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Bethlehem Board of Selectmen
Meeting Minutes
Bethlehem Selectmen Office
December 19, 2016
Present: Chairman Glavac, Selectman Blanchard, Selectman Laleme, Selectman Ubaldo.
Chairman Glavac opened the meeting at 6:06.
Road Agent, Brett Jackson, came before the Board to talk with the Board about purchasing a hot box for cold patch. He said it keeps the hot top good longer and cost $68.00/ton for hot top versus $135.00 for cold patch which is approx. a $2600.00 savings in one year. He said he found a used hot box for $14,000.00 which is a very good price and found a similar one for $37,950.00. He asked the Board if he had money left in the budget to purchase the one for $14,000.00. Chairman Glavac moved to purchase hot box if money is left over for $14,000.00. Selectman Blanchard seconded. Selectman Ubaldo asked how much it holds and Mr. Jackson said it holds 4 tons. Mr. Jackson said they would only have to travel locally if they purchased the hot box because they go to Gorham for the cold patch. Selectman Laleme said it would pay for itself in 6 years. Carried 4-0.
Chairman Glavac said the Board will review the host agreement and the changes from the last meeting. Chairman Glavac moved to accept the agreement as written. Selectman Blanchard seconded.
HCA – 3.1 -At ratification it will be $1.00 per ton and on NCES’s acceptance of MSW in stage VI $1.25 per ton.
3.2 – CPI (consumer price index) reviewed every year.
3.4 – Board had asked that this change to stage 6 but it remained stage 7.
4.- Road sand – remained the same.
5.3 – wording change –from shall to endeavor. Increased the funding to $150,000.00 for the first two years and keep it at $100,000.00 for the last three years.
5.4.1 – added fee of $1.00.
5.4.1.1 – Stayed the same.
6 – Changed to the $250,000 that the Board requested.
10 – NCES will pay cost of noticing.
12 – Double negative was corrected.
Property protection plan was removed from the agreement. Selectman Laleme said the Board didn’t take that out; they had a word change and changed the date. She said they (NCES) responded by taking out the section and now people don’t have the option any more to sell property to the landfill
15 – It is now #14 – Impact fees – Planning Board has mechanism to determine impact fees.
Chairman Glavac said with the combination of taxes and tipping fees for this year it equals approx. $2.50 per ton so with this agreement it will more than double and said the tipping is 2/3 over what we have now. He said we can lease the transfer station for $1.00/year after closure, $250,000 for recreation and said the original proposal was for 45 million and is now over 53 million.
Selectman Laleme said she struggles with this and wanted to go to voters first before negotiating and said the process was difficult. She said it is a long term contract for 20 years with millions of tons of trash and lots of money. She said we can’t make up that amount of money. Selectman Laleme said the tax rate without NCES and using the fund balance would have been approx. $33.00 this year. She said she doesn’t see, hear or smell the landfill but understands how it does affect people. She said in 2012 she promoted it as the end all and believed that at the time and as an individual she doesn’t want it. As a Selectman she said she needed to also look at the other side on how the increased tax rate affects people on fixed incomes and could cause people to lose their home. She said she believes in democratic vote and believes people will be informed enough to vote. Selectman Laleme said we need to plan for the future and is concerned about home protection. She said there are 1830 registered voters and asked that people don’t make it personal on how people vote on this. She said the Board pushed back hard and got what they could and said there are two sides, how we personally feel, and how to keep the town solvent. She said they didn’t do this lightly.
Selectman Ubaldo said Selectman Laleme encompassed what they all feel and said 1800 voters will have the chance to vote on it. He said it is in his backyard and said all voters deserve to vote. Selectman Ubaldo said the Board worked hard on it to present to the voters.
Selectman Blanchard said this was very difficult and because he lives near the landfill he can hear it and sometimes smell it. He said he was on the Board that negotiated and also thought it was an end all and an end to divisiveness. He said he has talked to a lot of people that are fearful of increased taxes.
Selectman Laleme said the motion said to accept the contract but the 2012 agreement didn’t go on the warrant. It was explained this time the agreement will go on warrant along with the zoning article changes.
Chairman Glavac said they are making up a financial difference that would end in 5 years. He explained the minimum per ton amount of $4.50 would be facing a cliff at the end of the agreement. He asked how they can prepare for the end of the agreement this time and said that wasn’t done last time. Chairman Glavac said the town doesn’t regulate landfills, NHDES does. He said the final vote will be by the voters. He also said he would support the agreement and putting it on the warrant based on the financials. Carried 4-0.
Cheryl Jensen polled the Board members on who voted last week and said all voted. She said Selectman Ubaldo was asked to recuse himself but he “blew that off”. Mrs. Jensen said Selectman Blanchard lives within a mile and a half of the landfill and the ethics policy states that cannot participate in any matters where they can benefit financially. She said the code of ethics was violated. Selectman Blanchard said the way it was written people who made complaints and he never did. Mrs. Jensen said it was amended to change the wording to take out that part. Peter Roy asked if that is moot now and Selectman Laleme said that section was removed. Mrs. Jensen said it is not moot because it was done.
