Town puts out call for budget advice

By Meghan Foley Sentinel Staff

WINCHESTER — Selectmen have decided to appoint a financial advisory committee after voters opted to dissolve the budget committee earlier this month.
Meanwhile, the budget committee’s former chairman, Brian Moser, said Thursday he questions if residents knew what they were voting on at the March 10 town meeting.

Voters decided, 299-248, against keeping the budget committee, which was established at town meeting in 1935.

The warrant article, which was amended at the deliberative session in February, made no mention of the budget committee. Instead, it asked voters if the town will continue honoring Chapter 32 of state law. The provision allows for communities to establish budget committees.

“I think nobody understood it,” Moser said. “But the way it was written is apparently legal, so there is not a whole lot I can say about it.”

The original warrant article asked voters to “rescind the provisions” of Chapter 32, and included a sentence saying that an affirmative vote would abolish the budget committee.

The committee was tasked with setting the town’s annual operating budget, but with the group disbanded, the responsibility now falls to the selectmen.

Selectmen Chairman Roberta A. Fraser said Thursday the board voted unanimously on March 18 to appoint the five-member financial advisory committee that will function similar to the budget committee.

“It kind of keeps the checks and balances still in place,” she said.

The biggest difference is that the advisory committee won’t have legal standing, she said. Also, she noted residents will be voting on a budget crafted by selectmen, not a committee specifically formed for that task.

Tell us all how that keeps checks and balances in place Roberta, if : #1) the BOS CHOOSES who's on this committee and ..#2) The committee has no legal standing
 

Fraser said she hopes the advisory committee will be in place by June, as the budget meetings start in late summer and culminate with voting the following March.

Anyone interested in serving on the committee is welcome to contact the town hall, she said.

Moser said he hasn’t decided if he will put his name in for the committee. He added he is concerned that

 only the selectmen and school board are empowered to put a budget before voters.

“I think the taxpayers will lose some protection from overspending and bad choices that they would have had with the budget committee,” he said.

It’s too early to say if there will be an article on next year’s warrant to bring back the budget committee, he said, but he believes some interest exists among residents to restore the committee.

Moser said he’ll be interested in what the selectmen’s 2016-17 proposed operating budget looks like, and how well the board does in managing the 2015-16 budget.

“There is no way to guess until they do it,” he said.

Meghan Foley can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1436, or mfoley@keenesentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @MFoleyKS.

Planning Board Notice of Public Hearing 4-6-15

Town of Winchester

Planning Board

Notice of Public Hearing

4-6-15

 

 

The Winchester Planning Board will be meeting on 4-6-15 at 7pm on the Main Floor of the Town Hall, 1 Richmond Road for the following hearing:

The board will review an application for Earth Excavation Permit Renewal, which includes a request to excavate to a lower elevation, submitted by Mitchell Sand & Gravel. The property is located on Payne Road, Winchester map 15, lot 51. If the application is accepted as complete, the board will move into a hearing on the matter.

Should a decision not be reached, the hearing will stay on the Planning Board agenda until it is either approved or denied. The files are available for review at the Land Use Office during regular business hours.

Respectfully,

Margaret Sharra, Land Use

 

Surprised this even made public on the board's agenda. Notice that the fact he wants to dig down another 80 feet wasn't mentioned; nor the fact that once he has finished looting all the material he can ship down to Mass. he'll simply walk away, leaving a huge hole in the ground to be filled up by rain water and that will eventually become a hazard to all living in the area. This is unacceptable.

Mitchell Attempting To Expand Pit .. More Blasting

For those of you sick of the blasting and noise from Mitchell's Quarry, there's an important meeting coming up at the Swanzey Town Hall , March 26 at 6 pm. He's looking to get his permit renewed, which expires on November 15th, 2015 and permission to blast down 80' lower right on top of our aquifer. This place was once a brown zone and was never cleaned up. Can you imagine what could happen should they hit a vein and release long buried toxic chemicals? Though this will effect the Swanzey part of the pit, it will affect everyone down river should something happen. Plus, who wants a lake there once he walks away. What a hazard for children in the area who will be drawn to it and think about what a breeding ground for mosquitoes this will be. The meeting will be open to the public no matter where you are from. Come and let your voices be heard.

