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Minutes
Town of Greenfield
Greenfield Town Offices, 7 Sawmill Road Greenfield, NH
Selectboard’s Minutes
Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017 – 5:30 PM
Selectboard: Chairwoman Margaret A. Charig Bliss, Selectman Stephen Atherton Jr., Selectman Robert Marshall
Staff: Aaron Patt, Town Administrator
Public: Abbey Kessler, Ledger Transcript reporter; [See Attached List]
5:30 p.m. The meeting was opened by Chairwoman Charig Bliss.
Documents for Review/Approval
- A/P Check Register – 2/8/2017
- A/P “ACH” NH Retirement Pmt.
- A/P Check Register – 2/15/2017
- Payroll
- Wastewater Check Register
- Sewer Tax Levy – 1st Q
- Intent to Cut – R1-2
- Minutes of Selectboard Meeting (2/7/17 cancelled due to weather)
- Employee Vacation Request (2)
- Change of Salary – Library Trustees’ Request
- Selectboard Transmittal Document – CRF Payment / Emerg. FD Gen. Repair
- Veteran’s Exemption Application
- Welfare Voucher (2)
5:30 PM: Selectboard Work Session – Consent Agenda
At 5:30 pm the Chair and Selectman Marshall reviewed the consent agenda items. The posted agenda indicated that no public forum would be held in order to finalize the town warrant in advance of the Public Budget Hearing scheduled for 6:30pm. Office Manager Catherine Shaw and Town Administrator presented the draft town warrant and a draft of the town report for review and comments. The Board reviewed and approved the cover photo, the dedication, and the Selectmen’s report. The Selectmen’s report was discussed briefly with the Chair and Selectman Marshall reaching a consensus on changes to the report. At 5:50 Selectman Atherton arrived. At the conclusion of the discussion and review the town warrant and comparative budget were printed for the budget hearing. At 6:10 pm Selectman Marshall moved to approve the Consent
Agenda; the Chair seconded the motion, the motion passed on a vote of 3-0 in favor.
A renewal of the DES Local River Management program’s nominee for Janet Renaud was reviewed, approved and the renewal form signed by the Board.
6:30 PM: Public Hearing on the 2017 Budget – attendance sheet attached
At 6:30 pm the Chair welcomed the attendees to the 2017 Budget Hearing. Attendees were provided with a Draft Town Warrant and a comparative 2-year detailed budget report. After some additional opening remarks the Chair noted that the public hearing was open and the reading of the draft town warrant would begin. It was noted that a request had been made to move article 10 for the Fire Department, to the beginning of the order in case of a fire or medical emergency.
- Article 10 was read and Fire Chief David Hall noted that there is a 2.7% increase to the budget. There were no questions from the public regarding the budget.
- The Chair then read article #2 regarding the Assessment Capital Reserve. This article places $10,000 in a capital reserve fund for the upcoming 2019 5-year town-wide assessment, as mandated by law. There were no questions or comments on this article.
- The Chair read article #3 regarding the Used Oil Collection Grant Assistance Program. This article has no tax impact and is a reimbursable grant from the State of NH Department of Environmental Services. There were no comments or questions regarding this article.
- Article #4 was read. This article raises and appropriated $6,531 as the second of three payments for a paper compactor at the Recycling Center. There were no questions or comments by the public.
- Article #5 was read. This article raises $500 for the Recycling Center Facilities and Equipment Capital Reserve Fund. There were several comments that the amount of $500 was too small. A brief explanation by the Chair outlined the Selectboard’s efforts to deliver a budget that would build savings for the town. The Chair acknowledged that this was sometimes difficult and that this article was weighed against some of the larger appropriations needed for 2017.
- Article #6 was read. This article raises and appropriates $112,612 for the Recycling Center. Bruce Dodge asked about the amount of 2016 revenues. The comparative budget detailed was discussed and it was noted that the 2016 revenues were $19,556.
- Article #7 was read. This article raises and appropriates $40,000 for the Fire/Rescue Apparatus Capital Reserve Fund. Karen Day asked if the savings plan instituted in 2016 was on track. A brief discussion followed and the Selectboard affirmed their intent to institutionalize capital reserve fund savings going forward.
- Article #8 was read. This article raises and appropriates the sum of $40,000 for the Highway Equipment Capital Reserve Fund. There were no comments or questions regarding this article.
- Article #9 was read. This article raises and appropriates the sum of $10,000 for the Police Vehicle Capital Reserve Fund. There was a brief discussion about the plan to purchase a police cruiser in 2017.
- Article #10 was read at the beginning. Selectman Marshall read Article 11.
- Article #11 was read. This article raises and appropriates the sum of $7,500 for the Fire Department Non-Apparatus Capital Reserve Fund. There were no comments or questions from the public on this article.
- Article #12 was read. This article raises and appropriates the sum of $240,461 for the Police Department. There were no comments or questions asked on this article.
- Article #13 was read. This article raises and appropriates $10,201 for the first of four payments totaling $38,760 in the form of a lease/purchase agreement for the purpose of purchasing a police cruiser SUV. There followed a brief discussion about the fact that both the current cruisers were purchased in consecutive years and that the plan was to use the capital reserve fund to help move these purchases farther apart; with the goal to have the cruiser replacement schedule occur every 3-4 years instead of back-to-back. There was a brief discussion on the possibility of keeping the older cruiser to ensure that this can occur. The public was in favor of keeping the oldest vehicle in order to provide flexibility to the department and help keep the next replacement vehicle a little longer to ensure that the purchasing plan (to spread the
purchases apart) was met. A correction to the tax impact was noted (change from .18 cents to .07 cents).
