TOWN OF SUTTON
Pillsbury Memorial Town Hall
93 Main Street Sutton Mills, NH
Sutton Mills, NH 03221
Select Board

November 29, 2021 @ 4:30 p.m.

 

Dane Headley, Acting Chair, opened the meeting at 4:30 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance.  Present at the meeting were: Dane Headley, Acting Chair;  Walter Baker, Jr., Selectman; Jonathan Korbet, Police Chief; Robert DeFelice, Budget Committee Chair; Gail Guertin, Budget Committee, Vice Chair; Deborah Rayno, and Elly Phillips, Town Administrator.

 

APPOINTMENTS:

At 5:00 p.m. Jonathan Korbet, Police Chief, met with the Board review the Police Department’s 2022 proposed budget, dispatch fees, and to discuss the Town’s sick-time policy.

 

Chief Korbet reiterated his request for the Select Board to revisit the Town’s sick-time policy.  Chief Korbet had broached the matter last year.  At that time, the Board chose to defer action on the matter until after Town Meeting so the newly elected Select Board member could be part of the decision making process.  Chief Korbet requested that the town allow sick time to be accrued to the next fiscal year for a designated number of hours.

 

Chief Korbet advised that many towns allow for sick time to be accumulated similar to vacation time.  Chief Korbet’s research indicated that a majority of the towns polled allow 300-900 hours of sick time to be accumulated.  Currently, Sutton provides 56 hours of annual sick time.  Unused sick time is forfeited at the end of the calendar year.  Chief Korbet recommended that the town allow up to 320 hours of sick time to be accumulated.  It would be up to department heads to ensure that sick time is used appropriately.  Selectman Baker inquired if this policy was to be Covid-related.  Chief Korbet responded that the sick time could be allocated for that purpose or any other illness.  The Town’s short and long-term disability policy was reviewed.  The Board agreed to take the matter under advisement.

 

Chief Korbet discussed the process for updating Police Department SOP’s. The process is time intensive in order to make certain that all procedures correlate to current laws and procedures.

Chief Korbet has updated the Department’s SOP’s twice during his tenure as Chief.  Chief Korbet recommended outsourcing this project to an outside contractor (retired police chief) who specializes in providing this service to NH police agencies.  Chief Korbet requested approval to contract for this service from the 2021 operating budget noting that funds were available from the training line item to offset this expense.  The contractor utilizes best practices, the latest version of CALEA  and addresses everything from SOP’s to forms review.  The projected timeframe for accomplishing the update is within 180 days.  The cost is $1,500.  Chief Korbet advised that the Town of New London recently used these services.

 

The Board authorized the expenditure from the 2021 operating budget to update the Police Department SOP’s.

 

Chief Korbet reviewed the Police Department proposed 2022 operating budget on a line-item basis.  Full-time wages included an allocation for an additional officer.  Additional compensation was reduced.  Part-time wages were reduced to $1.00 based on hiring trends and history.  Building and grounds remained the same based on actual expenditures.  The building security line item was reduced to cover annual inspection and alarm services only.  This years budget included funds for an automated door system.  Chief Korbet stated that on-call wages are budgeted for 20 hours per week.   Over-time was increased based on the wage line items.  The Police Chief’s and Administrative Assistant’s salaries were revised due to a merit increase.  The custodial line item was level funded.  Court representation was revised to $1,203 which is  flat fee.  The line item for court witness fees was reduced to $1.00.  Electric and LP gas and building maintenance remained level funded.  The Dues Conferences and publications line item was increased  due to the proposed acquisition of new body cameras, pagers, and cloud storage.  Mr. DeFelice recommended that the increase be allocated to investigative supplies.  Cruiser fuel was revised based on actual.  The remainder of the line items were level funded.  Chief Korbet will verify the amount to modify investigative supplies.

 

Mr. DeFelice asked Chief Korbet to provide a breakdown of services to the middle and high school as he continues to pursue the possibility of reimbursement from the district.

 

Deborah Rayno met with the Board to execute a  Repurchase Agreement for Map/Lot 07-804-025

 

The minutes from November 22, 2021, were approved as written.  The Board reviewed and approved the following manifests:

Vendor Manifest:  $777,353.71 (includes county tax)

Payroll Manifest:   $  10,916.64

 

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:40 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

Elly Phillips

Town Administrator