Littleton, New Hampshire

Approved Minutes Jan 26, 2010

TOWN OF LITTLETON
BOARD OF SELECTMEN'S MEETING
TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2010
1:00 PM
TOWN OFFICE CONFERENCE ROOM
Present: Town Manager Chuck Connell, Chairman Eddy Moore, Vice Chairman Ed Boynton, Selectman Ron Bolt, Finance Director Karen Noyes, Executive Secretary Ceil Stubbings.
Others Present: Mary Edick, Jan Edick, Robert Blechl, George Brodeur, Joe Wiggett, Gerald Winn, Christopher Hodge
Chairman Moore called the meeting to order at 1:00 PM
Ron Bolt asked to address the Energy Commission. Bolt said one of the reasons we are here today is the American Recovery Act Stimulus Money for projects. There is a $400,000 limit that any municipality can bring forward. The purpose today is to discuss the three organizations that have applied and give merits to the ones who could support this. Bolt passed out a worksheet to facilitate this process. Bolt said the first order of business was to accurately describe the projects. The town has four projects in mind one of which is insulation at the highway garage. The Community Center and the Hospital have also submitted projects. Bolt said the highway garage is also looking into a thing called a gas fired infra-red heating system that might work for them. Bolt said we would also like to do energy audits at the town buildings and the Opera House. We have been working with another program that is going to allow us to do one audit for $50.00. We are going to do the highway department and this would give us three of our major buildings being audited for energy efficiency. Bolt said the hospital is basically looking for an air conditioning refrigeration system. George Brodeur said it is to retro fit the air-conditioning. Bolt said the Community House has four projects related to the Annex, which were depicted on the sheet that he passed out. It was decided by everyone present that the Hospital would cost their project at $150,000; the Community Center Annex would cost their project at $163,000 with the balance of $87,000 would go to the Town Project. Bolt noted that none of the projects were prioritized.
Chuck Connell stated the warrant has already been posted. Connell then provided Gerald with a complete set of the warrant articles along with copies of the proposed and default budget. Connell told Gerald he would provide him with a large printed copy before the Deliberative Session. Connell said we are really talking about the Deliberative Session and how that is going to go. Connell said that Ron Bolt has not been through a session sitting at the front of the room. Connell asked if we want to do a presentation for the budget? Gerald Winn said that we are still learning the SB2 form of government. Gerald said there are advantages and there is a down side to it. It does bring more people out for the voting. The challenge is the absence of options when we vote at the ballot box. Gerald said it is difficult at the Deliberative Session to have the wording to stop confusion. For instance if we modify an article we pretty much have to leave the article in and when we do that we tend to reduce the amount. The confusion is you are in favor of the article but you do not want to fund it. Gerald said we had a challenge with the town building for three or four years in a row. We learned that we want to end each article with a clearer explanation of what they did so people don't have the confusion. Ed Boynton asked if the confusion is the amendments of the articles. Gerald said they could discuss it and amend but his job is to not have a position but to focus on the procedure. He tries to make a balance and sense when it is time to bring it to a close. Connell said there are some articles you cannot change. Gerald said someone might have a favorite thing they want to add. Gerald said the selectmen have no obligation to do that. Ed Boynton asked if the moderator normally read these articles at the time and then if we choose we speak to it. Gerald said yes he reads the article and as a courtesy he would look to the selectmen for a motion.
Connell said there is one article that needs to be changed and that is article 20. The article read $6,500 in the number and six thousand in the words for the Chamber of Commerce. Connell said it was an oversight when the petition was signed. Connell said the first article is the election of officers. Connell said that numbers 2 through 19 belong to the selectmen. Gerald said the selectmen need to decide who is going to speak about them. Gerald said he would need a list of the non-resident people that would be speaking. Connell said that he would expect the selectmen to speak to some of the warrant articles. Connell said the other deviation he needed to be aware of was the social service articles. Connell said he sent a letter in September telling the social service agencies the procedure. Connell said there was an error in the letter regarding the submission date, which was January 12th. Moore asked what happens if no one is there to speak to their petitioned warrant articles. Connell said if no one is there it does not get on the ballot.
Moore said they should have a procedure for doing it the same way every time. Gerald said he would read the article then one of the selectmen would make the motion. Gerald said that he would need copies of each article on separate papers. Gerald said he makes notes on each article and then they are given to the town clerk.
