December 2008 Archives
"You have to have a meeting. You have to have a discussion and vote on it. I don't think it was ignorance on any of their parts." Hooksett Town Councilor Pat Rueppel on the illegal contract signing of former Meredith Town Manager Carol Granfield.
By LAUREN SAUSSER
Union Leader Correspondent
HOOKSETT – Town Councilor Pat Rueppel is calling for the resignation of five fellow council members who signed an employment contract outside of an official meeting."There are seasoned councilors who signed it. They knew better," Rueppel said. "You have to have a meeting. You have to have a discussion and vote on it. I don't think it was ignorance on any of their parts."Council Chairman Dave Dickson has said he was wrong to solicit signatures for the interim town administrator's contract, telling critics at a recent meeting, "I appreciate your comments. Lesson learned."Dickson initially defended his decision, saying he was acting in good faith and that he was trying to wrap up loose ends during the busy holiday season.
Only five signatures were needed to activate the contract, which was awarded to former Meredith Town Manager Carol Granfield. The contract sets Granfield's hourly rate at......
Notes from the MCA: As always we attempt to clarify and expand on information presented in the selectmen minutes as compared to the meetings. The video of the 12/19/2008 meeting will soon be available on this website. MCA
These are "draft" minutes and not verbatim as provided by the Selectmen's Office. We encourage attendees to comment on any errors or inconsitencies so we can provide the public with correct and complete minutes
OFFICE OF SELECTMEN
6 HOLLAND STREET
PO BOX 139
MOULTONBOROUGH, NH 03254
Selectmen’s Meeting December 18, 2008
MINUTES
Present: Selectmen: Karel A. Crawford, Edward J. Charest, James F. Gray, Joel R. Mudgett, Betsey L. Patten; Carter Terenzini, Town Administrator; Hope K. Kokas, Secretary.
I. CALL TO ORDER: Karel called the meeting to Order at 7:00 P.M.
II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
III. REVIEW/APPROVE MINUTES: Joel Made the Motion to approve the Minutes of December
4, 2008 and the Workshop Minutes of December 10, 2008 as written. Ed Seconded. The Motion carried unanimously.
IV. NEW RESIDENTS: NEED FILE.
V. PUBLIC MEETING:
1. Cristina Ashjian, Adoption of RSA 79-E: Ms. Ashjian presented a memo to the Selectmen requesting that the Town adopt RSA 72-E, which is very similar to the Discretionary Preservation Easement, providing owners of historically important buildings located in the village district tax incentives to rehabilitate and preserve the structure and in so doing, also the rural character of the Town. She added that if the Selectmen approve, the question of adopting the RSA must be on the Warrant for Town Meeting. Karel asked Ms. Ashjian if the RSA is adopted, would that prevent a property owner from demolishing a historically important building. She replied that the RSA is only a tax incentive towards rehabilitating historically important buildings, with a similar application process as the Discretionary Preservation Easement and it is at the Selectmen’s discretion. Karel and the Selectmen agreed that it is important to preserve the rural character of the village. Ed Made the Motion to place the question on the Town Warrant. Betsey Seconded the Motion. The Motion carried Unanimously.
2. Al Hume: At a recent meeting of the Recreation Advisory Board, Mr. Hume heard the Town Administrator speak about the architectural study that is being done on the Town owned Lions Club property. He questioned the use of the same architect that produced the plan that was rejected at the 2008 Town Meeting ....
Our Selectmen met 12/10/2008 in a” budget workshop”. In a continuing effort to not just provide the information, but also bringing to the forefront issues and concerns we present the following from this meeting:
- Possibly eliminate the public pay phone ( saving $750) and the bottled water ( $3,000) per year.
- Fee structure/application fee ( for out of town users not residents or property owners) for boat launches.
- Recreation department made a request to convert the cell phones to a reimbursement policy similar to the Police department. Study group to be formed to look at this across all town offices. We would like to know the cost difference and the Police policy.
