CITY OF BERLIN
New Hampshire
Minutes of Council Budget Session of 3/25/15
Council Conference Room
6:30 pm
Members:
Mayor Paul Grenier
Councilor Morgan-Allain
Councilor Rozek
Councilor Remillard
Councilor Higbee
Councilor Gentili
City Staff:
James Wheeler, City Manager
Patricia Chase, Finance Director
Michael Perreault, Public Works Director
Terry Letarte, Recreation Director
Henry Noel, Pollution Control Supervisor
At 6:32 p.m. Mayor Grenier called order.
STREET LIGHTING
City Manager James Wheeler reviewed the Street Lighting budget. There was some discussion around possibly converting the street lights to energy saving lighting. The conversion could potentially save the City 50% on lighting expenses. Mayor Grenier inquired if Eversource might offer an incentive. City Manager Wheeler explained that the City would purchase the fixtures and Eversource would install them. He will research possible incentives/rebates available from Eversource, NH Saves and the RGGI Fund.
Mr. Perreault discussed the obsoleteness of the traffic light control panel located on Mason Street. This will need to be replaced within the next few years.
RECREATION
Terry Letarte, Recreation Director distributed a handout and reviewed her budget. Mayor Grenier asked if the Babe Ruth Program is still active and Mrs. Letarte explained that there has been diminishing interest in the program. She is exploring the possibility of developing a baseball program for ages 13 to 15. The Recreation Departments budget is $159.71 higher than the FY15 budget.
SEWER DEPARTMENT
Mr. Perreault distributed a hand out and led the discussion regarding the sewer budget. Mayor Grenier asked if the project was complete and the City Manager explained that some small outdoor issues need to be addressed such as landscaping. Mayor Grenier inquired about the cost of chemicals and Mr. Noel explained that it is basically a brand new facility and it will take some time to gather data in order to project costs. The use of Polymer will reduce the amount of waste transferred to AVRRDD.
Councilor Rozek asked if there has been a noticeable reduction in flows to the plant since the I & I Improvements were completed. Mr. Noel reported there has been a substantial decrease.
Councilor Higbee asked about the life of the plant and Mr. Wheeler said the average life is between 30 and 40 years.
PARKS
Mr. Perreault explained that the City’s athletic fields are heavily used especially during the soccer season. The City does most of the maintenance but at times seek the assistance from a contractor for certain treatments. Councilor Remillard inquired about the City’s plan to use Federal Prison employees to maintain green space throughout the City and Mr. Wheeler responded that the plan is still in place.
Mayor Grenier inquired about the increase to the budget and Mr. Perreault explained that was due to the expected utility expenses associated with the new Gilbert Street building.
The Parks FY15 budget was $286,882.32 with the FY16 requested budget at $310,590.37. This is an increase of $23,708.05.
PUBLIC WORKS
Councilor Rozek asked about the use of Public Works Tradesmen to maintain Police Department vehicles. Mr. Perreault explained that the PW department maintains 22 vehicles for that department. There was some discussion around the distribution of older PD vehicles to other departments throughout the City.
There was discussion around pot holes and the City’s efforts to respond to any reports of pot holes from the public. There is a link on the Public Works website where a citizen can initiate a request or report an issue.
Mr. Perreault reported that this past winter has had a serious impact on the current budget. The costs associated with snow and ice storms are very high.
SOLID WASTE
The recycling program has aided in the reduction of solid waste sent to the landfill. Mr. Perreault explained that his department continues to educate the public on the importance of participating in this program.
There was some discussion around recycling of cardboard. Councilor Remillard suggested that a central collection point might be a solution.
There was discussion around the replacement of loaders. Mayor Grenier asked Mr. Perreault to research the cost of purchasing one new loader a year for five years versus purchasing five at once with a lease purchase agreement.
Motion to adjourn made by Councilor Rozek and seconded by Councilor Remillard.
The meeting adjourned at 8:07 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted by Patricia Chase
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