December 16, 2019 | Town Admin TOWN OF SUTTONPillsbury Memorial Town Hall93 Main Street Sutton Mills, NHSutton Mills, NH 03221Select Board December 16, 2019 @ 4:00 p.m. The meeting was called to order at 4:00 p.m. by Dane Headley, Chair. Present at the meeting were: Dane Headley, Chair; William I. Curless, Selectman; Robert DeFelice, Budget Chair; Carol Merullo, Town Clerk/Collector; Wendy Grimes, Rescue Chief; Hilary Grimes, Rescue Squad; Jonathan Korbet, Police Chief; Robert DeFelice, Budget Chair; Walter Baker, Jr., Joe Eisenberg, Tom Schamberg, State Representative; and Elly Phillips, Town Administrator. The minutes from December 9, 2019 were approved as written. The board reviewed and approved the following manifests: PAYROLL MANIFEST: $10,997.45 VENDOR MANIFEST: $19,128.73 BUILDING PERMIT: The Board reviewed and approved a building permit for Beth and Greg Danilowski, Map 06-393-230, Main Street, for the installation of a new boiler. CURRENT USE APPLICATION: The Board approved a Current Use Application for William Wunderlich, Maps 01-725-122, 01-737-123, for 20.28 acres current use. APPOINTMENTS: At 4:15 Wally Baker met with the Board to express his interest in serving on the Parks and Recreation Committee. Joe Eisenberg was also present and reiterated his interest in serving on the Committee. Mr. Baker’s immediate focus was assisting with cost estimates for the 26 Grist Mill Parking area. Mr. Baker was concerned about arriving at a cost for the parking area in time for Annual Meeting due to the need for engineering and electrical plans. Mr. DeFelice advised that the parking area likely would not be on the warrant for 2020. The warrant article will focus on whether or not to remove the house Mr. DeFelice advised that there were a number of projects for committee consideration and subcommittees will be formed to work on the various projects. Ideally, the subcommittees would be comprised of at least three members from each of the villages, homesteaders, Historical Society, North Sutton Improvement Society, Kezar and Blaisdell Lake Protective Associations etc. Mr. Baker suggested publicity regarding the committee, such as fliers, be posted at various places in addition to on the website. Selectman Curless suggested that the Parks and Recreation Committee spearhead a community fundraising effort for the parking area. Mr. DeFelice added that grants might also be available to help defray costs. Mr. Baker stated that he had spoken with Mike Tardiff of the Central New Hampshire Planning Commission regarding the parking area and that engineered plans would be required. Selectman Headley described the phasing for the project. The first phase will be to determine whether or not the house remained. Mr. Baker asked about asbestos/lead testing and was advised that the house was cleared before the purchase of the property. The Parks and Recreation Committee will likely begin meeting in January. At 4:30 p.m. Selectman Headley opened proposals for the Library Ramp. The Town received the following two proposals: Target New England Alton Bay Historical Restoration $143,630 with bathrooms with an additional $3,600 for benches Schroeder Construction Management, $241,704 with bathrooms with an additional $2,820.00 for benches The bidders will be notified that the Select Board will be meeting with representatives from the library on 12/23/2019 to follow up on the proposals. At 4:50 p.m. Carol Merullo, Town Clerk/Tax Collector, met with the Board regarding budget matters. Ms. Merullo presented information regarding costs associated with Credit Card and ACH transactions for motor vehicle, clerk and tax collection payment. All of the options included a 2.79% convenience fee. Option 1 requires a minimum Credit Card Convenience Fee of $1.50, a .95 ACH Fee. a .35 E-Check Fee and a $1.50 per item fee. There was no municipal yearly subsidy associated with Option 1. Option 2 requires a Credit Card Convenience Fee of $1.50, a .95 ACH Fee. a .35 E-Check Fee and a per cart fee of $1.50 as well as an annual municipal subsidy of $425.00. Option 3 requires a Credit Card Convenience Fee of $1.50, a .95 ACH Fee. a .35 E-Check Fee and a per cart fee of .95 as well as an annual municipal subsidy of $800.00. Required hardware costs were also reviewed. For in-office transactions, a card reader (chip and pin ready) was recommended. The one-time cost for the card reader is $575.00. Ms. Merullo recommended one for each work-station as transactions are tracked separately by each clerk. If there is only one terminal, payment type would need to be determined prior to initiating a transaction. The Thermal receipt printer would cost $325.00. There is an annual maintenance fee of $60.00 for the card swipe unit. The Town currently pays a $300.00 annual fee for the virtual terminal (online payment) and this would be an ongoing cost. Credit card payments online may present issues with a delayed closeout. There will also be training for office staff required to implement this payment option. Selectman Curless felt that the Town should not provide a municipal subsidy as this service is being considered for the convenience of the public. Ms. Merullo agreed with Mr. Curless’ opinion. Selectman Curless recommended that the Town acquire the hardware. Ms. Merullo advised that funds were available from the 2019 computer line item and printing line items to cover the acquisition. Mr. DeFelice asked that a line item be established for credit card expenses for transparency purposes. Mr. DeFelice asked when the town receives the funds from credit card payments? Ms. Merullo will follow up with Interware. Selectman Curless made a motion to purchase the Credit Card Swipe with Chip Reader and Receipt Thermal Printer at a cost of $900.00. Selectman Headley seconded the motion which