Select Board Meeting ~ February 13, 2024

2024-02-13 · Select Board · 1:56:33 · watch on YouTube →

The Select Board met on February 13, 2024 with a quorum; Josh was recorded as not available. The board settled the wording of a land use ordinance amendment on permit fees and voted to let the Historical Society resume its previous use of the Union Church after the fire chief reported that the 2023 inspection deficiencies had been corrected. Most of the meeting was spent going through the 2024 budget articles against the budget committee's figures, voting each article separately. The board adopted the budget committee's numbers on assessing, municipal buildings and planning and code enforcement, and kept its own $380,000 for solid waste, which left that line as the only difference between the two bodies. Capital reserve amounts were voted one at a time, including $9,543 for the Union Church, and Jerry was asked to work out with the town attorney how to order the Union Church warrant articles. The board also scheduled a March 5 workshop on the draft select board policies and procedures.

No written minutes could be matched to this meeting. The transcript records that the speaker changed but never who was speaking, so any name attached to a statement below is inferred from context and is marked (?).

What was discussed

1. 3:56
   Call to order

   The chair opened the meeting, noted a quorum and that Josh was not available, and led the Pledge of Allegiance. No amendments to the agenda and no public comment were recorded.

2. 3:56
   Land use ordinance, permit fee language

   The board reviewed the amendment to Part 3 of the land use ordinance, section 18.4, including a sentence George had been asked to add giving the board authority to set fees for services the town performs where no permit fee is specified. Members debated rewording the sentence and left it as drafted.

3. 9:32
   "Annually" changed to "periodically"

   A member pointed out that the warrant question the voters approved said the board could "periodically" set fees, while the draft ordinance said "annually", and asked that the wording match. The board agreed and moved the amendment with that edit.

4. 14:40
   Union Church status

   The fire chief's letter was read: an inspection was conducted August 10-11, 2023 and the deficiencies have been addressed, including numbering on the outside of the building, testing of the monitored fire alarm, storage within two feet of the ceiling, waste and storage on the floor, and extinguishers. The letter stated the building is used for storage by a third party group, and that inviting the public into a space that can hold more than 50 persons makes it an assembly.

5. 20:05
   Liability, authority and reopening the building

   Members discussed whether allowing the Historical Society in amounts to opening the building to the public. Rich (?) said the board does not have the authority to keep a tenant out where the use is not changing, and that only the fire chief or a code officer can. A motion followed to let the Historical Society resume its previous operations, with gatherings still requiring the board's approval.

6. 25:41
   Budget committee's 2024 figures

   Jerry ran through the budget committee's votes from the previous night: $205,000 public works, $180,000 fire department, $10,000 admin and buildings, $160,000 assessing, $2,293 grants, $9,543 Union Church and $50,000 Eureka reserve. The property tax levy stayed at about $8.27 million, with the transfer from fund balance raised to about $628,000.

7. 25:41
   Revaluation bids

   One bid of $220,000 was received in paper form and a second of $190,000 arrived by email and will be requested on paper. Both would deliver the assessment in April 2027 because of a waiting list. Donna is reviewing the proposals and both companies are to be invited in.

8. 30:52
   How much to set aside for the revaluation

   Members debated funding the full amount now against level funding it over several years, given the work is not due until 2027. Points (?) raised included putting the money in a CD, that the transfer comes from fund balance rather than taxation, and that funding it fully lets the town move earlier if a slot opens. The board voted to match the budget committee at $160,000.

9. 46:37
   Municipal buildings security line

   The board budgeted $1,800 for security at the Union Church against the budget committee's $1,600, a $200 difference in the municipal buildings article. Members agreed to take votes article by article rather than on section totals.

10. 52:12
    Planning and code enforcement dues line

    The dues and subscriptions line had been raised to $1,500 against actuals of $1,280; the budget committee set it at $1,300. The board moved to match the budget committee; the resulting article figure was stated as $124,600 in the motion and $124,300 when the vote was announced.

11. 52:12
    Solid waste and hauling

    The board had $380,000 and the budget committee $375,000, against actuals of about $361,000. The contract rises by 5 percent or the Consumer Price Index, whichever is higher, part way through the year, and tonnage is an estimate. Members disagreed over whether a $5,000 gap was worth carrying two numbers to town meeting.

12. 1:09:11
    Capital reserve articles

    The board voted the capital reserve amounts as separate recommendations rather than one combined article, matching what the budget committee had asked for. Public works, fire department, admin and buildings, grants, Union Church and the Eureka reserve were each moved and voted in turn.

