On this year's ballot you will find 13 articles submitted by our Selectman, all about more spending of course ; 6 articles inserted by our town's Planning Board, that are so confusing you'd need an attorney to make sense of them and 10 inserted by members of the community inserted by gathering signatures on their petitions on subjects they think are important and that affect many people in town. Below is a list of the citizen petitions and our thoughts on them.
ARTICLE 14. To see if the town will raise and appropriate the sum of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.) for the purpose of subsidizing youth recreation to be paid to the E.L.M. Memorial Community Center on a contractual basis.
This sounds like a good idea, providing the monies all go to youth activities and not paid out in salaries. .. article was passed as written and will be on the ballot.
ARTICLE 15. To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $15,000. to be used along with the $10,000. grant money we received to scrape and paint Thayer Library in Ashuelot.
This seems likes an awful lot of extra money just for a paint job. Would it not have been more suitable to put this out to bid first to see if the grant money would have covered all expenses? .. article was amended to appropriate the sum of $2,500 and will be on the ballot.
ARTICLE 16. To see if the town would be in favor of removing 52 streetlights at various locations within the Town.
From people we have spoken with this seems like a really very bad idea. Not only will it leave children going to and coming home from school in the dark as well as others returning from work or the store; but cost us to shut them off and back on if we decide we really do need them. .. article was amended to read any streetlight not necessary and will be on the ballot.
ARTICLE 17. To see if the town will vote to approve the following resolution to be forwarded to our State Representatives, our State senator, the Speaker of the House and the Senate President. Resolved: The citizen's of New Hampshire should be allowed to vote on an amendment to the New Hampshire Constitution that defines "marriage".
Obviously the people who inserted this petition have no faith in the people we have elected to make these type of decisions for all of us and we ask whatever happened to the separation of church and state does this not apply? .. article was voted out by unanimous vote.
ARTICLE 18. Shall the town in accordance with RSA 72:37-b, Disabled Exemption - adopt this property tax exemption for persons eligible under Title II or Title XVI of the Federal Social Security Act for benefits to the disabled in the sum of $750.?
This would obviously help those in our community who are disabled and unable to work even part time to supplement the meager money Social Security gives them to live on and would go a long ways in helping them pay their taxes and be able to buy food and needed medications. There will be no raises given to any Social Security recipient for the next two years by the Federal Government, without this meager tax break many could fall behind in their obligations to the town to pay their property taxes. .. article was passed as written and will be on the ballot.
ARTICLE 19. Discussed below.
ARTICLE 20. In accordance with RSA 231:62-a and 231:62-b, are you in favor of electing a Highway Agent for a 3-year term?
According to State law, this has always been an elected by the people position, perhaps it's time we left it up to the citizens of Winchester to elect the most qualified person to fill this position. .. article was gutted from original and will not make any sense when seen on the ballot.
ARTICLE 21. Shall the Town, in accordance with RSA 79-A:25, deposit in the Conservation Fund 0% of the revenues, collected in Land Use Change taxes and deposit all such revenues in the general fund for the purpose of reducing taxation?
With over $86,000. already in the Conservation Fund and no tax money coming from property placed in conservation this would be a very good way to supplement the loss of revenue and help lower everyone's property taxes. .. article was amended to give 76% of the money collected to the WCC and 24% back to the General Fund and will be on the ballot.
ARTICLE 22. Shall the Town adopt, in accordance with RSA 31:39-a, a Town of Winchester Conflict of Interest Ordinance as follows?
TOWN OF WINCHESTER CONFLICT OF INTEREST ORDINANCE
1. Town employees and Town officials must avoid conflicts of interest. Town employees and Town officials shall not participate in any matter in which they, or their spouses or any immediate family member have a private interest which may or indirectly affect or influence the impartiality of the performance of their duties and are required to publicly disclose conflicts of interest of which they know or should know.
2. In addition to statutory incompatibility of offices as defined in RSA 669:7 and 669:8 the following combinations of employment and/or appointed and/or elected positions may not be held by a single person at the same time:
a. any employment position in excess of 16 hours per week and any elected or appointed office. ( Stipends for elected or appointed officials do not constitute employment)
b. Selectman and Chairman of the Planning Board.
c. Chairman of the Board of Selectmen and Chairman of the Solid Waste Distric Advisory Committee.
d. Chairman of the Selectmen and Chairman of the Conservation Committee.
