TranscriptSelect Board Meeting ~ February 21, 2017

Thank you. I'll call this uh meeting to order. We uh do have um all four selectmen here. So, we have a quorum. Can we please rise for the pledge of allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Amendments to the agenda. Um I'm going to add one to the beginning of action and discussion items uh for the historic district commission. Are there any other amendments to the agenda tonight? Not that I know of. Public comment. Any public comment this evening?

the consent agenda as presented. Second. Any discussion? All in favor? Motion carries. Action and discussion items. Uh historic district commission tonight really for two reasons. Mary Fallon and Anita Sers from the Historic District Commission. Um,

first of all, I guess um we wanted to express our concern about Paul Bean's um quitting departure and um just kind of to to say that what a extremely help he's been to us in the historic district commission getting ourselves going and with the survey that we're doing now and really have some concerns about the positive impact act he's had both as a codes officer who's um following the codes and maybe making some some folks not happy about that but

following the codes for the buildings in town and with the planning board and the comprehensive planning committee and our historic district commission. I the knowledge and how qualified he is and what he brings to all of those those groups up and running and doing things now uh really have a positive impact on on town and we're kind of concerned about losing that asset and just would

I think that that we share your your disappointment as well. Yeah. And if there's any way at all to think about reaching out to him and to see if there's anything at all that can be done, we would encourage that and support it. But that that was one thing that we came about and I'll let Anita and Mary add anything they want to. The other thing the other thing had to do with um I think you you all may know that we're kind of in the middle now of doing a f photographic survey of the some of the historic structures in town. And we decided to do all of those before 1900 and create an archive and then use that information as some educational things in town. And um

what the process for that what has happened is that we've we've got a group of community members involved in this which is really nice and trained and and and continuing train yeah they continuing training um have gone out and done the we've kind of divided it in half and they've gone out and taken photos have half and then we meet as a group to uh complete forms terms about all the historic aspects of the structure of those um those individual homes or churches or that kind of thing. And Paul meets with us when we do that and we kind of depend on his knowledge of historic architecture and whatnot. Would have a pretty difficult time doing it totally by ourselves. And so the other thing we hear about is we'd like to be able we have $500 for training in the 2017 budget and we'd

like approval to maybe use that to to have him come and continue to work with the group. be it would be continuing training with this group and however we whatever we need to do to make that happen we'd like to to do that so that he could continue to help us with the survey project that we're doing right now.

Can I jump in? Do you mind? Yeah. No, no. Um, one of the things that I think, you know, uh, that the reason the three of us feel really strongly and wanted to come and talk to the the board of selectmen is that, um, the gentleman

that came in to speak with us has extensive experience and knowledge about historic homes and historic towns and sees Durham as a unique setting, having a huge number of historic homes that represent, you know, historical artifacts. and um a town that grew in a really

short period of time and then didn't grow for a long while. And um so it's it presents a unique historic case. And so for us to try to gather together as much information and inventory um the historic homes and structures in town and have that meet a certain criteria so that it could be translated across even outside of Durham and be used in some other measurable way. Paul was invaluable. I mean, as a builder, a as a um historic architectural buff, he he just knows so much about the homes that to to us as a bunch of sort of fledgling people trying to do this work, he really was able to guide us and help us um identify eras when houses were built and to see the historic integrity of them and understand whether or not they would be important to catalog and keep track of. And just to jump back to the previous points, you know, as we move forward with the comprehensive plan, one of the things that Paul brings that I

think is unique in a code enforcement officer is the fact that not only is he knowledgeable about the codes and making certain that the houses that are being built or improved meet those and, you know, comply with uh with the uh ordinances and and the regulations. um that protects the town, but he also was doing things like showing us um how much building was happening and sort of getting us to think about zoning in a different way, getting us to think about uh the town as a as an invaluable resource and that if we just keep on building and building and building without really any plan, um we're going to hurt ourselves as a town. And I found that, you know, having a voice like that on a committee like ours, but even on the comprehensive plan as we move into the future is just like incredible. And to let it go, um I feel a little bit we

didn't let Paul go. Paul voluntarily chose not to continue here and we would have loved him to stay. So there's not really we're not we can't resend something that we didn't do. So it puts us in a tough position. I can I absolutely appreciate coming and advocating. I I wish that those decisions had turned out differently as well, but you're making that sound like a final decision. Is it? Does it need to be?

Well, it's it was final on his part. He's the one that left. We didn't ask him to leave. resigned. There must have been good reasons for him to leave. We I don't we don't It may be, but he didn't give any to us. Yeah. And we don't need to get into personnel. I mean,

but but as far as that, I I just it's I just want to make sure that everybody's clear. We didn't him. We He We did a great job, too. Uh but I mean is there any way that the selectman could you know reach out to him and and um you know and communicate even if it's that people have come forward to say that this is a huge loss to the town is is really what we're asking because I I we would hate to see him um for the town to lose him. I mean especially as we move forward with all of these other things that are going on.

Well that's for Paul didn't even see this through. He he started it and he he came to for us and and and asked for something. Then he didn't even see it through. He didn't even wait till the town meeting. He didn't wait till the people on the floor could talk for him or nothing. He he didn't he didn't want to go that far. So it must be personal reasons on his side. I would imagine the reason that he must have gave his resignation. I don't know what it is. I can't tell you. I I wasn't I didn't speak to him, but he didn't even see this through. And I by all means we can reach out and say, "Paul, you know, you want to these people really miss you." I mean, by all means, I don't know. But

we wished you would do that. if it did that if it would change his mind, you know, then then we got to go the whole procedure to go in front of the town. I imagine again after that, but um like I said, he didn't even see this through. So, it must be a personal reason on his side why he didn't he didn't follow through with it. I don't know what it is. I can't tell you to be honest with you.

I mean, and the way he left was pretty abrupt. So, I mean, in order to even consider uh trying to bring him back, if if that was a chance, we'd have to discuss that because he kind of just left, right? No, we understand that. And yes, absolutely.

We're here. We're just here to like really, you know, to to get you to to, you know, get, I guess, talk amongst yourselves and and consider, you know, whether or not um reaching out to to him and in some way and see if there's if there was anything that we could do to get him to to, you know, kind of reconsider his

There may be other people out there as well. I Well, I certainly I mean, I I I don't know. I'm um I mean he had kind of he was unique in some things, but I mean he can't be the only one out there if in the event that he's not interested in even talking. You know what I mean? There's there's got to be others. I mean every town has codes but I'll tell you planners. I use the other code enforcement officer and we made some significant building changes at my place and he never even came over. I mean, I I just don't want my fear is that we're in the middle of a huge uh couple of uh initiatives here that have a long lasting impact on the health of the town and I don't want to I just want to make sure that we're we are equipped with the best possible professionals to do this.

Absolutely. And and we it is something that we are discussing that that we are at this sort of point of transition in terms of of the town and the comprehensive plan and all of those things and and we are making every effort to both figure out what that position looks like code enforcement planner, all of those different things and and really put together what a a useful and and effective job description for that position is going to be and to to fill that position. So we we are definitely aware that there is a a gap that is going to need to be filled.

Aren't you concerned about the problem? You know the old adage uh uh switching horses in midstream. What's the Well, the fact that the fact that we've reached this point with Paul and he knows so much and now you're going to bring in somebody new and you're going to have to

That wasn't our That wasn't our choice. Our choice. It was we we're aware of that. And um yes, I would have I I would have loved to go through this whole thing with Paul as our codes officer because um he he started he started it he was working our working the way through it and so on. But

and so on uh it kind of leaves us without an option at that point. And I mean we can maybe we can ask but um the way the way the resignation happened I think it would be very unlikely that we we can get them back. We have some shorter term pro you know we have people that were in the middle of building projects that have open permits and those kinds of things that you know we we've got to sort of deal with the the shortterm

buyers as well. Yeah. Um because it's not fair to to those people right. So we we have a lot it presents us with a fair amount of work to do, right? Well, and it, you know, I don't know. I guess I guess the way I would the way I would look at it is Yeah. I mean, there were I I don't know all the ins and outs of it. I'm you know, like again, it's but if he if you view him as a valuable asset, and it it sounds like you do. um and you see him as as as adding to the continuity of ongoing projects and and future initiatives for the town. I I guess I I just urge you to

to consider just reaching out and finding out if there's any possibility of of having him return just because and even if it's a short-term thing, come back and if you're unhappy, we understand that. But, you know, help us through this uh this project, this uh comp plan, you know, work with the historic district, get everything settled, and then we we understand that you'll be, you know, looking for another position, but just kind of explore it. We we as citizens, we, you know, I can't call him on the phone and say, "Paul, come back." Even though I was like devastated when I found out he wasn't going to be here anymore. But you, you guys are, you know, our representatives and I, you know, we really care about all of these things being done well, and that's the reason we came for whatever it's worth, which might be nothing, but say that really. Thank you.

