Selectboard Minutes
Minutes
Town of Greenfield
Greenfield Town Offices, 7 Sawmill Road Greenfield, NH
Selectboard’s Minutes
Thursday, May 24, 2018 – 5:30 PM
Selectboard: Chair Robert Marshall, Selectwoman Margaret A. Charig Bliss, Selectwoman Karen Day
Staff: Aaron Patt, Town Administrator;
Public: Kent Vincent
Documents for Review/Approval:
- A/P Check Register – May 23, 2018
- Flags and Bunting Order – Rec. Revolving Acct.
- Minutes of Selectboard Meeting – 5/17/18
- Meeting House Rental – 7/21/2018
- Welfare (2)
5:30 PM: Public Forum
At 5:30 pm, Chairman Robert Marshall opened the meeting. Kent Vincent from Zephyr Lake Road came before the Selectboard during the public forum and discussed an order from the Greenfield Police Department regarding leaves and debris in the Right of Way (ROW) along his property on Zephyr Lake Road. The conversation covered road sweeping by DPW of the sand along the road, and a catch basin near the property that is full and needs attention. Mr. Vincent originally raked the leaves into the ROW, which has a downhill slope because he thought that with the rain and slope, the leaves would get carried away down the street. Mr. Vincent explained that he has been visited by the DPW Road Manager twice and the second time the Police Chief accompanied the DPW Manager. The Police Chief gave Mr. Vincent an order to remove the leaves from the ROW. Mr. Vincent stated that plenty of properties have leaves in the ROW. He wanted to know if the town was enforcing the same standard with everyone. Mr. Vincent wants a clear understanding of the order that he received from the Police Chief. He wanted to know when “the clock started” and how much time he had to comply with the Chief’s order. The Selectboard Chair stated that they would send a letter in the near future that would address the issue.
5:45 PM: Selectboard Work Session
The Selectboard reviewed minutes of the previous meeting and then reviewed the Consent Agenda items. The Board reviewed the minutes of 3/17. The minutes were held pending a review with the Recycling Center Supervisor. The remainder of the Consent Agenda items was approved.
Next the Selectboard discussed and approved the June/July edition of the Greenfield Spirit. The Board reached a consensus that the Spirit would be printed in color.
The Selectboard discussed Gulf and Dodge Roads. The Board requested that comments from Mr. McMahon be received for a name change of the end of Dodge Road to Sundine Road. The Board requested that new numbers for Gulf Road be provided based on that portion of Gulf accessed by Slip Road, be added as an extension to Slip Road. The road numbers would likely change to a continuation of the Slip Road numbers.
The Selectboard held a brief discussion on the Town Clerk’s office. The Board requested that Ann Setaro be contacted to see if she has an interest in training as a municipal agent. The Board discussed and asked for clarification on the Deputy Town Clerk’s summer schedule. The Board requested that the surrounding towns that use Interware be contacted to see if the municipal agents would be interested in working for Greenfield over the summer months.
7:00 PM: Robert Vincent, Resident
At 7:00 pm, Robert Vincent came before the Selectboard. Mr. Vincent provided an overview of the Permanent Exemption for Property Taxes under RSA 72-39-a. Mr. Vincent indicated that he contacted the NH Department of Revenue and was told that the income limits originally voted by the town have been in place since 1999. He stated that the cost of living has gone up significantly in that past 20 years and the income limits associated with the exemption are no longer relevant. Mr. Vincent stated that he read the minutes of the Selectboard meeting when the exemption was discussed and was not in agreement with the Selectboard’s conclusion non-profit/tax exempt organizations in Greenfield have an impact on the tax base, which precluded addressing the income limits. Mr. Vincent compared the cost of the taxes when he moved to Greenfield in 2003 to the cost of taxes today. He stated that he thought the cost of living increased 40% during that time but the property tax exemption parameters have stayed the same. The Chair stated that the Selectboard was appreciative of Mr. Vincent’s explanation. The Chair indicated that based on the explanation, his feeling was that the Board should bring this to Town Meeting in a warrant article for a vote by the residents. He stated that the Selectboard would discuss this in more detail as it gets closer to Town Meeting.
Next the Selectboard discussed the ambulance service. There is an interest in soliciting proposals from Wilton and Antrim. The Board would like to have a letter go out to the two districts so that they can compare the costs against the cost from Peterborough. The Selectboard would like the Fire Chief to craft some of the letter with regards to the amount of activity/number of calls and the call volume of Greenfield. The Selectboard was of a consensus to move forward on this project.
Selectwoman Karen Day reported that the emergency management committee heard from the Elementary School. The school uses a local trail for evacuation. The trail has a tree down blocking one end. The Board agreed that the tree should be removed and a bridge re-built by DPW.
Next, the Board reviewed a request from former DPW Manager Neal Beauregard for a letter of recommendation to his current employer. The Board agreed that the letter could be sent, signed by the Chair.
The Board requested bridge span quotes for School House Road, which has been closed due to a culvert failure. An engineer from the Department of Transportation visited with the Selectboard in the past few years, prior to the failure. At that time there were several suggestions made about how to address the culvert with a temporary bridge that spans the culvert. The costs were significant at that time, but the Board agreed that they should look at the costs again.
Adjournment
The time being 8:40, Selectwoman Charig Bliss motioned to adjourn; Chairman Marshall seconded and the vote was unanimous 3-0.
The minutes are final when approved and signed by the Selectboard. A signed copy is on file in the Selectboard’s office.