Select Board Meeting ~ March 22, 2016

2016-03-22 · Select Board · 44:04 · watch on YouTube →

A short Select Board meeting ten days before the municipal election and town meeting. Wade Caplinger, a candidate for selectman, introduced himself to the board and the community. The board renewed the dispatch contract with the Town of Lisbon at $3 per capita, and after hearing the fire chief's research decided against moving dispatch to LA 911, whose proposal is priced on population rather than call volume and carries substantial transition costs. It awarded the Spirit of America Award to the Congregational Church for its heating fund fundraising, and settled that no change was needed to the alternative budget warrant article after MMA deferred to the town attorney. Calvin Beaumier reported on road postings, a culvert inventory and a ten-year road plan in progress, and the chairman told residents that the town has no ordinance under which it can act on complaints about wood cutting noise.

What was discussed

1. 0:05
   Call to order and agenda amendments

   The chairman called the meeting to order with a quorum and led the pledge of allegiance. The Spirit of America Award was added as item 7C, the minutes of the public hearing were added to the consent agenda, and the weekend's emails about wood cutting were to be taken up under selectmen's comments.

2. 0:05
   Candidate introduction: Wade Caplinger

   Public comment had been opened to candidates in the upcoming municipal election. Wade Caplinger introduced himself and his wife Juliet Caplinger, saying the family moved to Maine in May 2014, has bought a house and land on Royalsboro Road, and has a daughter at the Durham Community School. He works in procurement at Bath Iron Works applying competitive bids and cost analysis to multi-million dollar contracts, and previously managed two recycling plants in Arkansas on a single-digit margin.

3. 0:05
   Being new to the town

   Wade Caplinger addressed head on the speculation that he might not qualify because he is new to the area, saying he has gone door to door, attended the public hearing and sat in on several select board meetings. He said this is his first time on a ballot and that if elected his intention would be to listen and make collective decisions with the other members and local officials.

4. 5:53
   Other candidates

   The board had no questions. The chairman noted that he and Mark Blake are both up for re-election and were forgoing statements, that there is one other candidate for selectman, and that Kevin is the only person running for the budget committee.

5. 5:53
   Consent agenda

   The consent agenda was moved as amended to include the minutes from the withdrawal public hearing.

6. 5:53
   Lisbon dispatch contract

   The contract with the Town of Lisbon was in the packet at $3 per capita, set out in paragraph four. Members agreed it was otherwise the same contract as before and that Diane (?) should be asked to adjust the dates.

7. 5:53
   The alternative budget warrant article

   Further correspondence had come from MMA about the alternative warrant. The MMA adviser was deferring to what the town attorney had suggested, which is what already appears on the warrant, so members concluded no change was needed.

8. 10:54
   Why it has to be readopted every year

   Because Durham has no charter, the town attorney advised that putting the budget to public referendum would have to be adopted annually. Mexico does the same thing by an ordinance that sunsets at the next year. Members noted a select board cannot bind subsequent boards, so the vote is a recommendation rather than binding, since without a charter the selectmen retain authority over how the meeting is called. One member reported a surprising amount of public feedback in favour of voting the budget on a ballot annually, and suggested looking at Mexico's clearer single-article approach in a future year.

9. 10:54
   Posting and signing the warrant

   The warrant had been signed but will be reprinted for signature again. It is on the website but had not been posted at the store or at the town office, and needs to be.

10. 10:54
    The secret ballot threshold

    Members went back and forth over whether the article requiring warrant articles above a set sum to be decided by secret ballot should read $40,000 or $50,000, one recalling a discussion at $50,000 and another that $40,000 was the figure approved for this year with $50,000 intended for next. They concluded the distinction was not significant, since the articles in the budget fall either well under or well over both figures, and left the warrant as written.

11. 10:54
    Spirit of America Award

    The suggestion from a couple of months earlier was to give the award to the Congregational Church generally and in particular to two people for their work on the heating fund assistance, the donations and the annual walk. A member said they raise a tremendous amount every year for heating support in the community. The chairman said he would work with Ruth Glaeser to notify them and prepare something for town meeting.

12. 16:05
    Fire chief's report on dispatch

    William St. Michel reported on a meeting with Lisbon the previous Monday, which spent more time on operational issues than on the questions the board was interested in but which he did not think was a bad meeting. He had then met LA 911 about their proposal, with Sabattus also present. The proposal is contingent on both communities moving, and because LA 911 has no open seats it would have to bring on an additional dispatcher.

13. 16:05
    Why the pricing does not suit Durham

    The chief said the proposal is a substantial increase, priced per capita rather than on services offered and call volume. He explained this is the recurring problem for Durham: its valuation is influenced by Cumberland County and its per capita figure pushes the price up relative to how many calls it actually generates. Sabattus, with around 6,000 law enforcement calls, comes out only about $10,000 a year more, which he expected they would see as a good deal.