No, it's it's not nothing but But next to it, we'll we'll have to discuss that. No, it's not next to nothing, but it's um we'll have to discuss that amount because like I said, the way it happened there's totally totally we do.

We get it definitely. But we he he's a real asset and I think an unusual combination of skills which planning and code enforcement and the historic architecture and that not everybody's going to have that. Not that that's at the top of the list, but

unusual combination of skills, too. So, okay. And I guess you'll let us know about whether after you do some talking whether we can use some of that money to to contract with him, have him as a consultant, help us finish the photo survey. Would be it'd be really difficult to do it without his expertise.

And if he's willing to do it, we don't even know. Yeah. He might say, "No, I'm all done. retired or whatever. I don't know. But I understand what you're saying. Okay. Thanks a lot. Have you guys reached out to the main historic preservation commission?

That's the person that's the guy that's been training us. Yeah. Can do they have some resources you could tap into? Uh for a lot more money than maybe what it's going to cost us to have Paul do it. Thank you. Thank you. Next. [Music]

Thank you. Thanks a lot. Comprehensive plan committee. No second thumb motion. Thought I was getting a tongue. Sure. Sure. Sure. All right. So, how much time can we have? Literally, you tell me and I'll make it happen. How much time do you need?

Not much. you guys are willing to like you. It's what you guys want to give us. So, so let me give you that said. What we have is we're representing the Durham Conservation Commission plan. My name is Chief Seni. This is Sarin Seni, my wife. Um, this is our first of

Steven Sen. So, this is the first of many hopefully reachouts to you guys as we go through what we're starting to do with the plan and the community and all this coming and talking to you guys as well. But like some of you were at that meeting that we had, but we felt also one of the things that has been big for me is this whole community outreach and getting to as many people as possible, especially this visioning time we're having. So, some of you will find this redundant if you were at that meeting, but we're basically here with three questions. And I just want you guys to throw at us what comes to mind with those immediate questions. And it doesn't have to mean that's not mean we can get this done in 15 minutes. Like, it won't take long. I know you guys got plenty to do. So,

the first one, hold. Go. I would like to Jeff Lakeman, Sarah Hall, Ruth, and I'd like the rest of your names just so I can document it for the meeting notes. You'll have it, but for my purposes, I'm Calvin Bowier. Thanks, Kevin.

Commissioner, name. B E A U M I I was going to say, well, you're pretty good. Is she the better than I know? Next door. Okay, I got you. M Blake. Okay, I got you. And Jill Tower, your neighbor. That's right. Hi, Jill. when I say, "What do you like about the town of Durham?" Sarin's going to write ideas down. What we're trying to do is talk to you guys, as many groups as we can before town meeting to bring this rough draft of a vision statement to town meeting. So, what we want to do is we're going to get in front of as many groups ask these exact same questions and then from the public meeting from these meetings and everyone else that gives us the info, we're going to come up with this rough draft to put in front of everybody. So, when I say, "What do you like about the town of Durham?" Just go. It's all you guys. I think I already answered that question

and that's why like it's a little redundant but yet it's like we want to you know get out here the I think the rural nature of Durham is I was just going to say rural rural it's a popular one the most rural encouraging rural yet close to

with 20 minutes from convenient yes that's rural Yeah. Convenient. Yeah. Right. Mhm. Okay. Anything else? Think about maybe what you do here. What What doesn't happen here? Kids, what doesn't happen? You know, what do we like about town?

I can send my kids over. I already went through that. They all grew up and left. It's okay. Unless the pigs get loose. [Music] Trying to keep that from happening. We're down to only two left. tough one. 10 10 years from now, what do you want the town of Durham to be like?

Like it is right now. Okay. Good. I think that we need to figure out a way to expand our tax base. Otherwise, property taxes are going to keep going up. And whether that's through controlled business growth or controlled residential growth, more likely a balance of the two. I don't think one or the other is going to get it done exclusively. But I think with with some

thought going into it, I think it can be done in a way that it doesn't just end up looking like, you know, root one and and so the buzz word of today of like smart growth. Yes. I really like hate those kind of jargony terms though.

Totally with you. But it's like we're going to drill down and talk about smart growth. Well, it's it's something it's like a starting point. Absolutely. And then as a community, you you figure out how you want to grow your jobs. Like that's the point.

Um I think you need a for me I like the world setting and the country part, but I think you need a more defined center of town, which is partly part of what Sarah was talking about. I remember years ago when I first came here,

they seem to be more, especially around your holiday weekends, like your Memorial Days and stuff like that, there was more community stuff happening. The fireman's musters. Uh, right. Actually, to be real honest, probably the best fireworks ever seen in the state anywhere was behind the school that's not there anymore out in the field. It went on for 3540 minutes steady one after the other. It never stopped. And honestly, I think it was

I think it was the best I'd ever seen. I'm not advocating for that, but for a town of this size, I was pretty impressed. And and they used to have the old home days, which they got away from a little bit. They're going back to it, but it's not what it used to be. You know, people are busier and they're going out of town. So if you've got that center of town

community, maybe that community stuff, you may get more of that back. That I think helps foster a sense of community. I I think that because whether it's history or the geographic nature, Durm is a very large land mass compared to the number of people

is there isn't I think that there's sort of clusters of people who know each other through the school or through church or through growing up here. But I I think that the the sense of community is much more scattered than than really any kind of centralized

right feel. I mean if if this town could stay the way it is for the next 10 20 years and the tax dollars didn't go up to 30% for home that would be perfect. But realistically that's not going to happen. You know and that's why I said if that meeting over there if people if we don't do this smartly and grow it the way we want to you're going to wake up some morning and there's going to be a nurvin sitting right out there in the corner selling gas. And that's just ain't nothing you're gonna do about it because they got the money,

right? You know, that's what's going to happen. So, we got to kind of do it. It's gonna grow because everything's closing in. Um, and that was said at the meeting, too. It's just, you know, right? If we can keep the center to a certain

Yes. restraint and then the outskirts can still say roll and people can still have that warm and fuzzy feeling, right? And that's part, you know, of this comprehensive plan is making these definitions and making these definitions as a community so it's clear. It's it's clear as day. This is our business district. This is our, you know, rural district. This is, you know, and that's what we're trying to that's why I'm well

trying to propagate as much as I can. It's up to us to set those us to us to show the vision of what the town as a that's it. Yeah. We just bring the discussion. Um, okay. Anything else on tenure? this is the one I really wanted to go and bring especially in front of you guys and some other very important parts of our community is what other questions should we be asking and that's like it it's so broad and I know that but yet if there's and feel free we're going to we got you know our list of contacts and all that stuff we're going to give you guys and and do come back at us if you're sitting there milling this over

the more info we can get the better. One of the things um I just had this conversation with people on a pl board in another small town but one of the things I think to look at in in the big picture is we do have an aging population. We have a a population that lives on a fixed income. And as there is more encroachment, as the greater Portland area, the greater Lewon area, the greater Augusta area all expand and there is more encroachment,

we face the risk of of pricing people out of this community that have lived here their whole lives. And I think looking at whether affordable housing projects and and some some ways to make sure that there remains a place in Durham for right

people that have spent their whole lives here, right? And don't we don't price our community right out out the door. And you're not the first to voice that at all. And so that's I look forward to that conversation as well, like furthering that one because I think we just tipped the iceberg on that.

We already got one millionaire more than we need from what I hear. That's why that's why our property value is up so high. We got one one one millionaire more than we need, right? So um so any other questions? I mean we're just like you said, we're just still in this visioning

or issues. Yeah. anything that um buzzwords that come to you as as trouble spots of um where we should be really honing in and talking to specific people or groups or or Yeah. groups even, you know, I know we're trying to get in front of some major ones in this month.

Well, and I think some of those questions came up at that meeting, too. one that just pops ahead cuz Bill's sitting there is we've had some discussion around EMTs. Now, some of those problems are concerns for people, but they could be fixed arbitrarily just by what the growth does. They fall into place without really hurting, so to speak.

But, you know, those are things that people have been asking about. And as we look at at growth districts, which is I realize farther down the road from where you guys are are at right now, but in looking at sort of different zoning,

one of the things that kind of goes back to the idea of affordable housing is whether or not we look at having some a little bit higher density housing, multi-units, making some rentals available for young people that are starting out. you know, having a little bit more

that that everything in town isn't a single family home on two to three to five to however many acres, you know, to to make things that are going to be a little bit more approachable. I know the chief has talked about that that we're not bringing in sort of young families that are going to volunteer for the fire department and

people can't afford it. Right. Right. more diversity, more diverse town instead of or and and just more approachable, more rental, a little bit more rental, a little bit more um Yeah. And this is where as we get kind of starting out, people starting out.