- Recreation questioned whether some programs that are not utilized would be cancelled. Some may and some may not. ( Which ones we don’t know) . It was suggested that they may need to continue to run losses on the senior trips until it becomes better subscribed. How much?
- It was discussed by the Town Administrator to save money by reducing the advertising budget by 1/3 by not publishing items not required by law to publish. ( Granted there is a web site that will provide much information, but we continually find it difficult to get basic information from our elected officials. )
- A proposal was made by the Town Administrator to create an Office of Development & Inspectional Services (ODIS. This would bundle together CEO, Planner, and Land Use accounts. Per the minutes “…the CEO felt strongly he should only report directly to the BoS”.
- Town Clerk is proposing and increase in her office from 53 hours per week to 70. Does this mean we will have a full time Town Clerk?
Minutes follow……
OFFICE OF SELECTMEN
Selectmen’s Workshop December 10, 2008
MINUTES
Present: Karel A. Crawford, Edward S. Charest, James F. Gray, Joel R. Mudgett, Betsey L. Patten;
Carter Terenzini, Town Administrator.
Also Present: Advisory Budget Committee: Jean Beadle, Gary Haracz, Ed Marudzinski
The Chair called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m....
By
eplummer@citizen.com
The Citizen Tuesday, December 16, 2008
The proposed town manager's budget for Meredith reflects a decrease of less than one percent as the budget was presented to the Board of Selectmen for the first time.
On Monday, Meredith selectmen reviewed the proposed budget compiled by co-interim town managers John Edgar and Brenda Vittner in the first of what will be a series of budget discussions by the selectmen leading up to town meeting.
The 2009 proposed municipal budget is $12,859,355, a decrease of $7,556 or 0.06 percent from 2008.
The departments' operating budget is $10,880,945, an $86,647 or 0.8 percent increase from 2008. Regional association and conservation contributions are $223,077, down $2,100 from 2008. Capital projects, debt service and CIP recommendations are $1,793,649, down $92,113.
Edgar and Vittner said during their presentation that highlights of the 2009 budget included fiscal restraint after selectmen gave direction in July that the budget should not have an increase of more than two percent from last year.
The amount also includes a cost-of-living adjustment of 2.5 percent, but merit step increases will be frozen for 2009…..
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Editor, The Citizen: Families and companies all around the country are cutting expenses in these tough economic times. Surprisingly, many state governments are doing the same. I guess they figured out that spending like there's no tomorrow gets us in a financial mess.
I'm wondering if our local school district will be doing the same.
Taxes have increased dramatically in
Next year
Some schools report an annual expenditure of over $100,000 for this program while other schools have reported over $500,000 as their annual expense which includes hiring additional staff like an IB Coordinator.
The Bow school district is considering this program right now, and hosted a meeting with the parents and taxpayers to determine whether or not they should go forward and adopt the program. The community was invited and many expressed genuine concerns on whether or not this program was a good idea for the students given it's high cost and controversial political nature.
The Concord Monitor reported in April that Bow had suspended the application after hearing from the "outraged" community.
At www.Cherryhill.com under the article titled: Debate Heats Up, the Superintendent is recommending phasing out the expensive program. Their annual expense is over $500,000.00 per year. The article goes on to report only 19% of the residents support it.
In an article titled: "Broughton's IB program to end soon", the Wake County School district in North Carolina voted to also phase out the $500,000 plus program citing they could offer a quality education without the extravagant price tag.
While this program is sold as one that adds rigor to the curriculum, there are other ways that this can be done without this excessive expense. Many private and public schools do this everyday.
A good alternative would be the AP International Diploma where there are NO additional charges. The only cost associated would be the cost of the 5 exams the students take. There are no student registration fees, no school membership fees, and no mandatory AP Coordinator. The only condition is that an American student makes application to at least one foreign university to obtain the APID certificate.
The APID is a globally recognized certificate for students with an international outlook without the controversial political agenda or the extravagant price tag. The APID challenges a student to display exceptional achievement on AP exams across several disciplines.
