June 2009 Archives
MOULTONBOROUGH — Updated taxable property values here are about to enter the last stages of being finalized for the 2009 tax year. Vision Appraisal Technology, the firm retained by the town, will be shortly mailing out informational letters to property owners of the town’s approximately 7,350 parcels of land. The letters will state the proposed assessed value of land and building(s) as of April 1, 2009. Property owners who would like an informal hearing to discuss the proposed values should call Vision Appraisal at 1-888-844-4300 from Monday, July 13, 2009 through Friday, July 31, 2009, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The last day scheduled for hearings is August 3, so property owners are encouraged to call Vision Appraisal as soon as they can. Topics of discussion can include an explanation of the valuation, information on the property record card as well as the market data used to determine the proposed value. The notices being mailed out are not tax bills, and Vision will not be able to discuss or predict the actual amount of the tax bill that will result. Informal hearings will be by appointment only and will be held at the Town Hall located on
New tax could put campgrounds out of business
By CNHT | June 30, 2009
According to a report by NH’s Senator Jeb Bradley, Democrats claim that the new tax on campsites closes a “loophole”. He said, “If budget writers really thought this tax on camping was closing a loophole it is hard to imagine why they would have introduced it in the wee hours of the night without a public hearing. The fact is that it is a brand new 9% tax on camping. It is positively amazing how supporters of this budget claim to be the politicians that support the little guy.”
Bradley is talking about the much-contested budget contained in HB1 and HB2.
And Paul Raymond, owner of Mascoma Lake Campground, could not agree more. He held a meeting with his seasonal campers about the new 9% tax, some of whom he says, are on a fixed income and will not be able to pay. Some have already canceled vacation plans.
“If campgrounds start losing seasonals because of this new tax they may have to close down” Raymond added.
Raymond said to look at the numbers. His campground alone brought $167,000 in revenues to the state last year. There are over 800 campgrounds in the state. When you do the math, the state has more to lose than gain, if these businesses fail. Raymond pointed out that all the surrounding stores, restaurants, and shops would be affected by this 9% new tax as well.
Raymond said the state invents new ways to spend money before knowing how to pay for it, and then rushes into a vote to get the money any way they can, without really looking at what damage they will do.
As someone who protested the budget in front of the statehouse last week, Raymond said that before he starts a new project at his campground, he looks to see how it will be paid for.
“Unlike the folks that create the new spending bills, if there’s no money at the time, we hold off to see how we will get it,” he said.
“It would be nice if one day the people that vote for more spending would really look at the harm they are doing to the very folks that voted them into office. We really need to change that roll call next time we vote.”
The budget not only taxes camping, it hikes taxes or fees on meals, tobacco, boat and car registration, salt water fishing licenses and most importantly, property taxes. According to Senator Bradley, this 10.48% increase also comes at a time when other states around the nation are cutting spending.
Dear Readers,
Click on the link below for information on the new nursing home project. This is information from the Carroll County Commissioner's Office. This is important for us all to view as this will have a direct impact on our taxes. Please feel free to post comments and ask questions. We will all one day be considering nursing home care for ourselves or a family member. Let's all learn as much as we can. Tell you friends and family to look at the figures.
| http://ccnhco.blogspot.com/2009/06/mountain-view-nursing-home-building.html |
The town voted on the establishment of a Heritage Commission at Town Meeting this year and we have been waiting for months for the Board of Selectmen to finalize volunteers to that commission. Once volunteer letters to the Board have been submitted and reviewed, we would think that the commission would be properly appointed and the newly formed Heritage Commission could meet and begin the tasks ahead of them. Not so: and still we wait. The Board of Selectmen still have not yet finished determining who is on the committee. Why is that?
There are several things that concern us about the appointments made thus far. For instance, at the Board of Selectmen meeting on May 14, 2009, Chairwoman Karel Crawford said that they would work on it at their scheduled work session on May 28th. Yet somehow at the Selectmen’s meeting on May 21, the very next week, announcements were made as to who would be appointed to the Heritage Commission. When did they discuss that they would make appointments at their May 21 Board of Selectmen’s meeting rather than at their scheduled work session? Is it possible that all five of the selectmen were on the same wave length at the same time? If they had a discussion, it was not before the public. If so, where are the minutes? Or is this privileged information not available to the public?
