Work Session
March 31, 2014
Present were: Councilors Otis, Remillard, Benski, Morgan Allain, Higbee, Rozek and Nelson. Mayor Grenier and Councilor Theberge were absent.
Others present: Mark Belanger, Dick Huot, Yvette Leighton, Rita Gagnon, Margo Sullivan, Patty Chase, Angela Martin Giroux, Denise Jensen, Pamela Laflamme, Paula Kinney, Charlie Cotton, Mike Caughlin, Andrea Gagne, Cindy Baillargeron, Bev Raymond, Christine Letendre, Patti Stolte, Lisa Carlson, Terri Letarte, media and public
In the absence of Mayor Grenier, Councilor Remillard opened the meeting at 6:30 p.m.
Budget Discussions
Outside Agencies –
NHMA –Mr. Wheeler explained that by paying the annual fee for the Municipal Association, the City receives Legislative support, training and legal services
Chamber of Commerce – Mark Belanger thanked the Council for their continued support. The Chamber had a good year and they have been able to invest in marketing for members including a billboard and trade show banner. Councilor Remillard asked what event was best for the Chamber and Mr. Belanger said that they all offer some benefit to the community though it may not be a monetary benefit.
Northern Human Services -- Charlie Cotton reported that the request amounts to $1. per citizen. Services were received by 800 people from Berlin last year and that is up from previous years. They offer mental health services without a waiting list. Funding from the city is used to subsidize the outpatient services as match for grants.
AV Home Health -- Margo Sullivan stated that she is seeking funding for homemaker services for the elderly in the community. The City’s funding helps offset the sliding fee charged to those in need of services to keep them in their homes. The program employs 65 people.
Community Action Program -- Mike Caughlin indicated that he came to a Council meeting a few months ago to report on CAP’s progress. He asked several program directors to give brief reports.
Energy Housing and Community Contact – Andrea Gagne reported that she’s seen an increase in the need for homeless emergency assistance which has affected 20 families. The program gives them help to get onto a stable plateau. The program does not have the resources to help everyone.
Outreach and Referral for Fuel and Electric Assistance -- Cindy Baillargeron explained that she is the first point of contact for fuel and electric assistance. The program also helps with emergencies for food and shelter, preventing families from going hungry.
Transportation -- Bev Raymond stated that her program operates the blue buses that do a scheduled route between Berlin and Gorham. The program also provides door to door services for people who need rides as well as rides for those who need medical treatment out of town. Fifteen to twenty volunteers provided 372 long distance trips for medical treatments and 24,538 rides. Funding from the city matches federal dollars.
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs -- Christie Letendre said that CAP runs substance abuse programs that include counseling, family mediation, and substance abuse recovery services. They teach people to live life on life’s terms without substances. Treatment is more cost effective than incarceration. During the past fiscal year there were ten Berlin clients at a cost of $46,000.
Elder Programs Division of CAP -- Patti Stolte reported that Senior Meals has served nearly 40,000 meals in Berlin and there are 30 home delivery clients. The program keeps people active and provides beneficial nutrition all in an effort to keep people aging in place and offset the cost of nursing homes. There are 521 clients in Berlin.
Service Link Resource Center provides supportive referrals to help care for loved ones in need. They work with seniors to provide Medicare counseling, long term care counseling and other service related information. It is an important program having served 5400 people with 43% of those coming from Berlin.
Holiday Center -- Lisa Carlson stated that they have an adult day care and senior center that has been serving Berlin for over 45 years. One of the programs is Day Break and it is free to drop off a loved one from 8-4 in a safe environment. The center provided seniors with 19000 hours of activities with a staff of five. They have over 200 clients who have provided 1784 volunteer hours.
North Country Council -- Pamela Laflamme stated NCC provides partnerships on transportation projects, they work with hazard mitigation, and wildfire training. Christine Frost is the new director.
ATV Festival – Dick Huot said that this will be the 5th year of the festival and the Chamber of Commerce is taking the lead. It is expected that Polaris will attract an additional 1,000 people to the festival when they have the first public showing of their new “Razor” side by side. The Festival was moved to the first weekend in August. Councilor Nelson commented that the City’s support of atv’s is resulting in new local jobs.
