Town of New Boston
Selectmen's Meeting
November 27, 2006
PRESENT: Gordon Carlstrom Selectman
David Woodbury Selectman
Christine Quirk Selectman
Burton Reynolds Town Administrator
A. CALL TO ORDER: A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was called to order by David Woodbury at 7:00PM beginning with the Pledge of Allegiance.
B. PUBLIC COMMENT: No public comments were made at this time.
C. APPOINTMENTS:
1. 7:00 PM Stop Signs hearing
A public hearing was held to accept installation of stop signs on the former class 6 portion of Greenfield Road and on Parker Road coming east as it meets Howe Bridge to take effect midnight on December 3. A resident recommended a stop sign on Greenfield Road to yield to people on Cochran Hill Road because of the new development. Susan Woodward called Burton and said she was against a stop sign making her stop and suggested a speed limit sign instead. The Road Agent recommended a stop sign at Howe Bridge to reduce stress on the pavement at the bridge and provide a safer intersection. Gordon moved to install the sign on Greenfield Road as it meets Cochran Hill Road and on Parker Road coming east as it meets Howe Bridge. Christine seconded the motion. All were in favor.
D. APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
1. Minutes of November 13, 2006 - The Selectmen reviewed the minutes. Corrections were noted. Christine moved that they be accepted as amended. Gordon seconded the motion. All were in favor.
2. Non-Public Minutes of November 13, 2006 - The Selectmen reviewed the non-public minutes. Corrections were noted. Gordon moved that they be accepted. Christine seconded the motion. All were in favor.
E. APPOINTMENTS:
2. 7:05 PM Chief Krajenka Police Department
Police Chief Chris Krajenka was present to meet with the Selectmen to discuss his proposed 2007 budget. Ken Lombard, Willard Dodge, Brandy Mitroff and Karen Johnson from the Finance Committee were also present for the discussion.
Because of employee retention problems at the department, The Finance Committee asked Chris to review salary options. The subject came up at the Finance meeting as an answer when Finance asked Chris about retention of officers. He said New Boston has not been attracting the best candidates because of the economy and the rate of pay. Chris wants to come to a consensus that all agree on and that is attainable from voters. Chris doesn’t have a financial background and is not sure how to come to a decision about appropriate rate of pay. He suggested sitting down together to figure it out and a work session with the Selectmen was scheduled to take place December 4 at 7:00 at the Town Hall. The $18 proposed starting rate for a new hire probably needs to be raised to give Chris the flexibility to hire
an officer with more experience if the opportunity arises. However, Chris is afraid this would be unfair to the current department members and cause dissention between patrolmen in the department. The Sergeant’s rate of pay is adequate. Chris recommends adding benefits such as longevity, a steps system in addition to the COLA raise, buyouts, flex time and better health insurance costs to the employee or compensation if an employee decides not to take town health insurance. Dave said he has looked at the salary study from Chris and from the Local Government Center and found them to be consistent for towns our size but thinks our rate of pay may be low compared to towns within commuting distance from New Boston. He thinks insurance could also be an issue, as most candidates will probably have a family. Dave noted other agencies pay for 85-90% of insurance costs. Health insurance cost sharing trends are expected to continue to head
toward what New Boston offers eventually because of the escalating costs of health insurance.
Chris said the average low per officer was $16.13, the average was $17.14, average high was $21.21 per Local Government Center and when he did his study the numbers were a little higher. He can’t see where New Boston’s pay is far off but is concerned about insurance difference and adding a benefits package to attract officers. He said pay has to be looked at long-term, such as steps to keep pace with experience but the initial pay is good but the difference in insurance should be increased. Gordon said it would take approximately 50 cents per hour to bring New Boston’s officers up to an equitable level. The Selectmen are concerned about how increased police department health insurance coverage would effect the rest of the town employees. However, one way the police department is unique is
because it costs the town $6,000 for outfitting and training every time it hires a new officer. Gordon said the town is about $2,000 off on insurance. 50 cents would make up for $1,000 and $1 would make up for the $2,000. Willard suggested concentrating on a dollar value to offset it and resolve this quickly as the insurance program is not expected to change much because of the health insurance trends. Brandy said it sounds like something in the range of 50 cents to a dollar would be the figure. Dave said he didn’t expect to come up with a definitive plan tonight because of the group needed to work on this which would include Burton, the Selectmen and Chris and he would like to see Chris come up with something listing the people in his department showing what they are being paid and a proposed scale of what he would like them to be paid. Gordon said one individual in the department has already been done and the rest of the department would
have been looked at soon. He is not against raising them 50-75 cents to deal with it because the insurance inequity needs to be addressed in the short-term and the other issues need to be addressed in the long-term. Gordon asked if the Selectmen wanted to address the short-term now but Burton suggested it be done at the meeting and Dave suggested discussing it in a less structured environment than a Selectmen’s meeting.
