Chichester Board of Selectmen
Minutes of Meeting
April 23, 2013
Members present: Jeff Jordan, Mike Paveglio, Richard DeBold
Others present for all or part of the meeting: Nancy Tanner (Town Administrator), Allen Mayville, John Martell, Bette Bogdan, Kris Cole, Alan Quimby, John Freeman, Donna Chagnon, Lucille Noel, Kevin Mara, Anne Davis, Philip Hitchcock, Roger Landry, David Hynes, Jared Hynes
Chairman Jordan opened the meeting at 7:00pm.
Appointments
Department Heads:
Fire: Chief Quimby reports the Department is having fuel problems. Our newer ambulance is stalling and was getting top speeds of 20 mph. One of the issues is that the fuel is not good (dirty) and due to it being a fuel issue the warranty is void. The Chief will continue to negotiate the warrantee with Ford. The Chief is going back to using the DOT pumps for fuel. He said the problems began when we started using fuel that was delivered to our own tanks.
The Fire Department hosted their annual awards banquet and awarded two unit citations. The also held a dedication for the new engine to Walter Sanborn.
The Chief asked if there was a weapons policy. There is one; however policies such as this have come under scrutiny and at one point it was suggested to remove it. The Chief said this could be a safety issue for the Fire Department. Nancy will follow up.
One of the cardiac monitors needed an expensive repair that was covered under the annual maintenance plan.
The Department will be hosting a DHART ground support drill and they may have a helicopter at the station.
Building: Building seems to be picking up. Several septic approvals have come in. Eight permits since April 5th fees = $971.60.
John provided the Board with a copy of the letter he sent to the owner of the Perry Brook Road property.
Library: The first book sale was held on the 20th. The next sale will be on May 11th. The Library is cleaning up the grounds and putting in some landscaping.
Tax Collector: The Tax Collector presented the Board with a notice that the bankruptcy filing for Chichester Condo Corp was dismissed. This means that the property owned by Chichester Condo Corp is once again subject to deeding due to unpaid taxes. She presented the deed to the Board. The Tax Collector consulted the attorney about noticing the mortgagees another time and it was determined that was not necessary as they were recently noticed for the 2010 taxes. There was a discussion about whether they should accept the deed. It was decided to have the Town Administrator contact the owner (Joe Austin) and notify him that he needs to pay the 2009 and 2010 taxes by Tuesday April 30th or the Board will accept the deed.
**The Board issued a directive to all Department Heads that they must attend the Department Head meetings or send a representative from their department**
David and Jared Hynes – Assessing:
David and Jared were present to discuss two abatements and to update the Board on the revaluation process.
The first was for TDS Telecom. David explained that last year was the first time that TDS was billed due to a change in the law. There was no valuation system in place. Dave modeled his after one that was in use in Florida. Since then there has been a depreciation table set up for New Hampshire. There was a discussion of how the poles were valued.
Mr. DeBold made a motion to accept the Assessor’s recommendation and abate the amount of $209,700 in assessed value or $4,227.55 in tax on Map UTIL Lot 5 for the tax year 2012. The motion was seconded by Mr. Paveglio. Motion passed.
The other abatement request was for the Lugg Plaza property. Mr. Hynes visited the property and made some data corrections. He said the sale would not be considered a valid sale.
Mr. Paveglio made a motion to accept the Assessor’s recommendation and abate the amount of $151,300 in assessed value or $3,050.21 in tax on Map 3 Lot 47. Mr. DeBold seconded the motion. Motion passed.
David and Jared have finished the field review and preliminary values. They have spoken to the Tax Collector and the bills will be ready to be sent out on April 30th and due on July 1st. He will have the preliminary values on line by May 15th. He will hold informal hearings May 29 – June 1.
