TOWN OF FARMINGTON
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES
Monday, April 26, 2010
356 Main Street, Farmington, NH
Selectmen Present: Chairman Paula Proulx, Gail Ellis, Joan Funk and Charlie King.
Selectmen Excused: Gerry McCarthy
Town Staff Present: Town Administrator Tony Mincu, Water/Wastewater Superintendent Dale Sprague.
Public Present: Bill Spears
Paula Proulx opened the meeting at 6:05pm.
1. Public Comment:
- Joan commented that the senior citizen discount from Metrocast has been dropped recently. This happened before when the town was at the close of the 5 year contract so when the new negotiations committee is formed this needs to be taken into consideration.
- Paula congratulated the Police Department on a thorough, good job done with the recent bank robbery.
2. Introduction of Davis & Towle Insurance Representative
Becky Craigue of MVP Health Care provided an overall explanation of what they have to offer for insurance plans. Their High Deductible Plans include 100% coverage for all wellness, preventative care with the member paying 100% of all other care and prescriptions until the deductible is met and then the plan will cover all expenses at 100%. Also, a benefit to the member is that the care they are paying for until their deductible is met is billed by the provider based on MVP contracted costs. Gail asked what the minimum deductible would be and Ms. Craigue replied the minimum is $1500 for a single and $3000 for a family.
MVP also offers a Health Savings Account (HSA) which is paid by the employee and the employer to defer out of pocket expenses pretax. MVP uses a particular bank for these accounts and there is no fee unless the account goes below $1000 in which there would be a monthly fee. There is also an HRA in which the savings account is owned by the employer and does not roll over each year. If the employee does not use the entire amount at the year-end then the employer does not have to contribute that money. Then there is an FSA account in which the Town currently offers its employees but if the account is not expended in full at the end of the year then the balance is taken by the IRS.
Tony will forward the appropriate information to the provider so they can put together the figures for the different options. Ms. Craigue noted that they are currently working with quarter three rates so any figures she would give would be an estimate for January 1, 2011.
3. Water/Wastewater Department:
a. Southwest Watershed Alliance By-laws - Dale explained that the Alliance’s next meeting is in May and he forwarded a copy of the proposed by-laws to the Board for their review and comment before he casts his vote. Gail asked what the difference is between the alliance quarterly meetings and the Board of Directors meeting. Dale explained there is approximately 44 towns involved in the Alliance and they will choose 11 members to serve as a Board of Directors to assist with overall planning and possibly grant applications on a monthly basis to keep everything on a time schedule. Dale explained there is no financial obligation to the Town with this Alliance at this time and if this is to change for any reason than a contract would be drawn up.
Joan Funk motioned to accept the draft by-laws of the Southwest Watershed Alliance By-laws as written, 2nd Charlie King. Motion carried with all in favor.
b. Update on Wastewater Plant - Dale informed the Board that the 90% drawings by Wright-Pierce are in and Ed Leonard will be looking for comments by May 20, 2010.
c. FCTV Infiltration findings - Dale explained the completed the FCTV work on the mains and they found a lot of water coming in. He is going to try to meet with Ed Leonard on Friday, to come up with a plan to start addressing some of this over the summer. From Bay Road alone there is 60,000-70,000 gallons of water a day that is leaking into the system and Charles Street also has quite a bit of inflow as well. After Dale meets with Ed he will have a better idea at what is the most cost effective way to approach the infiltration and come up with an estimate. Dale added that the subcontractor did a great job and he would highly recommend them for future work.
4. Cistern Policy Discussion:
Charlie explained that the Planning Board and the Fire Chief worked on the cistern policy and are looking for comment from the Board. At the last meeting Gerry asked if this would be necessary because of the new regulations requiring sprinkler systems in all new homes effective January 1, 2011. Charlie posed this question to the Fire Chief and his response was that the sprinkler system requirements is scheduled to go in effect in 2011 but it is being lobbied to be removed so the Chief would recommend going forward with the policy not only because of the lobbying but also so that there is some type of fire protection requirements in place until 2011. Gail recused herself from this discussion. Charlie also recalled that it was commented at the last meeting there was a concern for the wording that
stated “when the Town takes over” and he will bring this to the Planning Board as well. Joan commented that she is concerned that cisterns are not necessarily needed in all new developments because there might be ample water supply in certain areas.
5. List of Repair Priorities for Old Courthouse and Municipal Building:
Tony informed the Board that he looked over the proposal and items that have been identified for top priority are; the rear entrance of the Municipal Building, 4 toilets replaced at the Opera House, siding of the vent and gable end of the Opera House, and electrical work at fire station. Charlie commented that the Old Courthouse needs to be painted and have some minor repairs. The Fire Chief is awaiting approval to move forward with the electrical work at the fire station. Charlie commented that the electrical work should be completed with keeping in mind what is going to happen in the future with any expansion or what not with the building. Paula commented that the fire station has one of the larger electrical bills and some upgrades should probably be done at the same time.