Keene is best place for Winchester students

This letter is in reference to the recent vote in Winchester regarding a petitioned article asking the voters if it is in the best interest to send the students to Keene High School.
The voters said that it was not in the best interest to send the kids to Keene. That is the 374 voters who voted in the affirmative, out of the 4,100 residents in Winchester. This article is purely advisory. I believe the article stated the tuition increase being charged to Winchester from Keene and that certainly influenced the vote.

I recently contacted Monadnock, and the tuition to send a student there is $16,400, and if that student is special ed, it will cost $25,000 plus; if the IEP requires a paraprofessional, that would be an additional cost.

The cost Keene is charging is right in line with Monadnock. The article in the paper cited poor communication and lack of information about the Winchester students. If the Winchester School Board members would like information from Keene, they should ask specific questions and allow the time to receive the information.

As far as lack of information on the students, ask the questions. It has been my experience so far this year that my communication with Keene has been great. I have been in contact with the guidance counselor, his administrative assistant and a number of teachers. They emailed or spoke to me with the accurate information in a timely manner with results.

I have found the teachers to be willing to help, caring and very knowledgeable. The classes my child is taking are challenging. I already had one child graduate from Keene High School, one to graduate in 2018 and I have one child in the Winchester School. I am very happy with the Winchester School and Keene High School. I do not want to see the students go to another school. Allow the parents and the students to voice their opinions and concerns, if any, before there are any decisions made.

The majority of the voters, 374, said it is not in the best interest, but that is not the majority of the town of Winchester. Sending the students to Keene is in the best interest of the town of Winchester.

Laura Aivaliotis

.Winchester

Vote is bad for Winchester, by Robert Davis

It is another sad day in Winchester.

Talk about the fox guarding the hen house. The article on Winchester abolishing the budget committee (Sentinel, March 12) stated the warrant article was not straightforward, which prompted local officials to seek advice from the town’s attorney.

The town’s attorney had full oversight Feb. 10 at the deliberative session; was this time to address the controversial language that should have never been allowed, causing this unclear, controversial article to be accepted as rewritten and presented to the town moderator to be read out loud and allowed for arguments.

Then the rewritten article was amended and voted to be placed on the warrant. When people’s questions arose, we the taxpayers then paid the town’s attorney for a second opinion, which looks like a ploy for covering up their mistakes. Something is not right here, unless you’re one of the supporters conspiring with the selectmen. In the town’s history, this was not the first warrant article that was purposely written to confuse the voters in a manner that would ensure the desired outcome.

Being a past budget committee member and one of the selectmen’s so-called “villains” of the budget committee, I was vehemently offended with the contemptuous underhanded lies the selectmen spilled out of the town hall in their attempt to abolish the budget committee for their own interest, not the voters.

In the past, the selectmen wanted a free hand to set the budget without any cuts, to be what they, the selectmen, determined it should be, without the oversight of the budget committee. Several years ago, the selectmen intentionally delayed the budget committee process, delaying members from getting the department budgets on time. It was a know fact the selectmen deliberately dragged their feet in preparing the budget, causing us, the budget committee to be delayed in getting started.

The final budget was submitted as required by law, but selectmen objected to our budget cuts. Then the selectmen threw a fit by taking the budget committee to court to have the selectmen’s higher budget restored. I have the budget committee minutes proving it was the selectmen that were delaying the budgets and not giving us the true facts, which caused bickering over the budgets.

I will predict the low voter turnout at the polls, with the confusing language on the Warrant Article 15, stating, “To see if the town will vote to continue honoring the provisions of RSA 32 adopted by the town at regular town meeting in 1935,” led to the passage.

Who knows what NH RSA 32 is about in 1935? J believe abolishing the budget committee will be detrimental to the town’s tax rate and the checks and balances. By allowing a few to decide how to spend your tax dollars for the majority is totally insane. Can anyone remember how our town manager was caught with corruption charges and the selectmen supported him all the way and tried not to fire him? If you think you’re the fourth-highest taxes in the state, just wait. If you think you can trust our selectmen to do the right thing, think again. Please voice your opinion and have the vote on Article 15 invalidated.

by Robert Davis

Winchester voters officially abolish budget committee

You people were warned to pay attention and get out and vote .. You have now handed the keys to the vault over to the BOS to do whatever they want with no checks and balances. Of course the warrant was changed to confuse everyone from the original wording; but don't count on Barton Mayer to come clean, he works to put money in his pockets.

