BOS Minutes 10-18-2005

APPROVED

TOWN OF PELHAM

BOARD OF SE= LECTMEN MEETING

MINUTES

October 18, 2005

APPROVED – November 1, 2005

CALL TO ORDER

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

PRESENT:

Mr. Victor Danevich, Mr. Harold Lynde (arrived after= the meeting commenced), Mr. Jean-Guy Bergeron, Mr. Edmund Gleason, Mr. Tom Domenico, Mr. Tom Gaydos - Town Administrator

Also present:

ABSENT:

Members of the press and general public.

None

MINUTES RE= VIEW

September 20, 2005

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Gleason/Bergeron) To approve the September 20, 2005 meeting = minutes as amended.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

The amendments to the meeting were discussed publicly = at an earlier meeting.

October 4, 2005

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Bergeron/Domenico) To approve the October 4, 2005 meeting min= utes as amended.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

The amendments to the minutes were as follows: page 2, paragraph 3 – the word ‘contact’ was added to ‘…Police Department would contact the Child…’; paragraph 7 – the word ‘what’ was inserted= to: ‘wanted to know what the fiscal..’; paragraph 7, 8^th line – sentence beginning with ‘A cellular hook up..’ was amended to read: ‘For the cellular hook up..’; 10^th line – the words ‘buy out’ were replace= d with the word ‘purchase’; after the 11^th line, the following sentence was inserted: ‘Chief Haglund indicated he was conside= ring a warrant article to cover the RF and software implementation next year.&= #8217;; 13^th line – the words ‘into the 2006 budget’ w= ere inserted into: ‘…cost of the implementation (into the 2006 budget) without…’; page 6, 2^{nd<=
/sup>
paragraph – the word ‘s=
aid’
was deleted from the 6th} line so the sentence now reads ‘ Mr. Bergeron wanted to know how…’.

OPEN FORUM=

None.

APPOINTMEN= TS

PUBLIC HEA= RING – Donation of Brush Fire Fighting Truck

Mr. Danevich said any time the Town moved to receive a= gift of any value a public hearing was held.&nb= sp; He said the Selectmen were considering a brush/tanker truck (Tanker = #3); 1970, 1000 gallon tank with 150 gallon pump; value set by the Fire Chief at $15,000. The truck had been restored by the Pelham Fire Fighters and donations by Pelham residents. The truck was ready for fire fight= ing and would only need the Town seal and reflective stripe.

PUBLIC INPUT

Mr. Leo Thibeault of Simpson Road felt the donation was = a good deal and believed the Town should accept the donation. He recommended that the Selectmen approve the donation.

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Bergeron/Gleason ) To accept the 1970 6x6 truck, 10= 00 gallon truck with 150 gallon pump donated by the Pelham Fire Fighters.

=

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

Deborah Wa= ters – Land Stewardship Program

Ms. Deborah Waters, Chairperson of the Land Stewardship Committee (sub-committee of Conservation Commission), presented a warrant article that proposed the four (land) pieces purchased by the Conservation Commission be designated as Town Forest. She said at the time the Conservat= ion Commission came to the Selectmen with the purchase proposal, it was also the intention to use timber revenues from the parcels for land stewardship. She read aloud the proposed warrant article. Ms. Waters indicated that the Conservation Commission had designat= ed Mr. Dan Cyr of Bay State Forestry Services as the person they would like to= prepare the management plan for the parcels. A preliminary inventory and report had been done and submitted to the Selectmen.

Mr. Bergeron wanted to know if the use of the land wou= ld be restricted if the warrant article passed.&= nbsp; Ms. Waters answered no, it would allow the Conservation Commission t= o do forest management. Timber wou= ld be cut per a forestry plan; revenue from such would go into a fund used for ca= re of the property. Mr. Bergeron= asked if Town residents would be able to walk/use the land. Ms. Waters answered yes.

Mr. Lynde arrived.

Mr. Gleason asked if the forestry plan would be simila= r to that used by Danville. Ms. Waters believed so. She discussed the plan with Mr. Cy= r; after public hearings the management plan would be created (specific to the parcels) and then used for timber cut.&nbs= p; Mr. Gleason asked if the plan would have to be modified in the futur= e with future acquisitions. Ms. Wate= rs answered yes.

