Salisbury Selectmen’s Meeting Summary

                                                 Selectmen’s Meeting Summary
                                                             March 4, 2020
Chairman Ken Ross-Raymond Present
Selectman John W. Herbert Present
Selectman Jim Hoyt Present
Town Administrator April Rollins Present
Municipal Assistant Jill Colardeau Present

Visitors: Jerry Williams, Marcia Murphy, Gayle Landry, Bill MacDuffie Jr. and Sharon MacDuffie.     

Chair Ross-Raymond opened the meeting at 6:00 PM.  

Review & Approval of Draft Minutes:

• February 19, 2020 - Selectman Herbert made a motion to approve the February 19, 2020 meeting summary.  Seconded by Selectman Hoyt.  All voted in favor.

Signatures:
o Review Accounts Payable & Payroll Registers - 
• Selectman Herbert questioned a bill to Donahue, Tucker and Ciandella.  TA Rollins noted it was for attorneys resolving the telecommunications lawsuit and we are charged with a percentage of those fees. 
• Selectman Herbert asked about a bill from Clarke & Co.  TA Rollins noted it was likely sand and salt and she could verify with him tomorrow.  
• Chair Ross-Raymond made a motion to approve Accounts Payable from March 3rd, 2020 totaling $216,701.72.  Selectman Hoyt seconded.  All voted in favor.

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• Chair Ross-Raymond made a motion to approve the Payroll Registers of $6,609.59 from February 27th 2020.  Selectman Herbert seconded.   All voted in favor.

• TA Rollins noted the Board was signing a NH DOT Agreement for driver feedback radar signs for the intersection of Route 4 and Route 127 so we can move ahead and purchase them.
• TA Rollins noted the Board was signing a second letter to the NH DOT requesting the removal of the passing lane on Route 127 where the speed limit changes from 30 - 40 mph. 
• The MVHS Equestrian Team requested a waiver on the rental fee to use the Town Hall for a fundraiser.  Chair Ross-Raymond made a motion to waive the rental fee of $250.00 for the MVHS Equestrian Team.  Selectman Hoyt seconded.  All voted in favor.  
• TA Rollins noted the Board was signing a Report to Cut File for 25 Michaels Lane. 

Other:
• Chair Ross-Raymond noted the Conservation Commission is having a meeting on April 23rd at 7 PM at Academy Hall regarding home water testing.  It was noted around 40 people had their water tested last year.  He encourages people to attend the meeting or contact Dave Kelly at #490-0271 if more information is needed.  

• Chair Ross-Raymond noted the letter being sent to the NH DOT is asking them to consider removing a passing lane on Route 127, which is close to a half mile before approaching the center section.  At the end of the passing zone the speed limit sign drops down to 30 mph, with a dip in the road and an obstructed view while ascending the hill. 




Transfer Station:
• TS Manager Williams noted he has contacted NRRA to dispose of tires collected at the Transfer Station.  He noted the NRRA has open containers for tire storage available for rental.  The rental cost per year is $2,450.00 or around $200.00/month.  The NRRA cost of hauling tires away would not be included in the container rental fee.  For an additional charge the NRRA does have a cover for the container.  The tires need to be dry and covered per the NRRA for disposal.  Currently, tires are not covered.

• TS Manager Williams noted Colby Lumber has a 48’ closed trailer, structurally sound with working doors, which could be purchased for $500.00 to store tires in.  The brakes however and half the lights are not working.  General discussion on a wrecker or towing company to haul it on a flatbed truck or tow it with temporary lights.  TS Manager Williams to research options on how it could be moved and cost involved.

• TS Manager Williams presented a new price list from NRRA on Charges for Tire Disposal with a couple of small changes in recycling fees.  TA Rollins noted the new price list has been posted on the Town website.  Chairman Ross-Raymond noted we would need to schedule a public hearing on the proposed price changes before instituting the new charges for disposing of tires.  TA Rollins requested TS Manager Williams to compare last year’s figures to this years’ figures.  TA Rollins noted she would schedule this discussion for our next meeting.

• Selectman Hoyt received a Proposed Hauling & Disposal Service quote from Naughton & Son Recycling which includes tipping fees per ton and transportation/hauling costs for a 3-year duration.  They also rent open top containers at $200.00 per month.  TA Rollins asked TS Manager Williams to compare the quote from Naughton & Son Recycling with last year’s invoices from NRRA to see if there would be any savings.  TA Rollins noted the NRRA agreement runs out at the end of this year. 

