Allenstown Budget Committee

Minutes – 1/02/2003

Members Present: David Eaton, Jennifer Morin, Gene Vallee, Ben Fontaine, Tom Irzyk, Henriette Girard, Karen Gendreau, Mona McCready, Carol Merrill, Gabby Daneault, Don Bergevin, and Robin McAfee

Excused Absent: Carol Angowski

Others Present: David Jodoin, Jim Rodger, Chief Jim McGonigle, Acting Chief Rob Martin, Sgt. Shaun Mulholland

Dave Eaton called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

Dave informed every one that there would be a representative from the State at the Selectmen’s meeting on Monday, January 6, 2003 to discuss the ATV park at Bear Brook State Park at 7 p.m.

The Town Public Hearing will be held on January 16, 2003 at 7 p.m. at the Allenstown Elementary School, the School Public Hearing will be held on January 18, 2003 at 10 a.m. at the Allenstown Elementary School. The deliberative sessions will be February 1 at 10 a.m. for the Town and February 6, 2003 at 7 p.m. for the school.

Gene asked why both of these hearing could not be held on the same day because so few people come, Ben stated that it would be too long. It was talked about before and one year, they were held at the same day.

The filing dates for anyone who is up for reelection for Budget Committee is January 22 through January 31. There will be four three-year positions, one one-year position and two two-year positions. Mona, Carol M. and Gene must run for election, and then Robin, Don, Dave and Carol A whose terms end this year.

Jennifer made a motion to accept the minutes of the December 19, 2002 meeting, Ben seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Cemetery

Gene made a motion to open up the cemetery budget for discussion, Gabby seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

David stated that the Town owns a piece of property on Gilbert Road; the Cemetery Trustees have looked over the property. The Town is required by law to have a cemetery. Holden Engineering surveyed the property last year. If this property is used, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. They would have to survey where the burial plots would be, the entire 1.1 acres would need to be fenced in and some tree work and stump removal would have to be done to clear the site.

Gene asked if any of this work had gone out to bid. David said that they had three quotes for fencing from $12,000 to $15,000. They will be able to give actual figures once they have walked the property. It is not a straight piece of property.

The Selectmen discussed this on Monday, and there are some issues with the property that they really want to look at and walk the property to see if this is really the best place for the cemetery. The Town owns additional property on Ferry Street (which is more level). There is already some money invested in the property on Gilbert Road, approximately $3,200. We are not sure how many people would be able to be buried there because of the hill.

Ben stated the biggest expense would be the fence. Two years ago, we had to ask the Town of Hooksett to use a place in their Town cemetery for a person from Allenstown. The State requires each municipality to have a cemetery for indigenous people, you may have one person in 10 years or you may have a lot of people. Either site would accommodate what we feel the number of people we may have to bury.

One of the reasons for postponing this until Spring, is that it would be difficult to level off the property and we are afraid we would loose some of the value of the property on Gilbert Road. The one on Ferry Street is not as big, put it has more potential because all of it would be useful.

Gene asked why the cemetery had to be fenced in. Ben stated that it is a requirement of the State. Don asked where the plot of land was on Ferry Street, David stated that is near the white building on the right. Gene asked if there was going to be a hearing on this because the lot is between people’s homes. No, Ben stated you can put a cemetery anywhere.

Jennifer asked about vandalism, Ben stated that many cemeteries have a problem with vandalism, because there is no one around to protect them.

Gene stated that having a cemetery in a residential district does not add to the Town. Gene asked if there were any other land in the Town that could be used, Ben stated that much of the land is swamp or land that would cost a lot more to clear up. Ben asked Gene if he wanted to be on a committee to find something. Yes, I would. Ben stated that there has been a cemetery commission for a number of years and no one has come forward with any ideas. Gene stated that he had been asked to be on the commission and then was politically removed because someone got angry with me.

