Office of the Select Board

Town of Orange, New Hampshire

Minutes of July 22, 2015

 

Present: Robert Ells, Lyell ‘Skip’ Smith, and Sandi Pierson (clerical)

Others present: Sophie Seace, Beverly Ells, Betty and Bill Fulton, Bob and Sharon Proulx, Jay and Dorothy Heinrichs, Kathy and David Stacy, Judith Lindahl, Jason and Nicole Azze, Louise Tetrault, Peter Tibideau, Gloria Stevens, Doug Weekes, Trish Leader, Rosemary Haness, and Sal Guadagnino.

Meeting opened at 7:00 PM. Skip Smith chaired the meeting.
Minutes: The minutes of July 14, 2015 were unanimously approved as submitted.

Board appointment: Bob and Skip discussed the appointment of a third Select Board member. Bob stated that one candidate, former Board member Dorothy Heinrichs, has come forth and is willing to serve. He and asked if there was anyone present who also like to be considered for the position. There was no response. Skip motioned to appoint Dorothy Heinrichs to the Select Board. Bob seconded. Motion passed unanimously in favor. Dorothy took the oath of office from the town clerk and took a seat on the Board.

Chair nomination: Bob motioned to nominate Dorothy as Select Board Chair, citing that she has held that position in the past. Skip seconded. Discussion: Dorothy stated she would be happy to serve as Chair but that she did not anticipate running for re-election in March of 2016. Motion passed unanimously in favor.

Ex-officio appointments: Citing past experiences on the various boards and committees, Skip proposed the following ex-officio positions:

  • Planning Board: Bob Ells

  • Budget Committee: Skip Smith

  • Zoning Board of Adjustment: Dorothy Heinrichs

    Dorothy motioned to accept Skip’s proposal. Bob seconded. Motion passed unanimously in favor.

    Building permits:

  • Louise Tetrault/290 Tug Mountain Road/Map 3, Lot 20B-2. Skip stated that the permit is for a deck, the application fee has been submitted, and the permit had been reviewed and signed by Building Inspector Don Pfaefflin. The Board approved and signed the permit.

  • Douglas Weekes/260 Tug Mountain Road/Map 3, Lot 21. Skip stated that the permit is for an accessory building and had been reviewed and signed by Building Inspector Don Pfaefflin. Doug submitted the application fee to the Board. The Board approved and signed the permit.

  • Daniel Kokas/off Peaslee Road/Map 7, Lot 4. Skip said the permit is for a deck but the Board would table approval until the Building Inspector reviews and signs it.

Treasurer/financial:

  • The Board was in receipt of a “Status Report of Treasury” from Treasurer Tessa Michetti. Tessa reported that the town has an account balance of $20,087.38 and a Tax Anticipation Note balance of $185,000.00. Presently Tessa could only report on checks cashed at the bank from April 2015 to current. She stated that further financial status can be expected when she has access to past records, the laptop, and the spreadsheet.

  • The Board was in receipt of the revised State Treasury ACH Enrollment Form for direct deposits from the State into the town’s new account.

  • Skip reviewed a letter from the Department of Labor stating that the $5,400 penalty for treasurer violations was reduced to $200.00. A voucher was processed on June 15, 2015 to pay the penalty.

  • Tax Collector Sharon Proulx stated that for security purposes she needs her locking, transaction bag that is used to transfer financial documentation between her and Tessa. She said that former treasurer Cathy Bean agreed to bring it to her home but that she never showed up.

  • Bob stated that on the advice of the town’s attorney he referred the predicament of the former treasurer still having the town’s laptop, checks, and treasurer records to the Department of Revenue Administration. After discussion, it was agreed that Dorothy would contact the DRA and attorney the following morning for a solution to retrieving the records and items from the former treasurer without delay.

  • Skip stated that the town needed to be mindful of the cost of a pending audit of treasurer records and that a “forensic” audit should only be done only if deemed necessary. Skip said the Board will vote on an audit when more concrete information is available. Dorothy to follow up with the attorney and DRA. Judith Lindahl stated that information about overdrafts and such should be made available.

  • The spreadsheet for May 2015 was available. Sandi stated that she and Sophie had planned on jointly administering future spreadsheets. Betty Fulton, who has done the spreadsheet in the past, will initially assist them. Budget Committee Secretary Bob Proulx expressed appreciation for Betty assisting with the spreadsheet because of the quality of her spreadsheets in the past for budgeting purposes.

  • Dorothy asked to review the June 15, 2015 vouchers processed by Pat Mercer and George White two days before they resigned. Answering a question from the audience, Dorothy affirmed that that each had signed their own vouchers which paid themselves a Select Board stipend of $582.75 each. Dorothy said she will ask the attorney if that was an irregularity. Bob stated that they processed a voucher for his term as Select Board member but declined to cash the check because historically officer stipends are paid in November.

    Large Trash Pick-up: The Board noted that large trash pick-up in Orange is slated for August 28. The Board agreed that when the residents are notified by mail with the details, they will include a revised informational directory and a cover letter from the Board on the town’s state of affairs. Betty Fulton generously offered to donate the cardstock and printing for the new informational directory.

    Town-wide reval: Skip reviewed correspondence from Mark Stetson of Avitar regarding the progress of the town-wide reval. Skip reiterated that the data verification work has been completed and sales have been inspected. The next phase will include analyzing sales to determine preliminary land values and preliminary building square foot costs. Subsequently they will do a field review of all properties and prepare for notices and hearings. Avitar anticipates notices will be mailed in early

September with hearings in late September or early October. They expect to meet the October 15, 2015 contract deadline.

Town House: The Board reviewed a quote from LaValleys for a numerical lock for the Selectmen’s office door. Bob stated that he will also have the tumbler altered in the front door so new keys will be needed for that. Replacement keys for the front door will be issued to all appropriate parties. A master key for the Selectmen’s office will be placed in the emergency services box that is located on the outside of the building. After discussion, Bob motioned to expend $234 for lock, keys and locksmith assistance for replacing the locks. Dorothy seconded. Motion passed unanimously in favor.

Other:

After discussion, the Board agreed that Skip will process the pistol permits.

Secretary’s report:

Sandi asked if the Board is going to use the PA-28 (Inventory Form) for 2016. The Board affirmed they were using them and directed Sandi to request them from the State. These are provided at no cost.

Reports from Boards and Committees:

Planning Board: Bob Proulx submitted to the Board the final plat for the approved lot line adjustment for Eileen Arnold and Paul Arnold.

Public comment:

  • Kathy Stacy asked if the Certificate of Indebtedness had been submitted to the Mascoma SAU office. It was affirmed that Tessa has submitted it. This refers to the school renovation bond.

  • Sharon asked if the MS-5 has been completed and accepted by the DRA. Sandi said that the DRA cannot accept it because there is no 2014 treasurer’s report. The Board and Shelley Gerlaneau (DRA) anticipates some level of “2014 treasurer’s report” generated by the audit.

  • Rosemary Haness thanked the Board for a nicely run meeting.

Meeting adjourned 7:55 PM

Respectfully submitted, Sandi Pierson

Dorothy Behlen Heinrichs

Robert Ells

Lyell Smith