Board of Selectmen                    
Meeting Minutes  
May 12, 2008

Present: Selectmen; William Martell, Edward Martin and James Huber, Administrative Assistant Kim Leahey, Dave Goldin, Police Chief Ed Fleury, DPW Superintendent Rick Adamcek, Fred VanDerbeck, Gail Weiss, Tom Scanlon, members of the public.

Meeting called to order at 6:00 p.m.  

REORGANIZATION OF THE BOARD
Ed Martin made a motion to appoint Bill Martell as Chairman, Jim Huber seconded, motion carried.
Jim Huber made a motion to appoint Ed Martin as Vice Chairman, Bill Martell seconded, motion carried.
Ed Martin made a motion to appoint Jim Huber as Secretary, Bill Martell seconded, motion carried.

It was further decided that Mr. Martin would serve as the Board’s liaison to the Police and Fire Departments; Mr. Martell would serve as liaison to the Town Hall and Highway Departments and, that Mr. Huber would become the Selectmen’s liaison to the Schools and the Library.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES from April 22, 2008; Ed Martin made a motion to approve the minutes, Bill Martell seconded; motion passed unanimously.

LIAISON REPORTS
The Police Chief passed out statistics for the month.
The Fire Chief had submitted a written report on his Department prior to the meeting.
Mr. Martin reported that there had been no recent School or Library meetings.
Mr. Adamcek, who was present, remarked that the Highway Dept. was operating smoothly,
and Mr. Martell commented upon the continued trouble-free operation of the Town Offices.

TOM SCANLON – CPA EXIT INTERVIEW
Tom Scanlon Jr. of Thomas J. Scanlon, CPA & Associates met with the Board to present the Management letter for the year ended 6/30/07. He told the board that there were no significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the report and he remarked that the Town has made tremendous progress from the previous year and he credits Town Accountant Gail Weiss with the improvement.

Some of Mr. Scanlon’s comments and recommendations included the following:

• He strongly suggested that a Policies and Procedures Manual be written which would serve to document controls within the Town. He offered that it will take two to three years to implement and that, in future years, it will probably “be a grant question” when applying for grants.
• He asked that Departments and Boards be reminded that all Grant Award letters and/or Grants should be turned over to Town Accountant Gail Weiss immediately upon receipt.
• Fiscal policies, specifically those around bill paying, need to be in place and documented.
• A form should be developed for Travel Reimbursement and a procedure which requires that reimbursement requests be submitted in a scheduled, in a timely fashion.
• He asked that the Town “try not to pay off of Statements” and instead, pay from the original bills – he also shared that, as of July 1, Gail will be ‘taking control’ of, and posting, warrants for payment.
• Regarding the Town’s investments, he suggested that the Finance Committee take an active role and, further, that an investment committee be formed that would include members of the Finance Committee and the Selectboard.
• Suggested that all departments develop and maintain an inventory list of any item $200 to $10,000 or “anything useful for over a year” that might “walk”. He suggested that the list be required to be updated and submitted by department heads yearly.
• A form should be developed for the appropriate disposal of equipment and should then be presented to Selectmen for their approval before any Town equipment is disposed of.
• That the Board, the Finance Committee and Treasurer/Collector Edna Holloway meet four times a year to review the Town’s investments.

Mr. Scanlon felt that, given the Town’s progress from previous years, an audit should be done next year to ensure the continued improvement and then every two years thereafter.

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS – SUPT. RICK ADAMCEK

AMHERST ROAD RIGHT-OF-WAY
DPW Superintendent Rick Adamcek attended the meeting to update the Board on the ongoing Amherst Road project. Adamcek reminded the Board that this project, the resurfacing of Amherst Road, dates back to 1994 and $260,000 has already been invested.

At this juncture, the Town needs to have a set of plans drawn up that accurately and completely document all Right-of-Ways. The plans will then be recorded with the registry of deeds establishing it as a ‘town’ road and presented at Town Meeting. The establishment of Amherst Road as a ‘town’ road will enable the Town to apply for state and federal funding.

Adamcek reports that he has been working with the engineering firm of “VHB” and that they are willing to draw up the plans for a cost of $8500. He emphasized that this will not be the final cost of this project and that the next step will be to secure construction easements (detention basins, etc.) During the discussion, it was discovered that no written estimate had been provided by VHB. Adamcek will have VHB supply a written estimate and present it to Selectmen at their next meeting on May 27.

TRUCK REPAIR
Adamcek informed the Board of his plan to have the department’s 1988 truck repaired. He has obtained an estimate for the work from Camerota of $3900. He reports that this truck is one of the “main trucks” used by the department and that it goes out in snowstorms to salt, sand and plow and is also used in the warmer weather. He would like to have the work completed by the end of the fiscal year ’07. The Selectmen were in agreement that the repairs are needed.

SUMMER HELP
Adamcek reported that he has hired someone for part-time help during the summer months. The proposed new employee will work a couple of days a week for a yet-to-be determined number of hours a day. He has a CDL license and a Hoister’s license and will work for $12/hour.

