REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING _ MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2007
Mayor Danderson opened the regular City Council Meeting at 6:41 pm. The pledge of allegiance to the flag preceded roll call. Present at roll call: Councilors Nelson, Danderson, Lafleur, Roy and Grenier. Also present: Acting City Manager Laura Viger, Deputy Police Chief Brian Valerino and the press.
Minutes, Previous Meetings - Councilor Roy moved with a second by Councilor Danderson to accept the minutes of the 1/02/07 WS; 1/02/07 Regular Meeting and 1/08/07 WS. So moved, the motion carried.
Disbursements: It was recommended by the Committee on Accounts/Claims that all bills start date 1/03/2007; end date 1/15/2007 be paid for a total cash disbursement of: $732,203.45 Draft #1533. Councilor Grenier moved with a second by Councilor Danderson accept the disbursement summary and pay all bills as recommended by the Committee on Accounts/Claims. So moved, the motion carried.
PUBLIC COMMENTS: No public comments
1. Council Committee Reports. No reports.
3. Mayor=s Report:
- AVRRDD Second Alternate Appointment: Councilor Diana Nelson was appointed.
- The Mayor, City Manager, Andre Caron, Steve Griffin and Jim Wagner met with Governor Lynch to discuss housing issues and the assistant Fire Marshall had many suggestions for Berlin. It is a slow, litigious process but they are looking at ways around that. He was pleased with the meeting which was productive.
- On Thursday, the Mayor met with a pellet company which is interested in moving to Berlin.
- Councilor Roy moved with a second by Councilor Nelson to accept/file the Mayor=s oral Report. So moved, the motion carried.
4. Ordinance deleting Chapter 16, Utilities, of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Berlin in its entirety and substituting the following new Chapter 16, Utilities in lieu thereof. (1st read)
- Councilor Grenier moved with a second by Councilor Roy to table the ordinance and schedule a public hearing on February 5, 2007. So moved, the motion carried.
5. Resolution increasing the Berlin Police Department=s Underage Drinking Grant (30-420-908-1000) budget appropriation for fiscal year 2006-2007 by Four Thousand, Six Hundred and Eighty-Five Dollars to be offset by additional grant revenues from the US Department of Justice of underage drinking details (30-364-602-0018). (1st read)
- Councilor Danderson moved with a second by Councilor Lafleur to table the resolution and schedule a public hearing on February 5, 2007. So moved, the motion carried.
6. Resolution honoring the service of Raymond Chagnon to the City of Berlin (1st read)
- Councilor Lafleur moved with a second by Councilor Danderson to table the resolution at this time. So moved, the motion carried.
7. Lease Agreement between Clean Power Development, LLC & City of Berlin
- Councilor Grenier moved with a second by Councilor Lafleur to accept the negotiated lease agreement between Clean Power Development, LLC and the City of Berlin for a one-year lease from January 15, 2007 until January 14, 2008. So moved, the motion carried.
8. Other. Nothing in Other
9. City Manager's Report
- Fire Tragedy. Three people lost their lives but fortunately no emergency personnel were lost. The Police, Fire and EMT services responded with full efforts.
- Governor Meeting. Expressed concern and offered to help. Talks began about ways they state can help with housing, welfare, power plan issues and ATV Park Master Plan.
- PSNH Meeting. Police Chief Morency and the City Manager met with PSNH Officials in Manchester to discuss the Department=s Homeland Security Wireless project and the $238K grant that they received.
- Pandemic Exercise. An all day session was conducted at the White Mountain Chalet organized by Laura Viger. Emergency Planners from the state and region discussed many alternatives.
- Dummer Yard Leachate. Discussions with Fraser Paper and the State DES regarding the treatment of Leachate from Dummer Yard at our WWTF and at what price.
- Councilor Nelson moved with a second by Councilor Roy to accept/file the City Manager's Report as read by Acting City Manager Laura Viger. So moved, the motion carried.
10. Public Comments - None
11. Council Comments
- Mayor Danderson wants Council to begin discussions to link Jericho Lake Park/Success snowmobile trails with Chris Gamache for over 50 miles of trails. This might attract tourists that would help businesses.
- Councilor Grenier stated the Coos County Commissioners refuse to apply for grants for their unincorporated places. That money is available if the PD want to pursue grants to fund extra patrols.
- Councilor Roy added that there has been lots of vandalism and the extra patrols would be helpful.
Recess
- Councilor Grenier moved with a second by Councilor Roy to recess the meeting at this time until the 7:30 Public Hearing. So moved, the motion carried.
