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Board of Selectmen Minutes 11/07/2008
Town of Nottingham
Selectmen’s Workshop Minutes
November 7, 2008

8:25 AM  Chair Netishen opened the workshop and asked those present to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Members Present:  Bill Netishen, Mary Bonser, and Peter Bock
Guests:  Gunnar Foss, Chief of Police
Others Present:  Charles Brown, Town Administrator and Traci Chauvey, Recording Secretary

BUDGET

Mr. Brown informed the Selectmen that he had done an individual study with the suggested increase in the employee contribution to health insurance and has found that some employees will see a decrease in their pay.  He discussed figures and asked the Selectmen to determine if the contribution was going to be a percentage of the plan cost or a percentage of the difference in plan cost between the single plan and the others.  The Selectmen acknowledged Chief Foss and suggested going over the proposed police budget before getting into the insurance data.  Chief Foss thanked the Selectmen for their consideration and informed them that this was a subject he wished to discuss.  He voiced concern over the direction the Selectmen were going.  He has two officers who will take cuts and he believes that they will look elsewhere for employment if this happens.  He has included his employees in his budget discussions and is trying to sell the other benefits.  One officer almost left previously and the other, who has a large family, has given him a heads up that if he loses pay he will need to seek other employment.  Chief Foss informed the Selectmen that there are police vacancies everywhere and he does not believe it will be hard for these officers to find other employment since they are certified and trained.  He voiced serious concern at the cost to hire, certify, train, and equip new officers.  Mr. Brown informed the Selectmen that even if they do not change the employee contribution, these officers will see a decrease in pay with a 1.5% COLA.  Chief Foss informed the Selectmen that he is willing to forgo his 1.5% COLA to have it distributed between these two employees.  He does not want to lose them.  Mr. Brown made the same offer.  Ms. Bonser thanked Chief Foss for his candor, noting that salaries have to be a living wage.  She wondered out loud if the Selectmen are over-reacting.  Chief Foss did not respond to that but noted that it is his job to inform the Board of Selectmen of the law enforcement needs in Nottingham.  Chair Netishen inquired about feedback from the officers.  Chief Foss informed him that he has been approached by only one of the officers in his department.  He noted that some employees already have a difficult time keeping up with living expenses due the recent increase in costs.  Mr. Bock noted that there is always the possibility that these officers would find a better offer elsewhere, regardless of the direction the Selectmen take.  Chief Foss believes that there is a loyalty factor, noting that these officers have already expressed gratitude that the Town of Nottingham took a chance on them.  He does not believe they would go elsewhere if they are able to survive working for the town.  Ms. Bonser noted that the current officers have blended into the town very well.  Mr. Bock suggested that they move away from the personal issues and move on with the budget.

Police Department Budget

Chief Foss made the following proposal:

  • The Overtime line has been decreased to the average of the last couple of years.
Discussion:  Chief Foss believes this will be sufficient as long as they do not lose anyone.  At Chair Netishen’s inquiry, Chief Foss informed the Selectmen that most of the overtime is used in court; the Officer is required to be present.

  • The Part-Time Salary line has been decreased to $5,400.
  • Chief Foss is recommending a 5.91% merit increase for the Administrative Assistant.
Discussion:  Chief Foss informed the Selectmen that the Sergeant has done evaluation on the staff and he expected to have them the following week.

  • The Rockingham County Attorney line is estimated on last year’s figure.  He has not heard back from them.
  • The Postage line has been decreased.
Discussion:  Chief Foss informed the Selectmen that this line was high this year due to the number of fatalities and resulting reports.  The department takes in $20 for the report process but it costs much more.  He will be looking at this in the near future.

  • The Dues and Conferences line has been decreased.
  • The Publications line has been decreased.
Discussion:  Chief Foss informed the Selectmen that this is a work in progress.  The Department is receiving many publications that it does not need.  Upon inquiry, Chief Foss felt that it would be ok to cut this line as most information can be obtained on the internet.  Ms. Bonser noted that the only drawback is that citations, case law, and such cannot be obtained on-line.

