Selectboard Minutes - Public Budget Hearing

Town of Greenfield

7 Sawmill Road, Greenfield, NH 03047

Public Hearing - Budget

Thursday, February 4, 2021 – 5:30 PM

Selectboard: Chairman Robert Marshall, Selectwoman Karen Day, Selectman Michael Borden

Staff: Aaron Patt, Town Administrator; Catherine Shaw, Office Manager;

Public/Employees: Diane Boilard, Richard Spencer, Jeff LaCourse, Jack Moran, David Martin, Katherine Heck, Caleb “CJ” Hall, Catrina Mamczak, Kate Dean, Diane Boilard, Dorene Adams, “Nate” , Janice Pack, Brian Giammarino

5:30 PM: Virtual Meeting Open – ZOOM Meeting 845 442 9808 653cuG

The meeting was called to order at 6:30pm. The Chair welcomed everyone to the Selectboard meeting and noted that during the meeting the 2021 Public Budget Hearing would start immediately after the opening Right-to-Know remarks. He opened the meeting and read a statement provided by the Attorney General’s office regarding virtual meetings. “As Chair of the Selectboard, I find that due to the State of Emergency declared by the Governor as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and in accordance with the Governor’s Emergency Order #12 pursuant to Executive Order 2020-04, which has been extended, this public body is authorized to meet virtually.

Please note that there is no physical location to observe and listen contemporaneously to this meeting, which was authorized pursuant to the Governor’s Emergency Order. However, in accordance with the Emergency Order, I am confirming that we are providing public access to the meeting by telephone.  We are currently working on providing additional access possibilities by video or other electronic means, however, we are a small town and that is not feasible for tonight’s call.

We are utilizing Zoom for this electronic meeting. All members of the Board have the ability to communicate contemporaneously during this meeting through this platform, and the public has access to contemporaneously listen and, if necessary, participate in this meeting through dialing the access number posted online or by following the directions on the Meeting Instructions link from the Selectboard’s page on the website. The Website address is greenfield-nh.gov.

We previously gave notice to the public of the necessary information for accessing the meeting, including how to access the meeting telephonically. If there are problems with access, please email the Town Administrator and he will attempt to help you in real time. In the event the public is unable to access the meeting, the meeting will be adjourned and rescheduled.

Please note that all votes that are taken during this meeting shall be done by roll-call vote.

Let’s start the meeting by taking a roll-call attendance. When each member states their presence, please also state whether there is anyone in the room with you during this meeting, which is required under the Right-to-Know law.

Each selectperson noted that they were alone. The Selectboard members are each home and their spouses are in the house, the Town Administrator is in his office at home and is alone.

The Chair stated:  “If there isn’t time for your questions tonight, you can email the Town Administrator and request a response. If you have technical difficulties on your end with your computer, laptop, or other electronic device email the Town Administrator if you having trouble connecting in real-time and we’ll try to be of help.

5:30 PM: 2021 Public Budget Hearing

Chairman Marshall welcomed participants to the Public Budget Hearing.  Chairman Marshall outlined several reflections on the past year during the pandemic: at the conclusion of the 2020 Town Meeting, the Selectboard held an emergency meeting and closed the Town Office and town buildings to the public. The Selectboard instituted a spending freeze. The Chair stated that a lot of credit goes to Department Heads who worked all year with budget restrictions and who delivered significant savings at the end of the year. The Chair outlined the reduction in appropriations that the Selectboard voted under Emergency Order #56, which amounted to $242,000 subtracted from the original budget of $2,611,536; to an actual budget at the end of the year of $2,369,532. This was accomplished by removing the funding for the gravel road warrant article, the paving warrant article (the last leg of East Road), and by reducing the Capital Reserve Fund (CRF) savings by $67,000 spread across a number of the CRFs. At the conclusion of the opening remarks, the Chair provided the directions on where to find the budget documents on the website.

The Chair stated that he would read the Town Warrant and would entertain questions at the conclusion of the individual warrant articles. The Chair read the Town Warrant through section 1 and noted that the Board has scheduled the business meeting for May 1^st at Oak Park.

