BOS Minutes 05-10-2005

APPROVED

TOWN OF PELHAM

BOARD OF SE= LECTMEN MEETING

MINUTES

May 10, 2005

APPROVED – May 31, 2005

CALL TO ORDER

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

PRESENT:

Mr. Harold Lynde, Mr. Edmund Gleason, Mr. Tom Domeni= co, Mr. Tom Gaydos, Town Administrator

Also present:

ABSENT:

Members of the press and general public.

Mr. Victor Danevich, Mr. Jean-Guy Bergeron

&nbs= p;

The Vice Chairman, Harold Lynde, opened the meeting at approximately 6:30 pm. He noted that Mr. Danevich was awa= y on business and Mr. Bergeron was attending a school funding hearing.

MINUTES RE= VIEW

April 26, 2005=

Review of the minutes were deferred to the next meeting. Mr. Gleason submitted amendments, which will be circulated to the Selectmen for review prior to t= he next meeting.

OPEN FORUM=

Mr. Herman Hanson American Legion Post 100 asked if it= was correct that there was no money available for the Avenue of Flags. Mr. Gaydos said the money was in t= he default budget. Mr. Lynde said there was no money right now. Mr. Hanson informed that there would be flags but it may not be as many as usual. He was under the assum= ption that $1000 was placed into the Town Operating Budget (three or four years a= go) and wanted to know why it was not there now.&n= bsp; Mr. Lynde said the problem was the money was put into the budget, however because the Town was working with a default budget, several items h= ad to be cut. Mr. Hanson said a = bill for the flags was not sent to the Town last year and believed if the money = was not used it would carry over to the next year. Mr. Lynde said budget items lapsed= at the end of the year; funding cannot be carried over. Mr. Hanson asked if the Town would= be paying for the flags in the five cemeteries. Mr. Lynde said it was unknown, but= would provide an answer. Mr. Domeni= co asked how many holders would need to be purchased. Mr. Hanson said it would be diffic= ult to tell because the poles were fiberglass and stripped/split easily; currently= it appeared a dozen would need to be replaced possibly more when reviewed closely. He reiterated there = would be flags displayed.

Mr. Hanson questioned if there would be a Memorial Day Parade. Mr. Lynde assumed tha= t the Legion organized the parade with some funding coming from the Town. Mr. Hanson said a bill was general= ly sent to the Town, however last year a bill was not sent. Mr. Gaydos said the Cemetery Budget contained flowers for Memorial Day. Mr. Lynde asked that an answer be provided to the VFW by Friday. Mr. Domenico said he would like to= have a breakdown of the actual costs regarding the number of flags and holders.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Mr. Hanson said they had to review= the poles and flags, which was difficult to do until going up on the pole. VFW Commander Charlie Mooskian sai= d the cost was over $1000 for the entire project, but they only requested $1000. = Mr. Hanson said they may take brack= ets off some of the poles that contained more than one so additional flags coul= d be hung. Mr. Gaydos said there w= as $1000 in the budget for the flags and said the question was if the Board wa= nted to fund it. He spoke with Mr. Danevich who indicated he was sorry and wanted to personally pledge $100 to= ward the flags. Mr. Lynde asked th= at the VFW provide the Selectmen with expense needs and the Selectmen would review= the budget. . He asked for an explanation of the= line item in the budget for the flags. Mr. Gaydos said there was an item in Town Celebrations for VFW flags= .

Mr. Aram Jeknavorian, Jr. Vice Commander Post 100, said the recollection was there w= as $1000 for the flag project and if the money was not used, it would be ongoing. He understood the Selectmen had a difficult job making up for a shortfall and believed the American Flag should be one of those items considered for funding. He discussed the symbol of the Ame= rican Flag.

Mr. Hanson reiterated that the flags would be displaye= d.

Mr. Lynde summarized that the Selectmen would provide information on what was in the budget to Mr. Hanson and Mr. Hanson would provide the Selectmen cost information.&nb= sp; Mr. Gaydos said an answer would need to be provided regarding the Memorial Day flags.

APPOINTMEN= TS

VFW Awards=

Mr. Lynde said the awards would be postponed until the= next scheduled meeting due to the awardees being called away for an emergency.

Transfer S= tation Superintendent Bruce Mason – Electronics Recycling, Monday Holidays, Coupon System Discussion

Transfer Station Superintendent Bruce Mason met with t= he Selectmen to discuss the following:

Electronics R= ecycling – Mr. Mason informed that several states didn’t allow CRT’s to be thrown into waste facilities due to the high lead content.&n= bsp; He said there was now an opportunity for controlled disposal through= the Household Hazardous Waste collections (‘HHW’), which was now an electronics recycling event. = He said there were also commercial facilities in Hudson<= /st1:City> and Londonderry that residents could uti= lize to drop off CRT’s, televisions (or any electronic item) for a fee. Mr. Mason proposed that the Town t= ake advantage of the Household Hazardous Waste collection (occurring five times= per year) and the two vendors for people to take their electronics out of the T= own’s facility. He said the Town co= uld realize approximately $3000-$5000 per year in cost avoidance because of reduced shipping costs.

