Town of Buxton
Minutes for April 22, 2015 Selectmen’s Meeting
Prepared by: Beverly Gammon
Members Present: Clifford L. Emery, Jean C. Harmon, Penny J. Booker, Peter E. W. Burns, Dennis P. Santolucito
Others Present: David Harmon, Michael Grovo
Selectmen’s Meeting Agenda
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM.
Selectman Emery led the Pledge of Allegiance.
- Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes
Selectmen Meeting Minutes April 8, 2015
Approved 3-0-2
Selectman Meeting Minutes for April 15, 2015
Approved 4-0-1
- Discussion held between 5:00 & 7:00 p.m.
The Board had a resident came in last week who tried to register a vehicle outside regular Town Office hours but was unable to do so because paperwork had not been signed so the State would allow us to use credit cards to register vehicles. That paper has been signed and the Board expects that by the first of next week if someone wants to register their vehicle and pay for it with a credit card, they will be able to do it.
Frank Guidi our Dental Insurance Representative was in. The Board was concerned that the company we currently use took a 7% hike last year and a 7% hike this year. Coming into our next renewal which is in July, the Board wanted to find out what other options are be available. Mr. Guidi gave a presentation on Delta Dental and Selectman Emery said it is something the Board would need to have more discussion on and then they would have a discussion with all of the employees that carry dental insurance before they would consider doing anything.
The Tax Collector met with the Board. They talked about the tax commitment handout we do each year that comes out of the Town Report because it is so expensive to put in there. We run 50-60 copies and have them available for anyone who wants one. Copies have been printed and are available now in the front office.
The Board went over the Warrant Articles from the Planning Board. The wording on a couple of them started out different than the others but where everything has been written and printed, they decided to leave them the way they were.
It was brought to the Board’s attention this week that the Historical Society will be having a dedication ceremony on the landscaping at the Elden Store in Buxton Center.
- Letter from Saco River Corridor Commission – Re: LD 467
- Legislative Bulletin Volume No. 14 from Maine Municipal Association
- Emails from Dave Francoeur, Deputy Director, York County EMA – Re: Current River Flow Conditions - America’s PreparAthon
- Email from our Recreation Director – Re: Buxton recognition
- Email from Marian Alexandre, So. ME Planning & Development – Re: Annual Meeting June 24, 2015.
- Email from John Myers, Town Clerk – Re: Maine.gov Open Data – Municipal Input
Selectman Emery read the email and summarized it as an open data process that municipalities can use and input information into that program so that information can be more readily available to the state and individuals through the state.
- Review of Projects and Issues
Selectman Santolucito reported that he continued with the SAD 6 Budget Committee Advisory Committee Meetings last week. He said it looks like they are coming to the end of the process and they have a number. He deferred to Selectman Burns noting that he has been involved in the process longer.
Selectman Santolucito went on to talk about the Bonny Eagle Robotics Team and said they were in a national competition and are doing great. He mentioned the advisor, a volunteer named John Di Renzo, who donated his time to help these students. He said they should be very proud of what they have accomplished; they are doing really well and are in the top 10%. Selectman Santolucito congratulated them and thanked them all for the work they do.
Selectman Harmon reported that she has been in the office, working with Bev to get the Warrant ready for the Town Report. Selectman Harmon spoke with Jan Hill from the Historical Society when she came in to talk about the dedication and the landscaping at the Elden Store. They are going to combine that with the one room schoolhouse and the sign that they have over there. She said it won’t be until September and they are hoping to have some representation there from the Board.
Selectman Booker attended the Budget Advisory Committee Meeting last Thursday night and said their part is pretty much finalized. They have one more meeting with the Facilities Committee that our Representatives will also attend.
Selectman Burns told us that there is a proposed school budget increase of 2.08%. He said if that budget is accepted it will mean an increase to the town of less than 5%. It will be close to a $300,000 increase including Adult Ed. He said they do not have the final numbers yet but the next step is the Facilities & Finance Committee Meeting tomorrow evening which is open to the public. They need to work on that budget and if they need to work on it on the 30th they will do that and then they have to present it to the full Board. The Board has to adopt it and have it ready for the middle of May when we have the meeting at the Middle School to go through the warrant articles and come up with the final number that the voters will vote Yes or No
on. He said they sharpened their pencils and he is encouraged by what they came up with. He thinks this is a reasonable number and said he is waiting to see what the actual final number is.