The Chair stated he would begin reading the monetary warrant articles and noted that the budget hearing is a chance for the public to ask questions about and provide input on these articles. The focus of tonight is on the monetary articles. There is a petition article at the end of the warrant, which is a non-monetary article and that will be read as a convenience.

The Chair read Article 2 regarding the Broadband Bond.

Article 2: To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Nine Hundred Eighty-Seven Thousand and Twelve Dollars ($987,012) for the purpose of installing Broadband town-wide, and to authorize the issuance of not more than $987,012 of bonds or notes in accordance with the provisions of the Municipal Finance Act (RSA 33) and to authorize the municipal officials to issue and negotiate such bonds or notes and to determine the rate of interest thereon; the Selectboard recommends this article (3/5 ballot vote required).

At the conclusion of the reading, Diane Boilard asked to speak. She stated that it was important for the town to know that the bond will not have a tax impact and the warrant should be updated to reflect that there will be “no tax impact”. Town Administrator Patt stated that there is a tax impact based on the cost to bring the warrant article forward. These include the cost for Town Counsel (variable depending on the number of hours), Bond Counsel (up to $8,000), and the embedded cost for the staff that work on the project. As a result it is not possible to state that the project won’t have a tax impact. Treasurer Heck stated that the warrant article has to be transparent and some people could find that to say that there is no tax impact to be misleading. She noted that the language was before Bond Counsel for review and could be updated. The language is likely to reflect the gross appropriation of $1,356,297 less a Consolidated Funded Customer Connection Cost of $369,285, for a net bond amount of $987,012 coming from the town.

The Chair read Article 3 for the Recycling Center. There were no questions from the public

Article 3: To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of One Hundred Twenty-Three Thousand, Five Hundred Fifteen Dollars ($123,515) to support the Recycling Center. (Majority vote required). This article has a tax impact (2020 values) of $0.72. Allocation as follows:

The Chair read Article 4 for the Used Oil Collection Grant. There were no questions from the public.

Article 4: To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of up to Two Thousand, Four Hundred Dollars ($2,400) for the purpose of expending funds that will be offset by the Used Oil Collection Grant Assistance Program, to purchase materials and/or obtain services to establish, improve, or operate a used oil collection center in accordance with the terms and conditions of Used Oil Collection Grants at the Recycling Center. (Majority vote required). This article has no tax impact.

The Chair read Article 5, an article to restore Capital Reserve Fund savings that were reduced in 2020 due to uncertainties surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

Article 5: To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Sixty Seven Thousand Dollars ($67,000), to restore the 2020 Capital Reserve Funds savings plan that was reduced in order to mitigate the impact of reduced revenue caused by the Coronavirus Pandemic, and to place said amount(s) in the existing Capital Reserve Funds as outlined below.  The Selectboard recommends this article. (Majority vote required). This article has a tax impact of $0.39.

Diane Boilard asked to speak. She stated that the warrant articles about the Capital Reserve Funds are confusing. She stated that the Selectboard should cover all of the Capital Reserve Funds through fund balance rather than splitting it out separately. Part of the confusion is from the budget she said, which has just the total for all CRFs in the line item, which is called ‘Interfund Operating Transfers Out’. Because the town didn’t spend over four hundred thousand dollars of the budget this would cover all of the funding for the CRFs in this article and the next. Town Administrator Patt explained that the CRF contributions were discussed by the Selectboard at length and they decided that this was the best way to handle the 2020 CRF restoration and the 2021 scheduled savings. One of the issues that was discussed was the amount of fund balance that the town could use without creating a cash-flow issue. Because the Selectboard lowered the appropriations, the unspent appropriations was not the four hundred thousand dollar figure that Ms. Boilard referenced, but was much lower because there was $242,000 that was removed from the 2020 budget under Emergency Order #56, as previously outlined by the Chair.  The Treasurer and Town Administrator provided guidance to the Selectboard on the amount that the town could use from fund balance without triggering the need for a Tax Anticipation Note (TAN) and that was less than the full amount of the CRF budget line item. Treasurer Heck stated that the town did a comprehensive financial review of fund balance and cash-flow to arrive at the guidance. She stated that if the town were to trigger the need for a TAN, the cost to borrow money could be up to ten thousand dollars and the town hasn’t had to borrow money for many years.

