SEL20100907

APPROVED

TOWN OF PELHAM

BOARD OF SE= LECTMEN MEETING

MINUTES

September 7, 2010

APPROVED - = October 5, 2010

CALL TO ORDER – 6:30pm

PRESENT:

Mr. Douglas Viger, Mr. = Edmund Gleason, Mr. Robert Haverty, Mr. Harold Lynde (arrived after the meeting commenced), Town Administrator Tom Gaydos

ABSENT:

Mr. William McDevitt

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

MINUTES REVIEW

Augus= t 24, 2010

MOTION:

(Gleason/Haver= ty) To approve the Au= gust 24, 2010 meeting minutes as amended.

VOTE:

(3-0-0) The mo= tion carried.

OPEN FORUM

Mr. William Pultar, 7 Berthel Street, came forward to speak with the Selectmen regarding an issue that he had discussed with them several times. He stated that he was trying to resolve an ongoing dispute with the = Town regarding a policy he had questions with.&= nbsp; He wanted to know if the Town had a policy and if it had been enacted. Mr. Gleason said Mr. Pultar was mixing up statements. He said former Selectmen Domenico referred to a “policy” which was actually a Frequently Asked Questions (“FAQ”) sheet put out by = the Planning Department after the incident with Mr. Pultar. This FAQ sheet detailed what an applicant’s rights were relative to appeals. In 2006, after Mr. Gleason met wit= h Mr. Pultar and reviewed the entire scenario it indicated that the Selectmen wou= ld institute a policy that would prohibit incidents from happening again. Mr. Gleason stated that he wrote a policy that the Selectmen adopted in 2006 which dealt with employees and tax payers and how a tax payer files a grievance and what would be done with it. He noted that the policy = had been given to Mr. Pultar three times and that it was the only policy that w= as ever issued. He said he infor= med Mr. Pultar, at the time the policy was adopted, that they could not go back= and change the circumstances; they could only allow that it wouldn’t happ= en to anyone else. At the time, = Mr. Pultar was satisfied with that answer.&nbs= p;

Mr. Viger stated that the= policy adopted by the Board of Selectmen had been sent to Mr. Pultar three times.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> He said they would act on the poli= cy if the same circumstances happened again.&nbs= p; The policy was put in place to address the issue brought forth by Mr. Pultar. Mr. Viger thanked Mr. Pultar for coming forward. He= said the Selectmen had discussed the issue as much as they were going to in publ= ic forum. He recessed the Selectmen’s meeting. &nbs= p;

APPOINTMENTS:

Mr. Viger opened the meet= ing and invited Fire Chief Jim Midgley forward for his appointment.

Fire Chief Jim Midgley – New Employee / Promotion Introductions:

New Call Department members – Jacob Corbin and Jeff Gariepy

New Full Time Firefighter/EMT Andrew Cardwell

Promotion: Lieutenant/Paramedic James Foley

Fire Chief Jim Midgley ca= me forward to introduce the new Fire Department employees. He discussed their training and qualifications. The Selectmen welcomed the new employees. C= hief Midgley brought James Foley forward. He discussed Mr. Foley’s employment with the Fire Department, = the various training he had done and his qualifications. Chief Midgley then congratulated M= r. Foley on his promotion to Lieutenant/Paramedic. The Selectmen also offered their congratulations.

Mr. Viger commended Chief= Midgley for finding people to hire who were from within the community.

Police Chief Joseph Roark – Pawn Shop Ordinance=

Mr. Viger said the Select= men had discussed a pawn shop ordinance and felt with the Police Chief’s direction it was time to enact an ordinance.

Police Chief Joseph Roark= came forward to discuss the Pawn Shop Ordinance. He said the origin of the ordinanc= e was from other towns that had similar ordinances. He noted that Pelham didn’t = have any type of pawn shop or second hand type of business. He said as the economy turns for t= he worse, this type of business seemed to do well. Chief Roark said the purpose of the ordinance was to have something in place should that type of business open up. He explained that the ord= inance would allow the Police Department to have a formal interaction with the business so they would report on a regular basis what they were taking in.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> The Police would then be abl= e to match the information up with theft reports and investigate further. Chief Roark said anyone in this ty= pe of business understood that ordinances existed.

