Winchester Town Budget 2013-2014 BEFORE WARRANTS

This is the approved Town Budget for the year 2013 - 2014 BEFORE any more spending has been approved on all the Warrant Articles submitted by the Selectmen. Looks like many people are either going to have to find 2nd and 3rd jobs or another place to live other than Taxchester.

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ATTENTION ALL CANDIDATES

FILING PERIOD FOR OFFICE BEGINS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013

AND ENDS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2013

FROM 3:00 UNTIL 5:00 PM FOR FILING

FOR OFFICE ONLY, NO OTHER BUSINESS

WILL BE TRANSACTED DURING

THAT TIME.

DELIBERATIVE SESSION

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2013

AT THE TOWN HALL,

WINCHESTER, NH AT 9:00 AM –

UNTIL DISCUSSIONS OF ARTICLES END.

Session to vet budget, warrant articles approaching

By Meghan Foley Sentinel Staff

WINCHESTER — Voters will have a chance next week to slice, dice or add to a 2013-14 town budget that is up 11 percent from the current year.
Town officials will present a $3.42 million operating budget at the deliberative session on Saturday, Feb. 2. The budget, which selectmen recommended unanimously and the budget committee supported, 5-2, is up $346,074 from this fiscal year's budget of $3.07 million.

Selectmen Chairwoman Roberta A. Fraser said Friday the big increases in the budget are employee health insurance and retirement costs.
"We've kept it low as much as we can, but everything is going up," she said.
Health insurance has increased by $97,726, from $254,799 to $352,525, and retirement costs for town employees have increased by $14,563, from $40,617 to $55,180. The town's share of retirement costs for police department employees, which is a separate budget line item from other town employees, has gone up by $19,576, from $59,800 to $79,376.
Fuel costs are also a contributing factor, especially in the highway department, where the amount allocated for diesel fuel increased by $13,000, from $30,000 to $43,000.
Other town offices with proposed increases include the fire department, landfill, the police department, property records and welfare, which would see their budgets jump anywhere from $7,304 to $44,090. The town's legal budget is slated to increase by $41,736, from $25,000 to $66,736.
In addition to the budget, voters at the deliberative session will review the 31 warrant articles on the March town meeting ballot.
One of those articles seeks to establish an ordinance making it illegal for animals to run at large on properties that don't belong to their owners. The selectmen have unanimously backed the ordinance.
Fraser said the ordinance is similar to the one in place for dogs found to be running at large, but that regulation can't be applied to livestock.
"There have been issues with livestock getting out quite often," she said.
According to the ordinance, an animal is defined as domestic or wild, and includes, but isn't limited to: cattle, bovines, swine, sheep, goats, domesticated strains of buffalo and bison, llamas, alpacas, emus, ostriches, yaks, elk, fallow deer, red deer, reindeer and equines.
If the ordinance passes, residents who have animals that escape their care could be fined $50 each time the animals get loose. The owners would also be responsible for expenses incurred by the Winchester animal shelter for caring for the animals.
Other warrant articles on the ballot include:

• $1.48 million for the third phase of upgrades to the Winchester wastewater treatment plant, and creating a plan for inspecting the town's sewer collection system.
• Establishing a committee of seven residents to study the effects of consolidating the Thayer and Conant public libraries.
• Changing the number of members-at-large on the budget committee from eight to five.  

The deliberative session will start on Sat., Feb. 2, at 9 a.m. at Winchester Town Hall.

Meghan Foley can be reached at 603-352-1234 ext. 1436 or at mfoley@keenesentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @MFoleyKS.

Warrant article seeks to form committee to study libraries

Are these people serious? With all of the pressing matters in town, emergency Budget Committee Meetings cause they can't manage money and spending tax money like it's water driving the rates up with spending warrant after spending warrant, these fools now want to abolish a piece of history that cost us a whopping $2,086. in spending on improvements last year. Don't let them pull the wool over your eyes, what's the real motive behind these latest shenanigans?