14. 21:15
    Transition costs

    Beyond the per capita increase there would be a dedicated IT line for radio communications, of which the sheriff's department was understood to be covering about half, leaving the town roughly $1,800 and a total recurring cost of $3,600 to $4,000. There would also be the cost of migrating historical response records, which the town avoided when it went to Lisbon by keeping the old IMC software on the station server; the chief recalled migration being quoted in excess of $15,000.

15. 21:15
    Transfer times and emergency medical dispatch

    The chief wanted to know the average time to transfer a call from the PSAP to dispatch, guessing 30 seconds to a minute, and said he would ask whether the state 911 board holds the records rather than relying on Lisbon. He explained that a centre staffed by only one person cannot break off the emergency medical dispatch questioning to start dispatching, so with a station that is not staffed full time the added minutes can push the interval from call received to units on scene toward twenty minutes.

16. 26:47
    Code enforcement

    The codes official had nothing to present and was excused for the evening.

17. 26:47
    Cyber security

    Ruth Glaeser reported attending a cyber security training which asked whether the town is really protected, and said her answer was that she did not know. She wants to review the processes and equipment in the town office, work out what is needed, and write policies and schedules so the work is documented and can be done by someone else if the responsible person is out.

18. 26:47
    Town reports and staffing

    Town reports are out and available at the town office and the get-go. Ruth Glaeser and Shannon Brown are reviewing the telecommunications list for what is needed for town meeting. She will work in New Gloucester on Wednesday and Thursday as a favour, that town having no staff in on those days and its town manager never having worked the front window; New Gloucester will reimburse Durham for the Thursday, with Wednesday kept separate as a day she does not normally work here. On Friday she is at a managers' training in Bangor.

19. 31:51
    Driveway entrance permits

    Calvin Beaumier raised a driveway where water runs straight down the road, forcing him to come in and sand it, often when nobody else is around. The town has no ordinance requiring driveway entrance permits so there is nothing to be done about it now. Members were unsure how the new ordinance would help an existing driveway, which would probably be grandfathered, but agreed it should prevent the problem in future.

20. 31:51
    Bill on discontinued roads used for mail delivery

    MMA had asked about a bill before the legislature, referred to in the meeting as LD 1637, which would require towns to maintain, summer and winter, stretches of discontinued or abandoned road that the postal service uses to deliver mail, and wanted to know the impact on individual towns. Members worked through which Durham roads might qualify, discussing Ross Road Extension, a road off Stackpole and one running out toward the power lines, without settling it. Calvin Beaumier will call the postmaster to find out the routes, and members said they did not understand the logic of the bill when the alternative is putting mailboxes at the end of the road.

21. 37:05
    Runaround Pond and spring work

    Work is being lined up at Runaround Pond, with culverts to be replaced as soon as the frost lets go and tree and brush cutting the crew keeps being pulled off, which the road commissioner hoped to start that week. A contractor will call dig safe and drill test holes because the reports supplied were not detailed enough; if the chosen method turns out not to work, the money would go into more gravel, fabric and aggregate to build a road base at similar cost.

22. 37:05
    Frost heaves and road postings

    Frost heaves were less severe than usual this year. Freeport posted its roads the previous week; Calvin Beaumier had probed and found frost at 8 to 12 inches and thought April 1 a realistic date for Durham, allowing for shaded and low-lying stretches.

23. 37:05
    Failed septic on Rabbit Road

    The first house on the right off Route 9 on Rabbit Road has a failed septic system that needs replacing. That section of road is in full sun, drains well and Calvin Beaumier does not believe there is frost in it, so he told the contractor to go ahead this week, load the trucks light and stop and talk if anything looks wrong.

24. 37:05
    Culvert inventory and training

    The town has three linear miles of culvert in its roads, which are being inventoried and mapped. Large scale maps have been ordered from O'Donnell Associates (?), colour-coded by culvert size, to be put into a computer database supporting a capital improvement plan for culverts as well as roads. The road commissioner attended a class on discipline and personnel issues on the 10th, and the Pownal and Durham crews will attend roadway fundamentals on the 5th.

25. 37:05
    Ten-year road plan

    Calvin Beaumier had built a detailed ten-year analysis and cost plan for Pownal, setting out what it costs each year simply to maintain the roads, and is working on Durham's version. He had hoped to have it ready for town meeting and offered to meet members to look at it. The chairman said residents attending the meeting are asking what the long-term plan is and how the town avoids getting back into this condition.

26. 37:05
    Public works wall

    The wall at the public works facility damaged in an accident over the winter has been repaired and paid for.

27. 42:24
    Wood cutting noise complaints

    The chairman reported several complaints about wood cutting operations and the noise they generate, including two calls about an operation on Pinkham Brook Road and calls to the codes officer about Davis Road. He said the town has no ordinance covering noise from a wood cutting operation on private property and requires no permits, though state permits may apply depending on the operation. Paul Baines had visited the sites complained of and confirmed the operators had their state signage.

