Board of Selectmen Meeting, December 16, 2024
In what was supposed to be the board’s final meeting of the year the board was swamped with so much work that its meeting not only ran well over 3.5 hours, but it scheduled a special meeting next Monday to finish its work.
The main issues are financial. Because Nottingham is not paying competitive wages, staff have been leaving for better-paying jobs elsewhere. This has particularly affected the Police and Fire Departments. Because Nottingham is not paying competitive wages, the town has been unable to recruit replacements. The result is well over $400k of what was budgeted for salaries has gone unspent. The board needs to figure out what to do with the money.
Selectman Shirland lobbied heavily that these funds should be used to buy a new grader. Our current grader is 40 years old and is frequently out of service for repairs, as it is presently. The Highway Director has obtained a $464k quote for a new Komatsu grader. The town can also access the $282k balance in the Highway Vehicle Capital Reserve fund.
Severe Damage to New Police Cruiser. Officer Injured.
The town’s brand-new Ford F150 cruiser suffered an explosion of a lithium battery used for electronics in the cab. The officer using the cruiser suffered second-degree burns. An insurance claim was filed. The damage was so extensive the adjuster nearly totaled the vehicle. The cruiser is now at Kustra’s Autobody, awaiting parts to restore the interior.
Help Wanted at Recycling Center
The town is in severe need of either part-time or per diem help at the Recycling Center. One employee is out on medical leave, with no return date known at this point. The other employees need additional help to cover for vacations and sick days. Opportunities exist for applicants interested in working only a few days a year.
Road Maintenance Policy
The board discussed minor updates to the two road maintenance policies (general and winter) that have been in place since 2016. They reminded the public that mailboxes are in the right-of-way. Because of that, the town assumes no liability for snowplows hitting mailboxes.
Public comment was taken from a resident of Meindl Road. The circumstances of this road are unusual as the first half of it is in Raymond, which designates it as a private road. The second, more populated half is in Nottingham, which is designated as a public road. In the past, Nottingham has done plowing and sanding on the Raymond half, but this year that hasn’t been happening well. It turns out that there’s no formal agreement with Raymond about maintaining that road.
I pointed out that Meindl Road can be found on the 1939 US Geological Survey map of Nottingham. [A reader has since pointed out that the road on that map is Mooers, not Meindl]. The NH Supreme Court ruled that “private” roads that had been regularly used by the public for over 20 years prior to 1968 are legally supposed to be recognized as public roads [Hersh v. Plonski Section II.B]. So, the residents should petition Raymond to recognize that it is legally responsible for maintaining its section of Meindl.
AARPA Funds
The town has $62,498 in AARPA funds left. If the town does not commit these funds to purchases by the end of the year, the town will lose the funds. (The actual spending of the money may be up to two years later). The board decided to spend the funds as follows; however, it still has about $9k uncommitted.
Replace 8 workstations, the server, and other computer equipment at Town Hall. $16.7k.
Pave the walkway at the Community Center to improve safety and make the path ADA-compliant. About 200ft by 4ft wide. $6.2k.
$30k for various expenses associated with the construction of the new conference room at Town Hall. The vote was unanimous, although the Selectmen had concerns about some of the quoted items appearing to have inflated quotes, particularly for painting and flooring.
Other Financial Issues
The board discussed whether it was getting $40k/yr value out of the part-time Maintenance Manager position that was created last year. While a large amount of maintenance work was done last year, to the board’s recollection, it was all subcontracted. When the position was created, it was anticipated that it would cover a substantive amount of general handyman services. A decision about whether to include this in next year’s operating budget was deferred to the next meeting.
The Police Department requested permission to spend $15.6k of its unspent budget to replace its 20-year-old ATV. The board deferred the decision to its next meeting to require better substantiation of the need. Selectman Morin was particularly skeptical of the need, citing the example of a fire boat the Fire Department has that it almost never has an opportunity to use, and even in those cases the boat has not been particularly useful.
The board declined to approve a request from Parks & Recreation to encumber $500 of its 2024 budget to spend on a conference to be held in January 2025, on the grounds that this should be part of next year’s spending so that future encumbrances can be avoided.
The board accepted a quote for the first phase of work in replacing the town’s audio/visual equipment. Funds for this come from the town’s cable access fees. Events United will be doing the work at a quoted cost of $29k. The work will be completed early in 2025.
Selectman Decker put forth a proposal for a $100k grant for studying the water quality of Pawtuckaway Lake. The form of the grant is as a loan to the town for doing the work, with the loan forgiven if the work is completed. The PLIA has offered to pay the interest on the loan. A decision on this was deferred to the next meeting.
Other News
The assessor estimates that the town is currently assessing properties at only 60% of market value. This is a severe discrepancy. Assessments are supposed to be within 10% of market value.
The Planning Board is working on a steep-slope ordinance to, in the future, prevent the kind of massive terrain reconfiguration that is going on now with the new subdivision on Rt 156 just north of the Raymond town line.
The board interviewed two law firms to replace Upton & Hatfield as Town Attorney. The candidates are Matthew Serge and his assistant, Lee Foden, of Drummond Woodsom, and Diane Gorrow of Soule, Leslie, Kidder, Sayward, & Loughman. The board has not made a selection.
During the meeting, a public hearing was held to accept $31.5k in grant funds.
The F350 recently acquired by the Highway Department has been out of service. It required five new injectors. It returned to service this week.
The Highway Department’s 6-wheel dump truck’s new motor has arrived. It will be installed this week.
Watch the video:
Doug, not to be picky but the present grader is not 40 years old as indicated "Our current grader is 40 years old ...". According to the 2011 Master Plan, the Grader is a 2006 Komatsu. According to the 2007 Capital Improvement Plan, the Town had already purchased said item with a 2008 Bond. Although I can't speak for these items being "correct", it does seem to tell a story. Still need a grader, just not replacing one that is 40 years old!