Selectman Emery graciously thanked the others on the Board for all their help and the work everyone has done on the town budget. He said it could not be done without everyone working together and everyone did a great job. He thanked others including Bev, Charisse and all the people the Board pulled information from in the process of putting the budget together.
Selectman Emery talked about the County Budget Committee Caucus he attended last week where they elected people for the County Budget Committee. Starting next Wednesday he expects to be gone for 3-4 weeks for committee meetings. He was on that committee last year, is on it this year, and said he will be on it again next year as well.
None
The Selectmen talked about taking down the old Town Garage. Selectman Emery said they have not quite figured out how they are going to approach it. He went on to share his thoughts on how the process might go and how long it might take. He thinks the town will have to hire someone with an excavator that has a thumb on it to take the building down then use our own trucks to haul the materials off.
Selectman Harmon asked if there is anything in the building that we will salvage and Selectman Emery responded with a list including metal on roof and what steel there is including the furnace. He talked about the rest of the materials, disposal of the concrete and the wood in the roof structure and the old flat roof as well. He said he believes it can be taken care of with no more than three 40-yard rolloff bins.
The Board moved on to a discussion about another public hearing on the Secret Ballot Articles. They talked about when to hold the meeting, when to sign the hearing notice and what articles need to be included. There was some discussion about whether or not they should hold their hearing on the same night as the Planning Board’s but the Board decided to have their own public hearing on Wednesday, May 20.
E.O. 141504026 – An order to approve 40 hours of vacation time for John Myers
Approved 5-0
- Executive Orders by Initiative
None
- Accounts Payable and Payroll Warrants
E.O. 141504024 – An order approving expenditures as documented in the Accounts Payable Warrant #092
Approved 5-0
The amount was $296,627.39
E.O. 141504025 – An order approving expenditures as documented in Payroll Warrant #091
Approved 5-0
The amount was $47,307.34
- Next Meeting of the Board
Board of Selectmen Meeting Wednesday, April 29 at 7:00 PM
Planning Board Meeting Monday, April 27 at 7:00 PM
Twelve Town Group Meeting Monday, April 27 with Governor LePage at the Waterboro Fire & Rescue Station located at the intersection of Route 5 and Old Alfred Road. The meeting will start at 6:30 PM. The topic is the Governor’s proposed budget and the meeting is open to the public.
There will be a meeting Thursday, April 30, at 6:30 PM, at SAD 6 Central Office that Municipal Officers and State Legislators will be asked to attend to discuss State issues and impacts on school and local budgets.
The Board of Selectmen will hold a Public Hearing Wednesday, May 6, 2015 on a Liquor License renewal for William Ham III, D/B/A Skip’s Lounge located at 288 Narragansett Trail in Buxton.
None
- Public Comments and Questions
Police Chief Michael Grovo announced that they are holding another Neighborhood Watch Committee Meeting on Wednesday, April 29 at 6:00 PM at the Buxton United Methodist Church, 276 Chicopee Road. The subject will be burglary protection and the meeting is open to anyone in town. They plan to hold monthly meetings this year with a different topic each month. Chief Grovo said he had ordered some Neighborhood Watch signs last fall but the company lost the order so he will order those and said he will probably go to the company the town uses to save some money.
The next Drug Take-Back Day will be on Saturday, April 25 at Buxton Hannaford and Rite Aid from 10:00 AM ~ 2:00 PM. There is also a box in Dispatch that can be used 24/7.
Chief Grovo reported that they have been running radar in a lot of places. They have stopped quite a few and issued a lot of warnings for speeding.
Chief Grovo welcomed Kathy Mullen back to work as a Dispatcher and welcomed Amanda Nguyen who started working full-time today. He said they are great dispatchers and both of these people are an asset to the town. Chief Grovo thanked the Fire-Rescue people for their patience while the PD was short on dispatchers.
None
Motion made and seconded to adjourn the meeting at 7:33 PM
Approved 5-0
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