Northwood Board of Selectmen Minutes of November 14, 2017

Transcription

1 Call to Order: Chairman Wolf called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Roll Call: Chairman Rick Wolf, Selectman Scott Bryer, Selectman Donald Hodgdon, and Town Administrator Joseph Gunter Pledge of Allegiance: Chairman Wolf led the Pledge of Allegiance Citizen s Forum None. Appointments 1. Bean Hole Bash Committee Cancelled 2. Charlie Pease Work on Bow Lake Road Charlie Pease: It seems that additional funds are needed as an underdrain had to be added on the side of the road with more stone and pipe to catch the water that is coming out of the bank and field. Chair Wolf: What was the original bid? Mr. Gunter: $16,400. Contractor related that he is on a tight budget but can go as low as $3,000. Selectman Bryer motion to approve an additional $3,000 for the Bow Lake Road underdrain project. Selectman Hodgdon seconds motion. After discussion: Motion carried 3/0. Chair Wolf: Do you know how much stone they put in originally? Mr. Pease: He s got 110 ft. and put a foot of stone under it and covered it up with a stone on the side of the bank to hold it all back. Chair Wolf: So it is done completely. Mr. Pease: Yes. Chair Wolf: What are they going to do about the damage they did in the field? Mr. Pease: He is going to clean it up the best he can. The contractor said the kids were all over the tractors and stuff. Chair Wolf: Maybe we should do something; that is not our field so maybe we should let Mrs. Johnson what is going on up there. I know they have spun donuts in there quite a few times. I did see where one dump truck sunk in quite a bit; that was my concern. Mr. Pease: Contractor spread whatever stone he had left; area is pretty good though still a little muddy. Selectman Hodgdon: Did we sustain any other damage that you know about during the storm? Mr. Pease: We had some road damage which we had to put some gravel on and grade. A lot of trees did come down. Selectman Hodgdon: I wanted to know if something came up that we did not foresee. Mr. Pease: I do not think so. 3. Ms. Dow and Ms. Walker Swap Shop Ms. Dow: I am here to present information about the new Swap Shop building at the Transfer Station. We have the trailer down there that we are not really using but we need a new building. I ve been told that the attendants need a place to store their recyclables and to work. I was thinking that the building is 29 ft. long by 8 ft. wide. I Official as of December 12,

2 think that would be an excellent re-use of something. It would not cost us anything but just a little bit to move it. I think there is a map for the location where it could be located. We tucked everything in where they store the refrigerators right now. It would be easy for the guys to work with. I hate to see the building just sit there unless you have another use for it. The building has been empty for quite a few years now Charlie said there was only two lawnmowers in there and the voting booths which I have been told you are going to move. I got a quote from Rockingham County Towing to look at it. He has a big flatbed truck. He said he would take the axles off so that we could lower it down with just one step in. This would be a solution to a couple of problems down there. Selectman Bryer: How old is that trailer. Ms. Dow: That trailer has been there for about 10+ years. Selectman Hodgdon: They were in that building before that so at least 18 years old. Selectman Bryer: It has got to be at least 19 years. Ms. Dow: It is a wood structure. Selectman Bryer: What kind of condition is the trailer in; if we try and move it, it might fall apart. Ms. Dow: The guy looked it over pretty good and it is on a steel frame. Selectman Hodgdon: What is it going to cost us to put these doors in that you are suggesting? Ms. Dow: It would cost us for the lumber. Selectman Hodgdon: By the time we do all of that, could we get a structure that is new? Ms. Dow: How much do you think those doors are going to cost? Selectman Hodgdon: Cutting into a mobile home is not as easy as you would think. It is not a matter of just cutting in the doors, you have to header it and make it structurally safe. Chair Wolf: Is it going to have four-foot doors? Ms. Dow: Yes, a solid four-foot door that we can open, close and secure or two-foot doors. Selectman Hodgdon: It is not only going to cost us to move it but to prep the area that it is going to sit on. We are obviously going to have to sit it on something. Selectman Bryer: So it is going to be $75 to move it. Ms. Dow: No, $75 an hour and he said it would probably take five hours. Selectman Bryer: I kind of agree with D.J., wherever we are going to put this what needs to be done to make sure it is level. Ms.Dow: I would think you would have to get the backhoe in there and level that land. Chair Wolf: I think the highway guys could do that. Selectman Bryer: So, you have got the trailer which has to be moved, what about the doors? Ms. Dow: Whatever it would cost for the lumber I have a carpenter volunteering to do the work. Selectman Hodgdon: Let me give you an idea of the cost - $375 + $500=$875. You can get a 10 x 16 metal shed which will last forever for about $500, put it up and you are done. This would be the same concept but it is new. I am not saying this is a bad idea, you can use this building for something, but is it worth going through all that hassle when you can get something new. Ms. Dow: But if you buy a shed, you still do not have the storage area for the guys. Selectman Hodgdon: We have been doing these ferrous metals for about a year right? We got into some kind of deal with NRA where they are giving us so much per pound. I would like to see how much we are making on just that not aluminum cans. According to this, we have made $10, for recycling fees this year; about 85% of that is on aluminum cans. I would like to see if it is worth having employees strip these metals down. Ms. Dow: Official as of December 12,