Gabby made a motion to accept the bottom line of $20,500, Ben seconded. Karen asked if it really mattered where the plot of land is located, whether the Committee agrees on where plot of land is, we have to have a cemetery and the Town has to pay for it. Tom stated that unless a plot of land is decided upon, you cannot get a true cost. Gabby stated that something must be done. Ben stated that the Town could be fined by the State for not having a cemetery, then the State could come in a do the work and the Town would have to pay for it.

Gene asked if it was mandated that something had to be done in 2003, Ben stated that it was supposed to be done three years ago. Gabby stated that they have been looking for land. Gene stated that he felt that they were hurting the Town by putting a cemetery in a residential area.

The committee then voted on the motion, the motion failed by a vote of 3 yes and 8 no votes.

Jennifer stated that she understands the need, but would be more comfortable voting if the land was decided on and there was a firmer price on what it was going to cost.

Tom asked if the cemetery were going to be put on Gilbert Road, is there any ramification from the abutters. Ben stated that both of the abutters had been spoken to and they do not object. Robin asked if the State requires the amount of land? Ben stated that it could be any size.

Gene asked why not build a mausoleum and then have the people cremated, then placed in the building, it would be less expensive then burial. You could build a small cement building and you could put 100 people in there that have been cremated. Don asked if it would be legal to cremate someone who does not want to be cremated. Gene stated it would be very cost effective.

Ben stated that the Selectmen have discussed all these issues. Where the cemetery is located is important, all things were discussed, and the fact that there is a potential for ramification of cremating someone without approval, this was all discussed.

Dave stated that there are quotes for the fencing, and tree and stump removal, and land survey. This is where the amount came from. David stated that if there is a level piece of land the fence would not cost $15,000. Tom stated that he felt they should not be appropriating money for something that is not definite. David stated that there is not much available land.

Gene stated that they would need money if they found another piece of land for surveying, etc. David stated they would have to buy the land, pay for surveying, etc.

Gabby made a motion to reopen the Cemetery Budget for $20,500, Ben seconded.

Gene made a motion to put $10,000 with stipulations, Dave stated that they cannot put stipulations on the money. Gene stated that his problem with this issue is that once the land is decided on, there will be public hearing on the matter. Dave stated that this is why there are public meeting and the agenda is posted so that anyone can come to the meeting to speak about the issues.

Gene made a motion to amend the budget to $10,000, Carol M. seconded.

Dave asked what the Cemetery Commissioner and Selectmen feel about this. Gabby stated that if people want a meeting we can have one when some land is found, Ben stated he did not have a problem with this. There has been a lot of time spent on this matter. Gene asked why we could not use the Pembroke cemetery. Pembroke would not allow us to. Carol asked who owned the cemetery on River Road, Dave stated that cemeteries on Granite Street and River Road belong to the church.

Don asked about the little cemeteries, Ben stated that none of them want to have anything to do with the Town. There is one that is not full, but the families stated that it was a private cemetery.

The committee than voted on the amended motion, the motion passed by a vote of 8 yes and one no.

Warrant Articles

To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to withdraw the sum not to exceed Three hundred Twenty Thousand Dollars ($320,000) from the Fire Department Equipment Capital Reserve Fund to purchase a new 1500 gallon per minute Pumper/Tanker fire truck with a 1500 gallon water tank with all necessary equipment. This vehicle will be of aluminum construction and shall meet the minimum requirements of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901 – 1999 edition “ Automotive Fire Apparatus”. This vehicle comes with all standard warranties. This withdrawal will have no impact on the tax rate. This article is recommended by the Board of Selectmen.

Gene made a motion to accept this warrant article, Carol M. seconded.

Tom asked if this was the entire amount in the Capital Reserve account, Chief Rob Martin stated that there is currently $331,000 in the fund plus interest.

Dave asked if this was replacing any equipment, Chief Martin stated that it is not replacing anything. The department would be downgrading the newest piece which is 12 years old.