Mr. Lynde said there were forest management plans for = other parcels in Town (done by Mr. Cyr) and questioned if they (Forestry Committee and proposed Warrant Article) should be continued as two entities. Ms. Waters said hadn’t yet t= hought it through. She was presentin= g the current plan based on the recommendation of Town Counsel (Diane Gorrow). A vote would be needed if money wo= uld be used from the parcels for stewardship of such. Ms. Waters felt there was a broader question of how to incorporate everything into one overview plan. She said she would like to come ba= ck in the future to discuss this. <= /p>

Mr. Danevich said the warrant article would be added t= o the Selectmen’s list of warrant articles to be discussed.

OTHER BUSI= NESS

Proposed B= udget Revisions

Ms. Janet Gallant, Town Financial Supervisor was also present for the discussion.

Mr. Danevich said during the budget process a couple t= hings had changed since the Selectmen approved the budget and it was sent to the Budget Committee. An example = was adjustments made due to the Town and School District locking in a heating oil price of $1.795/per gallon (budget estimates were higher).

Police Chief Evan Haglund met with the Selectmen to re= quest reconsideration of the Phase II – Car 54 cruiser project. He briefly discussed the project (= that had been presented at a previous meeting) and reviewed the revised budget numbers (an adjustment of $25,280). He noted that the state bid price for new cars had not yet been anno= unced, but believed the budgetary amount per car could safely be reduced by $4200 = per car.

Mr. Gleason thought per the discussion at the last mee= ting that there would be a savings of $6000 per car. Chief Haglund said the Opticom pri= cing had to be taken into account and he wasn’t sure what the pricing for = the new cars would be. He said th= ey were looking at approximately $4200 in costs savings (maybe more) but didn’t know until he got the cost from Ford for the 2006 cars. Mr. Gleason asked how confident the Chief was to get the $4200 savings. Chief Haglund said the $4200 was pretty safe and further discussed h= is reasons.

Mr. Bergeron asked if approval was needed now or if it should wait for more accurate numbers.&nbs= p; Chief Haglund believed the Chairman wanted the numbers as best as possible. Mr. Danevich believ= ed after research that the numbers were pretty close and if there was an adjustment it would be small. He said the one big issue was the technology and the state approving such.

Ms. Gallant questioned when the program would be implemented; for twelve months, or beginning in April. Chief Haglund said they could impl= ement it in April. He said he could ad= just the price (for implementation and the cruisers) accordingly and submit back= to Ms. Gallant. Mr. Gleason said= he was going to request that the Selectmen approve the budgets tonight because= the approved numbers from the Selectmen were due back to the Budget Committee n= ext week. There was a discussion regarding what the new budget numbers were. The following motion was made.

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Lynde/Domenico) To reconsider the Police Department budget.

=

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Lynde/Domenico) To change the Selectmen’s recommended Police budget from $2,074,378 to $2,089,038.

=

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

------------------------------------------------------= ---------------------------------------------------------

Assessor – decrease in amount because there was an adjustment made to the Assessor’s salary.

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Gleason/Lynde) To reconsider the Assessor budget.

=

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Gleason/Lynde) To approve a new Assessor’s bu= dget of $91,157.

=

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

------------------------------------------------------= -----------------------------------------------------------

Highway De= partment – increase for non-union employees (of 3%).

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Gleason/Bergeron) To reconsider the Highway Departm= ent budget.

=

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Gleason/Bergeron) To approve a revised Highway Depa= rtment budget of $841,310.

=

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

------------------------------------------------------= ----------------------------------------------------------

Insurance<= /u> – Original Selectmen vote had no action due to a 2-2 vote. The increased items are dental and health insurance. Total increase of $100,425 (due mainly to health insurance increase based on number of employees).&nb= sp; Mr. Gaydos said the reason there was previously a no vote was due to= a discussion regarding the Council on Aging workman’s compensation poli= cy that has not yet been resolved.

Mr. Domenico made a motion to revise (decrease by $576= ) the Selectmen recommended insurance amount of $1,231,130 to be consistent with other private organizations in Town. Mr. Lynde seconded for discussion.&= nbsp; The amount was discussed. Ms. Gallant corrected the insurance number as being $1,231,195 (decr= ease was $513). Mr. Domenico amend= ed his motion. Mr. Gleason seconded.= Mr. Bergeron asked if there would = be other options that could be reviewed. Mr. Gaydos said it had gone out to bid; there was a three-year fixed commitment with the company. = He noted that the health and dental was guided by the union agreements.

