Attending: Nancy Neubert, Judy Churchard, Glen Stadig, Karen Gerrish, Chris Gilpatrick, Tony Bragg, Mark Stuart, Mary Hastings, Ethel Lizzotte, David White

Meeting Started at 6pm – - Minutes Reviewed and Accepted – no changes

The purpose of this special meeting was to follow-up on problems identified from two prior meetings.

The Budget Committee was to meet last week with Selectmen over the problems since they would not attend our earlier meetings as requested, but that meeting was cancelled due to weather. The Selectmen would not re-schedule and would not be available for upcoming meetings except for a schedule they had set, which is to start in February.

Chairperson Neubert reviewed the events of the past few weeks, about the requested information from Selectmen, for the committee, which has yet to be received. She explained her communications and shared documentation backing-up her steps.

The information  withheld or delayed from the Budget Committee is simple reports and expenditures.  The Budget Committee….A Committee of Elected Officials that are supposed to be the eyes and ears of the people, A Committee that is relied on to look at things in detail and make recommendations to Selectmen and Voters is being denied reasonable access to information and pushed out of the process.

Another key issue is Selectmen will be voting on the budgets before the Budget Committee has reviewed them instead of Selectmen and Budget Committee  doing it together at the end. So effectively it takes away any advisory power the Budget Committee has in the review and ballot process.

The Selectmen have dictated the meeting schedule dates to review each budget starting in February. There was never communication as to which night of the week the Budget Committee would be meeting since that is set by the Budget Committee based upon the members overall availability. The Budget Committee is an independent body of elected volunteers.

The Budget Committee talked about next steps.. and what it could do. There was great discussion of various options and over the grave concern members had.

The overall feeling was the process is really cutting out any influence the Budget Committee have to review budgets and make recommendations. Last year the Budget Committee identified thousands in tire disposal paid in error as well as reduced the transfer station budget by $20,000 just to name a couple things, there were many.

Selectmen stated they modeled the process after North Berwick, but North Berwick itemizes everything, only shows a Budget Committee Recommendation on the ballot, and in the end it goes to a Town Meeting for discussion and or further downward correction.

A member shared a booklet from North Berwick and it looked nothing like what we are doing. The North Berwick ballot showed last years budget / proposed budget / % change / remaining funds / Budget Committee recommendation for and against and the actual vote by the committee. There was no Selectmen vote on the ballot whatsoever.

Everyone thought that the North Berwick Ballot format provided a much more transparent picture. So much so members wanted to start a Citizen’s Petition an attempt to get that piece implemented next year.

The Town Manager was discussed briefly. Comments on Facebook of the budget allocation being broken out separately for yet another vote was met with surprise by members. Selectmen Cole in answering a residents question explained how Selectmen were planning on keeping the Town managers salary separate on the ballot the initial year and it would be included with the general budget years following. It was felt the people already voted the Town Manager in and the salary should be part of the general budget. Further it was stated the Town Manager would be appointed each year.

An annual appointment of a Town manager is highly unusual. (Typical contracts are 3 years)

The Budget Committee came to the conclusion the only alternative remaining was to turn to the public for support via a direct mailed notice followed by a Q&A Hearing, explaining what is occurring to get residents involved and get things corrected.

Members felt the already restrictive process has gone to far, it doesn’t provide free access to information and officials, and makes the Budget Committee a waste of time, since we cannot do what we were elected to do.

The majority of the members were upset and very concerned because the budget process and the system of checks and balances is broken. The latest imposed changes, combined with those last year, and the recurring ballot item to “have a budget committee” all indicate a desire by the Selectmen to have no oversight.

Given the climate there was concern Selectmen might disapprove the expenditure for the postage of the mailing. It was mentioned flowers and other nonsense expenditures have been issued out of the contingency fund postage should be nothing. Budget Committee member Chris Gilpatrick offered to pay the cost should the Selectmen refuse. The Budget Committee is hopeful that it wouldn’t come to that.

Just before closing the meeting members raised concern over current spending it looked like $170,000 had been spent on the new Ambulance when it was supposed to be 5 payments. There was also over $400 spent on EZ-pass transponders for the Rescue Department which didn’t make sense with the primary service area being Frisbie and Goodall Hospitals. Wages for Rescue also looked to be expended for the year already and the wages budget was thought to have been increased.