I  foresee another trip to District Court in the making..

By Meghan Foley Sentinel Staff

 

WINCHESTER — It’s official: The Winchester Budget Committee is no more.
Selectmen Chairwoman Roberta A. Fraser said Wednesday that officials heard back from the town’s attorney, who confirmed that residents abolished the budget committee at town meeting on Tuesday.

By a vote of 299-248, residents decided against keeping the committee, which was established at town meeting in 1935.

However, the wording of the warrant article wasn’t straightforward, and that prompted local officials to seek advice from the town’s attorney first thing Wednesday morning. Until his confirmation, town officials were not ready to announce that the budget committee was officially gone.

The budget committee’s job has been to set the proposed town operating budget that comes before voters each year.

The task now falls to the selectmen.

The budget committee warrant article was amended at the town’s deliberative session last month. It originally asked voters whether they wanted to abolish the committee, rather than whether they wanted to keep it. That wording was reversed by voters at the session.

At the February meeting, some residents argued the committee is needed as part of the checks-and-balances oversight of town government. Selectmen, on the other hand, said the committee wasn’t doing its job and some members weren’t making decisions in the best interest of the town.

Fraser said this morning that the new board of selectmen will be in place by next Wednesday’s meeting; at that point she expects members will discuss how they want to proceed.

Voters elected Jack Marsh Jr. and Ken Berthiaume to the five-member board Tuesday, ousting incumbents Sherman Tedford and Bill McGrath.

Fraser said her recommendation is for the selectmen to appoint a finance advisory committee.
Yeah right, Roberta, We're going to trust the group that wanted to do away with "elected people" who disagreed with you to appoint unbiased folks to fill their positions .. sure thing.

“We do have to have the checks and balances,” she said.
Really, so why submit a warrant to abolish the group that provided those checks and balances?

While the selectmen had recommended the original warrant article to abolish the budget committee, Fraser said she is surprised the amended version that appeared before voters Tuesday passed.

“It has been on the warrant before, and it didn’t pass.”

Based on that history, selectmen hadn’t thought much about what would happen if the warrant article was successful, she said.

Meghan Foley can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1436, or mfoley@keenesentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @MFoleyKS.

Get Out and VOTE !!

Voting is Tuesday 

March 10, 2015 

at Town Hall from 

8:00 am – 7:00 pm 

 A sample ballot can be seen here: http://www.winchester-nh.gov/pages/WinchesterNH_WebDocs/Sample%20Ballot%202015.pdf

ARTICLE:  15   To see if the town will vote to continue honoring the provisions of RSA 32 as adopted by the town of Winchester in 1935 at the regular town meeting ..

Sneaky wording by the BOS to trick you into voting to get rid of the Budget Committee and put the 5 foxes in complete control of the Towns purse strings to appropriate whatever they want with no checks and balances by the people.

CHAPTER 32
MUNICIPAL BUDGET LAW

Section 32:1

    32:1 Statement of Purpose. – The purpose of this chapter is to clarify the law as it existed under former RSA 32. A town or district may establish a municipal budget committee to assist its voters in the prudent appropriation of public funds. The budget committee, in those municipalities which establish one, is intended to have budgetary authority analogous to that of a legislative appropriations committee. It is the legislature's further purpose to establish uniformity in the manner of appropriating and spending public funds in all municipal subdivisions to which this chapter applies, including those towns, school districts and village districts which do not operate with budget committees, and have not before had much statutory guidance. 

 

A YES vote will ensure we continue to have a Budget Committee, a NO gives the BOS the power to do whatever it wants.

 

 

ARTICLE 16:  Shall the Town vote to adopt a Housing Standard Ordinance in accordance with RSA 48.

The State has already set minimum standards by which every landlord who rents must follow by law, whether a municipality has an ordnance or not. We don't need to establish another paying full time position to have someone enforce what is already on the books.

 

We don't need another unnecessary full time paying position , nor do we need our underqualified, untrained code enforcement officer poking her nose where it don't belong.

 

 

As pipeline project moves forward, residents opposing it continue to mobilize

By Ella Nilsen Sentinel Staff

JAFFREY — The main room in the Jaffrey VFW was silent at the start of Saturday’s community meeting on the proposed Kinder Morgan natural gas pipeline.
More than 100 area residents sat in rows of chairs and watched a photo slideshow of area lakes, meadows and mountains with somber piano music in the background.

