Comments on: Budget Committee Meeting 03/10/10 http://ourvoice.stadig.org/2010/03/12/budget-committee-meeting-031010/ Improving Communication, In Our Town, About Our Town, One Day At A Time... Thu, 13 Jan 2011 02:46:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Glen Stadig http://ourvoice.stadig.org/2010/03/12/budget-committee-meeting-031010/comment-page-1/#comment-1847 Glen Stadig Sat, 13 Mar 2010 16:44:03 +0000 http://ourvoice.stadig.org/?p=2618#comment-1847 All great points Chris.. People...watch and listen to the video of the meeting...hear the dialogue for yourself. The Commercial Hauler who operates a "For Profit" business out of our facility for "FREE" needs to stop being allowed to use it! Only residents with permits should be allowed in. We have no control over where the waste is allowed to come from. Providing the Hauler a key and after hours access as has been allowed, provides even less control. We need more controls and better management of the facility and it's policy's. All great points Chris..
People…watch and listen to the video of the meeting…hear the dialogue for yourself.

The Commercial Hauler who operates a “For Profit” business out of our facility for “FREE” needs to stop being allowed to use it! Only residents with permits should be allowed in. We have no control over where the waste is allowed to come from. Providing the Hauler a key and after hours access as has been allowed, provides even less control.

We need more controls and better management of the facility and it’s policy’s.

]]> By: chris gilpatrick http://ourvoice.stadig.org/2010/03/12/budget-committee-meeting-031010/comment-page-1/#comment-1818 chris gilpatrick Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:04:10 +0000 http://ourvoice.stadig.org/?p=2618#comment-1818 SORRY FOR THE LONG RANT ABOVE BUT SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE!!! i am asked all the time why bother being on the budget committee when there is no power in our position even though we are elected to better our town.i owe it to the town to expose the waste that happens daily.eventually,change WILL occur in this town if enough people get sick of the practices of our elected officials.we do need a town manager to get rid of these sweet deals that we pay for dearly.wasn't it mr.patch that appointed himself to be the dump department head?sounds like a conflict of interest to me.how does he charge the town for selectmen wages when he is salary at the dump but sitting at the town hall wearing his selectman hat? SORRY FOR THE LONG RANT ABOVE BUT SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE!!! i am asked all the time why bother being on the budget committee when there is no power in our position even though we are elected to better our town.i owe it to the town to expose the waste that happens daily.eventually,change WILL occur in this town if enough people get sick of the practices of our elected officials.we do need a town manager to get rid of these sweet deals that we pay for dearly.wasn’t it mr.patch that appointed himself to be the dump department head?sounds like a conflict of interest to me.how does he charge the town for selectmen wages when he is salary at the dump but sitting at the town hall wearing his selectman hat?

]]> By: Kurt Schluter http://ourvoice.stadig.org/2010/03/12/budget-committee-meeting-031010/comment-page-1/#comment-1817 Kurt Schluter Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:39:51 +0000 http://ourvoice.stadig.org/?p=2618#comment-1817 No-its not just you, Chris. Based solely on what is written above and on the original post it is obvious Mr. Patch is in way over his head and is unqualified for his position and should be replaced. More important is the implication of theft of services through manipulation of his departments accounting process. An audit is in order for the entire towns financial system as it seems there is a lot of financial incompetence and/or embezzlement going on. I also question the existence of the budget committee since they have no power over any of this. We need a town manager to clean this town up! No-its not just you, Chris. Based solely on what is written above and on the original post it is obvious Mr. Patch is in way over his head and is unqualified for his position and should be replaced. More important is the implication of theft of services through manipulation of his departments accounting process. An audit is in order for the entire towns financial system as it seems there is a lot of financial incompetence and/or embezzlement going on. I also question the existence of the budget committee since they have no power over any of this. We need a town manager to clean this town up!