Of course there was more…

You may see the meeting as well as the entire Lebanon Video Library Here http://www.veoh.com/group/selectmeetings

Watch 01-25-11 Lebanon Maine Budget Committee Meeting in News |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Budget Committee Chairperson Nancy Neubert has contacted the court and state to try to get movement but these avenues move slower than one might think. Last year after thousands of dollars in tire removal was uncovered, a requirement to have only the Budget Committee Chairperson request information was enacted and information began to slow. Now this year the Budget Committee that you voted to support your interest, has been all but ignored, and denied access to information timely.

The Budget Committee has requested to be placed on the Agenda for this coming Tuesday (1/18/2011) nights meeting. We are also asking for the public to be notified via Facebook and the Town’s email system. It is important residents be notified of what is happening and how unusual this is. The Budget Committee has been patient and understanding but what has been occurring in regards to access to this information is illegal and the public should take notice.

A copy of the Letters from the Budget Committee to the Selectmen are below:

11-13-2010 Budget Committee, Letter to Selectmen

12-5-2010 Budget Committee, Letter to Selectmen

The Budget Committee met to organize and prepare for the upcoming  budget season.

The meeting opened at 7pm with introductions and the election of a chairperson and secretary. The Budget committee elected Nancy Neubert  as Chairperson and Laura Bragg as Secretary. Laura is the Town Clerk but volunteers her time to the Budget Committee.

Conduct was reviewed for Budget Committee members and brief discussion explaining how things typically work and flowed. It was decided all requests and recommendations to Selectmen will be made in writing with a request for responses to be in writing as well. There was much concerns due to a request for present spending that was made several weeks ago had not been honored. Chairperson Neubert would be seeking help from County and State sources since this was believed to be a violation of Maine Right-to-Know Law.

The Budget Committee discussed what day and time to meet and decided on Wednesday nights from 6pm- 8pm.

Discussion was had over the Selectmen’s letter that was sent to all Budget Committee members. The letter contained a schedule and also stated that Selectmen would vote on the budget prior to submitting them to the committee. This would indicate the Budget Committee would not be allowed to change or influence the budgets. Chairperson Neubert had correspondence with Chairman Cole who had stated he would attend tonights meeting to explain this new process. Mr. Cole did not attend or call.

There was concern over the timeline Selectmen have scheduled to review budgets with department heads since there did not seem to be any slack in it to account for inclement weather or late information to the Budget Committee.

There was a desire to have the breakdown of Budget Committee votes placed back on the ballot for the upcoming year. It was felt this provided townspeople with more information. If the Selectmen want to state approves or disapproves this is fine, but the vote detail is important. It was also mentioned the Budget Committee vote tally taken by Selectmen Cole last year was never made public as he stated it would repeatedly.

Fire Chief Skip Wood was in attendance and explained his department was intending to seek the fire truck once again this year and asked if the Budget Committee would need a full presentation since it was pretty much the same. It was felt with the potential for changes and that the Budget Committee had many new people a presentation would be beneficial.

Meeting lasted approx: 53 minutes

Video of the meeting may be viewed on demand..

You may see and watch the entire Lebanon Video Library Here http://www.veoh.com/group/selectmeetings

Watch 11-10-10 Budget Committee Meeting – Lebanon Maine in News |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

(11/16/10 – Video re-encoded and re-uploaded to improve quality)

The budget committee and its recommendations are not a waste of time, the opinion is still on the ballot and the recommendation of the majority of the group is still on there, just like it was before. Most communities do this as it shows the recommendation of the majority of the group. Some towns do not put the recommendation, and I disagree with doing that.

I also wanted to clarify that the ambulance petition was not moved to the front because I am a selectmen, and that’s actually pretty offensive to say that. As a person who does as much as Ms. Gerrish does with political events and push for citizens rights, she should have understand that citizens petitions should be set up at the front of the ballot. These citizen’s petitions were received in August and held until now. The town clerk verified the order that they were received and they were put on the ballot that way, in the order that they were received by the citizens, not because I am a selectmen. The Lebanon Fire Department budget and Lebanon fire truck was moved to the front as well, some of the other articles like interest on taxes were moved to the back. One citizen who called me this morning had a good point, if it’s on the ballot, does the number matter? I am sorry that the selectmen felt it necessary to show the residents that we do take the citizens initiatives important and put them in the front, because they went out and got the hundreds of signatures and followed the process.

As I explained at the budget committee meeting, the citizen’s initiative question for the ambulance we cannot legally change the wording and the exact wording has to be on the ballot as was submitted. The question is for the first installment – the chief has said that she is trying to get a demo ambulance so payments 2 and on may be less than the 1^st years installment.