Mr. Lynde arrived.

Mr. Gleason questioned ho= w the ordinance may affect consignment stores.&n= bsp; Chief Roark said there was certain language for specific businesses; which could be extended to clothing stores. In his opinion, a consignment shop= was slightly different because the ownership of the item was not transferred to= the business, it was consigned. H= e said that type of system was not prone to high value theft items. He didn’t feel a consignment= shop would fall under the statute.

Mr. Viger asked if the or= dinance language had been reviewed by Town Counsel. Mr. Gaydos stated that the languag= e had been reviewed after the first completion.&= nbsp; He believed it would need Town Meeting vote and would be reviewed pr= ior to that.

Chief Roark noted that the ordinance was not designed to be obstructive or prohibitive to that type of business. It was drafted to c= reate a framework and an understanding for anyone wanting to start that type of business.

There were no further questions.

Planning Director Jeff Gowan & PEDC: New PEDC Website Goes Live

Planning Director Jeff Go= wan came forward and introduced Sharon Atwood, Chair of the Pelham Economic Developm= ent Committee (‘PEDC’). Ms. Atwood named the members of the PEDC and introduced website designer MaryAnn Pfeiffer of 108 Degrees. She = said the committee had worked cooperatively on their website project with Ms. Pfeiffer. Ms. Pfeiffer discus= sed the approach taken to design and create the PEDC website. There was a presentation of the li= ve website showing the information available and the ease of navigation. www.choosepelhamnh.com

The Selectmen were apprec= iative for the work done by the Committee in creating such an informative website.

Mr. Gowan noted if anyone= was interested in joining the PEDC they could contact him for a volunteer application.

Peter Zohdi of Herbert Associates– Development Approvals: =

Coleman (off Bear Hill Road) – 1) approval of Limits of Munic= ipal Liability agreement; 2) private driveway name; and 3) permission for Planni= ng Director to approve issuance of building permits for two lots with no front= age on a Town road (frontage variance approved by Board of Adjustment)

Mr. Peter Zohdi of Herbert Associates came forward to discuss items regarding the Coleman subdivision = (off Bear Hill Road). He reviewed the plan and informed = that he had been to the Zoning Board of Adjustment requesting a variance to subdivide the parcel into three lots; one lot having approximately 50-feet = of frontage, the other two lots containing the required frontage on Mammoth Road. Since that time, they had worked w= ith Planning Director Jeff Gowan and decided they may not want driveways on Mammoth Road. Mr. Zohdi showed the existing driv= eway from Mammoth Road that was used prior to Bea= r Hill Road being constructed. He said now that the parcel was be= ing divided into three lots, they would like to add a private drive off Bear Hill Road for the two new lots and discontinue usage of the driveway from Mammoth Road. He said to obtain a Building Permi= t, the Board of Selectmen would need to approve the project allowing the three lot= s to have access from Bear Hill= Road versus Mammoth Road. Mr. Zohdi stated that Mr. Gowan se= nt the case to the Town’s Attorney (John Ratigan) for opinion. He said they had two choices, the = first was to come to the Selectmen and ask for permission to have a Building Perm= it issued, the second was to request an appeal of Mr. Gowan’s opinion fr= om the Zoning Board of Adjustment. He said they chose to come to the Selectmen and request that the lots be serve= d by a private driveway. As part of having a private driveway state law requires that the town not be liable for it. Mr. Zohdi informed that h= is client’s attorney, Bill Mason, wrote an agreement and forwarded it to Attorney Ratigan for review. = The document, indicating that the Town would have no responsibility for the pri= vate driveway, would be recorded with the final plan. A report from the Highway Safety Committee was forwarded to the Selectmen.&= nbsp;

Mr. Viger confirmed that = the homeowners would be responsible for the paving, plowing and maintenance. Mr. Zohdi said the homeowners woul= d be responsible for everything. M= r. Viger asked how it would be listed with the property. Mr. Zohdi said the covenant writte= n by Attorney Mason would be recorded with the plan. He noted that his client had alrea= dy signed the document.

