By Muriel Bristol | December 2, 2018
The Milton Board of Selectmen (BOS) have posted their agenda for a BOS meeting to be held Monday, December 3.
There is no Non-Public session scheduled. This would be the first BOS meeting in quite a while that does not have a preliminary Non-Public session scheduled.
The BOS intend to begin their Public BOS session at approximately (*) 6:00 PM.
Its agenda features New Business, Old Business, and housekeeping items.
Under New Business are scheduled seven agenda items: 1) Extension Request for Salvage Yard Permit (Roger Libby), 2) Financial Policy Regarding Town Deposits (Heather Thibodeau), 3) Public Hearing: No Thru Trucking Ordinance (Heather Thibodeau) *7:00 PM, 4) 2019 Warrant Article Discussion (Heather Thibodeau), 5) Silver Street/Dawson Street Intersection (Pat Smith), 6) Review of Building Permit Fines & Appeal Process (Heather Thibodeau), and 7) Approval of Contract for Cemetery Trustee (Heather Thibodeau).
Mr. Libby appeared at several BOS meetings early in this administration regarding his salvage yard permit. At that time, he seemed quite concerned to find himself pinned between a State requirement that he have one and the Town’s rather dilatory approach to signing off. It then disappeared off the agenda. He now returns seeking an extension.
Earlier BOS meetings brought up the Financial Policy Regarding Town Deposits. At that time it was said that a limit on the amount of money that could be held on hand at the Emma Ramsey Center was compelling more frequent trips to the bank than might be necessary. This agenda item likely seeks to increase that limit.
The Public Hearing: No Thru-Trucking Ordinance is the first of two hearings that the BOS shall have before implementing their No Thru-Trucking Ordinance. It is intended to forbid tandem logging trucks from passing and repassing on Governors, Hare, and Nute roads to Middleton Lumber (on NH Route 153 in Middleton). This is one of the items remaining on Selectman Lucier’s bucket list.
The 2019 Warrant Article discussion returns from last time, when it turned out to be merely a formal presentation of the draft Town-originating Warrant Articles. Likely, an addition to or revision of those previously submitted to the BOS is now desired.
The DPW director seeks to address some issue with the intersection of Silver and Dawson streets.
Next comes the Review of Building Permit Fines & Appeal Process. It would be difficult to imagine an elimination, or even reduction, of Building Permit Fees, or any simplification of the Appeals Process. This is likely an increase in fees and processes, but who knows? Life is full of surprises.
We have seen this year contract approvals aplenty. Their contents and terms have not been mentioned to date. This will likely be another perfunctory unanimous vote to approve on our behalf whatever it might say.
Under Old Business is scheduled four items: 8) Discussion of Town Report Process (Heather Thibodeau), 9) Recreation Revenue & Office Discussion Follow-up (Ryan Thibeault/Andy Lucier), 10) TPPA 2017 Encumbrances Discussion (Heather Thibodeau), and 11) Health Insurance Budget Line Discussion (Heather Thibodeau).
Here reappear several more items from Selectman Lucier’s bucket list. The point of interest being that the BOS might have adopted suggestions that prior items remain on the agenda until resolved.
The Town Report Process would be Selectman Lucier’s hobby horse regarding publication of tax assessments for all properties within the Town Report, as well as publishing there a list of tax delinquents. He has stated that a tax delinquents list serves to “shame” taxpayers who are in arrears. It is for you to decide who actually bears the shame of taxes that have risen too high.
Recreation Revenue & Office combines two issues from prior meetings. It has proven difficult in the past to glean exact information from Recreation Department accounts. The difficulty has arisen mostly in determining how much money derives from boat ramp fees, as opposed to beach admissions and other sources. The Office component of this has been another of Selectman Lucier’s concerns. He has expressed formerly a desire to close the Beach office during the winter to save heating expenses.
The Three Ponds Protective Association (TPPA) has not spent all of this year’s money in the Town account for that purpose and will want authorization to roll the remainder over into next year’s accounts.
The Health Insurance increase proved a surprise at a prior BOS meeting. How its increases could be a surprise, is itself a puzzle. They have likely increased nearly every year, if not absolutely every year, for a very long time. Federal revisions to health care (ACA), and their inevitable cost increases, were designed as a sort of balloon payment: small costs to be more palatable up front, with the actual vastly increased costs “ballooning” in later years. These are those later years.
The Health Insurance Budget Line item might reflect actual insurance changes in budgets over the amounts projected and approved in those budgets. It might even incorporate some alteration in the way insurance appears in those budgets.
Finally, there will be the approval of prior minutes (from the BOS Meeting of November 19), the expenditure report, Town Administrator comments, and BOS comments.
The new secondary Public Comments is not listed in the agenda.
Mr. S.D. Plissken contributed to this article.
Ms. McDougall has rescheduled the third meeting of her Milton Advocates group from its original time to a new time of Saturday, December 8, at 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM, in the Nute Library’s Community Room. All town residents are invited. Bring your best manners. (Not her words).
References:
Our Milton Home Facebook Group. (2018, November 13). Lynette McDougall Posting. Retrieved from www.facebook.com/groups/OurMiltonHome/permalink/1971690139591941/
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. (2018, November 30). BOS Meeting Agenda, December 3, 2018. Retrieved from www.miltonnh-us.com/uploads/bos_agendas_852_3089392928.pdf
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