  • The Training line has been increased.
Discussion:  Chief Foss reminded the Selectmen that he is looking into new weapons.  He wants to increase the caliber from 40 to 45 and the staff will need to train with the new weapons.  In general, training should happen more than once per year.  At the Selectmen’s inquiry, Chief Foss reported that the 45’s would be semi-automatics, not revolvers.

  • A new line for Testing has been added at a proposed amount of $1,100.
Discussion:  Chief Foss informed the Selectmen that this new line needed to be increased by $500 due to an existing officer coming due for his three year agility testing.  He is proposing $1,600 instead of $1,100.

  • The Uniforms/Cleaning line is being proposed at level funding.
Discussion:  Chief Foss explained that it costs approximately $2,300 to equip a full-time officer and $1,600 for a part-time officer.  Currently, he needs replacement uniforms for existing officers and is hoping that a part-time officer will be approved.  Ms. Bonser inquired about possibilities for the part-time position.  Chief Foss informed her that he is looking to hire a local person who is very interested in coming to work for Nottingham.  This person has turned down an offer in another town.  He was second choice when Officer Woodman was hired.  He explained that Officer Woodman was chosen because she was already certified.

  • The Service Contracts line has been increased.
Discussion:  Chief Foss informed the Selectmen that he has hired Claire Kent of Choice Computers as she is IMC trained and had good references from other police departments.  At Chair Netishen’s inquiry, Chief Foss stated that she is not contracted.  She came in at $1,400 for in-house maintenance and taking care of the equipment that she has built for the NPD.  She built a new program, IACPNET, that they purchased which offers policy and procedures in policing.  Chief Foss stated that the NPD will probably not do the IACPNET next year.

  • The Office Supply line has been decreased.  
Discussion:  Chief Foss informed the Selectmen that he wished to reduce this line even further.  He feels that $2,500 would cover the cost of all office supplies.

  • The Office Equipment line has been decreased.
Discussion:  Chief Foss explained that he is looking to purchase a new shredder for $500 and a new computer for $2,000.  At Chair Netishen’s inquiry, Chief Foss informed the Selectmen that he is looking to replace the computer in the processing room, which is the oldest computer in the department.

  • The Gas line will be increased.
Discussion:  The Police Department gas budget will be based on usage of 4,800 gallons.  Gas prices continue to decrease.  Mr. Bock feels gas lines should be left heavy and that $15,600 ($3.25 per gallon) will leave a cushion should prices rise again.

  • The Cruiser Maintenance line has been decreased.
Discussion:  Chief Foss reduced this line based on the purchase of a new cruiser.  He explained that Officer Morales is very attentive to the vehicles needs.  They use John’s Auto Repair in Lee.  The plan is to give the vehicle that would be used as a trade-in to Nottingham Fire/Rescue as they are spending much money keeping their current car on the road.  Chief Foss plans to see about using the NF/RD vehicle as a trade-in, noting that it is a 2001 with 89,000 miles.  At Chair Netishen’s inquiry, Chief Foss informed the Selectmen that the current cruisers are a 2006, 2007, and 2008, and the SUV is a 2007.  The 2006 has 70,000 miles but adding idle time increases the mileage to 140,000.  Mr. Netishen inquired about the need for a new cruiser this year.  Chief Foss noted that if a new cruiser was not purchased the maintenance line would need to be increased and the SUV would most likely see more use.  The 2006 is not suitable for everyday use.  Chair Netishen inquired about buying something smaller than a Crown Victoria.  Chief Foss explained that is not an option.  Most officers do not fit in the smaller vehicles.  Ms. Bonser inquired about a lease/purchase with an interest free loan.  Chief Foss was opposed to this.  Mr. Bock inquired about the cost to turn the cruiser into a fire vehicle.  Mr. Brown reported that NF/R has this money in their budget.  Chair Netishen noted that NF/R has about $6,000 in their current car.