]]> By: chris gilpatrick http://ourvoice.stadig.org/2010/03/12/budget-committee-meeting-031010/comment-page-1/#comment-1816 chris gilpatrick Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:13:44 +0000 http://ourvoice.stadig.org/?p=2618#comment-1816 as a budget committee member and a taxpayer for over twenty-five years i scratch my head every year and wonder "whats wrong with this picture?"this past meeting i sat and listened and was amazed at what a selectman was saying!! #1 that it's cheaper not to recycle and throw everything into one dumpster.however,after looking over slips (glen obtained)it is easy to see the difference. trash disposal cost $1,300-$1,400 per load recycleables cost $200-$220 per load looks like a huge savings.could someone please give our dump department head a calculator and explain how to use one so he can get his facts straight!!how long has he had this job and was/is he qualified when a simple math question pops up and he hasn't got a clue?? #2 paying a company from corinna,maine to come to lebanon,load our junk tires and hauling them to rochester,n.h.waste management totaling thousands.why not have waste management leave a dumpster at the dump when full,haul to rochester without the middle man?? #3 paying dump employees to ride around and clean our ditches?last week we were told thats why we hire so many one tons on the "town crew" .where's the liability for the dump employees (hurt back,getting hit,damaging their vehicle,etc.)? #4 dump department head asked how much is his pay?didn't know.further digging found in 07-08 he made $21,790 equaling $17.45 per hour in 08-09 he made $19,340.22 equaling $15.50 per hour. if the town paid him according to the pay scale (like it use to be)he would be making $12.00 per hour same as a laborer.difference in cost : 07-08 - $6,814 per year 08-09 -$4,364 per year #5 don't feel bad 'cause his salary went down 'cause his wifes went from $11,358.10 in 07-08 to $13,359.06 in 08-09. difference of $2,000.96. #6 in two years this budget has increased $16,482 with no real explanation on why!!! #7 discussion with selectmen over road budget questions due to the fact no selectmen were present when we went over this budget. a] winter budget has $275,403.17 left in account.where does this money go?surplus to lower taxes?spend it on nothing 'til the account has a ZERO balance?no answer from them. b] winter budget had $261,257.83 spent this year,why appropriate the same next year? c] why combine summer and winter budgets to have all money spent on summer projects (ditching,ditching ditching, cold patch) and no money left for winter weather?does this make sense? d] selectman complaining about sand purchased last year for roads.ironically,purchased from other selectman.why wasn't the sand rejected if selectmen were unhappy with their purchase ?back door back scratching deals gone bad!!!!!! e]paving private road costing $4,000 from an outfit that never bid on paving?is it true same outfit does all frizzels paving?more of the back door deals? f]paving jim grant road by same outfit costing $11,000.more deals? these are just a few things that make me say why??!! is it just me?? as a budget committee member and a taxpayer for over twenty-five years i scratch my head every year and wonder “whats wrong with this picture?”this past meeting i sat and listened and was amazed at what a selectman was saying!!

#1 that it’s cheaper not to recycle and throw everything into one dumpster.however,after looking over slips (glen obtained)it is easy to see the difference.
trash disposal cost $1,300-$1,400 per load
recycleables cost $200-$220 per load
looks like a huge savings.could someone please give our dump department head a calculator and explain how to use one so he can get his facts straight!!how long has he had this job and was/is he qualified when a simple math question pops up and he hasn’t got a clue??
#2 paying a company from corinna,maine to come to lebanon,load our junk tires and hauling them to rochester,n.h.waste management totaling thousands.why not have waste management leave a dumpster at the dump when full,haul to rochester without the middle man??
#3 paying dump employees to ride around and clean our ditches?last week we were told thats why we hire so many one tons on the “town crew”
.where’s the liability for the dump employees (hurt back,getting hit,damaging their vehicle,etc.)?
#4 dump department head asked how much is his pay?didn’t know.further digging found in 07-08 he made $21,790 equaling $17.45 per hour in 08-09 he made $19,340.22 equaling $15.50 per hour. if the town paid him according to the pay scale (like it use to be)he would be making $12.00 per hour same as a laborer.difference in cost :
07-08 – $6,814 per year
08-09 -$4,364 per year
#5 don’t feel bad ’cause his salary went down ’cause his wifes went from $11,358.10 in 07-08 to $13,359.06 in 08-09. difference of $2,000.96.
#6 in two years this budget has increased $16,482 with no real explanation on why!!!
#7 discussion with selectmen over road budget questions due to the fact no selectmen were present when we went over this budget.
a] winter budget has $275,403.17 left in account.where does this money go?surplus to lower taxes?spend it on nothing ’til the account has a ZERO balance?no answer from them.
b] winter budget had $261,257.83 spent this year,why appropriate the same next year?
c] why combine summer and winter budgets to have all money spent on summer projects (ditching,ditching ditching, cold patch) and no money left for winter weather?does this make sense?
d] selectman complaining about sand purchased last year for roads.ironically,purchased from other selectman.why wasn’t the sand rejected if selectmen were unhappy with their purchase ?back door back scratching deals gone bad!!!!!!
e]paving private road costing $4,000 from an outfit that never bid on paving?is it true same outfit does all frizzels paving?more of the back door deals?
f]paving jim grant road by same outfit costing $11,000.more deals?

these are just a few things that make me say why??!! is it just me??

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