Budget Committee Meeting
November 22, 2011
Members Present: Jack Marsh, Hubie Crowell (Vice Chairman), Bob Davis, Brian Moser (Chairman), Ken Gardner (Selectmen Rep.), Elisha Jackson, Kathy Hebert, Rick Horton, Rikki Bolewski (Secretary)
Others Present: Joan Morel, Roberta Fraser (Selectman)
Meeting called to order at 7:02pm
Bob makes a motion to accept the minutes of the April 19th meeting, Jack seconds. Motion carries 7-0 with 1 abstention.
Jack makes a motion to accept the minutes of the November 15th meeting, Hubie seconds. Motion carries 7-0 with 1 abstention.
Cemetery:
Ken makes a motion to approve $47,450, Rick seconds
Discussion regarding the Trust Fund money – where is it being spent and how does it affect the budget?
Motion fails 3-5
Rick makes a motion to level fund at $37,225, Bob seconds
Motion carries 5-2 with 1 abstention
Land Use:
Bob makes a motion to table Land Use since the department head isn’t present, Jack seconds
Motion fails 3-5
Rick makes a motion to approve $67,477, Kathy seconds
· Discussion regarding zeroed out lines and whether or not they can be expended after they have been zeroed out
· Discussion regarding breakdown of the budget
· Historic District was moved out of the Executive Budget into the Land Use budget.
· Bob initiates heated discussion regarding Land Use Assistant. Some debate as to whether discussion was related to the budget or related to the individual in the position rather than the position itself. Margaret Sharra (Land Use Assistant) wants it noted that she feels that Mr. Davis cannot be impartial and that there is a conflict of interest.
· Continued discussion regarding budget
Motion fails 3-5
Bob makes a motion to approve $39,957, Brian seconds
· Bob proposes to zero out the Land Use Assistant line
· Continued heated discussion regarding the Land Use Assistant position/person
Motion fails 1-7
Rick makes a motion to approve $67,000, Kathy seconds
· Rick proposes to reduce the Historic District by $477
Motion fails 4-4
Hubie makes a motion to approve $66,453, Kathy seconds
· Hubie proposes to make the Historic District line $1
Motion carries 7-1
Town Clerk:
Proposed budget is actually $146,986 – this lower than the original proposed budget due to the fact that the health insurance cost didn’t go up as much as expected so adjustments were made
Rick makes a motion to approve $146,986, Elisha seconds
· Discussion regarding budget
Motion carries 5-3
Rick questions whether or not the board is willing to open the floor to the public for anyone who would like to ask questions to the board regarding the budget. Brian agrees to open the floor
· Maureen Curtis questions zeroed out line items - What is the policy regarding this - Can zeroed out lines have money put back into them at the discression of the department heads or not? –
· Does Budget committee have the power to zero out a line?
· RSA 32:10 – It has to be voted on and approved by at the Town meeting - understanding is that if the Budget Committee’s proposed budget goes to the voters and they vote on it and there are zeroed out lines, money cannot be put into it
Health Agencies:
Rick makes a motion to approve $64,167, Ken seconds
Motion fails 4-4
Elisha makes a motion to level fund at $63,174, Rick seconds
· Discussion regarding budget
Motion carries 6-1
Bob makes a motion to have the pages numbered continuously for all budgets, for the town and the school, for future budgets, Elisha seconds.
Motion carries 6-2
Emergency Management:
Bob makes a motion to approve $7,750, Brian seconds
· Bob proposes to reduce the Director’s Salary by $500, reduce expences by $500 and phone by $1,000
· Discussion regarding Emergency Management policy and how it works
Motion fails 4-4
Hubie makes a motion to adjourn, Jack seconds
Motion carries 8-0
Meeting adjourns at 9:05pm
4 comments:
Thank you Budget committee for at least cutting the money for the HDC, Why do they need Money to begin with?. Hopefully after March the HDC will be gone and we can go back to growing and remodeling our homes.
You grow your home? Me thinks you're smoking too much of what you are growing and it sure isn't your home.
Why does any committee need some capital, to perform the duties assigned to them and to function properly you idiot.Hopefully it's fools like you that will disappear after March; and none to soon.
Bob initiates heated discussion regarding Land Use Assistant. Some debate as to whether discussion was related to the budget or related to the individual in the position rather than the position itself. Margaret Sharra (Land Use Assistant) wants it noted that she feels that Mr. Davis cannot be impartial and that there is a conflict of interest.
Excuse me - but isn't the "individual" in the position of the "land use assistant" the one and the same? How does one seperate the two? Also, if someone different were in that position - would they require so much in legal fees? I think not!
A discussion can only become heated when there is more than one person involved. So who was it that was also involved and what was said? Sounds like these minutes were written to make Bob out to be the bad guy instead of being an accurate account of this "heated discussion".
This is typical of the way accounts of meetings are written up in this town. Inaccurate, slanted one way or another and leaving us all wondering what was really said and by who.
And once again as has happened so many times in the past that it has become a given, a situation involves Margaret Sharra accusing someone of something that only she believes. Is it me or is this woman always involved in some controversy regarding her behavior ?
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