BC20100920

APPROVED

TOWN OF PELHAM

BUDGET COMM= ITTEE /= MEETING MINUTES

Monday, September 20, 2010<= /p>

APPROVED &#= 8211; October 4, 2010=

CALL TO ORDER – 7:30pm

PRESENT:

Also Present:

Mr. Larry Hall, Mr. Dan= iel Guimond, Mr. Dennis Viger, Mr. Robert Sherman, Ms. Angèle Diack, Mr. John Lavallee, Mr. Gregory Farris, Mr. Ken Dunne, Selectmen Representative Doug Viger, School Board Representative Andy Ducharme

Fire Chief James Midgle= y, Fire Department Office Manager Maureen McNamara, Fire Lieutenant John Ignatowi= cz

ABSENT:

None.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

2011 BUDGET REVIEW AGENDA

Fire Department, Ambulance, Emergency Management

Fire Department – Fire Chief James Midgley came forward to discuss the requested 2011 Fire Department budget.

Fire

2011 Selectmen approved=

2011 Budget increase/(d= ecrease)

Salaries:

1,434,661

30,053 / (19,972 wa#6)

Supplies:

Telephone:

Gas/Oil:

Equipment Repairs:

Equipment Rental:

New Equipment:

Expenses:

Misc./ Specials:

46,700

13,764

19,787

68,098

48,010

72,199

32,485

20,912

348

12,507

258

4,966 wa=

3,318

2,422

Chief Midgley told the Bo= ard that as of September 1= , 2010 the Department had collected $161,000 in revenue from the ambulance service= . Based on the numbers to date, the = total will be approximately $210,000-$225,000.&n= bsp; Mr. Viger asked why there had been an increase. Chief Midgley said it was based on= the acuity of calls. Mr. Viger questioned how collections were handled.&n= bsp; Chief Midgley said they tracked the collections; unfortunately being= a border town, Pelham lost a lot of out of state revenue from not being able = to collect on Massachusetts Medicaid patients. It was not worth becoming register= ed to collect the amount of revenue they would collect based on the number of ‘hoop’ they would need to go through.

Salaries – The line= item was broken down to show the pay rate of employees at different steps (within the union contract); it was broken down to how many weeks an employee was p= aid at a specific pay rate. There= was a brief discussion regarding the union contract and some of the points contai= ned within. There was a decrease = in emergency coverage, internal training/administration and disability coverag= e. The increase in Christmas & Thanksgiving holidays was doubled this year; la= st year’s number was based on twelve hours and it should have been based= on twenty four hours so the 2011 number reflects the correction.

Mr. Dennis Viger wanted t= o know what rate a fire fighter would be given in the event a fire fighter was fil= ling in for someone at a plus rate; would they receive the plus rate during their workman’s compensation period. Sel. Rep. Viger said he would find out.

In a question regarding C= oopers Test, Mr. Farris wanted to know what happened if a fire fighter wasn’t fit. Chief Midgley said if a = fire fighter wasn’t fit there was no punitive damage. Mr. Farris asked how a fire fighter could perform his duties if he wasn’t fit. Chief Midgley replied that there w= ere no deprecation if they weren’t fit.&nbs= p; He wanted the Coopers Test to encourage fire fighters to become physically fit with an incentive versus having it be a punitive situation.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Mr. Ducharme asked if the test was mandatory. Chief Midgley said= it was voluntary test conducted once per year.

Mr. Lavallee wanted to kn= ow if (in New Hampshire) a fire fighter would still receive benefits if they retired and later passed away. Chief Midgley didn̵= 7;t believed that was true unless the death could be attributed to an on the li= ne injury.

Mr. Hall asked if there w= as a mechanism in the event a fire fighter wasn’t performing. Chief Midgley stated there were standards every fire fighter must maintain; there was an annual Self Contai= ned Breathing Apparatus (‘SCBA’) testing.

Ms. Diack wanted to know = if there was a connection (reduction) to the Town’s insurance if the fire figh= ters passed the Coopers Test. Chief Midgley said there wasn’t at this time.

There was a decrease in c= all fire department based on the call volume and rate of pay. There are twenty-two call fire fighters. There was also a de= crease of $19,972 due to the IAFF (union contract) warrant article (2010 - #6).