  • The Equipment/Procurement/Maintenance line has been decreased.
Discussion:  Chief Foss informed the Selectmen that this figure is based on eight (8) new units at $3,000.  Seven firearms would be assigned to the officers and the eighth would be an extra to be used if an officer has to use his assigned firearm in deadly force.  The remaining $2,500 is for the cruiser change over.  Chief Foss explained that he would be using the department’s current firearms, as well as any weapons turned in by residents, for trade-in.

  • The Radio Repair line has been decreased to $0.  New batteries were bought and Chief Foss anticipates no repair requirement this budget cycle.
  • The Telephone line has been increased to include pagers for the officers (at $600) and an additional line in the office.
  • The Internet line is proposed at level funding.
  • The DARE line is proposed at level funding.
  • The Miscellaneous line has been increased.
Discussion:  Chief Foss informed the Selectmen that he would like this line to be used for the recognition of bereavement on items such as flowers.

The remaining lines in the police budget were not discussed at this time.  Chair Netishen thanked Chief Foss for his proposal, noting that he was not convinced that this budget would go forth as proposed.  Chief Foss feels that he worked very hard to stay within the means set forth.  The Selectmen thanked Chief Foss for his work.

Chair Netishen called a break at 9:45 AM.  He reconvened the meeting at 9:53 AM.

General Budget Discussion Cont.:

Highway:
Mr. Brown informed the Selectmen that the sand, stone, and gravel not used by the Road Agent this year will be used to off-set the fuel costs.  At Mr. Bock’s inquiry, Mr. Brown stated that the fixed rate on salt is $59.13/ton up from $43.  Chair Netishen voiced concern that the proposed $75,000 may not be enough to cover fuel usage in the highway department.  Mr. Brown explained that the proposed amount is an estimate; there is no fixed rate on diesel.

Mr. Brown informed the Selectmen that he will encumber the remaining balance of $56,250 in the Engineering/Consulting line for use on the Back Creek Bridge.

There was discussion about the Testing line.  Mr. Brown explained that DOT picks the drivers for random testing from a pool of approximately 320 people.  Testing is for drugs and alcohol.  When the town in notified of the names (approximately 7 per year for Nottingham), the drivers are supposed to stop whatever they are doing and go for testing.  If that does not happen they incur an automatic fail.  The Nottingham Highway Department lost a driver to random testing this year.

Chair Netishen believes there is potential to reduce the Mowing, Supplies, and Culverts lines.  Ms. Bonser feels that the Culverts line need to remain as proposed.  Mr. Brown indicated that the Supply line is needed and cannot be reduced as it has run over the budgeted amount the past four years.

Mr. Brown informed the Selectmen that the Highway Department did not do Highway Construction-Reconstruction this year and that the proposed Warrant going forth this year would be for Deerfield Road only.

Fire Department:
Mr. Brown informed the Selectmen that the Salary line for full-time employees was reduced; over-time and part-time budgets are proposed at level funding from last year.  Chair Netishen noted that there is 42% of the budget left in the Publications line.  Mr. Bock noted that it was good to see the Dispatch line proposed at $0.  Based on budget balances for the current year, Chair Netishen wants to look into reducing the Training and Uniforms/Cleaning lines.  Ms. Bonser suggested separating computers from the Equipment/Office line.  Chair Netishen noted that the Lease/Purchase line is proposed at $0 but there will be a fire truck warrant that may bring it back.  Mr. Brown reported that there is an outstanding agreement with 2-Way Communication for upgrades to the communication equipment.  The Internet line is a set amount, same as the Police Department.  At Chair Netishen’s inquiry, Mr. Brown reported that the Town could not receive any reimbursement of cost for the milk truck fatality even though the State was involved.  It was noted that any proposed budget for the fire department may be artificial because of the fire truck warrant.

