Selectboard Minutes
Minutes
Town of Greenfield
Greenfield Town Offices, 7 Sawmill Road Greenfield, NH
Selectboard’s Minutes
Tuesday, January 30, 2018 – 5:30 PM
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, Doug Batty, FD Grant Coordinator
Public: Ken Paulsen, Norm Nickerson
Documents for Review/Approval
- A/P Check Register
- Employee Vacation Request
- Minutes of Selectboard Meeting
- Meeting House Rental
- 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 advised the Selectboard that the town is in need of a mileage policy and referred to several examples that were provided to each of the Selectboard members individually. The Treasurer discussed the Department of Labor “20% rule” as it relates to stipend salaries. Treasurer Heck cautioned the Board that the 20% rule applies to an hourly interpretation as well as annual wages. The Treasurer explained that stipends to the fire department members, including the bunk-in members could trigger a review if the amount of funds dispersed annually reaches a point where a per-hour interpretation would violate the 20% rule. A discussion followed on mileage. The Treasurer explained several key aspects to a good mileage policy. The Selectboard discussed a recent mileage issue involving the fire department. The IRS provides information on several aspects of paying for mileage in their ‘Issues for Firefighters’ manual; however the information does not cover all of the scenarios that were part of a recent mileage request. Selectman Marshall stated that he felt prior to a review of the documents that Treasurer Heck provided, that he had made a good decision. However, after reviewing the additional information that was provided, he said that it apparent that the town has to update its policy and ensure that in the future there is consistency applied to the management of the policy.
At the conclusion of the meeting with the Treasurer, the Selectboard reviewed the question of whether to put a new tanker truck on the warrant. There followed a discussion about whether its preferable for the town to purchase a new or a used truck, based on the finances and the amount of funding in capital reserve funds. Selectman Marshall pointed out that according to the testimony of David Simmons, there are only so many people that respond to a fire, and having a tanker arrive at the scene of a fire is an essential requirement for fighting fires in a rural area.
There followed a discussion on the Town Clerk budget. The Selectboard examined the amount of hours that were available in the Town Clerk Deputy wages line item (at $20.00 per hour there are 100 hours available for use). The Selectboard discussed the Town Clerk Salary and the registration fees. At the conclusion of the discussion, the Board instructed the Administrator to note that the Board would not be adding funds to the Town Clerk budget, but they would be standing by, ready to transfer funding from other parts of the budget. Selectman Marshall stated that in previous years, there have been significant left-over funds at the close of the year. The Selectboard would use funds from other sources to ensure that the Deputy Clerk / municipal agents are able to continue to provide registration services.
Next the Selectboard discussed replacing the Municipal Tractor (MT) and Town Administrator Patt explained that there have not been 3 quotes provided by the dealerships that were contacted. As such it was suggested that the warrant article be tabled and the Selectboard can receive a presentation later in the year. If the presentation is compelling enough they can look at using capital reserve funds for the replacement.
7:00 PM: Fire Department Warrant for Tanker Truck
At 7:10 pm, Fire Chief David Hall and members of the fire department were in attendance. Chief Hall provided the history on two grant applications that the Fire Department has written for a new tanker. Grant submissions were unsuccessful in 2016 and 2017. The cost-benefit-ratio of a new tanker, compared to Greenfield’s population size was showing as a deficiency in the grant applications. Chief Hall has found a lower cost tanker that is in the neighborhood of $240,000 versus the original cost estimates that started at $380,000.
Doug Batty, the Fire Department Grant Coordinator, explained that the cost of the Midwest Fire tanker improves the grant scoring process should the town decide to apply for a tanker grant. He said that the Fire Department is currently looking at applying for two grants. The first is a tanker grant and the second is a grant for implementing an exhaust system in the fire station bays. A lengthy discussion followed about the grant process and Mr. Batty’s experience working with FEMA. Mr. Batty provided additional details about how a warrant article for a new truck would effect a grant application. Ken Paulsen offered that the tanker is a necessity for the Fire Department and from Mr. Batty’s reports the chance of success with the grant, even with the score improvement, is so low, that it might be better if Greenfield looked at other alternatives. A discussion followed and Selectman Marshall said the bottom line is that the town needs to put a tanker on the road. There followed a discussion on whether the town should look at a used tanker truck instead of a new truck. Selectman Atherton stated that in his opinion the town should ‘go with used, but the townspeople need to have the conversation and make that decision’. At the conclusion of the discussions, Selectman Atherton, in order to advance a public conversation about whether to purchase new or to purchase a used truck, made a motion to advance to the warrant an article providing for a capital lease purchase with $100,000 from Capital Reserve Funds as a down payment and six additional payments following. Selectman Marshall seconded the motion. The vote passed 3-0 to advance a capital lease purchase program to the warrant.
Chief Hall left the meeting and the Selectboard continued discussions with the Fire Department members. After a lengthy discussion, members of the Fire Department commented that going with a used tanker might be better financially. There was some discussion regarding the motion that had passed prior to Chief Hall’s departure. It was felt that the Selectboard should continue to advance the warrant article as voted and that there could be further guidance from the Public Budget Hearing.
The Selectboard thanked the Fire Department members for attending the meeting.
Adjournment
The time being 8:55 pm, The Chair moved to adjourn. Selectman Marshall seconded. All were in favor, and the motion carried 3-0. The meeting adjourned at 8:55 PM.
The minutes are final when approved and signed by the Selectboard. A signed copy is on file in the Selectboard’s office.
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