Supplies - Mr. Farris que= stioned how the department maintained their supplies given that the department has = been asked to maintain a zero growth for the past three years. Chief Midgley said they shopped ar= ound and calculated what they needed. He said they would possibly be able to decrease their costs by an additional 5= %; he spoke with a vendor and was waiting for the figures. Mr. Dennis Viger questioned where = the money was absorbed for the materials they had been getting from the hospital. Chief Midgley said = they had been replacing their stock with items from the hospital, but now were p= urchasing medical supplies outright.

Lieutenant Ignatowicz rev= iewed the budget for supplies. He explained that they had moved some (recurring) items from new equipment into supplies. He stated that they= were coming up on the time that certain things (ie. turn out gear) would need to= be replaced because it was coming up on the ten year lifespan. SCBA masks are now considered a fi= re supply because each individual has been issued a mask.

Ms. McNamara provided bac= k up for the office supplies, which had a slight increase. Mr. Farris wanted to know, under computer software, what the $1000 for training was used for. Chief Midgley said they used an IMC system similar to the Police Department and anytime there is a new module an employee is sent for training; that individual then comes back to the depar= tment and shares the information with other employees.

Telephone – Mr. Dennis Viger asked if the depa= rtment had re-plotted their route based on the new cell towers in Town. Chief Midgley discussed the communications system. He sai= d he was speaking with people regarding the RF coverage.

Mr. Sherman wanted to kno= w why the department was using Sprint and Verizon for wireless service. Chief Midgley replied that Sprint = was in the ambulance and engine; the Verizon was used for the employees. He said to use a service other than Sprint the rates would double or triple.

Gas/Oil – The line = was level funded awaiting the number to come in from the Selectmen’s office. Ms. Diack noticed the= re was an item for oil changes and wanted to know if the number was put in the bud= get twice. Chief Midgley answered no. He said if there was an o= il change that was done at part of a repair, the money would come from the rep= airs line. The oil listed is for t= he engines; the older engines use a lot of oil. Mr. Dunne asked how often quotes w= ere requested for oil changes and if it was put out for bid. Chief Midgley said Woody’s h= ad been their provider for vehicle maintenance and they had not gone out for b= id. He said costs for oil changes and = service was very reasonable and their location was in close proximity so the duty c= rew weren’t more than a minute from the station.

It was noted that the num= ber in the budget was last year’s number until the new rate was set, typical= ly at reconsideration unless the number came in prior.

Equipment Repairs –= Lieutenant Ignatowicz stated last year certain equipment was sent out and reviewed for= preventative maintenance which provided a long-term cost savings for the department. He discussed oil analysis and the benefits of having it done. M= r. Lavallee asked for the condition of the entire fleet. Lieutenant Ignatowicz said it was generally pretty good, with the exception of the older vehicles such as the forestry units. Chief Midgley= noted that Engine 3 was no longer under warrantee. Mr. Sherman asked that a replaceme= nt schedule be provided of all the vehicles indicating their year, mileage, ho= urs of use etc. Chief Midgley sta= ted that the information provided last year had been updated to give an idea of where the department would need to head for future planning.

Mr. Dennis Viger asked wh= en the ladder truck would be removed. Chief Midgley explained that the truck was put on Ebay. A gentleman from Canada bid on the truck, won = it, then backed out of the deal. = It cost the Department $124 to do the whole transaction. Chief Midgley said he wanted it go= ne, but also wanted to try and get some of the money back that the Town investe= d in it.

Equipment Rental – = Chief Midgley explained that the cost had gone up significantly due to the age of= the equipment. He said they had p= ut a plan together (under new equipment) to stagger items so they wouldn’t need warrant articles. He dis= cussed a significant problem (going on for two years) they were having with the battery life of the defibrillators; the batteries have died while treating patients. He said they had tr= ied every avenue possible to rectify the situation, including corresponding with the FDA. Chief Midgley said t= here was a possibility they would need to come forward to request replacement of those defibrillators. Mr. Far= ris questioned the Town’s liability of the batteries going dead. Chief Midgley said the reason they= were working with the FDA was due to the fact that there was a liability issue. = They were trying to absolve the situation by having extra batteries on hand. He said they weren’t the only department having difficulty, it was happening in the entire area up throug= h Maine. Mr. Hall asked that the Board be provided with a cost estimate for two defibrillators. Mr. Dennis Viger asked if the defibrillators in the schools were having the same problems. Chief Midgley said the school and = park & recreation defibrillators had a completely different battery system.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> The problem was with the Life= Pack 12 monitors. Chief Midgley to= ld the Board that they were looking into companies that had a good track record and sold durable units.