Mr. Gaydos wanted to know= what the three green boxes depicted on the plan were. Mr. Zohdi explained they were the = four thousand square foot areas for leach beds.= He said when submitting the plan to the state, they require that each lot could facilitate a leaching system.&nb= sp;

Mr. Gleason recalled that= there had been some water/drainage problems on the bottom of Bear Hill. He asked if consideration had been= given to the impact of water flowing down hill.&= nbsp; Mr. Gowan said the concerns were raised and dealt with at the Planni= ng Board meeting. He said having= extra driveways (even if they were flat) on Mammoth Road would be of fair concern. He explained that when lots are developed the pre- and post-development (drainage) had to remain the same.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> He discussed his experience on the= site and commented in wintertime the existing drainage system didn’t always work perfectly and sometimes had too much ice pile up. He believed the proposed lots were= far enough back on the hill and would not have an impact on the problems that h= ad been experienced on Bear H= ill Road. Mr. Gowan noted that the plan had = gone through many configurations and had now ended up with a more modest plan. Mr. Gleason was worried about the topographical change and increased water flow. Mr. Zohdi reviewed the area being referred to and noted they had done a site walk to = Mammoth Road. He said the problem with the drain= age was due to the state highway department not maintaining it properly such as cleaning the ditch line etc. = It was not a problem with the Bear Hill subdivision. Mr. Gleason questioned if the priv= ate drive would feed additional water into the existing drainage system. He was concerned with adding to the existing flow on Bear Hill. M= r. Gowan guaranteed if the driveways (to be added) were graded in such a way to put water onto the Bear Hi= ll Road cul-de-sac, it would be changed prior to be signed off on.

Mr. Haverty asked if a pu= blic hearing was required, or if it was a Selectmen matter. Mr. Gowan said it was a Selectmen matter; it was not the same as a road layout. Mr. Haverty commented that the E911 Regulations require that the driveway be named. Mr. Gowan said there were three th= ings that the Selectmen would need to act on: 1) give him permission to issue a building permit; 2) accept and sign the limit of municipal liability agreem= ent; and 3) approve the driveway name. He commented that the owner of the project had suggested Wild Turkey Lane, which had no conflict with any existing names.

Mr. Gaydos commented that= the site inspection was conducted by Steven Keach of Keach-Nordstrom (Town Engineer)= . He read a portion of a comment let= ter submitted by Mr. Keach regarding drainage flow. In order to attempt to address the deficiencies, Mr. Keach recommended the area situated between the outer edg= e of the graveled shoulder and the westerly line of the = Mammoth Road right-of-way be carefu= lly re-graded to create a defined swale. The swale will be constructed such that it slopes from north to sout= h in order to direct runoff to an existing culvert inlet location adjacent to the south easterly corner of lot 3-130. Mr. Keach also recommended (in his letter) that the base of the swal= e be excavated to a depth of not less than 18inches below finish grade over a wi= dth of not more than 36inches and be back filled with crushed stone in order to create a french drain.

Mr. Lynde asked if the To= wn had driveway requirements. Mr. Go= wan answered yes and explained that the Site Plan Regulations had been changed = to require the first twenty feet of a driveway not exceed five percent slope so there is a landing area; the slope from the beginning to the end of the driveway (where structures are located) should not have a slope of more than ten percent. The drainage wil= l have to remain on the subject parcels. Mr. Lynde questioned if the slope requirements could be met if the Selectmen tu= rned the request down. Mr. Gowan s= aid there would have to be several switch backs, which is not what the Highway Safety Committee or the Planning Board were trying to achieve. Mr. Lynde wanted to know what bene= fit there was for the Town to grant waivers.&n= bsp; Mr. Gowan said it was a matter of weighing the right of a property o= wner to develop their property against mitigation of impacts from development. He noted that the plan had gone th= rough a lot of review including the review by Keach-Nordstrom. The Planning Board generally doesn’t request engineering review for three-lot subdivisions, but in this case because of the steepness of the property and unusual aspects the applicant had to pay for their review.&nbs= p; Mr. Gowan said the plan seemed to be a reasonable solution for the development of the property; there was quite a process to narrow the plan d= own to what was now before the Board compared to the original plan. Mr. Lynde asked how many acres were contained in the parcel. Mr. = Zohdi said there were approximately eight acres.=

