TOWN OF FARMINGTON
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES
Monday, July 27, 2009
356 Main Street, Farmington, NH
Selectman Present: Chairman Paula Proulx, Joan Funk, Gerry McCarthy, Gail Ellis and Charlie King.
Town Staff Present: Town Administrator Anthony Mincu and Water/Wastewater Superintendent Dale Sprague
Public Present: Charlie Doke, Dave Kestner, Paul Parker and Jim Horgan
The Board met at 5:30 to review and sign the bills and manifest. Chairman Paula Proulx opened the meeting at 6:03pm.
1. Public Comment:
NONE
2. Review of Minutes:
a. Joan Funk motioned to approve the amended public minutes of 7-06-09, 2nd Charlie King. Motion carried.
b. Joan Funk motioned to approve the public minutes of 7-13-09 as amended, 2nd Gail Ellis. Motion withdrawn so that Brandy could review the recording of the meeting.
Gerry McCarthy motioned to table the public minutes of 7-13-09, 2nd Gail Ellis. Motion carried.
c. Joan Funk motioned to approve the non-public minutes of 7-13-09 as amended, 2nd Gail Ellis. Motion withdrawn so that the particulars of a discussion could be added.
Joan Funk motioned to table the non-public minutes of 7-13-09, 2nd Gerry McCarthy. Motion carried.
3. Appointment to the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA):
Joan Funk motioned to appoint Joanne Shompe to the ZBA as a regular member for one year, 2nd Gerry McCarthy. Motion carried with Gail Ellis abstaining due to a possible conflict.
4. Water/Wastewater Department:
a. Rate Structure for Water – Dale reported that he compared the July billing to earlier billings and it appears there is an upward use of water but he also found that there was a large water leak at the Collins and Aikman plant and two double billed sites. As a result of his findings, Dale stated he would recommend using 19 million gallons to establish the rate instead of the 24 million that was billed for in July 2009. Based on these figures and the current rate the water department is currently operating on a $57,000 deficit. Paula then asked the Board if they want to consider a rate increase. Joan commented that the water department can’t keep cutting because times are rough because things still need to be maintained and updated for efficiency purposes, plus the Town should
not operate in a deficit. Charlie stated he believes there should be a reasonable increase on the water rate but also some cuts to the department. Gail suggested increasing the rate incrementally over several billing cycles and Gerry agreed with the rest of the Board.
It was discussed to eliminate the deficit spending the water rate would need to be $4.44/1000 gallons and if $35,000 ($10,000 for consultants, $15,000 for main line renewal and $10,000 for capital reserve) was cut the rate would need to be $3.97/1000 gallons. The Board discussed the options on what could be cut from the budget and put off until 2010. Joan commented that the mainline renewal line should not be cut because the Town needs to keep striving forward. Gerry disagreed stating maybe this work should wait because the Town just hired a consultant to complete a drainage study in that area. Charlie then commented that he thinks the Board should consider reinstituting private hydrants for next year which could potentially bring in $17,000 in revenue.
Dale will go back and look through his budget line by line to see where he can save money now that a little more than half the year has gone by. Paula cautioned the Board in that the Town needs to be responsible and pay the bills but they don’t want to overwhelm the users with too large an increase and cause loss of homes and businesses.
b. Rate Structure for Wastewater – Dale explained that this department is currently operating at a $34,000 deficit and a rate of $6.70 would eliminate the deficit. Gerry asked what was presented to the Town to be the wastewater rate at Town meeting after the completion of the new facility. Dale replied about $11.00. Charlie asked for an estimated cost per foot for the I/I work. Dale replied he would get that figure and also go through this budget to see if any cuts can be made.
5. Planner Position Continued Discussion:
Tony informed the Board that he received the first invoice from Mike Garrepy for the previous week. A discussion was held on what items could be charged back to the applicants and it was decided that much of this invoice was work for Mike to familiarize himself with the applications and probably not much could be charged back. However, normally any hours spent reviewing applications over three are charged back to the applicants. Charlie questioned if the Board should consider changing the fee schedule until the Town hires a full-time planner, to charge applicants for all time spent reviewing their applications. Joan asked if it is normal to charge applicants time at a Planning Board meeting. Paul Parker, Planning Board Chairman, replied no and Charlie agreed that this time should be at the
Town rate. Tony will review the bill with Mike.
Gerry stated he would like to hear from the Planning Board members on why or if they feel a full time planner is needed. Paul Parker explained that he would be in favor of a full time planner because the Town is a growing community, even in these tough economic times, and the Town needs a paid professional dedicated to protect the rural atmosphere of the Town. Plus during these slower times the Planning Board is working to review and improve the Regulations and Ordinances and he does not feel it is cost effective to pay more for part-time or per diem planners and only get 20% of the work we could get from a full time position. Dave Kestner agreed with Paul and added that with all the stimulus money going around there is an increase in building and the Town will need a full time professional. Also,
as a taxpayer and volunteer who serves on the Planning Board he is not looking forward to an increased work load that will result from not having a full time planner. Charlie Doke reiterated their comments and added that the Town needs to continue moving forward and not backwards. Jim Horgan agreed.