3. Failure to abide by the provisions of this ordinance shall constitute grounds for removal from office upon petition by any person to the Cheshire Superior Court.
As required by RSA 31:39-a, this ordinance exempts affected officers and employees who are in office or employed at the time the ordinance is adopted for a period not to exceed one year from the date of adoption.
Long overdue and will insure that boards, committees and basic employment will not be controlled by a few., .. article was amended to just accept the State mandated ordinance covered under RSA 669:7 and 669:8 and RSA 31:9-a. The remaining language was removed. This article will be on the ballot.
ARTICLE 23. Shall the Town terminate relations with it's current law firm and retain a new firm, to be effective at the inception of fiscal year 2010-2011 ( July 1, 2010 ) for the purpose of bringing fresh legal perspectives to the activities of elected officials?
Would not it be more frugal and better for the town as a whole to seek council from a local Keene or nearby firm, than to continue paying enormous travel pay fees to our current attorney's firm and be able to have council available for local meetings if needed? .. this article was amended to read to commend Barton Mayer for his outstanding service and will be on the ballot.
ARTICLE 30. Are you in favor of amendment by citizen petition for Town zoning ordinance: Shall the Town of Winchester vote to prohibit the installation of any "new" gas stations within a one-mile radius of an existing station?
This would seem to be unenforceable and possibly illegal to stifle free enterprise of anyone wishing to start a business. .. this article was unenforceable and voted down.
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I was told about this blog today and this is my first visit here. I would like to publicly thank whoever put in the warrant for a tax break for the disabled and those who signed the petition to get it put on the ballot. I am disabled from a car accident and get less than $600.00 a month from SSI. My wife works at a department store making a little more than minimum wage and both of us have health issues besides my disability. We are struggling to keep up with the ever increasing taxes in this town. We cringe everytime we tear open our tax bill and ask ourselves just where the money is going to come from. We are struggling just to get by and don't know how we are going to make ends meet each month. This would help us and I imagine those other families just like us who sometimes go without or skip a meal or put off having a prescription filled because you just can't afford it this month.
My wife and I hope that all of you good hearted people in town vote to pass this warrant and help us maintain a bit of our dignity in our golden years.
Thank you for giving me the oportunity to speak to everyone here.
Just read the morning news, and the state of nh just lost a court case to use money in the medical malpractice fund , to take the 150 million dollars and close the state budget deficit. Now what will the state do??? Hold on to your hats. Unless the legislature pulls a rabbit out of the hat, we will be handed funding cutbacks. Winchester beware of spending on promises from the state. Get to the town hall tomorrow and vote.
I believe I am speaking for all of the Winchester Informer supporters by saying we are especially saddened to hear about your situation. When Mike Towne and Winchester Informer supporters presented the warrant petition for signatures, we were thinking of people just like you and the other families struggling that are in the same predicament.
Regardless of what some of our critics say, who express great disapproval of and dissatisfaction with our web site, claiming we are a bunch of liars, spreading rumors and mostly are a group of malcontents, we realize that this mostly comes from the Town Hall, the employees unhappy with what we report and their friends and family members who don't want to be cut from the gravy train and who wish to keep all of Winchester's tax payers in the dark and misinformed.
Our agenda is to help people understand how the town's elected official's actions effect us all and especially those struggling to get by, day to day and still pay their taxes on time.
We thank you for taking the time to visit the site and post your comment and wish you well. We hope you will become a regular reader and perhaps a supporter and comment again on other subjects that affect you. Please try to attend the Deliberative session this Saturday at 9:00am.
What's up with the police dept? I hear they are in trouble with the AG's office and there is a letter proving that from the AG's office.
There was an investigaiton about the police association and the AG found them at fault for some wrongdoing and the chief admitted to it.
Can the Winchester Informer try to get a copy and get it posted so we can all see it?
We have a copy of the letter, that was sent to the Chief on January 19th, 2010 from the AG's office to Chief Phillips, Chris Roberts and Maryan Platz, signed by Michael S. DeLucia, Director of the AG's Charitable Trust Fund, in which he found the three of them had violated the bylaws of the Winchester Police Association. We are awaiting other information regarding this matter so that we may publish and provide all of the facts at once and in one place.
Voters of Winchester don't lose hart, as usual deliberative was a no show, the only people there had something to gain or lose. The program was controlled by a Pearson that's so good at finance that he went bankrupt and a woman that has problems that i wont even go into. The day was a win because the cuts the budget comm. made stayed, now its time to vote. Thanks to Bob and Mike for sticking there neck out again for the no shows.
