January 26, 2024 | Town Admin TOWN OF SUTTON Pillsbury Memorial Town Hall 93 Main Street Sutton Mills, NH Sutton Mills, NH 03221 Select Board Minutes January 8, 2024, 4:00pm PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Select Board Chair Walter Baker opened the meeting at 4:05pm with the Pledge of Allegiance. Present at the meeting were: Walter Baker, Select Board Chair, Michael McManus, Selectman, and Julia Jones, Town Administrator, and the following members of the Sutton Budget Committee: Sutton Budget Committee Chair Robert DeFelice, Charles Forsberg, Charles Nelson, and Robert Wright. The following members of the public were also present: LGG Booker, Karen Booker, Bill Curless, Glenn Pogust, Alison Jones, John W. Jones, Eric Werme, Maria Bishop, Joanna Murphy, and Jane Williamson. APPOINTMENTS: The Board discussed the Independent Wage Classification Study briefly. In leu of a virtual question and answer session with Municipal Resources, Inc (MRI), the Board agreed to prepare questions for the Town Administrator to address directly with MRI. At 4:25 pm Joanna Murphy, Jane Williamson, and Karen Booker presented additional information related to the Village Overlay District. Murphy made a request to the Select Board to table the Village Overlay District Proposal, citing the need for more public awareness and additional surveys. Chair Baker agreed to consider the request and discuss the matter further with the Planning Board. At 4:40 pm Glenn Pogust met with the Board regarding a vacancy on the Select Board. Chair Baker shared that the Board had reached out to Pogust and other individuals to discuss the vacancy on the Select Board. Multiple people put their name in for the position, but the Board felt Pogust would be the best fit for the position. At 4:45, Chair Baker made a motion to appoint Glenn Pogust to the Select Board. Pogust shared timing issues that need to be addressed prior to assuming the position of Selectman. Pogust acknowledged that he could not serve as Selectman and Chair of the Planning Board, Deputy Treasurer, and Supervisor of the Checklist at the same time, and that replacements would need to be found to fill. As Deputy Treasurer, Pogust reminded the Board that he is the only individual authorized to sign checks on behalf of the Town. Chair Baker acknowledged the timing issues, and expressed his confidence that they could be addressed expediently. The motion was seconded by Selectman McManus and passed unanimously. Chair Baker invited input from the public. Former Selectman Bill Curless shared that he had attended the meeting to offer his support to the Board if they needed to fill the vacancy through March, but he felt the Board made the right decision in their appointment of Pogust. The Town Administrator thanked Curless. At 4:51 the Board invited Alison Jones to meet with the Board regarding the Supervisor of the Checklist vacancy left by Glenn Pogust. Jones reminded the Board that she is the Town’s Welfare Administrator, an elected position that does not create a conflict should she serve as Supervisor of the Checklist. Jones shared that she has served as Welfare Administrator for many years as an elected official. She acknowledged that the Supervisor of the Checklist is also an elected position, which would be up for election in March. She agreed to serve as an appointed Supervisor of the Checklist until March, then run for the position in March. Chair Baker asked if she was comfortable with that. Jones replied yes and shared that she formerly served as a Town Clerk and Tax Collector in another community. Chair Baker made a motion to appoint Alison Jones as Supervisor of the Checklist. Selectman McManus seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. At 5:00 pm the Board met in a joint session with the Sutton Budget Committee (SBC) for the presentation of the Executive Budget. The following members of the Sutton Budget Committee were present: Sutton Budget Committee Chair Robert DeFelice, Charles Forsberg, Charles Nelson, and Robert Wright. The Town Administrator recognized Lorri Himes for outstanding service to the Town and thanked her for preparing the executive budget together. Himes and the Town Administrator presented the preliminary executive budget and selected administrative budget items for review. The following points were the subject of the discussion: The Board and the SBC discussed telephone expenses and the proposal to reduce the budget based on usage. The Board and the SBC discussed a planned increase in computer expenses due to software upgrades and subscriptions. SBC Chair DeFelice stated his view that capital reserve 1-14-4914-103 titled “Computers Admin” may be used to purchase new servers, as well as printers and software. As more readers access Annual Reports through the Town website, the Town consistently ends the year with a surplus of Town Reports. To save printing costs, the Town Administrator plans to order 100 fewer copies of the 2023 Annual Report from publisher R.C. Brayshaw & Company, LLC. This reduction in cost is offset by full layout services provided by R.C. Brayshaw, resulting in a proposed increase in executive budget item 1-01-4130-550 titled “EX Printing Costs.” Additional funds were proposed under executive budget item 1-01-4130-560 titled “EX Dues/Conf/Publications to support additional training through the New Hampshire Municipal Association (NHMA) for the new Town Administrator. The Board and the SBC discussed the possibility of creating a new position with benefits. The Board shared that the position is under review and agreed that a budget line will be proposed once duties and hours are defined for the position. SBC Chair DeFelice and the Town Administrator discussed the appropriate amount to allocate for contingency funds in case of plan changes or unforeseen events. The Board and the SBC discussed fluctuating electricity rates and their impact on the budget. Selectman McManus shared that a drop in rates is anticipated followed by an increase later in the year. The SBC reviewed the proposed budget amount for building inspection services. The SBC suggested there might be a