Selectboard Meeting Minutes

Minutes of 10/19/2021

October 25th, 2021

Town of Carroll
Select Board Meeting Minutes

October 19th, 2021

7:11pm
“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: Elke Tonnesen
Board Members in Attendance: Chair David Scalley, Ken Mills, and Rob Gauthier

Others in attendance- Tadd Bailey, Bobbi Amirault, Chris Pappas, Imre Szauter, Greg Hogan, Brian Mycko.

APPROVE AND SIGN MANIFESTS
Chairperson Scalley confirmed that the manifest was signed by all the board members or will be after the meeting.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES – 10/12
Selectperson Mills made a motion to approve the minutes from 10/12/2021, Selectperson Gauthier Second. Discussion ensued on edits that Selectman Mills had with the minutes and the track changes.

PURCHASE AND SALES AGREEMENT OF OLD FIRE DEPT. BUILDING
Selectperson Scalley recuses himself from this discussion.
Selectperson Mills states that the town attorneys had made some amendments to the previous agreement from last meeting.
Selectperson Mills moves that they approve the amended sales and agreement, Selectperson Gauthier seconds, Selectperson Gauthier—aye, Selectperson Mills—aye; Selectperson Scalley—recused, motion passes

Correction to “Selectman Scalley abstaining from vote on fire station P&S” as he had recused and was not participating in the process at all.
Scalley noted returned to participation for agenda item ‘Grants’.

Selectperson Mills noted that we had a resident raise a concern today about a dip in his driveway from the new paving at 250 Woodcrest Lane—not a complaint.


All in favor of minutes as discussed, 3-0.

Budgets

Planning Board budget.
No additional input from planning board and their budget. Planning board Chairperson deferred to Select Board to keep budget as previously submitted. Scalley asked for an addition to the Planning Board’s training and travel line item (902) for any new members. Select Board agreed by consensus to put $700 back into the Planning board budget for training and travel. This brings Planning board budget total to $2540.00 Select Board mutually conceded to changes.

ZBA Budget.

No changes to salaries or advertising. Selectman Scalley raised a question on training and travel line. Select Board raised training and travel line from $500 to $700. ZBA budget total changed to $1900.00

Transfer Station Budget.

Greg Hogan presented budget proposal from budget print out covering each line item.

Salaries: Recycle Attendant Salary wage scale increased by $2.00/HR. Still low compared to comparable positions in the area. Asking for additional $1.00/HR in March budget. Added new employee for departing employee (part time) at starting rate from the budget.

General discussion on the other line items with nominal increases on some items.

Expanded on telephone line and all that is included.

Challenges identified in budgeting ‘haul’ charges due to varying tonnages of trash that come in to station.

Discussion on promoting recycling from the department and various media and interactions at the site.

Advantages of having contracted to Berlin for town haul of waste versus Casella were discussed.

Bulky waste combined with C&D trucking to consolidate line items going forward.

Tire disposal pricing discussed. $650 for next year the same.

$8300.00 C&D Trucking (Construction and Debris) removal costs discussed.

$25,000.00 for tipping fees remain the same.

Landfill maintenance and testing challenges due to testing facilities not having needed data to estimate. Greg makes best effort to estimate anticipated charges from past practice and has been pretty close each year. Set at $7500.00 to hedge potential cost increases.

Household collection (every other year) as high as $3000.00 to ensure fully funded if no collaboration with other towns. Can be as low as $1800.00 but unknowable which other towns will collaborate until the time comes.

Site work and grading. $500.00 at the transfer station.

Equipment purchases $200.00 small tools.

Equipment repairs and maintenance. Recycle Attendant (Andrew Shaheen) completes a lot of the maintenance for the equipment due to his prior training in diesel mechanic training. Saves the department funds. Requesting the $2500.00 be kept for unexpected needs.

$2700.00 Container leases. Discussion on the disrepair of the containers. Down to dirt floors. Have been shored up to keep safe but Greg identifies that a more permanent solution is needed. Discussion on building a warehouse structure that would be more be more efficient, safer and cost effective over time. Discussion on writing a warrant to remedy the short coming in storage.

$1800.00 Supplies. Various items needed around the facility cleaning, repair, paper towels. Clothing allowance.

Discussion on overage supplies from Concord on cleaning supplies but need to go down to get them. Wipes and sanitizer available. First come, first served in obtaining these items from State.

Discussion on the special revenue fund. Greg prefers to set warrant at $20,000.00.


General Buildings budget.

Discussion on janitorial budget and challenges in obtaining a vendor. Currently $12,000.00 but aware may need to raise due to shortages of available vendors.

Town Building labor to $3000.00

Coming off warrantees and guarantees for new construction town will need to be covered by town either through insurance or payment. Discussion on how necessary having qualified contractors and vendors contracted to complete ongoing maintenance and repairs to save money over time. Additionally, the costs to the town to have employees trained and to purchase the necessary equipment is not as cost effective as have the annual contracts with qualified personnel completing the work.