Chief Midgley continued t= o review equipment rental. Mr. Farris = asked how many hydrants were within the Town.&nb= sp; Chief Midgley believed there were twenty-nine hydrants. Mr. Farris asked if any thought ha= d been given to adding a fee to residents being the sole beneficiaries of the hydrants; similar to what the Town did with the Spring Street Ext. improvements. Selectmen Rep. = Viger asked if the hydrants were fed by Pennichuck or a separate well. Chief Midgley believed they were f= ed off the well head system off M= t. Vernon Drive.=

Mr. Ducharme noted that he received a text message from School Business Manager Adam Steele who inform= ed that the school nurses reviewed the AED devices at the schools.

Mr. Dunne questioned if t= he cistern box’s maintenance was different than a fire hydrant’s maintenan= ce. Chief Midgley answered yes and wen= t on to explain what the department required.&n= bsp; Mr. Sherman asked if all twenty nine hydrants were functional. Chief Midgley said the only one not functioning was the one they weren’t paying for off Simpson Road.

New Equipment – Chi= ef Midgley stated when the command vehicle was purchased there was an inapprop= riate system put in. He said they s= hould have installed a single radio with a dual head system. By replacing the system he would g= et two radios, one could be used as a spare. Chief Midgley then discussed the mobile data terminal. His goal was to have them in engin= e 1, 2, 3, his vehicle and the inspector’s vehicle.

Mr. Sherman asked if the department was ready to handle situations at the new gas facility at the industrial park. Chief Midgley answered no. He said their th= eory was if it burns, don’t go near it because there wasn’t a lot th= at could be done and they didn’t want the fire fighters in the hazard zone. He said they had the capability to remotely control everything from Houston, Texas; signals/transmissions would be sent to shut the system down within a couple minutes.

Lieutenant Ignatowicz dis= cussed the SCBA equipment and noted that the biggest hit would be in the year 2018. He said if the departme= nt replaced three per year it would offset the need to have a large number rep= laced all at once. Chief Midgley re= viewed the items contained in the New Equipment line. The command vehicle was removed an= d in its place there was a request for a rescue boat and engine; back up informa= tion was provided. Chief Midgley s= aid they currently had a row boat that had to be pulled out of service because = it was not set up to be a rescue boat and people were being put in harms way.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> He said the Town had several large bodies of water that had to be protected, but they had no capability to do = so. At this time the Town had a deal w= orked out with Dracut; if they have the staffing, they will send their boat up. He said it would not be a rescue situation because by the time they got to Pelham it would be a recovery. Chief Midgley informed that the bo= at they were looking at was unsinkable. Flipping it over would be extremely difficult because the beam was approximately 6ft across.

Mr. Sherman wanted an exp= lanation of how thin ice situations would be handled. He also wanted to know if the Fire Department had access to the smaller ponds, such as Gumpas pond. Chief Midgley said in an emergency situation, the Fire Department had access to anything. Lieutenant Ignatowicz commented wi= th the proposed boat, a ramp would not be needed to put the boat into water.

Chief Midgley pointed out= that he had presented to purchase a forestry vehicle into the budget; the Selectmen requested that it be a three year lease/purchase. Lieutenant Ignatowicz said the tot= al was $43,191. He said the price was minus a tank and a pump because the department still had those items from t= he last forestry vehicle returned to the state. The quote includes the vehicle and lettering. Mr. Farris questio= n if the vehicle would need to be presented as a warrant article because of the Board’s By-Laws. Mr. Ha= ll said twice the state bid for a cruiser could be added into the operating bu= dget by vote of the Board. Mr. Lav= allee said a replacement vehicle could be put into the operating budget.

Mr. Sherman questioned if= the equipment being discussed would sit outside in the weather. Chief Midgley stated the rescue bo= at would go into the old Town Hall Annex.&nbs= p; The forestry vehicle would be outside with the vehicle they currently had.

Expenses – Chief Mi= dgley reviewed the line item. He no= ted that they included a clothing increase; the current allowance is $100, the reque= st is $150. Mr. Sherman questioned what the New Hampshire Fire Fighters Insura= nce was. Ms. McNamara said it was= a small insurance policy for all fire fighters injured or lost their life.