POLICE VEHICLE
Police Chief Edward Fleury passed out copies of an estimate from Classic Chevrolet for needed repairs to the Chevy Tahoe cruiser which is currently out of commission. The estimate, “just to get it running again” as Fleury reports, is for $2334.00. In answer to a query from Selectman Huber, Fleury responded that no other quotes had been obtained.

There was discussion regarding the potential use of the Capital Expenditures fund for the purchase, or lease, of a new cruiser should the Prop 2 ½ override question pass on June 19th. Selectmen were unclear as to when money from the fund could become available for appropriation and decided to check with D.O.R. in the coming days.

A long discussion was had regarding the possibility of procuring a lease with option to purchase from M-H-Q Municipal Vehicles, from whom Chief Fleury has obtained a quote of $26,666.00 for purchase of a new Ford Expedition. It was felt that a five-year lease at approximately $6000 a year might be the course to take.

Jim Huber made a motion to lease a 2008 Ford Expedition for one year with the possibility of extending it to five years and subject to the approval of the Warrant Article overide, Bill Martell seconded, motion passed unanimously.

Selectmen directed Administrative Aide Leahey to draft a Warrant Article for the June 19th continuation of the Town Meeting to appropriate from Free Cash the sum of $6039.72 for one year of a five-year lease. Selectmen also asked Fleury to make sure that there would be no financial penalty to the Town should the article not pass in the subsequent four years thereby compelling the Town to opt out of the lease contract. Fleury agreed to gather the information and report back to Selectmen.

OLD BUSINESS
Selectmen directed Leahey to inquire of Kate Connolly, town counsel; is the Town required to inform residents by mail of the June 19th continuation of Town Meeting? Are we required to publish and/or post the information? There was also discussion about sending Article 4 (the proposed budget) to every Pelham household. Selectmen offered that the Article could not be sent out before the Finance Committee meets to review and approve it. That meeting will be scheduled in the coming days, before the next Selectmen’s meeting during which they will have a final review.  

Leahey relayed to Selectmen that Town Clerk Andy Lichtenberg needed to know the times for the election that will take place on June 19th. Selectmen decided that the election will take place from noon to 8 p.m. Leahey will inform Lichtenberg so that he can have the ballots printed.

NEW BUSINESS
Leahey informed the Selectmen that Cinda Jones, owner of Cowls Lumber, has asked if the Town accepts advertising for its “newsletter”. She sent a sample business card sized ad to consider. Selectmen learned from Tom Scanlon during his interview that, it is his belief that a revolving fund would need to be set up for this purpose. After discussion, Selectmen decided to ask Town Counsel if there are any restrictions around this question. There was also discussion around whether or not to limit the advertising to Pelham businesses; it was tentatively decided to “prioritize” Pelham businesses.

Leahey informed new Selectman James Huber about “Training for New Selectmen” offered by MMA/MSA scheduled to take place on June 21st in Worcester. Leahey also asked for the Selectmen’s approval for her to attend as she felt strongly that it would be of assistance to her in her role as their assistant. Selectmen wholeheartedly agreed and encouraged her to go. Mr. Huber said that he also plans to attend.

REGIONALIZATION
Ed Martin opened up a discussion regarding the feasibility of regionalization of services with a neighboring town. He wondered if a selectman should be appointed to research if there is any interest from a surrounding town to “combine” services with Pelham. Bill Martell suggested that a committee be formed to look into the idea. Bill felt that no department heads should be on the committee due to the possibility of a biased opinion based upon fear of losing their job. The potential for legal options/barriers were discussed and Martell shared that Len Kopelman of Kopelman and Paige has experience in this area and has offered to assist the Town should it decide to pursue this route. After discussion, Ed Martin offered to put the idea “into action”; Martell suggested that he call Len Kopelman first.

COMPUTER INFORMATION SECURITY
Jim Huber asked Leahey if there is a system in place for backing up and protecting the information in the Town computers. Leahey responded that it has been a concern of hers also but that she ‘dropped the ball’ after the first month here and has not yet devised a plan. Huber suggested that simple, separate hard drives for each of the five Town computers could hold the information and be stored off Town property. There was also discussion regarding maintaining the backed up information in a fire-proof box. Ed Fleury suggested that Leahey call Penny at the Hampshire Council of Governments. Leahey also said that she would call Bill Ploran, a computer expert, and inquire as to the best method.

COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
Jim Huber asked if all the minutes of all committee meetings could be put on the Town website. Leahey responded that it could be done and she would like to have it done but that she does not receive minutes from most committees. Leahey was informed that the minutes of all committees must be returned to the Town Clerk and made accessible to the public. Town Clerk Andy Lichtenberg has been told of this and has promised to do what he can to help make it happen. Leahey also said that it has been her plan to write a letter to all the committees asking for their cooperation, she will do that as soon as possible.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m.
Respectfully submitted
Kim Leahey