Minutes
Town of Greenfield
Greenfield Town Offices, 7 Sawmill Road Greenfield, NH
Selectboard’s Work Session Minutes
Monday, January 26, 2015 – 4:30 PM
Selectboard: Chairwoman Debra Davidson, Selectwoman Karen Day, Selectwoman Margaret Charig Bliss
Staff: David Hall, Fire Chief, Budget Advisory Committee Members: M. Steere, N. Nickerson, D. Boilard, K. Paulsen, S. Moller
Public: Rob Wimpory
The meeting was called to order at 4:30 PM by Chairwoman Davidson.
Documents for Approval/Review/Signature
The Selectboard reviewed and/or signed the following items:
- A/P Invoices
- A/P Checks
- Post Office Mailing Fees for Spirit Mailing - Updated
- Greenfield Spirit – Selectboard Preview
- Quickbooks 1099 issue – Update regarding Computer fees
- Letter from Greg and Karen Martus – re: Driscoll Road
- Southwest Planning Commission – Winter Meeting invite
Supervisor Tim Murray stopped into the meeting prior to a major snowstorm forecast for the following night to see if there was anything that the Board needed from DPW. There was a conversation about use of contractors. The Chair asked if there was a Back-Up truck in case of emergencies snow requirements. A local contractor was on hand and was introduced to Mr. Murray. Mr. Murray, at the direction of the Chair, said that he would take the contractor’s number in case of any emergency work required during the winter.
4:45 PM: Meeting with David Hall, Fire Chief
The Selectboard welcomed David Hall to the meeting. Chief Hall requested a non-public meeting with the Board to discuss matters of personnel. The Board voted 3-0 in a roll call vote, on a motion by the Chair and a second by Selectwoman Day, to enter non-public session under RSA 91-A:IIa Personnel; to discuss matters regarding personnel records and management. At 5:15 pm the Board voted to exit non-public session. It was noted that no votes had been taken, or decisions made and that the minutes were sealed.
5:20 PM: Budget Advisory Committee Meeting
The Board welcomed the Budget Advisory Committee Members to the meeting. Norm Nickerson, Chair of the Budget Advisory Committee opened with some general remarks about the budget. The Budget Advisory Committee had several points from its most recent meeting regarding the budget. There was some initial discussion about Personnel Administration and then it was agreed to go line by line starting with the Ambulance budget. The Ambulance budget is up over 50% from the previous year. The Selectboard outlined that Peterborough had originally planned to increase the Ambulance budget by 3X and then to $80,000+ over the ensuing three years. The Board had reached out to other ambulance companies to see how the rates compare; then Peterborough came back at $32,975. This was considerably less expensive than $49,000 for Wilton. The
Board elected to remain with Peterborough for the 2015 year. Next the Board and the BAC discussed several departmental budgets. The BAC indicated that the wages for the Building Inspector were higher than the committee felt was justified. There followed discussion about the proposal provided to the Selectboard, and the subsequent negotiations that ended in an agreement for a wage of $12,000 a year ($1,000 a month). The BAC outlined several concerns with the Fire Department budget, centering on the CodeRed fee. It was acknowledged by that Board that CodeRed has not been used since its inception nearly four years ago. The BAC suggested that CodeRed be removed from the 2015 budget. Next the BAC recommended $5,000 for the Police Department Vehicle Capital Reserve Fund. The BAC asked if streetlights had been converted to LED. There was a discussion about the computer and personnel administration budgets, both of which had been combined into single lines. The BAC suggested that Legal
budgets including the Planning Board and the Zoning Board could be combined into one line.
The BAC and Selectboard meeting ended at 7:30 PM. The meeting took a few minutes to break-up.
The Selectboard finalized the Greenfield Spirit and authorized the mailing of the Spirit to residents.
Adjournment
On a motion by the Chair, and a second by Selectwoman Charig Bliss, the Board voted to adjourn. The motion carried 3-0. The meeting adjourned at 7:45 PM.
The minutes are final when approved and signed by the Selectboard. A signed copy is on file in the Selectboard’s office.
______________________ _______________________ ______________________
Chair, Debra Davidson Karen Day, Selectwoman Margaret Charig Bliss, Selectwoman
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