3 That would be a good thing to research. We get paid for them if we throw them in the steel. We get more money if we strip them, but is it worth having the employees take the time to strip them? You wrote in the paper that the Swap Shop is always messy if they are up there taking apart the ferrous metals. Ms. Dow: I do not think they do that when they are busy. There are only two of them up there. Selectman Hodgdon: We are expecting them to do that when we are open so they have to be over there at some point. Ms. Dow: I just do not want to spend the money for another building when we have one available to us. Selectman Hodgdon: I just want to see the numbers to see if it is worth having the building there. Chair Wolf: I notice that you have an estimate here for a truck body. Ms. Dow: That was another option if we didn t use this building and the one on the hill, we ve got that one. Chair Wolf: Would you rather have a truck body than use that trailer? I think the floors are made of hard wood and I think it would be more preferable than the mobile home would be. It is just something that I wanted to bring up. I do not think it is a bad thought. Ms. Dow: I thought that was a solution to both problems with working and storing that stuff. Right now, stuff is being stolen out of that little thing that they are putting batteries in. Chair Wolf: What are your thoughts on moving the trailer with an overhead door? Selectman Hodgdon: I would like to see the numbers as to how big a building we need. It depends on how much money we are making with the ferrous metals as to how much money we should put into this project. Is it worth it to do this? Ms. Dow: There are a lot of things at the transfer station that we are wasting money on. Selectman Hodgdon: As far as the Swap Shop, I do agree with you that people do enjoy that. I am not a huge fan of moving it because there is already power there. Ms. Dow: It is basically visibility and actually parking. One more thing on this building this way, everything would be concentrated in one area so the guys could keep an eye on it and we wouldn t have to worry about it. Chair Wolf: I think we would be better off with a truck body they have a hardwood floor in them, they sit low to the ground and you have an overhead door in the back which you can open up and close. If you get one with a side door, it is already on it. Selectman Hodgdon: The pawn shop in Chichester have them all the time for sale. There are so many options. Ms. Dow: The truck body is a solution to the problem as long as you get something to put fluorescent bulbs in. Chair Wolf: I think with the trailer we just might be throwing good money away. Selectman Bryer: That trailer is at least 20 years old and if you go to move that.. Selectman Hodgdon: I do not know if there is an option, if they are not using it for storage, maybe we do not want to take it from the Highway Department; maybe we could have it removed. I do not want to take it away from them and then have them declare they need something because they lost their space. Ms. Dow: I have spoken to Charlie who tells me they have two push lawn mowers in there. Official as of December 12,

4 Selectman Hodgdon: I think we have several options it is just a matter of which one we want to use. Chair Wolf: I think the trailer is a bad option. Ms. Dow: I looked at it and I think it requires just a little wood repair. Chair Wolf: A truck body you can set flat on the ground or on some 4 x 4 pressure treated boards and be done with it. Ms. Dow: As to the Swap Shop building itself we could do with an 18 x 14 ft. gambrel basic shed. If you purchase it January or February you get 15% off which is about $1,200 off. Reed s Ferry gives you a 30-year guarantee. Selectman Hodgdon: My question is where is the spot you want to put it. Also, I thought we were going to get a new gate. I am not saying that we can t do this too but the gate is important. Chair Wolf: She doesn t know anything about that. Selectman Hodgdon: I feel if we are going to move the Swap Shop, we should have a public hearing. If you put it in the same place, I am fine with it but if you are going to move it to a different spot, I feel that the people should have input. The reason I want to keep it in the same spot is because of the power source. Ms. Dow: For $10,000 I am sure we can do all of this. Everybody uses it. Selectman Hodgdon: I think the new one should go there because the power is there. Ms. Dow: The Swap Shop right now has 13 volunteers and most of us are retired. Selectman Hodgdon: I like the idea of that but if there is not a volunteer there and someone wants to get rid of something, they are not going to be able to put it in the swap shop. You are saying that you want it locked if there is no volunteer there. Ms. Dow: The attendants will have a key. I just do not want the public going in there and doing what they have been doing. With a new swap shop 24 x 24 manned totally by volunteers would be locked when no one is manning it. Selectman Hodgdon: My fear is that we are going to put the building up and then the attendants are going to have to be walking back/forth to unlock it. Chair Wolf: I have a couple of concerns. I know the people are worried about people taking more than they should; the problem I have is all that stuff is there to get rid of so no matter how much somebody takes, if they have a use for it, they should be allowed to take it. If we pick and choose as to how much we are going to allow a person to take then.. Ms. Dow: Let me explain, I have put various things in the paper and what happens is, everybody knows that I am doing it. Selectman Hodgdon: This is the point of the gate, people going into the Swap Shop and taking things. Ms. Dow: Absolutely. A lot of people do not want to put things in the Swap Shop because they know it is going to be taken and sold by someone else. Selectman Bryer: If you do not want to sell it yourself, then put it in there. Chair Wolf: I do not think we should control what people give or take. Ms. Dow: That is my point, I have never said do not take an item. Chair Wolf: I had someone complain about a lady who was taking things out of there and was selling the stuff at a yard sale. I spoke to the lady and she said This helps me pay my property taxes. I do not have a problem with that. If we can help a citizen in this town, by letting them take stuff out of there that someone is discarding, then I do not have a problem with that. I understand that some people do not like that. Ms. Dow: I have told all of the volunteers not to say anything to anyone about anything they are doing here. It is not our job. Selectman Hodgdon: I have one suggestion do you think you could get one of your volunteers Official as of December 12,