Posted: Thursday, January 24, 2013 12:00 pm 

By Meghan Foley Sentinel Staff

 

The historic tin ceiling at the Thayer Public Library in Ashuelot is one of the areas of the building that needs to be repaired. In the photo is library volunteer Joan Gratton, left, and trustee Harriet Charland                                          

WINCHESTER — Years of discussion about whether the town can afford two libraries is likely to come to a head at town meeting in March. A warrant article, which selectmen are recommending 4-1, seeks to establish a committee of seven residents to study the effects of consolidating the Thayer and Conant public libraries. If the article passes, the committee would be appointed by the selectmen and consist of one representative each from the Thayer and Conant libraries, and five town residents.
Selectmen Chairwoman Roberta A. Fraser said there has been a lot of interest and questions from residents and town officials about the need for Winchester to have two libraries. There have also been discussions within the town recently about who should be responsible for the care and upkeep of the Thayer Library moving forward, she said.
“It doesn’t hurt to look at the sustainability of having two libraries in town,” she said.
The Thayer Library, which is located on Ashuelot Main Street in the village of Ashuelot, was donated to Winchester by Julia Thayer in 1906, and has historically operated independently with little financial support from the town. Running the Conant Library, which is on Main Street, relies primarily on town funds.
The placement of the warrant article comes after Thayer Library trustees came under fire from the selectmen on Dec. 5 for the way in which they amended the library’s bylaws earlier in 2011. Of the bylaws that were amended, the selectmen took the most issue with the one that shifted the responsibilities of caring for the library away from the library director and trustees.
At the December meeting, Fraser said the original bylaws were intended to not put the burden of caring for the library on the town, and the new bylaws had been amended to completely change that intent without notifying the town.
Selectman Theresa Sepe said the library trustees should have brought the changes to the selectmen before making them, as the town had no funds in its budget to maintain the library.
According to the Winchester town report for fiscal year 2010-11, the Thayer Library’s expenses totaled $2,086, while the Conant Library spent $89,999. Also that year, over 10,000 books were loaned out to people using the Conant Library. In 2012, 236 books were borrowed from the Thayer Library.
The original Thayer Library bylaws, which dated back to when the building was donated to the town, put the responsibility of caring for the library and grounds on the library director. The director would live in the apartment above the library. The library now operates with an all-volunteer staff, and no one is living in the apartment.
It wasn’t until their meeting on Jan. 9 that the selectmen voted to put the warrant article to establish the library study committee on the March 12 ballot.
Julia Ferrari, chairwoman of the Thayer Library trustees, said while it’s likely the warrant article was based on financial reasons, it doesn’t take into account the long-term effect it could have on the quality of education provided to children in the community.
“If we only think about the ground we’re standing on right now, and not the future, we’re being short-sighted,” she said.
Edward Lake, who was the director of the Thayer Library from 1999 until he resigned in 2011, said while the library is an asset to the town and village of Ashuelot, he understands the selectmen’s concerns.
“We, like other towns, are in a financial crisis. Now out of the blue, we have something like the Thayer Library trustees changing things and bringing taxpayers more expenses that they never had before. They don’t want to take on the extra expense,” he said.
For decades, the Thayer Library has been self-sufficient, and what has gotten it in trouble is the trustees changing the bylaws, he said.
Over the years, Ashuelot has lost its school, fire department and mills, and closing the library would take away what makes Ashuelot significant, he said.
Ferrari said she doesn’t know what the future operational setup of the library may be, but the trustees hope to continue to connect with the Conant Library.
“By working hand-in-hand, the two libraries can work together and help each other,” she said.

Meghan Foley can be reached at 603-352 1234 x1436 or at mfoley@keenesentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @MFoleyKS.

Poor Planning Results In More Money Needed

Better show up at the polls if you don't want your taxes to increase again next year ... Once again, the incompetence of the people voted into the position of Selectman makes the news.

Winchester looking to move forward with third phase of sewer project

 Posted: Wednesday, January 16, 2013 

By Meghan Foley Sentinel Staff

WINCHESTER — Town officials will seek voter approval in March to move forward with the third and final phase of upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant.
A warrant article recommended by selectmen, but not the budget committee, would raise up to $1.48 million for the upgrades and pay for developing a plan to inspect the sewer collection system.