Brush permits have been c= hanged to an annual permit; once a homeowner fills out a permit all they need to d= o is contact the Fire Department of burning.

Misc./Specials – Th= ere was an increase in physicals and certain shots (ie Hep-B, Flu). Training and Tuition Reimbursement= was also increased. The tuition reimbursement represented half the cost; there has been only one employee requesting this. Chief Midgley stated in the past everything he had asked funding for (that had been granted) had been completed. This year they were requesting fun= ding for the Department’s strategic plan getting people ready to move up.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>

Emergency Management – Chief Midgley everything was basic= ally level funded. Under new equip= ment they were looking at doing a new project to aid residents during flood situations. He said they woul= d like to build up six to eight kits containing hoses, extension cords etc. that would be loaned to those t= hat the Department pumps out. Aft= er flooding subsided the kit would be picked up.

Mr. Dennis Viger wanted t= o know about the sand bag machine he had read about. Chief Midgley stated they discussed bringing the machine forward as a warrant article. He described the machine and noted= it would be self contained. Patr= iot Welding would be manufacturing the machine. Selectmen Rep. Viger believed the Selectmen agreed to pay for the machine using FEMA money collected over the years. Mr. Lavallee asked if = it was a practical application. Sele= ctmen Rep. Viger said the machine would aid the department; rather than having several employees filling the sand bags, only one employee was needed to fi= ll the machine. The sand would come from the Highway Department, the same as it currently did.

ACTION ITEMS – (ongoing)

·= ; = ~~Mr. Gaydos will confirm the Town is in compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Systems by providin= g a copy of the e-mail confirmation and on-going security costs;~~ 9/16/10 Mr. Gay= dos informed that the Town paid nothing for the security because nothing went onto the Town’s computer. It was= set up like that so as to not have security problems. COMPLETE= D

·= ; = Mr. Gaydos= will review past budgets to find out where the cost for the cemetery flags had previously been placed;

·= ; = Mr. Gaydos= will speak with the Highway Road Agent to find out the impact to the roads when Pennichuck fixed breaks in their water lines (specifically Vassar Drive); as of 9/16/10 Pennichuck is inves= tigating the Town’s complaint on Vassar and why they take pieces of it up vers= us replacing the whole line. =

·= ; = ~~Mr. Gaydos will provide a list of all Tru= st Funds held by the Trustees;~~ 9/16/10 Mr. Gaydos provided the list as requested. COMPLETED

·= ; = Mr. Gaydos= will work with Mr. Greenwood to provide an inventory list of equipment indicating when it would need replacing – along with any back up requested;

·= ; = Mr. Greenwood would supply the balance amount figure;

·= ; = Mr. Gaydos= will find out what the bank fees and interest revenue year to date as compared to 2009;

·= ; = Mr. Viger = will research to see if consolidating the phone system with all departments could help obtain a better rate;=

·= ; = Library Trustee F= ran Garboski to clarify the trust funds. What money was taken out and for w= hat use;

·= ; = Selectmen Rep. Vi= ger will find out what rate is given to a fire fighter du= ring workman compensation period in the event they were filling in a plus rate w= hen injured. =

·= ; = Fire Chief Midgle= y to provide the Board with the cost estimate of two defibrillators.

·= ; = Fire Chief Midgle= y to provide the Board with back up information regarding the forestry truck, thermal imaging, rescue struts, boat, porta-tank and strategic planning.

DISCUSSION

Mr. Dunne stated there ha= d been some concern regarding the possible conflict of interest with him being the School District Moderator as well as a Budget Committee Member. He informed that in the State of <= st1:place w:st=3D"on">New Hampshire th= ere was no conflict of interest of him holding both positions. With that said, Mr. Dunne had a conversation with Mr. Phil Currier, and with the appearance of a conflict of interest, they and came to the decision that Mr. Dunne would complete his t= erm on the Budget Committee. Mr. Currier would run the Deliberative Session and Elections for the School Board.

ADJOURNMENT

MOTION:

(Lavallee/Guim= ond) To adjourn the meeting.

VOTE:

(10-0-0) The motion carried.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:25 pm.

= &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = Respectfully submitted,

= &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = Charity A. Landry Willis

= &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = Recording Secretary