Personnel Administration:
Reading from the Annual Benefit and Salary Report published by LGC, Mr. Brown supplied the Selectmen with data from other Municipalities.  The Selectmen determined that the benefits provided by the Town of Nottingham are above what other like-sized communities offer.  Mr. Brown informed the Selectmen that, using the 2009 figures for insurance, a 5% employee contribution amounted to $25.83 for single, $51.67 for two-person, and $69.75 for family.  Mr. Bock noted that they were looking at putting a $70 cost on families with only a 1.5% increase in salary.  Mr. Brown reported that the 1.5% COLA would not cover the two-person plan.  In some cases it amounted to a $531 annual increase and a $620 contribution for the insurance.  Chair Netishen feels that they need to look at the benefits independently, noting that COLA is not given to off-set insurance contributions.  He strongly feels that they need to cut the budget and this proposal does not do that.  He believes that the town has been more than generous the last five (5) years and that people are doing pretty well.  Ms. Bonser agreed that they have done what they can to bring salaries up to a living wage.  Ms. Bonser and Mr. Bock agreed to the 5% insurance contribution across the board.  Ms. Bonser stated she is not prepared to offer no COLA.  Mr. Bock feels that they started a process last year with the insurance that needs to continue.  He noted that 1.5% was not much and was curious about no COLA.  At Chair Netishen’s inquiry the other Selectmen agreed that they were not willing to look at a 10% insurance contribution this year.

Proposed Warrant Articles:

Article #5 – Highway Department – $192,690 – HC/RC (Deerfield Road).  The Selectmen support this appropriation.

Article #6 – Highway Department – $490,764 – Construction (Mill Pond Bridge).  The Selectmen support this appropriation.

Article #7 – Highway Department – $141,000 – Lease/Purchase (loader).  The Selectmen support this appropriation.

Article #8 – Highway Department - $50,000 – Capital Reserve (vehicles).  The Selectmen reduced the amount to $5,000.  They support this appropriation as amended.

Article #9 – Highway Department – $300,000 – Construction of the salt shed.  Chair Netishen noted that the salt shed is the end of the infrastructure for the Highway Department.  Mr. Brown informed the Selectmen that he did not believe Mr. Fernald would have an issue with not putting the salt shed forward this year.  The Selectmen do not support this appropriation.

Article #___ – Fire/Rescue Department – $50,000 – Capital Reserve (vehicles).  The Selectmen reduced the amount to $5,000.  They support this appropriation as amended.  

Article #___ – Fire/Rescue Department – $11,000 – from the Special Revenue Fund (ambulance operations).  Mr. Brown informed the Selectmen that the money is in the fund created for the ambulance and that NFRD must put this article forth in order to withdraw and use it.  The Selectmen support this appropriation.

Article #___ – Fire/Rescue Department – $350,000 – New fire truck.  Ms. Bonser informed all that the Fire Department has indicated that this is a “have to do” situation.  Mr. Brown informed the Selectmen that the existing fire truck is 20 years old and the fire department has put over $5,000 into it this year.  Ms. Bonser is willing to speak positively about this Warrant.  The Selectmen agreed to invite Chief Vilchock to their Monday night meeting to discuss the fire truck.  

Article #___ – Building Inspector/Code Enforcement – $15,000 – purchase of vehicle.  The Selectmen do not support this appropriation.  They do not intend to put this forth.

Article #___ – Town Hall & Other Buildings – $33,000 – repairs to the old Town Hall and the Grange Building.  Mr. Brown informed the Selectmen that he had received the Historical Building Maintenance Project list and is working on the grant for the Grange Hall.  The Selectmen support this appropriation.

Having no further business,
Motion:  Bock, second Bonser to adjourn.
Vote:  All in favor.  Motion passed 3-0.

Meeting adjourned at 11:40 AM

Respectfully submitted,


Traci Chauvey
Recording Secretary