BOS Minutes 04-12-2005

APPROVED

TOWN OF PELHAM

BOARD OF SE= LECTMEN MEETING

MINUTES

April 12, 2005

APPROVED – April 26, 2005

CALL TO ORDER

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

PRESENT:

Mr. Victor Danevich, Mr. Harold Lynde, Mr. Jean-Guy Bergeron, Mr. Edmund Gleason, Mr. Tom Domenico, Mr. Tom Gaydos, Town Administrator

Also present:

ABSENT:

Members of the press and general public.

None.

&nbs= p;

The Chairman, Victor Danevich, opened the meeting at approximately 6:30 pm.

MINUTES RE= VIEW

March 29, 2005=

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Bergeron/Gleason) To approve the March 29, 2005 meeting mi= nutes as amended. <= /p>

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

The amendment to the minutes was as follows: page 3, 3= ^rd paragraph- sentence reading ‘…funding there was possibly funding available…’ shall be amended to read ‘…funding was = available..’; page 5, Selectmen Appointments – ‘Joint Law Safety Committee= 217; shall be amended to read ‘Joint Loss Safety Committee’;

OPEN FORUM=

None.

APPOINTMEN= TS

Joyce McDe= vitt – Pelham Community Spirit

Ms. Joyce McDevitt of Pelham Community Spirit met with= the Selectmen. She said when the committee first became aware that the monies for the Independence Day Celebration were in question they agreed that the Town would better use the money to help with the budget shortages.&n= bsp; She said they turned to the community and asked for help. On behalf of Pelham Community Spir= it Group Ms. McDevitt expressed most sincere thanks to those who contributed toward the 2005 Independence Day Celebration. In one week they were able to coll= ect $6500. All those who contribu= ted were thanked.

Introducti= on of Police Officer, Brian McCarthy

Police Chief Evan Haglund introduced Officer Brian McC= arthy who is a resident of Pelham and has an extensive background in law enforcement. The Selectmen we= lcomed Officer McCarthy.

Officer Co= mmendation – Theresa A. Ferrante

Mr. Danevich read aloud the Officer Commendation of Th= eresa A. Ferrante as provided to the Selectmen by Police Chief Evan Haglund. In performance of the 136^{th New Hampshire Police Academy,
Officer Ferrante was the first female recipient of the highest level of
physical fitness award as well as placing second highest in academics. Officer Ferrante was congratulated=
by
the Selectmen.}

Promotion = Ceremony

Police Chief Evan Haglund discussed Lieutenant Joseph = Roark’s career with the Police Department. Mr. Danevich said the Selectmen were unanimous in their support of Lieutenant Roark’s promotion to Captain. Mr. Danevich swore Lieutenant Roar= k in as Captain of the Pelham Police Department. The Selectmen congratulated Captain Roark.

OTHER BUSI= NESS

Reschedule Mansur’s License Hearing

Mr. Gaydos said it was an annual event that the Town received applications for junkyard licenses and scheduled public hearings f= or such; in preparation there were various inspectors that went to the sites a= nd perform a number of routine inspections and review items with the state. He said public hearings are not scheduled until the Town had all the information. Mr. Gaydos said he asked the Chair= man to reschedule the Mansur license hearing because the Town didn’t have all the information. He said they= were in the process of gathering the information for the other applicants as well.

Mr. Danevich asked if any temporary action was needed.= Mr. Gaydos answered no; the Town h= ad no reason to believe that anyone had changed obviously if any information was received a cease and desist would be issued. There was a brief discussion regar= ding the time in which the Town receives applications and if they should be obta= ined and reviewed prior to the expiration date of March 31^st. Mr. Gaydos informed that everyone = who has a valid junkyard license (or variation there of) had made application.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Mr. Gleason was concerned by the f= act that the Town had no schedule from the state as to when they will complete their portion. Mr. Gaydos said there were only two (of the six applications) which the Town asked for comm= ent on (because of State Consent Decrees).&nbs= p; He said the Town could inform applicants that the license will expire and they had to re-apply 60-days in advance of expiration to file for renew= al. He was unsure if a Town Meeting vo= te would be needed because it would be an ordinance change. Mr. Lynde believed it would be in = the Selectmen’s purview because they had adopted the Junkyard Ordinance.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>

Mr. Bergeron stepped down as a Selectman and addressed= the Board from the public.