I cannot believe that anyone would state that the cut at the town hall was related to a personal conflict between a staff member and myself.  I have discussed this on the phone, in person and I am not sure how much any of the selectmen can say, it is not. The hard fact for people to understand is that people cannot afford any increase in their taxes. If we sat there and did status quo like some asked us to do, then residents would see a tax increase because we are paying more for schools, more for the county budget and the state is sending us less in municipal sharing and revenue money. Change is difficult, but the selectmen (not only me as this is a democracy and not one selectman can make the cuts) made the difficult decision that we needed to cut the hours and a position. Yes, I understand the 6 full-time employees at the town hall are upset. The code enforcement officer was cut to 25 hours, the others to 32 hours and one is going to be laid off. We have hired a human resources company to evaluate how we operate to give us suggestions on how we can operate in the most effective way.

As explained at the meeting with the budget committee, we could not put in the referendum question that it is cutting one position and reducing hours to 32, because then we are obligated by the writing of the referendum question. Trust me, everyone that we have talked to, besides a few workers and committee members, has given very positive feedback and they all had commended the selectmen for keeping a check on the taxes and realizing this hard decision had to be made. We will make sure everyone knows.

In small towns, it’s hard to find people that want to serve on committees or serve on boards. I know of most towns that a selectmen may serve on the board and serve as another function. I know in surrounding towns of selectmen that sit in same position I do on the rescue and as a selectman, some that’s spouse’s are high in department positions or that they serve as municipal workers. The state law describes “incompatible offices” in which you cannot serve, and none of the three current selectmen have any of the listed state law incompatible offices. I am sorry that I the people elected me as a selectmen, and that I volunteer about 1,600 hours a week helping injured and sick community members.

Just look at other committees, like the budget committee. The chairman is the wife of the Deputy Fire Chief and I believe serves on the fire department ladies auxiliary. We have the spouse of the town clerk, we have the tax collector who lives in Sanford and also serves on the fire department ladies auxiliary, the daughter of the tax collector, a department head and another town employee from the transfer station. Its hard to find people who want to help out and have the time to do it.

As far as conflict of interest that Ms. Gerrish writes about, I also think she has some conflict with her articles that she writes weekly for the Fosters Newspapers and Sanford News. If you notice some of the recent headlines, there have been two headlining stories about the need for the new fire truck, which I she voted to support as a budget committee member, but no headline about the need for an ambulance, which she voted not to support after she advised us she was in support of it. Over the years Ms. Gerrish has in my eyes stated things in her column based on her views as she has served as a budget committee member. As a paid columinst for Fosters and Sanford News, I would think she would abstain from discussing the budget process in which she makes her feelings known during the meeting and then try to persuade others through her column. Maybe she could ask one of the reporters to cover the process where she has an interest as a budget committee member?

In the end, the selectmen are elected by the people to serve their best needs. Unfortunately cuts and lay offs are hard to swallow, but people can’t afford their taxes now and we had to make cuts to absorb the loss in revenue and the increase in our share of the county and school budgets.

I encourage any citizen with a question to please call me at (207) 608-5615. I also would like to thank all the citizens who have called or emailed to offer support for the tough decisions made by the selectmen and thanking us for keeping the tax rate stable.

Everyone will not always agree, and Ms. Gerrish and I have certainly butted heads before and will for many years to come I am sure. I commend her for her work in the school district and she is a magnificent teacher to many students, including my own.

Jason A. Cole

Selectman, Town of Lebanon

Meeting Highlights:

Meeting Minutes from 4/21/10 were reviewed and approved without changes.

Selectmen Cole handed out new referendum sheets since some of the wording and order of the items changed since they were issued Friday night.

A numbered list representing referendums was handed out indicating where conflicts existed and who should abstain on the item. This was discussed with the only issue really being Jane Gerrish adamant about voting on the Fire Department Budget and New Fire Truck. Mrs Gerrish is on the Ladies Auxiliary, and there had been measures taken such as getting a tax id number, insurance etc. to separate the group from the Fire Department. In the end Selectmen decided it was o.k. to allow her to vote on the items.

There was also some discussion over vote tallies. Selectmen Cole would be recording who voted for what as the voting commenced. Some Budget Committee members had concerns over the practice, but it was allowed. In the past a simple tally of all those in favor – against and abstained would be kept for the Budget Committee and the Selectmen.

