November 6, 2017 | Town Admin TOWN OF SUTTON Pillsbury Memorial Town Hall 93 Main Street Sutton Mills, NH Sutton Mills, NH 03221 Board of Selectman November 6, 2017 @ 4:00 p.m. The meeting was called to order at 4:00 p.m. by Robert Wright, Jr., Chair. Present at the meeting was Robert Wright, Jr., Chair; William I. Curless, Selectman; Stephen Bagley, Road Agent; Robert DeFelice Municipal Budget Committee Chair and KRSD Budget Committee Representative; Emilio Cancio-Bello, KRSD School Board Representative; Winfried Feneberg, KRSD School Superintendent; William Wiley, Boston Post Cane Recipient; Cecile Wiley; Gail and Steve Guertin, Julia Jones, Tom Schamberg and Elly Phillips, Recording Secretary. At 4:00 p.m. Selectman Wright presented the Boston Post Cane to William “Bill” Wiley on behalf of the Board. Selectman Wright provided a brief history of the tradition of the Boston Post Cane which has been transmitted to the oldest citizen of the Town since 1909. Mr. Wiley is the 27th recipient of the cane. Mr. Wiley was born on March 13, 1923 and was the youngest of 9 children. He entered the army in 1943 and served as an infantry officer. After the war, he served in the Army Reserve until 1952 when he switched to the Air National Guard. He served as Commander of an Air Force Security Police Squadron, a Group Base Supply Officer, and as a Commander of an Electronics and Engineering Squadron. Mr. Wiley was awarded numerous medals for his service including the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal, retiring from the military with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 1978. Mr. Wiley and his wife Cecile have four children and celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary this year. The Wiley’s reside in Sutton with their daughter Gail Guertin and her husband Steve. Among Mr. Wiley’s favorite activities are gardening and woodworking. When asked by the Board “What do you attribute to your vigor and longevity,” Mr. Wiley replied, “Keep moving, don’t let them catch up with you!” Mr. Wiley was given a replica of the Boston Post Cane to treasure. The original cane will be placed on permanent display. At 5:00 p.m. Emilio Cancio-Bello, KRSD School Board Representative and Winfried Feneberg, KRSD School Board Superintendent met with the Board to discuss the District’s 2018-19 proposed School Budget. Superintendent Feneberg and the Select Board discussed the fact that Sutton’s school portion of the tax rate went down this year and agreed that it was good news indeed. One of the reasons that the Sutton tax rate went down was due to the Dover lawsuit regarding donor towns ($94,000 for Sutton this year). Another reason is that the student population has stabilized in recent years, which is reflected in the District’s hiring practices. Four positions were reduced last year. Student needs were met through the use of dedicated specialists such as a math coach at Sutton Central. Superintendent Feneberg discussed the great educational successes within the district. The school is working with industry and partnering with the business community in order to accommodate students who wish to pursue a career upon graduation rather than attend college. There are internships available for students to try/study career options. An example of which is at Dartmouth/Hitchcock which is geared toward students seeking employment within the health/science profession. There is also a program for adult students seeking their high school degree which is primarily funded through state and federal grants. The district is looking into the future and has a goal of meeting the needs of special students within the district. Currently there are approximately 8 students out of 1800 requiring out-of-district services. The school is looking into developing a program for elementary special needs students with significant disabilities. Within next year’s budget, there is a request for one special education teacher in order to accommodate these students. The program for these students will likely be in New London as space for this program is available there. The 2018/2019 budget is in line with last year’s. A 1.64% increase is currently being projected. Custodial salaries need to be increased in order to be competitive within the profession to facilitate hiring and retaining qualified personnel. The custodial rate has not been adjusted for over eight years. The custodial wage adjustments will be phased in over a three-year period. Health insurance rates have not yet been finalized. An effort to privatize education is currently under legislative consideration. This is an area of concern for public education as adequacy funding for the district would be affected. The minutes from October 30, 2017, Public and Non-Public, were approved as written. The Board reviewed and approved the following manifests: PAYROLL MANIFEST: $ 11,935.91 VENDOR MANIFEST: $ 14,286.11 BUILDING PERMITS: The Board approved a building permit for Lindsay Hamrick, Corporation Hill Road, 06-211-475 forinterior renovations. INTENT TO CUT: The Board approved an intent to cut for Elaine and Gordon Manning, filed by Carolyn A. McClean, POA, 06-610-001, 85 acres out of 92.5 NEW BUSINESS: The Board issued a yield Tax for Richard Zahn, Jr., Map/Lot 02-055-310 in the amount of $1,094.89. The Board discussed computer equipment and a proposed “Complete Care” managed service/replacement plan approach for 2019. Bob DeFelice, MBC Budget Committee Chair, was present to address the matter. In order for the Police Department and town offices to participate in the program, computer equipment needs to be updated. The Town currently has 10 workstations out of 14 that have exceeded their replacement life of three years. Selectman Curless and Mr. DeFelice recommended establishing a capital reserve for computer equipment. Mr. DeFelice recommended budgeting for the replacement of three units a year. If funding is available, Phillips requested replacing a minimum of three work stations at the Town Office this year – noting that Planning/Zoning and the Clerk’s Office have funds available this year for replacement. The police department may be able to replace some of their units from their existing capital reserves. Selectman Curless made a motion to include funds for “Complete Care” for technical computer support for the safety and security of town data and equipment and to begin the contract in January 2018. Selectman Wright seconded the motion which passed by a vote of 2-0. The Board reviewed the preliminary Tax Rate reports. Selectman Curless made a motion to use $207,000 from fund balance to offset the tax rate and a preliminary tax rate of $26.30, leaving a fund balance retention of 7.01%. Selectman Wright seconded the motion. The motion passed by a vote of 2-0. The Board noted correspondence from DES regarding a water-testing well sampling program that is being conducted state-wide. Property owners in a targeted area in Sutton will receive correspondence from the DES inviting them to participate in the sampling program. The Board deferred action regarding electric rate lock-in pending further information from Eversource. OLD BUSINESS: A meeting to discuss the Library Ramp was scheduled for November 20, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. at the library. Performance Evaluation for department heads, was rescheduled for Tuesday, November 21, 2017, beginning at 2:00 p.m. at the Pillsbury Memorial Hall. The evaluations will be conducted in non-public session. REVIEW OF CORRESPONDENCE: The Board noted correspondence from CNHRPC/SNHPC notification of Comprehensive Economic Development Update Project Solicitation At 6:17 p.m., Selectman Curless made a motion to continue the meeting until November 7, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. in order to finalize the tax rate. Selectman Wright seconded the motion which passed by a unanimous affirmative vote. The Board met at 3:00 p.m. on November 7, 2017 to sign the documentation for the final tax rate. The 2017 second issue final tax rate was set at $26.30. The breakdown follows: Municipal 7.48 Local School 13.45 State 2.26 County 3.11 There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned. Respectfully submitted, Elly Phillips Town Administrator