Mr. Bergeron said he was an applicant and discussed th= e fact that up until the year 2000 anyone with an existing license only had to req= uest a renewal. Since the year 200= 0, the Town set up an ordinance in which the inspectors reviewed the sites.

Mr. Domenico asked if the expiration date could be changed. Mr. Gaydos believed = the expiration date was regulated by the state. He noted that April 1^st= was used for assessing purposes. = Mr. Danevich suggested adding junkyard application process to the Selectmen priority list. Mr. Domenico a= sked that Mr. Gaydos provide the Selectmen with a status update of the inspectio= ns prior to the next meeting.

Mr. Bergeron rejoined the Board.

Little League/Razorbacks Agreement

Mr. Danevich said the Selectmen had been provided with= a copy of the Little League/Razorbacks Agreement and asked if they wanted to = take action to sign such. Mr. Glea= son believed it was the same agreement as was signed last year and acceptable to him from the ‘other side of the table’. There were no other comments. The Selectmen signed the agreement= .

Selectmen&= #8217;s Priority List

Mr. Danevich said the Selectmen had been assembling a priority list over the last three meetings. He had asked each Board member to = write down the items they would like the Selectmen to accomplish in 2005. He believed there were sixty-five = items contained on a ‘tracking’ worksheet.

Mr. Danevich lead a discussion in which the Selectmen = began to prioritize the items contained on the priority worksheet; certain items = were combined.

* See below for continued discussion.

APPOINTMEN= TS CONTINUED…..

Continuati= on of Interviews

Mr. Bob Yarmo= – was unable to attend the meeting and would be rescheduled on the next agenda.

Mr. James McM= anus – met with the Board to discuss his application to be a Planning Board Alternate. He said he w= as a developer and had some extra time and would like to help out. Mr. Lynde asked if Mr. McManus anticipated any item that would come before the Board that would be a confl= ict of interest with him being a member. Mr. McManus said he had no developments or property in the Town; the next three years he has worked lined up outside the community. He said if there was a conflict, he would step down.

Mr. Danevich made a recommendation that the Selectmen = not take action until speaking with Mr. Yarmo.

Department= Head Meeting Re: Budget Impacts

Mr. Gaydos said the Selectmen had the most questions regarding the following three departments, which is why he asked them to discuss with the Selectmen and the public what was happening with each.

Highway Agent= – Don Foss – Mr. Gaydos began by reviewing an outlined drafted by M= r. Foss which was essentially comprised of two sections: 1) operational maintenance; and 2) road improvement projects. The road improvement projects plan= ned for completion in 2005 are 1) Ledge Road – removal/replacement of approximately 16,900 square yards of failed road – projected cost $87,787; 2) Poplar Hill Road – maintenance, sealing and paving of approximately 4700 square yards of failed road – projected cost $22,870. The projects that ar= e not scheduled due to lack of funding are: 1) Hayden Road, 8800 square yards = 211; projected cost $33,474; 2) Plower Road (completing road project from 2004) = – projected cost $13,470; 3) Pelham Road .2 miles of engineering and construc= tion - projected cost - $86,940; and 4) Dutton Road (Atwood Road to Island Pond Road) 7000 square yards reconstruction/renovation– projected cost $32= ,000. He then reviewed the operational/maintenance budget, and which items that were eliminated. Mr. Gaydos ended by saying of the $406,000 budget it was expected that all would be spent except for $13,800.=

The Selectmen discussed the items that were being defe= rred and/or cut and the impacts to the Town.&nb= sp; It was Mr. Foss’ intention to come back and request for next y= ear all the items that had been cut this year.= There were concerns with safety given the cuts being made. It was noted that once the remaini= ng $38,000 in contingency monies (that are allocated to accommodate the expect= ed growth in fuel/minerals) are expended there would be no contingencies in the maintenance budget. The plann= ed projects for Ledge Road and Poplar Hill Road were discussed; Mr. Foss didn’t recommend deferring either. Mr. Gleason suggested revisiting t= he status of the buffer at a later date at which time other possible options c= ould be reviewed. Mr. Gaydos agree= d that close monitoring of the budgets and status updates would occur.

Recreation Di= rector – Darren McCarthy – Mr. McCarthy reviewed the budget and discussed the proposed expenditures. He then outlined the recommended programs for 2005 and which programs would be limited or eliminated. He reviewed items that he would like to address this year: 1) resurface playgr= ound at Muldoon Park; 2) purchase signs for Veteran’s Memorial Park; 3) update safety equipment (used by lifeguar= ds); 4) tennis court resurfacing at Veteran’s Memorial Park. He discussed the areas that would = be further cut if contingency funds were needed. The Selectmen thanked Mr. McCarthy= for the update and the backup documentation.

