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Minutes of 12/08/2008

December 15th, 2008

Carroll Board of Selectmen
Meeting Minutes
December 8, 2008

"These minutes of the Town of Carroll Select Board have been recorded by its Secretary. Though believed to be accurate and correct they are subject to additions, deletions and corrections by the Select Board at its next meeting when the Board votes its final approval of the minutes. They are being made available at this time to conform to the requirements of New Hampshire RSA 91-A:2."

Minutes recorded by Maryclare Quigley, Secretary

Board members present: Bonnie Moroney, Christopher Hancock

The meeting was called to order at 7:08 PM.

Members of the public present: Mike Gooden, John Trammell, Kelly Trammell, Bill Dowling, Michael Claflin, Evan Karpf, David Ikasola, Jeff Duncan

Pledge of Allegiance

The board announced the approval of bills and signing of checks.

Chairman Moroney made a Motion to: accept the minutes of December 1, 2008, as written. Selectman Hancock seconded and the Motion passed unanimously.

Stan Borkowski’s report was not received.

Michael Claflin from Connecticut River Bank came with paperwork to increase the line of credit to $700,000 for a Tax Anticipation Note. Chairman Moroney made a Motion to: sign for the TAN, Selectman Hancock seconded and the Motion passed unanimously. Mr. Claflin advised that he would leave it for the Treasurer’s signature and that he would pick it up on Wednesday.

Bill Dowling, Superintendent of the Transfer Station, came in to discuss fees as charges to the Town have gone up. He said he believes the fees for televisions are unfair as they currently are , regardless of the size, the price is the same. He proposed these be changed to 30 cents a pound and they will be weighed when they are brought in. He will actually use this for all electronics. Likewise, demolition fees would be changed: a small amount (that which can be carried in arms) would be charged 20 cents a pound and larger will still be measured. As tipping fees have also increased, Household Furnishings will all be at $15 each. Mr. Dowling will post the new fees at the Town Hall and as requested by Mr. Ikasalo, Mr. Dowling will also post them in several places at the Transfer Station. Chairman Moroney made a Motion to: accept the new fees. Selectman Hancock seconded and the Motion passed unanimously.

Mr. Dowling also advised the Select Board that he had received a letter from Normandeau Trucking. It is Mr. Dowling’s thought to have their representative come and discuss what they can do for the Town and he wanted to get the Board’s approval for this. The Board concurred and Mr. Dowling will invite them to come to a meeting. Mr. Dowling also noted that North Country Council fee for Household Hazardous Waste Day has increased to $1,200. He advised that he has indicated an interest in hosting, so the Town will be considered in the future.

The following items were approved and signed:

Water Abatement -- John Foster/Foster’s Crossroads, Brian Smith/Carroll Motel
Town Hall Use Permit Application -- Twin Mt. Recreation/Whitefield Recreation, grades 3/4
basketball program. This had come before the meeting on Dec. 1, but at that time, had not
had the co-sponsor signature from the Twin Mt. Rec Program. (The Board requested this be
added and the application be resubmitted for their approval.)
Certificate of Occupancy -- Pappas
Intent to Cut -- Stalaboin

David Ikasalo, resident on Twin View Drive, came in to speak to his taxes. Mr. Ikasalo said the tax rate has increased, but values are down. He said he sees discrepancies -- things happening in town that he doesn’t agree with. Mr. Ikasalo is asking department heads and anyone with authority to keep a close watch and take a harder look at spending money; to be more frugal. He believes there are many who cannot afford to pay. Chairman Moroney said the taxes are based in part on how people vote in March, and reminded everyone that the town portion is only part of the overall taxes -- school and county combine for a large part. Chairman Moroney also reiterated that for many, many years, even regular maintenance was not done in an effort to keep taxes down. Because of problems and general condition of buildings, the Town is now forced to deal with it and as we have found, the longer things are put off, the more expensive it becomes. Mr. Ikasalo suggested that for example, instead of replacing a bad roof, it should simply be repaired with a patch. The Board thanked Mr. Ikasalo for coming and said they understand his concerns and that everyone is working hard to keep costs in line.

Evan Karpf came in regarding his water bill for the Northlander Motel. He explained he had just purchased it and it closed permanently on October 16, and the only water being used is in the apartment upstairs. The Board asked Becki Pederson (Town Clerk and Tax Collector), who sends out the water bills, to come in as she is the person to whom Dr. Karpf should speak. Ms. Pederson explained that she had not been previously advised that the water was off, so she will abate half of the month of October, and all of November and December. This was satisfactory to Dr. Karpf who expressed his appreciation.

In Other Business, the Selectmen signed the preliminary agreement to participate in the North Country Council hazardous waste day. It notes that they understand this must go before the Town for voting.

Chairman Moroney advised that when John Goodney, Emergency Management Director, met with the Budget Committee, he said he wanted to return to his 2008 budget, rather than submit his original one with increases. Chairman Moroney asked that this be on the Agenda for next week’s meeting so we can be sure to have the correct figures.

Jeff Duncan also spoke about water bills and the additional $100 fee that had been voted on a year ago to cover the debt that the Water Department had. He wondered if we could find out how the debt is and if this is working. Discussion turned to the meters which Chairman Moroney said we hope to get online around April. Setting the charges was briefly discussed and the Chairman said comparison readings are in progress. It was asked if people would pay less if they try to conserve and be careful with their use. Chairman Moroney answered that there will be a base rate and then it will be metered, so yes, if they use less, they will pay less. It was also asked if residents can still get on town water and they were told they can if there is a line nearby. There are still areas, however, where it is not currently available. It was noted that the Highway and Water Departments which had always been together, had separated in an attempt to find out the true cost of the Water Department.

As there was no further business, Chairman Moroney declared the meeting ended at
7:52 p.m. and moved to go into Executive Session for town aid and legal matters. The Board was polled and went into executive session.

At the close of executive session, Chairman Moroney made a Motion to: return to public session and seal the minutes from executive session. Selectman Hancock seconded and the motion passed unanimously.

There being no further discussion, Chairman Moroney made a Motion to: adjourn the meeting. Selectman Hancock seconded and the Motion passed unanimously. Chairman Moroney declared the meeting ended at 8:25 p.m.

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