Well, and this is the other exciting part for me is is getting this data that the state has and that then we can help and bring before everyone and say, look, our town is aging, right? or our town is engaging or you know how do we want to

what agreement do we want to come to as a community to move forward with that and so I think a lot of the data that we're going to get as we keep moving through this is going to help us u paint a picture of what Durham's looking like and then we can better you know I look forward to doing these questions later again

right like after we have discussions and it gets now what do you see Durham like in 10 years after you hear from other people in the community or this is our vision, you know. Um I don't think those are going to go away.

I think it's something we just got to keep asking these same three and keep peeling it out of people. Well, 10 years from now, those questions are going to be answered differently, right? And that's and that's part of the plan is

well, when it's done 10 years from now, because I think the railroad, the Durham making the choice not to have the railroad come through here and having it go around made this town very much the same it is it was then, right? or maybe even backtracked a little bit because it was um a little more booming at that point and

right that just the river was the change. So, all right, that's what we got for you or you got for us. Right. Right. Right. No. So, thanks for talking to us. Appreciate you. Thanks for coming in. Yeah. board. You see that?

Just piss them right out. There's only five of them. I I'll make a few. We can make Yeah. next. You get my back. Thanks, guys. Okay. Uh, next up is act on code enforcement officer reg resignation. As has been uh more than alluded to earlier this evening. Uh, we did receive the resignation of the code enforcement officer on February 9th.

I think that we regretfully acknowledge that the resignation of code enforcement officer. Was that a motion? That was a motion. Is there a second? Second discussion. All in favor? Motion carries. Next up, discuss open CEO positions. So,

um I think we need to look at this from a couple of at least a couple of things. Number one, um short term, what do we do now? And then uh long term, how do how do we uh fill the position in the long term? And um I don't know that we actually have enough information pulled together yet to to determine long-term, but um there are a few options open short term. One being we can try to work with some of the other towns in the area and see if we can get another codes officer to come in. another possibility and um

haven't really openly I haven't spoken to him yet, but we already have a a licensed code officer on our payroll right now um in Calvin and whether whether he has the time to do a do short-term fill in for this position while we figure out what to do. Um, and

what what I would like to see is I like for us to reach out to I know I don't know we used to use Brunswick before. I'm not sure if they were interested, but try to reach out to in even Panel. I know that they're doing something with North Yamth as well. If we can't find a town that's close by that's willing to maybe work as a dual thing or something, uh, we'll have to look at getting a new CEO. As far as I think temporarily, just because I don't want to see the builders that are in the midst of waiting for inspections. If Kelvin can do them, I think that's fine. But I don't I don't think that that's the job that Kelvin should be doing all the time. I think he's got plenty on his plate right now. And I don't want to add another list of stuff to have to take care of because there's a lot going on with code. So

I mean for the interim to keep those guys from until we can find somebody and even if we can just find somebody temporarily that will get us through so we can I think the short answer is all of the above. Yeah, it is basically. But um I think we need to look for obviously another CEO slash town planner, however we're going to put it out there. But

right, I think we need to work on that job description as well to really make sure that we're encompassing what we what we need moving forward. Have we reached out at all? I have not reached out. I've had several suggestions. So, but for right now until we had accepted the resignation, Calvin was just covering for

Do we have a is there a fair amount going on right now? Do we have You got quite a bit coming up. I think Mike Cop's got a big subdivision coming up on Swamp Road. You've got Barry Baldwin's got a subdivision made an application for. You got a lot of land use stuff coming up and there are four or five open building permits out there. I've done some inspections and

Well, thank you for for stepping up. I mean, they're they're busy. People are busy. Yeah, they are busy. That's why I say we need You haven't had enough going on lately. We need to um I mean, I think that's my suggestion in the interim because I don't want to hold up contractors that are in the middle of already starting and been approved to move forward. So, anything that Kelvin could do to help move that forward, that's fine. But I think we need to reach out and see if we've got another CEO somewhere that's willing to at least work with us for whether it's a a month or a month and a half or two months, whatever it's going to do, so we can get our job description put together and get out there and see if we can start getting and it may be four or five months. I don't know. Depends on how long it takes to find the right person. But reach out and I'll go do some talking tomorrow, too. So, we'll see.

It has been suggested to me that the the one in Lisbon might Dennis Yeah. might be willing to do some interim work. week, we could pull that information together and see if there's anybody that's interested and then we can go from there. And then, you know,

Well, when you say interim Well, what are you thinking? I mean, I don't I don't know what it's going to take. It's going to take us a a short amount of time to put a job description together for what we want. Make sure we do it try to do it right. I don't want to rush it. So, it's half blanked out. Uh, but it could be it could be up to three months. It could be a little more than that. My guess, you know, it's going to take us probably at least four or five weeks probably to get the right wording and make sure everything's where it needs to be for us. We're going to have to put out for applications and then do interviews. So, you look at it probably three months anyways and it may be more than that.

We've got some rough job descriptions to, you know, I think we can pull a job description together probably to vote on at our next meeting. and then get something posted. I would guess maybe three to six months at the most. Hopefully it' be less than that in the end. But

how many hours do you suspect it it would take somebody to do as an inter probably 10 probably one day a week they could handle it. That's just for what's ongoing right now. that's not including what's up what could be coming up but subdivision is a lot more

appeals board meetings coming up you've got variances coming up and so if they're going to be involved in those and I it's going to be hard to find someone to step into that role on a limited basis they might just it would take

hours check with Dennis he Friday's off they'd have to get up to speed on all the variances and appeals and and I know you're in as far as the three to six months I'd like with summer being, you know, spring summer being the busy season, I'd really like to get somebody in place a little bit more quickly than that if we can.

I would too. I was trying to be realistic about, you know, I'm just thinking with with summer building season and then I've heard you guys talk about planning and they're really two different things. Codes and planning are two different things. you you need an economic development plan and you need a uh you need a community development plan and that you can hire out. You could hire somebody through Avco can do one for you or they'll do drawings and layouts in this district and you know I think to try to find a code officer that can also do that is going to be very they're going to want 65 75 grand a year and they got a four-year degree and

you're not going to find a code officer that can do the both of those things. I mean, you could find someone, but I think you're looking for two. I think you need to compartmentalize that and reach out to hire an outside source to come up with these the development plan that you guys want to put together on how you want to see the town proceed. Well, at least the way it was presented to us is is that person is really a little bit more tied into as the development plan, the comprehensive plan is in place really kind of oversight to make sure it is being implemented and that it is being followed,

right? A code officer's job, a code officer's job is to do all is to be party to all those things and maybe facilitate getting it done and then make sure it's being followed through with. I think your your your a town planner is very expensive

and usually towns have a planner and then they have a code officer and I don't think you're going to usually have a lot more going in the town than a lot more than town going on. I think and I think I think that's where we're look

we may not be looking for a full-fledged planner where maybe somebody kind of in between somebody that will lead the town forward but not the full planner position because the town doesn't have the resources and and if you go to the state planning office and read the description job description of a code enforcement officer it it touches all of those things. He's the liazison between the planning board. They're the the appeals board, all the different boards, and they direct and keep it all the glue that keeps it all together,

right? And and like like Dennis, Dennis wasn't a code for post officer up till two years ago. I mean, he just he just he's within three years of code enforcement officer. It might be someone out there that wants to become a code enforcement officer, but don't want to be a planner. And that's why I don't want to say that we want both and then not be able to get someone who wants to be a code enforcement officer because like you said a code enforcement officer is to take care of subsurface wastewater and take care of your your plumbing and make sure things are done properly that way and up the codes and that's what we're really looking for to keep things going forward but then then to have put the label you're going to be planner too on top of it I think going to scare a lot of people. Mhm.

Well, I think we want to make sure that we include whether or not we include planner in the title, but as part of the job description, you know, bec or the reason that our existing comprehensive plan was rejected by the state was because we had no capacity in place to follow and and monitor its implementation. So, we need to make sure that that piece,

right, gets followed through. Part of somebody's job, although we outsource it or whatever. I mean, right, it's it's just it's got to be we just haven't got on it that much. But I I definitely reach out to other towns and see if we can find anybody by the next meeting or

comprehensive plan that I've put together. I've worked with AFCOG and they, you know, together with them, they're planner. They have a planner at Acog. Sure. GP peacock is the same thing, but they have done these for all the towns around us and they just slide it over and say, "Okay, here's your here it is. What do you want to change? You change what you want." They put it together and give it back to you.

And they are working with JP COG to a certain extent. Um they're using limited funds, but they're asking them to write parts of it, and they're doing most of the visioning and and that kind of stuff on their own. And then once you have one, state law requires that any policies or ordinances, and I brought this up at the city of Auburn one night when they wanted to close all the roads in town, all the old discontinued roads, and I pointed out to them that their comprehensive plan said in that in the rural district, they were to acquire, pursue and acquire easements for walking trails. And I said, "So you have on the one hand, this is your this is your comprehensive plan. Says this is what you're supposed to be doing, and now you want to do something that's contrary to that and close off all the open roads for horseback riding." And and they just looked at each other, said, "Well, we didn't know we couldn't do that." Well,

that's what you're doing. You're you're doing something you're you're voting on implementing a policy that's contrary to your comprehensive plan, and state law forbids that. And so that's what a code enforcement officer will do is they'll read that and but the town has to move forward with that as the backdrop of Good decision.

