Select Board Meeting ~ December 13, 2016

2016-12-13 · Select Board · 1:53:50 · watch on YouTube →

With Chairman Jeffrey Wakeman away, Vice Chairman Sarah Hall presided over a long working meeting with four selectmen present. Budget committee members Terry Kirk and Joe Donovick went through the year-to-date figures with Ruth Glaeser, Calvin Beaumier and Fire Chief William St. Michel, spending most of that time on a grants line that shows as a negative because no warrant amount is assigned to it, and on public works lines that ran over. The board chose Virtual Towns and Schools to rebuild the town website, folding the separate fire department site back in and adding live streaming of meetings, authorised the tax foreclosure letters, renewed the Coastal Humane Society contract, appointed Jonathan Pollock to the scholarship committee and approved $1,000 from the operating budget to strip and wax the fire station floors. Paul Baines reported on code enforcement, asked the board to consider making his position a department, and recommended conveying a small landlocked town parcel to the Durham Leisure campground provided the buyer bears every cost. Calvin Beaumier warned of a coming building boom and the cost of rebuilding subdivision roads the town accepted years ago. The board adjourned at 8:57 p.m.

What was discussed

1. 0:09
   Quorum and amendments to the agenda

   Four of five selectmen were present, with the chair out of town and Vice Chairman Sarah Hall presiding. A letter from Comcast was struck from the consent agenda, and the payable warrants were set aside so a member could question the fire chief about spending, leaving the consent agenda as the November 29 minutes and the listed correspondence.

2. 0:09
   Recognition of Joe Donovick

   The board thanked Joe Donovick for his years of service to the historical society and presented a recognition. He advised the board to keep Candace as chair and keep Paul running things to stay in good legal shape.

3. 0:09
   Budget committee: the grants line

   Terry Kirk asked why a line called grants and general purpose, sitting under capital improvements, showed over $3,200 spent. Ruth Glaeser explained the town pays grant money out during the year and receives reimbursement revenue, and the auditors reconcile the grant account at year end; Terry Kirk pressed on why there is a separate line at all if a grant fund already exists.

4. 5:25
   Public works labour and overtime

   Asked why only 70 percent of the public works labour budget had been spent with the year nearly over, Ruth Glaeser attributed it partly to a light winter and partly to the new road commissioner scheduling to cut down on overtime, where the town had previously run copious amounts.

5. 5:25
   Facility maintenance and the public works roof

   Facility maintenance is well over budget because of the public works roof. Most of the cost came from money remaining in the public works building bond, with a shortfall of about $9,000 taken from facilities maintenance.

6. 10:37
   Fire department grant applications

   William St. Michel said the department has applied for the fire act grant, for replacing SCBAs approaching the end of their service life, which he ballparked at around $80,000 with a 5 percent local share, and a forestry grant of five or six thousand on a 50/50 reimbursement basis. A Homeland Security grant already awarded is fully reimbursed but must be paid up front, and he intends to apply for a federal staffing grant when it opens, though he rated the odds slim.

7. 10:37
   Why the grant fund exists

   The chief explained the fund was created around the time the town was awarded a $250,000 grant for an engine, needing a 10 percent local share of $25,000. The fund means a grant arriving mid-year does not lapse for want of town meeting authorisation.

8. 15:45
   Tracing the two payments

   The two expenditures in question were roughly $1,444 in May and $1,808 in September. One was to Jordan Lumber for pump hose under the forestry grant, half of which has been reimbursed by cheque; the other went on the business card under the Homeland Security grant, where reimbursement can take two or three months. Terry Kirk said he was not interested in what is coming in, only in what had been paid out and what remains in the account.

9. 15:45
   Balance in the grant account

   Ruth Glaeser read from the assigned fund balance that the town started the year with $3,940 in the account and, allowing for grant revenue against the amount spent, would hold about $12,378 at year end if nothing changed in December. Several of the intermediate figures are garbled on the recording.

10. 21:01
    Why the line shows as a negative

    Members established that the red figure is a spreadsheet artefact: because no warrant amount is assigned to the grant line, expenditure shows against zero. Ruth Glaeser said the authority for spending is a warrant article passed at town meeting each year allowing the town to seek grants and pay matching funds, and she agreed to show the assigned fund balance sheet at the budget committee meetings.

