Chichester Board of Selectmen
Minutes of Meeting
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Members Present: Richard DeBold, Tom Jameson, Jodi Pinard Town Administrator and Kristy Barnouski Administrative Assistant.
Budget Committee Members Present: Richard Millette, Norm Larochelle, Stephen MacCleery, Don Peterman, Marlene Hammond, Doug Fisher and Doug Hall.
Others Present: Chief Quimby, Chief Clarke, John Martell, Steve Stock, Jim Plunkett, Tom Houle, Donna Chagnon, Patty Milligan, Lucille Noel, and other members of the public.
Call to Order Mr. DeBold called the meeting to order at 6:32pm
Budget season review-
Mr. DeBold explained that a joint Board of Selectmen’s meeting along with the Budget Committee was being held to spell out the schedule and discuss the process of the upcoming budget season.
Mr. DeBold was also open to suggestions and looking for feedback on the process from both the department heads and the Budget Committee.
Mrs. Pinard handed out a draft meeting schedule for the season.
Mr. Peterman asked where the Town stood on the budget for this year so far.
Mrs. Pinard stated that as of today the budget was 81.1% expended which included all large purchases. She stated a few lines are red flagged such as fuel for Fire and Ambulance which will need approximately $2,000.00 to get through the rest of the year. She also stated that revenues is at 59.9% and we were still waiting to receive some large checks from the meals and room tax, cable franchise and the ambulance billing.
Mr. Peterman asked if Mrs. Pinard anticipated any dramatic changes in the budget this year.
Mrs. Pinard stated that Health trust will increase, but should be no more than 5%. She also stated that the Town just entered into an agreement with Primex to cap property & Liability as well as worker compensation. She also mentioned that the retirement contribution will be going up .21% for Town employees and 3.5% for Police.
Mr. MacCleery asked if the Town was anticipating a surplus after the tax rate is set.
Mrs. Pinard doesn’t think so but she won’t know for sure until after the tax rate is set at the end of October.
Mr. DeBold stated that at the last BCBP meeting he heard that the cola will be set for a 3.5% increase this year.
Mrs. Hammond stated that a salary range and benefit review should be done to see if the Town is compensating fairly.
Mr. DeBold stated that he usually likes to do a survey on Municipal Managers, however it’s not up to date. The last year done was 2014.
Chief Clarke suggested that an email be sent out to Municipal Managers asking for current salary ranges.
Mr. Jameson asked what the current employee contribution is for healthcare which is 20%.
Mr. Millette asked if the CIP plan for 2017 is a significant dollar amount and possibly be looked at early in the process so we know the impact on the bottom line of the budget.
Mr. DeBold had gotten the sense that they were approximately the same as the last few years and will have rough numbers soon.
Chief Quimby also added that a couple of projects were pushed because there were so many projects submitted.
Mr. Hall would like the CIP report before hand to review for the first budget meeting. He also stated that he would be asking more questions to the department heads, in particular he would like comparisons of other Towns budgets of similar sizes and populations.
Chief Clarke stated that Chichester is very unique and it’s hard to compare to other Towns. Chichester is a small Town but has two highways running through it.
Chief Quimby echoed the same concerns that Chief Clarke had.
Mr. DeBold suggested that Warner may be a good Town to compare to.
Mr. Hall stated that he would send his questions to Mrs. Pinard in advance so she can disseminate them to the department heads.
Mr. DeBold stated that Mrs. Pinard will be sending out the memo shortly and if there are any questions or concerns to please email them to Mrs. Pinard.
Department Heads-
Highway Department-
Mr. Plunkett stated that the bids went out and were sent to eight companies. The bid was also sent to the paper and is posted online on the Town website. Mr. Plunket is expecting the bids to come in around $300,000.00. The bids will be opened on November 16th at 1:00pm
Mr. Plunket stated that he will be grading and filling pot holes next week. He finished the cross culverts on Bear Hill and Ricker Rd.
Mr. Plunkett stated that he emailed Mrs. Roukey his response to the letter she sent him and cc’d the Board.
Stop signs have been disappearing. Mr. Plunkett has been replacing them as needed.
Mrs. Pinard asked Mr. Plunkett if Chichester Lane is a Town maintained Road. A realtor has been calling to find out since the property on the Road is up for sale.
