Minutes
Town of Greenfield
Greenfield Town Offices, 7 Sawmill Road Greenfield, NH
Selectboard’s Work Session Minutes
Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 – 5:00 PM
Selectboard: Chairwoman Karen Day, Selectwoman Margaret Charig Bliss, Selectman Stephen Atherton Jr.,
Staff: Town Administrator AaronPatt,
Public: Debra Davidson, Leonard Boutin, Joel Boutin, Jacob Snell, Pat Lapree, Myron Steere, Kim Kamieniecki, Kathryn Heck, Gary Russell, Karen Russell, Charlie Stevenson, Linnea Stevenson, Kathy Siegars, Abby Goen, Michael Goen, Paul Renaud, David Martin, Michael Borden, Kristin Hall, Chris Borden, Stephanie Babb, Neal Brown, Agneta Brown, Bob Marshall, Ken Paulsen, Marlene Paulsen, Diane Boilard
The meeting was called to order at 5:00 PM by Chair Karen Day.
Documents for Review/Approval
- A/P Invoices
- A/P Checks
- Payroll
- Draft Town Warrant – Appropriation Article(s) Order
- NH Dept. of Safety Overpayment Letter
- Letter from Dublin Fire Chief
- Thank-You Letter Re: DPW
- Request by DPW to Trim Trees on Russell Station Road & a portion of East Road
- Petition Warrant Article
5:00 PM: Debra Davidson, Resident
The Board met with Debra Davidson. Ms. Davidson introduced herself as the coordinator for a coalition of concerned residents. The coalition has met twice at the Library to discuss issues that they feel are important for the Selectboard to consider prior to Town Meeting. Ms. Davidson said that notes were taken at one of the meetings and she provided a copy of the notes. She briefly summarized the main points:
- Capital Reserve Fund (CRF) spending – the group would like the Selectboard to be removed as agents to expend. This would require that any capital reserve fund spending be voted on at Town Meeting. This was summarized as having the vote “go back to the voters”.
- The Selectboard Agendas change too much. While its recognized that appointments sometimes change, the group feels that the agenda changes too much
- The group feels that the Town (Selectboard) is not following the internal controls (financial) for all departments
- The group wants the Selectboard to review the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) arrangements with the local non-profits to see if there are more creative solutions for accounting for the increasing cost of Town services.
A discussion on the capital reserve funds followed. It was noted that the Selectboard held informational meetings for the public to come and learn about opportunities that the Town was pursuing, so that residents could provide feedback. The feedback from the residents did inform the decisions of departments and the Board. There followed a discussion of the purchase of the fire truck and the need for a brush truck for the forest firefighters. It was stated that the some felt that the minutes from the informational meeting were not clear.
There was a brief discussion on the capital reserve fund spending to clarify what would happen if the only way to spend capital reserve fund monies was to go to Town Meeting. It was noted by the Board that the law only allows for emergency spending after the Selectboard petitions and receives approval from the courts. The group discussed the possibility of having a minute-taker take minutes for the Board. Several people urged the Board to hire a minute taker. It was noted that a consequence of taking verbatim minutes would be minutes that are “30 pages long”.
At 6:00 pm the Chair indicated that the meeting had gone over by 30 minutes. The meeting ended and the Chair announced a short break in the meeting.
6:00 PM: Budget Workshop
At 6:15 pm the Board re-convened the meeting and took up a brief discussion about the use of salt mix (pre-packaged) and road salt for the parking lots and walkways. There followed a discussion on the underground tank at the DPW garage and the question of whether to increase the DPW Buildings & Grounds budget to budget for an additional pumping in 2016. After some discussion the Board decided to leave the DPW budget and look at the possibility of spending left-over monies at the end of 2016. The Fire Department budget was discussed briefly but no changes were made.
A letter from the Fire Chief of Dublin was opened and read into the minutes.
Dublin Fire Department
P.O. Box 370, 1113 Main Street
Dublin, NH 03444
Thomas Vanderbilt, Fire Chief
January 21, 2016
Dear Greenfield Board of Selectmen,
This letter is to serve as a vote of confidence for the Fire Chief David Hall. As a Chief from a neighboring town, and a member of the Monadnock Area Fire Chiefs, I have seen Dave’s vision transform a dysfunctional department into a well-trained, motivated proud group. Dave’s passion is education, which is key to keeping our members safe in today’s modern “built to burn” houses.
