October 21, 2019 | Town Admin TOWN OF SUTTONPillsbury Memorial Town Hall93 Main Street Sutton Mills, NHSutton Mills, NH 03221Select Board October 21, 2019 @ 4:00 p.m. The meeting was called to order at 4:00 p.m. by Dane Headley, Chair. Present at the meeting were Dane Headley, Chair; Robert Wright, Jr., Selectman; William I. Curless, Selectman; Walter Baker, Jr., Co-Chair Conservation Commission; Deborah Lang, Conservation Commission Chair; Derek Lick, Zoning Board of Adjustment Chair and Moderator; Peter Stanley, Planning and Zoning Administrator; Glenn Pogust, Planning Board Member; Robert DeFelice, Budget Chair; Marc Morgan, Lebanon Solid Waste Manager, Diego Solimine, Solid Waste/Transfer Station Supervisor Lynn Wittman and Debbie Feldman; and Elly Phillips, Town Administrator. APPOINTMENTS: At 4:30 p.m. Walter Baker, Jr., Co-Chair Conservation Commission, Deborah Lang, Conservation Commission Member met with the Board to review the Commission’s proposed 2020 budget. Deborah Lang presented the budget. The secretarial service line item was increased to $1,250.00. Tweaking was done between dues, Dues, Conferences and Publications and Expenses. The Budget was set at $1,300 for Dues, Conferences and publications. Expenses at $800 The Special Projects line item was increased to $4,000 based on several proposed special projects such as kiosks, flora and fauna descriptive markers, publicity, maps, trail brochures, additional points of interest plaques, trail repairs, and demolition of the pump house. The special projects will be prioritized and some of the projects will be accomplished in 2020. The Commission is requesting $7,000 for the capital reserve conservation land fund. At 5:00 p.m. Glenn Pogust, Planning Board Member; Derek Lick, Zoning Board Chair/Moderator; Peter Stanley, Planning and Zoning Administrator met with the Board to review the Planning and Zoning 2020 proposed budget. Peter Stanley, Planning and Zoning Administrator presented the budget. Mr. Stanley advised that the 2019 was under budget due to staffing. Mr. Stanley projected likely expenses for the remainder of the year. Mr. Stanley advised that the Master Plan update budget projection is $18,000-$20,000. Mr. Stanley proposed entering into a contract this year and encumbering funds for the project for next year, rather than doing a warrant article for a Master Plan in 2020. The Planning and Zoning budget proposed for 2020 is down $7,422.00/ Derek Lick, Moderator met with the Board to discuss acquisition of a ballot counting machine. Mr. Lick advised that the Secretary of State’s Office has not approved a ballot counting machine as of this date due to technical issues. There are two potential candidates for approval, but the final decision is a couple years out. Mr. Lick presented a proposal from the approved vendor for a refurbished machine. The refurbished ones are available with warranty and training. The cost for the machine is $3,500, plus an annual fee of $250. In addition, there are programming fees of $500-$750 per election. A new machine would cost about $6,000. A discussion regarding the pros and cons of acquiring a used machine ensued. Reservations were expressed about learning one machine and then having to be trained on a different machine when the new ones are approved by the State. The advantage of a ballot counting machine is that the count (with the exception of write-ins) could be completed in a matter of minutes. At a typical election, the town has 16 ballot clerks and contested offices are counted twice. Mr. Lick expressed reservations regarding having to replace the refurbished machine a few years down the line due to the learning curve. Mr. Lick advised that the newer machines would have improved scanning techniques for write-ins as well as election reporting capability. Concerns were raised regarding possible obsolescence of the refurbished machine, and whether or not it would be worth acquiring one for just a couple of years. Mr. DeFelice speculated that it would take at least 5 years to make the numbers work. Mr. Lick agreed to research whether there was a possibility of getting a rebate on the used machine if a new machine was acquired at a future date. The general consensus was that an extended warranty might make it an easier decision. There appears to be enough money in the budget to acquire the machine in time for the primary. Mr. Lick will meet with the Board on 11/28 at 5:45 to continue the discussion. At 5:30 p.m. Marc Morgan, Lebanon Solid Waste Manager and Diego Solimine, Sutton Solid Waste Supervisor, met with the Board to discuss municipal solid waste disposal. The Town was considering using a more local site. It was noted