Draft Minutes of Canterbury Advisory Committee
Oct 2, 2006
Present: Ollie Fifield, Anne Emerson, Ken Folsom, Catherine Newick, Brian Collins, Cathy Amico, Barbie Tilton, Mary Witschonke, Ben Bynum
Absent: Chris Blair
Ollie Fifield asked Brian Collins, as Secretary, to retain final copies of all relevant documents for the final record. Working papers of sub-committees will not be included in the final record.
Sub-Committee reports:
Catherine Newick presented her preliminary draft of question for town employees. A discussion resulted in the decision to interview all employees, as is practical, beginning with supervisors. Interviews will also be requested of key town committee chairpersons such as planning board and board of adjustment. Barbie Tilton and Cathy Donohue will work on this sub-committee assignment with plans for initial interviews to be conducted jointly. Ben Bynum will assist with the scheduling.
Ken Folsom presented preliminary information of analysis of five New Hampshire towns, including Canterbury. Ken examined these towns (Andover, Chichester, Madison, Webster) for population, town budget, administrative expenses, growth and other factors. A discussion ensued with ideas for Ken in his follow up conversations with town administrators and selectmen.
Brian Collins presented his list of questions for current and former town selectmen. After discussion, Ollie Fifield agreed to work on this sub-committee.
The group agreed to invite Mike Cappone to the October 9th meeting. Ollie Fifield will extend the invitation.
Mary Witschonke presented the town budget for the past 10 years. A discussion included areas of growth in the budget, administrative comparisons to the towns noted by Ken Folsom’s sub-committee. Additional budget questions were identified including taxable property and population growth, which Mary will examine.
Ann Emerson reported on her discussions with the NH Local Government Center, including the sharing of job descriptions for both town administrator and town manager positions. Ann was advised to look beyond simple demographics when conducting this examination as geography and seasonality can affect the analysis.
Chairman Fifield led a discussion on the need for the committee to engage in a communication plan with the town. An initial step, to submit a newsletter article, was agreed for the November newsletter.
The meeting concluded at 8:15. Next meeting on October 9th at 7 pm.
| 