Public Comments: Mayor Danderson opened the floor to public comments at this time.
- Ray Dube, 449 Second Avenue, a Berlin Firefighter respectfully addressed Fire Department problems and concerns and #1 is personnel. Each year the Fire Department asks for more staff and are cut at budget time. He reminded Council that Berlin over the years has gotten larger structure fires and more civilian casualties. Mr. Dube=s second concern is that the Fire Department is the last union in the City to negotiate a contract which makes morale low. Factfinding was rejected unanimously and it is causing animosity making the Fire Department
counter-productive which is not in the best interest for all parties. He suggests that Council not squander that resource since they are a well trained, valuable department and you can=t quantify at this point but need to maintain. Within the next four years he said that department will lose over 100 years of rescue/fire experience and it is time to help now. They need more than a pat on the back and Council should stand behind their words. It is their job to protect citizens. Mr Dube thanked Council for their services each Monday and given all the facts, to err on the side to keep the City of Berlin strong to move forward.
- Councilor Grenier countered that for the last 16 years, Council has worked collaboratively with the Fire Department to purchase new fire trucks, turn out gear, tanks, etc. Mr. Dube has no right to come to this meeting chastising Council for not supporting the Fire Department. Council is dealing with a City constantly struggling to survive. He advised Mr. Dube to take a walk through Berlin and ask the laid off mill workers how they feel and how their morale is. Councilor Grenier has taken Mr. Dube=s comments as an insult pure and simple and remarked
that this was nothing but a public spectacle.
- Mayor Danderson added people ask why our city of 10,000 citizens needs a full-time Fire Department. Although the Mayor feels it=s important to have a full-time Fire Department, Firefighters must realize Berlin is facing a $500,000 tax shortfall due to the mill closing. The Fire Department will not be treated differently than any other Department. The Mayor urged the Fire Department to realize that Berlin must deal with hard realities such as retirement plan increases. Council is working to prevent new tax increases which would be detrimental to our struggling
citizens. He thanked Mr. Dube for coming forward with comments and emphasized that the Fire Department is not underappreciated.
Mr. Dube confirmed he meant no disrespect and was not insinuating that Council did a bad job. He recognizes the personal time Council dedicates through lots of behind the scenes work. Mr. Dube sees Berlin as a diamond in the rough. He said that the Fire Chief is working to form an active capital improvement plan to reduce having to buy aging equipment needed all at once which is smart planning.
PUBLIC HEARING - Resolution Reinstating Electrical Project Funds
Mayor Danderson opened the floor to the public for comments at approximately 7:44 p.m. There being no one wishing to speak for or against the subject matter at this time, Mayor Danderson declared the public hearing closed at approximately 7:45 p.m.
2. Resolution appropriating Thirteen Thousand, Five Hundred Fifty Dollars and Forty-Nine Cents ($13,550.49)from UFB to the FY=07 budget line 01-495-995-1005 for the purpose of allowing final payments and closeout of the City Building Electrical Project
(tabled 1/02/2007)
Resolved by the City Council of the City of Berlin as follows:
- Whereas, a project was undertaken by the City of Berlin to make electrical repairs to City Hall, Fire Station and District Court; and
- Whereas, $174,500 was originally budgeted for this project for the engineering and construction; and
- Whereas, the project has been completed within the budgeted amount; and
- Whereas, $13,550.49 of the budgeted funds were inadvertently not carried forward and allowed to lapse into Undesignated Fund Balance (UFB) at the end of FY=06; and
Whereas, those funds are needed as part of the original budget to pay for the work completed on the project. Now therefore be it resolved by the Mayor and Council of the City of Berlin that it hereby appropriates the amount of $13,550.49 from UFB to the FY=07 budget line 01-495-995-1005 for the purpose of allowing final payments and closeout of the City Building Electrical Project. This resolution shall be in full force and effect from and after passage.
- Councilor Lafleur moved with a second by Councilor Nelson to remove the resolution from the table at this time. So moved, the motion carried.
- Councilor Lafleur moved with a second by Councilor Nelson to have the resolution read a second time by title only. So moved, the motion carried.
- Councilor Lafleur moved with a second by Councilor Grenier to have the resolution read a third time by title only. So moved, the motion carried.
- Councilor Lafleur moved with a second by Councilor Nelson to pass the resolution at this time. So moved, the motion carried and Mayor Danderson declared the resolution passed.
12. Adjournment - There being no further business, Councilor Grenier moved with a second by Councilor Lafleur to adjourn the meeting. So moved, the meeting ended at 7:46 p.m.
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