$500.00 Recreation area maintenance.

Heating plant maintenance. Added $2000 for unknown challenges that may arise now that we are off warrantee and settling in to ongoing maintenance of the system with contracts.

Town Hall electric. All electric costs are rising. Discussed how rate increases will impact any savings that may be obtained this year from having systems operating as designed.

Town Hall heating oil increase $6800.00 from $6500.00 expected energy cost increases.
Highway garage $4000. No change.

Police station increase $9000.00 from $6000.00 expected energy cost increases even with repairs to doors and weather stripping.

Old fire station shut down and winterized so no costs for heating oil.

Transfer station remains at $2300.00. Station is subsidized by the used oil that is brought in for burning thus saving the town oil purchase costs.

Total oil costs for: GB Htg Oil - Town Hall GB Htg Oil - Hgwy Garage GB Htg Oil - Public Safety GB Htg Oil - Fire Station GB Htg Oil - Trfr Stat = $22,100. Anticipating energy costs increasing through the winter Selectman Scalley proposes and the other member agreed to increase each line item by 10% per line item increasing the total heating fuel costs for these items to by another $2200.00. This is for lines -500 to -504 in the budget.

Janitorial supplies increase from $1000.00 to $1500.00 due to unknows in janitorial vendor status and increasing costs of supplies.

Discussion on Transfer station alarm line item, potential need for an estimate (approx. $400).

Discussion on fire extinguisher maintenance covered under miscellaneous.

Selectman Scalley seeks a total $23,500.00 into Asbestos/demo line for dealing with Wright’s house with the potential to have Greg and others manage tear down and removal. Greg will research plan with employees to determine feasibility.

Discussion on buying new fire extinguishers versus having maintenance on fire extinguishers as cost is same or less overall.

Greg agreed to adjust respective line items in his budget.

Conservation Commission budget.

Commission seeks $366.00 (increase from $275) due to $10.00 operating expense and $80.00 for workshops.

Pole license public hearing.

Discussion regarding need for public hearing for this item. Tentatively scheduled for 11/2/21 by Chairman Scalley at 7pm. Select Board meeting to be held right after. Chairman Scalley requested Selectman Mills follow up for any issues on scheduling and completing all tasks dependent on any compliance issues such as legal and/or RSA requirements.

Additional discussion on the better practice for receiving ARPA funds, per letter from Berlin, NH mayor whether they were accepted for just the first half or not; a rehearing to receive the full grant for the ARPA funds. Selectman Mills noted he was going to attend a remote meeting with NHMA regarding ARPA funds, their use, tracking and reporting requirements.

Discussion on VHV contracting. Question on how payment was to be made (total or each invoice). Need to pay invoices for both 08/31/21 and 10/18/21. Determined which lines payments are to be made from.


Overhead door proposal.

Apparatus bay door failed. Discussion on solutions to replacement of door as well as mitigation efforts to avoid future issues with the doors.

Imre Szauter offered extensive discussion on various aspects of the police and fire bay doors.

Discussion on police bay doors and remedies to have the doors close completely.

Solenoid brake for police bay door to mitigate gap with weather stripping and floor.

Discussion on epoxy floor covering and the impact of its installation on maintenance and repair of doors.

Additional $980.00 contract on completing maintenance on all eight bay doors in the safety complex. One inspection a year.

Discussion on gap to Sally Port on police station bay doors and need to remedy ASAP.

Select Board consents to obtain contract for the $980.00 from Overhead Doors for the door maintenance. Select Board also consents to a contract for the solenoid brakes for the doors at $950.00. The Select Board agreed that with the absence of the Select Board Chairman either remaining member would be a designee to sign for the contracts should they come in during this week.

Follow up:

Town administrator. Discussion on Town manager versus Town administrator.

Researched NHMA for definitions on their brochure.
Called Bethlehem-No town manager, Select Board with Admin. Assist.
Franconia has a Town Manager, will follow up at later date.
Lincoln—Town Manager just retired. They are shopping for a replacement. Spoke with Jane on compensation. Compared and contrasted duties and responsibilities. Suggested going with Administrator to begin with and see if a Town Manager is necessary. Town manager is compensated in the ‘six figure range.’

Mills is still conducting research for the board on this possible consideration for a warrant to the town. Still going to speak with Lancaster and Littleton. Follow up with Franconia.

Auditors.

Contacted Mike Campo at Plodzik & Sanderson. Anecdotally one of the best in the state. They have large staff: 18-19 comprised of directors all the way to the auditing staff.

For consideration they need our time line. I am coordinating with Kelley regarding that in reference to the budget process. Mike asked for our most recent audit report and the current fees we pay.

Considerations:
Preliminary field work
Internal controls for municipality
Journal entries
Meeting minutes
Risk assessments
Public engagement and risk engagement, small can be better—more active involvement of the town.

Some questions are ok, do not want to mission drift into active management of the town’s finances. “Hand full” calls, questions. I mentioned we work with Coos Advisors—Mike knows Maggie and has positive feedback for her.