Referendum Items were reviewed in order with some  minor questions asked as each item came up. Discussion over the items had really all been done during earlier meetings. The votes were recorded noting those for, against, and abstain for Budget Committee and Selectmen.

At the end of the meeting Selectmen Cole explained the votes would be listed with each ballot item as  Budget Committee “Recommend this Article Pass”  “Recommend this Article Not-Pass” or “No Recommendation – Tie Vote”. This is a change that many Budget Committee members took offense to, believing that the vote tallies themselves should also be shown so people could see if it was a close vote or not. Selectmen Cole explained in looking at other Town Reports this is the way it is typically done and makes things less confusing for the residents. He said the vote tallies would be made available to residents but not on the ballot.

There was some discussion over items due to wording or lack of detail in either dollar figures or dollar limits. Rather than try and explain all items it is best you watch the video. The only pointed issue was Selectmen Frizzell’s insistence on being paid mileage to and from the town hall. All other departments and Selectmen Do Not get paid or submit mileage in this way and the Budget Committee was told last year the practice would stop. When Committee members questioned Mr. Frizzell he said if he wanted to micro manage he would also submit calls made to his business phone and business fax as well as other expenses. This was an indignant response  many on the Budget Committee took exception too.

The Sample Referendum is Here for your review in PDF format.

Of Course there was more….

You may see the entire Lebanon Video Library Here http://www.veoh.com/group/selectmeetings

Watch 04-26-10 Lebanon Maine Budget Committee in News |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Meeting Highlights:

Selectmen Cole was in attendance – Meeting lasted 2:28 min

Meeting minutes from yesterday were accepted without changes..

Selectmen Cole handed out the Draft Ballots. Ballot items were not numbered since the order will change and has not been finalized. Most of the budget items were lacking actual values. Selectmen Cole said the forms would be completed and emailed to the board on Friday in their final state.

The Budget Committee proceeded to go down through the 40 items  providing input on changes to wording and recommended amounts. The Budget Committee also asked questions on each of the items in some cases providing policy input.

The questions on Rescue Department Funds from last evenings meeting that were posed by Mr. Bragg, were answered, as well as the information requested by Chairperson Neubert. Selectmen Cole also answered questions on revenue flow and explained how the Rescue funds are used to save the Town from getting TANS to cover expenses.

Selectmen Cole explained that the Transfer Station and Highway budgets would NOT be changed from the amounts Selectmen recommended.  He listened to the points made over waste, cost savings, management, commercial hauler, and hiring and operating of ones own equipment, but explained they would not be changed.

Questions about the Fire Chief’s mileage were addressed and Selectmen Cole said there will be no regular mileage. This will drop the Fire Budget some $3400.  Selectmen Frizzell is still putting mileage in for trips to the town hall. The Budget Committee wants all mileage reimbursement to stop for travel to the the place of work, like the fire house and town hall. Travel for outside issues is different.

Selectmen Cole did note the changes on the other budgets as the committee recommended but did not confirm those would be the numbers we would see published on Friday. He also made notes on corrections to wording and definitions desired on some of the ballot items, again this will be a wait and see.

The “Incompatibility of Office” information was discussed. Selectmen Cole said that the Town Attorney and the County District Attorney were consulted and the situation in Lebanon is different. Harpswell has a Union Agreement and Lebanon is a “work at will” so in Lebanon’s situation the incompatibility of office doesn’t apply in the matters of the Transfer Station and Selectmen Patch. Many still did not understand how it could not apply and the situation be allowed as it is. A Member asked about the “incompatibility of office” with the Road Commissioner hiring his own equipment and operating it while also being paid a salary and benefits from the town.  Selectmen Cole said that had not been looked into.

Concerns over the Budget Committee alternate that was selected by Selectmen was discussed. The person only attended the initial meeting of the board and has not made any other meetings. Selectmen Cole said Selectmen questioned the persons availability and they said they could do the position. Mrs. Bragg said there were several persons running this year and having an alternate available shouldn’t be an issue next year.

The Budget Committee will be meeting Monday April 26th to vote their recommendations to residents.

of course there was more….

Online Video Archive of Lebanon Town Videos http://www.veoh.com/group/selectmeetings

Meeting 2:28 min

Watch 04-21-10 Lebanon Maine Budget Committeea in News |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

No Selectmen were in attendance at the meeting,  Meeting lasted about 2 hours

Minutes were reviewed and accepted..