5 to make a monthly or weekly trip to Goodwill and clean out the Swap Shop? That would alleviate a lot of the build-up there. Ms. Dow: You would be surprised how much stuff goes in/out of there. It is amazing. Selectman Hodgdon: I have worked there for fourteen years, I know. In Lee, beyond a certain point, it goes in the hopper. Selectman Hodgdon: We need to stick better to what we are allowing in there. Ms. Dow: It makes a difference which volunteer is there. I think if people know they are being watched, they are going to be a little bit more careful. There isn t going to be any place to hide it out back. People are a little more honest when people are watching us. Selectman Bryer: I am not real keen on moving the trailer. I like the shed idea. I think moving the trailer is a disaster waiting to happen. Chair Wolf: I know you had an idea and I appreciate your idea. I think we would be better off going with the truck bed with a roll-up door and a side door, but that is my opinion. Mr. Gunter: I will get some quotes to you. Selectman Hodgdon: There is no point in buying a building unless you know where you are going to put it. If we go with the shed, how long is it going to take them to build it? Selectman Bryer: You are going to have to clear it all out. Selectman Hodgdon: My only concern is power is it worth moving the power? Chair Wolf: I say for a couple of grand, we can move the power. Ms. Dow: We can get the shed anytime, but I am thinking of the costs we can save if we order it in January/February. Selectman Hodgdon: Joe, do you think you can have that information by next week? Mr. Gunter: We can find that out fairly soon. Selectman Hodgdon: So, how about if we put it off until meeting. Selectman Hodgdon motion to approve purchase of Reed s Ferry shed from the expendable trust fund for the Transfer Station in the amount of $5, in January or February Selectman Bryer seconds motion. Motion carried 3/0. Chair Wolf: This will give you a new Swap Shop and we will work on the truck body part after Mr. Gunter finds out the information needed to move the power source. Unfinished Business Additional Budget Health and Dental Family Plan Page 5: Ms. Garrett: It increased the line by $13,000 and next to that the calculation though not in the budget for NHRS would be added to that and would be an additional $5,500. Selectman Bryer: So, the budget would go up $13K and if you add retirement to that it would go up another $5,500. No matter, if she goes in you have to budget for the family health and dental. Ms. Garrett: Yes, understanding that it cannot go in the default budget. Selectman Hodgdon: This is a tough one because I think everyone deserves a retirement plan but at what cost. That is the question. Chair Wolf: I know that we are going to have some other unhappy people about this in the other room. We need to look at the whole picture. Selectman Official as of December 12,