Other Business
Planning Board: Mr. Mara reported that several on the Planning Board were bothered by the Selectboards decision to make Richard Arell an alternate member instead of re-appointing him as a full member. Mr. Mara said that he spoke to two attorneys and they both said that the Board of Selectmen do not have the authority to remove a Planning Board member except under certain criteria. The Board of Selectmen contended that they did not “remove” him as his term was expired. He also said that until he hears otherwise he is still considering Richard Arell a full member and Thomas Houle an alternate member. Mr. DeBold asked Mr. Mara if he has spoken to the members about attendance as he feels this is important. Mr. Mara said that he has and that all the members are good about letting the secretary know
if they cannot make a meeting. Mr. Mara asked that if there is a question about attendance the Board of Selectmen ask him directly for the information and not the secretary. Mr. Paveglio suggested having the Planning Board Chair attend the meeting when appointment/reappointments are discussed. Mr. Mara spoke on behalf of Mr. Arell and he would like the Board to re-consider. There was a discussion about whether or not alternates can participate in the discussion. Nancy will consult legal on both issues.
Granny Howe Road: Mr. Landry reported that Granny Howe Road is in poor condition. He made several phone calls to the Road Agent and Town Administrator and the Road is still not fixed. It became worse after it was graded by the Town. Nancy said she spoke to the Road Agent on Thursday and he said that the crew would take care of it on Monday or Tuesday. That was not done. Nancy will contact highway in the morning. Mr. Landry had other issue to bring to the Board as well. He feels that the Road Agent should monitor the utility company cuts. He said they left big piles of brush in his yard. He did speak to the Road Agent, but nothing was done and he had to contact the vendor several times himself. He also said that during the cut there was some good wood (logs) left on the side of
the road. Mr. Landry asked the neighbors if he could have the wood on their property and they said they were told by the Road Agent the wood belonged to the Town. Mr. Landry said this is not true it belongs to the person who owns the land it is on. He did not take this up with the Road Agent at the time. He said he owns another parcel of land that is accessible by a class VI road. He said that the Town crew continually blocks the end of that access road with snow even though there are other places they could pile it. He also reported that a big rock has surfaced in the roadway and gets scrapped by the plow and needs to be taken care of.
Mayflower Drive: Ms. Bogdan said she reviewed the personnel manual and last week’s discussion about employee conduct surround the Mayflower Drive incident is addressed. She hopes that this is not ignored. The Board noted her comment and said they could not discuss a personnel matter in public session.
Tax Anticipation Note: Nancy said the Treasurer and Bookkeeper have done a cash flow analysis and there is a need for a tax anticipation note. She asked the Board to approve the request. Mr. Jordan made a motion seconded by Mr. Paveglio to authorize the issuance of a tax anticipation note with an aggregate principal of up to $377,000 in order to meet the necessary expenses as may come before the Town. Motion passed.
Town Policies: Mr. Paveglio said that he saw Canterbury Road was paved and that project did not go out to bid. He is very bothered that the department continue to not follow the purchasing policy.
Mr. Paveglio made a motion to issue a written directive to the Department Heads that they must follow the purchasing policy and they must sign that they have read the directive and policy and agree to both. Mr. Jordan seconded the motion. Motion Passed. Nancy will put out the directive.
The suggested hiring policy changes were discussed. Nancy spoke in favor of the Board of Selectmen retaining the authority to fire employees. Mr. Jordan asked for another week to review the policies.
Heritage: Lucille said that the Heritage Commission has been invited to speak at an Office of Energy and Planning seminar on May 11th. She asked if the Board had an issue with them talking about the window restoration project. The Board agreed that the Commission should go and speak.
Nancy asked for a nonpublic session to discuss and employee issue.
Pursuant to 91-A:3 II (a) Mr. Jordan made a motion to go into non-public session to discuss an employee issue. It was seconded by Mr. DeBold. Roll call vote was unanimous.
Mr. DeBold made a motion seconded by Mr. Paveglio to exit the non-public session at 9:16. Roll call vote was unanimous.
The minutes of the nonpublic session were sealed indefinitely.
A motion by Mr. Paveglio and seconded by Mr. DeBold to adjourn the meeting at 9:16. Motion passes.
Respectfully submitted,
Approved when signed
Nancy Tanner
_________________________ _____________________ _________________________
Jeffrey Jordan, Chairman Mike Paveglio Richard DeBold
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