A cursory review was done of the modified budgets to get Budget Committee members feeling on the changes.

Highway / Roads  -

• A member pointed out that the resubmitted budget indicated a 10% decrease, but the decrease was from the original amount requested NOT the amount of last years budget. The budget actually represents about a 10% increase with most of that amount in the paving line.
• It was pointed out the need to see project plans of what work was to get done. The impression is that being the largest budget in town it should have the best planning and the budget provided just provides sparse detail and to much flexibility.
• Quality of work and repairs was reviewed. Areas where roads have been washed out some time ago that were filled with stone have never been revisited and paved. Many questioned the use of FEMA monies and the lack of our town to get it’s share citing examples of tree work a year ago, where a neighboring town received 3 times the money for clean-up and remediation.
• Regarding FEMA and tracking of road repairs it was learned that the Treasurer manages what tracking is done. This seems counter intuitive and should have direct management of the Road Commissioner.
• Many felt the budget should be reduced to last years levels with no increase.
• Concerns over Road Commissioner hiring and operating his own equipment were voiced.

Rescue

• Several members voiced concerns that there were no cuts to the Rescue Budget, in these difficult times everyone needs to sacrifice. A counter point was made that many town budgets are cut extremely tight already and we ask not only Rescue, but Fire, EMA etc to do a lot with a little. Given the increased call volume and likely hood of a potential second ambulance the budget does represent a cut.
• One member had asked for a revenue report but was told it awaiting the Auditor to complete. This was several weeks ago and was not handled through the Budget Committee process. The Budget Committee Chairperson had requested some information last Thursday on account balances for all accounts and had not received it. It was pointed out that Friday is an off day, Monday was a holiday, so in reality they had only had the request a day.
• There was a sheet with two proposed Referendum items, to make enterprise accounts for Rescue and Summer Recreation. Basically these would allow monies to be carried forward from donations and other sources, thus not re-entering the general fund as unspent monies typically do. Many had concerns with the wording and felt it was to ambiguous and should be spelled out clearer.
• There was a sample Rescue Department Ordinance provided that provided in essence a breakdown of roles and responsibilities for the department. There is nothing presently to  codify department and it was felt the proposed measure was a good one. However there was a sentence that stated the rescue Chief is appointed by Selectmen for an indeterminate time. Many wanted a clarification of the phrase and possibly have it reworded.

Library

• The Librarian had spoke last meeting on many of the concerns the Budget Committee had.  Some felt there should be more cuts, but with the potential for year round operation (If the Library Expansion at the Hanson School Passes) the extra would be needed.
• One committee member thought it was necessary to have the Library open on Saturday to allow more access.

Recreation

• There were cuts to Recreation but many members still think $1300 in Movie tickets is a waste. Many still don’t care that activities that should be self funded like line dancing, walking groups etc are being funded by the town. These activities should be sponsored by the participants and the the town.

Transfer Station

• The Transfer Station budget at last review did not have cuts. It was demonstrated that 20k could be removed without great impact still leaving room for projects and the increased solid waste fees.
• Tires were discussed and the comment made by Selectmen Patch last week that several slips were submitted and paid were actually Lebanon NH’s. Many thought it odd that the department head would not have easily caught the slips and asked how the bills are paid. Another member questioned why Lebanon NH would bring a vendor from northern Maine down to haul their loads. None of this made any sense.
• Many felt that there were measures that could be taken to generate revenue from the cans and waste as well as decrease expenses (disallowing commercial hauler to use facility, flattening co-mingled items, enforcing permits  etc). Several examples have already been provided as well as ideas other towns are using. Why is none of this pursued?

