 2nd order of business - Town Manager will be here tomorrow night but may not be here on Thursday. 2/3rd vote needed - PASSED

Move to article 18 -- third order of business on Wednesday for same reason in article 17 -- 2/3rd vote needed -- PASSED

****

Article 1 - Joel Winett -- Reports

Motion on use of electronic voting devices -- this is a procedural motion - Winett

received a keypad when checked in- for your use and your use only ..

1- yes

2- no 3 abstain

we learned quite a bit from use in Annual Town Meeting so made adjustments and changes .. 20 second to vote ... countdown clock on the screen and no more bright light when voting.

display 6 screens of 36 screens each of the votes ...

Unanimous vote to use electronic voting -- via hand vote.

CFO requested 15 minutes for a Town Meeting presentation

vote taken to allow her the extra 5 minutes passed

8:16 p.m. CFO speaking -- forecast of future finances  -- tool to help Town Meeting, taxpayers, etc...

Balnced budgets during economic downturns

investments in education, public safety and infrastructure.

Showing a graphic which shows the gap .. in revenue and expenditures - CFO

Editor's Note: See attached chart I have uploaded, on major sources of revenue from now through fiscal year 2017

CFO now talking about use of free cash ...

Salaries increase 4% for school dpeartment - CFO

3% for the municipal department - CFO

in 2015 -- operating costs will outpace revenue - CFO

As the annual fund grows, so does the stablization fund - CFO

pension -- all employees are members except for teachers (and perhaps teachers aides and principals). We have agreed to be fully funded by 2030. this will save us Millions of dollars ... CFO

8:33 p.m.  The other 9 reports I was require tomake to Town Meeting are on the back table - there will be no other presentations.

No questions being allowed on the reports

Report from Public Works Director on traffic management -- there is a report on th eback table .

Town Manager  Bob Halpin - report #4 - update on 2 numbers -- occupancy permit -- Anthenaeum Hall in saxonville - $760,000 for first floor and $1.05 million for entire hall. - full report is on the back table

#5 - report back table

#6 - School Committee report --David Miles chair -- growth of special education overth enext 10 years -- ho wmuch of the operatingbudget is taken up by special education cost - by fiscal year 2024 - 90% used up by special education costs. ..that's the trend .. reasons .. tuition increased by state -- biggest factor is recnstruction costs - schools provide the service - can increase cost anytime during the year -- sometimes mid-year ... mid-year are allowed to increase by 20 to 40% -- pits significant burden on line item ...

what are we doing about it -- can't tell each year what services and students -- do know 1-2 students can cost us up to $200,000 a year -- state is supposed to be funding special education costs at a certain level -- but for many years have not done so ... SC members of Massachusetts Association of School Committee

Report government study committee - Brain LeFort giving report -- bylaw change -- referred to committe - will be on Nov. agenda

Test vote on the electronic devices ... will the Patriots win this weekend?

Jeff Cox - TMM - precinct 14 - no questions on the reports...

Moderator - Article is to hear the reports only .. I'm not taking questions

ARICLE #1 -- passed

Now test question --

Kevin Crotty - point of order ... light when voting?

Moderator -- there will be no light this time when voting - 20 seconds to vote, see clock countdown on screen.

test question - Patriots beat Jets Sunday?

VOTE -- 62-24-19 ...Patriots will win

***

8:48 p.m. CFO speaking -- prior year bill payments

22 bills -- Finance committee voted 8-0-0 Dan Lampl chair speaking

Ways & Means Chair Audrey Hall TMM member speaking -- 12-0-0 in favor

Steve Friedman - Precinct 9 -- school department -- what is $11,000 for league school? CFO - special education

8:55 p.m. Electronic voting - 90% vote needed --

PASSED -- 102-0 - Unanimous

**********************************

Article 3 -- CFO speaking - $4,000 for handicapp parking fine receipt tp disability commission to distribute.

Point of order -- name note on screen for voting ...

CFO -- no presentation - fairly routine matter at Fall Town Meeting

FinCom chair Dan Lampl speaking - vote 8-0-0 in favor

Ways & mean Hall speaking - 12-0-0 in favor

Kathi McCarthy -- TMM10 -- speaking for myself -- member of the disability commission - thank committees for supporting this ....$200 fine .. thank police department when they ticket ... hope you will suppport this article ...