Tom stated that last year’s warrant article was to replace an engine, yes Engine 2. Chief Martin stated that in the last two and half years they have put a lot of money into the Engine to bring it back up to usable status. There was some pump work done, the radiator was repaired and Chief Martin does not feel that we do not need to get rid of this vehicle at this point, it would be just throwing money out the window if the department gets rid of it now. The vehicle is still good for different functions.

Mona asked if there was enough room in the firehouse, yes. Tom asked if this was the dreaded ladder truck that keeps coming around, no. Chief Martin said it might come up again, but not this year.

The motion passed with one no vote (Henriette). The Budget Committee therefore recommends this article.

To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Twenty Five Thousand Dollars ($25,000) to be placed in the Fire Department Equipment Capital Reserve Fund. This article is recommended by the Board of Selectmen.

Gene made a motion to accept this warrant article, Tom seconded.

Gene asked how much money has been placed in this capital reserve account each year. Chief Martin stated that it is self endowed, last year the department asked for $60,000 and only received $38,000.

The motion was defeated by a vote of 2 yes and 9 no votes. This article is not recommended by the Budget Committee.

Henriette asked if this was coming from the same account. Dave stated that it would begin to replenish the account that would pay for the truck.

To see if the Town will vote to create an expendable trust fund for the purpose of closing the Allenstown Landfill and to authorize the Board of Selectmen to act as agents to expend, and to further raise and appropriate the sum of Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000) to be placed in this fund for an engineering study. Allenstown is on the State’s priority list of landfill closures for 2005. This article is recommended by the Board of Selectmen.

Gene made motion to accept this warrant article, Ben seconded.

Gene asked why $50,000, Ben stated this is kind of small. The Town was just notified about being on the closure list in 2005. It is very difficult to know how much it will cost, the Selectmen feel it could cost up to a half a million dollars. Gene asked if there is any Federal or State grants available, David stated that they would be reimbursed 20% of the cost after we pay. This is basically so that the testing can begin, we have no idea how contaminated it is.

Ben stated that we need something to get started to determine what needs to be done. Gene asked if this was mandated by the State, yes.

The motion passed unanimously. This article is recommended by the Budget Committee.

To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Thirty Thousand Dollars ($30,000) to purchase a new Police Cruiser and all necessary equipment. This article is recommended by the Board of Selectmen.

Gene made a motion to accept this article, Ben seconded.

Gene asked Chief McGonigle is this had gone out to bid, no, but I know what the cost of the cruiser is, David indicated this was a State bid.

Mona asked which cruiser was being replaced? Chief McGonigle indicated that it was the 1999 cruiser. Gene asked if it was going to be used by anyone in Town, Chief McGonigle indicated that he thought it would become a Town car.

The motion passed by a vote of 6 yes and 5 no. This article is recommended by the Budget Committee.

To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Twelve Thousand Dollars ($12,000) to purchase two (2) All Terrain vehicles (OHRV) and a trailer for the Police Department. This article is not recommended by the Board of Selectmen.

Gene made a motion to accept this article, Tom seconded.

Chief McGonigle stated that it has not been able to adequately respond to complaints from residents of the Bear Brook State Park area partly because of manpower and also because we do not have the equipment to do so. The State has plans to open up an unknown number of miles of trail in Bear Brook State Park which will only increase the number of calls. As part of the enabling legislation that give the State to do this, I believe that the State has already made up their mind on what they want to do.

One of the things that is in the bill, they will raise the fees on all ATV’s and snowmobiles and a percentage of the raised fees will go to the special enforcement Towns. We have already applied for a grant for enforcement to put patrols out. The grant money will pay for the man-hours and will not pay for the equipment. I do not expect this to pass, but the Chief is the one who takes the calls of complaint asking why the department is not doing something. It was his hope that the Board of Selectmen and Budget Committee would recommend passage and then let the Town’s people decide. Then if the voters say no, at least when someone calls and complains, then I can explain that the Department had made a recommendation that was approved by the Board of Selectmen and the Budget Committee but the voters said no. I believe that we will get the grant, because we have made enough noise about the problem at Bear Brook State Park, but if we do not have any equipment, then we will have to turn the grant down.