Offered information on NHGFOA 4-5 Nov in N. Conway for additional training and education.


Profile technologies.

Phone call to Michael LaBonte. He needs some more information to complete and assessment and render an appraisal regarding computers and internet to include:

Current IT provider
Serves—number and type
Passwords to access system to evaluate (can be clunky gaining from current provider…)
Current speeds of service
Current services provide to municipality
Administrative password
Back ups?
Age of equipment.




Fire Station:

Mills stated he and Gauthier needed to vote on an amended Purchase and Sales agreement therefore Scalley recused himself from the board at 8:18.

Additional changes to P&S:
$10,000.00 down payment—not 10% of purchase price.
Closing completed in 30 days, not 45.
The exhibit D regarding statement that no methamphetamine production was conducted in the building was modified from having Salem, NH as the town to Town of Carroll.

Motion was made by Mills to approve the final amended Purchase and Sales agreement coordinated with St. Jeans auction and town counsel. Gauthier second. The motion past 2-0
With Scalley recused from the board.

Mills added that a Mr. Ted Roy had called the auctioneer to see if there was a possibility to view the building. Mills stated he was home and could show the building and answer questions and did so.

Scalley came back onto the board at 8:21.

Detail rate for Fire Department and Police Department.

New rate be changed $20 to $30 rate.
Officer pay to go to $50/HR. Total for detail rate for personnel to be $72/HR. With cruiser at $13.00/HR rate goes to $85.00/HR.
Fire department detail rate mirrors the detail rate but using $30.00 rate for fire apparatus.

Motion made by Gauthier to increase the detail rate to $72.00 for police or firefighter and $13.00 for cruiser $30.00 for apparatus from the fire department. Second by Mills. Motion passed 3-0.

Tax deeded property Rout 3 North (Wright) property.

With $16,000.00 and $7500.00 in budget for demo and asbestos come November if any funds remaining consider using this year’s budget to complete removal.

School withdrawal

Letter/package created to make formal proposal to other towns in district to allow withdrawal from the school district. Will probably fail vote, but now documenting the entire process as it is moving forward in manner not conducted before.


Reiterated prior items and discussed.

Elke discussed some grant opportunities—waste water treatment grant; state economic infrastructure development program; community facilities direct grant for public safety. Notably vests and other equipment. Discussion on possible replacement to LED street lights.

Imre Szauter offered additional information in working with Clean Energy New Hampshire EverSource. Need for full disclosure on costing out project participation. Also discussed various sourcing to funding sources Eversource and Northern Pass.

Discussion on Volkswagen Trust grant programs for electric charging ports. As a crossroads geographic area, town location could be an optimum site. Imre offered that conduit had been embedded from town hall to flag pole area.

Scalley questioned the costing on lighting for budget amount of $24,000.00 versus current spending of $13,000.00. Discussion on light inventory from 2017 and what may be in the calculation of the costs and the differential.

Other:

Mills noted an email from Mr. Mike Campo of Plodzik & Sanderson on information requested for our information so we may budget accordingly.


Scalley requested edification of no use of overtime when previously expected on the road work being done on Little River and Wood Crest. Greg noted the holiday alleviated that need.

Scalley noted his communication with Sansoucy and having the needed numbers to complete MS-1 Form by week’s end.

Discussion ensued from Chief Tad Bailey regarding the issuance of fines for violation of town ordinances; the challenges in gaining full enforcement of nuisance ordinances and collecting the fines. Consensus was made to address in non-public for legal. Discussion ended.

Ms. Bobbi Amirault discussed the open house for the library and historical society this coming Saturday 1000-1200 in the community room inviting the Select Board. Bobbi also asked for clarification on protocol for use of the town leader board in front of building. Scalley said they can post whatever they need to.

Imre discussed the failure of an impeller in the Modine pump and the resultant analysis of why having the maintenance insurance contract is so important. Scalley reiterated the need for this maintenance and the need to have persons available to complete these needs. Mills reiterated his prior discussions with Imre in his initial briefing coming onto the Select Board.
Imre discussed the failure and subsequent analysis of the fire apparatus door at the fire station and subsequent actions to repair it. Not under warrantee, researching the insurance considerations. Still more research needed.

Brian Mycko had questions regarding the asphalt on the edges of the road. Scalley noted the concern and referred the question Greg Hogan for further consideration.

Scalley stated the next meeting would be 10/26/21 at 7pm.

THE BOARD WILL ENTER NON-PUBLIC SESSION PER RSA 91-A:3, Legal and Personnel

Selectperson Scalley made a motion to go into non-public session at 8:17 pm per RSA 91-A:3, Legal and Personnel. Selectperson Gauthier second, all in favor 3-0.

Selectperson Scalley made a motion to return to public session at 9:12 pm and seal the minutes of the non-public session. The motion was seconded by Selectperson Mills. All in favor, 3-0.

Selectperson Gauthier made a motion to adjourn the public meeting at 9:13 pm. Selectperson Mills second. All in favor 3-0.