TOWN OF DUNBARTON
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
MINUTES OF MEETING
March 4, 2004
Present: Chuck
Graybill
J.R.
Swindlehurst, III
Janice
VandeBogart, Town Administrator
7:05 p.m. Chuck
called the meeting to order and noted that Steve Kennedy wouldn't be in.
Other Business:
Janice mentioned that Bud Noyes called to say 1,000
books would be forthcoming and where can they be stored? It was decided to store them in the
conference room at the end of the hall.
Janice mentioned that the flag came down due to a
break at the top of the pole.
Chuck and J.R. decided who would present which
articles at the Town Meeting.
7:30 p.m. Hearing
on Fee Schedules:
Chuck opened up the hearing and discussed the changes
to the Town's portion of the price list (see attached). Some of the changes discussed included:
a fee of $10.00 for the checklist on disc and $25.00
for a hardcopy and a new policy that the Town will not allow anyone to bring in
their own copiers.
Chuck accepted questions/comments from the
public. Chuck Williamson asked if that
was legal. Chuck Graybill stated that it
was Town policy. Lori Davis stated that
she spoke with an attorney for the Attorney General (AG) and was informed that
towns are not allowed to prohibit people from bringing in their own copiers and
that they can go to Superior Court.
Chuck will check it out. Lori
Davis also stated that the AG says that you cannot charge both a per page fee
and a labor fee for copying. Rick
Mitchener said he feels the fees are exorbitant at 50/copy. Chuck said the Town will be very
accommodating for residents requesting a small quantity of copies. Lori Davis mentioned that she has exercised
her right to know frequently, will continue to do so and that the Town cannot
charge different fees. She said the
Superior Court can petition the Town to have a hearing. Chuck asked if the AG's office wouldn't
contact the Town if they felt the Town was doing something improper and Lori
responded that you would think so. Chuck
will check on the validity of having different fee schedules for the Town and
Fire Dept. Ken Swayze asked about the
rationale and suggested having an hourly rate, of say $50/hour. Chuck Williamson stated that he paid $125 for
copies that took about 10 minutes. Lori
Davis suggested checking to see what the State charges and mentioned that they
charge .10/copy. Chuck indicated that
they were looking for input from townspeople.
The next fee schedule discussed were cemetery lots,
which were increasing form $125 to $400 for the Center Cemetery and to $300 for
Pages Corner cemetery, to cover the higher costs of maintenance and to be more
in line with other towns. A discussion
on what constitutes a lot took place with Terry Jelley informing the group that
a lot is a series of graves and a plot is an individual grave, but that the
words are sometimes used interchangeably.
He also stated that the costs cover both the real estate and the
perpetual care. Terry indicated that two
plans were coming for expanding the Center Cemetery, one more of a functional
plan and the other a scenic plan, and that the expansion would be by a maximum
of 80 graves. When asked how many cremations take up a plot, Terry responded
that most cemeteries allow for two but that we allow for four.
The building permit fee schedule was discussed next by
Ken Swayze. Ken indicated that the base
application fee has been added to reflect the amount of paperwork
involved. The new residential
construction fee was increased from $36 to $40, commercial fee was raised to
$100 but that the agricultural fee was kept low. A re-inspection fee of $25 was added.
Rick Mitchener questioned why the residential fee was
higher than a barn inspection fee and he felt they should be the same. Ken said there isn't much to inspect in a
barn whereas a residence has much more.
Next, Ken discussed the Dept. of Planning/Zoning
fees. A base application fee of $50 was
also added here, which is why the variance fee was lowered from $100 to $75. He
indicated that the special exception fee of $250 is low in comparison to othe
towns.
Ron Slocum questioned why there was no fine structure,
which sometimes encourages sloppiness.
John Trottier explained that an equitable waiver RSA allows us to charge a penalty. A discussion of how fines would be imposed
took place. Allison Vallieres stated
that the equitable waiver RSA was
written to give relief to homeowners and that the fine business is a separate
issue.
Next, Ken discussed fees common to both Boards. A fee
for extra public hearings of $150 will now be charged. Ron Slocum mentioned that an additional
hearing is not always the applicant's fault.
Ken indicated that the Board can reduce or waive the fee. Allison Vallieres stated that the zoning
application process should be done in three hearings. The probem arises when the applicant needs to
address abutter's concerns, which they don't find out about until the first
hearing.
Next, Ken disussed the Planning Board's fee
schedule. A new administration fee for
bonds/letters of credit of $200 is being imposed. John Trottier asked where Don Mayo's fees would
fall. Ken referred him to the notes at
the bottom of the page. A brief
discussion took place regarding escrow accounts.
Next, The Transfer Station fee schedule was
discussed. Chuck indicated that no
changes in the fee schedule will take place until ratified tonight. The handout indicated two different fee
schedules, one for residents and one for comercial haulers. The fee schedules will not differ, with the
exception of a $500 yearly dumping fee for commercial haulers. The $5 minimum fee for residents is being
eliminated. The new fees being imposed
include fees on electronics and propane,
to cover costs. If sofas came in
disassembled, the fee could be waived.
Lori Davis confirmed that the different charges to
commercial haulers will not apply. She
has a problem taking fees for computers since Penacook is taking
computers. She ran some figures and
estimates that the Transfer Station ran a $3,000 profit last year. Chuck indicated that there are sundry items,
i.e.: insurance costs, to consider and
that if all costs were included, it would be close to a breakeven. He indicated that with the Town's recycling
goals, it is proper to charge fees, knowing that the date is coming, in which
fees will be imposed on the Town. A
discussion on the feasibility of charging the new fees was discussed. Several residents were against the fees on
electronics. Woody Bowne indicated that
someone has been bringing in truckloads of computers and dumping them at no
charge, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Woody explained the procedure, if someone
wishes to clean up the roads and finds items that there would be a fee on. He said to contact the Police Dept. and they
will contact either the Transfer Station or the Highway Dept., who will pick it
up. Rick Mitchener suggested giving free
tickets to residents to dispose of one of each of the chargeable items. J.R. also suggested that the Police Dept.
could give a free pass to dump chargeable items that were picked up by
residents cleaning up the roadways. He
also said if a Town organization conducts a roadside cleanup, there would be no
charge for dumping.
8:45 p.m. Chuck
thanked everyone for their positive input and stated that the Board will review
their suggestions.
Lori Davis questioned why it stated in the Town Report
that the fees were effective on 3/1.
J.R. indicated that it was a mistake, it should have listed 3/4 as the
effective date.
8:45 p.m. Chuck
motioned to go into nonpublic session to discuss a legal matter, then a
personnel matter. J.R. seconded the
motion. The motion carried.
9:35 p.m. J.R.
motioned to end the nonpublic session, which was seconded by Chuck. The motion carried.
9:40 p.m. J. R.
motioned to adjourn the meeting, which was seconded by Chuck. The motion carried.
_____________________________________________________________________
Chuck Graybill, Chairman
_____________________________________________________________________
J.R. Swindlehurst,III, Selectman
Respectfully Submitted,
Joanne Johnson