Gene asked what the complaints were, Dave stated that he had spoken to the Chief about this. He lives on River Road out towards Bear Brook. My wife and I walk River Road and one of the problems we have seen during the summer is that the ATV people drive on River Road. They do not drive slow, they drive fast. The problem with enforcing is that a cruiser can only go so far on the main road. These guys take off into Bear Brook and they cannot be caught. There is definitely a problem, I’m not sure what the answer is, but there is a problem.

Gene asked why they needed two. The Chief stated it is a safety issue, Sgt. Mulholland stated that if an officer is out on the ATV trail and gets hurt, then someone else can get help.

Chief McGonigle stated that they have caught the ATV drivers on Route 3, going to Mobil on the Run to get gas. There was also a day when there were four riders on Granite Street across from the dump. One of them stopped and told the Chief that all four of the riders were from Weare. You cannot get from Weare to Allenstown using an ATV legally, how did they get here, on the road was the answer.

In Bear Brook State Park, they are responsible for major soil erosion. The Selectmen had a meeting one night for members of an ATV club, they wanted the Selectmen to open up the Allenstown end of Chester Turnpike because Hooksett had opened up their end. They wanted to be able to come up Chester Turnpike, knowing that it was a dead-end and knowing that they could not go any further legally, just so they could turn around. The Chief suggested and the Selectmen voted not to open it up, they were just going to use it to get to the rear of Holiday Acres and go up behind people’s houses to Bear Brook State Park.

As it currently stands, there is no place for the ATV’s to legally ride except when the ground cover is frozen, but that does not stop them. We get many complaints and our hands are tied. We have done a few patrols where we have borrowed ATV’s and put officers out there and they have been very productive.

Gene asked about the grant, Chief McGonigle stated that the grant that we are applying for is on a first come, first served basis, it starts in April. How much is the grant, the first grant is for $1,600 and the second for $2,600.

Tom asked if Bear Brook was under the jurisdiction of the State Fish and Game, Sgt. Mulholland stated there is one person and he covers 13 Towns, Chief McGonigle stated there are 24 Fish and Game agents to cover the entire State.

Gene asked Ben why the Selectmen said no. Ben stated the cost was the only reason.

Jennifer asked how many complaint calls come in on average, Chief McGonigle stated that he was not sure but it was around 80 to 100. But is just part of the problem, because most people who call, will tell us that it is an ongoing problem that happens every day and that they do not bother to call for a number of reasons, the least of which is that when the police officers gets out there the ATV’s are already gone. The days that we have gone out there on direct patrol, there have been no complaints, but the word got out very quickly that we were out there.

Gene stated that it has been a bit deterrent, yes it has.

The motion passed by a vote of 5 yes, 4 no and 2 abstaining votes. This article is recommended by the Budget Committee.

To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000) to be placed in the Special Revenue Dare Fund. This article is recommended by the Board of Selectmen.

Gene made a motion to accept this article, Ben seconded.

Gene asked Sgt. Mulholland how this was going, he stated that he is not currently running the program, Officer Huard is. He is currently teaching the second grade, kindergarten and first grade have been completed. He has not started the 5^th grade DARE program, since he was the only DARE officer and we thought I was going to be gone on November 30. Office Huard received an exception from the State to be able to send Officer Huard to the academy in another State, Chief McGonigle stated that he will be attending the DARE academy this month in either Massachusetts or Connecticut. Once he graduates from the DARE training, he will start the 5^th grade program. Sgt. Mulholland stated they are not sure what they will do with the 7^th grade program at this time, since he is the only person certified to teach that level.

