Office of the Selectboard
Town of Orange, New Hampshire
Minutes of September 25, 2012

(approved)

  

Present: Betty Fulton (chaired the meeting), Bob Ells, Dorothy Behlen Heinrichs, and Sandi Pierson (clerical).

Others present: Henry Minasian, Bill Fulton, Barbara Smith, Pat and George White, Pat Mercer, and Beverly Ells.

Meeting called to order at 7 PM. Attendance taken by secretary.

Minutes: The Board approved the September 10, 2012 minutes as submitted.

Trust Funds: The Board was in receipt of a letter from Cemetery Trustee Anita Watson requesting that the Board direct the Trustees of the Trust Fund to withdraw funds to pay a stone repair bill. After discussion it was affirmed that the request was not the jurisdiction of the Select Board and that the Cemetery Trustees could submit their request directly to the Trustees of the Trust Funds. The bill was given to Cemetery Trustee Pat Mercer to submit to the Trustees of the Trust Funds. 

Office supplies: The Board reviewed an email in which the Supervisors of the Checklist requested to obtain a three-draw, locking file cabinet. It was noted that there was an empty two-draw cabinet presently available. The Board’s consensus was that if the Supervisors felt the existing cabinet was insufficient, to bring their request before the Budget Committee.  Dorothy will follow up with the Supervisors.

 MS-5: The Board was in receipt of a revised MS-5 sent to the town by the DRA. Sandi stated that Shelly Gerlaneau contacted the office regarding a number of errors on the MS-5 the town submitted previous. The Board will individually review both MS-5 documents.

Tax rate notification: An email was received from the DRA asking if the town would like to receive the tax rate by email instead of regular mail. The Board concurred to have is sent by email.

Mileage policy: The Board signed the mileage reimbursement policy that was unanimously approved at the September 10, 2012 meeting.

Northeast Waste: The Board discussed the pending contract with Northeast Waste. They reviewed the town’s attorney’s response to comments by Jim Toher of Northeast Waste. After discussion, the Board tabled the issue until the next meeting in order that they may review the correspondence further. (It had just been received that afternoon.)

Bob stated that there should be a place for residents to dispose of hazardous waste. It was affirmed that the Upper Valley – Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission hosts a number of hazardous waste pick-up sites. Since Orange is a member of the UVLSRPC, it was unclear why the town is not on their lists of eligible participants.  Sandi to follow up.

Pat White stated that she received a call about a person’s recyclables not being picked up on Brock Hill.  It was noted that a fill-in was doing the trash pick-up route but that Kendra was returning and that should resolve the issue.

Highway: The Board agreed they were unsure what the status was of the contract between Richard Remacle and the town. Sandi will ask Scott to address this at the next meeting.

The Board reviewed correspondence from Planning Board Secretary Bob Proulx stating that the Planning Board held a public hearing regarding the removal of roadside trees from a section of Burnt Hill Road that is designated a scenic road. In his correspondence Bob noted that the Planning Board approved the request of the road agent to remove the trees. He included photos of the damaged and dying trees that were being removed.

Insurance: Pat White stated that she contacted the Local Government Center about liability insurance regarding groups using the town house. She stated that the LGC said that no additional insurance is needed. Pat Mercer noted that no other towns request supplemental insurance coverage.

FairPoint: The Board reviewed correspondence from the town’s attorney stating that FairPoint was suing a number of towns over the assessment value of their utilities. The Board requested that Sandi notify them immediately if anything of that nature is received. It was affirmed that it is the state that sets the assessment on utilities and not the town.

Betty recapped her communication with the Public Utilities Commission about FairPoint’s initial refusal and delay in removing a hazardous treetop from one of their wires on Tuttle Hill Road. George asked if the utilities were under the same timeline as the town for addressing hazards. Betty said they probably were not because of circumstances such as storms.

Trash v. ZeroSort: As of September 21, 2012, 65.04 tons of trash has been collected and 23.82 tons of recyclables.  This means that approximately one-third of what is disposed of has been recycled.

Insurance: The Board reviewed a post card from the Local Government Center stating that they are holding public hearings in regards to setting insurance rates.

Budgeting: Betty stated that she and Bill attended the Basic Law of Budgeting course. She stated she found it very valuable and it will be helpful with her work on the Budget Committee.

Orange Conservation Commission: Dorothy stated the OCC is hosting a clean-up of the lower Cardigan parking lot on October 6 at 9:30 AM. 

Meeting date: Because the school board is meeting at the Orange Town House on October 9, the next Board meeting will be held on Monday October 8, 2012.

Secretary’s report: Sandi noted the following:

  • State Representatives Charlie Sova (District 16) and Lester Bradley (District 6) would like to meet with the Board at one of their October meetings to take questions from their constituents. The Board concurred. Sandi to contact Charlie.
  • The Sova 2010 and 2011 property tax rebate will be slightly less than original estimate because it was not taken into account that the Sovas had recieved the 3% discount for early payment.
  • Henry Minasian’s credit card was automatically billed for the annual Norton anti-virus program fee. (Henry had used his credit card when purchasing the service when he was a Selectman.) Sandi said she wrote a voucher for reimbursement and will contact Norton Utilities and remove the automatic billing feature. In the future the town will receive an email each year requesting payment.
  • The Board needs to set the timber tax rates for 2012. The DRA’s guidelines give the lowest and highest rate that a town can set for the different kinds of trees and tree products. It was established that in the past the town used midpoint rates. Sandi will get a copy of the current rates to each Board member.  The town expects three Report of Timber Cut to be submitted by March 2013.

Public comment: The Board entertained public comment. Those who spoke are welcome to submit their dialogue in writing to be attached to the minutes.

Vouchers reviewed and signed. 

Meeting adjourned 8:00 PM 

Respectfully submitted,

Sandi Pierson

______________________      ______________________      ______________________

Dorothy Behlen Heinrichs             Betty Fulton                                  Robert Ells