6 Hodgdon: You have said it before, if you run for Town Clerk you know what you are getting yourself into. Selectman Bryer: I am just saying that if we pay retirement that there would have to be a minimum number of hours. It is an elected position. Chair Wolf: That is why I am saying we need to have some discussion. I do not think it is going to be an easy one to solve but I think there are going to be other people that are going to be very upset. I just would like to have some more conversations about it. Selectman Bryer: We should find out how many other municipalities offer retirement. Selectman Hodgdon: When you run for this elected position, you know what the job entails, what you are getting. Selectman Bryer: Let me put it this way- we can leave it as is though we have to budget the family plan. Selectman Hodgdon: My question is does this affect the current person retiring. Selectman Bryer: If you do it now, whoever gets elected gets it. How many years do you have to work to be vested? Ms. Garrett: Twenty right now. It depends if you are hired after 2011 and it is not retroactive. Selectman Hodgdon: So if we were to enforce it today, it doesn t matter how much time anybody has worked here before? Selectman Bryer: My question is if you are of retirement age, it would be a small pension that you are entitled to. Ms. Garrett: You can be ten years vested but you only get a certain percentage. Selectman Bryer: I just went to a retirement seminar with the State. Hypothetically, if you sign up with the State at age 50 and retire at age 65, they are going to give you some small amount. Ms. Garrett: The other numbers I changed was on Page 19 for the Transfer Station. All the changes that the Board requested be changed, have been made. Unless there are any other changes Board would like to make, this is the budget. Selectman Hodgdon: On the Transfer Station, what about the coat purchase funds that we were going to give them? Mr. Gunter: I talked to the hardware store and they said they could give us a pretty good deal. A $200 stipend would more than help equip those guys with heavy duty winter gear they would need. We also got numbers for uniforms to purchase and to rent to get the service. To purchase uniforms, it would be about $1,200 which would be based on how many days during the week they work. If you are a highway guy at five days a week six uniforms and to purchase it, our guys would be responsible for the cleaning. There is a relatively cheap option of $1,300 a year to have outside company do the cleaning. Chair Wolf: If you do your own laundry it is cheaper. If you do contract it out, they have different options. Selectman Hodgdon: What if we supplied the shirt and let them do their own pants. Chair Wolf: We can have them buy their own stuff or uniform-type service where they pick them up weekly. Selectman Bryer: If you go down the road of laundering people s stuff, I think you start out giving them a clothing allowance. Chair Wolf: That is fine with me. Selectman Hodgdon: A clothing allowance is what I was thinking of. Selectman Bryer: What is the overall increase in the budget after all these changes? Ms. Garrett: It is decreased the overall decrease as it is right now is $19, Selectman Bryer: The only other thing I want to talk about is the fairness issue. I think that the Town is. Selectman Hodgdon: You still did not answer my question as to what we are going to put in for that line. Selectman Bryer: I thought you said about $400 per Official as of December 12,

7 employee. Selectman Hodgdon: Are we doing that for both highway and transfer station or just transfer station? So that means that we are going to have to budget money for both. Ms. Garrett: $400 for highway and $600 for transfer station. Chair Wolf: The gear from the hardware store, does the gear have any fluorescent markings so that can be visible in some dangerous areas? Sometimes it is hard to see them out there at night time. Mr. Gunter: They should be wearing their vests and they are usually pretty good about that. Selectman Hodgdon: So, we can just let them go down there and we do a PO like we do for the gloves. Selectman Bryer: Did you put the clothing allowance in the budget? Ms. Garrett: This is the first time I heard about the numbers. Selectman Bryer: OK, put the numbers in. Selectman Bryer: I am going around and round about this what is the difference with putting vehicles in the budget as opposed to a warrant article? Selectman Hodgdon: I do not think it is a good idea. Chair Wolf: That s the way it always was in the past. Selectman Bryer: I do know that a lot of towns put the cruisers in the budget. Chair Wolf: If we do it for one, then we need to do it for all. It should be the same for all departments. On the cruisers, I do not know why there is another one in the budget, we just bought one. Selectman Bryer: Normally what you do is put it under the selectman s budget, and you put it over to the Budget Committee and let them decide. Chair Wolf: Why would we do that, it makes no sense. Mr. Gunter: The Budget Committee has the final say. Chair Wolf: In the past all cruisers were warrant articles; Brent Lemire took them off warrant articles and started packing them in the budget. So, that doesn t mean it can t go back to a straight warrant article. Mr. Gunter: The Budget Committee could say they are going to add $19K to the budget for it. Selectman Hodgdon: I think it should be a warrant article. What we are saying is we want it on a warrant article. Selectman Bryer: The thing I am pointing out here is that the budget is going down so it could be misleading, and taking out the cruiser would make it go down even more. Ms. Garrett: The budget will be lower and already is lower because the one-time purchases have to be removed. The one-time purchase last year was $24,100 for the server. Selectman Bryer: So, in the selectman s line you can remove the number. Ms. Garrett: Do you want to put a $1.00 or zero? Selectman Bryer: You can put a $1.00 there and then do a warrant article for the cruiser. Ms. Garrett: I have not written a warrant in my life. Selectman Bryer: I guess we need one more round of these numbers. Reports Individual Selectman s Reports Selectman Hodgdon: Are we going to discuss the bridge contract? Chair Wolf: We should at some point. Ms. Garrett: Could I have some uniform clarification, please? Mr. Gunter: Uniforms will cost about $1,200 for a year and then a stipend for winter gear which is $200. Which comes to about $2,200 to outfit your staff. Selectman Bryer: I thought the issue was jackets. Jackets are $200. Chair Wolf: It is tough being out there in the Official as of December 12,