11. 21:01
    Surface treatment over budget

    Calvin Beaumier explained the surface treatment line covers crack filling by Coastal Road Repair and single stone chip seal by All State Asphalt. Chip seal was budgeted at $60,000 and came in around $75,000, but paving and surface treatment were planned together out of a single $225,000 figure, so roughly $24,000 remains across the two.

12. 26:24
    Winter equipment maintenance

    The winter equipment maintenance line is over by about $4,533. Calvin Beaumier said he deliberately leaves it showing over rather than moving money across from the summer lines, so that he can see what was actually spent and build a realistic budget for next year.

13. 26:24
    Deicer and the road commissioner's salary

    Liquid deicer appears unspent because the first shipment has arrived but not been billed, with a second to come. The commissioner's salary shows over the warrant amount because Durham splits the position with Pownal on a 40/60 basis and had not yet been reimbursed; it will come out correctly at the end of December.

14. 26:24
    Propane under budget

    Propane came in well under budget across the town office, fire department and public works. Ruth Glaeser attributed it to a low contract price and a warm winter, and said the budget figure was kept up because nobody knows how cold the coming winter will be.

15. 31:28
    The propane and heating oil contract

    The town now has a three-year contract covering propane and heating oil, obtained by calling different companies for bids; the previous year the town had no contract and paid the cash price. A member asked for a report at the budget meeting on what the three-year contract has actually saved.

16. 31:28
    Truck purchase under budget

    The half-ton with plow came in almost $10,000 under the budgeted figure. Calvin Beaumier attributed most of that to a trade-in allowance of ten or eleven thousand that had not been anticipated, the old vehicle's value being unknown when the budget was set.

17. 31:28
    Fire department building maintenance

    Asked why the line is substantially overspent, William St. Michel pointed to an unplanned repair of the gear washer and extractor, which he put at around $3,500 off the top of his head.

18. 31:28
    Budget timetable

    Department heads have been asked to get their budgets to the selectmen by the first week of January. The board will go through them line by line with the department heads before passing the budget on, and is trying to avoid the second week of February, school vacation week, which caused problems last year.

19. 36:45
    Health insurance renewal

    Ruth Glaeser said the renewal figures are in and have gone up about 10 percent, and asked what the board wanted: another round of comparisons as done last year, or a look at different plan types. Members said they had not yet seen the numbers and could not state a plan, but cautioned against simply staying with the current vendor by default.

20. 36:45
    The risk pool and plan options

    Members noted the present arrangement through MMA pools municipalities together for a larger risk pool, where going alone would leave the town in its own; self-insuring was dismissed with only about ten people insured. HSA and HRA options looked at last year were discussed again, with the observation that the town has too few employees for the savings to turn around quickly.

21. 36:45
    How the budget review will run

    The budget committee asked whether the select board wanted a joint discussion. Members agreed to keep to the usual practice of the select board taking its own line-by-line pass and then bringing the budget to the committee, while noting the sessions are public and budget committee members are welcome to sit in.

22. 42:24
    Website RFP comparison

    Shannon returned to answer questions on the vendor comparison she had presented at an earlier meeting, the two outstanding questions being about streaming and yearly cost. She said the local company that would provide live streaming charges $1,000 less than the town pays now and comes in to set it up.

23. 42:24
    The case for Virtual Towns and Schools

    Shannon favoured Virtual Towns and Schools for its unlimited storage on their servers, a complete website rebuild at no cost after four years, and round-the-clock support including work such as building a survey system that the current vendor would charge for. She said the town's present difficulties come from the lack of consistent updating and optimisation, and that she expects to lean on the support heavily during the first year.

24. 42:24
    Folding in the fire department site

    The vendor had quoted $1,500 to bring the separate fire and rescue site into the town site, but after Shannon (?) described what was needed indicated it would be well under that, around nine hundred.

25. 47:39
    One site rather than two

    Members could not recall why the fire department has its own website and agreed bringing it back in would reduce duplicated work and give more continuity as part of the same town. The cost comes out of telecommunications, and the vendor has agreed the initial cost can be spread over three years.