Mr. Zohdi discussed the h= ow the plan had been changed/reduced since it was first submitted. He noted that the pre- and post-development would not negatively impact the neighbors. He said he was capable of having driveways from Mammoth, but they would have switchbacks and ‘S’ curves; the whole purpose of meeting with the Selectmen was because the Planning Board and Mr. Gowan didn’t want additional driveways on Mamm= oth Road.

Mr. Lynde reviewed the co= mment letter from Keach-Nordstrom and wanted to know if certain items in question= had been addressed. Mr. Gowan sai= d the letter had been written when the plan was being submitted; everything in the letter would need to be satisfactorily addressed. Mr. Lynde wanted to know why the Regulations stipulated that common driveways should not be used. Mr. Gowan said in the past the Pla= nning Board didn’t like common driveways due to conflicts with neighbors. He noted that by right, the applic= ant could build the access from Mammoth, but it seemed ill advised from a plann= ing prospective to do so. Mr. Lyn= de questioned why the driveway was reduced to fourteen feet in width. Mr. Gowan said a fourteen foot dri= veway was a rather wide driveway. H= e said the more impervious surface, the more drainage would have to be dealt with; that part seemed to pass with the Planning Board. Mr. Lynde asked if the driveway wo= uld meet the slope requirements. = Mr. Gowan said it would have to meet the requirement. Mr. Lynde asked if the applicant w= ould be requesting a waiver. Mr. Z= ohdi said there was an existing driveway that had a positive four percent; they would= not be sending drainage back toward Bear Hill Road.&nb= sp; He said the drainage that went to Bear Hill was existing; they would= be taking the drainage in the other direction. He showed the land profile and reiterated they wouldn’t impact the drainage on Bear Hill at all.

Mr. Zohdi then discussed = the responsibility of the owner to draft a covenant so the Town was not respons= ible for the driveway. Mr. Viger s= aid if the covenant wasn’t addressed it would become the Town’s proble= m in the future.

MOTION:

(Gleason/Haver= ty) To grant approval of the limits of municipal liability agreement as proposed= and reviewed by legal.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The mo= tion carried.

MOTION:

(Gleason/Haver= ty) To allow the private driveway to be named Wild Turkey Lane.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The mo= tion carried.

MOTION:

(Gleason/Haver= ty) To grant permission for the Planning Director to approve issuance of the building permits for two lots with no frontage on a Town road.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The mo= tion carried.

Spaulding Hill Road (Skyview Estates) – 1) permission for 2007 Planning Board approved improvements to Spaulding Hill Road to proceed with construction phase; and 2) Permission for Herbert Associates to bring revis= ed Skyview Estates plan to Planning Board which entails improvements to an additional segment of Spaulding Hill Road

Mr. Peter Zohdi of Herber= t Associates came forward to discuss items in regard to the Spaulding Hill Road subdivision kno= wn as Skyview Estates. He began by showing the plan and explaining how it had been amended since first being submitted. In the past he ask= ed the Selectmen’s permission to redo a portion of <= st1:address w:st=3D"on">Spaulding Hill Road and was told to= go back in front of the Planning Board; the Planning Board approved the propos= ed improvements from station +00 to station +750. Mr. Zohdi stated he was meeting wi= th the Selectmen to ask permission to proceed with the stated improvements (phase I). He also wanted to inform = that he would be coming back to the Board in the future to request additional improvements (to 1350ft) to extend Spaulding Hill Road further enabling an additional access point (to the development) (phase II). He explained that included with th= e Spaulding Hill Road improvements, they would be improving a portion of = Marie Avenue who had some water problems. Mr. Zohdi said they= met with the telephone company and Granite State Electric in reference to moving wires.

