Littleton, New Hampshire

Approved Non-Public Session Minutes Jun 28, 2010

TOWN OF LITTLETON
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
NON-PUBLIC SESSION
MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2010
TOWN OFFICE CONFERENCE ROOM
9:00 AM
PER RSA 91-A:3, II (a)

Present: Town Manager Chuck Connell, Chairman Ron Bolt, Vice Chairman Ed Boynton,
Selectman Marghie Seymour, Executive Secretary Ceil Stubbings

Chairman Bolt called the meeting to order at 9:04 AM. He then asked if there was any business for the board to discuss before going into the non-public session. Seeing none he asked for a motion to go into non-public session for the purposes of discussing a personnel matter pursuant to RSA 91-A II (a). Ed Boynton made the motion. A unanimous roll call vote was taken and the board entered the session at 9:05 AM.

Connell said the purpose of today's meeting was to discuss the ninety-day progress report on his performance evaluation that the board completed on March 22nd. Bolt asked Boynton if he had anything he would like to speak to. Boynton said that Connell had promised he would move to Littleton by October of this year. Boynton went on to say that due to the current economic conditions he would like to suggest the board to consider another one year extension so that Connell would not suffer a financial burden regarding the sale of his current home.

Connell said he very much-appreciated Boynton's suggestion but that one of the negatives the board has all heard is his failure to move here shows a lack of commitment. The last time this was discussed Connell said he had encouraged the board to not provide another extension. There is no way to tell where the economy is going and there are those who predict that it is going to get worse. Connell said his plan was to rent an apartment because of the economy, the down turn in the real estate market and the uncertainty that surrounds his employment.

Marghie Seymour said she has heard concerns from people that Connell did not live in Littleton. Seymour said that Connell had specifically told the board not to give him another extension so she would have disagreed with another one. In her mind she feels that he does need to live here and she can see that he understands that too.

Bolt said that because of Connell's own words not to grant another extension he would not agree to one. Bolt said he understood the financial burden and questioned the cost of a studio apartment. Seymour said studio apartments did not cost that much. Connell responded by stating the cost of renting was his problem and not the board's. Bolt said they did not have to decide on this today. He said he understood Connell's concern about job security and the other concerns as well. Bolt said that from a personal point of view he hoped to see Connell stay for a few more years especially with the budget season coming up. Connell said he is still making plans not only for next year but the year after. Seymour told Bolt that she felt they should make a decision now so that Connell knows where they are going. Seymour asked Bolt what are they waiting for. The Board agreed by consensus to not grant another extension.

Seymour questioned what they were doing about the performance evaluation, she has not talked with anyone about it and she has not been given an assignment. Seymour asked Bolt if he was doing it all. She then asked Boynton if he was doing something about the review. Boynton said he had some concerns and related some of his experiences with Connell right after he had been elected. Boynton said that he and Latulip had overstepped their bounds but that Connell had set them straight and from that point forward they let him do the job of running the town. Boynton said that at times some of us have a tendency to overstep our bounds. If we want him to change his course it should be done collectively as a board not just one of us. Seymour said she was curious how the process was carried out for the performance review and she feels like she is not participating. Bolt said the review done in March was the first Connell had. Bolt said he did not set up a process.

Boynton went back to the topic of certain individuals overstepping their bounds. Seymour asked him to be more specific. Boynton said it was his opinion that Bolt frequently oversteps his bounds by making recommendations to Connell without consulting him or Seymour. He then referred to an email sent by Bolt regarding the water main break a few months back. The email quoted Bolt as saying that he had ordered Connell to do something. Connell said he does not take orders from any one selectman but does accept the board's guidance on policy and other matters. If it is an emergency he makes the decision and then asks the board to ratify that decision. This led into a discussion of what the responsibilities of the board and the chairman of the board involved.

Seymour asked if there was going to be any input from the department heads on how they saw Connell's job performance. Seymour said she was thinking along the lines of specific questions that have a rating or a ranking. This would be for the department heads only. Connell suggested they use the same two pages that are currently used on their own evaluations. Connell said it did not matter whether it was coded because it is the comments the board is looking for. Boynton said that Connell was taking the heat and the blame for some issues regarding Main Street and the Eames settlement. Connell said he had advised the previous board not to agree to the settlement but once they agreed to it then he had to move forward with it. Bolt said he remembers one of the comments to herd over the various departments to make sure they are running properly but he did not recall the board getting feedback from the department heads. Seymour said if it was not clear she would like it made clear now that she would like some type of form be provided to the department heads so they can get their feedback. Boynton said he has only attended one department head meeting. Bolt said he has been to a couple. Seymour said she has not been to a single one. Connell said he had no problem with the selectmen coming to one but cautioned them that it does inhibit the openness. Connell said they are not public meetings. It was agreed that Seymour would work on the department head feedback forms.