And that's been part of the problem with our ordinances and stuff, too. One page says you can't, you flip it over here and it's just contrary to and that's what we've been trying to clean up. Picked up on it in the last couple of

Yeah. I said, "What is this from? That's not here anymore." So essentially what you're saying is that that piece of it that sort of quarterbacking that's the foundation comprehensive plan once it's in place is according to sort of the state

state law licensing that is part of their job that is not a separate function but that is part of their normal position. You ever go to court and you take someone takes you to court, you take someone to court, the judge, the courts look at your comprehensive plan and if you say over here that your comprehensive plan says you're supposed to be looking for multi-unit housing and then an applicant comes in and you say I don't want multi-unit housing that's that's what that's for. So

Oh that part I understand. I'm just talking about sort of the global Yes. Yes. the the oversight code officer is supposed to look at that and ensure that any new ordinances or any new zoning is compliant with that not build it help with it but

Paul was he was way steep in it well yeah you can easily have GP Cog do that for you or AVCOG or you just have a little input on it but they pretty much have these all canned put together and that's been my experience so unless GP cog is much different than AFCOP.

I would think so. Well, I think it's a very expensive service to to contract with them to do pretty cheap. I I almost think they almost gave us ours. I think they just proud of us being a member and they all they're going to do is take what a similar town in the county has already in place and give it to you and say, "Hey, make the changes." And that's where a committee would come in and say

take some from here, some from the Glouester, some from some from Gray, some from Stish, but that's that's a whole different thing. That's a different committee. Let's focus on the Golden person officer. Yeah. But if you could reach out and and see if we can get someone Dennis or I'll talk to the Bowden Golden Post office if he's interested.

So then maybe they should communicate with Calvin so that the two of them can Well, you got to communicate with us how much they want. They may say, "I'll do it for this amount." Well, yes. You know what I mean? So, we got to say yay or nay on that. They're not going to do it cheap. They're going to give their time out.

Yeah. I think once we found out if there somebody's interested and then we decide to go ahead forward with that, then they can kind of communicate with Calvin a little bit for that crossover, then we'll go forward from there.

And I do agree with Sarah. I'd like to have it done way before 3 to 6 months. But I'm trying to be realistic about how this may move forward. And I don't want to and that's just for the for the interm and just to find someone to do it for us to get a full-time in here. But then we have to discuss what we want the person to do. You're going to ask them about night meetings if that's something they're going to be able to do. Appeals board agenda. Give them an agenda.

We have a ton of them coming up, too. Yeah. And see if they're going to be able to do that. Okay. And if that and if all they can do is inspections and they can't do them other things, well, and that's what we've got offered to us. That's maybe what we'll have to do and figure out how to handle the rest afterwards until we get

to keep the builders going. I don't want to stop anybody. Yeah. Or anybody trying to build a house. Yeah. I might be able to handle a couple of the meetings, whatever. Or at least switch off. Okay. Okay. Yeah. That's what I meant about you and communicating with whoever else we can.

Good. Okay. So, for the for the next couple weeks until we can meet again on this show, do we actually do we actually need to appoint someone to this position to allow them to actually do the job? First, we got to find someone.

So, yeah. Well, I'm thinking for the next couple of weeks that appoint maybe we appoint Calvin until we can Yeah. Slow down on his plate. Kevin, we appoint you. Okay. That was easy. Cuz I don't know if he can I don't know if he can legally do it.

Yeah, I don't think he can without being appointed. Well, then we'll Yeah, go ahead. So, I move that we appoint Calvin to be interim codes enforcement officer. Second. Any discussion? All in favor? Motion carries. Congratulations.

Right. Right. That's what I'm thinking. I already got you one prize. That's it. Okay. Uh budget discussion. So I think we can actually do D and E together kind of and we have um a warrant put together here. Um we can work our way down through the articles.

No. Oh gosh. No. I see you getting stuff moving in here. Do we have a person for number one? I believe um sorry what Joshua Klein Golden. Yes. Is he all set? I know there was going to be some cross training there or something.

No, he's all set. He knows he he's supposed to know what he's doing, so we're going with it. He said he's supposed to. Well, Shannon says he knows what he's doing, so I'm going with it. Okay. What's his name? Uh uh Josh Klein Golden.

Yeah. Josh what? Klein E I N Golden G O L D E N. He's a lawyer in town. He is. I remember. Is he the guy that came here one night or something, I think, or somewhere? Um he he was at our last town meeting, I believe. Um is he the one that come up front maybe in

he he kind of observed last year's town meeting. I think I know what you mean. Okay. He's got a he's got a practice in Lisbon, I think. So articles 1 through three are um form for formality articles basically. Article four and um that's to

the see which of the two bids received to ex see which of the two bids received to accept with regards to the town's curbside waste and recycling contract for proposal. And the contract will run from July 1st through June 30th, 2020.

Um, I don't know. Have Have we actually voted on which one we I don't believe so? No. Recommended. And I don't believe the budget committee was going to re They weren't I don't They haven't voted on anything. I don't know that they're going to recommend one.

Okay, that's fine. um from from the discussion but um I will if anybody wants to recommend u have the selectman recommend I'll open for a motion. I move that we the selectman recommend pine tree waste. Is there a second?

Second discussion. Um, I I would like to see in this article though, uh, the the price pine tree waste and what the contract says and and Tyson what this says if we're going to Okay. And I I make it available. I would check with MMA on the wording of this article. We may actually have to put in two articles. One that says uh to

see if the town will accept the bid from Pine Tree Waste. Um, and then and if not, then go on to Well, I don't know if you can even do if not. You may have to have two specific articles and basically you vote if you vote one up or one down.

Yeah, that's what you hope to do. Yeah. But, um, I would check with MMA on how how to word this cuz um I know it can be tricky on the wording sometimes. So is the idea that then somebody since you're not going to be here, somebody would then present to the town that the differences between the two contracts.

So the chair will do that and somebody will pres present the differences. Both um companies will be invited to be there um and if the if the town allows them to speak will be allowed to speak on this. And then I believe if the selectman make a recommendation, the person presenting should present why the recommendations being made. So we we have a um a motion and a second to recommend pine tree waste. Any further discussion on that? All in favor of recommending pine tree waste? All opposed? Motion carries. Three to one. I'm used to it.

And um that might change someday. Who knows? It might change. You never know. All right. Next one is to see what sum of town money that sum of money the town will vote to raise and appropriate for administration expenses. Um the budget committee has recommended the 351,047 with the uh breakout below and the

selectman have agreed to that. Anybody um want to make any changes on this one because we've already voted on that budget. oh, uh, just, want to make sure we have the money in there to cover those books that we talked about earlier?

Cuz if we've got to buy those code books, we could raise it. What was the price? 100 in there. Now, it was around $3,000, I thought I heard, was the number. Calvin, what do you think about the books that we're going to need to buy for the MUB and the

You don't have them. You don't? No, I have them. I have I know you have with commentary without com. You can have You can use mine until when you hire somebody. I'm sure they're going to have their own books. I would think

they might have their own books where they was under the understanding that we had to have a set here at the town office. Should have a set. Three sets. Three sets is what we told. Yes. Three sets. I don't know if that's by actual by ordinance.

That's our ordinance. It says that copies our ordinance copies of your ordinance, not copies of a building. Uh the the ordinance actually states three copies of the It needs to be changed and we talk about it every year, but we the ordinance hasn't actually been amended yet.

I don't think any town. Yes. I mean, I can I got two of them sitting right in my office. I have both uh versions I could bring over and drop it off here. Okay. That would good be a good shortterm solution, right? That'll be the short term. But do we need to add money in for long term in case

in case you don't in case Yeah. I mean I mean or we we buy you know we buy one this year and we buy one next year. Yeah, that's fine too. Yeah, we buy we can this year and then finish it up next year. Yeah, I'll sell you mine.

I can live with that bargain basement price. Get the one with commentary. That's all I can tell you. And they're harder to get. articles articles six and seven. Um so the capital projects um the budget committee um is recommending that we split them into two separate ones. One for the renovation and then the other for the uh the roof, the painting and the heating system. And

the first one is for the renovations. Uh the budget committee is recommending 30,000. The selectman at this point are recommending 20,000 on that. Um the budget committee um felt that 20,000 may not be enough to to to do what was needed and wanted to make sure that we were able to do that and voted in the extra 10,000 from them.

Right. And their their rationale was that it's it's a designated building fund anyway. it's not raising any additional money and if it's not spent it would go right back into that same designated fund. So it wouldn't be it wouldn't affect the taxpayers and it would still be preserved if it wasn't spent.