The Board discussed the Sexton job description and tabled it to have more time to review it.
The Board discussed the purchase of a copier for the Selectmen’s office. Selectman Laleme moved to purchase the copier from GGB budget for $3500.00. Chairman Glavac seconded. Carried 4-0.
The Board discussed the website and when it will be finished. Chairman Glavac moved to encumber $875.00 for the town website. Selectman Laleme seconded. Chairman Glavac amended the motion to give an end date to be completed by end of 1st quarter. Selectman Laleme seconded. Carried 4-0.
The Board reviewed the investment policy. Chairman Glavac moved to re-adopt the current investment policy. Selectman Blanchard seconded. Carried 4-0.
The Board discussed a trail system that people are trying to establish from Profile school to the town for kids to ride bikes etc. to school. NCES wants to donate $2000.00 to the Recreation Dept. for the trail system. Selectman Laleme asked if this is a school project or a town project. They tabled this to get more details.
The Board discussed an abatement for $1,202.39 for MAP/LOT 404/038-001 & 404/038. Chairman Glavac moved to approve the abatement due to the bank paying in error. Selectman Blanchard seconded. Carried 4-0.
The Board discussed the budget and warrant articles. Selectman Laleme said we should do a warrant article again for GIS mapping because we need to have that. We will get an updated quote. The Board agreed to do $75,000.00 for solid waste capital reserve again. There was discussion about the new law about the veteran’s credit and more research will be done on this. They discussed that there will be a warrant article for a pool filter. They will check with Richard Ledoux on that.
They said they will need to do a warrant article for the ambulance grant money.
Chairman Glavac said he would like to create a warrant article to use $125,000 of unassigned fund balance for road repair. Selectman Laleme doesn’t think we should use that fund for capital projects and we need to use capital reserve fund for capital projects. Selectman Blanchard agrees with Selectman Laleme. Selectman Ubaldo also agrees. Chairman Glavac said that amount should be reflected in the budget but they have been trying to keep a flat budget. He said he would ask Mr. Jackson to look into putting that into his budget next year. Selectman Laleme said they need to make a paving plan.
Chairman Glavac read a letter from Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust about the Rt. 116 Conservation easement.
The Board reviewed an invoice from the Northern Pass attorney and Selectman Laleme will review it further.
The Board discussed a legal bill received for the cable franchise agreement and Chairman Glavac said he thought there were funds to pay that with the cable consortium. This will be verified.
The Board reviewed the minutes from 12/12/16. Chairman Glavac moved to approve the minutes. Selectman Ubaldo seconded. The motion and second were withdrawn and the minutes were tabled.
Chris McGrath requested that there be a warrant article for the lawyer fees for the North Pass attorney expense because the original article asked if you were opposed to it but not anything about fees.
Heidi Cook said the Board has a responsibility to look into the industrial park. She said Littleton had businesses all lined up and had to put in all the utilities; water, sewer, 3 phase, etc and it cost $300,000.00 at that time. She said now it would be 1.4 million. She said the 150,000.00 for 2 years and 100,000.00 for 3 years doesn’t even scratch the surface of the cost. Ms. Cook said it is the responsibility of the Board to form a non biased committee. Chairman Glavac said the Board will look into it and make sure citizens can make informed decisions in March.
Julian Czarny said we could do without the dump and said would it be easy, no but skip trails, pools, etc. He said the board says we can’t do it without Casella revenue and that is a defeatist attitude.
Andrea Bryant asked if we would receive the sand for the life of the landfill or if NCES determines when they can no longer excavate it. She said it is misleading.
Mrs. Jensen asked what the consequence is for violating the code of ethics. Chairman Glavac said they will look into it.
Alison Caruso appreciates Selectman Laleme explaining her take and to not make it personal. She said she would rather have increased taxes then the environmental affects and that is what makes it personal.
At 7:25 Chairman Glavac moved to go into non—public per RSA 91-A:11 for matters of personnel. Selectman Blanchard seconded. Chairman Glavac did roll call with all members agreeing to go into non-public session.
Selectman Blanchard moved to hire Nicole K. as a Recreation Counselor at $10.00/hr. Selectman Laleme seconded. Carried 4-0.
Selectman Blanchard moved to hire K. Bryant as a Recreation Counselor at $7.25/hr. Selectman Laleme seconded. Carried 4-0.
Chairman Glavac moved to hire Jarod Ryan for the Fire Dept. Selectman Blanchard seconded. Carried 4-0.
At 8:20 Selectman Laleme moved to come out of non-public session. Chairman Glavac seconded. Chairman Glavac did roll call with all members agreeing to come out of non-public session.
At 8:20 Selectman Blanchard moved to adjourn. Selectman Laleme seconded. Carried 4-0.
Respectfully submitted,
April Hibberd
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