need to increase in the budgeted amount to accommodate additional inspections under building inspection budget item 1-02-4240-100 “BI BLDG Inspection Services.” The SBC reviewed the costs associated with mandatory drug and alcohol testing for town employees. The SBC reviewed street lighting expenses and the potential to reduce the budgeted amount due to energy efficiency upgrades. The Board and SBC discussed the need for maintenance, repairs, and improvements to Pillsbury Memorial Hall. The Board and SBC discussed a possible contribution to capital reserve 1-14-4914-976 “CR Accrued Benefits,” considering current healthcare costs and vacation accruals. This capital reserve has not been funded for several years. The Board and SBC discussed how much to contribute to capital reserve 1-14-4914-982 “CR Town Bridges” and future funding needs. The Board and SBC discussed how much to contribute to capital reserve 1-14-4914-994 “CR Legal Fees”. The Town Administrator asked SBC Chair DeFelice if capital reserve 1-14-4914-998 “Historical Records Preservation” could be used to support the preservation and digitization of historical documents. SBC Chair DeFelice stated that he believed that this was an appropriate use of this fund. SBC Chair DeFelice and the Town Administrator discussed a draft warrant article to see if the town will vote to create an HR Workplace Modification Non-Capital reserve fund for the purpose of requests for reasonable accommodations in the workplace such as providing or modifying equipment or devices, making the workplace readily accessible to and usable by people with disabilities. CONSENT AGENDA: MINUTES: Public Minutes from January 2nd, 2024, and December 30th, 2023. Chair Baker made a motion to accept the public minutes from January 2nd, 2024, and December 30th, 2023. Selectman McManus seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. MANIFESTS: The Board reviewed and approved the following manifests: Payroll: $ 15,845.75 Vendor: $ 21,337.93 INTENTS TO EXCAVATE: BUILDING PERMITS: INTENTS TO CUT: NEW BUSINESS: The Town Administrator provided an update on a cyber security attack which took place on Monday, January 2nd, 2024. The Board was notified of the attack at the January 2nd, 2024, Select Board meeting, when a Town employee’s email was compromised in a phishing attack. The scammer gained access to the Town employee’s email and sent emails to multiple contacts, including municipal employees working for other towns. CCI Managed Services was contacted to resolve the issue and investigate the source of the hack. Primex, the Town’s Insurer, is working with CCI to investigate the source of the hack and notify affected parties. The Town Administrator recommended using more services already provided under the current CCI contract to prevent future attacks, including two-factor authentication. The Town Administrator expressed her confidence in the Town’s cyber security, given the response to the attack, and invited public comment. Eric Werme shared that he received one of the scammer’s e-mails, which contained a link to a login screen for a foreign company. To his knowledge, this information has not been disclosed to recipients. The Town Administrator thanked Werme for bringing this information to her attention. Werme shared that he led a discussion on the cyber-attack on Facebook. He came to Pillsbury Memorial Hall earlier in the week to express concern that a Town employee’s Microsoft credentials had been compromised. He had not heard back. The Town Administrator thanked Werme again for bringing this information to her attention and agreed to share this information with CCI and Primex. The Town Administrator will follow up with Werme directly as a recipient of one of the scammer’s e-mails. The Board and the Town Administrator discussed best practices for handling suspicious e-mails. OLD BUSINESS: The Town Administrator asked the Board to postpone their discussion of Harper Family Revocable Trust Release from Current Use: 1 acre Pound Rd. 05-922-428 to gather more information on the intended future use of the property. The Town Administrator asked Selectman McManus for an update on storage cabinets for paperwork stored in the basement of Pillsbury Memorial Hall. He agreed to check on their availability for donation to the Town. REVIEW OF CORRESPONDENCE: The Board reviewed correspondence from Kevin Tarleton requesting a 25mph road sign be installed on North Road. The Board asked the Town Administrator to contact Chief Korbet to discuss this request. The Board reviewed correspondence from Karen Booker regarding the condition, legibility, and accessibility of the Town Bulletin Board located in front of Pillsbury Memorial Hall. Booker presented to the Board, which had discussed the need to repair or replace the Bulletin Board in the past. The Board asked the Town Administrator to draft a warrant article to replace the Bulletin Board located in front of Pillsbury Memorial Hall. The Board reviewed an engagement letter from Alta CPA for the Town’s upcoming audit. The Board authorized the Town Administrator to sign the engagement letter. PUBLIC INPUT: SELECTMEN’S COMMENTS: At 8:16pm Chair Baker made a motion to enter a non-public session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3, II(c) Matters which, if discussed in public, would likely affect adversely the reputation of any person, other than a member of the public body itself, unless such person requests an open meeting. This exemption shall extend to any application for assistance or tax abatement or waiver of a fee, fine, or other levy, if based on inability to pay or poverty of the applicant. Selectman McManus seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. At 8:44pm Chair Baker made a motion to leave the nonpublic session. Selectman McManus seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. Once back in public session a motion was made by Chair Baker to seal the nonpublic minutes. The motion was seconded by Selectman McManus. The motion passed unanimously. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 8:45pm. Respectfully submitted, Julia Jones Town Administrator