We wonder if there was some kind of discussion behind the scenes that no one bothered to recognize as a need to bring to the public under the Right to know law.
Another issue is the selection of one volunteer who serves on several other committees. No questions were raised at the appointment of Jean Beadle who serves as the Chair of the Advisory Budget Committee, as well as a member of the Town Planner Screening Committee. Yet when Selectmen Betsey Patten suggested that Jane Fairchild should be assigned as an alternate, she implied that Jane would be far too busy to be on the Heritage Commission as she is already a member of the planning board. Not Jean Beadle however who is the Chair of the ABC. She should be quite busy finding a replacement for a member that resigned, not to mention all the time to bring a new member of the ABC up to speed.
Don’t forget folks, the school will be in the midst of contract negotiations with the teachers union, the school budget, and the town budget and that should be more that enough to keep the ABC Chair quite busy. Why is an alternate assignment good for one but not the other?
Is there some favoritism amongst the appointments?
The third issue at hand is the select board member that is required by statute to serve on the Heritage Commission. Another statute states that there cannot be 2 members of the Planning Board on the same committee or board. Selectmen Ed Charest is on the planning board as is volunteer Jane Fairchild. How will this be resolved?
How long must we wait? There is a worksession June 25, 2009 @ 4pm........
Selectmen's Minutes 6/18/2009
"Legislative update: Betsey reported that work continues on the budget and she should have word at the next meeting. She added that there is a long list of increased/new fees and taxes. Ed added that the revenues are less than the 2004 revenues"
That's all folks.......really
The The Board of Selectmen are not having a formal informational meeting this summer. Instead they will use their workshop scheduled for Thursday July 24, 2009 for summer residents wishing to come and ask any questions they may have.
Contact the MCA with your concerns about our town. There are issues and ideas that our summer residents have that would be meaningful for the town to be aware of. We would like to hear what is on your mind. We are open to hearing what folks that do not live here in Moultonboro year round, have to say about their observations of the daily goings on. Surely there are issues of great concern to our seasonal residents that will matter to our local government.
Please contact us by email. www.moultonborocitizensallicance@yahoo.com. We look forward to hearing from you and you can count on us to enlighten our local government with what concerns you.
Members of the MCA
A few more things from tonight’s Selectmen meeting:
- $20K state grant approved for “Rt. 109 playing field” and
The Board of Selectmen meeting was a bit difficult to hear tonight, but that’s not unusual. We have written about that before. We would like to see a microphone available for the Selectmen to use so that all members of the audience can hear as well as the listening audience from the video tape.
A few points of interest: Our legislator, Betsy Patton addressed the chair with some research she had done on the Heritage Commission appointees. She began to cite the RSA pertaining to Planning Board Members on a heritage committee. While it is true that no two members of a planning board can be on a heritage commission, sadly, she was not able to quote the correct RSA. She had gone so far as to pass out copies of the alleged RSA, but when she realized she had the wrong RSA, she said ‘Oh well. I can’t find it.” What can you say, but it’s very difficult to follow what she is trying to convey to the listening public. This is not just folksy charm. It’s a lack of familiarity of the facts.
Another point of interest: Why is it that Jane Fairchild, who is more than qualified to be on the Heritage Commission and has pressed for the establishment of the Commission, seems to be targeted to be pushed out of appointment altogether? A member of the Board of Selectmen needs to be on the Heritage Commission as stated earlier, but why not let Jane be on the commission? Another Board member could easily be appointed who is not on the Planning Board. So, why the delay?
And another point is that the summer schedule for the Board of Selectmen will be the 1st, 3rd and 5th, if there is a 5th, Thursday of each month, beginning now. July 2nd is the next meeting. Workshops are scheduled for the 4th Thursday of the month. This will be posted on the Town Webpage.
