Selectmen’s Minutes 01.27.20

Meeting called to order at 6:40pm

Roll Call- Michael James, Jason Allen, Marilyn Gordon, Town Treasurer and Karen Hambleton, Town Administrator, were in attendance.

Pledge of Allegiance

Appearances: 

• There were no appearances.

Regular Business: 

• Jason Allen expressed the appreciation of the Select Board for all of the support and contributions John Pfeifle extended to the Town. They offered condolences to his family.

• David Nunnally arrived at 6:42pm. The Board signed his appointment effective through the 2020 Town Elections. He was sworn in and seated at 6:45pm.

• The Board reviewed the minutes from the January 13^th and 22^nd, 2020 meetings.

Motion: Jason Allen motioned to approve the minutes.

Second: Michael James

Decision: 2-0 in favor, Dave Nunnally abstained.

• Account Payable and Payroll Manifest were reviewed and signed.

• Clark Roberge appeared to discuss the status of the sign design he submitted in 2019 and questioned the lack of feedback and whether the design submitted by the Bradford Garden Club had been approved. Michael asked that a meeting be scheduled to discuss the sign design which Clark agreed to attend. Michael will follow up on scheduling a meeting.

• Jeff Earls, Bradford’s Assessor, and Attorney Sean Dunne, representing Tom and Trisha Dunne, appeared to discuss the assessment of 200 and 206 Bible Hill Road. These properties were subdivided in 2019 creating 2 separate lots. Attorney Dunne expressed a concern that the Dunne’s property is being disproportionally assessed. Tom has requested that 200 Bible Hill Road, currently assessed at $238,900, be reduced by $22,000, to $216,900. He also requested 206 Bible Hill Road, assessed at $244,700, be reduced by $23,000 for a total assessment value of $221,600. The Assessor outlined an increase in assessment which resulted from a 2019 sub-division. Jeff Earls outlined an adjustment of 20% having been applied to the land value due to the nature of the Class VI road the properties are located on as well as a deduction in land value due to the nature of the geography. The condition of the property was discussed as well as prior assessment values. The Board stated that submitting an Abatement Application is the first step in having the assessment reviewed.

• Steve Hall, Town Road Agent appeared and reviewed the results of the equipment assessment conducted. Steve will have an oil and coolant sample tested to determine whether there are any concerns with the loader engine. The Board discussed utilizing the backup grader. The Highway Department does not utilize this piece of equipment as it does not have the horse power, nor is it set up for use in the winter. Dave Nunnally would like to see the unit used. After the testing results are reviewed, the future of the backup grader will be reviewed.

• A concern regarding a violation of Zoning Ordinances regarding political signs was raised. Jason will have a discussion with the property owner.

• The Board discussed the 2020 Budget:

• Specific warrant articles were reviewed with Dave Nunnally. Dave questioned what the driving factor was behind proposing a warrant article for heavy equipment repairs. Jason outlined increases in major equipment repairs could significantly impact the general budget and the Board would like to have a fund available that supports any catastrophic repairs outside of what is included in the General Budget. Dave also questioned why the Board was requesting $50,000 towards the 2006 Main Street Improvement Capital Reserve rather than the $25,000 amount recommended by the Capital Improvement Program. Michael outlined a desire to allocate $50,000 to demonstrate the Town’s commitment to the project. In 2018, the Town had placed first in our region in a grant submission towards new sidewalks. Michael has been told the grant was likely not awarded to Bradford due to a lack of matching funds. The $50,000 amount will cover the remaining funds needed to match the grant which will be applied for again in the fall of 2020. Dave felt $25,000 would be sufficient. The Board did not revote on the amount but discussed raising the concern on the floor at Town Meeting. Jason outlined support for the $50,000 amount to keep the total savings amount the same as it was in 2019. Carl Goldberg asked to provide input on the warrant articles and was told public input will be accepted at the end of the meeting.
  • The General Budget was reviewed with Dave as well. Dave questioned what the overall increase is between 2019 and 2020 and Karen familiarized him with navigation of the 2020 budget sheet. The Board reviewed items that had significant increases:
    • Elections are increasing due to the volume of election events in 2020.
    • Amount requested for Legal is showing a reduction over last year’s request but the Board thinks the amount may need to be increased. Michael recommends it be increased to $55,000.
    • General Government Buildings increased, driven primarily by the $22,000 in annual computer support and hardware replacement expense. Dave would like to explore migrating support of the Town’s data into a cloud support scenario. Jason outlined an increase in wages to cover expenses associated with hiring services to evaluate/manage building repairs and do light maintenance for Town facilities. The Board would like to utilize the approximately $22,000 in unanticipated 2019 revenue to fund some deferred maintenance items. Karen will follow up to determine how the Town would access the unanticipated revenue. A warrant article will need to be presented to the Budget Committee for recommendation prior to their final Public Hearing meeting on February 6^th, 2020.
    • Dave asked why there is a bump in landscaping for Cemeteries. The bottom-line dollar remains the same but the accounting for labor is being changed.
    • Other General Government is decreasing over last year. A monitoring well was installed in 2019 which will only require monitoring going forward.
    • An increase in the Police Department budget was discussed which is primarily driven by an equitable compensation increase done in 2019. Dispatch costs were also discussed which are increasing over last year.
    • The Fire Department budget was discussed. A significant increase is primarily due to the decision to migrate to a paid part-time Fire Chief and Fire Fighter stipends. The Budget Committee voted to recommend an amount of $141,995 which aligns with the Fire Department’s request. The Select Board has not discussed the budget amount in detail but there were two items of significant difference between the Budget Committee’s recommendation and the Select Board’s initial thoughts on the budget. The Board originally discussed capping the stipend amount and the Budget Committee included $12,000 for tire replacement driven by the recent equipment assessment. Carl Goldberg asked for a point of order and was denied. The Board felt the tire replacement costs should be funded from the new Equipment Repair fund that will be submitted as a separate warrant article. Discussion ensued as to whether the tires should be submitted as a separate warrant article or whether the tires should be funded from the Equipment Repair fund that is being proposed.  
    • Dave will review the remaining items and provide comment on any concerns he has.

