Town of Mount Desert
Board of Selectmen
Regular Meeting Minutes
April 4, 2011
A meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held this date in the Meeting Room, Town Hall, Northeast Harbor, Maine.
Those present included: Chairman Tom Richardson, Selectmen Jean Bonville, Chuck Bucklin, and Rick Mooers, Town Manager Durlin Lunt, Finance Director John Graves, Fire Chief Mike Bender, Harbormaster Shawn Murphy, Police Chief Jim Willis, Assessor Kyle Avila, Public Works Director Tony Smith, Town Clerk/Recording Secretary Joelle Nolan, and members of the public.
I Call to order at 6:30 p.m.
II Minutes
A. None presented.
III Appointments and Recognitions
A. Appointment of Charles Bucklin to the Marina Working Group.
Town Manager Lunt suggested Selectman Bucklin would make a good member; he has been attending meetings in an unofficial capacity and has contributed to the success of the Working Group.
MOTION: Selectman Mooers moved, seconded by Selectman Bonville, to appoint Charles Bucklin to the Marina Working Group effective immediately; appointment role is as liaison for the Board of Selectmen until expiration of his Selectman’s term, then his role will be as a private citizen member. The vote was unanimous in favor, 3-0, with Selectman Bucklin abstaining.
B. Appoint Dana Austin as a part time Police Officer effective May 1, 2011 at a rate of $13.50/hr.
MOTION: Selectman Bucklin moved, seconded by Selectman Mooers, to appoint Dana Austin as a part-time Police Officer effective May 1, 2011 at a rate of pay of $13.50/hr. The vote was unanimous in favor, 4-0.
C. Approve appointment of Kerry Taylor as Northeast Harbor Marina Mooring Agent for 2011.
MOTION: Selectman Mooers moved, seconded by Selectman Bucklin, to appoint Kerry Taylor as Northeast Harbor Marina Mooring Agent for 2011. The vote was unanimous in favor, 4-0.
D Acknowledge receipt of Thank You from Hall Quarry resident for job well done for road plowing.
MOTION: Selectman Mooers moved, seconded by Selectman Bucklin, to acknowledge receipt of thank you from a Hall Quarry resident to the public works department for a job well done with winter road plowing. The vote was unanimous in favor, 4-0.
IV Consent Agenda (These items are considered to be routine, and therefore, will not be allotted Selectmen discussion time on the agenda. The items may be passed by the Selectmen in one blanket motion. Any Board member may remove an item from the “Consent” portion of the agenda for discussion or questions by requesting such action prior to consideration of that portion of the agenda.)
A. Acknowledge receipt of monthly Department Head reports: Town Clerk
B. Acknowledge receipt of Thank You from American Red Cross for FY10 3rd Party allocation.
C. Approve FairPoint utility location permit for replacement of two poles within the public ways on State Route 102& 198 in Bar Harbor and Mount Desert.
D. Acknowledge receipt of Emergency Action Plan letter to Maine Emergency Management Association for Long Pond Dam- File #112.
E. Acknowledge receipt of letter sent to Bar Harbor Banking and Trust regarding 2010 General Obligation Bond for Account 118643.
G Acknowledge receipt of Maine Municipal Association 2010 Property and Casualty Pool benefits savings.
MOTION: Selectman Mooers moved, seconded by Selectman Bucklin, to approve Consent Agenda items A through G, as presented. The vote was unanimous in favor, 4-0.
MOTION: Selectman Bucklin moved, seconded by Selectman Mooers to take Agenda item VIII. A. out of order. The vote was unanimous in favor, 4-0.
VIII Committee Meeting Reports
A. Revitalization Committee report of findings and recommended actions.
Representing the Revitalization Committee (RC) were Kathe Gates McCoy, Katie Bell, and Kathy Branch in person; Ham Clark via conference call; and Lanie Lincoln via webcam/on-line.
Ms. Lincoln referred to the Executive Summary dated April 4, 2011 and read the primary recommendations. The first deals with seeking recommendations from the Marine Management Committee regarding expansion of the Northeast Harbor Marina beyond the current shore-side improvements, dredging for additional moorings, and partnering with private developers for new businesses associated with a marina. The second primary recommendation suggests engaging a Technical Assistance Panel from the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to assist the Town with the strategies presented in the Executive Summary.
Ms. Lincoln went on to stress that these recommendations need backing of the town. A great deal of work has been done. Residents other than committee members have been attending meetings. The RC hopes the Board will support a ULI meeting; it is seen as a good fit. As described in Appendix II of the RC report, a ULI Study session would be helpful.
Chairman Richardson asked for a discussion on the specifics of the recommendations. Mr. Clark responded for the RC and started with the Marina. There is an opportunity to attract more businesses and revenue within the harbor (docks, moorings, and slips), not just land based. More work is needed to determine the cost and what a business case would look like. We need to explore partnering with new businesses; what could private development near the marina and enhancement for yachtsmen use bring. Examples might be making known the availability of marine hardware at Brown’s, adding other marina support businesses, and perhaps even a restaurant. Nothing specific has been developed yet, but the harbor is a major focal point. There is a real need to consider what
private businesses can contribute.