8 winter. Selectman Hodgdon: Why don t we make it a $300 allowance then they can buy a coat and pants. Ms. Garrett: So, we are doing $1,500 - $300 apiece. Selectman Hodgdon: Then they can buy whatever they want to outfit themselves for work. New Business Acceptance of Minutes Selectman Hodgdon motion to approve minutes of October 24, 2017 as corrected. Chair Wolf seconds motion. Motion carried 2/0. Abstain 1. Correction: Page 2, Line 38 should read: I discussed with Mike Matson, Game Warden, Selectman Bryer motion to approve minutes of October 31, 2017 for discussion. Selectman Hodgdon seconded motion. Selectman Hodgdon: I think we may catch some flack not so much with the solid waste, but the former recycling committee who came for a new building but we were not on board because it was not feasible to just purchase a building. So, we are going to get some feedback. Chair Wolf: They should be happy that is done and we are moving forward. Selectman Hodgdon: We are going to get some feedback. Chair Wolf: That s fine. Chair Wolf: I do not think anybody is going to complain about what went on tonight. You can t please everybody and I realize that more every day. After discussion: Selectman Bryer motion to rescind motion to approve minutes of October 31, Selectman Hodgdon rescind second. It was agreed that the minutes of October 31, 2017, Page 1, lines and Page 2, lines 1-17 be revised. RSA 674:41 Wentzell Mr. Gunter: Regarding Tax Map 116. Lot 36, Fiore Road, the Board needs to sign this to allow them to build on a Class VI road or private road. This discussion is strictly concerning the road. Selectman Bryer: What were the Planning Board s comments? Mr. Gunter provided Board with written information concerning this matter. Chair Wolf: We just approved two others in there in the last two months. Selectman Hodgdon: We basically have done this for other houses in that area. Chair Wolf: There are some very nice houses up there right on the lake. The Planning Board is dealing with the rest of it. Selectman Bryer: So this has not been approved by the Zoning Board to build a house there yet. Mr. Gunter: No. Selectman Bryer: So, Official as of December 12,

9 shouldn t we hear from the Zoning Board before we do this? Mr. Gunter: The Board is backing up the process so we are proceeding this way. Selectman Bryer: In the past, I remember they would go to the ZBA and then Board approves it once the ZBA approves it because it allows them to review the site. Chair Wolf: I know they have already reviewed the site though what their determination is or will be, I do not know. Selectman Bryer: I am not against approving it; I just want to make sure the ZBA approves it before we do. We can discuss it but I would rather see what the ZBA is going to do. Chair Wolf: We would just be saying that they can use the road. Selectman Bryer: This is an application to build. Mr. Gunter: To get the building permit, they would still have to go through the ZBA to get several variances. Selectman Bryer: Wouldn t you want the variances to be taken care of before you start to build on the road? Chair Wolf: That is the way we did it in the past. Mr. Gunter: Yes, but we changed it because the BOS was holding up construction on filing. If Board wants, we can always bring it back. Selectman Bryer: I am not trying to hold it up. Selectman Hodgdon: Whichever way we do it, we need to do it the same way every time. It either needs to stay this way or the way it was before but not back/forth. Selectman Bryer: My position is if the ZBA approves it, then I am not going to have a problem with it. Why would they change this procedure? Mr. Gunter: We sat here previously and talked about this that the 674:41 was backing up the process. Chair Wolf: Maybe Scott wasn t here that night. Selectman Bryer: If you guys made a decision to do that, that s fine. Chair Wolf: I do not know as we voted on it. Mr. Gunter: I do not think there was an official vote. Selectman Hodgdon: I am okay with doing it this way, it is just that we need to be consistent. Selectman Bryer: Was this Linda s suggestion? Mr. Gunter: She thought it was a good idea. Selectman Hodgdon: Would our decision make a difference as to the ZBA s decision? Mr. Gunter: No. Selectman Hodgdon motion to approve allowing the Wentzels, 7 Fiore Road to build on Tax Map 116, Lot 35 providing the Zoning Board grants variances. No Second. Selectman Hodgdon: I withdraw my motion. Chair Wolf: We have several people in the audience; are they here for another reason? Mr. Gunter: These gentlemen are scheduled for Non-Public Session. Process Various Assessing Forms and Applications Selectman Bryer motion to approve Tax Map 230, Lot 61, 88 Bow Street to grant veteran s exemption with all qualifications met. Selectman Hodgdon seconds motion. Motion carried 3/0. Selectman Bryer motion to approve Tax Map 230, Lot 82-2, 11 Mountain View to grant veteran s exemption with all qualifications met. Selectman Hodgdon seconds motion. Motion carried 3/0. Official as of December 12,

