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

December 27, 2021 @ 4:30 p.m.

 

William I. Curless, Chair opened the meeting at 4:30 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance.  Present at the meeting were:  William I. Curless, Chair; Dane Headley, Selectman; Walter Baker, Jr., Selectman; Jeff Sercel, Libby Howell, and Elly Phillips, Town Administrator.

 

APPOINTMENTS:

At 5:00 p.m. Jeff Sercel met with the Board to discuss the process for obtaining a building permit off of a Class VI portion of Eaton Grange Road West.  Mr. Sercel described an area for temporary access on an upgraded portion of Eaton Grange West,  but was interested in exploring other access areas further up the road.   Mr. Sercel was advised of the town’s Class VI building permit policy.  Mr. Sercel’s first step will be to apply for a driveway permit.  Selectman Headley recommended that Mr. Sercel contact Peter Stanley, Planning and Zoning Administrator to discuss his future plans.

 

At 5:25 p.m. Libby Howell met with the Board to request that the Board send a letter to the Governor regarding NH Saves.  Ms. Howell read the following statement into the record:

“My name is Libby Howell. I live in South Sutton and I am a representative of the Kearsarge Climate Action group based in New London.  We believe the Public Utility Commission made a serious mistake in ending the state’s energy efficiency plan for 2021–2023.  We’re asking you to send a letter to the governor encouraging him to maintain funding for the program.  I have provided a possible format.

This action essentially ends NHSaves, which provides funding to qualified homeowners to have an energy audit and appropriate insulation and air sealing done by area contractors.  KCA has had two information sessions to connect locals with this program and we have received questionnaires that show high satisfaction.  Homes are less drafty and energy bills have gone down.  These savings help households for years to come as fuel prices continue to rise.

In addition to homeowners, others are affected by this decision.  Contractors are laying off employees who perform the audits and weatherization work.  Towns have put on hold plans to tighten up municipal buildings.  What seems an obvious and important first step in reducing carbon in the atmosphere has been cut off.

I have copies of a letter from the president of Liberty Utilities to the Concord Monitor in which he protests the PUC decision and makes a case for how valuable the program is to customers.  He explains how Liberty receives a performance incentive if they assist customers in realizing energy efficiency savings.  He also states that maximizing energy efficiency is required by state law.

We hope you will help to influence the governor and the PUC to reinstate this valuable program – to keep growing the jobs that will keep NH youth here in the state, and to lessen the damage to the environment, all while saving citizens money.”

Ms. Howell advised that she has personally received positive feedback from a neighbor who participated in the program.  The Board reviewed the proposed letter and had no objection to it.  Selectman Headley made a motion to issue the correspondence to the Governor.  Selectman Baker seconded the motion.  The motion passed by a unanimous affirmative vote.

 

The public and non-public minutes from December 27, 2021, were approved as written.  The Board reviewed and approved the following manifests:

Vendor Manifest:  $22,668.05

Payroll Manifest:   $12,305.54

 

The Board reviewed and approved the following building permits:

Philip and Lorri Buteau, 04-466-539, Newbury Road, for a home.

Paul Richardson. 06-375-170, Main Street, for a generator.

 

OLD BUSINESS:

Selectman Baker agreed to represent the Select Board at the Stotler hearing scheduled for 1/13/2022 at 1:45 p.m.

 

At the request of Police Chief Korbet, the Board reconsidered the town’s sick time accrual policy.  In view of the continuing COVID outbreak, the Board discussed allowing staff to carry over their sick leave into 2022; however, use of the accrued sick time would be subject to Select Board approval.  Selectman Curless made a motion to carry over remaining sick time.  The use of the carryover sick leave must be approved by the Select Board.  Selectman Headley seconded the motion.  The motion passed by a unanimous affirmative vote.

 

The Board discussed 2022 Warrant Articles.  Selectman Baker clarified that the Mastin Road Cemetery CR recommendation should be $60,000 for a 4-year period.  The Board agreed to review Warrant Article recommendations at their next regularly scheduled meeting.

 

NEW BUSINESS:

The Board issued the Betterment Tax for Fox Chase Road in the amount of $1742.29.

 

Selectman Curless made a motion to encumber the following items:

Fire Pumper Truck                                           $258,514.00

Highway Truck                                                   $    3,538.00

Grist Mill Bank and Engineering                 $  16,109.75

Grist Mill Parking Area                                   $    6,736.25

Deferred Revenue Welfare Donation       $    1,200.00

ADA Library Entry                                             $    7,694.00

Stotler Property                                                $  30,000.00

Fire Department Furnace                             $  10,741.00

Selectman Headley seconded the motion.  The motion passed by a unanimous affirmative vote.

 

The Board reviewed an email from Kim Ortakales regarding KRSD proposed STEAM 2022 bond.  Ms. Ortakales is opposed to the ordinance being proposed “when people are already struggling with a 2 year pandemic, historically high inflation and astronomical property values & rents.”  The Select Board will forward the email to Robert DeFelice, KRSD MBC Representative and Emilio Cancio-Bello, KRSD School Board representative.

 

SELECTMEN’S COMMENTS:

Selectman Curless advised the Board that Road Agent Hurst had to sand a portion of Route 114 in order for crew members to report for work safely due to glare ice.  Selectman Curless wanted to make the Board aware of this in the event that there were any citizen concerns.  Selectman Curless added that this situation is an example of why it is a good idea for the Road Agent to use the Town Truck to go to and from work.

 

The Board discussed COLA salary increases.  The Board agreed that COLA’s are a cost of living raises and should be administered across the Board.  The Board discussed some of the distinctions that are being discussed by the Budget Committee.  Selectman Curless suggested using 6/2021 wages as a basis for computing COLAS.  Selectman Baker will bring the matter up at the next budget committee meeting.

 

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:59 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

 

Elly Phillips

Town Administrator