13. 1:14:24
    Union Church funds and warrant order

    The reserve account holds about $21,000; adding $9,543 brings it to about $31,000. Money in that account can only be spent on public use, so members discussed moving it back to the general fund and then donating it, and whether that takes up to four warrant articles in a set order. Jerry is to ask the town attorney how to word and order them.

14. 1:30:05
    Fund balance transfer and warrant wording

    The transfer from fund balance was recalculated at $633,475, against capital items of about $616,000. Members discussed how the articles will read, with each budget article as "raise and appropriate" and a separate article on the amount transferred from fund balance.

15. 1:35:55
    Warrant schedule and meeting the bidders

    Jerry has what he needs to draft the articles and will bring them to the next meeting; the warrant is to be gone over on February 27 and goes to print March 1, with seven days for an insert. The two revaluation companies, one in Massachusetts and one in Maine, may be met by Zoom before presenting to the board.

16. 1:41:16
    Draft select board policies and procedures

    A red line of the draft was emailed out. Members said town meeting takes precedence and the document should be deliberated after the new board takes office in April. One member said the item had been raised in July and repeatedly postponed, and moved a March 5 workshop at 6:30 at the fire station.

17. 1:47:05
    Union Church deed

    A memo from the attorney reported that a deed search found no record of the property ever being transferred to the town. There is a newspaper record of a transfer on August 22, 1922 from what was originally a Baptist church. A quitclaim deed can still be used, and a public notice process exists for anyone claiming a right.

18. 1:47:05
    Roads posted; primary election

    Public works posted the roads earlier than the planned date because neighbouring towns had posted, and staff have been out sick. Jess (?) reported that the primary is semi-open: unenrolled voters may choose a party ballot without registering with that party, Libertarian, No Labels and Green party registrants cannot vote in it, and February 15 is the deadline to change enrollment in person.

19. 1:52:58
    Board member reports and consent agenda

    A member asked whether emailing Kimberly directly about a correction to the minutes counted as directing town staff; others said asking for a correction to the board's own minutes is acceptable. The consent agenda was accepted, upcoming meetings were listed as February 27 and March 12 at the fire station and the planning board on February 15, no executive session was held, and the meeting adjourned.

What was decided

• 9:32
  Adopt the amendment to land use ordinance section 18.4 on permit application submission requirements, with "annually" in sentence one of paragraph two changed to "periodically"passed
• 20:05
  Allow the Historical Society to resume its previous operations in the Union Church as granted by the town, with no public gatheringspassed
• 41:30
  Raise the select board's assessing figure to $160,000 to match the budget committee, giving $220,000 in the assessing reservepassed
• 52:12
  Change the municipal buildings line from $22,435 to $22,235 to match the budget committeepassed
• 52:12
  Change the planning and code enforcement budget to match the budget committee, a $200 reduction on the dues and subscriptions linepassed
• 1:03:59
  Keep the select board's solid waste and hauling figure at $380,000 rather than the budget committee's $375,000passed
• 1:09:11
  Select board recommendation for the public works capital reserve; the amount is given in the transcript both as $205,000 and as $225,000passed
• 1:09:11
  Select board recommendation of $180,000 for the fire department capital reservepassed
• 1:09:11
  Select board recommendation of $10,000 for the admin and buildings capital reservepassed
• 1:09:11
  Select board budget of $2,293 for grantspassed
• 1:24:56
  Utilize $9,543 for the Union Church, bringing that reserve account to about $31,000passed
• 1:24:56
  Utilize $50,000 to add to the Eureka capital reserve account, matching the budget committeepassed
• 1:41:16
  Hold a workshop on March 5 at 6:30 at the fire station on the draft select board policies and procedurespassed
• 1:52:58
  Accept the consent agendapassed

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

Worth knowing

• 25:41
  Two revaluation bids are in hand, $220,000 on paper and $190,000 by email, and both companies say the work would not be done until April 2027 because of a waiting list.
• 36:00
  A member said the town's ratio is about 67 now and may be near 50 by 2027, and that residents cannot get a higher homestead exemption until the revaluation is done.
• 1:03:59
  Solid waste is the only line where the board and the budget committee will carry different numbers to town meeting, $380,000 against $375,000.
• 1:47:05
  The attorney's deed search found no record of the Union Church ever being transferred to the town; the transfer is recorded in a newspaper from 1922 but no deed was found. A quitclaim deed can still be used.

Motion language found in the transcript

Located by pattern matching, with no model involved: "I move that", "I'll second", "all those in favour". This is an independent check on the summary above: 11 passages of motion language, against 14 decisions summarised.

Elsewhere

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