10 Selectman Bryer motion to approve abatement due to reduction in assessment in the amount of $1,267 for Tax Map 117, Lot 1, Gulf Road. Chair Wolf seconds motion. Motion carried 3/0. Approval of Manifests Selectman Bryer motion to approve final check register V2017 No. 24 in the amount of $63, Selectman Hodgdon seconds motion. Motion carried 3/0. Approval of Purchase Orders Selectman Bryer motion to approve purchase of assessing software in the annual amount of $3, for Avitar. Selectman Hodgdon second motion. Motion carried 3/0. Selectman Bryer motion to approve annual municipal dues to New Hampshire Municipal Association in the amount of $3,857. Selectman Hodgdon seconds motion. Motion carried 3/0. Miscellaneous Signatures/Approvals Selectman Bryer motion to approve $10,000 for winter 2017 for road grading for Hodgdon and Sons. Selectman Hodgdon second motion. After discussion: Motion carried 3/0. Selectman Hodgdon: Have we already paid him. Mr. Gunter: No. Selectman Hodgdon: Are we paying for services done this summer? Chair Wolf: For services he is doing now. Selectman Bryer: Is some of this due to the damage from the October storm? Mr. Gunter: Yes, some of it. Selectman Bryer: Do we have the ability to recoup some of this? Mr. Gunter: Yes. Chair Wolf: This grading was paid for by money coming out of the budget for road grading? Mr. Gunter: Yes. Chair Wolf: It is not coming out of the other money we received from the State because we have a line for road grading. Mr. Gunter: Yes, I was going to take it out of the block grant but we can take it out of the line item. Selectman Bryer motion to approve purchase of gravel for the dirt roads for Fillmore Industries in the amount of $ Selectman Hodgdon seconds motion. After discussion: Motion carries 3/0. Selectman Hodgdon: How much do we have in that block grant? Mr. Gunter: I do not have the exact amount, but I will get that to you. Mr. Gunter: This is the purchase order for Tyler Technologies for the updated software. Sandy and I did a quick review of the finances and are expecting to have Official as of December 12,

11 about $370K left. This is pretty consistent with what we have done in the last three years. I am putting forward the financial software with the Tyler Technologies package which is $8K more than the original quote. We have had trouble keeping time and attendance and have had a lot of errors. I think it would really help this department and the Town out itself. Selectman Bryer: This was in the budget. I fully support getting the financial software, however, that being said, for this financial software we appropriated $15K. Ms. Garrett: It was $16K. Selectman Bryer: How much was it without this Ms. Garrett: $23K. Selectman Bryer: I was more on board to purchase the software and I do not think it is right to tack on the timekeeping package because it was never intended to be bought this year. Mr. Gunter: I see that but given the problems that we have had and instead of going back and asking for time and attendance later, this is the same package but we have added a little bit on. It seems like it is the right way to go to save the time and trouble that we have had in the past. We got written up last year on the audit because of our time and attendance. I know that it is a little bit more over budget, but I think this is a good thing to do. Selectman Bryer: Who has looked at the software Sandy and yourself? Ms. Garrett: I have not had a chance to no. Joe sat and did the video with them; I was unable to do it as it was scheduled on a payroll day and I had to do payroll. I have not been able to catch up with Michelle to get a date and time when I could view it. I have a purchase order without that on it if you want it. Selectman Bryer: Is there any savings or is this something that they could put a patch on and add it in. Ms. Garrett: I think each module we can buy individually like we do with ADS. Selectman Bryer: So we are not saving anything. My opinion is that I supported buying this financial software this year. Ms. Garrett: There was a lot of things that I cut because we had to shave it down. Selectman Bryer motion to purchase the updated financial software in the amount of $23,600. Selectman Hodgdon second motion. Motion carries 3/0. Selectman Bryer: I like the idea of getting a timekeeping system and put it in this year s budget. Put it in this year s budget but ask them if they can hold that price till March. Here s my opinion, I think you need to bring in employees and have them take a look at the software. A lot of times when we design software at the State or commercial software packages I am not talking about everyone I am talking about the department heads and the ones who have to deal with approving the timesheets. There may be departments that do not want to work with this software so before we make a decision, we might want to reach out to the PD and FD and have them come in to take a look at this software package. I do not want to make this decision and ram it down their throats. Ms. Garrett: I am thinking that what I would like to do is have Tyler Technologies come in and do a presentation for the whole town. Let me get a hold of ADS and see if they will do that for us. Selectman Bryer: Let s put in $8K and make sure that they are going to hold that price. I guess we could adjust it at Budget Committee if we had to. Ms. Garrett: I will find out. Official as of December 12,

