NEWTON BOARD OF SELECTMEN
DATE: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2012
TIME: 4:30PM
LOCATION: NEWTON TOWN HALL, 2 TOWN HALL ROAD
PUBLIC MEETING
- Call to Order, Roll Call Vote
Chairman Thayer opened the meeting at 4:31pm. 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 public meeting was videotaped; minutes were transcribed and typed by Office Manager Winglass.
Chairman Thayer motioned to go into Nonpublic Session under RSA 91-A:3 II (e) – Pending Litigation. Second by Selectman McCarthy. Motion passed with a unanimous roll call vote.
Chairman Thayer motioned to close the nonpublic at 4:39pm. Second by Selectman Foote. 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.
- Pledge of Allegiance
- Introduction of Guests
- Approval of Minutes (Review prior to meeting)
- Selectmen’s Public Meeting minutes dated January 3, 2012, January 10, 2012, January 16, 2012 and January 18, 2012
Selectman McCarthy motioned to approve the Selectmen’s Public Meeting minutes dated January 3, 2012, January 10, 2012, January 16, 2012 and January 18, 2012 as written. Second by Selectman Foote. Unanimous vote.
- Selectmen’s Public Hearing minutes dated January 16, 2012
Selectman McCarthy motioned to approve the Selectmen’s Public Hearing minutes dated January 16, 2012 as written. Second by Selectman Foote. Unanimous vote.
- Selectmen’s Nonpublic Meeting minutes dated December 20, 2011 and January 3, 2012
Selectman Foote motioned to accept the Selectmen’s Nonpublic Meeting minutes dated December 20, 2011 and January 3, 2012 as written. Second by Selectman McCarthy. Unanimous vote.
- Scheduled Business
- Bookkeeper/Payroll Administrator’s position
Chairman Thayer read a letter from Mary Williams requesting to rescind her resignation and be reinstated as the Bookkeeper/Payroll Administrator for the Town of Newton. Now that there is a backup person in place, she feels that this will allow her to continue to care for her elderly parents, in-laws and still work for the town.
Chairman Thayer added that Mary’s resignation left the town in a bind and to train someone at year end, prepare for the public hearing, town report and deliberative session would have been impossible; Selectman McCarthy stepped in, has kept things going and can hand over the reins back to Mary Williams.
Resident Renee King of Williamine Drive asked what is the backup plan and how often does that happen. Selectman McCarthy responded that if Mary had to be away for vacation or any family emergency then McCarthy could step in.
Selectman McCarthy asked to address all the social media comments going around and for those who have questions it would have better to contact Town Hall for an answer. The comments posted put the town in an awkward position; the Selectmen were put into a position where they had to move forward quickly. Selectman McCarthy added that part of the job as Selectmen requires us to keep the town running and if something happens then we are responsible to step in to keep the town running. Selectman McCarthy added that everything was accomplished and now Mary can step in and continue.
Town Administrator Wrigley asked to elaborate on this subject; the previous Bookkeeper worked for the town for 20 years, knew the job and schedule and had it all down to a science at 25 to 30 hours per week. Mary Williams came in and it was a whole new ballgame with archaic software and creating a manual which has been a whole new learning curve. Wrigley commended Mary and Trisha for taking over and making the year-end happen as well as working with the auditors getting ready for town meeting. We had no time to follow the proper steps posting the job and interviewing at year-end. Unfortunately we cannot all know each other’s jobs for we do not have the manpower. Wrigley added that she is sorry all this information did not come out originally in the newspaper. Resident Renee King offered a bit of
advice, the video releasing this information did not give the information given by Wrigley tonight, it was heartfelt, understandable. The quote from Thayer in the newspaper stated something to the effect that it was not sitting well with him. King added that if it is not sitting well with you then you can be assured that it will not be sitting well with the residents of the town.
Selectman McCarthy responded that is the main reason why we are addressing this in public tonight for often times when we come from nonpublic the Board only releases a portion of the discussion and it was a learning experience. Chairman Thayer added that he wanted to make sure there was no conflict of interest with the Board’s decision and at that point he was not sure.
Resident Heather Bell talked about what she read on the subject did not make her feel proud of our community. Procedure and processes should be followed to prevent this from happening again and she asked, what is the procedure for moving forward in the future for hiring personnel and dealing with a possible conflict of interest?
Chairman Thayer responded that hopefully we will not have to run into this position again and explained that there are many positions that the Selectmen cannot hold per State Statute.
Town Administrator Wrigley added that the normal procedure is to advertise it and 99% of the time that is the way it is done. In this case it was a short notice and we did not have the time to advertise and train with year-end for we had just gone through it two months earlier and it took two months to advertise, interview and train. Chairman Thayer added that there were more applicants but they either wanted more money or full time with benefits so they were not considered.
Resident Colleen Keenan introduced herself as a candidate running for Selectman and asked about the candidates that applied for the position previous and whether they were asked if they were interested. Chairman Thayer responded that resumes were checked. Keenan asked if they were asked again; Thayer responded that they were not re-asked. Keenan added that maybe they should have asked for there may have been someone interested in stepping up to the plate to help. Selectman Foote added that the reason why they were not asked is because they would require three to four weeks training and we cannot allow the employees to go without a paycheck while we are training. McCarthy was given the job for three months to get through the year end and to give us time to determine the best way to move forward. Keenan
responded that she understands but the bottom line is the town was not given the option to apply for this position and maybe they would only need two weeks to train. Keenan added that it was the way it was presented and there are different ways that it could have been done.