Charlie noted that he noticed the left hand side of the Opera House roof also needs some work and questioned if this should be done this year. Tony replied that the roof can wait until next year but the front gable side needs to be repaired this year because water is filtering into the building during rain events. Charlie asked if there was proposals for this work in the past and Tony replied that there was a proposal for about $4500 but he would have to look.
Bill Spears provided a proposal to do the work discussed tonight and also stated that he would clean the gutters of the Municipal Building at no cost to the Town and then provide a cost estimate for the work needed on the front of the building. Charlie suggested having the back of the Municipal building completed and the gutters cleaned and then if that work is completed satisfactorily the Board can move forward from there.
Charlie King motioned to proceed with the repairs to the rear entrance of the Municipal Building and the assessment of work to be done of the main entrance, 2nd Gail Ellis. Motion carried with all in favor.
Charlie then commented that Tony should put out an RFP (Request for Proposals) for the gable repairs to the Opera House.
6. Discussion on Town Vehicle Assignments:
Paula noted that the old cruiser has been relinquished and is at the highway garage. Dennis forwarded a memo regarding this vehicle to the Board. Paula went to inspect the vehicle and asked Tony to contact Scott to see if the back seat and the dash plate are available to put back in the vehicle. Tony explained that he sent out an email and he has not received a reply yet. The vehicle needs to be cleaned but mechanically it is okay and ready to go except for it needs a new battery. Charlie noted that if the parts are not available he would like Tony to notify him because the person who bought the other cruiser in auction might be willing to donate those two items to the Town. Paula noted a discussion needs to be held with Scott to remind/inform him, that when vehicles are changed for PD use, certain changes should be done with the mindset that the vehicle could potentially be used for other purposes in the future. The Board tabled this discussion until more information is
available.
7. Water & Sewer Project Grant Administration:
Tony explained that the approved $500,000 grant for the I/I work requires a grant administrator. He put out an RFP for an administrator and received to quotes back, one from Donna Lane at $14,500 and one from Joia Hughes at $18,500. Gail noted that it appears Ms. Lane had a lot more to offer the town. Joan Funk motioned to contract Donna Lane as the grant administrator at $14,500, 2nd Charlie King. Motion carried with all in favor.
8. Information on Ambulance/Engine II:
Rich Fowler is ill tonight so the Board will table this discussion.
9. Continue Discussion on River Management Advisory Committee:
Gail commented that she spoke with a representative of Rochester and found that they have three representatives of this committee so she looked into how many representatives we should have and found it is three. It was discussed that Paul Parker has volunteered and been approved as a committee member. Paula asked if Kathy Menici would be willing to serve on this committee and Tony replied that it would be a good idea and he would discuss it with her. Charlie will also bring it back to the Planning Board to see if there are other members interested noting they would have a weighted vote. The Conservation Commission was also approached for representation but their monthly meeting is held at the same time.
10. Primex Property Liability:
Tony replied that the Town did fairly well this year and that we are now in a much lower Property loss pool at 46% and Liability Loss ratio pool at 46% as well. The change from 2009 to 2010 contribution amount was $1,328 which was a 2% change. Charlie asked what the incidents were and Tony said he can pull the reports. Tony explained he tried to get some private competitive bids and was not able to secure any and LGC was not even close to being competitive. Primex offers a PRIME Program Discount and the Town would need to continue with the implementation of Awareness, Action and Accountability Program and Police and Firefighter participation in the 2010 Stevens Advanced Driver Training Program.
Charlie asked if we can re-examine what we have for coverage on our property and assess if the coverage is appropriate for each item. For example, the current code enforcement vehicle only needs liability coverage and not full coverage. Tony said he would look into this and see what options are available. Charlie stated that he would like to look at a list of the property that is being insured and at what level of coverage. Paula asked Tony to find out if the Town enters a multi-year contract when is the discount available. Tony said he believes that if we enroll in the program and are actively participating then we would be eligible for the discount.
11. Delta Dental:
Tony explained that our current Delta dental plan is scheduled to have an increase of 9% upon renewal in June 2010. LGC offers the same Delta dental plan but with an approximate $4,800 decrease and no waiting period for orthodontist care. Charlie commented that in reviewing the plans he doesn’t see the value in this program because there is a $1000 limit with payments of a little over $700 from the Town and the employees. He questioned if a dental reimbursement plan through the Town would be a better option.
Gail Ellis motioned to go with LGC for dental insurance, 2nd Joan Funk. Motion carried with all in favor.
At 8:13pm, Charlie King motioned to go in non-public under RSA 91A.3.II (c), 2nd Gail Ellis. Roll Call – Paula Proulx (yes), Charlie King (yes), Gail Ellis (yes) and Joan Funk (yes).
The Board came back into public session at 8:32pm.
Charlie King motioned to seal the non-public minutes from tonight, 2nd Gail Ellis. Motion carried with all in favor.
At 8:33pm, Joan Funk motioned to adjourn, 2nd Gail Ellis. Motion carried with all in favor.
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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