And I would agree when you get into rehabs you can find a lot of hiccups. I was going to say I thought that was pretty skinny myself but I thought the 30,000 was a little lean but yeah that's that could be too but I I I think we could make it work depending on what we decide to do. we could we could stay within them limits still come up with something decent in the in the event we go in that direction.

So I would take a motion on this if somebody wants to change the amount. It's already got it on here. We have she just wrote that and we have not recommended that yet. All right. Well, I move that the selectman recommend uh 30,000 along with the budget committee.

Second. Any discussion? All in favor? Motion carries. Uh, article seven is to see what sum of money the town will vote to raise and appropriate for the municipal town office maintenance. And this one was the the other 30,000 which the uh selectmen have already recommended and the budget committee also recommended. Article eight to see what sum of money the town will vote to raise and or appropriate for animal control. And uh the budget committee has agreed with our recommendation. Uh one note is that the actual amount is $12,573.34.

I fixed it on mine, but yeah. And have we had a response from I know that that there was a proposed budget from our animal control officer. Our number that we agreed upon as the selecting is different than that number. Um what I what I was told is is that he would have to think about it. I've not heard anything since and he has been responding to calls. So

okay, status quo until we hear otherwise. All right. Um, article nine to see what how much money the town will vote to raise and or appropriate for assessing. Uh, both the selectman and budget committee have recommended at $20,150.

That's a contracted rate anyway, isn't it? Uh, most of it. There's a couple other items in there, but yeah, most of it's contracted. Article 10 to see what sum of money the town will vote to raise and or appropriate for cemeteries and the budget committee has agreed with our recommendation of $4,200. Um, no desire to change anything on that.

Okay. Article 11 to see what sum of money the town will vote to raise andor appropriate for conservation. Uh both the selectman and budget committee recommend $2,100 to be transferred from the recreation fund. town will vote to raise and or appropriate for social and community service agencies. The selectman and budget committee both recommend 3,000 uh raising 3,000. However, the recommendations are slightly different at this point. Um the budget committee has substituted Tri County Mental Health for Andrew Scoggin Hospice. Um and the

one of the main reasons is Andrew Skogan Hospice used to be Andrew Scoggin Hospice and Home Care and they've dropped the home care. um they did that rather suddenly in December and um it was recommended that maybe try Tri County mental health might provide more services to the town. So,

right and that that drop had a a negative effect on some residents of the community. So, I I don't know if there's a desire to change our recommendation on this or not. I think I think the town's people can make that decision. They're going to beat this up anyway as they do every year.

Okay. All right. No changes on that. To see what sum of money the town will vote to raise and or appropriate for the Eureka Community Center, both the selectman and budget committee recommend $4,93 um transferring 540 from designated fund balance. Please note that there's a typo in on this in Eureka Rentals. That should be 540, not 504.

All right. Article 14 to see what sum of money the town will vote to raise and or appropriate for term fire and rescue operating budget. Selectment and budget committee recommends $321,680. All of it being raised. Um again the budget committee has agreed with our recommendation on this and all right article 15 to see what sum of money the town will vote to raise and or appropriate for the fire and rescue capital improvement account. The budget committee has also agreed with the 50,000 that uh the selectman recommended.

town will vote to raise and/or appropriate for the annual bond payment for the Quint ladder firet truck payment for six. Selectman and budget committee recommend $33,04. Um transferring that 33,04 from the capital improvement fund.

read this whole one. Um, this is the one to deal with the purchase of the fire truck with a total anticipated cost of up to $486,000 in principle and the budget committee has recommended this. The selectmen have not made a recommendation on this. Is there a desire from the select board to make a recommendation? I will take motions. I move that we recommend moving forward with it.

Is there a second? I will second it to get it on. Is there discussion? Opposed? Motion fails. Um I will accept any other um motions if there's a desire. If not it will uh it will read selectman no recommendation budget committee recommended.

Um, there should be another article in between 17 and 18 and that would be to see what sum of money the town will vote to raise and or appropriate for and I'm not sure the best wording I I would do something like uh additional station coverage or I'm not I'm not sure the best wording of that. Um if this is for the option one, two, three. Um and

that's fine. [Music] I don't have any typos now. do have I mean we have the uh well would you do it as two articles to to see whether the town will authorize staff for the fire department and at and then list options one two or three and then the next article being to to appropriate the funds to support that

to I don't think it's needed Um, as far as well because you got to sort out which whether they're going for one, two, or three. Well, uh, we're not giving we're not necessarily giving options one, two, or three in the article. We will have a handout that will that will list, you know, these are these are three options and we can discuss it. Um,

If we do that, the reason I was thinking about having it be in the warrant is the people get that in the town report in advance of town meeting so they've got some time to think it over and digested and as opposed to it just being a handout that morning or can the handout be incorporated or somehow so that people have some time to because there are three different options. They have different ramifications and so people have a little bit of time to

so think about what they're doing. Can can we get the hand out inserted? Why don't we put it with the fire department? Could you put it like could it be part of the fire department report and and explain what the three different staffing options are?

We could have information the fire department people put the inserts in prior to schools. So, from the recommendation of the budget committee, we're going to have a public hearing on this ahead of time anyway. We're going to have we're going to have a public meeting ahead of the town meeting to discuss this.

Okay. I was sick that night, so I didn't hear it. That's all new to me. So, I mean at at least that was the recommendation of the Yeah, it was. so that we can uh get some of this some of the materials out ahead of time, can have some discussion ahead of time and so that the town isn't surprised.

I think we could pass out the handouts there, but I still think that they ought to be with the book when they can get the book. They should be available. We do this every year. We have a whole list a whole line of handouts every year.

Oh, at the at the morning of Right. But this is one I think they should decipher ahead at that. I know we're going to have a public meeting on it, but if you got 20 people there and you got 100 that show up, that's going to be the problem,

right? Well, maybe we have handouts available at the public meeting. So, you're going to have the same discussion at town meeting that you're going to have at the public hearing. It it happens every time because not everybody makes it to the public hearing. And the people that make it there may not be the ones that make it to town meeting. um it it ends up h you end up having the same discussion, but it's I mean you we could

we could throw in an article ahead of time to see if the town um staffing. But see, that's why I want because it's almost it almost ends up worded the same way except this one actually has the money dollar the dollar amount included in it.

Um I I think if if they appropriate or raise money then then they're saying yes. So yeah, and I mean we can put the the we can put the items that are used at the public hearing. We can put them online. We can have them available here at the town office. We can do I mean short of

going around to everybody's house and handing it to Oh, we could do that too. We can if we hand out if we put two boxes of books at the Durham get and go if they let us do that like they usually do and there's what 40 or 50 books. We'll just make sure there's 40 50 handouts. They can take the book and take the hand out.

Please help us. Yeah. one the wording of the article. Um I don't know if you should necessarily say additional fire station staff coverage. I'm not sure that's right. I was thinking give me what additional if we're going to do that maybe

emergency additional fire and EMS staffing coverage or something like that because really the primary focus is not necessarily fire but rather EMS. Yeah. So maybe it shouldn't say fire, just additional EMS. It is that's only cover that's all they do. I ain't like your people we hire are going to be out with a fire hose. They're going to be

they'll they'll assist with fires, but their primarily primary shortfall is in EMS coverage. That's probably we should put that. Yeah. So just get rid of the fire is a fire and rescue department. So I think it I think it should say fire and or just EMS. they are going to be dual role if we do do something.

Um, and then the other thing I was going to throw out there is I I know I put it out there by people saying, "Well, hey, I wouldn't mind taking a look at it and stuff like that." And I know what I've put together to this point in time is is three pages. Um, not saying that pass out, we don't want to put it in the town report. I wouldn't think three pages for the printing cost, but maybe the handouts. And I I think one of the things I'm getting for feedback is I go beyond the department to other people looking for feedback is that if you're not close to the situation, you got a million questions when you read what I've put together. Um that it it helps

but that it's lacking a bunch of bunch of the stuff that pops into your head. So, I really think when it's all said and done, um, what I'll have for a document is going to be at the very least five pages long, perhaps six pages long. And I still think there'll be questions that come up, but I think with that, I can probably cover the vast majority of it. So, it's definitely not too big for a handout, but for a handout that day, it is way too big for a hand.

At least it might eliminate some of the questions that you get on the floor. at least people will I think. Yeah. And I I think I think what what it would hopefully do if if we do have the public hearing, people can come talk, find out, ask their questions or whatever. And I guess to me what the handout ends up being is for the people that aren't able to attend the public hearing or listen to it on TV or maybe the day of to refer back to for specific information and stuff. Um, so where it where it will probably be five or six pages, I don't know if we want to incorporate that in a town report, but I do think we want to have it ready for distribution simultaneously with the town report because I I guess the bottom line is I still hold two to what I said initially. It I want people to know what they have if they choose not to vote to do any of the options. Hopefully, we'll maintain status quo if

nothing else and we'll stay the way we are. But at least I've told everybody I don't want it on me that I haven't told everybody what they currently have. And you can kind of do this with a PowerPoint thing at the town meeting so they can see this. Is that the plan?