Town Administrator Wrigley added that to top it off we need a background check. Keenan again added that it was the way it was presented, it could have been announced that it was a temporary solution. Chairman Thayer added that this was one of the hardest decisions we had to make and thanked everyone for their input.
Chairman Thayer motioned to rehire Mary Williams as Bookkeeper/Payroll Administrator for the Town of Newton as of January 23, 2012. Second by Selectman Foote. Unanimous vote.
- Fire Department Payroll Adjustments
Fire Chief Bill Ingalls handed out a pay rate adjustment recommendation to the Board of Selectmen for members of the Fire Department.
Chief Ingalls explained recent certifications completed by eight employees as the reason for the payroll adjustments.
Chairman Thayer motioned to approve the following recommended payroll adjustments;
Bruce Gusler, NH Licensed First Responder is going to Grade XV, step 3, $15.68 from $15.30 per hour effective 12/1/2011
Lieutenant Brian Sirois promoted to Captain to Grade XVIII, step 5, $19.08 from $18.62 effective 12/1/2011
Ryan Higgins, NH Licensed First Responder to Grade XV, step 5, $16.48 from $16.08 effective 12/1/2011
Jeff Gersbach, Fire Inspector I certification to Grade XVII, step 7, $19.09 from $18.95 effective 1/1/2012
Lawrence Foote, Fire Inspector I certification to Grade XV, step 4, $16.08 from $15.68 effective 1/1/2012
Aaron Epstein, off probation, FFI Certified to Grade XV, step 1, $14.93 from $11.99 effective 1/1/2012
Justin Duford, NH Licensed EMT to Grade XV, step 2, $15.30 from $11.99 effective 12/1/2011
Ricky Bortz, off probation, no certifications as of yet at Grade X, step 2, $11.99 from $11.70 effective 1/1/2012
Selectman McCarthy seconded the motion. Motion passed with Selectman Foote abstaining.
Selectman Foote discussed with Chief Ingalls that he read on social media the other day that a car accident on Maple Ave took 15 minutes to get too. Chief Ingalls responded that the tone went out at 5:17am and Ingalls was on scene at 5:23am Saturday morning, a total of 6 minutes to get to the scene.
- Per RSA 31:95-b to accept and expend unanticipated funds (donation) in the amount of $100 to the Newton Food Pantry in honor of Janice Lynn
Chairman Thayer read a letter from relatives of Janice Lynn requesting the town accept a donation to the food pantry, as requested by her husband Albert Lynn, to honor her memory.
- Per RSA 31:95-b to accept and expend unanticipated funds in the amount of $891.40 to the Newton Food Pantry from New England Clothes Recycling
Chairman Thayer announced that these funds are a result from the clothes recycling container at the Newton Transfer Station.
Selectman McCarthy motioned per RSA 31:95-b to accept and expend both checks; $100 in honor of Janice Lynn and $891.40 from New England Clothes Recycling. Both donations are to the Newton Food Pantry. Second by Chairman Thayer. Unanimous vote.
Selectman McCarthy explained that the Transfer Station Manager works with our recycling company and they pay us per pound twice per year for the clothes recycling. That check goes to the food pantry so when you are depositing into that container some of that money comes back to help those in need. This is a great program put in place by our Transfer Station Manager Kevin Jolicoeur.
- Announcements
- Other Business, Sign Manifests, Requisitions, Abatements, Tax Credits, Correspondence and Appointments
Selectman McCarthy motioned to approve the following abatements as recommended by the Town Assessor;
Map 10-2-10-9 – #2011-04 granted for $1,114.41
Map 10-2-10-11 – #2011-05 granted for $1,094.93
Map 10-2-10-12 - #2011-06 granted for $1,119.30
Map 6-11-2-1 - #2011-14 granted for $278.84
Map 6-14-7 - #2011-12 granted for $1,767.36
Map 7-3-14-17 - #2010-19 granted for $765.63 BTLA Case No. 25885-10PT
Map 7-3-14-17 - #2011-19 granted for $731.57 for BTLA Case No. 25885-10PT
Second by Selectman Foote. Unanimous vote.
The Board signed a reinstatement document to the NH Retirement Group II Certification for one patrolman on the Police Department who recently returned from Iraq.
The Board signed a certified letter going out to a resident regarding a neighborhood dispute.
The Board signed a response letter to the residents of Packer Meadow regarding a petition submitted looking for information on a Christmas party.
The Board reviewed an email from Matt Muskrat from Newton Baseball and Softball Association stating that March 5th is not a good date to meet and asked to reschedule with an earlier date. The Board decided to reschedule the meeting to Tuesday, February 28th.
The Board reviewed a requisition from the Recreation Commission to hold a Roller skating event at Skateland in Bradford during the February vacation week. The event will be held on February 28th from 5pm to 8pm for Newton residents only. The total cost is $825 which includes $3 skate rental for 100 people and a building rental fee of $525. There is no bus transportation; residents will use their own transportation. Chairman Thayer asked Recreation Commission member Heather Borowy if the $525 is for the whole building. Borowy responded yes it is for the whole building and we need to prepay for 100 people and if more show up then we will pay the additional cost. Borowy added that they are looking for payment in full now and will bill us any additional cost if more than 100 people show up.
The Board signed the requisition.
The Board signed a Vendor Manifest in the amount of $54,586.16
Chairman Thayer adjourned the meeting at 5:40pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Mary B. Winglass, Office Manager
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