26. 47:39
    Transition and the current vendor

    No termination fee was identified, but members expected an overlap while the new site is built, with a timeline of about four months from start to finish. A separate weather and news feed that runs before the slides on the town channel, at about $1,200 a year, was flagged as something the board could decide whether to keep.

27. 47:39
    Vote on the website vendor

    A motion was made and seconded to go with Virtual Towns and Schools, with members noting live streaming would engage more people than watching recordings after the fact.

28. 53:02
    Tax foreclosure sale

    The draft documents were in the packet. Ruth Glaeser said she would send the explanatory letters first and, if nothing came back, advertise in the newspaper and follow the same steps used for previous properties, with the same timelines and minimum price.

29. 53:02
    Coastal Humane Society contract

    The agreement for services was reported as the same as last year with no increase, and was moved and seconded.

30. 53:02
    Auditor's recommendations

    Ruth Glaeser reported an insurance representative had reviewed last year's audit recommendations, which covered segregation of duties, journal entries, credit cards and the municipal valuation return. The credit card policy is now in place with new cards received; segregation of duties is difficult in so small an office and cuts against cross-training.

31. 53:02
    Oversight of manual journal entries

    Ruth Glaeser said her manual journal entries, made mostly at month end to reconcile direct deposits and interest and to move misposted expenses, are the entries she is most concerned about. She proposed a selectman sit with her, have the entry explained and sign it, suggesting Mark Blake since he calls in every Friday.

32. 58:21
    Returned cheques and the valuation return

    Returned cheques, processed by Pam, would also be checked and initialled. On the municipal valuation return, where a transposition of numbers had occurred, Ruth Glaeser proposed a select board representative go over the figures with her before the commitment; Jeffrey Wakeman was named as the numbers person, in his absence. She said she would write a policy and bring it back.

33. 58:21
    Scholarship committee appointment

    An application had come in from Jonathan Pollock and a motion was made to appoint him. The committee is still looking for two more members.

34. 58:21
    Code enforcement: development pressure

    Paul Baines reported a good deal of the town's subdivision lots have been absorbed this year and that it looks like a trend. He expects pressure on development and land use as Durham becomes an attractive place for that kind of application.

35. 58:21
    Runaround Pond Park sign

    Paul Baines proposed approaching businesses that use the park regularly for donations towards a new sign, naming LL Bean, which uses it as a principal site, and the Royal River Land Trust, which has bought adjacent land for future recreational development. He offered to donate the carving and labour if donations covered materials and painting, with public works doing the install.

36. 1:03:44
    Building code training

    Paul Baines described training on the 2015 codes and two abbreviated, visually oriented publications covering much of what he inspects for. Several builders have bought multiple copies for their site crews, and he has sat with one builder's design team on producing better plans; his standing complaint is that builders expect him to tell them what to do rather than knowing the code themselves.

37. 1:03:44
    Making codes its own department

    Paul Baines asked the board to consider making his position a department, noting the comprehensive plan produced 14 years ago anticipated a combined code and planning department, and that much of what he does sits awkwardly under the administrator. Members thought forming a new department would need town meeting approval as public works did.

38. 1:03:44
    Performance feedback from committees

    Paul Baines suggested the board send questionnaires to the committees the codes officer sits on, arguing much of the work is not visible and most of what the board hears is complaints, since people who dislike a decision speak louder than those who are satisfied.

39. 1:03:44
    Land and Water Conservation Fund grants

    Two old conservation fund grants, one from around 1996 for a playground structure before the present school was built and one for improvements at River Park, require an assessment every five years which had been neglected. After research with Ruth Glaeser, responsibility for the playground portion was transferred to the RSU by agreement with the superintendent, and Paul Baines finalised the five-year inspection report for River Park.

40. 1:08:55
    Durham Leisure campground parcel

    In seeking to expand the campground, the owners' survey work, from a plan by Brian Smith predating their ownership, turned up a small parcel along the old road belonging to the town, given to a school district in the 1880s and reverting to the town when that district dissolved. Its position interfered with setbacks for two proposed campsites, which the planning board therefore refused.

