APPROVED
TOWN OF
BUDGET COMM= ITTEE - MEETING MINUTES
Thursday, S= eptember 20, 2012
APPROVED – = October 4, 2012
CALL TO ORDER – approximately
|
PRESENT: |
Mr. Larry Hall, Mr. Daniel Guimond, M= r. Greg Farris, Mr. Bob Sherman, Mr. David Cate, Ms. Daryle Hillsgrove, Mr. Greg Smith= , Mr. Dave Cronin, Selectmen Representative Doug Viger, School Board Representati= ve Megan Larson (arrived 7:48pm) |
|
ABSENT: |
Mr. Ken Dunne |
Also Present: Town Clerk Dorothy Marsden, Park & Recreation Director Brian Johnson, Police Lieutenant Gary Fisher, Police Office Manager Celia Lingley, Finance Direct= or Cindy
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
2013 TOWN BUDGET REVIEW
The Budget Committee then reviewed the proposed 2013 budget requests for the following departments:
Elections: Town Clerk Dorothy Mar= sden said the Ballot Clerks had an increase from $50 to $60. The overall budget showed a decrease du= e to there only being one election in 2013.
Mr. Guimond questioned who initiated the proposed raise for Ballot Clerks. Ms. Marsden said she initiated the raise based on the additional work to be done by the clerks because of the new requirement for voters to show photo identification.
Mr. Farris recalled there were problems with the voting machines during last ye= ar’s election. Ms. Marsden said during = the election both machines had been replaced; the Town’s machines were serviced= and now working properly.
Mr.
Sherman asked if there were enough clerks to handle the additional work.
Mr. Sherman asked if absentee ballots required identification. Ms. Marsden replied absentee ballots di= dn’t need photo identification.
Town Clerk / Tax Collector: Town = Clerk Dorothy Marsden came forward to review the proposed budget. The increase in supplies was mostly due= to postage.
Ms. Marsden discussed a new on-line system that would be implemented in January= for motor vehicle renewals called E-Registration.
Mr.
Smith questioned if there was any possibility of communicating through e-ma=
il
on a volunteer basis with residents. Ms.
Marsden believed they would eventually do so to e-mail renewal notices. She explained in November Pelham would =
become
a one check Town for registration; this is a requirement to be able to use =
the
E-Registration program. Mr. Guimond
asked if the Town would incur fees from payments made using credit cards.
The MuniSmart support contract shows an increase of approximately 5%-10% each year. There is an annual contract = not negotiated over multi -years.
Mr. Hall asked how tax collections were coming in. Ms. Marsden replied tax collections were doing very good and provided the revenue figure, which was up from last year’s figure of the same time.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Collections were running at approximate= ly 96%.
Park & Recreation Department: Park & Recreation Director Brian
Johnson came forward and explained to the Board the programs that were offe=
red
throughout the year. Mr. Hall note=
d that
the department was run off a revolving account (self-funding system). Mr. Viger commented that the revolving
account was approved by tax payers. It
allowed all the program fees to go into one account and in turn, programs a=
re
paid for out of that account. Mr.
Johnson noted that the programs had built-in surcharges that allowed for fi=
eld
maintenance. The department had fo=
rmed
partnerships with baseball, football etc. to help with that maintenance.
Ms. Larson arrived.
Mr. Sherman asked if the state prison program was still running. Mr. Johnson said they came in the Spring. It was his understanding t= hat the program was cut from the state budget, but hope remained that the progr= am would come back. In the event that= the program came back, a line item remained in the recreation budget. Mr. Viger said it was an invaluable res= ource and told the Board that the Town had explored the possibility of working wi= th other towns and organizations to pool money together.
Mr. Farris asked for the status of vandalism at Pelham Veteran’s Memorial Park (‘PVMP’) and Elmer G. Raymond Park. Mr. Johnson said there was occasional vandalism at PVMP, but it had been quiet; they had cameras that the Police could download directly from their cruiser. He said after the Police apprehended the people on ATV’s they didn’t have problems at Raymond. There was still ATV traffic at Raymond,= but they have stayed off, and respected the fields.
