February 5, 2007
Work Session
Present at the meeting were Mayor Danderson, Councilors Danderson, Lafleur, Cusson, Grenier, Nelson and Roy; Councilors Poulin and Donovan were absent. Also in attendance were: Raymond Chagnon, Robert Pelchat, Paul Croteau, Marion Huntley, John Moulis, Donna Cummings, media and public.
Resolution Sansoucy Agreement
Mr. MacQueen explained that he proposes to leave out two items from the Sansoucy proposal. He explained that the practice for Mr. Sansoucy is to subscribe to services that provide information on hydros and utilities all over the U.S. Having court ready documents involves getting the original information required by the courts. If the values are argued in court, each comparable has to be documented individually. For now, the City Manager recommended to leave out the court ready documentation which will reduce the $148,000 total proposal by $30,000. The other item that is not included is an update to go from 2007 to 2008 which further reduces the cost by $9,000. The total recommended services will cost $109,000 for which there is a resolution for first reading.
Councilor Grenier confirmed that these are fixed prices and once the City signs the contract, Mr. Sansoucy will provide the values. The process is to also go through the Board of Assessors and though the City would hire the firm, the BOA needs to approve.
Councilor Lafleur questioned whether telecommunications are considered utilities under this contract. Mr. MacQueen clarified that Mr. Sansoucy would be used for the power utilities. Councilor Cusson asked how we pay for the contracted services. Mr. MacQueen noted that it is most likely billed at the end of the contract but he could confirm.
Resolution for School Department Grants
Marion Huntley reported that grants are estimated at budget time and when the awards come in from the granting agencies, the schools come back with the actual amounts and request an adjustment to their budget to reflect the accurate amounts of the grants. Mayor Danderson asked why some grants were over projected. Ms. Huntley explained that some grants have heavier funding at the front end; and grants do not necessarily follow the fiscal year. The amounts also depend on what comes from the Federal government.
Mr. Moulis commented that the average class size wanted by “No Child Left Behind” is 18 to 20 at the elementary level; Berlin’s is at 20 to 22 at this time. Councilor Grenier asked what percentage of the total Special Education budget is $404,483, noting that the Federal government is supposed to pay 40%. Because the Federal government is not paying its share, he questioned why the City has to pay. He commented that it is perhaps time to set a limit on what the city will pay.
Mr. MacQueen added that it is true that there are some parents who want to have their children coded so that they can have access to services. Councilor Danderson added that health and human services does not belong in the classroom; it is time to start evaluating education.
Councilor Grenier asked how the schools reconcile the line items that don’t get funding. Ms. Huntley noted that they do not start spending until the allocation is in. Programs are structured according to the funding received.
Resolution “Safe Havens”
Donna Cummings explained the Safe Havens Program as a place to have supervised visits with parents as ordered through the court. Mayor Danderson asked why Berlin was selected as opposed to Colebrook or Lancaster. Ms. Cummings indicated that Berlin has more population.
Mr. MacQueen clarified that Safe Havens is not a safe house but a supervised exchange program of children. Ms. Cummings stated that she spoke with Judge Michalik who reported that 10 to 15% of his cases are judgments that would have parents using this service. Health and Human Services reported that they have 10 to 12 cases per year in Berlin.
Mayor Danderson noted that he is skeptical of the program because he does not want to be offering something more to have people with problems come here. Ms. Cummings explained that children are being exchanged now at the Police Station and it is unfortunate that they are exposed to what is going on at the station. Exchanges are now done at Dunkin Donuts or Irving. Brian House in Plymouth is another place for supervised visits. Councilor Nelson supported that Program because it would free the police to tend to other matters.
Councilor Grenier said that he supports the application for the grant. He felt the resolution should be altered so that Berlin is not left to pay for any future funding needs of the program. Mayor Danderson confirmed that a public hearing is not needed on this resolution because it is authorizing the application only. The rules could be suspended and the resolution passed to meet the application deadline of February 13.
Respectfully Submitted,
Susan Tremblay
Administrative Assistant
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