I would something up. Yeah. For for the public hearing in the town meeting. I would strongly suggest having a PowerPoint um that kind of hits the major and then Bill can explain what each one of those is and you know they can

Yeah. I'm never going to hit on all the questions, right? No, I think soon as you start reviewing it, it leads to a million different questions about well this and that and the other thing and I just individual No, they'll

I just felt like it's such a it's a big enough sort of thing to get your brain around that that giving people more time than just the morning of town meeting to digest all of that information would be useful. And I'm not sure I'd leave the and fire in there. I I think I'd take that out of there, wouldn't you? Well, I mean, they'll still be used for I mean, it

be used for fire actually, you know, as far as Okay. for duties. If if we It depends on the option, but if we went I'm going to use the $135,000 option, which would include the 7 12-hour days. A lot of the daytime responsibilities are not just going to be EMS responses would be EMS, but a lot of their other daytime responsibilities are going to be cleaning around the station, maintaining the apparatus and things like that. So, um, is is 12-hour days the normal for something like that?

Um, depends on where you go or what you're doing. It uh um worthwhile for somebody to do the pium work, they're going to want to work 10 to 12 hours. A lot of times you get people that are commuting a distance. The other side of it is is in this case the 135 was actually a recommendation for full-time positions. So you want to be able to try to do a rotation that fits within a firefighter work schedule and stuff like that which off the top of my head I think it's 45 hours on a 28 day average. The average work week can be up to 45 hours. Um you don't have to pay overtime as long as it's scheduled hours. So like it's 77 uh 4 days one week, 3 days the next week average is still 42 or just a hair over the course of 28 days and so it fits within that.

So some of it's trying to make it fit. Some of it actually the 12-h hour day was actually trying to I'd actually prefer to be saying well we should look at a 14-hour day because some of what I have to expand in my explanation is to make sure people understand that say we do a 7 to 7 schedule a lot of people with a transport takes two hours most people have to be to work by 7 or 8:00 somewhere in there so the cut off for our evening coverage is four we might be able to change that but we still have a gap from the time the evening coverage would get done until the staffing if it was seven. Um, which I think you'd have to use seven because most of them are going to be full-time somewhere else and their shift is not going to be ending till 7. Um, so you

probably might even struggle with seven evening this the gaps aren't there but first thing in the morning there still be a slight gap in there and stuff. So it actually be prefer to be setting here or have it written up saying 14 or 15 hours because that really leaves no gap there.

options looked at ways to plug a gap was less effective than plugging the gaps. we have a um article written. Is there um a motion for a recommendation on this article? for for either is one, two, or three. Yeah. So, I'm not prepared to make a recommendation.

You can you can make a recommendation. I want to go to the public hearing for one, two, three. You can make a recommendation for $0 or we can go with a no recommendation. Leave it up to town. No recommendation. yay or nay another one.

Well, yeah. It's probably going to We can we after the public hearing can we make a recommendation then? Even though it won't be on It won't be It won't be on here, but it won't be on there. Um, you can we can make a recommendation on the floor. Then

you could if if the selectman met after the public hearing and decided they wanted to recommend something, you could vote, we could vote on it and say that after the public hearing the uh selectmen have decided to change their recommendation to something or other.

Yeah. because usually with with those type of meetings questions invoke more questions and a lot of times that's where you get more your information. So I think that's what I would like to do. So at this point we have no recommendation. There's no no motions. So no recommendation.

let's see. So, is that going to be article 18 or 18 A or 19 or 17B or probably artic? Well, I'll re number them all in order. Okay, that'll probably be article 18, but unless we have any some other ones that get inserted, but so what's on the paper is article 18. See what some of money the town will vote to raise and or appropriate for general assistance. At this point, the selectmen have recommended $3,000. The budget committee have recommended $2,000. I move that we change our recommendation to conform to the budget committee.

Second. Any discussion? All in favor? Opposed? Motion carries. 3,000 it is. And that was She's She's gone. She's not there. She had to leave. Okay. I was kind of surprised. I'm kind of surprised that was that low to start with.

What? Down to 2,000. just seems well it was so it had been 5,000 for many many years and we never never got close to that. last year, I think it was, we dropped it to 3,000 and that's what we uh had originally approved earlier and the budget committee uh suggested going down to 2,000 um because we haven't uh I think back in

2010 we spent between two and 3,000 or something like that, but it was we haven't spent that we haven't spent uh close to 2,000 for several years. So, the budget committee agrees on the 3,000. No. Two. 2,000. That's what you just voted on was a 2,000.

Oh, I thought you said three. No, the budget committee was two. The selectment had been three and it's now two. Okay. Guess I misunderstood committee numbers being chucked around there. It's I I think 2,000 is pretty low, but maybe not.

If that's all we if that's what's the most we ever spent. Um I Let me see. I can tell you as far as in the past, however far back, how our So, no, I can't cuz we don't have the expenses on here. Oh, well, last year we spent 400

and this that was the 404 was before reimbursement. Yes, that is before reimbursement. So, back to 2016 because I got rid of all of the general assistance. 2700 in 2010, 5,400 in 2011. that when I Well, we we our stuff never went back as far. I I actually said at our meeting that likely 2009 area we were higher

4,400 and then back down to 1,600 404 was a but I believe all these amounts were before reimbursement. Yeah, all these amounts are before reimbursement and mine are too. So up until a couple years ago reimbursement was was about 50%.

So to 75 to 75. So, um, even though we spent, uh, like 4,000 on or 3860, um, we actually got reimbursed, 1930 of that. Um, and now the reimbursement is 75%. I believe it's 70%. 70% 70%. But um the the budget the the governor's budget that's up now is is uh they want to take away all the reimbursement for the towns. I don't think it'll pass, but that is what's up.

well, looking at the historical numbers, I'm a little bit less comfortable with my motion, but yeah, I that's why I think that we are we're okay. The expenditure was a,000 there. Well, I see 1,600 and we see 1,100 then we see,000. Well, we got on 1600

16 was uh 4,400. Yeah. I'm just talking last three years. If you went from 44, you get half of that back, right? Yes. So 2,000 would even cover that year. Yeah. Yeah. Except for two is actually 4,000. And the one thing about this this line, it doesn't um it really doesn't matter if you go over on it, you have to pay it. Um and uh basically it comes out of undesated funds. I don't even know if you have to go back the next year and

I don't think so. Yeah. So I mean you going to leave your motion? So So the motion's already passed and so on. It would if Okay. You you can reconsider, but it um she's not going to re retract a motion. we can still if we can still overspend it if we need to and and it comes out of undesated funds and we don't have to have another town meeting then

I know those things can all over the place after the uh general assistance I'd like to insert a new article which is actually already up there first article number 19 um and that is to see what some of the money the town will vote to raise and or appropriate for grant matching funds And we discussed this before for$10,000 uh at $10,000. The budget committee has not discussed this one yet because it's not in their books, but we will have them bring bring it up at their meeting on Monday.

Good. And you you're putting in 10,000 19A. Yes. Uh that's I think we discussed that. I believe we discussed and and agreed on a 10,000. Yeah, I believe we did. So, and that's enough. Um, we when we discussed this, we thought of going in steps. Um, it it used to be around 30,000 or something when I started and um we're down in the

in the lower teens, I think, at this point. Uh, when you when you consider what we already have outstanding on it. Sorry, something bad happened. There we go. Oh, I I mean I know that that the chief has been actively seeking grants. I know Calvin's been working on some grant applications. I just want to make sure we have enough.

So, we have the 12,378. So, with another 10,000, we'd have 22,378. And then we were thinking another 10 next year probably. Yeah. Okay. Everybody good with that? Article 19, number the second to see what sum of money the town will vote to raise and or appropriate for parks and recreation. The uh selectman and budget committee both recommended the 14,220 with the uh breakout as you see.

money the town will vote to raise and or appropriate for planning boards, appeals, and historic district commission. And the budget committee has agreed with the selectman recommendation on that. And not seen yet. Article 22 to see what sum of money the town will vote to raise and appropriate for the public works capital project. We have not actually agreed on this one yet because of the uh

So that am amount does not include the No, it's the 47,000 for article 22 that is includes the curtain. are. I Yeah, I I I kind of behind I kind of skipped over 21 because the budget committee hasn't seen it yet. Okay. Okay.