Mr. Gleason recalled that= the Selectmen had granted permission to Mr. Zohdi to continue through the Plann= ing Board cycle. It was Mr. Zohdi’s understanding when he first met with the Selectmen was he was= to go to the Planning Board and then the construction phase. He said the (Town) staff felt he s= hould come back to the Selectmen to request a total approval.

Mr. Gowan stated that Mr.= Zohdi had previously met with the Selectmen to get permission to go to the Planni= ng Board for improvements, part of which was improving a Town road. He said the Selectmen said yes, an= d Mr. Zohdi then went to the Planning Board who approved the project. He said because the plan had sat a= few years he felt Mr. Zohdi needed permission (by the Selectmen) to exercise th= ose approved Planning Board changes. The Planning Board approval was conditional, subject to the Selectmen saying ye= s to the changes to Spaulding H= ill Road. Mr. Gowan said Mr. Zohdi was makin= g it complicated by bringing forward a plan that reconfigured aspects of the pro= ject and would necessitate extending (improvements) an additional 600ft-700ft. o= f Spaulding Hill Road. In his view, Mr. Zohdi was in fron= t of the Selectmen for permission to: 1) do the improvements to Spaulding Hill Road as the Planning= Board approved them; and 2) get the Selectmen’s permission to go back to the Planning Board to contemplate further improvements to Spaulding Hill Road.

Mr. Gleason said the Sele= ctmen had previously authorized Mr. Zohdi to go forward with his plan, providing = he meet all the requirements of the Planning Board. Now the Selectmen were being asked= to approve the change to the road. Mr. Gleason said the motion was to allow the project to continue through the Planning Board cycle, which implied Mr. Zohdi would need to go to the Plann= ing Board to process it. Mr. Gowa= n said the Selectmen would need to give approval to making the improvements to Spaulding Hill Road. Mr. Zohdi said they were covering = all bases because it was Mr. Gowan’s interpretation that they should come back to the Selectmen for permission to construct the 750ft. (of Spaulding Hill Road).

Mr. Viger also felt, in r= eading the meeting minutes when Mr. Zohdi was previously in front of the Board, th= at permission had already been granted.

Mr. Haverty believed beca= use Spaulding Hill Road was a Town road the Selectmen had to give approval to have the improvements done. Mr. Viger believed an approval was already granted.

Mr. Gleason said it appea= red that Mr. Zohdi was asking for approval to modify an existing Town road. Mr. Gowan answered yes.

Mr. Lynde asked the statu= s of lot 1-146-12. Mr. Zohdi replied t= hat at this time they were leaving the lot alone.= Mr. Lynde asked if there was any open space set aside. Mr. Zohdi said there wasn’t.= Mr. Viger redirected the conversat= ion and stated that the Selectmen were reviewing the road. Mr. Lynde commented that cul-de-sa= cs that could be through ways should be through ways to save the Town money by= the Road Agent. Mr. Gowan respond= ed to say that he was always an advocate of interconnection, but in this case if = the connection was made it would essentially create a ski slope from the roadway down to Marie Avenue; both abutters were vehemently opposed to the idea. Mr. Lynde then commented that the = lots (146-32 and 146-33)(toward Scenic View) was an added cost that the Town shouldn’t have to deal with when they plow the cul-de-sacs. Mr. Gowan stated that he would rem= ind the Planning Board that the Selectmen would prefer not to have vegetated cul-de-sacs for that reason. = Mr. Lynde noted that the road name would need reviewing. Mr. Gowan stated that Mr. Zohdi was aware he would need to submit road names.&= nbsp; Mr. Lynde confirmed that the question for the Selectmen was to concur with the request to improve the section of Spaulding Hill Road (from Marie Avenue).