• Wheelabrator Technologies, waste transportation company, sent a notice regarding truck re-numbering for their Scale System Conversion due to mergers and acquisitions.
 
• TA Rollins noted she requested three signs from ‘New Hampshire the Beautiful’ totaling 37 points for the Transfer Station.  Signage allowance is based on a point system and allows up to 60 points per year for free signage, but we would need to pick them up.  TA Rollins noted she would be ordering a larger sign next year for the entrance of the Transfer Station which is a different form and uses all of the points allowed within a year. 

Department Updates: 
o Fire Chief MacDuffie, Jr. -
• Chair Ross-Raymond noted he stopped by the Safety Building on Monday and wanted to thank Chief MacDuffie, Jr. and the crew for their commitment and hard work on the newly acquired ambulance to get it ready for inspection.  Chief MacDuffie, Jr. noted the ambulance passed inspection the next day.  

• Fire Chief MacDuffie, Jr. noted the old ambulance has been advertised at $20,000.00.  Fire Chief MacDuffie, Jr. and TA Rollins noted 4 to 5 people have expressed interest in the ambulance.

• TA Rollins noted she received Garneau’s written estimate for re-keying the doors at the Safety Building for $1,978.00 and $648.00 for the exterior and interior door at the Selectmen’s Office at Academy Hall.  TA Rollins noted this will simplify and reduce the number of keys.  Selectman Hoyt made a motion to approve the estimate of $2,626.00 from Garneau for re-keying doors at the Safety Building and at Academy Hall.  Selectman Herbert seconded.  All voted in favor.

• Chair Fire Chief MacDuffie, Jr. noted the FEMA radio grant they have been working on has been submitted.

• TA Rollins noted she would schedule a work session/administrative meeting on March 16th at 4 PM at the Safety Building, so Lt. Tom Ciccarello would be able to attend, to go over policies and procedures on the corona virus.  The Select Board decided the work session should be posted and open to the public.  


o Road Agent MacDuffie, Jr. -
• Road Agent MacDuffie, Jr. noted North Road will be finished this year.  Selectman Herbert asked if the paved section of Raccoon Hill Road would be scheduled for paving and if the road to the Transfer Station would be paved or not.  Road Agent MacDuffie, Jr. noted just an overlay on West Salisbury Road is $125,000.00 and due to be done this year.  He noted the road had been reclaimed before and should have been paved ten years ago.  He noted there is barely enough money to keep up with the paved roads, unless the maintenance portion of the budget increases drastically.  Paved roads are initially expensive and over time expensive to maintain but maintenance costs on dirt roads add up over time.  

New Business:
• Nothing at this time. 

Old Business: 
o Personnel Policy/Review of Amendments/Vote to Approve & Vote to Discontinue Absorbed Policies - 

• The Board of Selectmen reviewed the updated Personnel Policy with amendments after Town Counsel review.  Selectman Herbert noted, since Salisbury is a small town where people are related, he would like to strike the second paragraph under Employment of Relatives on page 11 of the policy which states:

         Due to marriage or other reasons, employees who are hired or become related after the effective date of this policy may find themselves in positions that conflict with this policy.  A reasonable effort will be made to adjust the workflow to reduce the appearance of conflict.  Such accommodations must still meet business needs.  In the event workflow cannot be adjusted and conflict or an appearance of conflict persists, it may be necessary for one or both employees to resign or be separated. 

• Chair Ross-Raymond noted he would like to change the word ‘Company’ to ‘Town’ on page 37 under the section of Disciplinary Actions of the policy.    
 
• Chair Ross-Raymond made a motion to accept the Personnel Policy with the amended changes.  Selectman Hoyt seconded.  All voted in favor.

o Ramp & Railing at Academy Hall - 
• Chair Ross-Raymond wanted to make his case regarding keeping the railings we have but to repair and reuse them to save some money.  He has spoken with Building Inspector Bodien and noted by doing this we could put them back just as they are and they should last as long or longer at no cost.  The cost to replace them is $8,500.00.  Chair Ross-Raymond noted he can repair and reuse the old railings and paint them to meet our needs and they will look nice without replacing them.  Chair Ross-Raymond noted the Town’s surplus fund is down this year and we need to watch our spending.  Next year we could end up with a low surplus and the possibility of a cost increase from the school district.  We need to be mindful since we could end up with a $1.00 increase in our tax rate.

