TOWN OF WALPOLE
MEETING OF THE SELECTBOARD
OCTOBER 24, 2013
Selectboard Present: Jamie Teague (Chair); Chas Street; Whitney Aldrich
CALL TO ORDER: Mrs. Teague called the Selectboard meeting to order at 5:34 PM in the Walpole Town Hall with fifteen people present in the audience.
These are unapproved Minutes.
PUBLIC BUSINESS:
THE WALPOLE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY: Mrs. Teague announced that the Selectboard is starting their regular meeting a half-hour earlier than scheduled to allow time to talk with the students of the Walpole Leadership Academy. Mr. Dalessio thanked the Selectboard for taking time out of their schedule to meet with the class this year as they would like to know what the Selectboard does in general and what they are responsible for. They changed their format a little this year; in the beginning they will talk to all the elected Boards and people in political positions. After the first of the year they will attend the budget hearing and finish up with Town Meeting. The students and Selectboard introduced themselves. Mr. Aldrich has been on the Selectboard for 9-1/2 years; Mr. Street about 1-1/2 year; and Mrs. Teague about 5-1/2 years.
Mrs. Teague explained that the Selectboard are elected officials who represent the will of the people for the greater good of all. They manage the Town, its resources and departments because Walpole does not have a Town Manager. Each of them has a list of departments they are the liaisons for; the managers usually attend a meeting once a month or more if there is a need. At times the manager will contact the Selectperson by phone to let them know what is going on and that Selectperson will communicate with the other two members to make them aware of the issue. The Selectboard wants to be informed of events before they are published in the newspaper so they are prepared.
The Selectboard is also the Trustees of Trust for the Town by default for the Hooper Trust as the person that left the property to the Town had a vision that he wanted them to oversee it. They attend a lot of meetings. They are also liaisons with the Village of North Walpole who have a Board of Commissioners therefore there is some over-lap between the Village and the Town; they meet together when there are issues as they share resources and assets. They also attend meetings in the Village of Bellows Falls because we share bridges and participate in their sewer operations; Walpole sewer goes to the Bellows Falls Wastewater Facility. They meet with utility companies because their lines and/or poles go through the Town so there are Rights-of-Ways. Sometimes they settle disputes on land but quite often it is a civil matter. Mr. Street advised that they handle day-to-day items; they review things that have happened or are about to happen and make sure all the numbers add up. They give a great deal of authority to their Department Heads to take care of their day-to-day responsibilities. It seems to work; sometimes it is give-and-take. They try to keep costs down as best as they can. They are not always directing hands-on because they place a lot of trust in the employees. Mrs. Teague advised that the Town is non-union.
Mr. Dalessio pointed out that the Town is a business too with payroll and accounts. There are weekly things that have to get done. The Selectboard meets weekly. They do not allow for payments to be made prior to the Selectboard’s approval unless it is an emergency situation. Mrs. Clough noted that if there is an emergency welfare need the Treasurer gets involved. Mrs. Teague confirmed that the Treasurer over-sees all the checks as a third party; the Treasurer does not work for the Selectboard but is an elected official. It is a check-and-balance issue as the Treasurer can question issuance of checks.
Mr. Aldrich advised that the Department of Revenue Administration sets the tax rate. The DRA usually comes into the office in early October and goes through all the forms that the Town has submitted to
them. In the Annual Town Report there are a few pages that reference the Fund Balance. The Town can use some of the Fund Balance to lower the tax rate. This money can also be used for emergency expenditures after approval is granted by the DRA. Mr. Sawyer added that the Town is required to have at least 5% of the Fund Balance on-hand but if it gets to about 10% they like the towns to spend some of it; the DRA likes the Fund Balance to be about 7%. Mr. Aldrich said the Town has been debt free for about four years now. Mrs. Teague explained that the Town does not usually have to take out a Tax Anticipation Note (TAN) at the bank. They did take a TAN out last year because the tax rate got set late and they wanted to be sure they would not have to pay interest on top of the bill to the County. Mrs. Teague explained that when setting the tax rate they take the whole total wealth of the Town, land and buildings. We are very fortunate in Walpole to still have a lot of building going on; commercial and residential. When the budgets or the school bills go up, they have been able to keep the tax rate somewhat steady because there are more dollars to spread the expenditures over. In reverse, a couple of towns around Walpole lost property wealth when they did the revaluation so their property taxes increased. When folks vote on their budget it is one portion of the taxes; every time you add a Warrant Article it has to be added on.