Mr. Gleason proposed the following motion: To grant ap= proval of the Planning Board proposed modifications to Spaulding Hill Road including the l= atest Herbert Associates modification to that road. Mr. Haverty seconded the motion. He asked if the Selectmen were app= roving the second 600ft. (phase II), or if Mr. Zohdi was being sent to the Planning Board to discuss that section. For consistency, Mr. Gowan said the Selectmen could allow Mr. Zohdi to proceed = to the Planning Board with phase II. Mr. Gleason amended his motion.&nbs= p; Mr. Haverty amended his second.

MOTION:

(Gleason/Haver= ty) To grant approval of the proposed Planning Board modification to Spaulding Hill Road (the first 750ft).

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The mo= tion carried.

Mr. Gleason then proposed= the following motion, which was seconded by Mr. Haverty. Mr. Lynde stated he would vote aga= inst the motion because he felt it was a terrible looking subdivision and didn’t want to be part of it.

MOTION:

(Gleason/Haver= ty) To allow the project modification to Spaulding Hill Road, the additional 600ft., to continue through the Planning Board cycle.

VOTE:

(3-1-0) The motion carried. Mr. Lynde voted no.

Mr. Viger made it clear t= hat the Selectmen had voted regarding the roads.&n= bsp; They did not approve any subdivisions.

OTHER BUSINESS

Budget Reconsideration

Police Department – Mr. Haverty stated that he had previo= usly advocated for an increase for the number of hours the K-9 Officer was given= for the care of the K-9. He said through conversations with the Police Chief, it was brought to his attention there was a misunderstanding of priorities. He wanted to withdraw the money ($= 5942) he put in the budget for the K-9 Officer that represented three additional hours per week. He suggested = that the Selectmen consider putting money in the budget ($539.98 per month for s= even months – total of $3780) for the Animal Control Officer’s truck= . Mr. Gleason noted that it would represent a budget reduction of $1162.&nbs= p;

The approved budget was $2,289,006; this number will be amended to $2,286,844 based on the proposed changes and following motion. It was noted that the reduction in the budget was due to an elimination of hou= rs required to care for the K-9. Money would be added for a lease/payment of a new Animal Control Officer vehicle.=

MOTION:

(Gleason/Haver= ty) To adjust the Police Department total budget by reducing $2162 making the new budget $2,286,844

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The mo= tion carried.

Retirement – Mr. Gaydos stated that the recommended rates that the New Hampshire Retirement was suggesting to the Town to use through= June 30, 2013 h= ad been received. He reviewed the information and commented that it appeared the Town’s rates would increase (in addition to what the Selectmen had previously voted on) $153,8= 06; the new budget for retirement will be $1,248,211. Mr. Gleason noted that Retirement = had increased $300,000 this year and had increased approximately $200,000 last year. He also noted that Insu= rance had increased $171,468. The n= umbers combined represent an increase of over $400,000 to which the Town had no control over. Mr. Gaydos said= it was a retirement problem that the state would have to address because they couldn’t keep reducing the amount they were contributing (without changing the benefits) and expecting the Towns to pick up the costs. Mr. Lynde stated it was a big prob= lem and people were needed to help fix it. He said the system was poorly manage= d.

MOTION:

(Gleason/Haver= ty) To adjust the Retirement bottom line to $1,248,211.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The mo= tion carried.

Planning Department – Mr. Gaydos said the Selectmen had n= ot reached a definitive vote on what they wanted to do, such as leasing a new = car, buying an old car, paying mileage, keeping the old cruiser etc. Mr. Viger questioned what the Sele= ctmen had done. Mr. Gleason said th= ey had taken $1000 out for repairs. = Mr. Viger proposed that they review the stipend program as they did with the ot= her inspectors in Town to eliminate the use of a vehicle. Mr. Gleason said the Selectmen sho= uld discuss the situation. He sai= d the old Animal Control Officer vehicle would be available.