Totally amazing how a town with 3000 registered resident voters, allows as few as 38 self-centered, special interest people ( town employees and their families and friends ) with an agenda to squash your voting rights to decide how and what you will vote on come March 9th.
It's not just the fact how your tax dollars are spent; but where and what they are spent on. They also determined which warrant articles are best for you and the future of our town. That's right, 38 people decided for you.
Totally amazing how you, the majority, let a person who has filed bankruptcy twice, decide the best way to spend your tax dollars and mine.
Totally amazing how the majority of voters decided to stay home on a Saturday and allow so few people, some who don't even own property in town, decide your future and spend your money.
When you are in the voting booth and you see all of those spending articles and others that only read "see to " or "to be" and the article that commends Town attorney Barton Mayer for doing a remarkable job representing our town, which is a far cry
from the original asking if we should perhaps find another firm closer to Winchester,that wouldn't cost us so much in travel pay and to be available if needed for town meetings at night, some of you may scratch your heads in bewilderment.
Just remember these words;
You had the opportunity, the right, to choose the path we're going to follow in the coming year .. you chose not to care and gave up your rights to a handful of other people.
I think a better word for what transpired Bob, is shameful. That even those residents who took the time to sign petitions that had been circulated didn't show up to help us defend them or to support us in cutting more spending.
This year we received a break on our tax rate from the School system; not our Selectmen as they would have you believe. That small reduction perhaps helped a few families from falling behind in paying their taxes and others some relief and the chance to catch up.
But that small reduction was given back yesterday and even more was added.
For the past two years while the country took a downward spin, businesses closed, the housing market went nearly belly up, 2.4 million and counting lost their homes, over 17 million people( last official count ) are unemployed, nearly 9 million or so underemployed, another 6 to 7 million people so discouraged, they have stopped looking for work and this week the State of New Hampshire reporting it will have to borrow money from elsewhere to pay unemployment benefits our small town of Winchester just keeps rolling along. Big ticket item after big ticket item, a new fire truck, a new cruiser ( another on the way ) a new ambulance, a new truck for our Highway Dept. and of course a new Sewer Plant, which is costing us more and more every time our Selectmen open their mouths.
Many of these expenditures were not a real priority as they would have you believe, nor is the money they are asking you to approve on this year's ballot for "extras" we can do without at the new sewer plant.
My question to our governing body members are; where are the cuts, with every other town around us, across the state and across the country laying workers off, streamlining their budgets and curbing their spending, what's the story here in Winchester?
Yesterday with your support, we might have gotten some answers, cut some spending and sent a message as a community joined together, working together, to reign in spending and make the hard choices we needed to make for the benefit of everyone; not just the few who think that they are entitled.
Bob and I could not do it all alone, where were you that it was so important that you could not attend?
There can still be hope for the cause. Thanks ,to everyone that worked to reduce the budget, which was encouraging. The next round will be to vote people into office in March that will work for the people. Keep up the good work, and thank you Informer.
Front page article in today's paper shows just what a mockery certain people and town officials have turned this process into. Kudos to Davis and Towne for standing up and attempting to expose them for what they are.
I had optimistic expectations for the Deliberative session yesterday only to have them dashed away.
The first thing that struck me yesterday upon entering Town Hall was the lack of chairs put out for attendees (roughly ten chairs per row and only 5 rows). In addition, they put up a rope with two rows for the “non registered voters” to sit in the back. The huge conference table took up 20 feet in the front and a long concession stand took up the back. A large number of people had to hold up the back walls and that got very old quickly for them, forcing them to leave early. Yes, to say the least the turn out was dismal!
Six hours later, we left with the majority of warrant articles mutilated and most of them meaningless.
I spent several days encouraging neighbors to attend deliberative and learned that many long time residence have never felt the need to engage in local democracy. Either apathy, aversion, or a lack of understanding has kept them from participating. They do admit that they are willing to vote on the private ballots in March, but do not fully comprehend the full scope of the process of the town vote. Those that have been to deliberative in the past used the example; “I wouldn’t go again, even if wild horses drug me there.” Or the most common one, “my blood pressure gets too high after attending”. This one I would have to agree with!
I can not boast that I was a soldier for this country, so instead I have felt compelled over the years to lend my service by contributing to my community through volunteerism. I have always been a strong advocate for participating in democracy, community projects and committees. Over the years, it overwhelms me how few people really care about the community around them - let alone get involved. They leave it up to a very small nucleus of individuals.