Mona asked if this money is in addition to the regular DARE funds. Dave stated that there is money expended during the year, but this is added to it to make sure there is money for next year. Henriette asked if there were any more grants, Chief McGonigle stated that they were finished two years ago. Chief McGonigle stated that there is significant Federal money coming into the State each year for drug abuse education, but the State has placed a limit of four years on giving grants to communities. The State refuses to extend the grant periods. We are also going to look into the GREAT program. This program is geared toward 6^th and 7^th graders and was developed by the ATF. There is money to available to fund the training of an officer and the program for a couple of years. Sgt. Mulholland stated that the danger is that our focus in on getting money and not providing programs. We are one of the fortunate communities where our DARE program has been consistent for six years now. It will be interesting to see that once the students have gone from Kindergarten through Grade 12 what the real results will be.

The motion passed unanimously. This article is recommended by the Budget Committee.

To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000) to be placed in the Highway Department Equipment Capital Reserve Fund. This article is recommended by the Board of Selectmen.

Gene made a motion to accept this article, Ben seconded.

Gene asked Ben is this was for a building or equipment, it is for equipment. Tom asked how much was currently in this fund. David stated that there is a little over $50,000. What they need right now is a backhoe. What Jim would like to do is to make an arrangement with the Sewer Department to have them buy the backhoe and the Town would no longer charge them for the loader. This would enable both the Town and the Sewer Department to use the equipment.

The motion passed by a vote of 10 yes and one no (Tom). This article is recommended by the Budget Committee.

To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000) to be placed in the Recreation Capital Reserve Fund. This article is recommended by the Board of Selectmen.

Gene made a motion to accept, Ben seconded.

Dave asked what this was for, Karen stated that it was for general repairs for the building and equipment, but there are also projects to do. Currently there is $16,000 in this fund, which includes the fence for the ballparks. We also need to fix the roof and the fence. Henriette stated that she thought they already had the money for these repairs, Karen stated that it all depended if the Board of Selectmen encumber the funds. David stated that a lot of that money will be going to finish off the fields. Jim Rodger stated that the $16,000 that is the capital reserve now will cover the fencing at the ball field. Once this money is expended, there will be no capital reserve remaining. So in anticipation of new equipment or needed repairs, we will have a safety net.

Gene asked what was going on with the ballpark. Karen stated that Keyspan has offered to provide services to finish the grading, and a few other companies have offered to provide services. So they now have the plans and we are waiting for them to get back to the Recreation Department to let us know what they will do. Gene asked if they had concrete offers for services, no and that is one of the reasons we want to encumber the funds in the Recreation budget, because we may have to finance the whole project. Through from the bids that we got, we would not be able to finish it this year. Sgt. Mulholland stated he has been working on this project, Keyspan has stated that they will help us with the project, but the have not specifically said what they will do. They have the plans and then will tell us what they can do and when they can do it. They will not provide any capital expenses. We have a quote from Home Depot for the fencing for $4,000. This is just for the fence.

Advanced Paving is also interested in helping out. If the ground is good enough during the winter, he is wiling to help out with the equipment that he has. PSNH has also expressed an interest to provide telephone poles and also possibly doing some lighting work. We have not gotten back with them on pricing because the Town has always stated that they will build the ball field, but that we will not put in all the bells and whistles.

Gene stated that he is not against any program for the youth, but he does not want to have $5,000 sitting in a fund doing nothing, because nothing will be done. Sgt. Mulholland stated that the $16,000 will be used for the ball field, like the cost of sand – we will try to get as much as we can for free, so if we don’t have to spend it, we will not (like we have always done), but if we do have to spend it, we will need most of what is in the fund. If we install conduit, it will allow for lights to be installed later on. The $5,000 we are talking about we have to fix the roof at some point, and the fence needs to be fixed. There are also cracks in the court that need to be fixed. I see the $5,000 being using for these types of expenses.

We are also looking at the possibility of getting a house that the gas company owns. If we can get that house and tear it down and make an exit way out of the park, it would be helpful.