VOTE -- majority neede d-- hand vote -- PASSED

******

Article 4 -- Collective bargaining -- SEIU 888 Police dispatchers

Vote amend pay schedules ...

Presentation -- David Williams - assist TM, HR director

8 fulltime employees - police dispatcher -- 5 last year. Year 3 of a 3 year contract. 1% -- $448 per person .. how handle calls - change in how they do their job ... $600 stipend ....Total contract costs - $88,386

Lampl - fincom chair speaking -- committee votes 8-0-0 in favor

Hall - ways & means chair -- committee voted - mandate calls for additional medial call responsibility and not the fire department. 2% increase in the stipend. committee length discussion ... job responsibilities is always changing - each change shoudnot be tied to compensation ... vote favorable 10-3-0

Brian LeFort - public safety committee -- recommend favorable action - 5-1-0

9:08 p.m.TMM to speak -- none

Gerry Blumfield, town resident, 1347 edgell road, town resident 40 years & counting make a statement-- argued bad light and can't see .. allowed to speak up front.

We got trouble right here in Framingham ... talk about spending ...

moderator -- telling speaker to address article 4 ...

Point of order --Gerry asked to leave Town Meeting podium...

Kevin Crotty -- give a person a chance to talk (moans in the hall)

Majority vote required -- PASSED -- 7 opposed

****

Article 5 9:15 p.m.

Framingham Firefighters agreement - 1652 Firefighters

Total funding needed  - 3-year contract 142 FT firefighters

average annual increase - $1,035 about

1% cost of living increase - 3 year contract

allow members to buy back one week of vacation time

Total funding needed - $281,085

Lampl - speaking -- Fincom Chair -- 8-0-0 favorable

Hall - ways & means chair -- presented to us as a way of saving on overtime - changes in ocmpensation -- two votes

12-0-0 recommend favorable action

second vote - $35,000 -- article 14 -- make a motion to adjust OT line to reflect the savings...

clerk on public safety speaking -- vote 5-1-0

TMM to speak -- Lloyd Kaye - TMM10 - member ways & means -- stand up to be completely for this article .. incredible conservative article - makes department more efficient --

Ed Kross speaking -- TMM12 --

Peter Pleshaw - TMM 11 -- speaking --

CFO -- firefighter on injured leave doesn't lose sick time .. doubles the incentive to not use sick time --- if someonbody is out sick ... out vacation for ... then have to back fill positions using overtime ... this saves us money as encourages firefighters to not use sick time ... not used any sick time in order to earn $1400

VOTE -- article 5 -- majority vote -- 2 nos - PASSED

9:30 p.m. -- Vote for no break

Article 6 -- Crotty to make motion ...

Chris Petrini to make a presentation -- $341,749 move salary reserve to police department -- Framingham Police Union award via arbitration Case No JLMC-03-11P

9:36 p.m. Lampl - fincom chair -- precinct 8 -- very complex issue - gone on for some time -- 3.3% is in line with the other bargaining units - 8-0--0 vote in favor

hall - ways & mean chair -- case went to mediation -- not be in town's best interest to reject this .. committee voted 12-0-0

Brad Bauer -- TMM3 -- public safety committee -- 7-0-1 in favor

No TMM to speak

VOTE -- hand vote -- approved - 1 no vote

******

Article 7 -- Crotty motion - agreement with DPW position 1116 Superior union

Lampl speaking -- fincom chair -- 8-0-0 favorable action

Hall - ways & means chair -- brings 6 employees into an existing barbgaining unit -- saw equity benefits 12-0-0 in favor

*** Count tonight was 118 Town Meeting members present ...

What percentage of DPW employees are supervisor???

Peter Sellers DPW speaking -- engineers .. % supervisors -- 5% very small.

147 employees - DPW -- not all supervisors but some administrators... better than to create a new group in negotiations ... Sellers

These are existing positions- not new positions -- Sellers

Crotty - TMM7 speaking -- hope town Meeting supports this - retired supervisor in DPW Framingham --

VOTE -- hand vote -- passed

9:48 p.m. Article 8 ...

CFO motion -- approve COLA for non union municipal employees

why doing this now -- when hoping to have classification and compenstaion plan when it gets done ...CFO

Editor's Note: with all the news today .. I'm at 5% power, as computer didn't get to charge during dinner time and wi-fi at Town Hall not working tonight so on my card ... .I may have to update via iphone ...

Article Passed

Town Meeting adjourned just after 10 p.m.