August 25, 2024  |   

Town of Sutton

Pillsbury Memorial Hall

93 Main Street Sutton Mills, NH 03221

Select Board Minutes

August 12, 2024, at 6:00pm

Pledge of Allegiance:

Select Board Chair Glenn Pogust opened the meeting at 6:02pm with the Pledge of Allegiance. Present at the meeting were: Glenn Pogust, Select Board Chair; Michael McManus, Select Board Member; Nancy Glynn, Selectboard Member; and Julia Jones, Town Administrator.

Also present at the meeting were: Budget Committee Chair Robert Defelice, Town Clerk/Tax Collector Beth-Holly LaDuke, Lee Booker, Budget Committee Member Charles Nelson, Budget Committee Member Bob Wright, Susan Knight, Mark Rosenthal, Budget Committee Member Charles Forsberg, Betsy Forsham, Budget Committee Member Michael Gebo, Kim Ortokales, and Moderator Derek Lick.

Appointments:

At 7:00pm Chair Pogust informed those present that a posting requirement was not met for the procedural defect special town meeting scheduled for 7:00pm, requiring the Board to reschedule the special town meeting for Monday, September 16th, 2024. A copy of the posting  requirements was reviewed and provided to those present.  Pogust addressed questions from the audience regarding the posting requirement that was not met for the special town meeting and explained the reasons for the special town meeting.

At 7:16pm Glynn made a motion to reschedule a procedural defect special town meeting in accordance with RSA 31:5-b at 7:00pm on Monday, September 16th, 2024, at Pillsbury Memorial Hall at 93 Main St. Sutton Mills, NH 03221 to act upon the following subject:

  1. To see if the Town will vote to ratify the result of the March 13, Town Meeting even though the posting requirements were not met.

McManus seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

At 7:18pm Glynn made a motion to hold a public hearing on Monday, September 9th, 2024, at 7pm, at Pillsbury Memorial Hall, 93 Main St. Sutton Mills, NH 03221 to explain the reasons for the special town meeting. McManus seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

Chair Pogust read the complete text of the warrant, which the Board signed.

Budget Chair Defelice shared that the Budget Committee would hold a budget hearing pursuant to RSA 32:5, I on Thursday, August 22nd, 2024, at 7pm at Pillsbury Memorial Hall, 93 Main St. Sutton Mills, NH 03221. He directed the Budget Committee to meet at 6:30pm that evening in preparation for the budget hearing.

Charlie Forsburg noted that the InterTown Record is a subscription newspaper and asked if the special town meeting would be advertised in the Kearsarge Shopper. Pogust confirmed that the Town would advertise in both publications, one of which must be a newspaper of record.

Bob Wright asked about managing building capacity during town meetings. Pogust explained that it is the Moderator’s role to handle overflow should attendance exceed the building’s capacity.

Minutes:

At 6:32 pm Glynn made a motion to accept the public minutes from August 5th. McManus seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

Manifests:

The Board reviewed and approved the following manifests:

Payroll: $ 16,770.97  
Vendor: $ 12,885.65  

Intents:

The Board reviewed and approved an intent to cut 8 of 48 acres submitted by the Schnitzer Trust for parcel 06-068-417 located on Music Hill Rd.

Building Permits:

The Board reviewed and approved the following building permits:

  • $4,000 building permit for a car port submitted by John & Laura Thibodeau for parcel 07-137-453 located at 423 Kearsarge Valley Rd.
  • $48,391 building permit for roof mounted solar submitted by Robert Nelson for parcel 04-908-516 located at 497 Newbury Rd .
  • $500 building permit to replace electrical in barn submitted by Melissa King for parcel 02-841-206 located at 58 Rt 114.

New Business:

The Board reviewed a $487 estimate to sand and refinish the Town Administrator’s second floor office door submitted by Lance Carter. The Board agreed not to approve the estimate and directed the Town Administrator to prepare a list of energy efficiency measures recommended in the most recent Energy Audit, and repairs recommended by the Ad Hoc Committee for Town Hall Exterior Repairs, Building Inspector Matt Grimes, and Mark Peterson.

The Town Administrator suggested the Town consider adopting a Capital Improvements Plan, a planning tool recommended by the New Hampshire Municipal Association. Pogust clarified that Capital Improvements Plans are a Planning Board function and not within the purview of the Select Board. He added that the Town must authorize the creation, adoption and amendment of a capital improvements program at Town Meeting pursuant to RSA 674:5.

The Board discussed upcoming landscape maintenance at Pillsbury Memorial Hall. The Board approved the  removal by the Highway Department of an overgrown vining plant and a southern yellow pine severely damaged by beetles. The Board directed the Town Administrator to gather an estimate for end-of-season landscape maintenance.

The Town Administrator notified the Board that the Ad Hoc Website Committee would like the Board to hold a Public Hearing Wednesday, September 4th at 7pm to receive public input on the Town’s website. All interested parties are encouraged to attend.

The Board reviewed a draft of the Cost-of-Living Adjustment Policy. The purpose of the Select Board’s Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) policy is to ensure that the purchasing power of Town wages are not eroded by inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) as prepared by The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The Select Board’s COLA policy is adapted from the Social Security Administration’s COLA policy. The COLA policy will be administered in three stages:

  1. The Select Board’s provisional COLA will be set in October. The average Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the third calendar quarter of the most recent year a COLA was determined is compared to the average CPI-W for the third calendar quarter of the current year. Any resulting percentage increase matches the provisional COLA, the percentage by which town wages will be increased. The provisional COLA will be equal to the SSI COLA announced by the Social Security Administration in October.
  2. The Select Board’s final COLA will be adjusted in January. The average CPI-W for the fourth calendar quarter of the most recent year a wage equalization rate was determined is compared to the average CPI-W for the fourth calendar quarter of the prior year. Any resulting percentage increase matches the final COLA, the percentage by which town wages will be increased.
  3. If the Select Board’s budget is approved by voters at Town Meeting, wages would increase by the final COLA effective January 1st.