Mr. Plunkett stated that historically the Town has always plowed it, however, at a point he had to stop plowing a portion of it due to the amount of cars parked at the end and not being able to turnaround with the plow truck. Some research will have to be done as to how far the Town needs to maintain.
Mr. Jameson asked if the log cabin had been removed from Carpenter Park yet, and Mr. Plunkett replied that it was removed.
Emergency Management-
Mr. Martell stated that the Emergency Management Grant had been approved to complete the new Emergency Management Operations manual and a meeting is scheduled for October 12th.
Fire Department-
Chief Quimby stated that Mr. French has been working on the handicap ramp at the Fire Station.
Chief Quimby stated that the surplus cruiser has been converted into the new fire vehicle.
Two Chichester Fire crews were sent to Barnstead for a house fire last night.
Chief Quimby stated that the new ambulance will be ready for pick up the first week of November. Pictures are posted on the Chichester Fire Department’s Facebook page.
Chief Quimby stated that the Fire Department is also working with the grant writer for proposals for next year. The grant writer received feedback that they were to aggressive last year so they are attempting to scale back and go for two grants instead of the original three.
Police Department-
Chief Clarke stated that State of NH is considering a new program called E tickets and E accident which would allow officers to issue all tickets and accident reports online and go directly to the State.
Chief Clarke stated that signs are going up to warn people of a new traffic pattern that will be happening within the next week.
Chief Clarke stated that Officer Carrero is doing well in the Academy and is set to graduate in December.
Mr. Jameson stated to Chief Clarke that the ALICE training that Chief Clarke did at the school was great and he heard nothing but positive feedback.
Forestry-
Warden Stock stated that Chichester is not currently issuing category three permits, but will continue to issue category one and two due to the severe drought.
Library-
Ms. Noel stated that the Library trustees will be meeting on October 10th.
The Library has started up the preschool story hour on Thursdays at 10:30am.
On October 15th there will be showing of a video done by the teen advisory group at the Grange. The video is the same one shown at Old Home Day and includes interviews of senior residents of Chichester.
Heritage Commission-
Members of the commission did some work on the doors and railing out front of the Grange. They put a coat of Kilz paint on the doors and then repainted and also painted the railings up until where the wood needs replacing.
There will be a program on October 20th at the Grange Hall by John Porter at 7:00pm. The program is the history of agriculture as told by barns.
Historical Society-
Ms. Noel stated that the Historical Society will be holding a Harvest Fair October 16, 2016 from 2:00-4:00pm.
Other Business-
Mr. Jameson stated that the Conservation Commission and Parks and Recreation were approached by property owners Mr. Meehan and Mr. Bronnenburg about allowing a trail running from Town Hall to the Library that is on their property. It would start at the opening of the stone wall on Mr. Bronnenberg’s property across from the Grange and would lead to the Library.
If trail crossing signs are planned they would need dot approval.
Welfare Guidelines-
Mr. DeBold made a motion to accept the new welfare guidelines put forth by the Welfare Director. Mr. Jameson seconds. Motion passes.
Election-
Election poles will be open from 7:00am-7:00pm on November 8, 2016.
Non-Public Session – RSA 91-A: 3 II (e) Consideration or negotiation of pending claims or litigation which has been threatened in writing or filed against the public body or any subdivision thereof, or against any member thereof because of his or her membership in such public body, until claim or litigation has been fully adjudicated or otherwise settled.
A motion was made by Mr. DeBold and seconded by Mr. Jameson to enter into non-public session under RSA 91-A: 3 II (e). DeBold Aye, Jameson Aye. Motion Passes.
A motion was made by Mr. DeBold and seconded by Mr. Jameson to exit non-public session DeBold Aye, Jameson Aye. Motion Passes
A motion was made by Mr. DeBold and seconded by Mr. Jameson to seal the non-public meeting minutes indefinitely. DeBold Aye, Jameson Aye. Motion Passes
Adjournment
Being no further discussion, a motion was made by Mr. DeBold and seconded by Mr. Jameson to adjourn the meeting at 8:12 pm. Motion passes
Respectfully submitted,
Not approved until signed
Kristy Barnouski, Administrative Assistant
Richard DeBold Jeffrey Jordan Tom Jameson
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