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Domenico/Gleason) To revise the Board of Selectmen recommended Insurance amount to $1,231,195.

=

VOTE:

(4-0-1) The motion carri= ed. Mr. Danevich abstained.

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Lynde/Bergeron) To amend the (Insurance) figure upw= ard to $1,231,706 (to include the insurance for the Council on Aging).

=

VOTE:

(3-1-1) The motion carried. Mr. Gleason= voted no. Mr. Danevich abstained.=

------------------------------------------------------= -------------------------------------------------------------

Park & Recreation - decrease= in equipment repairs.

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Gleason/Lynde) To reconsider the Park & Recreat= ion budget.

=

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Gleason/Bergeron) To approve a new Park & Recre= ation budget of $364,406.

=

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

------------------------------------------------------= -------------------------------------------------------------

Planning Department – budget was effected by a number of items; there = was an increase in stipends, however there was a decrease in the telephone and salary lines. As a net result= there was a decrease of $1087. Ther= e was research done regarding all Town official stipends. There was no way to come up with a= set number based upon any analysis, the decision was made to give a 5% increase= to the inspector’s stipends and revisit at a later time.

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Gleason/Bergeron) To reconsider the Planning Depart= ment budget.

=

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Gleason/Lynde) To approve a Planning Department bud= get of $214,419.<= /p>

=

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

------------------------------------------------------= ------------------------------------------------------------

Selectmen<= /u> – an increase of $3737 was requested for additional bookkeeper hours.= There was a brief discussion regar= ding the position; it was noted that the current bookkeeper was agreeable to the additional hours.

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Bergeron/Gleason) To reconsider the Selectmen budge= t.

=

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Bergeron/Gleason) To increase the (Selectmen) budge= t by $3737 bringing the total to $358,193.

=

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

------------------------------------------------------= --------------------------------------------------------------

Town Build= ings – a reduction of $11,961 due to an adjustment for heating oil (becaus= e of new $1.79 lock in price with the School District); right reserved to revisit electric, gas and oil at a later date (prior to reconsideration with Budget Committee).

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Gleason/Lynde) To reconsider the Town Buildings bud= get.

=

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Gleason/Lynde) To approve a Town Buildings budget of $387,188. =

=

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

------------------------------------------------------= ------------------------------------------------------------------

Transfer S= tation – increase of $511 due to non-union part-time labor adjustment (3%).<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Lynde/Gleason) To reconsider the Transfer Station Budget.

=

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Lynde/Gleason) To amend the Transfer Station budget= from $548,128 to $548,639.

=

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

------------------------------------------------------= ------------------------------------------------------------

Ms. Gallant will supply the Selectmen will revised bac= k up sheets.

CERTS Volu= nteer Recognition for Assisting with Hurricane Disaster

Mr. Danevich said there were four members of the Pelha= m CERT Team that were chosen to respond to the Southern part of the country to res= pond to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. The Selectmen recognized the members and asked Mr. Gaydos to put together a formal recognition for the volunteers.

Resignatio= n from Council on Aging – Christopher Sintros

Mr. Danevich said a memo had been received from the Se= nior Center Director Sue Hovling in which Mr. Christopher Sintros had asked to be replaced on the Council on Aging due to time constraints.

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Bergeron/Lynde) To accept the resignation from the Council on Aging as submitted by Mr. Christopher Sintros.

=

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

Appointmen= t to Council on Aging – Donald Brunelle

Mr. Danevich said the Senior Center Director Sue Hovli= ng had made a recommendation to appoint Mr. Donald Brunelle to the Council on Aging. Mr. Brunelle is a long= time resident who is active in the community and interested in the Senior Center.

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Bergeron/Lynde)&nb= sp; To allow (appoint) Mr. Donald Brunelle to become a member of the Council on Aging.

=

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

Warrant Ar= ticle Discussion

Mr. Danevich said he had asked the Selectmen to submit= any proposed warrant articles. He reviewed a proposed list. Mr. Gaydos discussed the ‘revolving accounts’ (as being proposed by warrant article) and Town Counsel’s opinion of such. Revolving Accounts are set up so t= hat any funds that are placed into them (which cannot be an appropriation from = the Town, it has to be some operation for which a fee or charge is levied) funds can only go out for those items specified in the warrant article. A balance cannot be swept into the general fund, however the statute is clear that the Selectmen may place the funds (revenues) in this account. It is the opinion of Town Counsel that if Town Meeting gives any Boa= rd the authority to set the amount that goes in to that account, then the Selectmen would be able to control how much (so an account doesn’t st= art ‘ballooning’ over time) and start to divert funds back to the general fund until it is deemed that they need funds back into the account.= Mr. Gaydos said he was trying to g= et more information and would pass it along once he had it. Mr. Lynde was of the opinion that anything going into the accounts should be what was intended to be paid out= ; they should not accumulate money. Mr. Gaydos will discuss further, once more information was obtained.

