By Muriel Bristol | May 17, 2019
The Milton Board of Selectmen (BOS) have posted their agenda for a Public BOS meeting to be held Monday, May 20, beginning at 6:00 PM.
There will be also a concluding Non-Public session (regarding a matter whose discussion “would likely affect adversely the reputation” of someone) after the Public portion of the BOS meeting (see below).
Ernest M. Cartier Creveling received his appointment as the new Town Administrator as of Monday, May 15. This would be his first meeting as Milton Town Administrator.
The Public portion of the agenda has New Business, Old Business, Other Business, and some housekeeping items.
Under New Business are scheduled four agenda items: 1) Appoint Board of Selectmen Liaison Townhouse Stewardship Committee, 2) Approval of Public Works Employee Hiring (Pat Smith), 3) Public Hearing – Acquisition and Possible Disposition of Land Parcel; Tax Map 17, Lot 5, and 4) Request to Purchase Tax Map 37 Lot 64 (Jackie Monahan).
Appoint Board of Selectmen Liaison Townhouse Stewardship Committee. At their inaugural meeting, the BOS neglected to appoint one of their members for all of the ex-officio BOS seats. Some lucky selectman will win an ex-officio seat on the Townhouse Stewardship Committee.
Approval of Public Works Employee Hiring (Pat Smith). The BOS began the Default Budget year already “in the hole” from last year’s employee medical insurance increases. This agenda item heralds a fifth new hire since then: two policemen, a town administrator, a land use clerk, and now a DPW employee.
Newton’s third law of default budgets informs us that for every budget expenditure there must be an equal and opposite budget cut (probably to a service).
Public Hearing – Acquisition and Possible Disposition of Land Parcel; Tax Map 17, Lot 5. At the last meeting, we were informed that this property was already acquired in 2015, but without the proper rigmarole, and that two Public Hearings would be necessary to set things straight.
Request to Purchase Tax Map 37 Lot 64 (Jackie Monahan). Ms. Jackie Monahan, of Ford Farm Road, might like to purchase a roughly $200 addition to her annual tax bill, in the form of another 0.4-acre parcel on Ford Farm Road.
Under Old Business is scheduled one item: 5) Approve Economic Development Committee & Recreation Commission Appointments.
Approve Economic Development Committee & Recreation Commission Appointments. Rather than dissolve the various boards, committees, and commissions that lacked candidates at the recent election, evidently due to a lack of interest, the BOS will designate their personal favorites from among such as asked them for post-election appointments.
Other Business That May Come Before the Board has no scheduled items.
Next, there will be the approval of prior minutes (from the Special BOS meeting of May 4 (the tax-titled property auction), and the BOS meeting of May 6, 2019), the expenditure report, Public Comments “Pertaining to Topics Discussed,” Town Administrator comments, and BOS comments.
Non-Public Session: 91-A:3 II (c) – Reputation
Earlier in the week, this Public BOS meeting was to have begun with a Non-Public session at 5:30 PM, for a Non-Public agenda item classed as 91-A3 II (c). The BOS appears to be holding that Non-Public session at the conclusion of their Public BOS meeting instead of at the beginning as they usually do.
91-A:3 II (c). Matters which, if discussed in public, would likely affect adversely the reputation of any person, other than a member of the public body itself, unless such person requests an open meeting. This exemption shall extend to any application for assistance or tax abatement or waiver of a fee, fine, or other levy, if based on inability to pay or poverty of the applicant.
An additional annotation of “Reputation” was added to the usual 91-A justification. Someone thought we should know that this particular Non-Public session would deal specifically with a matter that might affect adversely the reputation of some person, other than a member of the public body. (And that it would not deal with any application for assistance, tax abatement, or waiver).
Peekaboo. Everyone can see who comes and goes from these Non-Public sessions. Only an ostrich or a toddler think that if they cannot see you, you cannot see them.
(Well, maybe it works for truck drivers and their rear-view mirrors. And group photos and the camera).
[Added from the court filings database, October 23, 2019: “New Hampshire Supreme Court, Report on Status of Cases, As of September 30, 2019. Case 2019-0278. Three Ponds Resort, LLC v. Town of Milton. 05/15/2019 – Case Filing. 06/04/2019 – Accepted.”]
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, May 2). BOS Meeting Agenda, May 4, 2019. Retrieved from www.miltonnh-us.com/sites/miltonnh/files/agendas/5.4.19_bos_agenda-town_property_auction_0.pdf
Town of Milton. (2019, May 2). BOS Meeting Agenda, May 6, 2019. Retrieved from www.miltonnh-us.com/sites/miltonnh/files/agendas/5.6.19_bos_agenda.pdf
Town of Milton. (2019, May 17). BOS Meeting Agenda, May 20, 2019. Retrieved from www.miltonnh-us.com/sites/miltonnh/files/agendas/5.20.19_bos_agenda.pdf
Town of Milton. (2019). Press Release: Milton Names New Town Administrator. Retrieved from www.miltonnh-us.com/sites/miltonnh/files/news/press_release-milton_names_new_town_administrator.pdf
Wikipedia. (2019, April 25). Newton’s Laws of Motion. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton%27s_laws_of_motion
Youtube. (1965). Cone of Silence. Retrieved from www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1eUIK9CihA&feature=youtu.be&t=1
Milton Observer 