TOWN OF BRADFORD
BUDGET COMMITTEE AND PUBLIC HEARING MINUTES
FEBRUARY 11, 2015
6:30PM
Call to Order and Roll Call:
Dick Keller, Chair called the meeting to order at 6:30pm with George Cilley Beth Downs, Susan Reynolds, John Pfeifle, Selectmen Representative, Cheryl Behr, Administrator and Marge Cilley, Secretary present. Will Hurley arrived at 6:35pm. Don Jackson was absent.
Review and Consideration of Minutes of February 4, 2015:
Motion was made by George Cilley to approve the minutes as presented. Seconded by Beth Downs. Motion carried unanimously.
Cheryl Behr handed out updated Warrant Articles to the members.
Budget – Review and Recommendation: General Discussion:
Article Three: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate Nine Hundred Fifty Five Dollars ($955,000.00) (gross budget) to renovate the Bradford Town Hall at map 16, Lot 92 including a full workable foundation (if possible) and to authorize the issuance of not more than Eight Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($850,000.00) of bonds or notes in accordance with the provisions of the Municipal Finance Act ( RSA Chapter 33). Further to authorize the Selectmen to issue and negotiate such bonds or notes, to determine the rate of interest thereon, the term and other details. The balance of One Hundred Five Thousand Dollars ($105,000.00) will be raised from donations and grants (currently awarded $105,000.00 from CHIP), with work proceeding as commitments are made. Selectmen recommend. Budget Committee recommends. (2/3 ballot vote required) (passage of this article will not impact the tax rate until 2016)
Discussion ensued and the consensus is to take the (if possible) out of Article Three.
Motion was made by Susan Reynolds to recommend Article Three as presented with the edit of deleting (if Possible). Seconded by Beth Downs.
(Note – first sentence should read Nine Hundred Fifty Five Thousand Dollars).
John Pfeifle advised this does not represent a finished upstairs, but functional. Downstairs where the offices are will be 99.9% taken care of. The upstairs would be complete enough to be able to hold Town Meeting there in 2016.
Motion carried unanimously.
Article Twenty Two: To see if the Town will vote to establish a Highway Maintenance and Operation Expendable Trust Fund per RSA 31:19-a, for the purpose of purchasing and maintaining equipment and to raise and appropriate the sum of Forty Thousand Dollars ($40,000.00) to put in the fund; further to name selectmen as agents to expend from the fund. Selectmen recommend. Budget Committee recommends. (majority vote required).
It was explained that this had been previously voted on by the Budget Committee based on the funds being raised to purchase surplus equipment. Much discussion followed regarding deleting the word maintaining as previously presented.
Motion was made by Beth Downs to not recommend Article Twenty Two as presented. Seconded by Susan Reynolds. Susan Reynolds withdrew her second and Beth Downs withdrew her recommendation. No vote taken.
Motion was made by George Cilley to recommend Article Twenty Two, – To see if the Town will vote to establish a Highway Expendable Trust Fund with the deletion of the word maintaining. Seconded by John Pfeifle.
Motion carried Unanimously.
Article Twenty Eight: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) to fund the Gravestone Repair Expendable Trust. Selectmen recommend. (Majority vote required).
Dick Keller, Chair advised this is a new Article and had the Budget Committee been aware of this, they would have requested the Cemetery Department in for discussion.
Motion was made by Sue Reynolds to recommend Article Twenty Eight as presented. Seconded by Beth Downs. Motion defeated 4 No – 2 Yes votes. Budget Committee does not recommend Article Twenty Eight.
Dick Keller, Chair called a recess to the regular Budget Committee Meeting at 7:04pm.
PUBLIC HEARING
Dick Keller opened the Pubic Hearing at 7:04pm requesting if there were any questions/comments regarding the Operating Budget.
Suggestion was made under Line Item #13 if Rescue Squad should have Services added to it. There being no other question regarding the Operating Budget, the Warrant Articles were read individually by Dick Keller, Chair.
Article Three: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate Nine Hundred Fifty Five Thousand Dollars ($955,000.00) (gross budget) to renovate the Bradford Town Hall at map 16, Lot 92 including a full workable foundation and to authorize the issuance of not more than Eight Hundred fifty Thousand Dollars ($850,000.00) of bonds or notes in accordance with the provisions of the Municipal Finance Act (RSA Chapter 33). Further to authorize the Selectmen to issue and negotiate such bonds or notes, to determine the rate of interest thereon, the term and other details. The balance of One Hundred Five Thousand Dollars ($105,000.00) will be raised from donations and grants (currently awarded $105,000.00) from LCHIP), with work proceeding as commitments are made. Selectmen recommend. Budget Committee recommends. (2/3 ballot vote required)
(passage of this article will not impact the tax rate until 2016).
Article Four Operating Budget
Selectmen recommends at $1,983,562.00 – Budget Committee Recommends $1,978,510.00
Article Ten No Vote taken, No money involved
Article Twelve No vote required
Article Nineteen – Article Nineteen needs the December 21, 2020 date changed to read December 31, 2020.
Article Twenty Two To see if the Town will vote to establish a Highway Expendable Trust Fund per RSA 31:19-a for the purpose of purchasing equipment and to raise and appropriate the sum of Forty Thousand Dollars ($40,000.00) to put in the fund; further to name selectmen as agents to expend from the fund. Selectmen recommend. Budget Committee recommends (majority vote required).
Article Twenty Six Second line from the end of the Article word end needs a d.
Article Twenty Eight Article Twenty Eight To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) to fund the Gravestone Repair Expendable Trust. Selectmen recommend. Budget Committee does not recommend. (majority vote required).
It was explained to the pubic that this is a new Article tonight and the Budget Committee did not have enough information.
There being no other questions/comments from the public, the Public Hearing was closed at 7:22pm.
The new 2015 MS-7 was handed out to the board by Cheryl and Dick Keller, Chair emphasized the request for the Budget committee to look it over carefully in preparation of signing it next week.
John Pfeifle advised there will be slides at Town Meeting for the Town Hall Restoration. John also advised the Town Hall Restoration Bond would consist of only .9% of the tax bill.
Next meeting of the Budget Committee will be:
Wednesday, February 18, 2015 at 6:30pm.
Respectfully submitted
Marjorie R. Cilley
Secretary