School Resource Officer – Mr. Lynde commented that there = had been discussion regarding putting the School Resource Officer (‘SRO’) in the budget instead of the D.A.R.E. officer. He asked if the figures had been submitted for how it could be done. Police Chief Joseph Roark (was seated in the audience) discussed how they could alter the budget to have a place marker for the position. He discussed the SRO position and = its benefits to the Town.

Mr. Haverty asked if Chie= f Roark had a preference between the SRO and the D.A.R.E. officer and which provide= d a bigger benefit. Chief Roark s= tated there was more benefit to having an officer assigned to the schools; the D.A.R.E. was a component to that task.&nbs= p; He said unquestionably anytime a patrol force could be increased from nineteen to twenty officers, there was a benefit. He said he would love to see it in= the budget, but after getting approval from the Selectmen/Budget Committee etc.= it gets turned down by the voters.

Mr. Gleason said he could= n’t support adding it to the budget because they had turned the item down in the past, but he would be agreeable to having a warrant article and pitching the case for the position.

Mr. Viger commented that = in the past they had always given the voters the opportunity to vote on new positi= ons and he didn’t want to start a precedent of adding a new position in t= he budget.

Mr. Lynde said the Select= men had tied their hands because they are trying to live by a protocol that was not established by the Board. He = said it was not in the statute and there was a need for the position in the schools. He saw the importanc= e of the position and commented that the Selectmen’s job was to see the be= nefit to the Town in the long run, such as societal costs and improving the environment for the children in school.&nb= sp;

Mr. Viger asked if the Se= lectmen wanted to ask the Budget Committee to add the position to the Police Depart= ment budget with the Selectmen’s support.= Mr. Gleason agreed with Mr.Lynde’s opinion, but noted adding a position into the budget would be a new approach and he didn’t want to damage the relationship with the Budget Committee by adding the position. He suggested having a discussion w= ith the Budget Committee and see if they would be willing to add the position in the budget. Mr. Haverty also = agreed with Mr. Lynde that the correct place for the position was in the operating budget. He agreed that the Selectmen should ask for the Budget Committee’s concurrence regarding= the position, but felt it should be done by putting it in the budget and asking them to review it like every other item.&n= bsp; He believed going to the Budget Committee before hand and asking permission was an unnecessary step. Mr. Haverty believed it was an important position and the correct th= ing to do was to place it in the operating budget.

Chief Roark respected both positions and said he would abide by whatever policy decision was made. He said the topic was an important dialog that would help move the Town forward. He said the ballot length can be overwhelming even if the tax impact is little. He discussed the Town’s gove= rnment system in which the people elect those who they believe will make the best decisions. He felt it would b= e good to open a dialog with the Budget Committee to discuss what should be in the operating budgets to increase efficiency.&= nbsp; In his opinion as a citizen, as the Town grew there should be more i= tems in the operating budget and less warrant articles.

Mr. Viger said the Board = was deadlocked at this time, but would explore the topic and see if a dialog wi= ll be forthcoming.

REQUEST FOR NON-PUBLIC SESSION

MOTION:

(Haverty/Lynde) Request for a non-public session per RSA 91-A:3,II, a (personnel)

ROLL CALL:

Mr. Viger-Yes;= Mr. Gleason-Yes; Mr. Lynde-Yes; Mr. Haverty-Yes

It was noted tha= t when the Board returned, after the non-public session, the Board would not take = any other action publicly, except to possibly seal the minutes of the non-public session and to adjourn the meeting. The Board entered into a non-public session at approximately 8:40 pm.

The Board returned to public session at approximately 9:10 pm.

MOTION:

(Haverty/Lynde= ) To seal the minutes of the non-public session indefinitely.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The mo= tion carried.

ADJOURNMENT

MOTION:

(Haverty/Lynde= ) To adjourn the meeting.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The motion carried.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:10 pm.

= &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = Respectfully submitted,

= &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = Charity A. Landry Willis

= &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = Recording Secretary