Select Board Meeting called to order at 7:00pm
Pledge of Allegiance
Roll Call – Jason Allen (Chair), Marlene Freyler, Michael James (via ZOOM) and Karen Hambleton, Town Administrator, were in attendance.
Appearances:
There were no appearances
Regular and Old Business:
- Minutes from December 15th meeting were reviewed. An edit to the 4th bullet was noted; the wording “demolition type equipment” should be changed to “demolition waste”.
Motion: Jason Allen motioned to accept the minutes of December 15th, 2020 with a change in the 4th bullet that read “demolition type equipment” to “demolition waste”.
Second: Marlene Freyler
Decision: 3-0 in favor
- The Account Payables and the Payroll Manifest were reviewed and signed.
- The Board accepted $125 in donations for new Town signs. This donation brought the received total above the 100% project funding level.
Motion: Jason Allen motioned to accept $125 in donations for the Town Sign replacement project.
Second: Marlene Freyler
Vote: 3-0 in favor
New Business:
- Change to the Building Code Ordinance were discussed. A Public Hearing notice has been posted to discuss repealing the existing Build Code Ordinance enacted in 1997.
The Board discussed specific reasoning behind the change:
The Select Board is proposing to ask the Legislative Body (Town’s People) to repeal the Building Code Ordinance enacted at the 1987 Town Meeting. Below are the reasons the Board feels this is in the best interest of the Town.
- The Code that was adopted is significantly outdated.
- This Building Code Ordinance was enacted before a State Building Code was in place (State Building Code was passed in 2002). Now whether a town has adopted a building code ordinance or not, all construction in the State of New Hampshire must follow the State Building Code.
- A municipality is not required to enforce the State Building Code, but it is required to oversee a Town Building Code Ordinance.
- By repealing this ordinance, we remove any potential liability to the Town and allow each individual project to be managed for code compliance by the contractor/homeowner, with any required guidance to be provided by the State Fire Marshal’s office.
- Other local towns that operate this way
- Henniker
- Sunapee
- New London
- Other local towns that operate this way
- Fire Code inspections will continue to be completed by the Bradford Fire Chief, as the Building Code and Fire Code fall under different jurisdictions.
- With the elimination of the Building Inspector position, the Select Board intends to work with the Planning and Zoning Boards to create a new position to focus proactively on planning and zoning compliance, some tasks would be:
- Site plan/subdivision review follow ups
- Research questions from the Planning Board with appropriate organizations
- Research and suggest updates for the Town zoning ordinances that will help the Town move towards short- and long-term goals based on the Master Plan
- Research and write grants to help offset costs of achieving the Town’s goals
- Review building permits for zoning compliance and provide suggestions to the Select Board as necessary, prior to permit approval (Approval by the Select Board)
- Research zoning complaints and provide guidance to the Select Board for enforcement
- Field questions from the public regarding the Zoning Ordinance and Zoning Regulations
Motion: Jason Allen motioned to submit a Select Board document to the Planning Board for a Public Hearing on January 12th, 2021.
Second: Marlene Freyler
Vote: 3-0 in favor
Public Input:
- Laurie Colburn asked the Board to consider evolving the Highway Department to a Department of Public Works to help manage the Town facilities. The Board did not know if that would be appropriate but indicated they would review the topic.
Motion: Jason Allen motioned to adjourn 7:31pm.
Second: Michael James
Vote: 3-0 in favor
The next Selectmen’s meeting will be held on Monday January 11th, 2021 at 6:00pm, at the Bradford Area Community Center.
Minutes submitted by Laurie Colburn, Recording Secretary