SEL20100608

APPROVED

TOWN OF PELHAM

BOARD OF SE= LECTMEN MEETING

MINUTES

June 8, 2010

APPROVED &#= 8211; July 6, 2010

CALL TO ORDER – 6:30pm

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

PRESENT:

Mr. Edmund Gleason, Mr.= Robert Haverty, Mr. William McDevitt,

Mr. Harold Lynde, Town Administrator Tom Gaydos

ABSENT:

Mr. Douglas Viger

MINUTES REVIEW

May 2= 5, 2010

MOTION:

(McDevitt/Lynd= e) To approve the Ma= y 11, 2010 meeting minutes as amended.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The mo= tion carried.

OPEN FORUM

Mr. Paul McDonagh of Mammoth Road came forward and told the Board that he felt Transfer Station Superintendent Ron Hannon was doing a good job at the facility. He spoke about coming forward and addressing the Board and appreciated the work of the Selectmen. Mr. Gleason encouraged Mr. McDonag= h to continue coming forward and addressing the Selectmen.

APPOINTMENTS

Don Foss – 2010 Plans and Block Grant Discussion

Highway Road Agent Don Fo= ss met with the Selectmen to discuss the proposed 2010 paving projects. He said the projects totaled $502,= 560 which would pave 5.61 miles of roadway.&nb= sp; Pricing for crack sealing had nearly doubled from last year; backup information showing asphalt pricing was included in a packet given to the Selectmen.

Mr. Gaydos said he worked= with Mr. Foss on the presentation. They realized that when prices spiked in 2008 a lot of work had been put off with the thought that prices would come down, however they didn’t. He explained how the projects were determined. Mr. Foss noted the importance of crack sealing roads to prevent further problems, which would = be less expensive than hot topping the roads.= Based on increasing costs, he felt the way to proceed would be to ke= ep up with the crack sealing and then repave them when the roads started to get rutted.

Mr. Lynde confirmed that = the roads that needed work could only be estimated.&= nbsp; Mr. Foss said after winter he knew which roads needed work. He commented that they had been wo= rking on Pelham Road (for four years, this year being the last) doing 1/10 of a mile of road each year to keep in the budget, which cost $74,000 (for 1/10^th of the road). He said reconstructing= the roads would be very costly. M= r. Lynde confirmed that the cost to pave one mile of road was $100,000; to reconstruct a mile of road the cost would be $750,000. He said the Town sho= uld do whatever it took to avoid reconstruction. Mr. Foss agreed.

Mr. McDevitt asked if the= items on the project list were being done this year. Mr. Foss answered yes. Mr. McDevitt confirmed that the pr= ojects would be funded through the Highway Budget as well as the existing Highway Grant money. Mr. Foss answered yes. Mr. McDevitt commented t= hat last year (through the work of the Department Heads, Selectmen and everyone working together) the Town under spent the budget by $650,000 and the reque= st was to take that $650,00 and place a portion of which ($273,000) back into = the Highway Block Grant. Mr. Lynde questioned where the money would come from if they didn’t take from t= he $650,000. Mr. Gaydos said they wouldn’t have the money and the work wouldn’t be scheduled. Mr. Foss said if they decided not = to move the money he would recommend either a $200,000 warrant article or $200= ,000 budget item for repaving.

Mr. Gleason asked if the = budget put forth for 2010 was adequate to fund the services proposed to be provided. Mr. Foss said the department had been level funded for a few years and prices were increasing. Mr. Gleason had h= eard discussions about the necessity of having money on hand in the event the To= wn ran into an unforeseen difficulty, such as flooding or a super snow storm, = and asked if it was the intent to have some of the money allocated for such. Mr. Foss said they had been keepin= g one block grant back so it was not at zero.&nb= sp; Mr. Gleason confirmed that the intent was to have one year (of block grant) in reserve for contingencies. = Mr. Foss answered yes.

A point was made that the= Highway Department had $500,000 of expenditure for this year and if it was spent the department would only have $250,000 coming in for next year and the Town wo= uld never get to a point of addressing the infrastructure needs. Mr. Gleason believed that the issu= e in front of the Selectmen was whether or not to move the money from the unexpe= nded budgets to reimburse the Highway Grant.&nb= sp; Mr. Gaydos said they would reclassify those expenses made to the Hig= hway Department and then allow the Highway Department operating budget to oversp= end which would be counterbalanced by the other departments. Mr. Foss said he gets conservative= at the end of the year, which was why there was money left.

Mr. Lynde offered an alte= rnate approach of designating a certain amount out of surplus for the road project and bump the highway budget up for construction costs. A buffer of approximately $250,000= was needed to cover contingencies and $700,000 was needed each year for road paving.