Mr. Gleason asked if it would be economically feasible= to have the Transfer Station accept CRT’s for a fee. Mr. Mason said there was a vendor = in Hudson that could = put a container at our facility for $75 per month and come when called and take a= way any electronics equipment for $.17 per pound for a one year contract; the amount drops with a longer contract (but not past $.10 per pound). Mr. Gleason asked if there was any= data showing the amount of CRT’s the Town received. Mr. Mason said there was no data, = they never kept track. He said whe= n he received the HHW brochure, he saw an opportunity for the Town to save money.

Mr. Domenico noted that the Huds= on and Londonderry facilities were open dur= ing normal business hours, which may make it difficult for residents to access. Mr. Mason said he saw people at the Transfer Station dropping items off during the week. Mr. Domenico wanted to fully explo= re the option of continuing the service and collecting fees to offset the cost of providing it.

The next HHW collection is on Thursday, June 2, 2005 from 3pm-7pm in Nashua.

The Selectmen further discussed electronics collection= s and how to proceed. In summary, M= r. Mason was proposing to establish a regulation at the Transfer Station to no longer accept CRT’s as of June 1, 2005; the alternative for residents= was to take them to HHW (five times per year) or take them to identified facili= ties in either Hudson (River Road) or Londonderry (exit 4). The approximate cost for disposing= would be $.15 - $.18 per pound. The= re was a consensus of the Selectmen to have Mr. Mason draft a regulation and put t= hem into effect June = 1, 2005.

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Gleason/Domenico) To authorize Transfer Station Superintendent Bruce Mason to set into motion a regulation that would prohibit the disposal of CRT’s at the Transfer Station as of June 1, 2005. =

VOTE:

(3-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

Monday Holida= ys – Mr. Mason said there were certain holidays that fell on a Monday during the course of the year. According to Mr. Mason’s full-time employees’ union cont= ract if the holiday fell on a Sunday, they would have Saturday off, if the holid= ay fell on a Monday, they would have Tuesday off. Generally the Transfer Station was paying holiday pay, plus time and a half (8hrs.) for the full-time employees that worked the Tuesday following the holiday. Due to working with a default budg= et, if the Transfer Station closed on the Tuesdays following the Monday holidays t= here would be a savings of $2340 in 2005. He said they could inform the public in advance through fliers, a posting and listing on PTV.

Mr. Gleason confirmed that it would be in effect only = this year due to the default budget. Mr. Mason answered yes, only for four days this year.

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Domenico/Gleason) To authorize the Transfer Station= to close May 31, 2005, July 5, 2005, September 6, 2005 and October 11, 2005 per the recommendation of Transfer Station Superintendent Bruce Mason. <= o:p>

VOTE:

(3-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

Mr. Gleason asked if it would feasible to extend the h= ours on Wednesday. Mr. Mason said = per the union contract he couldn’t change the employee’s hours by m= ore than one hour. He also noted = paying overtime, would use up some of the savings.

Mr. Lynde asked if the proposal would run afoul of the contract. Mr. Gaydos answered no.

Coupon System Discussion – Mr. Lynde read aloud a memo submitted by Transfer Station Superintendent Bruce Mason that proposed a fee schedule for disposa= l of furniture items, tires and propane tanks.&= nbsp; This coupon system would do away with the Transfer Station employees handling cash for these items. The revenues from such would affect the Transfer Station budget. Mr. Mason explained how the coupon system would work. Mr. Gaydos= noted that the Town’s auditor had recommended consolidating cash acceptance= to one area, namely the Town Clerk. Mr. Mason discussed the fact if the coupon system was instituted, a special rev= enue fund could be set up (with Town Meeting approval) to pay for the disposal of the ite= ms.

There was further discussion regarding the coupon system. The plan was to total= ly offset the costs of disposal and hauling of tires and propane tanks. Mr. Gaydos believed that costs wou= ld increase quickly when it was realized that land fill space was running out.

Mr. Gleason inquired as to whether the proposed coupon system would be expanded to include tires which are now processed free of charge. Mr. Mason replied yes, there would be a charge for tires. <= /span>

There was a consensus to support the coupon system. Mr. Mason was asked to proceed and= bring it back to the Selectmen in a finished format for review.

Planning D= irector Resignation

Mr. Lynde read aloud the resignation letter submitted = by Planning Director Will D’Andrea which would be effective the first we= ek in August, 2005.

It was desired to have someone in place prior to Mr. D’Andrea’s departure so they would have the opportunity to work together. Mr. Gaydos wanted to advertise the position as soon as possible. The Selectmen agreed. There was further discussion. Mr. Domenico suggested that Mr. D’Andrea ensure that all policies and procedures are updated and current. Mr. Gaydos will adve= rtise the position, collect resumes by the end of June so interviews could be scheduled the beginning of July.

Review of = State Mandated Revaluation

Mr. Lynde read aloud a memo forwarded by Mr. Guy Petel= l of the Department of Revenue Administration that indicated he had discussed the Town’s revaluation situation with at least three or four companies th= at could complete a full revaluation for the tax year 2006. He understood time was an issue and therefore encouraged the Selectmen to hold a Special Town Meeting in the ne= ar future in order to try an appropriate the needed funds to contract with a company for a full revaluation.