Tom stated that looking at the budget now, there is $3,000 in Building Repairs and $2,000 in Equipment Maintenance, so we don’t know what the cost will be for the roof. Jim Rodger stated that the bids for the roof have been from $3,000 to $7,000. David stated that they also have a problem with the furnace. Jim stated that there is an airduct that needs to be replaced.

The motion passed by a vote of 6 yes, 4 no votes and one abstaining vote. This article is recommended by the Budget Committee.

To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000) to be placed in the Fire Safety Equipment Capital Reserve Fund. This article is recommended by the Board of Selectmen.

Gene made a motion to accept this article, Ben seconded.

Chief Martin stated that this article is for future replacement of protective equipment in the future. If something major happens, like a breathing apparatus break down, they are very expensive to replace. Gene stated that these things are very important. Tom asked what was in this fund currently, Chief Martin stated there is about $6,000 in the fund. Tom asked if there is an average amount spent each year, Chief Martin stated usually no money is spent.

Henriette asked if $2,000 has been placed in this fund each year, Chief Martin stated that it has been $1,000 to $2,000 each year. David stated that they were setting it aside in case they were a major problem.

The motion passed by a vote of 9 yes, and 2 abstaining votes. This article is recommended by the Budget Committee.

To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000) to be place in the Police Safety Equipment Capital Reserve Fund. This article is recommended by the Board of Selectmen.

Gene made a motion to accept this article, Ben seconded.

Gene asked if this is the same amount that has been placed in this account each year, yes.

The motion passed unanimously. This article is recommended by the Budget Committee.

To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000) to be placed in the Police Computer Capital Reserve Fund. This article is recommended by the Board of Selectmen.

Gene made a motion to accept, Ben seconded.

Gene asked if this is the same amount that has been placed in this account each year, yes.

The motion passed unanimously. This article is recommended by the Budget Committee.

To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Thirty Thousand Dollars ($30,000) to be placed in the Highway Garage Capital Reserve Fund. This article is recommended by the Board of Selectmen.

Gene made a motion to accept, Ben seconded.

Ben stated that there is currently $10,000 in the fund. Also, we spoke earlier about having to work at the dump. Undoubtedly, the building will be part of this work and it will have to be replaced. Gene asked if a new Town Shed can be built at the same location? It depends on how bad the landfill is. Ben stated that we don’t know how close it will come to the gravel area. Ben also stated that the Fire Department and Acting Fire Chief were very generous in changing his warrant article to $25,000 from $50,000 if the money was put into the Highway Garage warrant article.

Gene asked why this had not been stated before, Ben stated that was because it did not pertain to that particular warrant article, it pertained to this one. Karen stated that the Committee should be voting in the best interest of the Town, not because someone was kind.

Gene asked what it will cost to build a new Town Shed, Ben stated that he had no idea. A company in Town who has built a 5-door building may donate the plans to the Town and give us prices. They would not do the work, but it would give us an idea of the cost. The gas tanks will also have to be removed at some time.

The motion passed unanimously. This article is recommended by the Budget Committee.

To see if the Town will vote to rescind Article #8 of the Town of Allenstown’s 2002 Town Meeting which authorized the appropriation of One Hundred Thirty Five Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($135,500) to be raised through sewer fees and the issuance of a bond or note in the same amount. This article is recommended by the Allenstown Sewer Department.

Gene made a motion to accept, Jennifer seconded.

Dave stated that last year’s Article #8, the Town voted to pass the article. Due to a court case, the Sewer Commission decided to raise the money through Sewer fees. This article is still there, and if it is not rescinded, the Sewer Commission can still get a bond in this amount. So what this article is doing is rescinding the original article.

Gene asked if funds for the new construction will not be raised through sewer fees users and there will be no grant involved.