• Selectman Hoyt noted he would like to add a third railing to bring it up to current code and noted the existing railings over time will continue to rust.  He noted after spending money on the new ramp we should make sure the railings are done correctly and are ADA compliant.

• Selectman Herbert agreed to repair the current railings and paint the railings to save around $8,500.00.  Selectman Herbert noted Chair Ross-Raymond should be reimbursed for the cost of materials.
• Chair Ross-Raymond made a motion to donate his time and materials to repair the existing railing and paint the entire railing at Academy Hall at no cost to the Town.  Selectman Herbert seconded the motion.  All voted in favor. 

Selectmen’s Report: 
• Chair Ross-Raymond asked TA Rollins to explain the Carbonite computer back-up system.  TA Rollins noted the Carbonite program automatically backs up files on computers nightly at the Safety Building and Academy Hall.  She noted we are waiting to install Carbonite on the Town Clerk’s computer since we are waiting on the State IT department to come in within a month or so to install the Clerk Works program and then we can update the Town Clerk’s computer at this time.

• TA Rollins noted the fax option on the copier was installed by Twin River Office Machines so people are able to receive faxes from the copier and send faxes from their desktops and it works well.

• TA Rollins noted she is looking into an Adobe Pro program to recreate the Town Report by scanning 
the original pages into the copier and formatting it into a PDF to put on the Town website.  If not, recreating the Town Report with corrections to the Town Warrants and corrected figures on the Abatement table on the Tax Collector’s report, which was recreated and copied incorrectly.  TA Rollins noted getting a revised copy with the correction posted on the Town website.  TA Rollins noted maybe around 50 went out without the corrections but the Warrant Articles have been printed and inserted in the Town Reports for Town Meeting.

• Chair Ross-Raymond noted he will address the errors prior to the start of Town Meeting.  He noted it is a lot of work and is the first year MA Colardeau had worked on this report, noting mistakes are to be expected.  He thanked TA Rollins for her work and help on the Town Report. 

Police Coverage:
• TA Rollins noted she has contacted the Merrimack County Sherriff’s Office about dispatch rates for police coverage but has not heard back from them yet.  

• Chair Ross-Raymond was asked by Selectman Hoyt how dispatch rates might change if we were to contract with the Webster Police for additional patrol time.  Chair Ross-Raymond noted we are dispatched through the Sherriff’s Department and does not think we would have any change except where they send their calls to.  TA Rollins noted the Webster Police Chief asked us to contact them so they could give us an estimate for 20 hours of coverage.  Chair Ross-Raymond noted there are still many questions to be answered and he would like more information for any questions that might arise at Town Meeting.  Chair Ross-Raymond and Selectman Hoyt had spoken with the Webster Chief of Police some months ago to find out what they would contract services to us for in case these questions came up next week.  They gave us a contract price for 20 hours a week for patrolling at $74,000.00 a year.  Chair Ross-Raymond noted if people are aware that we were going to contract with the Webster Police for services, then they would call Webster and any calls over the 20 hours a week we would probably end up getting billed for.  Chair Ross-Raymond noted no one should be calling the Webster Police Department because we are not contracted with them for services currently.

• Selectman Hoyt noted he has spoken with the Webster Chief of Police and was told they have 3 codes or types of calls.   One example could be an animal noise nuisance call which the police would check out the next time an officer was on duty.  He noted anytime they are not patrolling, all other calls would go directly to the State Police which they would take care of.  Selectman Hoyt noted he received questions a while ago regarding police coverage in town and wanted some answers to those questions in order to respond to them correctly. 

• Selectman Herbert noted even when we had a 40 hour a week police department most calls went to the NH State Police. 
• Marcia Murphy asked what the hourly rate was for the NH State Police.  TA Rollins noted the NH State Police charges a range between $58.00 to $74.00/hr. depending on the rank of the officer who responds to the call.  Chair Ross-Raymond noted we would not be able to get an exact figure for 20 hours a week since rates could vary depending on the officer’s rank responding to a call.  

• Chair Ross-Raymond noted back in 2013 at Town Meeting Salisbury citizens voted down a Police Department for the town.

• Chair Ross-Raymond noted he has spoken to NH State Police Lt. Chad Lavoie who suggested they could offer more hours if we needed them.

• TA Rollins to proceed on the dispatch fees and check on the total cost spent in 2019 for NH State Police coverage at 20 hours a week.  She noted our last invoice was $325.00.

