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Town of Littleton

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Littleton, NH 03561
Phone: 603.444.3996
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2010 Meeting Minutes and Agendas

Board of Selectmen

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Approved Minutes Jun 2, 2010

TOWN OF LITTLETON
BOARD OF SELECTMEN’S MEETING
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 2010
4:00 PM
LITTLETON OPERA HOUSE

Present: Town Manager Chuck Connell, Chairman Ron Bolt, Vice Chairman Ed Boynton, Selectman Marghie Seymour, Executive Secretary Ceil Stubbings

Others Present: Bob O’Conner (Channel 2), Robert Blechl (The Caledonian Record), Amy Hatfield (Town Assessing Officer), Joe Wiggett (Town Tax Collector), Eddy Moore, Mary Edick, Paul Smith (Police Chief), Chad Stearns (Chamber of Commerce), Linda Massimilla, Bill Sencabaugh, Scotty Farquharson, Jim Daly

Chairman Bolt called the meeting to order at 4:00 PM.

Pledge of Allegiance

Bolt made an administrative note stating the meeting would not go beyond 5:30 PM due to the Public & Bond Hearing being held at 6:00 PM that night at the Littleton High School Cafeteria.

Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes:
Revised Draft Minutes May 19, 2010.
Bolt stated the above minutes had been revised but the board has not had time to review the changes. Bolt recommended the board defer approving the minutes until the June 16th meeting. Seymour moved to defer approving the minutes until the next meeting. Boynton seconded the motion. The motion passed 3-0.

Feedback from Last Meeting:
Bolt said they have not met since the last meeting. They did meet as the Board of Assessors on the 25th of May. At that time they approved three sewer use abatements due to the running water program. The board deferred on two other sewer abatements due to some questions the board has. There were two properties where the water was completely turned off so the board approved refunds for those two cases. There was a request to abate the interest on a late property tax payment due to hardship. Bolt said the request was denied due to the lack of evidence of any hardship in the application.

Bolt said the budget committee had asked whether or not we would pass on the entire projected tax increase to the taxpayer. Bolt said the board advised at that meeting that they already had some actions underway in dealing with ways to save money and increase revenue. Those actions are still underway and at the appropriate time the board would bring them forward to the public. They are also still working to define an acceptable level of service. Bolt said they were working on a possible survey but have yet to determine how the survey would be distributed. The survey would be an opportunity for the public to convey department by department their feelings on the levels of service.

Bolt said they were also asked by the Chamber, Opera House Management Commission and the Town Building Renovation Committee to provide comments on the draft MOU (Memorandum of Understanding). He then asked Seymour if she knew the status of the MOU. Seymour said she has been in contact with Chad Stearns and they were both going to work on some changes to the document. Seymour would email the amended draft copy of the MOU to the Town Manager.

Bolt said that he had requested to have a written procedure on the board of selectmen for disclosure of records. Connell asked if that was restricted to governmental records or just the board of selectmen. Bolt said it would apply to all governmental records. Connell said he has not had time to work on the request.

Bolt said at the last meeting they had said they would setup a work session for the three of them to work out their differences. That has not happened yet. They are working out the details of how they could have such a meeting and have not yet come to a conclusion. Bolt said they also asked about the position on the Police Building Committee. Connell said the committee would be at the June 16th meeting. Bolt then asked Seymour how things were coming along with the regional seminar on the Right to Know Law. Seymour reported that she was still working on finding twenty people to attend.



Appointments: Maximum time per appointment is 15 minutes
Eddy Moore – Ethics Code
Moore provided Bolt with a copy of the board’s code of ethics. Moore told Bolt he could take Moore’s comments as constructive criticism or anyway he wants to. Moore said the code of ethics was signed by all three selectmen and finalized on April 7th. Moore then made reference to number four and number seven of the code. Moore said his comments were directly pointed to Chairman Ron Bolt. Moore said that at the last meeting Bolt and Boynton were having a discussion and a disagreement. Moore said he was concerned with the running of the meeting. Moore said he heard a lot of static coming from behind him. Moore said it was critical not to have other interferences coming in from the background without the chairman’s knowledge. Moore said at that time he said as loud as he could “is there going to be any order in this courtroom”. Moore said he then shook his chair to get Bolt’s attention and asked Bolt if he was the chairman. Moore said that Bolt looked at him as if he were from another planet. Moore said right after that everyone was quiet which is how it should be. Moore said the other subject he had goes back to number four of the ethic code. Moore said he came in with good intentions of giving Bolt some information regarding the email policy. Moore said he distributed the information to the board and told Bolt that if he did not have time to read it then that was fine. Moore said that at this point Bolt told him he did not have an appointment so he then sat down. Moore said he did not think that was proper. Moore said what the board now for an email policy is even better then the information he had provided. Bolt said that Moore came forward at a point in time when we were going to discuss a board policy. Bolt said the policy had already been drafted and had contained the information that Moore had brought forward and offered. Bolt said there was nothing new that advanced the boards understanding of it. Bolt said he did not feel it was appropriate for a citizen to come into a discussion the board was having on policy. Bolt said it was not a public hearing and they were not asking for input. Bolt then thanked Moore for his input.

