NEWTON BOARD OF SELECTMEN
DATE: MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 2012
TIME: 6PM
LOCATION: NEWTON TOWN HALL, 2 TOWN HALL ROAD
PUBLIC MEETING
- Call to Order, Roll Call Vote
Chairman Thayer called the meeting to order at 6pm. In attendance were Chairman Raymond D. Thayer, Selectman Trisha J. McCarthy, Selectman Lawrence B. Foote, Town Administrator Nancy J. Wrigley and Office Manager Mary B. Winglass. The meeting was audio taped; minutes were transcribed and typed by Office Manager Winglass.
Chairman Thayer motioned to go into Nonpublic Session under RSA 91-A:3 II (a) – Personnel Matters; (e) – Pending Claim. Second by Selectman Foote. Motion passed with a unanimous roll call vote.
Chairman Thayer motioned to close the nonpublic at 7:30pm. Per unanimous roll call vote, the minutes of the meeting will remain confidential until in the opinion of the majority of the members the circumstances no longer apply except to announce the following;
- to increase Thomas Drowdy from Grade V, step 1 to Grade V, step 3 effective date is December 28, 2011. Drowdy is a Transfer Station Floater and there are funds in the budget.
- to increase John Kozec from Grade V, step 1 to Grade V, step 3 retroactive to 12/13/2011 as a part time Transfer Station Attendant for he has gone forward with getting his certification and that is the reason for the recommendation
- to send a letter to residents Tom and Carrie Jackman via certified mail giving them the option of meeting with the Board of Selectmen in a nonpublic session.
Chairman Thayer opened public meeting at 7:34pm.
- Pledge of Allegiance
- Introduction of Guests
- Approval of Minutes (Review prior to meeting)
- Scheduled Business
- Emergency Management Policy
Selectman McCarthy motioned to approve the Emergency Management Policy as written. Second by Chairman Thayer. Discussion: The purpose of this policy is to clarify how the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) operates, how the emergency staff is activated and how they are compensated. Vote: Unanimous.
- Request from resident Scott Mullen Re: Waiver of fee for resident sticker
Chairman Thayer motioned to approve waiving the $25 resident sticker to resident Scott Mullen due to replacing his windshield and the technician was not able to salvage the sticker. Second by Selectman Foote. Vote: Unanimous.
The Board discussed that the Town Clerk’s Office is the first point of contact for a replacement resident sticker and to allow the Clerk’s Office to waive the fee if they receive proof and/or it is clear to them that the fee should be waived.
Selectman McCarthy motioned that if the Town Clerk’s Office is comfortable to waive the fee, the Board of Selectmen will go with her recommendation on an individual basis. Second by Chairman Thayer. Vote: Unanimous.
- Regional Selectmen Meeting, Thursday February 16, 2012
Selectman Foote responded that he will attend this meeting; Selectman Thayer will check his schedule.
- Fire Dept Payroll Adjustments
Town Administrator Wrigley informed the Board that she spoke with the Fire Chief and some changes were needed therefore we do not have anything for tonight’s meeting but will address it at an upcoming agenda.
Present were Police Chief Lawrence Streeter, Road Agent Michael Pivero and RADEF Officer William Landry.
Selectman McCarthy started the conversation by asking Chief Streeter to make sure that the first communications from the on duty officer are to make sure she receives a telephone call not a text. Chief Streeter responded that nobody has been told that; Selectman McCarthy responded that Seabrook just told us.
Chief Streeter outlined the events of the day to include notification via text but he was unable to get an officer to attend the drill partly due to his current shorthanded staffing within the department and last minute notification. Road Agent Mike Pivero added that he did not receive notification. It was noted by all that communications is an issue that needs to be addressed and will be before the next drill. The chain of command and the flowchart needs to be updated and all primary contacts must be by phone.
There was some discussion on holding a debriefing after the Selectmen’s Meeting on Tuesday, February 7th.
- Review Invitation to Bid for Septic Installation and Greenie Park Field Maintenance
The Board read and approved the Invitation to Bid for a septic installation at Greenie Park as well as the specifications for Greenie Park Field Maintenance. Both bids are due by 4pm on Tuesday, February 21, 2012.
- Sign revised 2012 Town Warrant
The Board signed the 2012 Final Town Warrant, MS-6 Budget of the Town of Newton and the MS-DT Default Budget of the Town of Newton.
- Preparation for the Deliberative Session
The Board read through the warrant in order to prepare for the deliberative session on Saturday, February 4, 2012.
- Emergency plowing at 8 Merrimac Road
Road Agent Mike Pivero was present to discuss that in the case of an emergency and Chet Bearce is unable to maintain the snowplowing at 8 Merrimac Road, the Highway Department is looking to get the blessing of the Board to fill in as a backup plan. The Board agreed to this backup plan.
Deliberative Session, Saturday February 4, 2012, 9:30am at the Town Hall
Candidates Night, Wednesday, February 15, 2012, 7pm at the Town Hall
- Other Business, Sign Manifests, Requisitions, Abatements, Tax Credits, Correspondence and Appointments
The Board signed a 2010 and 2011 Abatement for Jay and Susan Pramberg per the recommendation of Town Assessor Andrea Lewy.
The Board signed a PTO request for Office Manager Mary Winglass and Planning Board Administrative Assistant Rick Milner.
The Board signed the Payroll Manifest for the pay period of January 15th – 28th.
The Board signed a partial Vendor Manifest in the amount of $21,896.38. The Board will review the final manifest on Thursday, February 2, 2012.
Chairman Thayer sign an Equitable Sharing Agreement and Certification Annual Report for the Police Department.
The Board reviewed a request from Newton Baseball and Softball Association requesting to meet with the Board regarding access to the Greenie storage building and distribution of the keys. The Board asked to respond that they would be available to meet on Tuesday, March 6th.
The Board discussed the recently published “Sound Off” in the Eagle Tribune regarding the Selectmen’s decision to hire Selectman Trisha McCarthy as the Bookkeeper/Payroll Administrator. Selectman Foote responded that it is too bad that people assume Trisha is not qualified. She put herself through college as an accounts payable clerk, not to mention she has owned her own businesses for over 30 years and did all the payables, receivable and taxes to include W-2’s, 1099’s and 1096’s. The Newton bookkeeper resigned and gave us less than 12 working days to train someone. Trisha gave her qualifications to Ray and I and then left the room so we could discuss the options. There wouldn’t have been enough time to advertise and train someone, so Ray and I decided to give her a three
month probationary period. This would give us time to get the year-end financials done; get us through the audit, the Public Hearing, the Deliberative Session and Town Meeting. If Trisha hadn’t volunteered, the town employees would not have received a pay check on the 20th, the W-2’s, 1099’s and 1096’s wouldn’t have gone out on time, as the law requires, and no department head would have had their yearend figures. Not to mention getting all the vendors paid in a timely manner and get ready for the auditor’s arrival.
It wasn’t the ideal solution but it was the only way to get through this always difficult “end of year” period. We apologize if we didn’t explain this sufficiently when we made the announcement. The Board added that they will review this item again at their next meeting on cable.
Chairman Thayer adjourned the meeting at 9:15pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Mary B. Winglass, Office Manager
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