Selectmen’s Minutes, April 6, 2017

TOWN OF SEDGWICK
SELECTMEN’S MINUTES
April 6, 2017

Opened the meeting and declared a quorum present at 6 p.m. Selectmen present: Ben Astbury, Colby Pert, Michael Sheahan. Also present: Irene Eiler, Bob Publicover, Robert Jones, Christine diPretoro, Susan Ford, CEO Duane Ford, Clerk/treasurer Cindy Reilly, Assistant Barbara Grindle.

Moved, seconded and voted 3-0 to dispense with reading the minutes of the last meeting and accept them as written.

Reviewed and signed the treasurer’s warrant for $25,333.72; $8,633.36 salaries, $674.41 FICA taxes, general assistance $3,089.71, snow $1,894.87 for salt and a final payment of $4,469.81 for Webb Excavating, 911 dispatching $625.18, fire protection costs $849.46 and additional administration costs of $1,440.39.

PUBLIC BUSINESS: Construction happening on the handicap bathroom this week.
Everyone seems to be happy with the notification process. Most of the ordinances and notices are on the website. Be sure to sign up on the website for email notices of special events.

OLD BUSINESS: Moved, seconded and voted 3-0: election on April 28 will be from 1 to 6 p.m. At 7:30 p.m. there will be an informational meeting regarding the acceptance of a land and money gift at the Salt Pond, money for the road and an increase of $400 for the snow contract, necessary because of an error in the budget figures.
Sheahan will check into a the availability and cost of a wireless router for the Town Office.
The information from the New Generation Foundation was received and it is a duplicate of what we already have. There was no wetland survey map, and the rest were unreadable. Will see if we can get a wetland map from Burnam.

NEW BUSINESS: The statute for school validation may be revisited every 3 years. It has been more than 3 years since the town stopped having a validation vote. If the vote is not approved this year, we have to wait 3 years or more before bringing it up again. If approved, the school budget will be voted on at town meeting and confirmed at a validation vote.

CEO REPORT: Any cutting on the shore must be replaced, even if dead. DMR working on an erosion permit for the Carter Point shore. Harbormaster thinks we may be able to get another year out of the float at the dock, it will be replaced if there is enough money. An estimate of $11,000 was received from Skip Eaton for a float. The Harbor Committee will be meeting next Thursday.

ADJOURN: There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7 p.m. to open for the public hearing.

Respectfully submitted,
Barbara Grindle, Assistant to the Selectmen

PUBLIC HEARING April 6, 2017

Opened by Selectboard Chairman Ben Astbury at 7 p.m. There were 16 people present.

Astbury read the rules and regulations and opened the meeting for questions. The opinion poll indicated that an overwhelming majority of voters at the November election wished to have this question brought before the town.
Much of the meeting was taken up by members of the school board wondering why, what does the validation vote serve, it doesn’t give them any information where people aren’t happy or what they need to change to get the budget approved.
Many more people need to be award of the budget mandates, where the money goes and why.
Much of the meeting indicated that people need to know about the meetings and get involved. Hopefully the new email notifications will get more people out to budget meetings, both at the school and at the town office. The budgets for both affect the taxes everyone has to pay.
If the vote approves the validation process, it will not affect the budget for this coming year; that has already been approved by town meeting. It would be put into the process for the 2018-19 year.

The public hearing was closed at 7:35 p.m.