41. 1:08:55
    Whether to convey it

    Paul Baines put the parcel at about 3,800 square feet, or roughly double that with the abandoned road, still under a quarter of an acre, landlocked with no legal access and of no use to anyone but the abutter. He recommended conveying it so long as the town incurs no cost. Sarah Hall had been given two contract approaches, essentially selling for a dollar with the buyer covering closing costs and any town legal fees.

42. 1:14:14
    Getting it in writing first

    Members agreed not to call the town attorney until the buyer had committed in writing to cover the cost, which could be anywhere from $500 to $2,000. The assessor put the annual tax on the parcel at around 53 cents. Members confirmed the board has discretion over disposing of surplus property with no set format, and that an authorising article comes through on the warrant every year.

43. 1:14:14
    Questions on the payable warrants

    A member asked the fire chief about a $2,100 bill from Northeast Emergency Apparatus, which the chief said was work on valves and intakes on Engine 21 and another vehicle following the pump test. A separate charge on truck 24 was the exploratory work for the wiring harness, the harness itself being around $2,750.

44. 1:19:21
    Fire station floors

    Mike's Flooring has relaid tiles and those involved believe the underlying problem is cured. The chief brought a proposal of $1,000 to strip and wax all the tile floors in the station over about four days, and asked for authorisation one way or the other because the floors need protecting.

45. 1:19:21
    Capital money or operating budget

    The chief first proposed using revenue left over from the capital projects, which Ruth Glaeser put at about $12,825, with the only outstanding bill being Mike's Flooring at around $879. Talking it through, he concluded it made more sense to take it from the operating budget even though it would drive the building maintenance line further over, since he is held to the bottom line. Painting in the station has been done in house by Gary and Curtis.

46. 1:24:36
    Hydrants and water supplies

    The hydrant on Beaver Woods has been repaired, with the public works crew clearing most of the growth in the pond. The chief said cattails build up in the impounded water supplies and clog the intakes, and that the town needs to stay after them; Rabbit Road is also done.

47. 1:24:36
    SHAPE inspection and compliance work

    The SHAPE inspection on November 28 and the follow-up visit produced a report of no labor hazards, which on a third inspection makes the department eligible for a four-year renewal running to November 2020. The chief suggested keeping that in mind when negotiating department and workers compensation insurance rates. SCBA flow tests were completed December 1, annual medical evaluations December 3, fit testing is about half done, annual mandatories are set for December 29, and kitchen hoods at the station and community centre have been inspected.

48. 1:29:41
    Pownal cost sharing

    Calvin Beaumier presented the running account between the two towns, with Durham owing Pownal about $1,557. Grading swings the balance by around $1,500 each time it happens. Members were content to settle before the end of the fiscal year or carry it forward, whichever Pownal prefers, as long as Ruth Glaeser knows before she closes the books.

49. 1:29:41
    Driveway entrance application

    Calvin Beaumier has written a driveway entrance application aligned with the ordinance passed at town meeting the previous summer, the town having had none. The sight distance standard follows DOT at 100 feet for every 10 miles an hour, so 350 feet at 35; lots existing before the ordinance are grandfathered, where he takes the best that can be got.

50. 1:29:41
    Accepting subdivision roads

    Calvin Beaumier warned the town may be on the verge of another building boom and that the small subdivision roads Durham accepted are all due to be rebuilt at great cost, whereas Pownal simply does not accept public roads. Members said Durham has stopped accepting roads over the last three or four years while still requiring them built to town specification, with maintenance and plowing left to the owners.

51. 1:34:44
    Temporary culverts

    Calvin Beaumier said culverts put in for wood harvesting are left in place with too little cover, heave, and are later used as driveways. The new permit distinguishes temporary installations, which are to be taken back out when the work is done.

52. 1:34:44
    Winter preparation

    Ditching was wrapped up early rather than carried into January. The crew has all trucks out and going except one, which needs about two and a half days; a second salt delivery is in the shed and the first liquid deicer has arrived with another next week, used to treat the salt. A stream crossing grant application is due in January and will go in this week, with the result expected in the spring.