Yeah. So, um let's see. And that that was $9,660 for the curtain on that. Did we Is that in this 47? Yeah, that 9,000 is in there. Yeah. And we got how much left over? 2400. 223 24. I I'm going to recommend that we take that 9,000 out of there. And um there was we were waiting to hear back some information to

Yeah. And he got it and it's quite a bit more. Okay. About 3,000 or so more. 155. Yeah. So, and I did some research and pulled some things together and I think we could in the event that we still think we need to move forward with that, I think we could get pretty much the same thing with what we have left and I think it'll work fine. So,

so and we can talk about that when the time comes. If we if we take that out, that would put us down to 3,00 37,350 on that line. 30 37 350. that's not in this top one at this point. Correct. I know we the budget committee hasn't looked at this, but

that's not in article 21. Article 21 is the budget. Okay. I was just making sure that Yeah. second motion? So, did you actually make a motion? Yeah, that's the motion to take the 9,000 whatever it was. So, that's going to make it

out of there. 3 37 Make it 3 350 37 350. That's my motion. And there was a second. Any discussion? All in favor? Motion carries. All right. To see what sum of money the town will vote to raise and or appropriate for the town for the public works capital reserve fund. And

I do not know if we've actually had an agreement on this 10 100,000. This was for an extra truck. Right. Right. This was my recommendation. I don't remember for sure if we actually agreed on that. I think there was some discussion around it, but I I wasn't there the second night, so I can't remember. I thought that we did with the idea so have to buy another truck next year. So, we might as well,

right? That's kind of what I was thinking that we did, but we might since we haven't gone over the other one. We can just double check with them on that one. If you I mean, we could make a motion now that we recommend it.

That That's what we recommend if you wish. That's I make that motion. So, moved. And is there a second? Second. Okay. So, it's been moved and seconded to recommend 100,000 to go into the public works capital reserve fund. Any discussion? All in favor? Motion carries.

All right. So, do we anticipate a truck every two years essentially forever basically because you've got seven six or seven trucks uh seven with the spare. So, you're talking 14 and that's that's pushing it. They they they usually say about 10. Um we're going 12 because by the year 13 and 14 it's a spare. But it's just right now I'm having a hard time choking down what we pay for these trucks and only get one year and get 10,000 back out of it. It's weighing heavy on me right now. Spend 48,000 on a truck and one year later I only get 10 grand out of it. How many of you guys would buy 50 grand truck and the year later give it away for 10 grand because of lack of maintenance? But I understand that these things have to be replaced. So that's why I'm I'm for this. But it's a hard thing to take to taxpayers.

I'm not sure if it's 37 grand. I'm not sure. I don't know if you can all wait on all lack of maintenance cuz it was against Oh, I can cuz I see the truck and I saw what happened to it. Well, their useful life. I mean, they're they were

right. But only get one year out of it. You pay $47,000 and get the rent of it for 37 less than you paid for it one year later. I wish. How can you how can you voted against buying them in the first place? So, you're you're talking to the wrong person on that one.

I couldn't believe we paid that for I looked and there we paid that. But like I said, these have to be replaced. I understand that. So, I'd rather do it this way than do a big bond for it. That ship is sailed at this point. We could crash over how wide, but it's done. It's done. It

is what it is. We made the decision when we made it because what we had in front of us. So, Yep. Yep. There's not a big market for used plow trucks in this part of the world. You can't find them. That's the trouble. You can't find them. So,

are they The more I've looked into that and talked about it and asked people questions, the plow trucks seem to be unique for several different reasons. Yeah. You can't just take a normal dump truck and put a plow. It has to be specked for that. So to find something used means it's either plowed and it's already rusted full of salt and

so it's really a brings a heavier on one side than the the other because of the plows and there's a lot of difference in so article 24 um see what sum money the town will vote to raise and appropriate for the public works equipment bond and this is payment three of 10 um budget committee has not done a recommendation on this yet because they have not seen But it is what it is.

Exactly. We can't really say no. We can change it. See what sum of money the town will vote to raise and or appropriate for public works building bond annual payment three of 15. Um selectman recommend 91,120. Same thing on this one.

Yeah, it is what it is. Yeah. Article 26 to see what sum of money the town will vote to raise and or appropriate for the public works road bond annual payment one of payment one of seven. Uh selectman recommend 172,645 and same thing on this one.

Yeah. Um though this one we have we are s uh we are recommending transferring 90,000 out of public works capital and raising 82,645 vote to raise and or appropriate for solid waste selectman and the budget committee uh did the the budget committee did not make a recommendation on this and may not

I do not believe so no they may not because they they're not sure on uh and this is just the the finishing the final payment on the contract we have right this no this half of that and half of it would so this is half of the current contract and this amount is half of the current contract and half of the contract with pine tree waste which is what uh

on the new contract on the new contract which is what we recommended back in article whatever right for the purposes of clarity would it make sense to have those two article issues articles next to each other. So, I think I think so

we can do that. The reason why I had put that one early on is because um I was figuring we were going to invite Pineree and and Ty and I didn't want to to have to sit through the whole meeting, but I I guess we could move the money one up front, too. It doesn't really make a difference.

There's no reason why we couldn't move because to me, I think it makes sense to have them together. Y and and in the event that the town votes different than what we've said here or we actually haven't said uh that number might change.

Yes. If if if the uh town votes to go with the other um tice that we just then we will we'll have the numbers ready to to plug in there. Okay. Um, so and then 28 to see what sum of money the town will vote to raise and or appropriate for telecommunications. Selectman and budget committee both recommend the $53,663

fees. housekeeping articles that are always in there. I I wanted to to note that there were a couple not 29 and and 30 and maybe 31. I I've been reading through No, not 31. 29 and 30. I think I've been reading through the uh town meetings manual and these are new ones that the town meetings manual suggests that you put in there. Um so I thought I'd see what you guys thought.

of money is there a particular? Well, the the the town meeting manual says that even though you have the money available as overlaid to pay abatements that there is no permission necessarily to pay the abatements without this So, do we have to have a sum of money here? Because it says to see what

we don't have know what it is because we don't know what any tax abatements this sounds very strange cuz this is the way it's I mean unless we can take it out. I mean I just know you know this is the way it's been handled for many many years. Did they make changes? You know

they may have updated things. So, as far as article 29, I we have an emergency fund and we have a policy on how to use it. Um, I don't see that that's necessary and I can I would see that this would be deemed as a way to some people would see this as a way to get around the policy on the emergency fund.

Okay, scratch that one. And actually 30 would kind of fall under the same realm, wouldn't it? Well, the only thing with 30 is if it truly if if the state truly said you don't have the authority to pay abatements without this question.

But if they say that we can't if they vote it down, then are we then prohibited from t Yeah. from tax abatements? Well, I I don't see how we can be prohibited from tax abatements because we people have to have a a way to challenge um if they feel something was was done wrong. They have to have a way of challenging. In fact, if we deny the abatement, they can go to the county and uh try to get the county to overturn that. Let me let me look and I'll I'll send you guys the page.

Yeah. From the the manual so you guys can take a look at it. So, I'm kind of hoping that um 30 might be out as well. Well, and that on Monday after the uh after the budget meeting Monday that we can uh visit this and finalize this on Monday night and get it get it done so that we can get everything to the printers and so on. But

finalize it Monday night after the meeting. So after the budget meeting, we'll have our we'll have a special meeting to finalize the warrant. And then once the warrant's printed up how it's going to be presented, are we going to we got to read that and sign off like we usually do?

Yes. We're going to have to look at it and basically approve approve the warrant. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. 31 is bound to be a discussion as it always is. vast the difference is between the levy limit and our actual budget. Yeah, it's a little it's a little big this year.

It's a little big this year. Well, it it is Well, is this levy limit down any from previous years? If not, it's always been big cuz I mean we have a town budget of um close to $3 million. No, I mean it's it's well Oh, but it's it's the amount. No, it's

it's but I I realize that you take out what you from you take out the the deductions, right? So this year if our budget passes as is, I I have a a negative amount of 151621. So, we're over by that amount of money over the le levy limit.