Chad Stearns – Art Show & Parade
Chad Stearns said at the last BOS meeting they had discussed Opera House tours. Stearns said he has given it some thought and came up with a plan. Stearns said that on Wednesday’s at 2:00 PM he would provide tours to anyone who is interested. The tour would encompass the Chamber Office, the venue and the common areas. There would be separate tours for those who could not attend at that time.

Stearns said the 41st annual Art Show will be held on September 25th. For the last five or six years it has been held on Mill Street and the Riverwalk pathway and it has declined every year. They would like to bring it back to Main Street where it held been held for over thirty years. Stearns said he has met with the Police and Fire Chief’s to see what needed to be done. They need spaces that are thirteen feet wide, ten for the tents and three for pedestrian traffic. Stearns said they were also cognizant of egress. They have identified twenty-five spaces where they feel they would meet the requirements. Stearns said he strongly feels it should be back on Main Street. Stearns said there were a few items they needed the BOS blessing on. One is to have the meters bagged on that day and the second item is to suspend limited parking and the third is permission to use the sidewalks. There then ensured a discussion on the use of the sidewalks and the suspended parking. All three selectmen said they were on board with the request. No vote was necessary.

Chad Stearns said he was there to represent Dennis Hartwell who was unable to attend the meeting. Stearns said he was here to express concerns for the Summerfest parade, which would be held on June 13th. Stearns said there was some concern on the funding for the detail. Dennis Hartwell has had to cancel a few things this year because the revenue is down. If he had known earlier that the town would not fund the parade this year he would have budgeted for it but he did not have time to put it into the fund raising scheme. After some discussion Bolt asked for a motion. Seymour made the motion to fund the safety detail for the Summerfest parade. Boynton seconded the motion. The motion failed by a vote of 3-0.

Citizen’s Concerns: None

Spotlight on Departments:
Joe Wiggett – Tax Collector
Joe Wiggett talked about the collection of property taxes and how these difficult times have affected the taxpayer’s ability to pay. Wiggett provided the percentages collected from 2003. From January 2, 2003 through April 30, 2003, they collected 98.8% of the property taxes. The following is the percentages raised by year: 2004 they collected 98.32%. 2005 they collected 97.62%. 2006 they collected 98.29%. 2007 they collected 98.22%. 2008 they collected they collected 97.32%. 2009 they collected 97.34%. Wiggett said that during that same time any taxes from the previous year that were not paid for were substantial. The last warrant was for roughly $400,040. Liens are put on for anything that is unpaid for the previous year in May. Wiggett said that in 2003 the lien was for $225,247. The following are the lien amounts per year: 2004 the lien was for $187,230. 2005 the lien was for $266,264. Wiggett said that was a difference of $79,000 in one year. 2006 the lien was for $264,000. 2007 the lien was for $226,000. 2008 the lien was for $278,983. 2009 it was for $427,000. Wiggett said he believes the increase in liens is due to the downturn in the economy. Wiggett said the 2010 lien that they just did was for $355,000. Mary Edick asked what percentage of the liens is collected. Wiggett said they collect all of it or they have the authority to deed the property to the town. Wiggett said unpaid taxes accrue eighteen percent interest plus penalties. Wiggett said the other thing he wanted the public to be aware of is the state of New Hampshire has the lowest moderate tax relief policy. Wiggett said in order to quality for the program the income level is $20,000 for a single person or less and married is $40,000 or less. Wiggett said his office would assist anyone to complete the form. This year the maximum is $254 that they can get because the state has continued to cut that amount over the last year. Wiggett said that money goes directly to the taxpayer not to the town even if the taxes are not paid.