That’s it for tonight folks! Keep tuning in. We will be adding more information as it develops!
Last November, Town Administrator Carter Terenzini presented the Route 25 corridor study results to the Board of Selectmen. This was at the same meeting that Stewart Lamprey made his presentation about Fox Hollow. Mr. Lamprey stated that Fox Hollow had been identified by the DOT and the Lakes Region Planning Board as the most dangerous intersection, with 27 accidents and 2 fatalities within 1000 feet of the intersection.
Karel Crawford made the statement, ‘I don’t feel the commissioner should dedicate to one part of the road (Rt 25). We have to represent the town of Moultonboro, and we have to represent the entire town, and others on the other intersection. I feel that because politically, because someone knew someone, though he has every right to do so, it feels wrong for the DOT to pick one road because Mr. Lamprey lives on
It was decided after much discussions over several weeks, that Fox Hollow would be moved to the top of the list of intersections to address. There have been several engineering firms out at the site of Fox Hollow and Route 25 studying the area and planning how to “fix” the intersection. The town is in the process of hiring a Town Planner to work with the recently hired engineering firm of KV Partners, LLC.
The planning was going along rather smoothly until late in the afternoon of Tuesday June 2, 2009 when there was a serious accident on Route 25 by the intersection of
It would seem that the corridor study was spot on. One only has to travel on Route 25 west on an icy, snowy day to understand why
We hope that the Board of Selectmen will be successful in their efforts to convince the DOT that Sheridan Road is in fact a higher priority than Fox Hollow and should be addressed sooner than later. …And no one stands to gain financially from improving
And we don’t just mean our wildlife friends! We’re glad to see folks return back to Moultonboro for the summer season. While the weather has not really warmed up to summer heat, there is still much to do to prepare for the warmer months ahead of us. Homes need cleaning and preening. Lawns and gardens need attention. Old friends have come a’ greeting. Boats need tending to and the big lake beckons for adventures!
Many of our seasonal residents are not registered voters in Moultonboro as they live in other states for most of the year. Non resident property owners are not voters either. Yet they still are tax payers here in our town and have issues and concerns that should be heard by our town government. The MCA would invite any resident to contact us with any ideas or areas of interest that may be of value to our town. We’re happy to lend an ear and help in any way that we can.
Email us at www.moultonborocitizensalliance@yahoo.com and we will contact you as soon as possible.
It is unusual to not have a selectmen's meeting agenda by late Tuesday, 2 days prior to their scheduled meeting. The public deserves more than an announcement from the Town Administrator advising people of a 6pm meeting with both the select and school boards.
Where's the agenda??
Lot's of meetings this week in Town:
School Board Meeting: Tuesday June 9th, 7pm Town Hall
Planning Board: Wednesday June 10th, 7:30pm Town Hall
ABC : Thursday June 11th, 5PM Town Hall
ABC/Selectmen/School Board: Thursday June 11th 6pm Town Hall
Selectmen: Thursday June 11th, 7pm Town Hall
There are times when I attend a Board of Selectmen’s meeting that I really find it difficult to hear what they are saying. I have often thought that it’s just me as my hearing is not the best. And times being what they are, it’s a difficult to afford to have my hearing aids repaired or replaced with technologically advanced aids.
In most situations, I can hear okay. In the BoS meetings, I find it hard to understand everything that is said. Frankly, I don’t think I am alone. I once asked if there was a hearing enhancement device available and was told I should sit in the front row. Well, that’s not the answer I wanted to hear. I was hoping that there would be another answer. Perhaps if there were a microphone available to the selectmen so everyone would be able to hear all that is being said. Or should I say mumbled? Whispered? I have seen some meeting when comments made are uttered so low that it is impossible to hear more than a few feet away. I wonder what would happen if we were all able to hear everything that they said in public?
Let’s face it. The majority of attendees of the BoS meetings are senior citizens or close to it. How many of them are wearing aids or need to wear aids? How many of the board members have difficulty hearing?
