Office of the Select Board
Town of Orange, New Hampshire
Minutes of January 7, 2014
Present: Dorothy Behlen Heinrichs (chaired the meeting), Betty Fulton, Bob Ells, and Sandi Pierson (clerical).
Others present: George and Pat White, Bob and Sharon Proulx, and Scott Sanborn Meeting opened at 7 PM. Attendance taken by the secretary.
Budget: Budget Committee Clerk Bob Proulx submitted to the Board a proposed schedule for the development of the 2014 budget. The January 28th Select Board meeting would include a joint meeting with the Budget Committee to determine recommended 2014 line item allocations and appropriations into the capital reserves. If necessary, the joint meeting will continued to the February 4th Select Board meeting. Bob said a list of 2013 estimated revenues received will be available. Betty said she will be finalizing the 2013 spreadsheet later this week. The Board unanimously approved Bob’s proposed schedule. The public hearing on the budget will be on Wednesday, February 12, 2014 with an inclement weather date of Thursday, February 13, 2014. Bob plans to notify the townspeople of the public hearing with a town-wide mailing.
Intent to Cut: The Board reviewed and signed an Intent to Cut application for Gregory Cook for 60 acres at the height of the Class VI New Colony Road. The logger notified the office that access to the property (Map 6, Lot 3) will be via Sculptured Rocks Road in Groton.
Assessing Proposals and Revaluation: The Board discussed the assessing proposals for 2014 from a number of assessing firms and the pending 2015 town-wide revaluation. Dorothy shared a Community Action Report from the DRA outlining the three revaluation options: full reval, cyclical, and statistical. Cyclical is the same as a full reval but with a percentage of the town done over a period of three to five years. A statistical reval is revaluing properties using contemporary values of the existing data, though a “drive by” for the verification of buildings may be done. The Board did not think a cyclical reval was practicable for a town the size of Orange.
Sharon and Bob Proulx spoke in favor of contracting with Avitar (one of the five proposals) because the town uses their assessment software and they have done a quality job in the past. Sharon felt the town should have Avitar do a full reval in 2015 and consider statistical revals in the future. Sandi stated that the cost of Avitar’s contract was a fixed fee of $3500 for the year (to be billed to the town at $291.66 per month) and includes many tasks already done by the town or not done at all such as excavation taxes, timber taxes, Intent to Cut applications, current use applications, monthly meetings with the Board (if requested), MS-1 report, DRA annual sales verifications, and elderly and veteran exemptions. Betty will contact Avitar and ask if they will modify the contract to more fit Orange’s needs.
The Board briefly discussed general acreage discrepancies and the accuracy of current use acreage and how some of that may fit into a full reval.
Sandi will draft a letter for the Board to sign notifying Cross Country Appraisals that the town will not be renewing their assessing contract for 2014.
Elections: Dorothy will work with Bob Proulx on how to notify residents of what elected offices are available in March.
Current Use Land: Bob Ells got an inquiry regarding if land has to be taken out of current use for the construction of a sugar house since it is for agricultural purposes. Sandi will follow up with the DRA. Scott stated that even though Orange has a two-acre minimum house lot, land taken out of current use can be less than that if the circumstances justify it.
Town Clerk’s Office: Sandi stated that an invoice for a new heater for the town clerk’s office has not yet been received. The Board had unanimously approved the purchase and installation of the heater from Young’s Propane at the December 16, 2013 meeting. Betty said she requested Young’s Propane submit a bill in time to close out the 2013 payments. After discussion, Betty motioned to encumber $1500 from the 2013 operating budget for the purpose of paying Young’s Propane for the heater. Bob seconded. Motion passed unanimously in favor.
Budget: Scott explained why it was feasible to transfer surplus 2013 highway funds into the FEMA account. He said a number of road projects initially paid for from the FEMA account can be considered regular highway budget expenditures. Because FEMA funds are nonlapsing, this would make money available for additional improvements, especially the water run-off mitigation at the town house. Betty will follow up with Scott and Tessa after the 2013 spreadsheet is finalized.
Meeting adjourned 8:30 PM
Respectfully submitted, Sandi Pierson
Dorothy Behlen Heinrichs Betty Fulton Robert Ells