Amy Hatfield – Assessing Department
Amy Hatfield stated Vision Appraisal has updated the reval and the sales. This week a commercial appraiser will be out and in two weeks a residential appraiser will be out visiting properties. Hatfield said the whole project should be completed by September. Bolt asked if they are going to all of the houses and if you are required to let them into your house. Hatfield said they would do all of the homes and it was not a requirement to let the appraisers into the home but you should. Hatfield said it is to your benefit to let them in. Eddy Moore asked if there would be an appeal process. Hatfield said yes. Chuck Connell stated that before the informal hearings there would be property cards available for all of the properties. The information would also be online for those who have access. Hatfield went on to explain about blind and elderly exemptions and veteran credits. She then went over current use and the timber tax applications. Hatfield advised that she is the one who prepares the tax bills and the water and sewer bills. Joe Wiggett said that he has been very fortunate to have Amy in the assessing department.

Town Manager’s Report:
Main Street
Connell said the weather forecast for Sunday was rain so the paving would be done on Monday night instead of Sunday. Tuesday night they would do the side streets. Connell said that everything is looking good for a walk through on June 16th with a meeting to be held on June 17th to go through the punch list.

Highland Avenue Bridge
Connell said they have received approval for the DES permit, which had been amended. The town should receive the permit in the next few days. The easements are in progress and they can now order the culvert. The culvert is seventy feet long and should take a week to install. When the project is completed the town will have a good gravel road over the culvert.

Redington Street Bridge
Connell said the easements have been signed and recorded. By the end of June Sally Gunn who is the project engineer will submit the plans to the DOT for their comment. Connell said he would work with Gunn to set up a public hearing. Connell said the project is on schedule and will go out to bid in August.

Riverwalk Pathway
Connell said the easements are being finalized and submitted to two property owners who abut the project. The final plan will be submitted to the DOT in August.

Old Business:
Review & Approve Email Policy
Bolt stated that two weeks ago a draft email policy was presented to the board. Bolt asked if there were any suggested changes to the policy. Bolt asked for a motion to accept the email policy. Boynton made the motion to accept the email policy. Seymour seconded the motion. The motion passed 3-0.

New Business:
Bolt said the Planning Board decided to recommend Arwen Mitton be appointed as a fulltime member of the Planning Board. Allie Gaulin would remain as the alternate bringing the board to seven fulltime members with one alternate. Bolt said he had no problem with this and asked for someone to make the motion. Boynton said that he had talked to Charlie Ryan after the meeting about this and Ryan had told Boynton that Mitton was only appointed a voting member for the meeting that occurred yesterday. Boynton said he was going to make a motion to appoint Allie Gaulin. Bolt said that Seymour was also at the Planning Board meeting and asked her what her interpretation was. Seymour said that she heard the chairman of the Planning Board say that he was appointing Arwen Mitton as a fulltime member of the board. Ed Boynton said he would abstain from the vote. Seymour said that she also had to abstain from the vote. Bolt asked Seymour why she was abstaining. Seymour said she had a problem with the Zoning and Planning Boards in town and did not feel she should make appointments. Boynton said it was not personal but that he did have a problem with Arwen because of her belief in controls and regulations. Boynton said he feels we have too many controls already and he could not support Mitton’s way of thinking. Boynton made the motion that Allie Gaulin be the fulltime member of the Planning Board. Bolt said he would not second the motion. Bolt said he would prefer to go with the recommendation of the chairman. Bolt told Boynton that he did not feel it was fair he would not accept Mitton on the board because he did not agree with her views. Connell advised the board was at a loggerhead but the board could continue as it is with two alternates. Connell recommended they keep the board as is until there was a resolution to the differences of opinion. Bolt said he was disappointed with Boynton for not being open-minded and not seeking a balance on the board. Bolt then tabled the issue. Bolt asked if there was anything else to come before the board. There were no take-away actions. Seymour had one question. Seymour said it had to do with the Board of Assessors and asked them if they had seen a copy of the letter to the Water & Light. Bolt said they had no time to discuss it tonight. Boynton made the motion to adjourn. Seymour seconded the motion. Motion passed 3-0. The meeting adjourned at 5:26 PM.

Respectfully submitted
Ceil Stubbings
















Littleton has functioned as a Board of Selectmen/Town Manager form of government since 1976.

The Littleton Board of Selectmen meets the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 4:00 PM at the Littleton Community House - Heald Room.

If you would like to be put on the agenda for an upcoming Selectmen's meeting, please contact Ceil Stubbings. Please be prepared with all information needed for the Selectmen to make a decision no later than the Friday before the Selectmen's meeting

Members

Ronald J. Bolt, Chairman
Edward C. Boynton, Vice Chairman
Marghie M. Seymour, Selectman

Selectmen's Email: selectmen@townoflittleton.org

Executive Secretary for the Board of Selectmen:

Ceil Stubbings
cstubbings@townoflittleton.org
125 Main Street
Suite 200
Littleton, NH 03561
603.444.3996 x15
603.444.1703 (fax)

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