|
Warner Budget Committee Meeting Minutes December 17, 2007
Meeting
opened at In
attendance: Mike Cutting - Chair, Marc Violette, Barbara Bartlett,
Harold Whittemore, David Karrick, and Selectman David E. Hartman Absent:
John Warner & Peter Newman Recorder
of the minutes is Mary Whalen Others
present: Laura
Buono – Town Administrator
Paul Violette – Planning Board Richard
A. Cook - Selectman
Jim McLaughlin – Conservation Commission 1. Budget
Committee Member Resignation Barbara
Bartlett submitted a letter of resignation effective 2. Meeting
Minutes Motion
was made to approve meeting minutes dated Motion
was made to approve meeting minutes dated 3. Planning Board
Expenses Mr.
Cutting asked if there is money in the 2008 budget for what will be
discussed this evening. Ms.
Buono explained that there is no money budgeted for the exit 9 capital
expense but there is money being spent in 2007 for the Master Plan.
Paul Violette, Planning Board member began by discussing the
Master Plan. The Planning
Board is working with Central New Hampshire Regional Planning
Commission. Per State
statute Master Plans shall be updated every 5 years, the Town of Mr.
Violette spoke about traffic control for the exit 9 corridor.
The Planning Board is in the process of studying what the needs
are for traffic control, the study will assist the Board of Selectmen in
making a decision. The study
will include the impact of either a traffic light or a roundabout.
Mr. Violette experienced a roundabout in Selectman
Hartman added that the Planning Board is requesting funding for the
Master Plan from the Nancy Sibley Wilkins Fund.
Any additional funding for the Master Plan will be reviewed after
the funding request is addressed on 4. Conservation
Commission $50K Capital Request The
Budget Committee was supplied with information regarding the
Conservation Commission’s $50K request, the information includes
projects that have been worked on, funding received from the town, as
well as future projects. From
2000 - 2007 the Town has funded the Conservation Commission in the
amount of $457,207. Selectman
Hartman believes the reason the Conservation Commission presented this
information is because there was a question at one of the Budget
Committee meetings as to what is the value the town is getting out of
the money that is being appropriated and does the town wish to keep
funding the projects. Mr.
Cutting’s main concern is can the Town afford to continue funding $50K
per year along with the current-use penalties which results in about
$75K per year. Mr. Karrick
added that if the taxpayers as a whole vote not to contribute over and
above the current-use penalty money, people could be urged to contribute
privately to Ausbon Sargent. Selectman
Cook asked Mr. Cutting to show him in this year’s budget what else has
an effect in perpetuity on the future of the Town as well as what else
leverages every $1 that the Town puts in an additional $3.
The Town funded $457K; one total project value is $1,808,000.
Selectman Cook explained that all easements are forever, there is
a State wide effort working towards a minimum of 25% of every community
in the State of Mr.
Cutting recommends prioritizing the capital expenses.
Selectman Cook explained a prioritized capital expense list is
before the committee this evening. The
reason the capital expenses did not include any funding for the Planning
Board is because at the time the Selectmen felt there was not enough
information regarding the exit 9 corridor that would warrant funding.
Since then the Planning Board met with DOT and a plan has been
created which was not considered by the Selectmen prior to this meeting.
Jim
McLaughlin added that the Conservation Commission is completing a
natural resource inventory for the Town, it’s a statutory obligation
the Conservation Commission has to carry out, and $10K has been spent on
this effort which will be available for the Master Plan.
5. 2008 Operating
Budget Ms.
Buono explained that an additional payroll ($38K) has been added to the
operating budget because there are 27 pay periods in 2008. With the
additional payroll the operating budget increased by 4.64% from last
year. 6. 2008 Capital
Expense Conservation
Commission
$50K Police
– New Cruiser
$33,330 Bridges
$25K Highway
Road Construction
$200K – Highway Equipment
$110K - The $110K level funds the Capital Reserve Program for the
next 5 years, the F350 will be replaced with a F550 this year costing
$45K. Mr. Cutting asked if
the vehicle replacement year will be extended and is it necessary to
have two F550’s. Ms. Buono
researched lease agreements and found with the interest payments you end
up paying more. Property
Revaluation
$50K Old
Graded School Roof
$27K Cemetery
$5K Fire Department
Equipment
Selectman Cook explained there was no need to fund for this year,
next year funding will begin at a level pace.