The Bow Superintendent calling together the community to openly discuss the merits and disadvantages of this program was a great way of getting feedback from those who have children in the school and those who pay the bills. I hope
Schools both in NH and out of state are re-examining this program based on cost and parental concerns over the content. It seems reasonable that Bedford Administrators do the same.
Ann Marie Banfield
Bedford
Editor, The Citizen
December 10, 2008
Moultonborough recently completed their policy for how they want to deal with both the Public Access Chanel (PEG) and the folks who would want to broadcast programming, after over two decades of no policy. While no blame is being pointed at the present selectmen for not having policy for the most of those years, I would note that a policy only came about when the Moultonboro Citizens Alliance (MCA) began working with Time Warner Cable (TWC) to air taped, unedited video of the selectmen's meetings AT NO COST TO THE TOWN. To date PEG (for Public, Educational and Government) has had little use by the public, the school or the town. However, as area towns have been utilizing their PEG channels to air meetings, MCA felt they could do something similar AT NO EXPENSE TO THE TOWN. An FCC fact sheet says when there is no policy public access channels are "usually administered by the cable operator or a third party designated by the franchising authority." Since there was no policy or designee when we approached TWC we assumed we were not violating the sanctity of the selectmen's authority.
While the selectmen were right in finally acknowledging the need for a policy, the vitriol that was laid on the MCA was gratuitous and less than professional from those who we look to for leadership. Unedited broadcasting of public meetings at no expense to the taxpayer ... how sinister is that? Other broadcasts have been and continue to be aired without the accusations of abuse, misrepresentation and "lack of respect for the selectmen". And they have been aired with no policy in place. But this bitter opposition towards the MCA is not new.
The selectmen were quick to combat SB2, a voting initiative that allows ALL voters to vote on ALL town issues. They lobbied hard and duplicitously against this measure that allows voters who are out of town or otherwise unable to get to day-long town meetings to have a say as to how their tax dollars are spent. "You can't tell me a person who spends six months away really cares what goes on here" (Selectmen's hearing on SB2) was the statement from the chair.
- Why wouldn't they want all voters to vote on all town issues? Don't know.
- Why wouldn't they want the average citizen to see the selectmen's meetings on TV in the comfort of their home? Don't know.
- When a citizen stands and asks to read a letter into the minutes of the meeting (because they won't) the comment from the chair was "If you must". Why? Don't know.
- Why would the selectmen say they were unwilling to support the building of a multimillion dollar recreation facility one day, and then 4 of the 5 flip flop to support it being on the warrant? Don't know.
Why are the selectmen so opposed to a group of citizens that are the eyes, ears and voice of voters and property owners (resident or non-resident)? Don't know.
MCA's goal of full compliance of the Right to Know Law leads to open and transparent government. We (MCA) want all citizens to be able to vote on all issues (SB2). Another goal is to inform and educate the voter and property owner. We advocate sensible spending and community involvement. However, because we are not always in lock step with the selectmen, we are labelled as negative and purveyors of misinformation. While MCA is not interested in signing the potentially litigious contract to air the video on PEG, the meetings may be viewed on the MCA website, www.moultonborcitzensalliance.org .