28. 42:24
    What the state allows

    Members noted that logging is dictated by weather, daylight and timing, and that the state statute permits noise between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. One member said he had received an email at 6:37 that morning from a resident who could hear the trucks running outside their window. The chairman suggested noise could be looked at in an ordinance in future, perhaps alongside work on a new comprehensive plan.

29. 42:24
    Announcements

    Regular meetings were announced for Tuesday April 5 and Tuesday April 19 at 6:30 pm. The municipal election is at the Durham Community School on April 1 from 8 am to 8 pm, with absentee ballots available until March 28 at 4:30 pm, and the chairman noted the ballot also carries the article on withdrawal from the RSU. Town meeting is at the Durham Community School on April 2 beginning at 9 am.

What was decided

• 5:53
  Approve the consent agenda as amended to include the minutes of the withdrawal public hearing. The town's minutes record it as moved by Sarah Hall, seconded by Michael Stewart, carried 4-0, and the chair stated the motion carries.passed
• 5:53
  Enter into the dispatch contract between the Town of Lisbon and the Town of Durham as laid out in the contract, at $3 per capita, with the dates to be adjusted. The town's minutes record it as moved by Mark Blake, seconded by Michael Stewart, carried 4-0.passed
• 10:54
  Make no change to the alternative budget warrant article, MMA having deferred to the town attorney's advice and the warrant already reflecting it, while noting that a clearer single-article approach along the lines used by Mexico could be considered in a future year if this year's is accepted.passed
• 10:54
  Leave the secret ballot threshold on the warrant as written rather than reconciling the $40,000 and $50,000 figures, members concluding the difference is not significant because the articles concerned fall either well under or well over both.passed
• 10:54
  Award the Spirit of America Award to the Congregational Church in general and in particular to Julie Wagoner and Betty Kett (?), for their work on the heating fund assistance fundraisers. The town's minutes record it as moved by Jeffrey Wakeman, seconded by Sarah Hall, carried 4-0, and the chair stated the motion carries.passed
• 21:15
  Do not pursue a change of dispatch provider at this stage. The board is already through its budget process, and the LA 911 proposal is a substantial increase priced on population rather than call volume, with a dedicated IT line and record migration on top. The chief will gather Brunswick's information and try to establish average transfer times from the PSAP to dispatch.passed
• 31:51
  Have the road commissioner contact the postmaster to establish which routes are used, and reply to MMA on whether Durham has any discontinued or abandoned road used for mail delivery once the answer is known, MMA having extended the deadline past the following day.passed
• 37:05
  Allow the septic replacement at the first house on Rabbit Road off Route 9 to go ahead this week ahead of the road postings, on the basis that the section is in full sun, drains well and has no frost, with the contractor loading trucks light and stopping if anything goes wrong. Road postings are expected around April 1.passed
• 42:24
  Take no action on the wood cutting noise complaints, the town having no noise ordinance covering operations on private property and requiring no permits for them, while noting it could be considered for a future ordinance or alongside work on a new comprehensive plan.passed
• 42:24
  Adjourn. The town's minutes record it as moved by Mark Blake, seconded by Michael Stewart, carried 4-0 at 7:13 pm.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_3-22-20161.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 as Amendedcarried 4-0

  Moved by Sarah Hall, seconded by Michael Stewart

• enter into an Agreement between the Town of Lisbon and Town of Durham Dispatch Contract as laid out in the Contractcarried 4-0

  Moved by Mark Blake, seconded by Michael Stewart

• award the Spirit of America Award to the Congregational Church in general and in particular Julie Wagoner and Betty Kettel posthumously, for their work for the Heating fundraiserscarried 4-0

  Moved by Jeffrey Wakeman, seconded by Sarah Hall

• Adjourn at 7:13 p.mcarried 4-0

  Moved by Mark Blake, seconded by Michael Stewart

Worth knowing

• 21:15
  Moving dispatch to LA 911 would come to roughly $9 per capita, about $3 per capita more than the town pays now, because the price is set on population rather than call volume. On top of that would be a dedicated IT line costing the town $3,600 to $4,000 a year and the cost of migrating historical records, previously quoted at over $15,000. The board decided to stay with Lisbon.
• 42:24
  Durham has no noise ordinance and requires no permits for wood cutting on private property, so the town can do nothing about complaints from residents near operations on Pinkham Brook Road and Davis Road. State law permits noise between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., and the codes officer confirmed the operators have their state signage.
• 42:24
  The municipal election is on April 1 at the Durham Community School, 8 am to 8 pm, with absentee ballots available until 4:30 pm on March 28. The same ballot carries the article on withdrawal from the RSU. Town meeting follows on April 2 at 9 am.
• 37:05
  The town has three linear miles of culvert in its roads, now being inventoried and mapped by size for a database and a capital improvement plan. The road commissioner is also building a ten-year road plan setting out what it costs each year simply to maintain the roads, in answer to residents asking how the town avoids getting back into its current condition.

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: 1 passage of motion language, against 10 decisions summarised.

Elsewhere

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