Bolt then went over the ratings that were given to Connell three months prior. He did not recommend they change any of them. Bolt said there were five areas that Connell was rated as meeting job requirements. The first of which was accuracy and the comment was occasional lack of attention to detail. In his opinion there is still some lack of attention to detail. Bolt finds the one most annoying right now is the warrant article and the fact that this Wednesday they were going to immediately have to make a correction to that. Bolt said there were mistakes in January to some of the warrant articles and people were sensitive to it. Bolt said they all saw the warrant and they all should have noticed the mistake. Connell told Bolt to not lose sight of the fact that two attorney's looked it over and one of the attorney's forwarded it to the DRA for review. Connell said he was the one who pointed out the error. Bolt said there were no specific comments on cooperation. The definition is teamwork and the willingness to take on assignments. Bolt said that a couple of times at board meetings he had asked Connell to take on something and Connell's response had been less then enthusiastic. Publicly that is not a good image. He then referred to a request to document the procedure for the release of information as an example. Connell said there is no way around the release of information because each department has their own particular procedures. There are unique situations in virtually every department. Connell told Bolt the way to prevent this from happening is to not surprise him. Bolt said he was also concerned about the working relationship with the SAU. Bolt said there were things that Connell and Tommy Stephens were supposed to be working on that never materialized. Connell said he had received input from Bolt for the agenda for the joint meeting. He is still waiting for the superintendent's agenda items. Connell said both boards and the budget committee have suggested joint purchasing. Bolt asked about sharing services. Connell said that Tommy's last comment to him was that he wanted to get his house in order before they attempted joint purchasing. Bolt said his concern was when the board puts something in Connell's lap they then don't hear anything for months. Connell said that is because there is nothing to report. The board then discussed Connell's various other duties and his workload including that of the Zoning Officer.

Connell stated that there were about seven projects sitting on the shelf when he came to the town. It was not by accident that they started moving again. He brought the idea of goals and objectives to the board as a way of measuring his progress. Bolt said that Connell displayed a good and positive attitude at the Main Street meetings. However there have been times when Connell has been a little dismissive with people at meetings. Seymour mentioned an incident at one of the Main Street meetings as an example of what Bolt was describing. Bolt then reviewed the list of initiatives that had an April to May completion date. Connell said they are still in progress. Bolt noted that there had been significant improvement on getting opinions in writing. As a team they need to keep each other informed on the status of things that are going on Bolt asked if they had discussed Connell providing a status report for the selectmen. Connell said he would prepare a weekly update. The board then discussed more effective department oversight. Connell responded by saying there has been progress on this topic. Bolt mentioned confusion regarding Tony Ilacqua's presentation at a previous board meeting. Ilacqua felt the town manager was not behind him regarding the level of staffing at the transfer station. Connell said that Ilacqua had not discussed the issue with him but had talked to Bolt about it. Seymour said she had the impression that Ilacqua was not concerned about Connell but with the budget committee. Boynton said the budget committee never named anyone in terms of layoffs. Seymour said she heard the committee has been talking to people about the layoffs. Connell asked the board if they have decided when they were going to meet to come to some agreement. Connell said the board should get to know each other to establish some common ground. Seymour related how the board had mixed messages from the LGC and the town attorney on this topic. Seymour said she would be willing to take a half a day off to discuss the matter and said she thinks they can probably figure it out themselves. Connell provided an example of an instance at a recent Main Street meeting where he was asked if he was going to do something about an issue regarding drainpipes at the bookstore. Connell asked the board for the same respect at public meetings that is expected by the board from him. The other thing that concerns him is the only phone that is not ringing off the wall with complaints is his. Everyone goes around him and he would like the opportunity to answer the complaints but he is not the one who is getting them. Seymour said that often time's people with an issue confront them and they wish to remain confidential.

Boynton asked about the two million set aside for the TransCanada settlement. Boynton wondered if they should have only set aside one point five million for that given all of the abatements they have been approving lately. Connell said there was not an opportunity to do so. The town will have to hit a heavier overlay this year. Connell said he has been working with the assessors to minimize the impact of tax abatements and to provide the board with detailed information. Seymour questioned if it was appropriate to have this discussion in a closed personnel session. Connell said it covers how he is working with other departments but that Seymour was right about discussing the amount of money in the overlay was inappropriate. Bolt asked if anyone thought the minutes should be sealed. Connell said he would prefer they not be sealed. Boynton made the motion to move out of non-public. Seymour seconded the motion. A unanimous roll call vote brought the board out of the non-public session at 10:20 AM.

Respectfully submitted
Ceil Stubbings

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