TOWN ADMIN= ISTRATOR / SELECTMEN REPORTS

Mr. Gaydos provided the Selectmen with handouts regard= ing the revaluation. He said four separate contracts were being negotiated, two of which were immediate in nature, the other two were the utility assessments and the current use valuations. Mr. Gaydos said t= he final copy of the agreement with Corcoran came in today and was very thorough. He discussed the co= ntents of the document and noted that time was of the essence. He then discussed the recommendati= on to move forward with Vision Appraisal and the items addressed during negotiati= ons. He believed both contracts were re= ady and would like to have a future date for the Selectmen to review/approve.

Mr. Gleason believed a letter contract could be issued= to Corcoran, in a not to exceed amount of $38,500 pending negotiation of a fin= al contract. He said there should still be discussions to make sure that there was a complete understanding between all parties, until such time, he would be reluctant to approve a contract.

There was further discussion regarding what details st= ill had to be worked out. Once discussions have concluded and there was concurrence regarding a final document, it will be brought back to the Selectmen for final review. Mr. Gaydos said he would like to h= ave a final version put together over the weekend and include it in the Selectmen packages for Monday. Mr. Glea= son asked that a letter contract be sent out to Corcoran (in the same format used for Vision) to ensure they were ‘locked’ in. Mr. Gaydos answered yes. Mr. Lynde assumed that as part of = the contractual negotiations would be a ‘meeting of the minds’ betw= een the monitoring firm and Vision Appraisal and the Town. Mr. Gleason said the monitor would= be an agent of the Town. By signing= the letter contract there would be an agreement to include Corcoran in discussi= ons. Mr. Gaydos said Corcoran had been included in the interviewing process; the companies were well aware of what= was going on. There was a responsibility for Corcoran to disclose anything they find.

Mr. Domenico had no report.

Mr. Bergeron said the Joint Loss Safety Committee met = at the Senior Center and conducted a walk throug= h of the Senior Center and the Fire Department. The Committee would also meet on Wednesday to finalize their reports of both lots. He said the Seniors would hold the= ir Fall Fair on Oc= tober 29, 2005.

Mr. Lynde asked if there was a date to set the tax rate. Mr. Gaydos believed tha= t Sue Snide and Janet Gallant were working with DRA to set a date. Mr. Lynde questioned if funding fo= r the snack shack at PVMP was included in the Park & Recreation budget. Mr. Gaydos answered no. He discussed how the snack shack w= as run over the past year. Mr. Lynde= asked for a future discussion regarding such.&nb= sp; Mr. Gaydos felt it would be good to have the Park & Recreation Director address this.

Mr. Gleason said the Budget Committee was ‘windi= ng down’ and felt the process was doing well. He said the Budget Committee would review everything on Monday night and would vote on Thursday.

Mr. Danevich had no report.

REQUEST FOR NON-PUBLIC SESSION

MOTION:=

(Lynde/Bergeron) Request for a non-public session pe= r RSA 91-A:3,II,a,c &d (Personnel; Matters which, if discussed publicly, wo= uld affect adversely the reputation of any person; Consideration of acquisiti= on, sale or lease of property)

=

ROLL CALL:<= /b>

Mr. Danevich-Yes; Mr. Lynde-Yes; Mr. Bergeron-Yes; M= r. Gleason-Yes; Mr. Domenico-Yes

Mr. Danevich noted that when the Board returned, after= the non-public session, the Board would not take any other action publicly, exc= ept to possibly seal the minutes of the non-public session and to adjourn the meeting. The Board entered in= to a non-public session at approximately 8:12 pm. Also present = was Mr. Gaydos.

The Board returned to public session at approximately = 10:05 pm.

=

MOTION:=

(Gleason/Bergeron) To seal the minutes of the non-pu= blic session.

=

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carried.

ADJOURNMEN= T

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Gleason/Bergeron) To adjourn the meeting.

=

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 10:05 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