• The Board agreed the cost of a full-time police department would be astronomical. 

• Selectman Hoyt noted NH State Police Lt. Chad Lavoie has spoken with Bill Lambert at NH DOT regarding a 4-way stop sign at the intersection of Route 4 and Route 127.

• Chair Ross-Raymond noted we are on a list to have the state put a median strip on Route 4 which would slow drivers down near the intersection and we are in the 10th year of the 10-year plan. 

• TA Rollins noted she had filled out a 10-year plan application a few years ago for a median strip with signage because of the Charette Program. 

• Selectman Hoyt noted he has spoken with the Director of NH DOT and noted the director said stop signs have not proven to slow traffic down.

• Chair Ross-Raymond spoke with Mike Tardiff from the CNHRPC who noted the speed count traffic survey was normal and every town has a speeding issue but also noted driver feedback signs work.  Chair Ross -Raymond noted no matter how much police coverage we have we will still have speeders.  He noted the Town of Boscawen has 6 - 7 police officers and they still average around 141 speeding stops monthly.
 
• TA Rollins noted she will check with other companies for driver feedback signs and their costs.

• Chair Ross-Raymond noted he does not feel it is necessary to contract for more police coverage since no one in the last 10 years has complained or raised concerns to the Board regarding police coverage.  Not one person has attended a BOS meeting, written a letter or called the Board to complain with an exception of a recent post on the citizens Facebook page.  Chair Ross-Raymond noted if any citizen has any concerns, they are urged to contact us.

• Selectman Hoyt noted as a Select Board, citizens will ask you questions and since you are elected to do a job and the homework involved, you need to have legitimate answers for them.  Chair Ross-Raymond agreed you need to give out accurate information.   Selectman Hoyt noted we could pursue it further by talking with the Chief of Police in Webster to find out exactly what they are proposing more so than what is written on paper.

• Selectman Hoyt has questions regarding court costs with the Webster Police Department and the NH State Police, what the Webster PD would charge for 20 hrs. a week and or for additional coverage, and if we had our own police officer how much the cost would be. 

• Chair Ross-Raymond noted if we spend $74,000.00 a year for 20 hours strictly for patrolling that’s a good answer to questions on police coverage but I wonder how accurate it is since we can be charged for court costs and prosecutors.  If they are in court handling a case for Webster, then there would be no charge.   

• Selectman Herbert noted summing up the cost of around $74,000.00 a year for police coverage for about an eight of the time.  

Town Administrator’s Report: 
• TA Rollins noted the fire alarm system at Academy Hall went off last weekend while she was in Bedford having duplicate keys made for a couple of new employees.  Pete Ballou, Margaret Warren and Joe Schmidl were still on Mango Alarm Systems contact list.  TA Rollins has updated the contact list by removing Pete, Margaret and Joe. TA Rollins noted she is first on the list, then Chair Raymond is listed and she will add Selectman Hoyt to the contact list should it happen again.  TA Rollins also noted she updated the contact list for the Safety Building by removing Margaret and Ken and noted the Chief, Deputy Chief an both Captains would be contacted by Mango Alarm Systems should their alarm go off.

• TA Rollins noted Judy Elliott has resigned as our representative for the Franklin VNA.  There are two other FVNA representatives living in Salisbury but she is not sure if the VNA will select a third representative for the Town.
Public Comments:
• Gayle Landry asked if the new keys could be copied.  She noted it might be a good idea to re-key every so often after a number of years to eliminate extra keys.  TA Rollins noted she has had to copy the new keys for employees.  She also noted a new key list will be done and the security cameras at Academy Hall should be installed soon.  

• TA Rollins noted the back door is locked and she unable to find the key for it, which is different shape than a regular key.  Chair Ross-Raymond and Selectman Hoyt noted they will fix the back door at Academy Hall.   Chair Ross-Raymond noted the crash bar may be locked.  TA Rollins will look into it more.

• TA Rollins noted with the warmer weather coming the crew should be starting on the concrete ramp soon at Academy Hall and be able to complete the ramp within a day.  They will call the week before to schedule a date.

Adjournment:
Selectman Herbert made a motion to adjourn at 7:25 PM.  Selectman Hoyt seconded.  All voted in favor.


Respectfully submitted: 
Jill Colardeau, Municipal Assistant


Meeting Summary reviewed and accepted at the March 18, 2020 meeting.
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Selectmen, Town of Salisbury
Rec. - Folder A - 802 0065