What if we had amplification available at the meetings so that there was no question as to what, if any, comments were made under their collective breaths? After all, in the state and federal levels of our government there are microphones available so everyone can hear. Otherwise, what would reporters use to interview congressmen? A pad and pencil?? Hmmm. Let’s think a bit more progressively, shall we?
Select Board and School Board Meeting Notice
http://www.moultonborough.org/Pages/MoultonboroughNH_BOSAgenda/
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
TUESDAY, JUNE 9
MUNICIPAL AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT, Room 301, LOB
11:00 a.m. Full committee work session on Senate amendments to House Bills.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10
RIGHT-TO-KNOW OVERSIGHT COMMISSION (RSA 91-A:11), Room 304, LOB
8:00 a.m. Email subcommittee meeting.
MONDAY, JUNE 15
ASSESSING STANDARDS BOARD (RSA 21-J:14-a), Department of Revenue Administration, 109 Pleasant Street,
9:30 a.m. Regular meeting.
1:30 p.m. Low income housing subcommittee meeting.
COMMISSION TO
1:00 p.m. Regular meeting.
Shirley Oliver presented a citizen's petition to the BoS at the June 4th meeting to reprioritize the route 25 intersection matrix. This was in response to the recent accident at
Mike Edgecombe from Time Warner Cable attended the BoS meeting at their invitation to answer questions from the BoS and the public.
So what happened to channel 4? Mike explained that Moultonboro is in the
He was asked how many subscribers TWC had in Moultonboro and he did not have that information with him.
The Selectmen were asked how much money of the franchise fee has been expended in the build out to underserved areas of town. To date there is about $32,000 in the fund. (Note from the MCA: It is only since 2008 that this franchise fee was put into a separate fund. Prior to that it went into the general fund to offset taxes)
Mike will provide a letter to the BoS with details of what he discussed tonight as well as number of subscribers.
June 4, 2009
Editorial
Everything about public meetings should be made as public-friendly as possible. That means posting agendas online (consistently, and as far in advance as possible, please), holding non-public sessions at the end of meetings whenever humanly possible, and allowing the public the most convenient method for making comments about town affairs. Recentdecisions and conversations of various local boards and committees have stirred up some controversy regarding how public comments should be handled at public meetings. In Sanbornton selectmen had to reprioritize after backlash from residents about moving public input sessions to the end of meetings. The move angered some,who said the change was an attempt to keep them from being heard, specifically because Sanbornton’s meetings can run late. Ultimately, the board put the sessions back to the beginning of each meeting, which we think was the right thing to do.
Moultonboro changed its policy recently as well, also drawing fire from the town’s more vocal citizens. Instead of allowing residents to comment and ask questions as the meeting progressed, it restricts public input to the beginning and end of each selectmen’s meeting. It might be more conducive to informed input if the board would consider handing out packets of information prior to the meeting. It’s difficult for members of the public to do more than ask questions to figure out what the issue is – and after the vote is cast and the decision made, everyone just wants to go home. It’s unlikely that a vote would be changed, once cast, as the selectmen have suggested they could do if swayed by public input. In its organizational meeting just last week, the Gilford Budget Committee discussed the issue, trying to decide where to place public input on the agenda so residents would have a fair shot to voice concerns or make comments at a relevant time. They, respectably, want to ensure that the public can talk freely before a vote, but perhaps after committee discussion so the speakers are informed. Also making an effort to respect the public, the Tilton Board of Selectmen just started holding a public input session at its meetings. Often there is no input, but occasionally the opening has given interested residents a chance to speak informally without having to make an appointment. It hasn’t appeared to slow the board down in terms of getting things done, and citizens have peace of mind that, should they ever want to throw out a comment or raise a concern, they will have the opportunity and ability to do so. Boards and committees are meant to be working for the residents of a town, so it doesn’t make sense to us when they make residents jump over hurdles to get a chance to speak (or get a hold of an agenda or meeting minutes, for that matter). We understand that they need to get things done, and that sometimes public comments sessions can get out of hand in terms of length or topic, but the board does have the ability to limit speaking time, or to offer a timeslot on the agenda should the topic warrant one.