Jim Rodger stated that most of the money has been raised through sewer fees, he indicated that after one more quarter there will be enough money to do the job. We will still have 20% given to us by the State. Gene asked if we will not have to raise this amount through Town meeting, only through fees? Yes, also has been raised.

Jim stated that the impression they got after last year’s election was that they would not be able to legally get the bond because it was being discussed in court. By the time they decided what they were going to do and we were eligible to take the bond, we had already been raising funds for 6 or more months, so why take out a five-year bond at that point. All this article is doing, is closing the issue and once the article is rescinded, there is no way the Sewer Department can borrow the money, we don’t need to borrow the money.

Our intention was to have a five-year loan to make it easier for the ratepayers, but it did not work out that way. So this will just close the issue.

Jennifer asked since the warrant article was voted in 2002 and it was not acted upon in 2002, then in 2003 they could actually spend the money? Dave stated that it was for a project not for their operating budget. This was discussed at a previous meeting, because they said that because Allenstown is a SB2 Town, we are able to pass a bond with 60% of the vote. At a regular Town Meeting the approval rate must be by 67% approval. So the sewer rates were raised because they were not sure they were going to be able to get a bond issued.

Dave stated that since the Town approved this warrant article last year, so it still allows the Sewer Commission to borrow the money. This warrant article rescinds the approval so they cannot go out and borrow the money.

Henriette asked what would happen if the Town’s people don’t approve this article. David stated that the article stands as approved. Jim Rodger stated that the Sewer Department had no intention to borrow the money and would like to see this matter closed. Jim stated that legally they could borrow the $135,500 but they do not want to, because they have already raised the money through rates. Dave stated that if a new sewer commission comes in and sees this a few years down the road, they feel that they will not need a bond issue to do work that needs to be done, they will already have approval from the Town to borrow the money. This warrant article closes the matter so no future commission can borrow money.

Tom asked if the warrant article should be worded differently so that it will be clearer for the voters. David stated that it will have to be explained. Henriette stated that most voters will not come to the meeting to get the explanation. Dave stated that they will see our recommendation and I know from this last year, our recommendation means a lot.

Gene suggested that a piece of paper should be available to all voters on voting day explaining this warrant article. Jennifer stated that if people do not read this article correctly, they will vote no and we really want them to vote yes. Jim stated that they will be involved in some public education.

Jennifer asked if a warrant article had been approved in the past that had not happened. David stated that because it is a bond, it is different. David also stated that the Town is bound currently for the $135,500 until the article is rescinded. It is like the school, if a bond is approved for $5 million and they only spend $4 million, they have to back the next year to rescind the remaining $1 million or they still have the authority to spend the million dollars.

Dave asked if everyone was going to communicate this information to their neighbors? Yes.

The motion passed unanimously. This article is recommended by the Budget Committee.

Dave brought up an item that Chief McGonigle has brought to my attention about consider a questions a second time from Roberts Rules of Order. Basically it stated that whoever is in the majority on the first vote are the one’s who can bring up the issue again.

Gene made a motion to reopen the Cemetery Budget, Tom seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Gene made a motion to amend the bottom line to $20,000, Gabby seconded. The motion failed by a vote of 4 yes and 7 no votes.

Tom then made a motion to amend the bottom line to $10,000, Mona seconded. The motion failed by a vote of 5 yes and 6 no votes.

Tom asked why people had changed their mind after everything that had been raised, Gene stated it was because of the seriousness on Gabby’s face I know he has never lied to me. Karen stated that she voted yes the first time because I knew we would be back where we are now where no one is agreeing and we would not get anywhere.

Dave stated that he sees the bottom line at $20,500 because the original motion to change it to $10,000 was not properly done. Ben stated that the original amount does not change until it is changed by a vote in the affirmative and this had not happened.

Gene made a motion to accept the bottom line of $20,500 for the Cemetery, Ben seconded. The motion failed by a vote of 4 yes and 7 no.

Tom made a motion to amend the bottom line to $10,500, Jennifer seconded. The motion passed by a vote of 8 yes and 3 no.