It felt like being at a memorial service for the natural environment that opponents of the pipeline plan fear could be altered if the 36-inch wide pipeline cut through the local towns of Fitzwilliam, Richmond, Rindge, Troy and Winchester .

Though the mood in the room was somber, it wasn’t one of defeat.

“Our water, our land, our way of life,” the last slide read. “Stop N.E.D.”

The acronym refers to the Northeast Energy Direct project, another name for the pipeline. If approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the pipeline will traverse approximately 70 miles of southern New Hampshire.

If the project continues on schedule, the Houston-based pipeline company will file its formal application with federal regulators at the end of this year.

Since the first announcement that Kinder Morgan moved its preferred route from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, concerned residents have jumped into action, forming groups against the project, including Rindge Pipeline Awareness.

On Saturday, that group’s main message to local residents was: Say no, and say it often.

Rindge resident and group member Maryanne Harper said she hopes everyone in the room would write to their legislators, town officials and FERC commissioners protesting the route through New Hampshire, no matter if their land is affected or not.

“No one can be silent on this,” Harper said. “The more of us that work together, the more effective we can be.”

Harper also had the numbers of properties affected by the project, which she got from Jim Hartman of the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, a Kinder Morgan subsidiary.

Rindge has the highest number of potentially affected properties, with 73. Fitzwilliam has 40; Winchester, 32; Richmond, 21, and Troy, 15.

Rindge property owner Joseph Desruisseaux is one of those property owners. Although his house isn’t right on the pipeline route, he estimates it’s about 1,000 feet away. He hasn’t had Tennessee Gas Pipeline surveyors knocking on his door, but his neighbors have.

Still, Desruisseaux is afraid of what being so close to the pipeline could do to his property value.

When asked if he’s thought of trying to sell his house and move away, he said, “The thought has crossed our minds, but what are we going to get for our properties? It’s a serious impact.”

Besides property values, Harper also discussed the safety record of Kinder Morgan pipelines as well as the question of whether the project would bring jobs to the region.

“This is all union work,” Harper said, adding that she had spoken about this with a Laborers’ International Union of North America representative at a recent Kinder Morgan open house in Winchester.

“Many of these jobs are not just out of town, but out of state,” she said.

Other presenters talked about natural gas being exported to foreign countries and questioned whether the new natural gas pipeline is needed to supply energy to New England residents.

Presenter Stephen Wicks of Plainfield, Mass., showed a short video he made about natural gas compressor stations. Wicks traveled to a compressor station in Nassau, N.Y. He said the noisy compressor station runs 24 hours per day and sits on 40 acres.

The meeting was attended by local state representatives, including Susan Emerson, R-Rindge, Jim W. McConnell, R-Swanzey, Carol R. Roberts, D-Wilton, and Christopher R. Adams, R-Brookline.

Emerson and Roberts said they were heartened by N.H. House Majority Leader Jack Flanagan’s recent letter asking federal regulators to deny the Kinder Morgan pipeline.

Flanagan, who represents two towns on the route, wrote a letter to FERC in which he favored another pipeline project in Massachusetts by Spectra Energy, which seeks to expand an existing line.

Roberts said she hopes Flanagan’s comments will also change the mind of Gov. Maggie Hassan, who has not explicitly come out for or against the pipeline.

In her 2014 state of the state address though, Hassan mentioned the New England governors’ energy infrastructure collaboration “that prioritizes natural gas capacity.”

“This effort has already made progress, and the regional grid operator, along with our utilities and pipeline owners, are working on how to put additional natural gas in our region as quickly as possible,” Hassan said in that speech.

After Kinder Morgan announced its plans, Hassan’s spokesman William Hinkle said she will “continue to urge the company to listen to communities, take steps to reduce impacts, and ensure local benefits.”

The local residents and representatives who will be affected said they hope Hassan and New Hampshire’s delegation in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives will take more of a stand against the project.

“If they really listen to (the residents), then we have a chance,” Roberts said.

Ella Nilsen can be reached at enilsen@keenesentinel.com or 352-1234, extension 1409. Follow her on Twitter @ENilsenKS.