• The Board discussed providing childcare support at Town Meeting. It is planned for 8:30am to 2:00pm and will be done at the provider’s location. The Board also discussed providing a breakfast offering at Town Meeting. Michael will discuss what he envisions with Brackett Scheffy, Town Moderator, and the PTO or any other contributor.

• The Board tabled signing appointments for the Bradford Solar Project Committee as there is a name change for the Committee.

• The Board signed an Intent to Cut for Map 10/Lot 43.

• The Board discussed the attorney’s draft language for a warrant article for a right of way adjustment. The Board approved the language drafted by the attorney.

Public Input:

• Michael outlined a five-minute limit for public input. Carl Goldberg questioned why the Board would look to fund the tire replacement from the emergency equipment repair fund when the tire replacement is a known expense. He also identified the need for an additional $7,000 for fire pump and hose testing identified as a result of the equipment assessment. The Fire Department will be requesting the Budget Committee add $7,000 to the Fire Department budget. Dave asked that going forward, if something is outlined as a requirement, that a highlighted document citation be provided. He also expressed concern that the Select Board is only recommending saving $10,000 towards the pumper replacement based upon the equipment assessment recommendation that the pumper could last another 5 years. His calculation is that the Town would need to save approximately $70,000 a year towards the fund. Carl also expressed concern that he is being asked to provide the NFPA citations in the equipment assessment when the Town hired someone to provide an inspection. As an engineer, his experience has been that when a report is provided all appropriate documentation, such as a letter head identifier of whomever is performing the work as well as any citation references are provided as part of the report. Carl offered to walk the Board through the components of the Fire Department budget to provide the detail of what was included particularly around the wages. The Selectmen declined his offer.

Michael outlined a process regarding the Public Input session going forward. Individuals will be allotted a specific amount of time to speak. The Board will hold any comments until after the individual is done speaking and will then provide a response if they desire.

• Karen asked the Board whether there were any changes to the budget that they would like to communicate to the Budget Committee. The Board did not feel there is any communication needed beyond finalizing any outstanding warrant articles.

Motion: Jason Allen motioned at adjourn to non-public session per RSA 91-A:3II (a) at 9:14pm.

Second: Dave Nunnally

Decision: 3-0 in favor

Motion: Jason Allen motioned to adjourn to Public Session at 9:40pm

Second: Michael James

Decision: 3-0 in favor

Motion: Jason Allen motioned at adjourn to non-public session per RSA 91-A:3II (l) at 9:41pm.

Second: Michael James

Decision: 3-0 in favor

Motion: Michael James motioned to adjourn to Public Session at 10:15pm

Second: Jason Allen

Decision: 3-0 in favor

Motion: Michael James motioned to adjourn the meeting at 10:15 pm.

Second: Dave Nunnally

Decision: 3-0 in favor

The next Selectmen’s meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 28^th, 2020. This meeting is being held to conduct a non-public session.

The next regularly scheduled meeting will be Monday, February 10^th, 2020 at 7:00pm, at the Bradford Community Center.

Minutes submitted by Laurie Colburn, Recording Secretary