The Chair read Article 6 for the 2021 Capital Reserve Fund Savings. There were no additional questions from the public.

Article 6: To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of One Hundred Seventy Three Thousand, Five Hundred Dollars ($173,500), with the total amount to come from Fund Balance and to place said amount(s) in the existing Capital Reserve Funds as outlined below.  The Selectboard recommends this article. (Majority vote required). This article has no tax impact.

The Chair read Article 7 for the Fire Department. There were no questions from the public.

Article 7:  To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of One Hundred Thirty-Seven Thousand, Nine Hundred Eighty-Seven Dollars ($137,987) to support the Fire Department (Majority vote required). This article has a tax impact (2020 values) of $0.81. Allocation as follows: 

The Chair read Article 8 for the Police Department. There were no questions from the public.

Article 8: To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Two Hundred Fifty-Four Thousand, Five Hundred Forty-Six Dollars ($254,546) to support the Police Department. (Majority vote required). This article has a tax impact (2020 values) of $1.49. Allocation as follows:

The Chair read Article 9, regarding the Operation of the town. There were no questions from the public.

Article 9:  To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of One Million Ninety-Six Thousand, Three Hundred Thirty-Eight Dollars ($1,096,338) to support the Operation and Maintenance of the Town. (Majority vote required). This article has a tax impact (2020 values) of $6.35. Allocation as follows: 

The Chair read Article 10 for the DPW Road and Buildings and Grounds Departments.

Article 10: To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Five Hundred Foureen Thousand, Seven Hundred Eleven Dollars ($514,711) to support the Department of Public Works. (Majority vote required). This article has a tax impact (2020 values) of $3.01. Allocation as follows:

David Martin asked about the unanticipated expense in the DPW Roads budget. Town Administrator Patt explained that the department’s Ford F250 suffered an engine failure and after review of the State Bid specifications and the length of time it would take to order a new vehicle, the Selectboard opted to use funds in the budget to purchase a new pick-up truck. The Ford F250 had originally been on the Capital Improvements Schedule for replacement in 2020 but was bumped out a year due to problems with the Freightliner 6-wheel dump truck. The dump truck was replaced as part of the 2020 Town Warrant and the department was going to wait a year to replace the pick-up truck. Unfortunately the truck did not make it into 2021.

The Chair read Article 11 and explained that this article would complete the paving project on East Road. There were no questions on this article.

Article 11: To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of One Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($125,000) for the purpose of providing Road Paving and/or Reconstruction. (Majority vote required). This article has a tax impact (2020 values) of $0.73.

The Chair read Article 12, which is the Gravel Roads Warrant Article.

Article 12: To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($25,000) for the purpose of providing Gravel Road Repair and/or Maintenance throughout the town. (Majority vote required). This article has a tax impact (2020 values) of $0.15.

Tom Bascom stated that the gravel roads need a lot of work and questioned why the article had been reduced by half from the previous year. The Chair answered this question and explained that the DPW has additional funding in their budget that can be used for this purpose as well (putting gravel on the roads to replace gravel lost to erosion over time).

The Chair read Article 13 for the Library. There were no questions on Article 13.

Article 13: To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of One Hundred Twenty-Four Thousand, Five Hundred Fifty-Four Dollars ($124,554) to support the Stephenson Memorial Library (Majority vote required). This article has a tax impact (2020 values) of $0.73. Allocation as follows:

The Chair read Article 14 for the Town Clerk’s office.

Article 14: To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Forty-Five Thousand, Fifty-Five Dollars ($45,055) to fund the operation of the Town Clerk’s office. (Majority vote required). This article has a tax impact (2020 values) of $0.26.

Town Administrator Patt stated that the Town Clerk had caught that Vital Statistics was not funded in this budget and requested that $1,300 be added for Vital Statistics. This would bring the budget to $45,505. The Chair requested that the budget be updated following the meeting.