Discussion= /Possible Vote: Special Town Meeting

Mr. Lynde asked if further discussion was needed. Mr. Gleason believed the Selectmen= were in unison that they should seriously consider a Special Meeting. The issue is the timeframe; what i= s the earliest and/or latest it could be done.&n= bsp;

Mr. Gaydos said he was working with the companies and Assistant Assessor Susan Snide to determine the latest date they could begi= n to have the revaluation done by the second tax billing of 2006. He said starting late in the year = would be difficult. He said he was getting information and could provide to the Selectmen next week.

Mr. Gleason wanted to educate the voters so there woul= d be a favorable response. Mr. Gaydo= s said he would like a vote from the Board to proceed so the educational process c= ould begin.

Mr. Domenico said his hesitancy to move aggressively (schedule wise) was due to the ‘burn’ rate of certain budgets.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> He wanted to be sure that any other public safety concerns were addressed if a special meeting was held. It was noted that the only reason a special meeting could be held was for the Operating Budget; everything would have to be ‘lumped’ together.&= nbsp; Mr. Gleason said the ‘drop dead’ date had to be defined = and further there should be a two-stage campaign: 1) communication campaign informing of the necessity of the revaluation being done by the Town versus= the state and its cost ramifications; 2) review the Town’s budget ‘burn’ rate for those items that constitute a safety risk that should be reconsidered by the Selectmen and the voters.

Mr. Gaydos said he was requesting direction from the B= oard if a special meeting was desired. Mr. Gleason said he would like Mr. Gaydos to proceed to take the necessary action to plan for a special election and take the steps necessar= y to gather the information the Selectmen needed to make a determination as to w= hen it would be held. Mr. Domenic= o was hopeful that Mr. Gaydos would determine what the furthest date out was and = then work backward so the Selectmen could make a decision as a group. Mr. Lynde believed there was an understanding that a special Town Meeting was needed. He understood the Town couldn̵= 7;t wait too long, or the state would have to step in. Mr. Gleason said if the state perc= eived the Town was proceeding in an effort to have a special Town Meeting they wo= uld supplement the communications effort. Mr. Lynde said the question was how long a revaluation would take. Mr. Gaydos said he was trying to w= ork with the bids received for 2006, so far there was only one company that rai= sed their price. He said the conc= ern was starting late in the year, if there was a long winter the process would= be slowed down.

There was further discussion about scheduling a special meeting and reviewing operating costs and safety issues that may also included. The Selectmen were = in favor of scheduling a meeting in early September, 2005 unless data specified otherwise.

Posting of Junkyard Hearing: May 17, 2005 – Jack Mansur’s Auto; Jean-Guy’s Used Cars & Parts, Inc.

Mr. Gaydos noted that the Junkyard licenses for Jack Mansur’s Auto and Jean-Guy’s Used Cars & Parts, Inc. would = be discussed at the May 17, 2005 meeting.

Citizen Co= rps Council Grant Application

Mr. Gaydos understood there were a number of Selectmen= who wanted to review the application. He recommended ‘tabling’ the application until the next meeting so the Selectmen could have the opportunity to review.

Mr. Gleason said based upon his review of the informat= ion and a conversation with the Fire Chief, any previous opposition has been allayed. He said the Chief indicated there was no date necessary for execution and there were no obligations on the part of the Town to support it.

Mr. Gaydos said an agenda item would be added to the <= st1:date Year=3D"2005" Day=3D"17" Month=3D"5" w:st=3D"on">May 17, 2005 me= eting.

TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT / SELECTMEN’S REPORTS=

Mr. Gaydos had no report.

Mr. Domenico said he had made significant progress on = the revaluation web site, which would be posted for the Selectmen to review and make comments within the next week. If there was concurrence, the information would be posted on Pelhamweb.com in the next couple weeks.&nb= sp;

Mr. Gleason said the Budget Committee held an organiza= tional meeting May 5, 20= 05. Budget books should be submitted t= o the Budget Committee no later that September 10, 2005. The Bud= get Committee requested that the Selectmen resume providing monthly expenditure= and revenue reports. He said they would like the Town to provide the School with a copy of the Technology Plan. Mr. Gaydos believed the Technology= Plan was on the website. Mr. Gleas= on ended by saying that the Budget Committee wanted to work with the Selectmen. He suggested that = the Selectmen meet with the Budget Committee to review the number of warrant articles and prioritizing such.

Mr. Domenico noted that the CIP would have their first meeting May 12, = 2005 and would report on such at the next Selectmen’s meeting.

Mr. Lynde informed that the Fire Station Building Comm= ittee would hold a meeting May 11, 2005. He noted th= at the Tot Soccer Spring Program began.

ADJOURNMEN= T

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Gleason/Domenico) To adjourn the meeting.

VOTE:

(3-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:30 pm.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Respe= ctfully submitted,

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Chari= ty A. L. Willis

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Recor= ding Secretary