It would brighten my heart to see my neighbor’s actively participating in town. Together we can build a stronger community with a promise of hope and prosperity. Our town has so much potential, but it’s not going to happen if everyone is convinced that it’s safer to keep their heads in the sand.
The warrant articles “Too See” will most likely be rejected in March, because the residences of Winchester apparently don’t want to.
I have a few words for the selectmen, there assorted friends and their spokes persons; from Ed Agresta Educator and motivational speaker:
1. Try it.
2. Test it.
3. Adjust it.
4. Try it again.
5. Test it again.
6. Adjust it again.
7. Keep repeating steps 4, 5, 6, until it works.
There will be next year, then the next.
The tide always goes out before it comes back in again. Hang in there Bob.
Today the town employees are walking around with huge smiles on their faces, grinning from ear to ear at the screwing they have given to the rest of the citizens in town. While they enjoy the fruits of their new cola raises and the hidden bonuses they received this year, they voted Saturday to raise our taxes some more and screw the rest of us out of the small reprieve we received this year on our property taxes.
Mrs. Sharra got her new boardwalk connecting her property to Kulick's Marketplace, so she'll have an enhanced selling point for her new condos; the Selectmen got their way to add extras to the wastewater treatment plant to enrich their friends lives and the okay to shut off more streetlights to better keep us in the dark over protests about safety.
An effort to insert a petition to enforce mandated ethics laws that have never been adopted by this town was gutted, allowing the few, whose names keep popping up on committees and boards to continue running our town and spending our tax dollars,as they see fit.
The Conservation Committee waged a war of words and propaganda to successfully grab 76% of the tax revenues generated by land use change for their own coffers to buy up more land and take it out of our tax base and drive our property taxes up some more.
And let us not forget poor Dale Gray, who can't keep equipment from falling apart or being abused by his employees, for his efforts he was commended and awarded a new truck, bravo!
Looks like the citizens of Winchester are headed for another year of trying to stretch their hard earned dollars just to make ends meet and make tough choices just to stay afloat.
Let's give a big hand to the Town Hall for ensuring that 2010 will be just as difficult a year as 2009 was for all of us, while they enjoy the fruits of their efforts!
Way to go folks ..
Warrant Articles 14 through 23 were all inserted by petition. Only two of them passed untouched, the rest were pillaged beyond recognition.
How many in town feel that if you have a complaint about the Highway Department, you could complain to the Board of Selectman and they would do something about it? Sherman said that we should come to them with our complaints. Right!
How many of you feel that if you did complain you could anticipate retribution? "We will take it under advisement!"
I for one have experienced first hand the highway dept retribution for the past two years - so, I was thrilled to see the warrant article 20, requiring the Agent be elected.
When your best friends are on the BOS - you can bet that you can get away with a great deal. Just enough to skate by.... "Too See" is bull!
The Conservation Commission is another - talk about molesting the town! I would mention names, but we wouldn't want to get sued.
Too much POWER in the WRONG HANDS!
The circle of death continues to run winchester into the ground. someday the good folks in this town will get there heads out of there butts and wake the hell up to the bull_ _ _ _
that continues to kill any hope of winchester ever becomeing a prosperous town for all and not just a golden egg for those within the circle of influence.
Won't it be great when the stupid transportation article gets passed by all those who want to ride a bus elsewhere to see how real towns are run? Pretty sad when you have to bus yourself out of town to shop at businesses that wouldn't come here if you paid them .. Way to go selectmen and planning board, way to go! Great job, give yourselves a pat on the back. Hopefully you'll all get on that bus going out of town and won't come back anytime soon.
Economic development seems to stop from entering Winchester, at the town lines. Swanzey,Hinsdale, and other towns in the area are attracting considerable buisiness investment. Race tracks and empty houses aren't doing the trick. Of course, with all of the town being restricted from most anything this days, it is very hard to want to site a business here.
It's obvious the corruption is stifling the town's growth. The corruption needs to be removed. Document everything and vote.
Okay people so the day did not turn out the way that we wanted. Now, we have to pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off and go to Plan B. We need to elect different officials-we are all smart enough to do that. The only money article that we need to approve is the budget as the default is higher than the new one. Tell people to sharpen their NO pencils. Yes, NO pencils. We can only afford one truck payment so that's what we do. Think about it.