12 Engineering: Selectman Bryer: I think the engineering discussion is going to be slightly lengthy. What does our agenda look like next meeting? Mr. Gunter: Comparable to tonight. Selectman Hodgdon: We could start right off with that. Selectman Bryer: Yes, let s start right off with that next meeting. Selectman Hodgdon: Even if we make it like one of our appointments. Resignation: Selectman Bryer motion to accept the resignation of Roger Belanger from the Zoning Board of Adjustment with regret. Selectman Hodgdon seconds motion. Motion carries 3/0. Selectman Bryer: Could we send out a letter of thank you for his services. Selectman Bryer motion to allow the Lions Club to sponsor ice racing in January, February and March, 2018 ice conditions permitting. Selectman Hodgdon seconds motion. After discussion: Motion carried 3/0. Selectman Hodgdon: Maybe we can have our Rec Department do something to coincide with that when they are having them. Chair Wolf: Like a kid s day or family day. Selectman Hodgdon: Something that would tie into it somehow. Appointment: Selectman Bryer motion to appoint Elaine St. Jean to the Economic Development Committee in the Town of Northwood. Term to expire as of March 15, Chair Wolf seconds motion. Motion carries 3/0. Fire Department Grant - $6,000 for Warm Zone Equipment Mr. Gunter: This would award $6,000 in equipment for example if there is a school shooting etc. Selectman Bryer: This is 100% funded? Mr. Gunter: Yes. Selectman Bryer motion to approve acceptance of 2017 Homeland Security Grant for the EMS Warm Zone equipment in the amount of $6,000. Selectman Hodgdon seconds motion. Motion carried 3/0. Selectman Bryer motion to allow Chairman Rick Wolf execute this grant on behalf of the Town. Selectman Hodgdon seconds motion. Motion carried 3/0. Official as of December 12,

13 Reports Town Administrator s Report Mr. Gunter: You have seen that the fire truck is out there. We have taken possession but I did not want to release the funds until the Board saw the truck. At this point we are going to release the funds for payment for the truck and the jaws-of-life. Selectman Hodgdon: Before we do that, we need to figure what the balances are at as we did not have enough to cover both. Selectman Bryer: We had somebody say that is okay for us to do this? Mr. Gunter: Yes, we checked with legal and they agree it is legal. Selectman Bryer motion to approve releasing funds for the new fire truck and jaws-of-life. Selectman Hodgdon seconds motion. After Discussion: Motion carried 3/0. Chair Wolf: We are not over budget, right? Mr. Gunter: No, we are under budget. Selectman Bryer: We are getting some money back, right? Mr. Gunter: We are not getting money back, we are just not spending it. It is a loan. Chair Wolf: I would like to thank everybody for their patience; we didn t go over budget. We spent what we planned originally. The company that the Fire Department was dealing with got into financial problems and went out of business but there were no added costs to the taxpayers and the truck is here. Mr. Gunter: Just for your information, I have given you draft warrant articles. The time is short now with the budget committee meeting December 2 nd. There will be another meeting after that to deal with warrant articles but you guys can look over these and tell me what you think. Selectman Hodgdon: I was looking at them and noticed that there are a few new ones that shows we have already voted on. Mr. Gunter: This is my draft which I copied from some other ones and inserted those. Selectman Bryer: I am not pointing fingers but there were some minor mistakes in past years on the warrant articles. Have we addressed those mistakes so that they do not happen again this year? Mr. Gunter: Yes, last year we had trouble with the defib payment which was my error but was straightened out. Chair Wolf: This article 15 concerns me. It has to do with the other end of town. Mr. Gunter: That is a new law that the State just passed saying you can give businesses an abatement incentive. Selectman Hodgdon: I see that we have a backhoe and a dump truck that we want. Don t you think we are asking for a little much there? Mr. Gunter: That is in there because it is mentioned in the capital improvement plan. Selectman Hodgdon: When did we decide to put the dump truck in the capital improvement plan? Mr. Gunter: The Board can choose to keep all or none of these, but it is part of the capital improvement plan. Selectman Hodgdon: That gets put on by a committee and then we get to decide what to do with it? Mr. Gunter: The Planning Board decides the capital improvement plan. Selectmen Hodgdon: Then we decide whether or not we want to do it. Mr. Gunter: Yes. Chair Wolf: I have been to every meeting and I do not know how that came about. Selectman Bryer: I think I can explain how this Official as of December 12,