There was a brief discuss= ion regarding the funding options. Mr. McDevitt was a little nervous about taking the $650,000 and spending it. He felt going into the end of this= year if the funds were placed in the fund balance it would help him feel comfortable. He felt it was c= ritical to understand that with a Town Meeting form of government the roads would n= ever be better than what the taxpayers want them to be. He said it was admirable to make m= oney available for the roads, but felt the voters should make the decision. Mr. McDevitt said he would support something from Mr. Foss’ budget for 2011 that reflected the true cost= of doing the roads. He said it wasn’t a good idea to understate the costs for doing the roads, as has been done in the past. He sai= d he would rather not reclassify the money.&nbs= p;

Mr. Lynde asked how much = was spent on crack sealing last year and wanted to know how much was anticipated for this year. Mr. Foss said = last year $74,000 was spent on crack sealing.&n= bsp; Mr. Lynde felt all the roads listed should be done this year. He was uncomfortable (this late in= the year) going back and changing the number in the 2009 Highway Department budget. He said they faced a problem of not putting enough money in the budget to stay ahead. Mr. Lynde said if the Town didn= 217;t want to put itself in the position of having to reconstruct roads, it should put together a plan that put an average of $700,000 (available for reconstruction) each year, and more should be added this coming year, so the department had a buffer. He s= aid they could make a case to the Town (through a warrant article) to use a por= tion of the fund balance to cover this coming year’s cost.

Mr. Gleason asked how muc= h was currently in the fund balance. Mr. Gayd= os said there was approximately 1.8 million, but would be approximately 2.3 million once the audit came back.

The Selectmen discussed w= hat direction they would provide to Mr. Foss and Mr. Gaydos. Mr. Lynde made the following motio= n: To reclassify $272,672 from fund balance to highway expenses in 2009. Mr. McDevitt seconded the motion.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Mr. Gleason clarified that the mon= ey should come from the under expended budget. Mr. Lynde made a friendly amendmen= t to have the money come out of the surplus in 2009; the motion was revised. Mr. Lynde then withdrew his motion= and made the following motion: To reclassify $272,672 in unexpended funds in 20= 09 as highway expenses. Mr. McDe= vitt seconded the motion for discussion and said he didn’t intend on supporting the motion. Mr. Ga= ydos said they would be taking $272,000 that was spent out of the Block Grant and reclassifying it as a Highway operational expense. Mr. Lynde wanted the motion to ref= lect Mr. Gaydos’ comment and accepted the wording as such. Mr. McDevitt seconded the motion.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Mr. Gaydos said as a result of tha= t, in order to maintain a balanced budget, the funds would be drawn off the surpl= uses of other departments.

MOTION:

(Lynde/McDevit= t) To take $272,000 that was spent out of the Block Grant and reclassifying it = as a Highway operational expense (2009).

VOTE:

(0-4-0) The mo= tion failed.

Ron Hannon – Transfer Station/Recycling Center Superintend= ent – Overview of the New System at Center effective June 15, 2010 – Video Presentation

Transfer Station/Recyclin= g Center Superintendent Ron Hannon came forward to provide an overview of the new sy= stem at the Center. He stated that= a plan of action had been outlined for the recycling complex with the focus o= n creating a facility that was user friendly, increase recycling with restructured agreements and reduce the budget cost through efficiencies and refinements. He said at the p= resent they were ahead of the plan and would begin the single-stream recycling pro= cess. The staff has been trained and is = able to explain the process to the residents.&n= bsp; Mr. Hannon showed the Selectmen a video presentation that out explai= ned the process of zero-sort recycling. He then showed a map of the center depicting the dumpster locations = and traffic flow. He discussed the types of items that would be accepted along with the associated costs for accepting them, if any.

The Selectmen discussed t= he process and asked that more details be provided, such as an estimate of cos= ts and revenues and agreements with the hauling companies. Mr. Gleason believed during the bu= dget season, Mr. Hannon should look at the operating budget for 2010 and how they measured against it for the first six months and where it would be at the e= nd of the year. He said the chan= ges would affect the revenues and the hauling/tipping fees. He said it might be appropriate to reanalyze the budget in terms of the changes that had been made and the anticipated changes and where the department would be. Mr. Hannon agreed.

There was a discussion re= garding how the center would handle and monitor construction and demolition materia= ls being dumped. The efficiency = and the operation would be improved to offset any costs. The Selectmen would like a breakdo= wn of the projected costs and revenues from the programs being run at the center. They would also asked= for estimates of the budget and costs based upon the proposed changes.

OTHER BUSINESS

Discussion – Family Health Benefits Extension to Divorced Employee’s Spouse

Mr. Gaydos discussed the = topic of family health benefits. He sa= id if the Town had an employee who became divorced from their spouse (who had hea= lth benefit coverage) there were instances where health benefits could be exten= ded to the ex-spouse for 36-months. He said the question was who would pay for the ex-spouse’s benefits, the employee or the Town.