Charlie K. stated that the Planning Board does have a busy workshop session load and that they cannot draft legal language for Ordinances and Regulations. He then added that Dan was also responsible for a lot of grant writing in Town and when the Board reviews applicants for the position grant writing should be a necessary skill. Joan agreed with the Planning Board members’ thoughts and noted that she recognizes the need for a full time planner and would also like to see the new hire be proficient in grant writing. Gerry stated he was questioning if there would be enough work to keep a full time planner but after seeing the Planning Board schedule he can see the need. The Board was in consensus to have Tony write up an RFP for a full time planner for them to review and have posted as soon as
possible.
Charlie King motioned for a short recess, 2nd Paula Proulx. Motion carried at 8:12pm.
Meeting reconvened at 8:21pm
6. Software for Assessing:
Tony explained that the Town assessing company, Cross Country Appraisal Group, LLC put together a proposal for the Town to convert from Proval to Avitar. Tony expressed that Avitar is the better software but if the Town was to convert then he would prefer to have Avitar do the conversion themselves. Charlie asked what the actual software costs and what the annual and conversion costs are. Tony will look into the cost though he would suggest waiting until Kathy is ready to upgrade her software. The Board agreed to put this proposal aside for now.
7. Administration Copier Lease:
Tony informed the Board that the lease for the copier is up in August and the Town will then own the machine for $1. Once the lease is up the Town can continue to use the copier and purchase a maintenance agreement at approximately $920 or lease a new copier. Tony informed the Board that the copier has been maintenance intensive and has needed maintenance call at least every 3 months so he would suggest keeping the maintenance agreement. The Board decided they would like to relook at the options during the budget season. Joan also asked how many copies the offices use in a year and Tony said he will get that number.
8. Historical Society Request:
The Historical Society requested the use of the Selectmen’s Chambers either before or after the bench dedication on July 30th for coffee and such. Charlie King motioned to authorize the use of the Selectmen’s Chambers by the Historical Society for a gathering on July 30, 2009, 2nd Gerry McCarthy. Motion carried.
9. Purchasing Policy:
Gail stated there is nothing in the policy that says all purchases must be accompanied by a written purchase order. Tony stated that every purchase has a purchase order at this time and he will add it under the objectives/intent as number four. Gail commented that if the Town is going to utilize purchase orders then they should be in place before the actual purchases are made. For example if Joel needs a battery he would call around to get the best price, and then fill out the purchase order. Then he would call or purchase the battery and the invoice would reflect the purchase order number. The Board agreed with this and Tony will review the process expected with the department heads.
The written policy was reviewed and it was decided that under A.5 it should read “Purchases should be made from the vendor list when possible…” the word approved should be stricken. Charlie King motioned to make the previously discussed amendment to A.5 of the Purchasing Policy, 2nd Joan Funk. Motion carried.
Joan Funk motioned to accept the Purchasing Policy with the minor corrections made tonight, 2nd Gail Ellis. Motion carried.
10. Updates:
a. Joan Funk motioned to authorize the Chair to sign the USDA Rural Development loan paperwork, 2nd Charlie King. Motion withdrawn because it was previously authorized on 7/22/09.
b. Tony informed the Board that the sprinkler system in the Town Hall is installed except for a few items like the cages over the heads in the basement. The system was tested today and it passed, however, it can not be turned on until the alarm issue is addressed. The Board previously authorized the alarm company to install a digital dialer for $2187, but without the 24/7 monitoring for $32/month it will not do any good because it will only dial for an actual fire and not the trouble codes. If the Board chooses they can have a complete system installed for an additional $2500 and then the monitoring will not be required. Paula asked how much money is left in the Renovation Fund and Tony replied there is approximately $15-16,000, though the roof is expected to cost about $9700 to repair.
Tony suggested continuing with the $2187 system as previously motioned and add the monitoring at the $32/month fee and then consider upgrades during the budget season. The Board was in agreement except for Gerry who stated he would rather put the complete system in now. Joan Funk motioned to purchase the alarm system at $2187 with the $32/month monitoring fee, 2nd Charlie King. Motion carried with all in favor.
c. Gerry asked for an update on the Clock. Tony explained all the faces are down and the materials have been ordered so the clock should be back up and running in the next few weeks.
d. Gerry asked for an update of the fence repairs at Edgerly Park. Tony stated the pipe has been received and Keith is going to weld it in.
e. Charlie commented he has been looking at the bills for the past few months and noticed there were two months of roller rentals and calcium chloride for over $30,000. He questioned if this could be brought down to a one month rental in the future with better planning to save money.
f. Paula asked what is happening with the PD Expedition because she was under the impression it was out of commission and then it was spotted at the PD. Tony said he will look into this.
g. Paula recognized Kellie Chase’s resignation from the Parks & Rec. Department and noted she has done a remarkable job for the past 15 years and will be greatly missed. Joan suggested a plaque be purchased and the Board agreed.
At 9:18pm, Joan Funk motioned to go in non-public session under RSA 91A.3.II. (c), 2nd Gerry McCarthy. Roll call – Paula Proulx (yes), Gerry McCarthy (yes), Charlie King (yes), Joan Funk (yes) and Gail Ellis (yes).
Gerry McCarthy motioned to adjourn, 2nd Gail Ellis. Motion carried.
Meeting adjourned at 9:53pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Brandy Sanger
Recording Secretary
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Chairman, Paula Proulx Vice-Chairman, Gail Ellis
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Gerry McCarthy Charlie King
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Joan A. Funk
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