14 happened. We have a capital improvement plan and I do not think the Planning Board actually suggested this. The capital improvement plan was approved by the Planning Board and this document was created from that. Mr. Gunter: This is not for voting right now but just so you can review it. It would be hard to make decisions like that. It is a lot to digest. Chair Wolf: How did the truck come into it this year? The last thing I heard was that in the last year the truck was good for another couple of years. Now we want to purchase a new truck. Mr. Gunter: This is part of the capital improvement plan and the Board says they do not want to do that then it will not happen. Selectman Bryer: How old is the truck? Chair Wolf: It is at least twenty years old. We do have some newer, smaller trucks. We do not have to decide this tonight. Mr. Gunter: I did get a quote for the gate. This one was $12K. Selectman Hodgdon: What kind of gate was it? Mr. Gunter: The kind of gate that goes all the way across. If it slides one way it goes on the neighbor s property and if it slides the other way it will block the ramp where the backhoe loads the sand. Chair Wolf: Why would it be down that far? Mr. Gunter: Because that is where the Board requested it be placed. Selectman Hodgdon: Maybe a drawbridge type. Selectman Bryer: I kind of like the sliding type gate. If we have to relocate the gate either up or down, we can. Ms. Garrett presented revised budget page 4: It changes the budget to $104,781 which is an increase by the $8K, which changes the bottom line on the last page total decrease in the budget is $52,738 not counting warrants or warrants that would be dumped into the budget is $3,570,424. Selectman Bryer: So, we have to approve the bottom line. Selectman Hodgdon motion to approve the 2018 proposed budget for $3,570,424. Selectman Bryer seconds motion. Motion carried 3/0. Ms. Garrett: My next one is the default budget including the contract changes for oil, etc. Selectman Hodgdon motion to approve the default budget for $3,535,680. Selectman Bryer seconds motion. After Discussion: Motion carried 3/0. Selectman Bryer: So, all these adjustments have been made? Ms. Garrett: Yes, I just need it to get it to DRA so that they can process it and come back with a signature page for the Board to sign and then I have to upload it to the website. Selectman Hodgdon: Joe, the clothing line for the transfer station are they going to be able to use that before March or do they have to wait for the budget to be approved. Mr. Gunter: They are going to have to wait. Selectman Bryer: Are we planning on letting them get this once a year regardless? I think the fact that the budget overall is a lot lower that there wouldn t be a problem with it. The winter is coming up and the Official as of December 12,

15 reason we put the money in there was so that they would have winter gear. Selectman Hodgdon: I think within the next month, let them go down there and get it. Mr. Gunter: I ll just let them know and they can do it when they want. Selectman Hodgdon: Are they all on the list to purchase at the hardware store? There is a list of who is allowed to buy down there. Mr. Gunter: I am not sure. Citizen s Forum There was some discussion between the Board and audience about the winter gear and the use of the fluorescent vests. Non-Public Session Selectman Bryer motion to go into Non-Public Session per RSA 91-A:3, II (a) and (b). Selectman Hodgdon seconds motion. Motion carried 3/0. Roll Call Chair Wolf: Yes Selectman Bryer: Yes Selectman Hodgdon: Yes Board went into Non-Public Session at 9:01 P.M. Selectman Hodgdon motion to return to Public Session. Selectman Bryer seconds motion. Motion carried 3/0. Roll Call Chair Wolf: Yes Selectman Bryer: Yes Selectman Hodgdon: Yes Board returned to Public Session at 9:45 P.M. Selectman Hodgdon motion to approve hiring Stewart Smith for on-call plow truck driver for labor Grade IV, Step 7 ($13.15) pending background check. Selectman Bryer second motion. Motion carried 3/0. Selectman Hodgdon motion to approve hiring William Behrmann for on-call for necessary basis as plow truck driver for labor Grade IV, Step 7 ($13.15) pending background check. Selectman Bryer second motion. Motion carried 3/0. Official as of December 12,

16 Selectman Hodgdon motion to seal the Non-Public Session Minutes of November 14, Selectman Bryer seconds motion. Motion carried 3/0. Roll Call Chair Wolf: Yes Selectman Bryer: Yes Selectman Hodgdon: Yes Adjournment Selectman Hodgdon motion to adjourn. Selectman Bryer second motion. Motion carried 3/0. Meeting adjourned at 9:59 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Delores Fritz Official as of December 12,