In Walpole the Fire District is a separate entity; it is its own corporation. The Town Selectboard has no over-sight for the Fire Department. In North Walpole the Village Commissioners have control over their Fire Department; it is funded by the people in North Walpole. She encouraged residents to attend the Fire District meetings because that is where they can ask questions, learn about the equipment and find out what is going on. The Fire Departments do a great job. There is a separate Fire Rate on the Town’s tax bill; it will say School, County, Fire and Town on the tax bill.
Mr. Dalessio asked how long it takes after they are elected to get up-to-speed. Mr. Aldrich felt it takes about a year. It takes common sense, researching the RSAs plus calls to the Local Government Center for free legal advice. The RSAs are state laws that are now on the computer. Mrs. Teague noted that every time you run for something you have a pre-conceived notion of what the job will be about but she was shell-shocked. She realized early in the process that there is a lot to do and know on this job. You learn a lot really fast. Mr. Street advised that after a year they have seen the full cycle. Every year they switch being liaisons to the departments so they learn a lot more of the day-to-day operations. The whole repertoire is not complete until the full three years is over.
Mr. Sawyer advised that one of the biggest lessons he learned when he first was elected to the Selectboard was that the previous Selectboard had over-spent the budget on this building and that is illegal. But it worked out as the over-expenditure was approved by the voters. Mr. Aldrich said they are bound by the bottom line figure. Mrs. Teague felt it was similar to this year when they found an error and had to have a special hearing to explain why and then had to petition the DRA to tell them what occurred; the DRA looked through the documentation, approved it and allowed the Town to fix that number. Mr. Aldrich mentioned that all reports go into the State where they are checked. If the DRA does not have questions, the Town does not hear from them but they do watch the tax figures.
Relative to Water and Sewer; Mr. Aldrich stated that they are funded by user fees. It is confusing. Many towns keep them completely separate.
Mrs. Marcom asked if it would be beneficial to have the Water and Sewer separate. Mr. Aldrich responded that they do not affect the tax rate. He would prefer to keep it the way it is; it is self-funded. Mrs. Teague feels it can maintain a balance for projects down the road. They are going to look at it again because of what occurred this past year. There is a process for changing that. More than half the people in Walpole have private wells. North Walpole water is separate.
Mrs. Marcom asked how the Commissioners in North Walpole work. Mrs. Teague explained that North Walpole has a Board of Commissioners structured like the Selectboard. There are three members; they meet weekly on Tuesday nights at 7:00 PM. They meet with their Fire Chief, the Water and Sewer operator, Zoning if there is an issue, the meetings are open to the public. The Village is independent for Fire, Water and Sewer, and Ambulance. Commercial building is over-seen by the Walpole Planning Board. Building Permits go to the Zoning Board in North Walpole.
Responding to a question, Mrs. Teague advised that Drewsville used to be a separate Village until 1948. The Villages of Walpole, North Walpole and Drewsville were within the Town of Walpole. In 1948 or early 1950s votes were taken in the villages to disband the Charters and become a part of the Town. Walpole Village voted to disband; North Walpole voted not to disband but the State made the governing body of Walpole over-see them because it was still within the confines of the Town. Drewsville also gave up their Village structure; they do not have their own Board of Commissioners.
Mr. Dalessio thanked the Selectboard for their time and for providing so much information on the Town.
The regular Selectboard meeting began at 6:15 PM. Mr. Street advised that this is the business usually conducted at the weekly meetings.
ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:
Mr. Street moved to approve the Accounts Payable check register and manifest for checks dated October 25, 2013, in the amount of $38,404.41. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
PAYROLL:
Mr. Street moved to approve the payroll voucher for the week ending October 19, 2013, for checks dated October 25, 2013, in the amount of $19,396.81. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
Mr. Street moved to approve the electronic fund transfer for the 941 Employer Taxes for Withholding, MEDI and FICA taxes in the amount of $4,403.44. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES:
SELECTBOARD MEETING – October 17, 2013: Mr. Street moved to approve the Minutes of the October 17, 2013, meeting, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION – October 17, 2013: Mr. Street moved to approve the Minutes of the October 17, 2013, Non-Public Selectboard session, as submitted. The Minutes will remain sealed for personnel reasons. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
The Selectboard received and reviewed the following meeting minutes:
Walpole Zoning Board of Adjustment – October 16, 2013.
BUILDING PERMITS:
HARDING, Farnum Road, Map & Lot #005-051-000: Mr. Street moved to grant Building Permit No. 2013-30 for the Harding Family Revocable Trust, Roxanne & Thomas Harding, to “Construct a 14’ x 24’ Addition unto Existing Home” at 22 Farnum Road. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
LAWRENCE, Prospect Hill, Map & Lot #017-022-000: Mr. Street moved to grant Building Permit No. 2013-31 for Victor & Pat Lawrence to “Demolish and Rebuild a 12’ x 30’ Section of Existing Home” at 92 Prospect Hill. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
Mr. Street advised that the Selectboard now has the history on this former Cutter property that was researched by Mark Houghton.
SEWER ABATEMENT:
AUMAND REALTY, Mountain View Road, Map & Lot #028-244-000: Mr. Street moved to grant the Sewer Abatement in the amount of $261.74 for Aumand Realty at 3 Mountain View Road, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
TIMBER TAX LEVY AND WARRANT:
SIMONDS, Sawmill Lane, Map & Lot #013-034-000: Mr. Street moved to approve the Warrant for Timber Tax Levy and the Certification of Yield Taxes Assessed in the amount of $676.67 for Rita L. Simonds at 15 Sawmill Lane. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
NEW BUSINESS:
USED OIL GRANT AGREEMENT: Mr. Street moved that the Grant Agreement for the Funding of Used Oil Collection Centers, for the amount of $2,500, be submitted for the Walpole Recycling and Transfer Facility, as submitted. Mrs. Teague, Chair of the Selectboard, is authorized to sign the document. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
OLD BUSINESS:
POTATO BARN PROJECT: The Selectboard acknowledged receipt of the email from Attorney Hanna regarding the Potato Barn property, Tax Map #024, Lot #006, owned by Steven J. Rudek for the Conditional Layout of Town Highway Pursuant to RSA 231:23.
Mr. Street moved that the Selectboard support Mr. Rudek’s request as set forth in the Petition for Conditional Layout and that, upon approval of the street plat by the Planning Board, the Selectmen intend to formally grant the conditional layout as proposed. In addition, the Selectmen support the granting of the driveway permit by the State and the approval of the street plat by the Planning Board.” Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
Mr. Street recommended that the Selectboard ask the Highway Road Agent to recommend a figure for the Bond. Mrs. Clough will talk to Mr. Terrell about this.
RECESS SELECTBOARD MEETING:
Mr. Aldrich moved that the Selectboard recess this Selectboard meeting as they will enter into a meeting as the Hooper Trustees. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved. The time was 6:40 PM.
The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 7:47 PM. No announcements were made.
NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION:
Mr. Street moved to enter into a Non-Public Selectboard Session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3 II to discuss (c) Reputations and (e) Pending Claims or Litigation. Mr. Aldrich seconded the motion and, on a roll call vote with all in favor, the motion was approved.
The regular meeting resumed at 8:05 PM. No announcements were made.
NEW BUSINESS (Continued):
2014 Medical Rate Exhibit: The Selectboard reviewed the Health Trust – Under 50 Pool – Current Renewal Benefit and Benefit Options for Consideration. Mrs. Clough reported that the Town received their share of the surplus money from the Health Trust and will be getting a refund of additional surplus monies in 2014. Mrs. Clough felt they should do research on self-funding the deductible to see how much money the Town would be saving.
ADJOURNMENT:
Mr. Street moved to adjourn this meeting. Mr. Aldrich seconded the motion. With all in favor, the motion was approved. The time was 8:09 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Regina Borden, Recording Secretary
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