There is no funding for the Building Renovation fund either; it
is not clear what the plan is. Transfer Station
Expansion
$50K – this will go towards the purchase of the land slated for
2008. The State will be
forwarding a cost by the end of the year.
It was recommended to encumber the $10K that is in capital
outlay. Ms. Buono explained
to properly encumber the money it must be indicated with a specific
purpose and exact cost. Transfer Station
Equipment
$22K toward scales. A
pros/cons discussion took place regarding scales.
The total cost for scales is approximately $66K.
The Budget Committee would like to see this cost set aside until
there is a firm plan with the facility. Selectman
Hartman added the Regional Co-op is studying single stream recycling and
if the co-op changes it would be wise for the town to also look at
single stream. Selectman
Cook asked how does the town plan for a re-design of the Transfer
Station. Marc
Violette made a motion to include
$10K for the Traffic Light Reserve in 2008 proposed capital budget.
Motion was seconded. All
were in favor. The motion
passed. David
Karrick made a motion to delete
the $22K for Transfer Station Equipment from the 2008 proposed capital
budget. Motion was
seconded. All were in favor.
The motion passed. Marc
Violette made a motion to amend the Traffic Light Capital Reserve to
Traffic Control Capital Reserve. Ms.
Buono explained the change may require a vote of the town.
The original warrant stated a traffic
control signal, Mr. Violette withdrew the amendment.
Ms. Buono recommends funding a new capital reserve with $20K with
$10K coming from the general fund; discontinue the current Traffic
Control Signal Fund that has $10K which will go back into surplus.
Mr. Cutting feels that would be too complicated for the voters.
Ms. Buono said that is the process to change a name for a reserve
fund, Ms. Buono clarified that it would take 2 warrant articles one with
the new name “Exit 9 Traffic Control” raising $20K, $10K coming from
the general fund and the second warrant would be to vote to discontinue
the current reserve fund for traffic control signal.
With
the indicated changes the capital budget amounts to a 3.34% increase.
7. Mr.
Cutting recollects in 2007 the water district indicated there would be
minimal impact to the water and sewer fees as well as the tax rate in
relationship to the installation of the new tank and reconstruction of
wells etc. Mr. Cutting
is hearing from taxpayers within the precinct that the fees for water
have almost doubled. Selectman
Hartman attended a recent precinct meeting where there was a motion to
not consider taking up the establishment of new rates, and the motion
passed; it was decided to readdress new rates at the March meeting.
Mr. Whittemore attended the same meeting and his take on the
meeting was in a period of 4 years the rates were not increased but the
precinct was experiencing increased costs for materials, etc and if the
rates were raised .65¢
per year in the 4 year period the precinct would not be looking at
increasing the rates as high as they have this year.
Mr. Violette understood that once the storage tank was installed
and operational that would satisfy their needs, at no time was rate
increases discussed, and if the Town as a whole did not help with the
additional needed funds for the tank installation totaling $182K the
precinct would bare the total burden, as a result the Town voted to
absorb the $182K as a whole. Selectman
Cook remembers being said the precinct tax rate would increase
substantially, even with the town absorbing the $182K.
Mr.
Whittemore added if the precinct did not add the new tank and
construction costs the precinct users would not have been impacted as
far as services, so why do the precinct taxpayers have to pay it all.
Mr. Violette explained the precinct needs more money, the best
scenario is to raise the water rates rather than the precinct tax.
Selectman Hartman explained when he was a precinct commissioner
it was decided that it would be best to have the water and sewer
supported by fees, and keep the taxes to a minimum.
Selectman Hartman lives in the precinct and showed over the years
the precinct tax rate accounted for 1% of his tax bill and has jumped to
10% of his tax bill. This
indicates the usage based fee is not working.
8. Meeting
Schedule – All Meetings Begin at Motion
to adjourn at
|