Mr. Gleason asked what pe= rcentage the Town was obligated to pay. Mr. Gaydos said it depended upon the contract; there were four contracts.

Mr. McDevitt asked what w= ould be the least cost to the tax payers. Mr. Gaydos said the least cost would be to tell the employee they wo= uld be responsible for 100% of the cost.

There was a discussion re= garding the benefit and how the costs would be handled. Mr. Gaydos said the idea was to ge= t the topic ‘on the table’ for discussion and then put something toge= ther to vote on at a later meeting because it was complicated. Mr. Lynde wanted to better underst= and the Town’s obligation. = Mr. Gaydos said if the employee had children, and the employee wanted those children to have coverage the Town had an obligation through their contractual relation= ship to provide it for them under the terms of the contract. The Selectmen will discuss the top= ic further on June = 22, 2010.

Announcement of Public Hearing on June 22, 2010 at 6:35PM regarding proposed amendments t= o the Town Parking Ordinance

A public hearing will be = held June 22, 2010 a= t 6:35pm at Sherburne Hall r= egarding the proposed amendments to the Town Parking Ordinance. For further information or a copy = of the proposed Parking Ordinance people should visit the Board of Selectmen web p= age at: www. pelhamweb. com/Selectmen or contact via telephone at 603-635-8233.=

Mr. McDevitt asked if notification had been sent to those people affected by the ordinance. Mr. Gaydos said notification had b= een sent.

Resignation – Senior Center Director Sue Hovling

Mr. Gleason read aloud the resignation letter of Senior Center Director Sue Hovling effective December 31, 2010.

The Selectmen will review= the job description at their next meeting, prior to posting the position.

MOTION:

(Haverty/Lynde= ) To accept, with regret, Sue Hovling’s resignation as Senior Center Director effective December 31, 2010.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The mo= tion carried.

TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S / SELECTMEN’S RE= PORTS

Mr. McDevitt had= no report.

Mr. Lynde noted = the passing of Shirley Sutton, longtime Pelham resident, and stated that she wo= uld be missed. Mr. Lynde said he = was gathering data on energy use in the Town and providing it to the Nashua Regional Planning Commission who would review the information and make suggestions how the Town could save money.= He said he had been attending the Municipal Advocacy Committee sub-committee meetings. They = were looking at proposed policy decisions for NHMA to be presented at the annual meeting; one key thing is the retirement system and the concerns of the shifting of costs to the town. Mr. Lynde = said the Local= Government Center had been put under pressure by some forces bent on harming it. He said the organization saved the= Town a lot of money and provided benefits. He noted that there would be a panel discussion on New England state pension reform to be held June 30, 2010 from 9am= -noon at the Federal Reserve= Bank of Boston.

Mr. Haverty stat= ed that he would attend the Haz Mat Board of Director’s meeting and would pro= vide an update at the next meeting.

Mr. Gaydos noted= the passing of Herman Hanson. He reported to the Board that the last easement document for Shannon Circle should be received d= uring the week; there won’t be additional costs for the work to be done bec= ause of some concessions made by the adjacent property owners. Once all documents are received, M= r. Gaydos will come to the Selectmen with an official start and final costs.

Mr. Gleason stat= ed that he had attended the Trustee’s seminar; all three Trustees were in attendance. He said he would recommend that the Trustees put the cost of reproducing the original trust = warrant articles and information into an electronic format. He informing that the Senior Center bids would be opened publicly June 25, 2010. He ende= d by saying he would attend the Nashua Regional Planning Commission meeting June 16, 2010.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>

Mr. Haverty read= aloud the resignation letter of Pam Kempton.&nbs= p;

MOTION:

(Haverty/Lynde= ) To accept, with regret, the resignation of Pam Kempton effective Friday, May 8, 2010= .

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The mo= tion carried.

REQUEST FOR NON-PUBLIC SESSION

MOTION:

(Haverty/McDev= itt) Request for a non-public session per RSA 91-A:3,II, a (Consideration or negotiation of pending claims or litigation)

ROLL CALL:

Mr. Gleason-Ye= s; Mr. McDevitt-Yes; Mr. Lynde-Yes; Mr. Haverty-Yes

It was noted tha= t when the Board returned, after the non-public session, the Board would not take = any other action publicly, except to possibly seal the minutes of the non-public session and to adjourn the meeting. The Board entered into a non-public session at approximately 8:45 pm.

The Board returned to public session at approximately 9:10pm.

MOTION:

(Haverty/McDev= itt) To seal the minutes of the non-public session indefinitely.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The mo= tion carried.

ADJOURNMENT

MOTION:

(Haverty/McDev= itt) To adjourn the meeting.

VOTE:

(4 -0-0) The motion carried.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:10 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