Police Chief = – Evan Haglund – Police Chief Evan Haglund met with the Selectmen a= nd reviewed the Police Department’s budget which reflected the $112,000 increase (given from the Highway Department’s budget). He informed of the staffing issues= and said there was one vacant patrol sergeant position, one vacant patrol offic= er position, one patrol sergeant was on light duty status and one patrol offic= er was out (for approximately 6 weeks) on workman’s compensation; the go= al was to replace the existing vacant positions and be at full staffing level = by the end of the year. The budg= et reflected the restoration of the School Resource Officer due to be reinstated in May, once the patrol officer was back from Workman’s Compensation.

Mr. Danevich read aloud a letter submitted by the Scho= ol Board thanking those responsible who helped continue the position.

Mr. Gleason asked if the Town could approach the School Board about sharing the cost for the School Resource Officer. Chief Haglund’s concern was = that the position was no longer a grant position, but the Police Department̵= 7;s position and control would be somewhat of an issue. If there was a cost sharing with t= he school, they would have some type of say as to how the officer could be implemented. Chief Haglund sa= id the officer not only did school duties, but was also a juvenile detective (with increased cases). If the scho= ol began specifying the dates they wanted the officer available, it would rest= rict the Police Department’s ability to utilize that resource to the best = of the department’s ability. Mr. Gleason agreed that the Town would never want to relinquish control, but fe= lt a cost sharing ratio should be pursued/reviewed based upon actual time spent = at the school. Chief Haglund agr= eed as long as it was understood that the Police Department would have the ultimate control of the position. Mr. Danevich suggested that the Selectmen add the School Resource Officer to th= eir priority list.

OTHER BUSI= NESS CONTINUED…..

Selectmen&= #8217;s Priority List Cont….

The Selectmen went back to the review of the priority = list and continued the process of prioritizing the items. Once review was completed, Mr. Dan= evich said he would update the worksheet and provide the Selectmen with copies.

Codificati= on Project Update

Mr. Lynde explained that the codification process was = to try and assemble all the Town’s codes into one book for easy review. In the past a company had been cont= racted who gathered all information from the Town and provided recommended changes= and a critique. Department heads = and the Selectmen had reviewed; a subcommittee was formed to review the comments. Mr. Lynde said at t= his point decisions had to be made as to what action was needed by either the Selectmen, Town Meeting or Planning Board.= Each month, Mr. Lynde will provide the Selectmen with sections for r= eview so decisions could be made as to what action should occur.

Communicat= ions Project Update

Since the last meeting, Mr. Domenico had discussions w= ith the Pelham-Windham News, who would be featuring a regular article that woul= d be informational to the voters regarding current Town events. He said he would coordinate a schedule. There was no object= ion to Mr. Domenico coordinating the effort of providing information to voters. Mr. Danevich asked that a communic= ation plan be drafted that outlined the five or six topics that needed to be communicated (i.e. revaluation, default budget). He wanted the Selectmen to think a= bout how the Selectmen could be more accessible to the public. Mr. Domenico said he encountered p= eople who wanted to better understand the process of how things were controlled in Town (i.e. what goes to Town Meeting, why there are non-public sessions). He will provide a draft schedule a= t the next meeting for review.

Budget Pro= cess/CIP Update

Mr. Gleason said he had put together a strategy and wa= nted the Selectmen’s concurrence for the approach. He wanted the Selectmen to be able= to establish budget growth recommendation for the departments. He intended to put together an evaluation that would inform what type of growth could be tolerated by the = Town without seriously impacting the bottom line figures. He also wanted to review the budget structure; using the default budget as the base line (calling on department= s to define their default). Mr. Gl= eason said he would also like to make some predeterminations on fuel and salary increases (to be factored into the budget) so when going to the Budget Committee for review, everyone would be working from the same information.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Mr. Gleason said it was incumbent = upon the Selectmen to issue objectives for growth and require departments to sub= mit justification if they exceed such. He suggested scheduling interim reviews with the departments for bud= get review. He wanted the Selectm= en to draft a time-phase budget schedule so the departments were aware of when budgets should be completed and submitted.