Mr. Cate asked what condition the PVMP facilities were in, such as the lodge, bathrooms and lifeguard shack. Mr. Johnson spoke to the improvements that had been done; the pump house was painted and steel rolled doors were installed on the lifeguard shack.
Mr. Sherman saw an item in the CIP for Park and Recreation and questioned what = the $200,000 cost for fields in 2016 w= ould cover. Mr. Johnson said there was = a plan (7 or 8 years ago) put in place to add an additional field at Raymond Park = and they hoped to continue on that plan. He said it was nothing concrete, but in preparation for CIP included the information. Mr. Sherman asked if bathroom facilities were needed. M= r. Johnson said it was on their list. They had architectural plans for a building and would have meetings during the winter to discuss fund raising options; they would begin by speaking to the programs that used the fields. At = this point Mr. Johnson was gathering estimated costs for a building. The hope was to have the building next summer, if fund raising was successful. Mr. Sherman asked what condition the Scout lodge was in at Raymond Park. Mr. Johnson said the Scout l= odge was in decent shape and discussed what improvements were made.
Mr. Farris asked if a snack shack was contemplated for Raymond. Mr. Johnson said they hoped to add a concession area, field level storage for equipment and bathroom facilities. He described the type = of building they were contemplating. =
Mr. Sherman asked for the condition of the department’s vehicle. Mr. Johnson said it was a work truck; i= t had approximately 85,000 miles. He sai= d it had minor repairs, but it did the job they needed it to do. Mr. Cate asked if there was a replaceme= nt schedule. Mr. Johnson hoped to con= tinue driving the truck for several more years; it was in fine condition for their needs.
Mr. Cronin understood having a $2 placeholder for matching grants. He asked if the department would be pla= ced in a perilous position for being accepted for grant monies if they didn’t apply for such over a period time. Mr. J= ohnson felt confident if they were accepted for grant money they would be able to = add money to the line. He was not comfortable adding money into the budget when there was nothing being sought.
Police Department: Police Lieuten= ant Gary Fisher and Office Manager Celia Lingley came forward to discuss the proposed budget. Salaries contained contractual increases. Also, new employees would be coming off probation and receiving step increases. The department is currently at a full complement of (21) officers; one officer just started the academy and will = be there for twelve weeks. There is a= nother officer that will be attending the academy beginning in January.
Mr. Cate asked if every employee did the fitness exam and passed it. Lt. Fisher replied there were nineteen employees eligible to receive the stipend; those employees would have to pa= ss the exam to receive the stipend. <= /p>
Mr. Farris asked about the term of the grant for the officer. It was explained the grant ran through = 2014, at which time the Town would pick up 100%. Mr. Smith asked if a new warrant article needed to be reauthorized by the voters at the end of the grant. The warrant article was worded that the Town would pick up the cost in the four= th year.
Mr.
Sherman confirmed that the School Resource Officer was included in the
budget. Lt. Fisher answered yes.
Mr. Guimond asked if the department had a K-9 unit. Lt. Fisher said they didn’t have a K-9 at this time; the related bud= get lines were reduced to $1 placeholder. They were currently reviewing the program to determine whether or no= t it was feasible. The state police and= Salem had dogs available. There was a br= ief discussion about conducting drug searches in the schools. Ms. Larson said the School Board had discussed drug searches using K-9’s at the schools and would have to keep in mind that dogs may not be available to do so. If the Police Department had a request from the schools to do a drug search with K-9’s they would call out for assistance; this assistance may b= e at no cost. If there was probable cau= se, the Police would go into the school with a search warrant.
Mr. Hall questioned who was eligible for tuition reimbursement. Lt. Fisher said tuition reimbursement w= as per contract. Those wishing to take co= llege credit classes could receive reimbursement for such. Mr. Hall asked if the education incenti= ve was open to everybody. Lt. Fisher answ= ered yes. There is a verification proce= ss for reimbursement; classes have to be pre-approved and not exceed a certain dol= lar amount.