Chairman Richardson questioned without a Walsh/Witham type of thing, how do you intend to bring more business to Town? What business can be drawn in? Ms. Lincoln said there are no specifics yet; however, the new building proposed by the Ho family is a good example. She explained there is another RC meeting tomorrow and help is needed to focus on what we can and should do, and not do.
Mr. Clark agrees with bringing in an outside consultant (ULI); they can assist with defining specifics and validate some of the current recommendations. Ms. McCoy commented on the many satellite groups; tomorrow’s meeting will coordinate those groups and solidify some ideas.
Selectman Bucklin asked what land is being considered for private enterprise near the marina. Ms. McCoy said that idea is more in the future with the hope of connecting the harbor to the village. Ms. Bell pointed out the purpose of ULI is to look at these recommendations. RC member Ed Lipkin has worked with them and found the experience to be worthwhile. It’s a quick, one-day study. Selectman Mooers commented that even non-profits have operating expenses; what would be the cost of utilizing ULI. Mr. Clark said the cost would be $5,500. Ms. Lincoln stated a professional study session would be very helpful.
Board and RC members agreed to implement a study session as soon as possible. Mr. Lipkin has indicated he can have the ULI group available immediately. Town Manager Lunt will co-ordinate between the RC and Board after the RC meeting tomorrow (10:00 a.m., Meeting Room) Both groups expressed appreciation for the efforts of each.
V Selectmen’s Reports
None presented.
VI Old Business
A. Human Resource project update.
Human Resource Consultant Elizabeth “Lizzy” McMillan referred to her hand-out dated March 2011. Although she is looking at our overall human resource practices, she has started her analysis with payroll. To quantify costs and time of current practices for processing payroll, she met with Department Heads, Deputy Town Clerk McWain (DTC), and Town Clerk Nolan (TC). Just to execute payroll, DTC spends 31% of her time annually, TC spends 18%, and Department Heads 2%. Department Heads review time sheets, compile a summary sheet and give to TC who reviews, makes necessary updates to benefit time and payroll deductions, then gives summary sheets to DTC who does data entry, prints checks and reports, submits payroll taxes, and updates several spreadsheets. Chairman
Richardson was very surprised at the antiquity of the payroll system used by this Town, and even more surprised it hasn’t been addressed before. Ms. McMillan pointed out the current time spent is only 105 hours shy of having a fulltime person. Some time saving solutions could be bi-weekly payroll (estimated hours saved: 508), and the addition of a time and attendance program (estimated additional hours saved: 155).
Selectman Bucklin wondered if a payroll service has been considered. Ms. McMillan replied yes, and added other options are being looked at as well, such as web-based and cloud computing.
The next piece is Human Resource functions; she has met with Department Heads and will be presenting a summary showing the common thread of Finance and Human Resources shared by all departments. The goal is to find what is best for the future and to leave behind a well oiled machine with a fully integrated system.
Selectman Bucklin asked if she recommends looking at new system, if what we have can’t be integrated, and if so, wouldn’t training be an issue? Are employees trained enough on current system? Ms. McMillan stated training is a key component; whether on the current or a new system. She suggested TRIO may not be the best system to keep in place; they don’t have a web-based system and probably won’t in the near future.
Selectman Bucklin asked Town Manager Lunt to find out what systems are being used by other towns similar to Mount Desert. Town Manager Lunt said he would, and went on to explain that we are not making conclusions – this is a fact finding mission. The Trio system was put in place without a similar analysis. We don’t want to make the same mistake. Nor do we want a from-the-top-down process; we want to build a system from-the-ground-up to avoid the same problems. Ms. McMillan agreed, and added departments need their own tools along with a shared tool for finance and human resources. Selectman Mooers commented that it appears we are on the right track. His employer uses a time and attendance system that is very user friendly. It is beneficial to
employees because they can access information anytime. He offered to send the system information to Ms. McMillan.
B. Discussion of accepting credit card payments and amending previous motion to include Police Department.
Town Manager Lunt said the Police Department/Dispatch would like to participate in the credit card acceptance program. The Board’s original vote was exclusive to the admin department. Police Chief Willis noted his department has a TRIO computer and could make good use of accepting credit cards. Dispatch receives many requests, especially for Cranberry Isles parking, and they often have to send people to a local ATM. This becomes an issue because there are time constraints due to the ferry schedule.
MOTION: Selectman Mooers moved, seconded by Selectman Bucklin, to authorize the Police Department/Dispatch to accept credit cards for over the counter transactions. The vote was unanimous in favor, 4-0.
Selectman Bonville wondered if the harbor should be included. Finance Director Graves noted the Harbormaster’s computer system is not on the same server, and it would be costly to change. We are currently not in a position to offer the same program. Harbor fees do include the cost of doing business.
