Minutes
Town of Greenfield
Greenfield Town Offices, 7 Sawmill Road Greenfield, NH
Selectmen’s Meeting Minutes
Thursday, April 26, 2012 – 4:30 pm
Board of Selectmen: Chairman Robert Wimpory; Selectwoman, Karen Day; Selectwoman Debra Davidson
Staff: Town Administrator Patt,
Public: Ken Paulson
The meeting was called to order at 4:30 PM by Chairman Wimpory.
Documents for Approval/Review/Signature
The Selectmen reviewed and signed the following items:
§ Payroll Check Manifest
§ Payroll Checks
§ A/P Invoices
§ Approval of Selectmen Minutes
4:30 PM: Avatar Associates – NNETO updated pole data
Chairman Wimpory opened the meeting at 4:30PM. The first appointment of the evening was with Gary Roberge, CEO of Avitar Associates. Mr. Roberge was asked to attend the Selectmen’s meeting to explain the recent abatement request by NNETO (Fairpoint) on the assessment of telephone poles and network in town. Mr. Roberge explained that the State is making sure that all towns assess poles and network. At one point the telephone company had been exempt from taxation on its network of poles and cables. There have been attempts to re-instate an exemption through the legislature but the attempts have failed and the telephone company is responsible to pay the assessed value. Mr. Roberge explained in detail the scope of the initial valuation and how the valuation was set. This included percentage of ownership on the poles,
the number of poles, the value of the poles, the valuation of the right of way, and the need to assess all utilities that utilize the poles or right of way. Subsequently the phone company has published updated information on its network. As a result, Avitar has outlined an abatement that the town should provide to the company based on the new information. NNETO has filed for abatement and this abatement request was discussed next. There was little data provided with the request, which stated a requested value of zero on the basis that a tax was unconstitutional. The request was filed by a third party; Commercial Tax Property Management LLC (CPTM). The request did outline a suggested settlement value of $167,000 that the company was willing to accept as the value of its poles and network in town but there was no documentation provided to show how this number was supported. The current assessment is $1,311,400 and based on the new data published, Avitar indicates an abatement of
$247,000 of valuation would bring the assessment in line with their review. The Board discussed the past court cases outlined in the abatement request with Mr. Roberge and asked several questions about the Utility’s abatement application. At the conclusion of the discussion Mr. Roberge thanked the Board for their attention and time and left the meeting.
The Board discussed the abatement request and the subsequent revaluation by Avitar. The Board was satisfied that the explanation provided by Avitar was sufficient to evaluate the application. After deliberation Chairman Wimpory made a motion to deny the abatement request filed by CPTM for a zero valuation, and to take the recommendation of Avitar Associates to abate the value of $247,000 from the assessed value. Selectwoman Day seconded the motion. On a vote of 3-0 the motion passed.
5:30 PM Cancellation
The Administrator advised that Andy Sanborn’s office called to cancel the meeting originally scheduled due to a legislative meeting that was running over. The Selectmen noted the cancellation.
The Board then discussed the documents and reviewed briefly the Crotched Mountain Grant application.
5:45 PM: Al Burtt – Old Town Office Lease
At 5:45 PM Mr. Al Burtt approached the Board with a concern over the recently discussed lease on the old Town office building. Mr. Burtt introduced himself as a resident taxpayer who had some questions about the Crotched Mountain lease with the Town for the use of the building. Mr. Burtt had reviewed the lease and the supporting numbers and expressed that he wanted to have confidence in the numbers but there were expense items that in his opinion he felt were inconsistent with the lease agreement. Mr. Burtt expressed that the Board should review the numbers and also suggested that rental forgiveness in the amount that was outlined should be scrutinized closely. There was discussion about the funding that was used, which was a CDBG grant in the amount of $190,000 dollars. The question of whether this funding was used to
install an elevator was asked. Mr. Burtt concluded his remarks with the concern that while Crotched Mountain was a good neighbor the recent acquisitions of additional property in town by the non-profit entity was shrinking the tax base and putting an increased burden on the taxpayers.
6:15 PM: Review of Documents
The Selectmen reviewed the Manifest, Payroll checks, AP invoices and the previous week’s minutes.
Chairman Wimpory provided a business card for E-Waste Recyclers for the administrator to review with Supervisor Burgess. E-Waste Recyclers is a group that handles electronic waste.
Next the Board discussed tree cutting by DPW and the involvement of the Planning Board. Chairman Wimpory who is the planning board’s liaison outlined the steps that the Planning Board has to take in order to provide the public notice and meet the requirements of the RSAs.
The discussion then included a series of updates on the following items:
§ the file server claim has been filed and is in the process at Primex
§ the health insurance quotes have been received and placed in a binder for review – final numbers from NHIT and Schoolcare are pending.
§ The personnel policy has been finalized and distributed to Department Heads.
§ The Town office roof contract has been finalized and the deposit is pending from the Trustees
§ Summer baseball clinics with Jeff Wing will be available this year. Mr. Wing spoke to Chris Weeks about Cal Ripken and determined that the two programs do not overlap. Mr. Weeks sent an email indicating that he was in favor of the clinics.
7:05 PM: Town Meeting House Steeple
The Board discussed the Meeting House steeple at length and went through the quotes from each vendor. The most expensive quote was from Robert Morgan and company, which outlined some work needed on the interior of the building as well as the exterior. Other companies have suggested that the interior of the building is very stable and that the focus should be on the exterior, which has pieces falling off and/or missing, as well as a lot of wear. The Board determined that they would like Paul Freeman to look at the steeple interior and load bearing beams to determine if there are any needed repairs as there is a limited budget and the exterior is clearly in need of work this year.
7:30 PM: Town Clerk
The Board asked Dee Sleeper, the Town Clerk to stop by for a few minutes. Chairman Wimpory asked the Clerk about the Town Clerk Deputy position and whether there has been any advances made to hire a new deputy. Clerk Sleeper indicated that the recent server issues and the fact that the town’s computer vendor had left has made it difficult for her to get the deputy computer up and running. Once the town has a new vendor and the deputy’s computer has been fixed the hiring process can start. The Clerk pointed out that aside from the computer issues there hasn’t been a need for two people in the office most of the time that she is open. As a result the deputy position has not been a priority. Chairman Wimpory indicated that for the benefit of the public, the Board wanted to make sure that there was a back up
plan in place with a person ready to step in and run the office in the event that anything were to happen to Ms. Sleeper. Clerk Sleeper indicated that Kathy Valliere, the tax collector has been that person in her mind for a long time. Kathy Valliere is the town clerk and tax collector for the town of Greenville and can step in to run the office in the event that it’s needed.
8:00 PM: Adjournment
There being no further business, Selectman Wimpory moved to adjourn the meeting. Selectwoman Day seconded. The motion carried 3-0.
The meeting adjourned at 8:00 PM
Respectfully Submitted:
Aaron Patt
Town Administrator
The minutes are final when approved and signed by the Board of Selectmen. A signed copy is on file in the Selectmen’s minutes.
_______________________ _______________________ ______________________
Robert Wimpory, Chairman Karen Day, Selectwoman Debra Davidson, Selectwoman
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