Jennifer made a motion to open up the Executive Budget, Gene seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

David explained that the Administrative Secretary line – after deliberation Henriette had decided to forgo her pay increase because the health insurance went up. So instead of getting a .50 increase retroactive to January 1 and then a 2.5% increase in July, she is requesting only the 2.5% increase effective July 1 which changes this amount from $15,834 to $14,989. The new bottom line will then be $116,556.

Mona made a motion to amend the bottom line to $116,556, Carol M. seconded.

The motion passed by a vote of 9 yes and 2 abstaining votes.

Tom then made a motion to amend the Administrative Secretaries line to $14,989, Mona seconded.

The motion passed by a vote of 9 yes and 2 abstaining votes.

Gene made a motion to open up the Town Clerk’s budget, Gabby seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Dave stated that Ed Cyr had requested that his salary be changed from $30,000 to $33,000. David explained that this has always been based on fees. Last year they put in money based on the fees that were raised, which came up to $30,000. In 2002 he took an extra $75,000 from motor vehicle permits, so if he had been on a fee basis it would have equalled approximately $3,000. He is not looking for the 2002 money that he lost, but he is looking for an extra $3,000 for 2003’s budget.

Gene asked how many hours he is open for business, David stated he works approximately 26 hours per week. David stated that it is an elected position and he was not sure if you could do something on the fees. Tom asked what if the fees did not equal the same amount this year, then he will get a $3,000 raise.

Ben stated that other elected positions also received an increase. We must take a position, just the fact that you run for office does not mean you should not get more money. Don stated that you should know what the job pays before you run for office.

Mona stated that the hours should be posted, she has heard many complaints from people that he is not here. Henriette stated that if he is not at the Town Hall, the deputy is. David stated the only day he is not here is Friday.

Mona asked about the other warrant articles, Dave stated that they only vote on articles that have a monetary value.

Tom made a motion to amend the Town Clerk’s salary line to $33,000, Ben seconded. The motion failed by a vote of 10 no and 1 abstaining vote.

Gene asked why the Committee should be discussing the Tax Map Budget? David stated that they have a contract to do the maps for $1,900. If we do not do the updates, they we are back to where we were three years ago. Tom stated that he thought that when this budget was discussed, it was up to date. David stated that they were going to put $1,000 into a capital reserve fund, but there is no guarantee that it will pass. Since we have a contract, to the annual update, we need the funds.

Ben made a motion to revisit the Tax Map Budget, Henriette seconded. The motion passed by a vote of 8 yes and 3 no votes.

Jennifer asked if this is going to be a yearly expense, David stated that it depends, they are looking to do updates for the construction and the new subdivisions, the Mega-X gas station and a few other matters that have gone through the Planning Board.

Henriette asked if this is really needed. David stated that if there are no accurate maps, and someone comes in to build, you must make sure that the boundaries are correct.

Gene stated that David’s comments were that the maps were up to date. David stated that as of 2002, they were up to date. But the 2002 changes need to be updated in 2003. Jennifer asked when the maps would be updated this year? David stated that they would be done in between March and June to do the legwork then the maps would be available in July or August.

Tom stated that it should be on a warrant article. David will type up a warrant article for the Tax maps.

Dave asked if there was a new bottom line, yes it will be $2,925,384.

Gene made a motion to accept the revised bottom line of $2,925,384, Mona seconded.

Henriette asked what the tax rate will be on this amount. The Town portion would be estimated at .90 extra without the warrant article.

Dave asked Tom if the School Board would be able to have the school warrant article on the bond available for January 16 or before then we could meet at 6:30. There is a public hearing on January 9 at AES about the building.

Gene asked to rescind the motion so that the default figure would be available before a vote is taken on the bottom line, Mona rescinded her second. David will have these figures ready by the 16^th.

Gene made a motion to recess, Mona seconded. The meeting recessed at 8:58.