that there is a one-year noticing requirement to leave the Lebanon site. Lebanon manages waste for 23 different communities. An advantage of working with Lebanon is customer service as well as input and advance notice for any increase in charges. Mr. Morgan advised that Lebanon is working to ensure disposal capacity for both the city and for their clients. It is anticipated that the Bethlehem landfill will be full within two years. Massachusetts has a moratorium on landfills. The Wheelebrator incinerator is slated to close. In less than five years, disposal rates for these sites will be rising exponentially. Mr. Solimine explained that the town became concerned regarding the lifespan of the Lebanon facility. Mr. Morgan advised that the current permitted capacity is ten years, and the next phase will be eight to ten years. Lebanon is working with the state on permitting for the next fifty years. Mr. Diego discussed potential transportation savings due to more flexible scheduling. The one year noticing requirement was reiterated as well as the fact once Sutton opted out, they were out. Mr. Solimine said that he felt comfortable with whatever decision the Select Board made. The long established relationship between Lebanon and Sutton was noted. For budgetary reasons, the arrangement with Lebanon is ideal. The sense of the Board was to continue the relationship with Lebanon and to continue to monitor the market. Mr. DeFelice expressed appreciation that the Select Board was continuing to review options. CONSENT AGENDA: The minutes from October 14, 2019 were approved as written. The Board reviewed and approved the following manifests: PAYROLL MANIFEST: $ 11,495.70 VENDOR MANIFEST: $ 28,611.50 BUILDING PERMITS: The Board reviewed and approved the following building permits: Neil Chadwick, 06-640-265, Nelson Hill Road, for ground mounted solar Michele Coleman, Lynn Wittman, 08-237-360, Penacook Road, for a storage shed. The builder and owner have reviewed the location of the shed with the DES (Calvin) and went over the measurement criteria with Calvin. The location of the shed is outside of the 250 buffer zone. The applicants submitted their measurement paperwork along with the building permit. Selectman Wright specified that the permit was subject to NH State shoreland regulations. OLD BUSINESS: Selectman Wright will represent the Town at the Stotler Hearing scheduled for 10/23/2019 at 10:00 a.m. Phillips reported that the Birch Hill Road Study has been completed and that based on the study, the portion in question was discontinued to the abutters. The Board will notify NH DOT and the abutters of the discontinued section of the Town’s findings of discontinuance. Selectman Wright made a motion that the definition of discontinued road on Birch Hill Road was permanent discontinuance to the centerline of the roadway from the turnaround. Selectman Curless seconded the motion which passed by a unanimous affirmative vote. Mr. DeFelice asked for historical information regarding the Clerk’s benefits. Phillips will research and follow up with Mr. Defelice. NEW BUSINESS: The Board reviewed options of offsetting the town portion of the 2019 tax rate through the use of fund balance. Selectman Wright made a motion to use option 5 leaving the retainage at 7.25%. Selectman Curless seconded the motion. Although the Board favored having a higher retainage, based on the conservative revenue estimate, the Board felt that this would be an appropriate compromise. The Board sought the opinion of Mr. DeFelice, Budget Chair. Mr. DeFelice supported option 5 as well. The motion passed by a unanimous affirmative vote. The 2019 tax rate was set at $30.09. An additional $317.000 from fund balance was used to offset the tax rate. The current retainage is $675,397 or 7.25%. The Board agreed to come in to sign the Warrant on Tuesday, October 22, 2019. Jurisdiction 2018 Tax Final Rate 2019 Final Rate Change in Rate Municipal 7.48 8.01 .53 County 3.27 3.12 (.15) Local Education 14.91 16.50 1.59 State Education 2.38 2.46 .08 Total $28.04 $30.09 $2.05 The Board accepted, with regret, the resignation from Cynthia Stillman, Deputy Town Clerk Tax Collector. Mr. DeFelice advised that he had purchased a color printer as a gift for the Selectman’s office. The Board expressed appreciation for the thoughtful gift. REVIEW OF CORRESPONDENCE: The Board noted the following items of correspondence: Correspondence from Jack Noon regarding Old Store Correspondence from Merrimack County regarding county Tax: $811,657 Due by December 17, 2019 There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:57 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Elly Phillips Town Administrator