Mr. Gleason said both CIP and the Budget Committee were agreeable to meeting with the Selectmen in a work environment to review the= CIP defined priorities and set guidelines for the coming year as well as the ne= xt five years. He said in the wo= rk sessions, the methodology employed for paying for projects should also be reviewed. He said everyone ne= eded to look at warrant articles, and if safety was an issue he said the Selectm= en should consider placing critical safety items in the budget. Separating needs and wants would be important.

Mr. Bergeron asked if Mr. Gleason had worked with a de= fault budget during his appointment on the Budget Committee. Mr. Gleason answered no. Mr. Bergeron said certain departme= nts may need a higher percentage increase next year due to working within the default budget, unless a special Town Meeting was held. He felt Mr. Gleason’s sugges= tion would be good once the budget was back ‘on track’. Mr. Gleason said the strategy was = to analyze what the growth potential would be, however because of working with= a default budget this year, next year’s budget may have to incorporate = an extraordinary growth to compensate. He believed the Selectmen should be able to go to the Budget Committ= ee and tell them what the anticipated tax rate would be based upon the budget.= He said the sooner the Budget Comm= ittee and CIP get involved will help them be part of the solution.

There were no objections to Mr. Gleason’s propos= ed plan.

TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT / SELECTMEN’S REPORTS=

Mr. Gaydos summarized the items he had been working on= : 1) discussing default budget with department heads; 2) accounting office worki= ng on MuniSmart installation; 3) closing out 2003 audit (compliance with GASB = 34) and beginning 2004 audit; 4) review emphasis on 3^rd party engine= ers (with Planning Department); 5) a lot of activity in the Assessing Departmen= t; 6) awaiting response from the Department of Revenue Administration regarding revaluation; and 7) ‘tying’ up outstanding legal issues.

Mr. Domenico said he attended a meeting of the Sherbur= ne Hall Committee, was brought up to speed regarding the current status. He said progress was being made; he and Mr. Gaydos would be active participants.

Mr. Bergeron informed that the Council on Aging held t= heir monthly meeting last Thursday and now had a new slate of officers they would like the Selectmen to approve. He said the next Merrimack Valley Water District meeting would be held on Apri= l 21^st, which he would attend; the Fire Chief would not due to a schedule conflict = of a HazMat meeting. He said lette= rs dated April 4, 20= 05 were drafted by the Department of Transportation Commissioner Carol Murray regarding the Town Center project and = sent to the Senators and Congressmen. He said April 20^th would be the next meeting of the Joint Loss Safe= ty Committee. Mr. Bergeron ended= by saying the three NRPC Commissioners met on March 16^th at NRPC to review a draft of a regional bicycle and pedestrian plan which would be forwarded to the Selectmen for review; if there are any suggestions they sh= ould be forwarded to one of the commissioners.&= nbsp;

Mr. Lynde informed that a celebration of Bill McDevitt’s Town service would be held at Chunky’s on April 17th from 5pm-7pm. He noted that the Park & Recre= ation Advisory Board would meet on Monday. <= /p>

Mr. Gleason asked that the Selectmen consider setting a meeting in May to meet with CIP and the Budget Committee.

Mr. Danevich said the Skate Park was under construction. Mr. L= ynde noted that the Skate Park rules and regulations had been drafted by the Park & Recreation Department. Mr. Danevich said the rules and regulations would need to be reviewed and adopted by Selectmen. The anticipated opening of the par= k was the end of May.

REQUEST FOR NON-PUBLIC SESSION

MOTION:=

(Lynde/Gleason) Request for a non-public session per= RSA 91-A:3,II,(c)(d) (Matters which, if discussed publicly, would affect adversely the reputation of any person; Consideration of acquisition, sal= e or lease of property)

ROLL CALL:<= /b>

Mr. Danevich-Yes; Mr. Lynde-Yes; Mr. Bergeron-Yes; M= r. Gleason-Yes;

Mr. Domenico-Yes

Mr. Danevich noted that when the Board returned, after= the non-public session, the Board would not take any other action publicly, exc= ept to seal the minutes of the non-public session and to adjourn the meeting. The Board entered into a non-public session at approximately 9:= 45 pm. Also present was Mr. Gaydos.

The Board returned to public session at approximately<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> pm.

MOTION:=

() To seal the minutes of the non-public session indefinitely.

VOTE:

() The motion

ADJOURNMEN= T

MOTION:<= o:p>

() To adjourn the meeting.

VOTE:

() The motion

The meeting was adjourned at approximately pm.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Respe= ctfully submitted,

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Chari= ty A. L. Willis

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Recor= ding Secretary