Rick Heath, MCA
December 11, 2008
SARAH SCHMIDT
MEREDITH — Formal proceeding to unionize two town departments began earlier this year, but the question of who can join in is yet undecided. Last week, the
who might be considered to have supervisory powers in the unit. The employees who may join a union include 27 members of the Public Works Department, including Assistant Director Al Bolduc, and five of the six employees at the Water and Sewer Department. “The petition is filed, and the discussion right now before the PERLB is about the “community of interest,”” said Jay Ward, SEIU political organizer, speaking on behalf of the association. “The employees are contending that Public Works and Water and Sewer are a community of interest.” Ward confirmed that Bob Hill, a Water and Sewer employee, was one of the first to bring forth the idea of organizing the town’s employees into a bargaining unit. After 17 years as superintendent of the Water andSewer Department, Hill was demoted to the position of operational manager in January, in the wake of the water shortages and treatment plant malfunctions in the summer of 2007. Hill declined any comment, and is currently on paid administrative leave, according to Interim Town Manager Brenda Vittner, who said a “personnel issue” had spurred the action. Town attorney Mark Broth and SEIU official Jeffrey Brown cross-examined several town employees, focusing on the “community of interest” between the Public Works and Water and Sewer Departments. From the testimony the employees gave, the PERLB will have to decide of certain people are ineligible to join the union because of supervisory duties over fellow union members, and if the community of interest between the two departments is strong enough for the employees to form a combined collective bargaining unit. Along with Hill, Public Works Director Mike Faller was subpoenaed to answer questions at last week’s hearing. Faller said that he spoke to the interaction between the two departments, directed by the Capital Improvements Committee, in order to keep things efficient. Faller also testified that in 2007, then-Town Manager Carol Granfield had requested that he set up an organizational plan to merge the Public Works and Water and Sewer Departments, in the wake of the aforementioned
2007 problems at the water treatment plant. “I put together a plan, but I don’t know what became of it,” said Faller, who said that the plan was dropped as Granfield resigned and the town hired on a new Water and Sewer Department Superintendent, Brian Carroll. Neither Broth nor Brown could not be reached for comment. The PERLB will have 90 days to make a decision on the composition of the collective bargaining unit.Once they make their decision whether or not the Water and Sewer Department employees are kept in the unit, the unit will go straight into negotiations with the Public Works Department. “Mostly, it’s to have more of a say on the job,” said Ward. “It’s all about the voice in the workplace. They have some great ideas, and they want to be part of the futureof Meredith.”
Notes from the MCA: As always we attempt to clarify and expand on information presented in the selectmen minutes as compared to the meetings. The video of the 11/06/2008 meeting will soon be available on this website. MCA
These are "draft" minutes and not verbatim as provided by the Selectmen's Office. We encourage attendees to comment on any errors or inconsitencies so we can provide the public with correct and complete minutes
OFFICE OF SELECTMEN
6 HOLLAND STREET
PO BOX 139
MOULTONBOROUGH, NH 03254
Selectmen’s Meeting December 4, 2008
MINUTES
Present: Selectmen: Karel A. Crawford, Edward J. Charest, James F. Gray, Joel R. Mudgett,
Betsey L. Patten; Carter Terenzini, Town Administrator; Hope K. Kokas, Secretary.
I. CALL TO ORDER:
Karel called the meeting to Order at 7:00 P.M.II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
III. REVIEW/APPROVE MINUTES
: Joel Made the Motion to approve the Minutes of November20, 2008 as written. Betsey Seconded. The Motion carried unanimously.
IV. NEW RESIDENTS
: John R. & Diana F. Goode.V. PUBLIC MEETING
:1. Brad Wilson, Eagle Scout Project: Betsey informed the Selectmen that Brad just spoke
to her and he isn’t ready to present his project to the Selectmen, but will reschedule in the
near future.
2. Al Hume complimented the Town’s new website and asked if the Selectmen would
consider putting the Town’s checkbook on it. He stated that the Town of Sandwich will
be doing this.....
Declining enrollment and hard times call for recommended action.
By HARRISON HAAS
hhaas@citizen.com
The Citizen Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The Gilford School Board is backing a $23.3 million budget for next year, 0.66 percent below the district's current operating budget. Concern from the elementary school staff was directed to the board with the possible elimination of two positions that would decrease the payroll and health care section of the budget.
The bottom line of the budget, which now goes to the Budget Committee for review, is $23,316,817.
"We are aware of the financial status right now," said Carol Young-Podmore, a teacher in the elementary school. "We believe that one more year with an assistant principal would be beneficial."
The Board is seeking to cut out the Assistant Principal position along with a guidance position at the elementary school. Currently the two elementary guidance teachers serve 80 students, which is a 1:5 ratio of students receiving service.
According to statistics, Superintendent Dr. Paul DeMinico claimed that a group of 200 students requires the need of one guidance counselor…..
