The Bourne Select Board met on June 30, 2026, starting at 6:30 PM and resuming at 7:00 PM after a brief pause. The meeting covered a wide range of topics including watershed permit recusal, a draft RFQ for engineering services, memorial bench donation, cannabis establishment updates, special legislation for a liquor license, FY2025 financial audit, budget transfers, special events, a police safety update, engineering projects, discussion on the Cape Cod Bridges program, land sale, town seal redesign, and Upper Cape Tech enrollment. Multiple votes were taken, and several public comments were heard.
Oh, it's 6 30. Okay. Meeting 6 30. June 30th, 2026. Note this meeting is being televised streamed or recorded by Bourne TV. If anyone in the audience is recording or videotaping, they need to acknowledge such at this time. Helen from Born Enterprise. No one here with flash photography this evening. If anyone from the public wishes to, well, we didn't. The Zoom is not up at this time. So the I I mean, what do I do with the Zoom meeting ID? We don't have the Zoom up. So I'm wondering it may start at 7, but I will say it anyhow. Zoom meeting ID 897 1229 3538 password all caps born. All items within the agenda are subject to deliberation in votes. So we're starting this evening, just a quick um overview of discussion related to our watershed permit workshop. We just needed to have some further discussion related to recusal in the ethics commission. So I just have some notes earlier in the spring. This is a change from how we previously left it with the board at our last discussion. Marlene did speak to the ethics commission and would like to start with her. I was going to have her provide an update on our conversation, but she's not here yet. But I just maybe we can just discuss. I know that MJU had sent several messages to them, and there had been some back and forth. I can kind of explain what's kind of going on with that. Yeah, that would be great just for the yeah. So I'm gonna put my glasses on because I had to write them still. Um I do want to talk a little bit about my discussions with the ethics commission on this issue. So at the select board meeting that we held last October 7th, 2025, um I said during the discussion that I had been told by the ethics commission that the watershed permit discussions were not general policy discussions, and therefore the 10% of population exemption was not applicable. Um I said at that time that I did not agree with that uh just uh position, um, but that I would recuse myself at that time. So I have had several subsequent discussions with the attorney at the ethics commission um requesting an a written opinion, an explanation, and I was finally told in uh April that in order to get a written opinion, I would need to submit a request in the portal, um, the ethics commission portal for written opinions, which I did on April 30th of this year. Um my request for a written opinion was um whether I am allowed to participate in the planning and deliberations during the watershed permit uh notice of intent phase because of the exemptions allowed under Massachusetts ethic laws and regulations. One that uh discussions qualify as general policy, two that at this point in planning, my financial interests as a homeowner or resident are the same as the other homeowners and residents in the watersheds, and three, because the nitrogen sensitive area watershed population is substantial, which by their definition means greater than 10% of the population. Sorry, I'm not being on work. That's okay, it's all right. We just started actually, so MJ's um just explaining her conversations with the ethics commission. So anyway, so I wrote I I asked for the written opinion on April 30th. Um I also asked for explanations of the reasons for the decision. Um my follow-up in April for a written opinion was really prompted by my realization that I was not being provided um notification of meetings related to watershed permits, and then I was not being provided with the information packets for the meetings. Um in no other situation that I am aware of has a select board member not received the agenda and information in the packet uh for an agenda item that they have been documented for recusal. Um select board members have always received the same information and recuse themselves from the discussion when the select board member deemed it was appropriate. Um I still don't have a written response. They're supposed to report respond within 30 days, um, but I um I had another response yet, but I did. They're supposed to respond within 30 days, um, but I um I had another response yet, but I did it's June, so that 30 days is yeah, but um I did get a request for some, I did get something from the attorney late last week where she asked for some additional information and said she would be providing me with a uh a written um opinion. So um so um some of the clarification um that I gave her last week is that I um no longer own a property or reside in the McGansett Squatchy watershed, um, but I am residing in the Finnish Harbor watershed, and that may be significant because the McGansett's Quitique watershed itself is only about 3.9% of the population, and the Phineas Harbor watershed is about 13.2 percent. Um so uh since I have not yet received a written opinion, uh the written opinion I requested, I will recuse myself from the discussion tonight and will not be voting on the next agenda item. Um I do, however, expect to receive agendas and packet information and to be able to make a decision to recuse myself as appropriate on the agenda items under discussion by the select board. All right, thank you, Linda. Um I'll let Marlene settle real quick, and then so um I it says Marlene, I know I had the note that you did speak with the exit commission, and I was gonna start with you, but I'll let you go following MJ's once you're ready. Sorry, that's okay. It's okay.