And how is the levy limit uh determined? What's what what's the calculation they use to determine that? Well, you really want to know. Well, I I' I'd kind of like to know. So, it doesn't appear to be just some arbitrary number that's chosen out of thin air. So it's it's last year's levy limit

973212 and I can show you all of them and then it takes it takes our valuation the new taxable valuation and the total taxable value and you figure out the local growth rate and then there's a state growth rate that they figure for us and then you add the state and the local growth rate together and it's one

and add one to that and add one to that and you multiply that amount. Well, you also have to take into account municipal revenue sharing. Um, and because our municipal revenue revenue sharing actually went up last year, um, we have to

we have to um subtract line 11b. So, the with the growth limit and last year's levy limit, that's our our levy limit, but we have to subtract out. Did I get that right? Yeah. Does it make sense? It's it's a strange calculation and it's it's

and it's based on based on last year's levy not but not last year's tax taxes last year's levy limit. So it basically right so if you're behind to begin with if if if you're already over the limit it just basically perpetuates itself because there's no way to reset. Actually, last year we were um we collected less than

the levy limit. So, we didn't actually really need to take the vote that last year did our levy limit and I had to look into it and the reason that we had we had been doing it incorrectly and the reason being is we vote to increase. So if you're voting to increase the levy limit, then you're permanently increasing it to that limit. So you start at that limit.

way, but um but if you vote to exceed, then you continue on with the same limit for the next year. It's kind of like printing money that you don't have anything to back up, You're welcome to look through my figuring and my my uh

So, did you determine that we that it's better to vote to increase rather than to exceed? I don't think it really matters all that much. Increase basically resets it. So, if you collect a certain amount of taxes, then then that's what you you run off of the next year. Mhm.

of the things I think it's probably important to because I think to just look at the levy limit as as just over a million with a $3 million budget is that we do have to remind taxpayers that not all of that 3 million is being

raised that that a substantial amount of that is coming from other places. Mhm. And the amount that's actually being raised is is so only slightly more. Sorry. Do you want me to go back? Well, I was just trying to figure out where you got that 870 some,000 number is last year's le where

the 877 that's last year's municipal appropriations minus last year's deductions. And that's for 2015 because we're doing 2016. You're always kind of a year behind, right? because I'm looking at last year's raised by real estate and personal tax property taxation last year was 1.45 million and I I thought that that number should be close to that

2016 okay but this is off of 2015 and also doesn't that include school? No, no, no, no, no. This is this is just for the town. Yeah. And so that's why I mean so even even if this was 2015, are you saying we increased by $570,000

That that's uh like a 60% year. Well, but remember that was the year that I switched the numbers. So, oh yeah, but that wouldn't account for our 500. So, that would be So, that would be 1.7 million. Roughly 1.7 million it would have been then, right?

It was 195,000 was the difference. Yeah. So, 1.7 add $200,000 to that number. So, okay. So, now you're talking $400,000 difference, but it's still Okay. So, yeah, we're running running behind a year and and see and this is I guess one of those it's one of these uh questions that always brings up questions and it would be nice to understand things a little bit better but

it would but I don't know that that's necessarily possible in this okay so that's basically covering up the the warrant um anything Anything else on the budget on budget discussions at this point? Just we're meeting with the budget committee Monday at 6:30 still.

Yes. No, but if we'd been kind, we would have let the department heads go before their reports. Yeah, I thought about that too halfway through, but Whoops. You probably should have done that. Chief, our apologies. You're up.

Hi. Nice. Hey, M. You're up. I see. It's only three on here. I see. Why don't I can do it from right here? Huh? Yep. I don't have a lot. It just a hazard mitigation meeting that uh that's scheduled that was canceled due to a snowstorm and it's rescheduled for the 9th, March 9th. I will be able to make it uh however I will have to leave by 6:30, but the way they talked was only supposed to be an hour, an hour and a half long meeting anyhow. So I might miss the last half hour, but that would be the extent of it. Uh Diana got the form seven information sent in for the storm. They were looking at possibly requesting a declaration for the period. It uh I can't imagine it's going to happen for snow and multiple storms and not just based on one major one. But anyways, that information's been forwarded. Uh you'll take a look at us and let us know. And county firefighters association. It uh I was on there before just to give you a

heads up. It uh that start tomorrow night and it'll last through the first part of May. That's all I had to report. Any questions for the chief? Thank you. this is this is on your thing that you asked me to read and I'll I'll throw that out to you later.

Great. Thanks, Commissioner. You'll have a couple too many. Not really a whole lot other than been plowing and plowing and plowing and more plowing. 10 and something hours last week for an average. I talked to Mother Nature, but she didn't pay much attention.

Your calls. Saw that sled out back. Just kept it coming. Well, on top of the snow, you have the the dry light snow and then the wind. So, you're chasing snow drifts. It's not like when it stops snowing, you're done. Then you start you go into phase two and you're chasing snow drifts. So So I've been uh I' I've been doing uh the on call stuff uh over the weekend and I was out Friday, Saturday, and Sunday taking care of snow drifts and treating uh the warm days. Stuff melts, runs down the road, freezes at night. I've been chasing those salt and those for the guys so they don't have to come in. Um, Ernest told me we were dangerously thin on on salt. It's not like you used to be able to just call up and order salt and they'd say, "What day do you want it? Tuesday." Okay, it'll be there on Tuesday. And now you got a call out to Chicago and then it goes into a computer system and then you don't know where it

goes and you might hear from the salt people in Portland a week later and then so it's uh so when when they all of a sudden come up with five storms in a row for it gets thin. We uh came up with some uh old techniques u spraying the sand with magnesium chloride and switching back and forth to uh stretch the salt and uh we made it through. We made it uh the last day we got our salt delivery, but we we stretched what we had, got to the end. Uh many roads now were in desperate need of patching after all those storms. Uh there's holes the size of a that this weekend they were just burned beyond they had too many hours and so uh I had to give them a couple of days recuperate. So that uh is in the garage. It's going out tomorrow morning. Um got the

I think there's some patch up on Boy Hill. You can just reuse the patches that we already patched. Um, so they're the on call guys, the part-time guys are coming in in the morning to help so we can go out and get those uh filled in tomorrow morning. Um,

but it'll take us a couple of days. But, uh, still working on the 2017 paving plan. Was meeting with all states. Uh, but just in the middle of the meeting, we just had to go because of the storm and had to go make calls on what to put out and I just couldn't. We scheduled the meeting, thought I could make it through the meeting, but I just had to call that off. So, uh, hoping to hear from D regarding grants for the stream crossing in March and just ongoing work with the 2017 budget. Um, a young lady mentioned to me about the the hydrant up on the new gloss road down by that pond. It's almost like at the end of the line. She she said that they've never missed that, but she says she knows she plowed a lot this week and probably just slipped your mind. She was going to shove it, but she couldn't really tell where it was because there was so much snow on it. I think it's on the left hand side.

Tell me where this is cuz the new glo is the dirt road right across from the stack pole. We have It's down there on the left hand side. I think there's a a pond there with the hydrant in it or something. Actually on the right hand side.

It's on the right hand side. Okay. The town line where the beavers just passed the pond. Yeah, they should have they should have got it today. Okay, maybe they did. She she came into work this morning and saw me and asked me about it and and she said I'd do it but I don't even know where I can't see it so I don't know where it is. Well, I'm sure that they've just been busy and they've it slipped their mind but I'll mention it. So,

I think it got done today. They should all be done. Should all be done today. Uh accidentally hit one on Brown Road and broke it off. So, we've got to talk to the pound. It's actually in Pound, but talk to the fire chiefs. They got to talk to fire chief and so they both told me they'll give me a few days to fix it. So,

yeah. So, uh, I think we've got them all. We're We come up with a list that we've keeping all the trucks now laminated to keep it right in the truck. Yeah. So, well, she she wanted me to know that she wasn't complaining. She just wanted to make sure that

I said, "No, it's not a problem. I understand." Okay. And the the PL the the curtain the curtain washbay curtain. I did get the email. And I should have put it in here, but it's 135 and I I can't recommend that at this at this point. Uh I just Yeah. I mean, if in my opinion, I think I would want an engineer to sign off on it because you still have light fixtures. I mean, I know we've never had them in any place that ever worked. We've had wash bays and we've had lights and we've never worried about it, but nothing's a problem until it's a problem. I mean, if your argument is you can't spray at the wall with electrical outlets, if you're spraying into the ceiling and those lights are all open on top, I mean, if an engineer wants to sign off and say it's fine, then I would be okay with that. But otherwise, I I couldn't uh if they want to certify it safe and it's fine and this is all you need, then but I don't have the

credentials to do that. Wouldn't want to take that chance. Can you not wash them in the in the big garage outside? Well, that has light fixtures, too. There's no heat in there. Okay. It's unheated. The one on the back or drain. There's no drain in there.

Yeah. I don't think there's any The front part of it pitched pitched outside, but there's no I mean it it's cold out there. That should freeze pretty quick. Yeah. And you know, I mean the thought about it is if you're going to spend 135, would we be better off to use the back building and insulate one room and but then you got to heat it? You got So,

I guess we'll just Well, it's supposed to be 50 tomorrow, so you're for the for the few days a year you get that that happens. I mean, I guess we'll have to for now we'll work through it and come up with a different plan if we need to move forward.

Yeah, there you go. I mean, I had I did some of that other information. I think I had to write it by Ruth, too. So, I mean, like I said, I think we could do something different in the event we really thought we had to, but after you told me that, I said, "Yeah, well, that's probably not going to work."

Yeah, I think I'd rather address that a different time. Okay. Okay. Anything else for the bill? All right. Thank you. Administrator. No, I'm good. I put everything in there. Okay. Uh upcoming meetings will be held here at the town office Tuesday, March 7th at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 21st at 6:30 p.m. There'll be a budget committee meeting held here Monday, February 27th at 6:30 p.m. Um, and if it's agreeable

with all the selectmen, we'll have a special selectman's meeting immediately following the budget committee meeting on February 27th to finalize the warrant. Okay. Y Okay.