53. 1:39:53
    Overlapping plow routes on the Route 125 hills

    After calls about the hills either side of the bridge slicking up between passes, Calvin Beaumier set the Route 9 truck to cross over and run up 125, turning at Day Road, while the 125 truck crosses and turns at Cedar Pond Road, so each hill is treated twice as often by two different trucks. He said it worked in the last storm and the drivers reported the hills stayed bare.

54. 1:39:53
    Snow pushed into the road

    Calvin Beaumier said the statute Maine Local Roads points to does not actually prohibit putting snow in the road; it only obliges the town to remove snow that is there. He wants something citable so he can send a form letter, explaining that snow pushed back across a treated road dilutes the salt and creates icy spots the crew has to return to. A member offered to look, and suggested asking MMA, which gives municipalities a free legal opinion.

55. 1:44:57
    Drivers and staffing

    The department is down one truck for a couple of days and has a new hire of about three weeks. Calvin Beaumier said he has the driver from last year, Ron, and is meeting people on Thursday about seasonal work, including some being laid off by Crooker for the winter.

56. 1:44:57
    Cost of in-house road building

    A member asked again for the spreadsheet of man hours and costs for the roads built by the town's own crew. Calvin Beaumier agreed to produce it now that ditching is done, and said working with the town's own crew was far easier than contracting, where every move has to be watched.

57. 1:44:57
    Foreclosures

    Ruth Glaeser reported foreclosure falls on Friday on the last five properties. One is in bankruptcy and cannot be foreclosed, one is waived every year, two carry mortgages with payment expected Thursday, and payment is anticipated on the last. All notices have been delivered.

58. 1:50:00
    IT support quotes

    Ruth Glaeser is gathering comparative quotes, having asked managers in other towns who they use. Shannon favoured a company she had worked for previously, describing a server quote intended to last the town up to ten years with an up-front cost in the first year and about $4,000 a year for ongoing help desk support, against a current line of roughly $1,000. Members agreed they needed to sit down and define what the town wants before asking for quotes.

59. 1:50:00
    Announcements and adjournment

    A regular select board meeting was announced for December 27 at 6:30, a budget workshop for Tuesday January 3 at 6:30 and a regular meeting for Tuesday January 10 at 6:30. The RSU5 referendum on the track and field project is January 10, 2017, with absentee ballots available at the town office. A member asked that some reviews be brought back when all members are present before the board adjourned.

What was decided

• 0:09
  Motion to accept the consent agenda as amended, with the Comcast letter removed and the payable warrants set aside, leaving the November 29 minutes and the listed correspondence. Seconded. The minutes record the consent agenda, including the treasurer's warrant, approved 4-0 on a motion by Michael Stewart.passed
• 36:45
  Agreed the select board would take its own line-by-line pass through the department budgets as usual and bring the budget to the budget committee, rather than holding a joint review, with budget committee members welcome to attend the public sessions.passed
• 47:39
  Motion to go with Virtual Towns and Schools for the town website, moved by Joshua Libby and seconded by Michael Stewart. The minutes record it carried 4-0.passed
• 53:02
  Motion to approve the AA/TA to send out the letter on the tax foreclosure property as presented, moved by Mark Blake and seconded by Michael Stewart. The minutes record it carried 4-0.passed
• 53:02
  Motion to accept the Coastal Humane Society contract as presented, unchanged from last year. The chair announced that it passes; the minutes record it moved by Joshua Libby, seconded by Mark Blake and carried 4-0.passed
• 53:02
  Agreed that a selectman would review and initial Ruth Glaeser's manual journal entries, with Mark Blake as the candidate since he calls in every Friday, and that she would write a policy and bring it back to the board.passed
• 58:21
  Agreed that a select board representative would sit down with Ruth Glaeser and go over the municipal valuation return figures before the commitment. Jeffrey Wakeman was named as the person, in his absence.passed
• 58:21
  Motion to appoint Jonathan Pollock to the scholarship committee, moved by Joshua Libby and seconded by Michael Stewart. The minutes record it carried 4-0.passed
• 58:21
  Members supported Paul Baines soliciting donations from businesses that use Runaround Pond Park towards a new sign, with him donating the carving and labour and public works installing it. No formal vote was taken.passed
• 1:03:44
  Paul Baines asked the board to consider making the codes position its own department and to survey the committees he sits on about how the position is performing. Members thought a new department would need town meeting approval and nothing was decided at this meeting.tabled
• 1:14:14
  Consensus to telephone the owners of the Durham Leisure campground and, provided they sign an agreement to bear every cost including any legal fees, to move forward with conveying the small town parcel to them for a dollar.passed
• 1:14:14
  Motion to accept the payable warrants as stated, taken separately after the fire chief answered questions on the Northeast Emergency Apparatus bills. Seconded; covered by the minutes' entry approving the consent agenda including the treasurer's warrant, 4-0.passed
• 1:24:36
  Motion to approve $1,000 to strip and wax the fire station floors, taken from the operating budget rather than money left over from the capital projects. Seconded; the minutes record it carried 4-0.passed
• 1:29:41
  Agreed that the roughly $1,557 Durham owes Pownal can either be settled before the books close or carried into next year, whichever Pownal prefers, provided Ruth Glaeser knows which before she closes out.passed
• 1:44:57
  Agreed a member would look for a statute Calvin Beaumier could cite against residents pushing snow into the road, with MMA (?) suggested as a source of a free legal opinion, so that he can send a form letter when he sees it happen.passed
• 1:50:00
  A member asked that certain reviews be brought back when all members are present, possibly at the December 27 meeting. The response was that they would try to put it on the agenda; nothing firmer was settled.outcome unclear
• 1:50:00
  Motion to adjourn. The minutes record it moved by Michael Stewart, seconded by Joshua Libby and carried 4-0, with adjournment at 8:57 p.m.passed