- Article #14 was read. This article raises and appropriates the sum of $25,000 to be placed in the Town Buildings Maintenance Capital Reserve Fund. Karen Day asked if this was enough funds considering the need to repair the Meeting House foundation as well as the Library foundation, and the future plan to preserve the Meeting House steeple. A discussion followed on the Selectboard’s interest in savings weighed against the need to address the Library foundation this year.
- Article #15 was read. This article raises and appropriates $905,887 for the operations of the Town. Bruce Dodge noted the increase to the Ambulance line item. This expense is set by the Town of Peterborough.
- Article #16 was read. This article raises and appropriates $85,000 for road paving of a portion of Slip Road to the railroad tracks and “possibly Knotwood Drive” said DPW Roads Manager Neal Beauregard.
- Article #17 was read. This article raises and appropriates $470,855 for the Department of Public Works. George Rainier asked about the Buildings and Grounds Manger salary line. Selectman Atherton explained that in 2016 the Federal Department of Labor put forth a change in the Fair Labor Standards Act, which changed the salaried exempt salary minimum from $23,660 to $47,476 and that salaried exempt personnel had to meet that salary by December 1st. Selectman Marshall stated that the Board looked at the requirements for the position and determined that if the position were to revert to an hourly rate of pay that this would require an overtime line. He stated that the Board found that overtime was potentially more costly than the change in the salary. Lastly the Chair stated that the DPW Buildings & Grounds position was
filled mid-year at a rate higher than what was reflected in the previous year’s town report, so the increase in the line item is not a steep as it looks when comparing 2017 to 2016’s budget.
- Article #18 was read. This article raises and appropriates $103,266 for the operation of the Stephenson Memorial Library.
- Article #19 was read. This article places $500 in the Library Building and Grounds Maintenance Capital Reserve Fund. Jeff LaCourse stated that the amount seemed too small. There followed a conversation about the article. The Chair of the Selectboard stated that the amount was a placeholder and was influenced by the significant amount of tax monies that are being requested to repair the library foundation.
- Article #20 was read. This article raises and appropriates $52,000 for the repair and installation of waterproofing around the foundation of the library. A conversation followed regarding the article. The Chair of the Selectboard explained that the Board was planning to use $10,000 of additional funds from the Town Building and Grounds Maintenance Capital Reserve, in combination with the Library Trustees use of approximately $7,500 of the Library Building and Grounds Maintenance Capital Reserve. Chair of the Library Trustees, Bruce Dodge explained the process that the trustees followed, which included hiring Underwood Engineers to provide engineered drawings and bid documents. Library Trustee Neal Brown stated that the article may need clarification and, after some discussion, it was agreed that the word “original” would be removed
from the article’s language. A conversation followed about the heating system. Budget Advisory Committee Chair Norm Nickerson outlined the need to deal with the heat that is being lost through the roof.
- Article #21 was read. This article raises and appropriates $26,100 for the operations of the Town Clerk’s office. Karen Day asked about mail-in registrations and if there were any plans for the Town Clerk’s office to provide this service.
- Article #22 was read. This article raises and appropriates $500 for the Forest Fire Fighters’ Expendable Trust Fund. Fire Chief David Hall explained that this sum was appropriate for the need of the department. Each year the department needs to put aside some funds to ensure that the town has the ability to pay for outside firefighters that fight large brush fires in the Greenfield footprint.
At the conclusion of the warrant there followed a discussion about the best way to portray the tax impact to the reader of the Town Warrant. Neal Brown urged the Selectboard to drop the word “cents”; this would have tax impact statements read “This article has a tax impact (2016 values) of $0.19”, whereas previously the statement was “This article has a tax impact (2016 values) of $0.19 cents”. There was general agreement from the public on this suggestion. The Board agreed to have the word “cents” removed.
The meeting discussed having a hand-out at Town Meeting that includes financial facts that will help residents understand some of the issues that were discussed at the budget hearing. The Chair indicated that the Board would discuss the request later in the evening. There was a general consensus that this would be of help to the meeting.
At the end of the meeting Selectman Marshall thanked the public for their attendance. He then thanked the Budget Advisory Committee for their hard work and input on the budget.
The hearing was closed at 7:30pm by the Chair.
7:35 PM: Selectboard Work Session – Contd.
The Selectboard discussed and agreed to fund Music on the Common in an amount up to $2,000 from the 2017 budget, and/or, the recreation revolving fund.
The Chair read the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) description for an updated Local Emergency Operations Plan (LEOP) that the Town of Greenfield is applying for through the Fire Department’s Emergency Management Director. The Town of Greenfield Board of Selectmen, in a majority vote, accepted the terms of the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) as presented in the amount of $4,000.00 to update the community’s Local Emergency Operations Plan. Furthermore, the Board acknowledges that the total cost of this project will be $8,000.00, in which the Town will be responsible for a 50% match ($4,000.00).
The Board noted that the match to the EMPG grant is a non-cash ‘soft’ match and is provided by in-kind participation by members of the EMPG subcommittee. The Board is of the understanding that the matching participation will not require any cash expenditure by the town for the EMPG grant.
Lastly, the Board discussed and approved a “Financial Fast Fact” sheet as a handout for Town Meeting
Adjournment
The time being 8:45 pm, Selectman Marshall moved to adjourn. The Chair seconded. All were in favor, and the motion carried 3-0. The meeting adjourned at 8:45 PM.
The minutes are final when approved and signed by the Selectboard. A signed copy is on file in the Selectboard’s office.
________________________ _______________________ _______________________
Chair, Margaret Charig Bliss, Selectman, Stephen Atherton Jr. Selectman, Robert Marshall
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