The Chair read Article 15 for the Forest Firefighters fund. There were no questions from the public.

Article 15: To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate Five Hundred Dollars ($500) and place said amount in the existing Forest Fire Fighters Expendable Trust Fund. The Selectboard recommends this article. (Majority vote required). This article has a tax impact (2020 values) of $0.003.

The Chair read Article 16, a petition warrant article regarding gerrymandering. He noted that this non-monetary article is not up for discussion at tonight’s budget hearing but was being read as a courtesy.

The Chair read Article 17 regarding any matters that may be brought before the meeting. There was no comment on this article.

David Martin stated that he would like to thank the Selectboard and staff for their hard work on putting the budget and meeting together.

Chairman Marshall requested a motion to close the hearing. Selectwoman Day made a motion to close the 2021 Public Budget Hearing. Selectman Borden seconded the motion. On a roll call vote the Board voted 3-0 in favor of closing the public hearing: Chairman Marshall – Aye, Selectwoman Day – Aye, Selectman Borden – Aye.

Next the Chair stated that the Board would go over the Consent Agenda as part of a business meeting.

The Chair stated that the Accounts Payable Check Manifest has a single payment to the Greenfield Postmaster in the amount of $117.91  for mailing of the Greenfield Spirit. The manifest was moved by Selectwoman Day and seconded by Selectman Borden. The Board voted by roll-call vote 3-0 to release the funds: Chairman Marshall – Aye, Selectwoman Day – Aye, Selectman Borden- Aye.

Next the Chair noted that there is a Payroll manifest in the amount of $30,291.99. Selectwoman Day moved the Payroll manifest. The motion was seconded by Selectman Borden. On a roll-call vote of 3-0 to release the funds: Selectwoman Day – Aye, Selectman Borden – Aye, Chairman Marshall – Aye.

Next the Chair brought forward a Change of Employment worksheet for a clerical position  to the Planning Board Economic Development Committee. The purpose is to record the wages for a substitute clerk. The worksheet was moved by Selectwoman Day and seconded by Selectman Borden. On a roll-call vote the Board voted 3-0 in favor of approving the substitute position: Chairman Marshall – Aye, Selectwoman Day – Aye, Selectman Borden – Aye.

Next the Chair noted that there are two abatement requests from the Tax Collector’s office. The first is in the amount of $2,434.99 for R2-17-3. It was noted that this abatement is to correct a posting error made by the Tax Collector’s office. The abatement was moved by Selectwoman Day. The motion was seconded by Selectman Borden. On a roll-call vote the Board voted 3-0 in favor of granting the abatement: Chairman Marshall – Aye, Selectwoman Day – Aye, Selectman Borden – Aye.

Next the Chair read the second abatement request for R4-45 in the amount of $51.67 for interest that should not have accrued, due to clerk error. There being no questions, the Chair asked for a motion on the abatement request. Selectwoman Day moved the request. The motion was seconded by Selectman Borden. On a roll-call vote the Board voted 3-0 in favor of the motion: Chairman Marshall – Aye, Selectwoman Day – Aye, Selectman Borden – Aye.

The Chair stated that the Board has reviewed the minutes of January 28^th. Selectwoman Day moved the minutes. Selectman Borden seconded the motion. On a roll-call vote the Board voted 3-0 to accept the minutes: Chairman Marshall – Aye, Selectwoman – Day, Selectman Borden – Aye.

The Chair asked if there were any further items of business. Catherine Shaw, Office Manager stated that the Selectboard has been provided with a draft Town Report. There are items missing that need to be provided by the Board. The report needs to go to the printer on February 12^th and the following Monday is a holiday. The report needs to be back the required number of days before Town Meeting/Election Day on March 9^th.

A discussion followed and the Chair assigned the Town Report items.

At 7:45pm, Chairman Marshall asked if there were any other questions. The Chair asked the Selectboard members for a motion to adjourn. Selectwoman Day made a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by the Chair. On a roll call vote, the Board voted 3-0 in favor of adjourning as follows:  Karen Day – Aye, Michael Borden- Aye, Chairman Marshall – Aye.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.