TOWN OF WALPOLE
PUBLIC HEARING
2015 PROPOSED BUDGET AND WARRANT ARTICLES

Selectboard Present: Chas Street (Chair); Whitney Aldrich, Steven Dalessio
CALL TO ORDER: Mr. Street called this Public Hearing on the 2015 Proposed Budget and Warrant Articles to order at 6:00 PM in the Walpole Town Hall. There were eight people from the public present.
These are unapproved Minutes.

Introduction: Mr. Street introduced the Selectboard and Mr. Rich Kreissle who is the new Full Charge Bookkeeper…

Copies of the proposed 2015 Warrant Articles, General Fund Expenditure Detail Budget and an Expenditure Comparison Summary were available. These will all be put into the Annual Town Report.

Article 3 – Budget: Mr. Street reported that the major increase was a 2% cost-of-living for the employees; the cost-of-living across the country was 1.75%. The costs associated with labor also went up this year, line items like the Workers Compensation sky-rocked by almost 50%. A meeting will be scheduled in the near future to discuss what is causing this with the Town’s insurance carrier. The rate is based on salaries and past claims. It is a slow process to get the points from claims down.

The Warrant Articles are down this year; there are five money articles but none of them are super large.
Article 4: This Warrant Article is $10,000 for the Recycling Center. The top of the burn pit is old and needs to be addressed as it is ready to collapse or cave-in. A majority of it is salvageable. Mr. Colburn explained that it is for the expanded metalwork. They are estimating $10,000 or less for the repairs.
Article 5: The Police Department is requesting about $15,460 for special protective gear. Some of their standard gear expires every five years. They were called and showed up for duty at the Keene Halloween Pumpkin Fest but did not have the required ballistic body armor. Police Chief Paquette explained that this includes trauma plates, helmets, etc. When a call comes in for help it is better if they have the gear available.
Article 7: This Warrant Article is for $15,000 for a police cruiser. They discussed going to a lease option this year but right now they made a decision to save and then buy the cruiser. In past years they were able to do $10,000 each year for three years but the prices have gone up. The $15,000 will bring them up to the $37,000 needed to purchase the new cruiser, associated equipment, and installation. (Ref. Article 6)
Article 8: This Warrant Article is a little more expensive as they are requesting $50,900 for a wall replacement and major repairs to the Salt Sand Shed at the Walpole Highway Department. This figure is based on one estimate received however they are still waiting for two more estimates. Mr. Dalessio pointed out that one side of the shed is all rotted out. Mr. Vose asked what the cost would be to build a new shed. Mr. Dalessio responded that it would be in excess of $100,000. Mr. Street noted that these repairs should last for many years. The current structure has probably been there since the 1960s.
The above Warrant Articles total $128,360; last year the Warrant Articles totaled $193,622.
Article 3 – Budget (Continued): Mr. Street advised that the General Fund is up 3.9%. In addition to the labor costs the electric rates went up so they had to budget for that. Police Chief Paquette pointed out that his last electric bill went up .47%. Mr. Dalessio mentioned, on the positive side, the Selectboard signed on with UMG for lower electric rates however it does not go into effect until March but the bills should be lower after that. Mr. Aldrich noted that they did not lower gas for the vehicles because even though it is down substantially it has started to slowly go back up. Mr. Dalessio said a minor change was made to the Health Insurance; they went from a $5 to $20 co-pay but it was a cost savings to both the Town and the employees. Mr. Street noted that the Dental insurance also went up.
Mr. Street advised that if the Budget and Warrant Articles all pass the over-all increase is less than 1.5%. They all tried to be realistic about the Budget. The Department Heads were prudent with their requests. Mr. Dalessio stated that in the Highway Department they were in the process of replacing the Loader this year for a price of approximately $250,000 but instead opt to put in $30,000 for repairs, if needed, as they felt the loader could be used for another year. There was discussion relative to staying within the State’s recommendations for the Reserve Fund. This year they anticipate being able to add about $59,000.
Last year there was a part-time employee in the Highway Department but now he will be full-time because he is working for the Highway Department plus working in the Town Hall and at the Library.
 The Recreation Department Committee asked to give the Recreation Director more time to do his job and the Selectboard agreed to do so. He has taken on some more duties, programs, etc.
 Mr. Kreissle was hired therefore the additional costs were added in for a full year. With Mr. Kreissle on-board there is a much better break-down of duties and responsibilities in the office.
 Mrs. Smith, Town Clerk/Tax Collector, had requested adding a full-time position in that office however the Selectboard made a decision to increase the hours for the part-time employee as she worked more hours than budgeted for in 2014.
 The Conservation Commission budget went up a little because the dam off Reservoir Road needs attention and they will address it this year.
 The Zoning Board of Adjustment asked for more money in their budget for their Secretary as the position recently required more work. Mr. Vose noted that they increased their fees so this should be a “wash”.
Mr. Street asked if there were any questions or comments from the public present.
Mrs. Pschirrer said most every year at the Town Meeting somebody asks if the Town is getting estimates for the new cruiser. Chief Paquette advised that they buy the cruiser through the State Contract / bid process; it is always substantially less. In the past they were able to transfer the equipment but now a lot of it does not fit plus there is less free-of-charge equipment available.

Adjournment:
Mr. Aldrich moved to adjourn this Public Hearing. Seconded by Mr. Dalessio. With all in favor, the motion was approved at 6:27 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Regina Borden, Recording Secretary