Town Administrator Joan C. Morel said Tuesday the project’s third phase includes some improvements to the plant that weren’t part of the previous two phases because there wasn’t enough money budgeted.
The phase three upgrades include putting a rubber membrane roof on the operations building, upgrading the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, installing a station to receive sludge delivered to the plant, and upgrading the well water system and laboratory equipment.
In addition, it will ensure the town qualifies for federal and state funds for half the cost of the project’s third phase.
The article requires a 60 percent majority to pass.
The budget committee has the final word on the budget plan that goes to voters. It didn’t recommend the article, so there’s also a waiver included.
Voters can’t add more than 10 percent to the budget committee’s recommendation. Since the recommendation was zero dollars, the waiver is needed for voters to exceed the 10 percent if the article is approved. The waiver is allowed by state law.
Selectmen Chairwoman Roberta A. Fraser said the first phase of the project included basic repairs.
“We knew at some point we’d have to do phases two and three,” she said.
Upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant have been ongoing since 2010. In 2008, the town took over management of the roughly 30-year-old plant after the town’s contract with United Water of Auburn expired. At the time, the aging plant was having numerous mechanical breakdowns.
Voters approved a bond for $3.4 million at town meeting in March 2009 to begin making upgrades to the plant. The following year, voters were asked to approve raising another $500,000 for the second phase of the project after town officials learned the $3.4 million wasn’t enough. They did.
Morel said the first phase of the project is nearly done, and the second phase is expected to begin in late summer. Half of the funding for the project’s second phase is coming from a State and Tribal Assistance Grant. The other half will come from the state revolving fund, she said.
If voters approved the third phase of the project, it’s unknown when it would start, Fraser said.

Meghan Foley can be reached at mfoley@keenesentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @MFoleyKS.

Board of Selectmen Meeting Minutes 12-26-12

Board of Selectmen Meeting Minutes 12-19-12

Board of Selectmen Work Session 12-19-12

Winchester in search of a new leader

WINCHESTER — For the fifth time in eight years, Winchester officials will search for a new town leader.

Town Administrator Joan Morel plans to leave her job in February after submitting a letter of resignation last month. Selectmen accepted the letter with regret at their meeting on Dec. 11.

Selectmen Chairwoman Roberta Fraser said this morning the board plans to advertise the position starting Saturday, with applications due this month.

“We’ll be taking applications, and then going from there with interviews,” she said.

The position will remain the same as it has been for the past four years, with the town administrator also handling town assessor responsibilities, she said.

Selectmen haven’t yet discussed whether to hire an interim town administrator if the position isn’t filled by the time of Morel’s departure, but Morel has agreed to stay on if needed past her scheduled last day of Feb. 8, Fraser said.

Morel was out of the office and unavailable for comment.

In her resignation letter, Morel said she appreciated the opportunities she’d been given, and wished the town well in the future.

“I love the job and everyone I work with, but have reached the point where I need to stop working fulltime,” she wrote.

Morel became Winchester’s town administrator in October 2010, making her the fourth person to be hired to the position since 2004. She replaced Robert N. Gray, who left the job in fall 2010 after deciding to move with his wife to Arizona. He was named town administrator in December 2008, replacing Amy Lewis, who held the position for about three months.

Lewis was hired after voters at town meeting in March 2008 decided to eliminate the town manager position for a town administrator post.

A town administrator works under the direct supervision of the selectmen, while a town manager oversees all town departments, property and business affairs involving the town, and the expenditure of funds from the town budget, according to the Local Government Center, an organization that advises municipalities in the state.

The vote to eliminate the town manager job came during the fourth consecutive year the question had been on the town meeting ballot. At the time, John H. Stetser had been town manager since December 2004. He left the job in April 2008.

Stetser replaced Town Manager Anthony F. Simon, who resigned in January 2004 after six months on the job