Ron Bolt told Gerald that there are a couple of things he needed to be warned about. There are no bonds because they decided to nix moving the town offices back to the Opera House town office and the refinancing of the Green Street parking lot. Bolt said article 17 was also something Gerald should be aware of. This was presented as $25,000 to renovate the gazebo, subsequently the parks department came forward and what they really meant was the gazebo and one backstop. Ed Boynton said it was brought to his attention about people attending the meetings that were non-voters. Boynton asked if there was a way to cordon off non-voters to prevent voice votes from being miscalculated.
Eddy Moore said the $600,000 to move the town offices was taken out because of the situation here and not wanting to affect the school. Moore told Gerald that the other article that could be an issue is the noise ordinance. Moore asked if the wording could be changed in the article. Gerald said the language could be changed. Moore said there would probably be a lot of discussion on that. Ron Bolt told Gerald the other thing is you will see that under the recommended by the selectmen we also have recommended by the budget committee. Bolt said the budget committees' recommendations could be different than what the selectmen's' recommendations are. Connell said that when the ballot is done the recommendation numbers go away. Connell and Gerald agreed to go up to the High School during the day to make sure everything is set up the way they want it. Gerald asked who arranges the minister and was advised that Ceil will set something up. Carlton Schaller and Tom Campbell were mentioned as a good choice to contact. Gerald asked that he be advised who the minister would be how they like to be presented. Ed Boynton said he would take care of the color guard. Gerald said that for the benefit of the folks at home we will have to have a test run to make sure the people speak up and give their name. Connell said he would make sure the ballot box is there. Gerald said they also need a booth for their privacy. Connell said he would make sure there were four booths and one box. Gerald said that he also asks for their motion in writing. Some of the protocol asks people to prepare their comments ahead of time. The moderator prefers people limit themselves and to try not to let personalities speak to the issues. Gerald asked if we would be doing a PowerPoint? Connell said yes. Connell said there might be instances of using two presentations at the same time. Gerald said they would have to be offset. Gerald said that when we go to a meeting like this the budget committee is an advisory committee performing a service for the town.
Gerald said that the people expect the selectmen and the budget committee to be in agreement. They want to see a united front being presented to them. Connell said that he sincerely hopes Gerald was right. Connell said there are some articles where the selectmen recommend and the budget committee has different recommendations. Gerald said this raises a credibility issue that should be solved before you take it to the people. They should be making a decision on a unified front. They should not be the ones who are peace makers or wedges between to sides. Connell said it would have been nice if the selectmen and the budget committee reconciled their differences. Gerald said it really complicated the meeting last year having the police and fire trying to settle their issues at the meeting. Connell said they would know tomorrow after the budget committee makes their recommendations on the warrant articles. Karen Noyes said she knows it nice to have the selectmen and the budget committee agree but if it is stated why they don't agree it would explain it.
Ed Boynton said it isn't inappropriate if the public thinks it is wrong. They have every right to agree or disagree and should have their voice heard. Moore said there could be a motion to reduce the budget by $400,000. Gerald said that if the public is having a hard time making a decision you could end up with nothing. Gerald said to think about the concept we are all trying to do our thing for the common good for the whole community. Ed Boynton said the budget committee puts a lot of time in and has worked hard. Gerald said it is thankless charitable work. Gerald said he would strive to have some common ground to present to the masses. Connell said that effort has been going since August. Gerald said he would be open to moderate some of these meetings between the selectmen and the budget committee. Gerald said he would be glad to do that on a smaller private setting. Gerald said that he appreciated this opportunity to meet today. Bolt said that sometime between now and Monday we need to decide who is going to take charge of the nineteen articles. Connell said that Bolt had said he would make the motion on all the articles. Bolt said he has been discouraged from that. Ed Boynton told Bolt he could make them all and Boynton would second them with the exception of the contract agreements. Bolt said he would do article 3, 4 and 7. Boynton said he would do article 15. Moore will do article 2 Bolt said that someone from the parks department would speak to their two articles and the rest are Connell's to address. Connell said he would see if he could get Dave Willis to address the amendment to the airport. Bolt move to adjourn. Boynton second. Motion passed 3-0. The meeting adjourned at 3:23 PM.
Respectfully submitted
Ceil Stubbings

The Town of Littleton prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, marital or family status. The Town of Littleton is an equal opportunity employer.

Town of Littleton ®2013 all rights reserved
XHTML | CSS website ©2013 notchnet