I am lucky to see the results of his tireless work in one of his members Captain Mike Borden, Dublin’s Code Enforcement Officer. We work together on Tuesdays, inspecting fire and code issues. Each week Mike fills me in on trainings and upgrades Dave has made. The trainings (both fire and medical) the staffing, and the pride and ownership the members feel is not an easy thing to accomplish. To do this in such a short time frame is really commendable.
Anyone who listens to the scanner, as many do, knows the department has come a long way. Gone are the days of re-tones and no responses. Dave has made a department to be proud of. Our mutual aide system is an essential part of fire protection, especially in our mostly rural areas. It is refreshing to know that if personnel or apparatus are requested that they will be responding, be well-trained, well-equipped, and in trucks that are up to the task.
Someone is having the worst day of their life when they call us. It seems that time goes by in dog years when you are on the phone with 911 waiting for help. Our customers, the townspeople, deserve and expect a prompt and professional response at this time. It is obvious to anyone in the Southwest Fire Mutual Aide System that Dave is delivering this in spades.
The Town of Greenfield, as well as neighboring mutual aide towns, should be more than grateful for the major advances that have been made in the Greenfield Fire Department in such a very short time.
Some folks find change difficult, especially if it makes them see how far an organization can come, and how far it needed to come. Hopefully, the majority can see past the negative minority and throw their support behind Dave to give him the support and resources to continue to make Greenfield’s Fire Department a department of excellence.
Sincerely,
Tom Vanderbilt, Fire Chief
Town of Dublin, NH
There followed a brief discussion about the 5:00pm meeting. There was a rough consensus that the participants had agreed that the Selectboard should look at the Town having a minute-taker in the meeting. The Board discussed whether this was necessary given the cost. Comments were provided by people in attendance that the meetings could be recorded. This was suggested by Karen Russell. Selectwoman Charig Bliss commented that the minutes themselves are the legal record and that the recording would not be posted. It was noted by a person in the audience that the newspaper recently reported that Francestown is moving in the direct of recording and keeping copies of the recordings.
The Chair moved the meeting back to the discussion of the budget. The Board discussed and reached a consensus to ask if Ken Paulsen would be willing to provide an abbreviated version of the Capital Improvements Plan presentation during the budget hearing. The Board decided that projecting the CIP presentation would be helpful.
There followed a brief discussion on comparing the amount of funds in capital reserves to the future year needs of the town. When comparing the cost of purchasing new vehicles and equipment to the town’s savings, the town is in a very deep hole. But, when comparing the cost of used vehicles to the town’s savings it’s much easier to see the town moving forward to meet the capital expense needs that will come in future years.
Some budget lines were discussed, such as the Fire Alarm Monitoring costs. There was a discussion on the future needs of the buildings, including the Meeting House stained glass windows. The cost for fixing the stained glass windows due to their age has been quoted up to nearly $25,000 per window. Some quotes were less depending on the exact window, but the consensus of the Board was that the town would need to go after grant money for the stained glass window project.
There was a brief discussion about the cost of renting a lift for tree trimming on East Road and Russell Station Road.
The Board reviewed a letter from FEMA that stated that FEMA had overpaid the town for the January 2015 winter disaster and the town owes $837.62. FEMA restated the way it handled the town’s snow shoveling costs.
8:00 PM: Documents for Review/Approval
The Board reviewed and signed Waste Water Checks, A/P Checks, and A/P invoices. The Board signed a Meeting House rental application.
8:10PM: Non-public Meeting
The Chair motioned to hold a non-public meeting under RSA 91-A:3 IIa Personnel. Selectwoman Charig Bliss seconded the motion. On a roll call vote of 3-0 the Board entered into Non-Public session. At 9pm the Board voted to exit non-public meeting and to seal the minutes. No decisions were made.
The Board discussed the possibility of a minute-taker position, held some additional discussion on the budget but decided that no additional changes were required. The Board heard a recap of the recent work on the fire department parking lot behind the fire department. The pavement had started to sink in a large area. DPW excavated the sinkhole and found a culvert cover, which was starting to collapse. The area is now filled in with gravel until spring arrives.
Adjournment
On a motion by the Chair, and a second by Selectman Atherton, the Board voted to adjourn. The motion carried 2-0. The meeting adjourned at 9:15 PM.
The minutes are final when approved and signed by the Selectboard. A signed copy is on file in the Selectboard’s office.
_________________ _______________________ ___________________________
Chair, Karen Day Margaret Charig Bliss, Selectwoman Stephen Atherton Jr., Selectman
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