C. Sign Annual Town Meeting Warrant
MOTION: Selectman Bonville moved, seconded by Selectman Mooers, to sign the
May 2 – 3, 2011 Annual Town Meeting Warrant. The vote was unanimous in favor, 4-0.
D. Sign Municipal Officer’s Certificate of Official Text of a Proposed Charter and Land Use Ordinance change.
It was noted that the Certificates for signing are for proposed ordinance changes included in the May 2 – 3, 2011 Annual Town Meeting Warrant. There is no proposed Charter change; that reference was included in error.
MOTION: Selectman Mooers moved, seconded by Selectman Bucklin, to approve and sign the Certificates of Official Text of Proposed Ordinance changes as presented. The vote was unanimous in favor, 4-0.
VII New Business
A. Appoint a Board of Selectman member to partake in Union negotiations as a town representative.
Town Manager Lunt stated negotiations will begin in May. Chairman Richardson suggested re-visiting this issue at the Board’s organizational meeting after Annual Town Meeting.
MOTION: Selectman Mooers moved, seconded by Selectman Bucklin, to table the appointment of a Board of Selectman member to partake in Union negotiations until the Board’s organizational meeting after Annual Town Meeting.
B. Approve Class I Malt and Vinous liquor license for Journey’s End Inc. d/b/a Docksider.
MOTION: Selectman Bucklin moved, seconded by Selectman Bonville, to approve the liquor license for Journey’s End Inc., d/b/a The Docksider. The vote was unanimous in favor, 4-0.
C. Approve bid and authorize expenditure from account 104-01-507-20 to Quirk Ford of Augusta for a 2011 Ford Police Interceptor equipped as outlined in the bid package for $22,641.00.
Selectman Bonville asked what is being done with the 2008 Ford Crown Victoria. Police Chief Willis explained it will either be sold or be used by the Public Works Director. He went on to reiterate, from his memo dated March 31, 2011, his reasoning for recommending the bid be awarded to Quirk Ford of Augusta. Servicing will be done in either Ellsworth or Bangor.
MOTION: Selectman Mooers moved, seconded by Selectman Bucklin, to approve the bid and authorize expenditure from account E104-01-507-20 for the purchase of a 2011 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor in the amount of $22,641.00 as outlined in the bid package. The vote was unanimous in favor, 4-0.
D Cranberry Isles parking lot lease annual payment adjustment.
Selectman Bucklin noted that Cranberry Isles has already had its Town Meeting. Board concluded, however, that the adjustment must be met. No action needed.
E Authorization to accept a donation of one ROLLRACK® hose management system from the Mount Desert Fire & Rescue.
MOTION: Selectman Mooers moved, seconded by Selectman Bucklin, to authorize the acceptance of a donation of one ROLLRACK® hose management system from the Mount Desert Fire & Rescue to the Mount Desert Fire Department. The vote was unanimous in favor, 4-0.
F Authorization for the Fire Department to set up and staff a table at the Annual Town Meeting on May 3, 2011.
MOTION: Selectman Mooers moved, seconded by Selectman Bucklin, to authorize the Mount Desert Fire Department to set up and staff a table at the Annual Town Meeting on May 3, 2011.
G Schedule meetings with town employees regarding health insurance.
Town Manager Lunt reported that May 11 and 12 have been scheduled for meeting with Maine Municipal Employees Health Trust staff and Town employees. Exact times are yet to be determined. A letter will go to employees within the next few weeks informing them of the meeting dates and times. No action needed.
IX Treasurer’s Warrants
A. Approve Treasurer’s Warrant # 96 for $307,451.91.
MOTION: Selectman Mooers moved, seconded by Selectman Bucklin, to approve Treasurer’s Warrant #96 for $307,451.91.
DISCUSSION: Selectman Bonville referred to a previous memo from Town Attorney Andy Hamilton regarding the Consent Agreement/SEP between the Town and DEP. Attorney Hamilton indicated the Consent Agreement would be signed the week of April 4 and payment by the Town, in the amount of $2,338, would need to be made. Selectman Bonville thought the check might be on this warrant. Finance Director Graves stated nothing has been presented to accounting staff. Selectman Bonville asserted the memo was quite specific that a check would be needed the week of April 4. Some Board members questioned issuing a check prior to signing the agreement.
VOTE: The vote was unanimous in favor, 4-0.
Selectman Bonville requested the following information be presented at the next Board meeting: reserve activity for this year, including approvals and expenditures, with transactions tied to the general ledger. She asked that this information not be presented in a spreadsheet.
X Executive Session
None requested.
XI Adjournment
MOTION: At 7:50 p.m., Selectman Mooers moved, seconded by Selectman Bucklin, to adjourn the meeting. The vote was unanimous in favor, 4-0.
Respectively submitted,
Jean Bonville
Secretary
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