The BOS thinks that people in this town are STUPID-yes a word that is not allowed in my classroom. We can figure and count just as well as they do. All we have to do is vote NO. I know that it is tough but you know what making your "X" happens where no one can see you. Practice NO and it will happen. Just remember to vote-we can change the system .
Just imagine spending a half hour trying to co worse a Ashuelot library trustee, that did the research ,to go for more money. Our big mouth of the day better have a good job so he doesn't go bankrupt again.
If Dale is doing such a fantastic job, how come our plow truck is junk after 8-9 years and yet Rindge is still getting service out of their 17 year old truck. They too are looking to buy one; but for a hell of a lot less money than our selectmen are asking us to shell out. Maybe we should send Dale over to Rindge to learn how to take care of someone else's equipment.
2/1 @ 8:12 PM - in answer to your question....he works for Yankee. So, how secure do you think his job is?
2/1 @ 11:44 PM - were you at deliberative? Dale admitted to everyone that he undercoats when he feels like it (and it wasn't annually). Not routinely! Can't be bothered to do it twice a year.
Kind of like the maintenance of our streets. When was the last time they swept your street? Our street used to get mowed twice a summer - hasn't been done in two years. They used to sweep the street once in the Spring and Fall. And usually after a big rain storm. In the past three years, they came out once (only in the Spring). Our road was scheduled for chip seal in 2008 - never got done. Dale plows our road and over the past two years he plows only one side - we have to shovel 10 feet out into the street to clear the snow. Is he trying to make a statement?
Yes - I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT I AM DOING! Or, I'll show you who has the power in town... He looks and acts like an orangutan.
To the very first poster:
Looks like you and everyone else who collects disability payments and is stuck with no options to make a living are finally going to get some help. I see the article remained as written giving disabled people a $750. property tax break made it to the ballot. I'm sure the good hearted people of Winchester will vote this into town law as other communities have done to help those struggling on a fixed income to keep up with rising prices and taxes. About time we all started thinking of those worse off than ourselves and giving them a hand.
Keep in mind when you vote for selectmen that we don't have to control the board, just have someone who will tell us whats going on. That alone will take the rest of the people on the board in a different direction. Who knows, put in that position some of the board might enjoy the change.
Wish Paul W. Haynes lived in Winchester instead of Swanzey.
Today's Sentinel (page 3) quotes him as saying, "I think we do the official ballot injustice by taking a petitioned article and taking the thought of it out when we are not the complete town."
Hear, Hear!
This big bucks truck that Dale can't live with out, whats the added cost for insurance and registration? Maybe its time to expand the use of private com tractors. We use Lawrence on some of our streets and Edwards for the school, if this is such a good deal lets keep going. It will save on the high cost of employees and equipment.
Good Idea! Get rid of the big bucks truck and the over payed road agent. John Gomarlo spends half the day at hwy anyway so he can man the phone and Don Corliss can get the work done. Like many towns are doing start replacing the people that retire or leave for any reason[piney woods]with local contractors, we have plenty of people in town with trucks and plows, or anything we would need. It would save on trucks, insurance, overtime, comp time, green mt coffee, uniforms, etc. It would also answer the most asked question in Winchester.
It is time to privatize the highway dept. We do not need to keep buying expensive equipment that no one will take care of. At deliverable session Dale Gray couldn't remember when or how often he oil his truck.
You can bet your butt that it would save a bundle if handled right, and we wouldn't care about late to work and all these long breaks and hour and a half lunches.I think a vote for Bob and Mike would be a start on this issue, it needs to be looked into.
Kind of hard to oil your truck when you spend half the day in the town hall socializing.
Hey guys, great idea! like I have said before sharpen your "NO" pencils. We can only afford one truck payment at a time. If Mr. Gray could assure us that the truck would be oiled and taken care we might consider buying a new one.
Thanks informer! Remember only one turck payment at a time.
Read the Keene Sentinel to day,30 people went against the budget com. and cost us 280 thousand dollars, we are a bunch of losers.
The losers are the towns people that didn't bother to show up to support the Budget Committee. It was apparant that too many lies were spread at the meeting and before it began. Unfortunately, the resident teachers fell for them.
It was obvious that they believed that the budget committee proposal would effect their supplies and a few programs would be cut as a result. Not true! Simply the surplus that the school adds each year as a noninterest bearing loan. Not unlike income tax. The amount they "return" every year (because of the excessive padding they do). It's never returned, just deducted from the following year. The budget committee simply said - NOT THIS YEAR.
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