Glynn made a motion to adopt the Cost-of-Living Adjustment Policy as presented. McManus seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

The Board signed a memo to the Budget Committee encouraging the Budget Committee to adopt the Board’s COLA policy as presented. Budget Chair Defelice was provided with a signed copy of the memo at this time.

The Board discussed the Road Agent’s request to pursue an easement for a town turnaround on Harvey Rd. The Board directed the Town Administrator to request that Town Counsel prepare such an easement.

On March 18th the Board established plans to conduct annual performance reviews in September. The Board agreed to make any merit raises effective following annual reviews in September. The Town Administrator confirmed that department heads have begun scheduling appointments with the Board to discuss annual reviews and proposed merit raises.

The Town Clerk met with the Board to discuss the procedure for appointing Supervisors of the Checklist.

The Board reviewed a draft complaint to NH Department of Environmental Services for wetlands violations involving parcel 02-020-566 located on Roby Rd. owned by Christopher Fox. Pogust explained the reasons for the complaint. The Board reviewed and signed the complaint.

Old Business:

The Board reviewed estimated premiums for NH Paid Family Medical Leave should the Town extend coverage to  permanent part-time Town employees and Sutton Free Library employees. The estimated annual premium would be $790 for permanent part-time employees and $288 for Sutton Free Library employees. The Board and Budget Chair Defelice discussed budgetary and policy concerns related to the extension of benefits to Sutton Free Library employees. Chair Defelice expressed support for offer NH Paid Family Medical Leave coverage to Sutton Free Library employees. The Board directed the Town Administrator to offer NH Paid Family Medical Leave coverage to permanent part-time employees of the Town and the Sutton Free Library.

Pogust shared that existing Supervisors of the Checklist (SOC’s) may appoint Assistant Supervisors. Assistants are permitted to receive training. He shared that two candidates are interested in serving as Supervisors of the Checklist when anticipated vacancies occur.

Review of correspondence:

The Board reviewed correspondence from the New Hampshire Department of Transportation regarding Sutton Highway Block Grant Aid. A discussion proceeded on projects eligible for Highway Block Grant Aid. The Town Administrator shared that the Highway Department does not have a trench box and suggested that grant funds might be used to purchase one. McManus expressed concern about purchasing a trench box, which the Town would be responsible for certifying and maintaining. Instead, McManus recommended the Highway Department rent a trench box.

Public Input:

None

Select Board Comments:

At 6:04 pm McManus made a motion to enter a non-public session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3, II (d) the acquisition, sale, or lease of real or personal property which, if discussed in public, would likely benefit a party or parties whose interests are adverse to those of the general community. Glynn seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

At 6:30pm Glynn made a motion to leave the non-public session. McManus seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

Once back in public session, Glynn made a motion to seal the minutes pursuant to RSA 91-A:3, II (d) the acquisition, sale, or lease of real or personal property which, if discussed in public, would likely benefit a party or parties whose interests are adverse to those of the general community. McManus seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

Adjournment:

The meeting was adjourned at 7:42pm.

Chair Pogust reopened the meeting at 7:48pm to discuss the budget planning process with Chair Defelice. The Board and Budget Chair Defelice debated whether the Budget Committee and Select Board should hold joint meetings. Concerns were raised about the lack of communication and coordination between the Select Board and the Budget Committee.

Defelice shared the Budget Committee’s preference for separate meetings, while Pogust advocated for joint meetings. Defelice suggested a compromise, where a few members from each group attend each other’s meetings. Defelice and Pogust debated the merits of joint meetings and the role of the Select Board’s appointee to the Budget Committee. Pogust shared that the appointee is a participating member with the right to vote just like any at large member of the Committee. Pogust and Defelice debated whether the Board officially appointed Michael McManus to the Budget Committee. Defelice shared that he did not find the appointment documented in the minutes and asserted that he believed that Walter Baker continued as the Select Board’s designated member of the Budget Committee even though he had resigned from the Select Board prior to the last Budget Committee meeting and public hearing. Pogust assured Defelice that the Board did appoint McManus to the Committee, even if it was not recorded in the minutes. The Town Administrator confirmed that McManus was, in fact, appointed and acknowledged her failure to record this decision in the minutes.

Pogust expressed frustration at what he perceives to be the Budget Committee’s unwillingness to work with the Select Board as part of the budget process. He reiterated the Select Board’s desire for joint sessions as a demonstration of cooperation between the Board and the Committee.

Defelice asked the Board to identify an RSA which requires joint meetings. Pogust responded, asking Defelice to identify when the Town voted to adopt a Municipal Budget Committee. Pogust reiterated the Board’s request cooperation. At 6:51pm Defelice left the meeting.

The Board, the Town Administrator, and Budget Committee Member Michael Gebo discussed the matter further. McManus shared the Board’s perspective that joint budget meetings would improve transparency and communication while reducing the number of meetings department heads, committees, and boards need to attend. After discussing the compromise suggested by Defelice, the Board agreed to forgo joint budget meetings and directed the Town Administrator to begin scheduling budget meetings with department heads, committees, and boards beginning in September. Glynn suggested the Board record and broadcast meetings over a video conferencing platform. The Board discussed this possibility briefly. The Board directed the Town Administrator to invite all members of the Budget Committee to join the Board for these meetings. The Board further directed the Town Administrator to attend budget committee meetings with Michael McManus.

The Board discussed a recent interaction with a member of the public and possible accommodations.

There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 7:59pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Julia Jones

Town Administrator