Child and Family Services – Angela Martin Giroux gave an overview of programs they offer including camp, and help with health conditions for needy children. Councilor Benski asked for additional information for the next meeting.
Heritage Park – Dick Huot indicated that the Park opened in 2000 and when it ran into financing difficulties CAP was asked for help. For seven years festivals and events have been added and the park has contributed to the Riverwalk. The park is an asset of the city and it preserves culture and history. The park makes enough to support its maintenance; however there has never been enough money to staff the park. Councilor Rozek asked what it costs to maintain and Councilor Higbee noted that it is about $40,000 per year.
Outside agency representatives left the meeting at this time.
Library
Denise Jensen presented the Library’s budget request saying that it is a cornerstone of the community. The Library issued 222 new library cards last year. There are ten computers used by patrons. Two new computers were recently donated by Patty Chase in memory of her mother.
Councilor Rozek asked how much a library pass costs and Ms. Jensen stated that it is a free library for residents; however there is a $25 nonresident fee per family. Travelers are not charged for using computers. She noted that Internet speed at the Library is slow and will likely need to be updated. Councilor Benski asked about the City Manager’s cut of the biennial cleaning of carpets and she was informed that the cleaning is still needed. Ms. Martin Giroux suggested buying a commercial rug cleaning machine for use by the city.
Ms. Jensen commented on the per diem hours in the City Manager’s budget (01-451-115-0000) saying that it is not enough to cover vacations and sick time. The same amount as last year $2,500 could work. Downloadable books went from 40 people using the service to 122. The cost has been reduced to $835.00 rather than $1,100.
Health Department
Angela Martin Giroux reported that the Health Department has 90 monthly clients. She has to come up with a plan to deal with several retirements coming up in the department and what needs to be done to maintain the home health nursing function.
She said she expects the department to have a $38,000 profit this year. Councilors were impressed with the progress of the department and with the work being done to recoup Medicare funding. Ms. Martin Giroux added that they are now using laptops in the field to best use staff time. Chair Remillard asked if the floors still need replacement. Using the CIP money from last year and an appropriation in this coming budget, the entire basement floor could be done.
Welfare
Ms. Martin Giroux reported that she will come close to spending the entire amount in the adopted budget. Chair Remillard asked about the homeless as mentioned earlier. Ms. Martin Giroux stated that the City does its best to get someone into a shelter anywhere in the state. To a question about the 01-441-205-0000 Burials, Furnishings & Incidental, Ms. Giroux explained that water disconnects are part of the “incidental.”
Recreation
Terry Letarte reported that being one of the smallest budgets, any change affects the department drastically. She said that the assistant who is part time and non-union has been with the Department for over 25 years and worked for many of those years without benefits. Ms. Letarte asked that she be given a raise from $9.27 to $9.55 per hour.
She also asked for an appropriation of $400 for Special Olympics. Councilor Rozek suggested contacting Presby Steel for a donation to Special Olympics.
Tax Deeded Property List
Mr. Wheeler explained that the list was given to the Council for informational purposes. Ms. Chase added that there are 62 properties and the list will dwindle as people pay in the last days. Interest goes up to 18% for those who have a tax lien on their property. There is incentive to pay now as one year of taxes and interest are due; waiting until after the property is tax deeded will result in the property owner having to pay in full which is 3 years of taxes, interest, and a penalty of 15% of the assessed value of the property.
Parking Ban
Mr. Wheeler informed the Council that the parking ban has been extended to April 15. Councilor Otis said that he’s heard from constituents that putting vehicles onto parking areas that are not paved is presenting a problem with mud. Councilor Nelson commented that the Police Chief did make the decision to extend the parking ban lightly. It is a safety issue.
Other
Councilor Rozek asked for a plan on how pot holes will be dealt within the City. He suggested that on Route 16 from 12th Street Bridge south, the lane needs to be repaired two feet wide, 2 miles long. Councilor Remillard suggested getting a price from a subcontractor who would only fill pot holes. Councilors agreed they would review different plans to see when and how potholes will be repaired.
There being no further business, Councilor Rozek moved with a second from Councilor Nelson to adjourn. So moved, the motion carried. The meeting ended at 8:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Tremblay
Administrative Assistant
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