Mr. Farris asked if the increase in the cleaning allowance was based on having a full complement of officers or a fee increase. Lt. Fisher said the number was based on the number of employees currently receiving it.
Mr. Sherman asked if the Police had a dive team or a boat. Lt. Fisher answered no. It was noted that the Fire Department did.
Mr. Guimond understood that the Fire Department had requested a Gator vehicle (= that was cut by the Selectmen), and questioned if the Police had a similar vehicle. Lt. Fisher said the Polic= e had a 4-wheeler they’ve used for a few years. It was purchased with donations through the Police Association. The Police OHRV was specific for patrol; there was no accessibility to equip it with fire equipment.
The line for tasers was increase due to failing equipment. Mr. Smith questioned if there was a bid= ding process for the equipment. Lt. Fis= her explained that taser had representatives in different areas; there was no bidding process. Tasers have approximately= a 5 year shelf life; the department gets more than that out of their equipment.=
Mr. Smith asked what caused the increase in prisoner food. Lt. Fisher said they were using true numbers.
Mr. Sherman asked if cameras were installed in all the cruisers. Lt. Fisher answered yes; there are eight marked vehicles with cameras.
Mr. Cate questioned if the Police had good reception on their mobile data termi= nals at Pelham Veteran’s Memorial Park. With portables, Lt. Fisher said they had issues in some spots, but overall they = had good reception. They had no issu= es with mobile units.
Mr. Farris wanted to know if the cost for tires was accurate given that the Fire Department showed a significant increase. Lt. Fisher said the price in the budget had increased slightly, but = they were guaranteed that price for next year.
There was a discussion regarding the lease agreements and the vehicle status.
Lt. Fisher commented that they were requesting a new copier that would come wit= h a warranty; therefore the copier contract lines were eliminated. The current copy machine was at least n= ine years old. Mr. Farris questioned w= hy the copier was being purchased versus being leased. His company leased for no more than three years based on the mainten= ance costs after that time. He’d like to review the possibility of leasing a copier. Mr. Viger said the Selectmen had a discussion regarding copiers. The Executive Secretary (Marie Maruca) created a Town-wide deal regarding copiers to have one service agreement br= oken up through the Town (Fire Department, Town Hall, Library, Town Clerk and Po= lice Department). He said it was benefi= cial for the copier to be paid off in one year, keep the maintenance agreements = over a three year period and reevaluate the agreement after the term. Mr. Sherman asked if the copy machine b= eing purchased was also a fax machine. = Ms. Lingley answered yes; it will be a color copier and also a scanner. She commented that the copier would wor= k the department toward being paperless. Mr. Farris didn’t feel buying the copier was advantageous because it would lock= the department into a contract.
Lt. Fisher discussed the CALEA accreditation process and associated cost in the budget. This accreditation is volu= ntary and will provide nationwide recognition and lower court costs.
Mr. Guimond asked the status of the dog pound. Lt. Fisher said it was in decent condition. The Animal Control Officer and ARNNE (volunteer animal rescue organization) take very good care of the building. Mr. Sherman noted that t= he animal shelter was scheduled in the CIP for 2019 at $300,000. Mr. Viger stated there were standards n= ow in place for animal shelters that added to the scope of the building.
Mr. Hall asked if the camera and computers were included in the new cruiser number. Mr. Viger said there was an issue with the cameras and laptops failing in the cruisers. FEMA grant money was utilized for the purchase.
ADJOURNMENT
|
MOTION: |
(Sherman/Guimo=
nd)To
adjourn the meeting. |
|
VOTE: |
(10-0-0)
The motion carried. |
The meeting was adjourned at approximately8:40 pm.
= Respectfully submitted,
= Charity A. Landry
= Recording Secretary
BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING/Thursday, September 20, 2012<= /p>