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Selectboard Minutes

Rescheduled from 1/23/2018 due to weather
Meeting date: 
Thursday, January 25, 2018

Minutes

Town of Greenfield

Greenfield Town Offices, 7 Sawmill Road Greenfield, NH

Selectboard’s Minutes

Thursday, January 25, 2018 – 5:30 PM

Rescheduled due to weather

 

Selectboard: Chair Margaret A. Charig Bliss, Selectman Stephen Atherton, Selectman Robert Marshall

Staff: Aaron Patt, Town Administrator; Katherine Heck, Treasurer; David Hall, Fire Chief; Michael Borden, FD Captain; David Martin, Emergency Management Director; David Simmons, FD Lieutenant,

Public: Ken Paulsen, Norm Nickerson

Documents for Review/Approval

  1. Payroll
  2. Returned Check Fee Policy – Fee Update
  3. Minutes of Selectboard Meeting – 1/16/2018
  4. Change of Employment Worksheet
  5. Oak Park Rental Agreement – GFD Road Race
  6. Welfare

5:30 PM: Public Forum

At 5:30 pm, Chairwoman Charig Bliss opened the meeting. It was noted that there was no one in attendance for the public forum.

At 5:35 the Selectboard began working through the Consent Agenda.

5:40 PM: Katherine Heck, Treasurer

The Selectboard welcomed Katherine Heck, Treasurer. The Treasurer provided graphs of a seven year and four year comparison of the cash-on-hand balances in April, and end-of-year cash-on-hand and other pertinent financial information. The trend toward financial stability and financial health is clearly outlined she said. She stated that the overall financial health of the town has improved from 2011 to today. Following the discussion about the general health of the finances, the Treasurer provided hand outs regarding municipal budget law. A discussion followed in which the Treasurer advised the Selectboard that the town is in need of a mileage policy that will prevent untimely submission of mileage and ensure that reimbursements are timely.

6:45 PM: Norm Nickerson, Budget Advisory Committee (BAC)

At 6:45 pm, Norm Nickerson, Chair of the Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) came before the Selectboard. The Selectboard welcomed the BAC Chair to the meeting and asked if there were comments on the proposed 2018 budget. Mr. Nickerson explained that he has been in touch with the other BAC members. The budget is flat and there are very few issues as far as the BAC is concerned. Mr. Nickerson said that he and Myron Steere were in agreement that the raises at the Fire Department may create a situation in which the town will have to move to a Part-Time Fire Department instead of a volunteer department being paid stipends. Mr. Nickerson went on to discuss Old Bennington Road, the CIP recommendations, and then the Board and Mr. Nickerson discussed the replacement of the MT sidewalk tractor. Mr. Nickerson stated that for the cost of a replacement for the MT, he was in favor of taking the equipment to Town Meeting as a warrant article. It was noted by Town Administrator Patt that the research had not been concluded so the question of the MT replacement would not make it onto the warrant. Mr. Nickerson concluded with the observation that as far as the budget is concerned, the BAC agrees that the Selectboard has kept the budget flat; “everything looks good” he said.

7:00 PM: David Hall, Fire Chief

At 7:10 pm, Fire Chief David Hall and members of the fire department were in attendance to discuss the possibility of purchasing a tanker truck in 2018. Chief Hall provided the history of Greenfield’s tanker. This included a lengthy discussion on several grants that the Fire Department has written for a new tanker. Grant submissions were unsuccessful in 2016 and 2017. The feedback on the grant submission from FEMA was that the cost-benefit-ratio of a new tanker, compared to Greenfield’s population size was showing as a deficiency in the grant application process. Chief Hall outlined recent re-focusing on a lower cost tanker that is in the neighborhood of $240,000 versus the original cost estimates that started at $380,000.

Chief Hall explained that the department applied for a grant in 2016 and made it to the final round before being informed that the grant was not awarded. In 2017 the department applied again, after making improvements to the grant application, only to find that the rules were re-written and Greenfield did not make it past the first round. Chief Hall went on to explain that in 2018 there is the possibility of applying for a grant but in 2018 the application will include the lower cost tanker trucks that he recently discovered on the market. Chief Hall stated that the question at this time is whether to buy a new truck instead of trying to rely on a grant process for which the odds are very low for success.

A discussion followed regarding the importance of having a tanker. The Chief explained that a tanker is possibly the most critical piece of equipment that the department can bring to a fire. David Simmons explained that there are not enough people on the force and the response comes from a few key people that are in town on a daily basis. While the department has several trucks that carry water in varying amounts from 750 gallons to 1500 gallons, there are not enough drivers to bring all of the trucks to a fire. A tanker enables the department to respond with a significant amount of water. Chief Hall explained that the pump can deliver an amount of water per minute that will drain the tank in just a few minutes. Having a tanker will provide the ability to fight a fire for a longer period of time. Mike Borden, Captain explained that fire doubles every 30 seconds. Chief Hall explained that Greenfield does not have a hydrant system so bringing as much water as possible to the scene of a fire is a critically important consideration. David Simmons explained that the town has gone through the grant process twice without any luck. “We have to address this now”, he said.

Mike Borden suggested that the town could look at a plan A and plan B when it comes to the warrant articles. He suggested that the town could look at a warrant article for a new truck and an article for a used truck. There followed a discussion on whether a used truck should be purchased using Capital Reserve Funds. Selectman Atherton stated that this is the first conversation that he was aware of where the Fire Department is leaning toward the purchase of a new tanker. Selectman Atherton asked the fire department “what is the most important vehicle” in the fire service. Chief Hall and other members of the department stated that the tanker is the most important vehicle. Selectman Atherton posed the question of whether the department should look at a low cost vehicle (around $20 thousand) and if the grant cycle fails, purchase new a year from now. There followed a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of purchasing new versus used.

At the conclusion of the conversation, Norm Nickerson suggested that the Selectboard advance a warrant article for a new truck, and if the residents at Town Meeting turn it down, the Selectboard can purchase a used tanker using Capital Reserve funds. The Chair thanked the fire department members for providing a good overview of the department’s needs.

Adjournment

The time being 9:50 pm, The Chair moved to adjourn. Selectman Marshall seconded. All were in favor, and the motion carried 3-0. The meeting adjourned at 9:50 PM.

The minutes are final when approved and signed by the Selectboard. A signed copy is on file in the Selectboard’s office.