By Muriel Bristol | March 30, 2019
The Milton Board of Selectmen (BOS) have posted their agenda for a BOS meeting to be held Monday, April 1.
Yes, an April Fools meeting. The “optics” are perhaps a bit unfortunate.
The April Fools meeting is scheduled to begin with a Non-Public session beginning at 5:30 PM. That agenda has two Non-Public items classed as 91-A:3 II (b) and 91-A3 II (a).
91-A:3 II (b) The hiring of any person as a public employee.
91-A:3 II (a) The dismissal, promotion, or compensation of any public employee or the disciplining of such employee, or the investigation of any charges against him or her, unless the employee affected (1) has a right to a meeting and (2) requests that the meeting be open, in which case the request shall be granted.
The second meeting of the Town year begins also with a secret meeting, also about raises and hiring. Job postings have been made for an additional clerk and truck driver.
How to handle a Default Budget? Start hiring. It is like they cannot help themselves.
The BOS intend to adjourn their Non-Public BOS session at approximately (*) 6:00 PM, when they intend to return to Public session.
The Public portion of the agenda has New Business, Old Business, Other Business, and some housekeeping items.
Under New Business are scheduled six agenda items: 1) Swearing in of New Police Officer (Rich Krauss), 2) Town-Issued Board of Selectmen Email Addresses (Andy Rawson), 3) Land Use Clerk Position (Dave Owen), 4) DPW Truck Purchase Request (Pat Smith), 5) Town Committee Board of Selectmen Appointments and Current Vacancy Discussion, 6) Side-Letter Agreement with Atlantic Broadband Re.: Internet Service.
Swearing in of New Police Officer (Rich Krauss). Here we find the reason for last week’s secret meeting.
Town-Issued Board of Selectmen Email Addresses (Andy Rawson). In answer to campaign and other promises, the Board of Selectmen will have e-mail addresses this year. This seemed previously to be some sort of insurmountable obstacle, but the new Town website is said to be capable of this.
Land Use Clerk Position (Dave Owen). For the paperwork of reducing assessed values? February real estate sales figures were published this week showing Milton as the only town in Strafford County with reduced values (although Farmington’s increase was ever so slight: less than inflation). (See Capital Reduction Program (CRP)).
DPW Truck Purchase Request (Pat Smith). Used, presumably.
Town Committee Board of Selectmen Appointments and Current Vacancy Discussion. This seemed to have been settled at last week’s meeting, at which the BOS seemed to be on the verge of covering fewer committees, but there has perhaps been some revision.
Side-Letter Agreement with Atlantic Broadband Re.: Internet Service. The addition of water, sewer, and “beach shack” locations to the list of Town broadband hookups.
Under Old Business are scheduled five items: 7) 2019 Town Election Recount Discussion & MS 232 Signing, 8) Follow-Up Discussion on Board of Selectmen By-Laws, 9) Follow-Up Discussion on Gifted Properties and Potential Public Hearings, 10) Follow-Up Discussion on Auctioning Town-Owned Properties, 11) Follow-Up Discussion on Town Vehicles/Equipment
2019 Town Election Recount Discussion & MS 232 Signing. The recount having come out the same as the count, the results shall be reported to the State.
Follow-Up Discussion on Board of Selectmen By-Laws. The current by-laws were continued until everybody had a chance to re-read them.
Follow-Up Discussion on Gifted Properties and Potential Public Hearings. Properties gifted, and accepted by the Town, cannot just be sold. There must be a vote on a ballot. The old fire station falls in this category, as well as a few others the BOS hopes to clear off their list. The boat for the ballot just taken sailed on schedule, but a special Town meeting could accomplish the same thing.
Follow-Up Discussion on Auctioning Town-Owned Properties. This seemed to have been settled with the auction planned for early May. (With everybody not as happy as they might have been).
Follow-Up Discussion on Town Vehicles / Equipment. How to maintain an aggressive CIP purchase schedule on a level budget? And now that DPW Truck request.
Other Business That May Come Before the Board has two items: Household Hazardous Waste Collection. and NH Municipal Local Officials Workshop Offering
Household Hazardous Waste Collection. Setting a date for the annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection event.
NH Municipal Local Officials Workshop Offering. The Teddy Bears’ Picnic. This particular assemblage will have already undergone the basic mental conditioning in other years. But we have paid some thousands already for their membership fee. Perhaps just a quick mental steam-cleaning and press?
Finally, there will be the approval of prior minutes (from the BOS meeting of March 18, 2019), the expenditure report, Public Comments “Pertaining to Topics Discussed,” Town Administrator comments, and BOS comments.
Mr. S.D. Plissken contributed to this article.
References:
State of New Hampshire. (2016, June 21). RSA Chapter 91-A. Access to Governmental Records and Meetings. Retrieved from www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/VI/91-A/91-A-3.htm
Town of Milton. (2019, March 29). BOS Meeting Agenda, April 1, 2019. Retrieved from www.miltonnh-us.com/sites/miltonnh/files/agendas/4.1.19_bos_agenda.pdf
Youtube. (1965). Cone of Silence. Retrieved from www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1eUIK9CihA&feature=youtu.be&t=19
YouTube. (1932). Teddy Bears’ Picnic. Retrieved from www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZANKFxrcKU
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