An outcome reads "unclear" where the recording does not state it plainly. The recogniser drops short words, and "the motion does not carry" is one missing word from its opposite.

Motions the minutes record

The town's own written account of what was decided, taken from select_board_minutes_12-13-20161.txt. It owes nothing to the recording or to a model: the clerk typed it, with the vote. Where the summary above claims a decision this list does not carry, the summary is the part to doubt.

• Approve the Consent Agenda including Treasurer's Warrant as statedcarried 4-0

  Moved by Michael Stewart, seconded by Michael Stewart

• go with Virtual Towns and Schoolscarried 4-0

  Moved by Joshua Libby, seconded by Michael Stewart

• approve the AA/TA to send the letter out on the Tax Foreclosure Propertycarried 4-0

  Moved by Mark Blake, seconded by Michael Stewart

• Accept the Coastal Humane Society contract as presentedcarried 4-0

  Moved by Joshua Libby, seconded by Mark Blake

• Appoint Jonathan Pollock to the scholarship Committeecarried 4-0

  Moved by Joshua Libby, seconded by Michael Stewart

• Approve $1,000.00 to strip and wax the floors from monies left over from the operating budget accountcarried 4-0

  Moved by Michael Stewart, seconded by Michael Stewart

• Adjourn at 8:57 p.mcarried 4-0

  Moved by Michael Stewart, seconded by Joshua Libby

Worth knowing

• 10:37
  The fire department has applied for a fire act grant to replace SCBAs approaching three service cycles, ballparked at around $80,000 with a 5 percent local match. The chief said Durham has come just under the funding threshold in recent years and gets a letter each October saying the money ran out before they were reached.
• 36:45
  Health insurance renewal figures have come in about 10 percent higher. Members noted the town's present arrangement pools it with other municipalities for a larger risk pool, and that with only about ten people insured Durham has little room to go it alone.
• 47:39
  The town is moving its website to Virtual Towns and Schools, bringing the separate fire department site back in and adding live streaming of meetings through a Maine company at about $1,000 less than the town pays now. The initial cost can be spread over three years and the build is expected to take about four months.
• 1:29:41
  Calvin Beaumier warned Durham may be on the verge of another building boom, and that the small subdivision roads the town accepted in the past are all due to be rebuilt at considerable cost. Pownal does not accept public roads at all; members said Durham stopped accepting them three or four years ago while still requiring them built to town specification.

Motion language found in the transcript

Located by pattern matching, with no model involved: "I move that", "I'll second", "all those in favour". This is an independent check on the summary above: 5 passages of motion language, against 17 decisions summarised.

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