Board of Selectmen Meeting Minutes
April 29, 2019
Meeting called to order at 5:30pm
Roll Call- John Pfeifle, Michael James, Jason Allen, Karen Hambleton, Town Administrator, and Marilyn Gordon, Treasurer were in attendance
Pledge of Allegiance
Appearances:
- Terry Knowles, the Registrar of Charitable Trusts with the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, the Trustees of the Trust Fund and the Cemetery Commission appeared to review the Cemetery Trust accounts and how they may be utilized in the future. Terry provided a copy of RSA’s outlining roles and responsibilities as well as New Hampshire legal statutes related to Cemetery and Cemetery Trust management. Clarification was provided regarding perpetual care sites versus non-perpetual care as well as the utilization of principal and interest for the various Cemetery Trust accounts.
- Bradford has 17 cemeteries supporting 291 perpetual care lots and an estimated 1,400 total lots. Maintenance cost to care for these sites is approximately $12.75 annually per lot.
- Devin Pendleton appeared on behalf of the Bradford Independence Day Committee to discuss securing a tent for use at the annual 4th of July Celebration. In past years tent usage had been donated by local resources, but these are not available to the community this year. The estimated cost to rent a 20’x40’ is $700. The Committee would like to pursue purchasing a tent instead of renting. An estimated cost to purchase a tent is between $3,500 to $5,000 dependent upon the size. The Board was supportive of the suggestion as the tent could be used for any Town event and should last for many years but requested additional detail. Devin will do some additional research on what size would be appropriate and provide final cost comparisons to the Board for review.
Public Input
There was no public input
Regular Business:
- Minutes from the April 22nd meeting were reviewed.
Motion: Michael James motioned to accept the minutes with a revision to note that the Select Board stipend amount of $1,000 for 2019 will be revisited in the 2020 budget season and that the reduced stipend amount applies just to 2019.
Second: John Pfeifle
Decision: vote 3-0 in favor
- Account payables and the payroll manifest were approved and signed.
- Jason raised a concern, based upon feedback received from the Parks and Recreation Committee, about the location of the Calcium Chloride tank at the Highway garage and the ability to secure the tank from a safety perspective as well as visual attractiveness from Brown Shattuck Memorial Field. Jason will speak with Steve Hall, Town Road Agent about options to address the concerns.
- A Town Hall walkthrough is tentatively scheduled for May 6th beginning between 5:30pm and 6:00pm for the Select Board in conjunction with Jay Barrett, Town Hall Architect, and Mike Bauer who has volunteered to manage activity for 2019. Karen will contact Jay, and Michael will contact Mike to confirm the meeting time.
- Eagle Scout candidate Jacob Dupuis is building a new sign for French’s Park and would like to relocate the sign for better longevity and visibility. The Board supports this initiative and asked that the location proposed be reviewed with the Road Agent.
- The Board received a request to conduct tree maintenance along Cilley Lane’s power lines. This is not Town land and the Town would only be engaged if there was a situation where it was unsafe for public travel. Jason will reach out to the power company and Michael will explore clarification around municipal responsibilities.
- John drafted a letter of support for a new business venture that is looking to purchase the old Kearsarge Fitness Center property. Michael and Jason did not support writing an individualized letter and wanted to attend upcoming Zoning and Planning Board meetings to get a better understanding of what the proposed business would entail. They would prefer to take steps that outline actions Bradford is taking to present a more business friendly environment.
- Michael suggested establishing an informational “Welcome Packet” for new businesses and Marlene suggested the Economic Development Committee provide that type of literature. Jason was supportive of the idea and added that any information needed to align with the Master Plan. John feels that Bradford has inherently been unfriendly to new business and needs to work on embracing new business ventures.
- Michael raised the Tax Relief Incentive Program as a good example of supporting businesses. Marlene asked about whether the Tax Incentive Fund Program would conflict with the Tax Incremental Financing (TIF). Michael has done some research and felt the TIF Program has had little usage or success in the State and the Tax Relief Incentive Program is a more successful approach to encouraging business investment.
- The Board was provided with a formal role out plan, and documentation, to fully implement the Tax Relief Incentive Program. This included a draft Covenant that property owners will need to sign. The Covenant will be sent to legal for review. The plan also recommended establishing a committee to review and process applications. Michael would propose having the Select Board hold this responsibility for at least one year. The information does need to clarify that either the TIF or Tax Incentive Program would be leveraged but there would not be a combined benefit available on a property. The Board will review the documentation and vote next week on its adoption.
- The Board signed Intent to Cut for Map 6/Lots 103 and 104 and discussed securing bonds in the future and felt this might be a situational requirement. Karen will follow up on how other Towns manage this process.
- Michael would like to approve the Select Board Agenda as recommended during a Municipal training he recently attended. He asked that a draft agenda be provided on Thursday which he will review with Karen on Friday and only true emergency items be added once the agenda is established. The Board would also like to add a list of follow up actions to the agenda document. Jason asked about formal procedures for Select Board meetings. Karen will follow up on this.
Motion: Michael James motioned to have the Select Board Chair approve the Select Board Agenda.
Second: John Pfeifle
Decision: vote 3-0 in favor
Motion: John Pfeifle motion to adjourn to Non-Public session at 7:57pm per RSA 91A:3II(a) & (c) personnel, legal.
Second: Michael James
Decision: vote 3-0 in favor
Adjourn to Public Session at 8:47pm
Motion: John Pfeifle motion to adjourn at 8:48pm.
Second: Michael James
Decision: vote 3-0 in favor
The next Selectmen’s meeting will be held on Monday, May 6th, 2019. A walkthrough meeting with Jay Barrett, architect, and Mike Bauer, Contractor will be held at Town Hall at 5:30. The regular meeting will take place at 7:00pm at the Bradford Area Community Center.
Minutes submitted by Laurie Colburn, Recording Secretary