passed by a vote of 2-0. Ms. Merullo discussed some minor revisions that she made to her proposed 2020 operating budget. An advertising line has been created. Previously advertising costs were being allocated to (550) Dues, Conferences and Publications. Ms. Merullo reduced the Dues, Conferences and Publications line item by $100.00. Due to required conference/training for a new deputy there is not a significant adjustment. Ms. Merullo recommended $1,500.00 be budgeted for advertising. Ms. Merullo agreed to revisit those line items to see if they can be fine-tuned. Ms. Merullo will meet with the Board on 12/23/2019 to follow up on these matters. At 5:15 p.m. Wendy Grimes, Rescue Chief, and Hilary Grimes met with the Board to discuss the Squad’s Physio-Control Lifepak 12 Defibrillator/EKG which was damaged due to an accident. Mr. DeFelice explained that the unit was slated for replacement through a capital reserve established this year. The capital reserve was initially funded with $14,000. Replacement of the Lifepak is exigent as it is essential life saving equipment for the squad. Phillips advised that Personnel Administration was budgeted with some contingency due to staffing uncertainties and verified that funds for the purchase of the necessary equipment could be covered through the Personnel Administration contingency along with the expendable capital reserve money. Phillips discussed the matter with Town Counsel and the Auditor and verified the process to transfer funds between functions. Selectman Curless made a motion to authorize the purchase of a Zoll defibrillator unit at a cost of $34,831.31, $9,000 to come from the expendable capital reserve and the remainder to come from personnel administration. Selectman Headley seconded the motion which passed by a vote of 2-0. Mr. DeFelice will revisit the 2020 funding for Rescue Squad Equipment in view of the purchase of the new Zoll. At 5:30 p.m. Jon Korbet, Police Chief, met with Board to review the Police Departments 2020 proposed budget. Chief Korbet advised that the department’s budget has been drafted to include staffing for a resource officer as there is a candidate that is currently being screened for the position. Chief Korbet is budgeting $56,000 for the position. The Town will contact KRSD to discuss offsetting revenue available from the school. Personnel Administration has been adjusted accordingly. Chief Korbet is also recommending salary increases for current police personnel. Additional adjustments are required for on call wages and over-time wages. The part-time line item will be renamed to additional compensation wages and special duty will be renamed to part time wages. The uniform line item will also need to be adjusted. The cruiser maintenance line item was increased based on actual maintenance caused (largely from replacement of windshields which are not covered by the Town’s $1,000 deductible). The mileage line item was increased due to anticipated training. At this time, there will be no changes to the cruiser fleet. There is also an increase in Building Security, an additional inspection for fire extinguishers has been scheduled as mandated by the Safety Committee. Building Maintenance has adjusted. The Town has contracted with a vendor to do snow removal for highway, police, town hall and library at 150/plow. The town is currently exploring options for cleaning/janitorial services. Capital Reserve funding remains the same at $21,000 Other matters that were discussed were: Developing a parking ordinance for Smiley Grove and other “no parking” areas in Sutton was discussed. Mr. DeFelice will assist with drafting the ordinance. An ordinance can be adopted with a public hearing at a regularly scheduled Selectmen’s meeting. A site visit to the Stotler property to view progress in compliance with the court order. A fitness stipend OLD BUSINESS: The Board issued a Corrected Warrant for the Fox Chase Betterment Tax (interest rate corrected to 8%). The Board received recommendations from Counsel regarding drafting of 26 Grist Mill Warrant Articles, and a proposed maintenance easement for the North Sutton Improvement Society parking area for consideration at the 2020 Annual Meeting. NEW BUSINESS: Phillips reported that the Town Report Cover would be a drawing by a Sutton Central student depicting “What I Love About Sutton” The student submissions are due on January 3, 2020. Ballot Booths will be set up early at the Pillsbury Memorial Hall for Students to come to Town Meeting view the submission and vote on the winning cover. The voting is scheduled for January 7, 2020. The Board received an email from Bruce Kozikowski offer to purchase the 2001 F550 for $4,000. The F550 is scheduled to go on Municibid in January with a minimum sale amount of $5,000. Mr. Hurst set the minimum price based on the vehicle being acquired for parts. Mr. Kozikowski will be advised that the truck needs to go out for public bid and is scheduled for sale in January if he wishes to bid. The Board received a preliminary copy of the 2020 proposed Budget for review and comment. The Board Executed an agreement with the Central New Hampshire Regional Planning Commission (CNHRPC) for Master Plan Update Assistance 2019/2020. The budget for Master Plan consulting is $23,100 with a $4,950 CNHRPC match. Therefore, the town portion will be $18,150. Funding will come from the 2019 Planning Operating Budget, Professional Consulting line item and will be encumbered to 2020. REVIEW OF CORRESPONDENCE: The Board noted the following items of correspondence: Primex regarding unemployment premium holiday distribution. KRSD revised payment schedule Notice of BTLA Hearing – Lang v. Town of Sutton #29649-19LC 5-14-2020 There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Elly Phillips Town Administrator