Another issue is what the police department will need in 2007 as far as additional officers and cars. Options are 1 replacement officer plus 1 new officer or 1 replacement officer plus 2 new officers and a car. Chris said the rationale for 2 new officers is for appropriate and safe shift coverage including backup and hours Chris wishes to add to cover the town. It might be a better idea to ask for 1 new officer this year and another new officer and a car to another time.
Chris is scheduled to appear before the Finance Committee on November 30 but his appointment will be postponed to December7 or 14 to allow time to work on these issues.
Chris asked to install 3 workstations with equipment from used office furniture for 2 officers and 1 patrol supervisor to improve ergonomics at the station and he expects this year’s budget can cover the expense from the prosecutor line. The Selectmen approved the request.
F. OLD BUSINESS:
1. Planning:
· ZBA update-It was determined that Louis Rumore’s piece of land on Bedford Road was probably created in the 1960’s when the road was straightened. The ZBA agreed it is not a separate lot and denied Louis’ request for a variance to build on that 1.1-acre lot.
· LaChance Pumpkin Lane portion of subdivision that fronts on Lull Road-There is an issue as to who will pay for the upgrade to Lull Road beyond class 5 standards. The developer should pay 100% but he says there are 2 houses there and he wants to apply the rational nexus formula to determine how much the town will pay and how much he will pay. Planning Board Chairman Peter Hogan disagreed. The Planning Board has referred the developer to the Selectmen to consider his request. The Selectmen discussed whether the developer should pay the entirety of the upgrade.
· Graham Pendlebury and Pamela Ryan-They are opening a therapeutic massage parlor in their home, which was approved.
· SHB Properties Pulpit Road-The Selectmen feel that the developer should make sure the Browns have proper access to Bedford Road. The developer pointed out that they don’t own the triangle. The Selectmen recommend the Planning Board don’t approve this subdivision until the issue is resolved. A second issue is the drainage calculations. A retention pond may be necessary and the developer plans to locate it at the end of a long easement. The town would be responsible for the maintenance of the pond. The Planning Board is against the responsibility of the town to maintain the pond.
· Indian Falls compliance hearing-accepted.
· Driveway permit Lewis Road-Approved and improvement to Lewis Road approved.
· Foistner Sitewalk-Stantech made some comments about the quality of the paving done by Pike but the paving was approved. Some driveways were a concern because of drop-offs. Solutions will be discussed at tomorrow night’s meeting.
· Susan Road sitewalk-Very well paved and groomed and is probably ready for approval.
2. Deliberative Session Dates-Dave is unavailable Monday and Tuesday. The school is having their deliberative Session Wednesday and Thursday. Town Moderator Lee Nyquist is unavailable Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. The meeting could take place with only 2 Selectmen present or Assistant Moderator Jed Callen could be considered. Burton will ask Jed if he would be willing to serve as moderator and hold the Deliberative Session Friday with Saturday snowday.
3. Finalize 2007 Salary Ranges-The Selectmen are comfortable with the ranges except for the police patrolman range. Burton will do more research on health insurance coverage trends over the years.
4. Rep to Planning Commission-Gordon moved to appoint Bo Strong to the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission for the 2005-2009 term. Christine seconded the motion. All were in favor.
G. NEW BUSINESS:
1. Selectmen’s Rep for Fire Inspector Interviews-The interviews are not yet scheduled. Dave will handle the interviews and Christine will be the backup if he can’t attend and will sit in on interviews when she is available.
2. Selectmen’s 2007 Budget-The Selectmen reviewed a draft of the budget.
H. OTHER:
1. It is time to raise the flags in town from half-mast.
2. The shoulder ditch lines on Thornton Road need to be cleaned before another storm. There is an issue on Thornton Road where water is going onto the road on the ride side from under the Beaudreau’s stonewall. The Highway Department should be patrolling roads looking for problems before storms hit. Their work is not getting done as it should and there are employee problems in the Highway Department. Burton and Road Agent John Riendeau will work on it. The hill on Thornton Road might need to be paved soon to prevent recurring damage.
3. The Selectmen feel the employee names mentioned in the survey should have been redacted before the survey was distributed. The department heads want to meet with the Selectmen together. The Selectmen are available for a meeting December 15 at 9:00.
4. The Selectmen have received a letter marked confidential. However, to find out what happened Dave feels the employee involved will probably have to come to a meeting, non-public, and the letter may have to be shared with Burton. The author of the letter will be asked how they wish to proceed and if Burton can be involved in the discussions.
I. PUBLIC COMMENT: No comments at this time.
J. ADJOURNMENT: Christine made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 10:15 PM. Gordon seconded the motion. All were in favor.
Prepared by Maralyn Segien
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