February 26, 2024 | Town Admin TOWN OF SUTTON Pillsbury Memorial Town Hall 93 Main Street Sutton Mills, NH Sutton Mills, NH 03221 Select Board Agenda February 19th, 2024, 4pm PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Select Board Chair Walter Baker opened the meeting at 4:03pm with the Pledge of Allegiance. Present at the meeting were: Walter Baker, Select Board Chair; Michael McManus, Selectman; Glenn Pogust, Selectman; Bob DeFelice, Sutton Budget Committee (SBC) Chair; and Julia Jones, Town Administrator. Lee Booker and Nancy Glynn, Chair of the Sutton Free Library Board of Trustees, attended as members of the public. APPOINTMENTS: CONSENT AGENDA: MINUTES: The Board reviewed and approved public minutes from February 12th, 2024. MANIFESTS: The Board reviewed and approved a vendor manifest for $70,632.29. The Board reviewed a payroll manifest for $17,270.03. The Town Administrator acknowledged additional hours worked by one employee. Selectman McManus raised questions about the Town’s overtime policy after reviewing overtime hours logged by the Highway Department. The Town Administrator presented the Town’s Personnel Policy (revised March 25th, 2019) and directed the Board to Section IX: OVERTIME Overtime shall be authorized in advance by the department head. All employees who are paid on an hourly basis shall receive overtime payment for all hours worked in excess of forty hours. Overtime will be paid at one and one-half times the employee’s regular hourly rate Overtime shall be based on the number of hours worked. The meaning of this statement is that no paid non-work time, whether paid holiday, annual leave, bereavement leave, maternity leave, or sick leave that might be taken during a given payroll week shall be included in the 40 hour base above which additional hours are paid at overtime rates. The following are exceptions to this general rule: If additional hours above the scheduled work week are authorized by the supervisor to meet an urgent and fortuitous need such as disaster relief actions, snow or ice removal, fallen tree removal after wind storms, reopening of roads after severe floods, and the like, then the 40 hour base shall include approved annual leave, bereavement leave, maternity leave, sick leave and up to eight hours of holiday time (a lesser number for workers who would normally and regularly be scheduled to work a lesser number of hours on that day if it were not a holiday). If additional hours above the scheduled work week are authorized by the supervisor in circumstances not conforming to the “urgent and fortuitous need” criterion, and approval is obtained from the Selectmen in advance, any of the various types of paid non-work time listed above may be included in the forty hour base, depending on the circumstances and on the approval granted by the Selectmen. Selectman McManus shared his interpretation of Section IX. The Board directed the Town Administrator to contact the Road Agent for more information on overtime hours logged by the Highway Department. INTENTS: BUILDING PERMITS: NEW BUSINESS: The Board reviewed and approved certain corrections to the 2024 Police Department Budget. The Board reviewed the 2024 Municipal Budget and discussed budget recommendations finalized by the Sutton Budget Committee (SBC) during Public Hearings held on February 8th and 12th. The Board expressed opposition to the SBC’s recommended 3.2% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA). The Select Board discussed the SBC’s COLA recommendation and its impact on the Town’s budget over time. Selectman McManus suggested reducing the Select Board’s recommended 3% wage increase to 1%. Selectman Baker expressed opposition to this recommendation. After a spirited debate, the Board agreed to move forward with a recommended 3% wage increase. The Board discussed individual budget items with SBC Chair DeFelice and revised its recommendations for certain budget items. Selectman Pogust made a motion to approve the Select Board’s 2024 Municipal Budget recommendations as revised. Chair Baker seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. The Board reviewed and approved the 2024 Town Warrant subject to the Board’s final budget recommendations. The Board reviewed and approved the 2024 Town Directory subject to certain corrections. OLD BUSINESS: The Board reviewed additional information on a laptop estimate for the Town Administrator. The Board discussed emergency repairs to Pillsbury Memorial Hall offices. The Board reviewed a second draft of the 2023 Round Room Report and identified several projects for the Town Administrator to highlight. The Board postponed discussion on the vacation policy and personnel policy REVIEW OF CORRESPONDENCE: PUBLIC INPUT: Chair of the Sutton Free Library Board of Trustees, Nancy Glynn, offered information on shift differentials as a possible explanation for overtime hours reported by the Highway Department. The Board clarified that the Town does not offer shift differentials. Chair Glynn clarified that the Sutton Free Library budgeted for a 3.2% COLA, in addition to a 1.8% merit increase. Chair Glynn emphasized the difference between COLA’s, parity adjustments, and merit raises. Chair Glynn expressed disappointment with the Board’s failure to bring a warrant article forward to see if the Town would appropriate funds for a lift at the Sutton Free Library. She reminded the Board of its responsibilities under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Chair Glynn shared that she had contacted the former Town Administrator about the library lift multiple times beginning in September. She shared her opinion that these requests were ignored. SELECTMEN’S COMMENTS: At 6:27pm, Selectman Pogust made a motion to enter into a nonpublic session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3, II (a) The dismissal, promotion, or compensation of any public employee or the disciplining of such employee, or the investigation of any charges against him or her, unless the employee affected (1) has a right to a meeting and (2) requests that the meeting be open, in which case the request shall be granted. At 6:48pm a motion was made by Selectman McManus to leave the nonpublic session. The motion was seconded by Selectman Pogust and passed unanimously. Once back in public session a motion was made by Selectman McManus to seal the nonpublic minutes. The motion was seconded by Selectman Pogust and passed unanimously. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 6:48pm. Respectfully submitted, Julia Jones Town Administrator