Incompatibility of Office / Harpswell Case

• Paperwork was presented showing the information from a case in Harpswell Maine where a transfer station employee, ran for Selectmen and won the seat. Selectmen for Harpswell asked the judge to review the situation due to concerns of conflict of interest and incompatibility of office. The circumstances of the case are very similar to conditions Lebanon.
• The Paperwork cites many applications of Maine law on the matter. In summary the document points out how it is inappropriate to have a Town Employee and also be a Selectmen or Elected Officer.  In effect incompatibility of office of exists when you effectively are supervising yourself or your supervisor or are involved with financial decisions that impact each other such as budgets, wages, benefits.
• This issue was brought up to Selectmen as a conflict of interest last year by residents when Mr Patch submitted paperwork to run for Selectmen. It was allegedly investigated by the Selectmen and deemed o.k. by legal opinion of the Town Attorney. The newly obtained materials referencing Maine State Law indicate that it is a problem. The Budget Committee provided the information obtained to the Selectmen and has asked that Selectmen address the matter in regards to Selectmen Patch / Transfer Station as well as Road Commissioner Davis and Mr. Davis hiring, operating, and supervising his own equipment while being paid by the town.
• Maine Law states that in this case where a person has incompatibility of office, an office holder who qualifies for and accepts a second office which is incompatible with the one already held, vacates the former, as if it has been resigned. It further states this shall not be left to the fluctuating whim of the office holder or chance and that this rule is indispensable for the protection of the public.
• The document further states that there is no constitutional right to be able to hold public office and public employment. Many cases were cited as examples.
• The Documents provided Selectmen are  – Harpswell Maine Case - MRSA 30-A – Townsman Incompatibility of Office Article – MRSA 20-A -  You may view the documents in PDF format by clicking the links.

There were concerns over review of the ballot items and the vote which has to take place Monday.  The Budget Committee has done everything possible to accommodating the Selectmen and there is great frustration over the last minute push. There was also concern over the fact no Selectmen attended the meeting since many questions could have been answered with there valued input.

A letter of recommendations for the budgets discussed as well as a request for action on the “incompatibility of office”  matter will be created by the Budget Committee Chairperson and sent along to Selectmen.

Of Course there was more…

Online Video Archive of Lebanon Town Videos http://www.veoh.com/group/selectmeetings

Part 1 of 2 of 4/20/10 Meeting 1:28 min

Watch 4-20-10 Lebanon Maine Budget Committee Part 1 of 2 in News |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Part 2 of 2 of the 4/20/10 meeting – 29 minutes

Watch 04-20-10 Lebanon Maine Budget Committee Part 2 in News |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Selectmen Patch and Selectmen Cole were in attendance. Meeting Length appx 2:21 min

• Minutes accepted from previous meeting with a minor change.
• Review commenced of the General town budget which includes the Town Hall services, and the Animal Control Officer (ACO)
• Laura Bragg requested to speak and explained she did not get a raise. The reason for having additional income show on a  comparison that was done was due to working more hours, elections etc. Her raise from the year before was 4% and she thanked Selectmen Cole for that. She also explained that some positions in the Lebanon Town Hall receive less in wages, benefits, or vacation than other surrounding towns.
• Selectmen Cole explained how the Selectmen have looked into making cuts is personnel at the Town Hall. They have hired an outside firm to conduct an evaluation which would commence tomorrow looking at how things were done. The companies preliminary analysis confirmed Selectmen’s suspicions that one position could be eliminated and potentially another may follow with restructuring. The budget presented reflects the one less position and a reduction in hours, there are also some other cuts. The outside firm does audits of this nature routinely and specializes in municipalities. The work being performed cost $2500-$5000  but would more than be recouped since a single position would save $250k over 5 years. Nobody wants to see positions cut, or hours cut but the fact is the town is (and has been) experiencing significantly reduced revenue from state sources and the school burden has risen. The preliminary forecast is this trend is going to continue, like many towns Lebanon is facing a crisis.  Mr. Cole further explained Selectmen are trying to take measures to bring services more in line to reduce an increasing tax burden. Downsizing is always painful, If things change then the matter could be revisited.
• Budget Committee Members shared concerns over the position loss and it’s impact. Staff in attendance commented on how underpaid they were with comparable positions in other towns and how a loss in hours would make things very difficult, implying they may have to resign or seek part-time work.
• The Budget Committee went down through the remaining Budget Lines asking questions on proposed cuts and expenses as they went.
• Tax Bills are printed, stuffed and mailed by an outside firm for a nominal fee. There was concern with the cost but it was simply listed in several areas on the ledger detail where in was posted a couple times in in error and came back out.
• Payroll services were questioned since at one point payroll was  going to be done in-house but then went back to an outside company. One of the staff explained how it was rather easy to do, Selectmen Cole explained the reason for out sourcing payroll is there is a risk of being fined significantly if there was an error, as one town has learned. There is much complication with reporting and withholding with the ever changing state laws, outsourcing shifts this liability and protects the town.
• Mileage that Selectmen submit was questioned. Chairman Frizzell still submits mileage to and from his home to the Town Hall. The Budget Committee raised this issue last year and was told it would stop. Selectmen Cole defended Mr Frizzell explaining he might be at the Town Hall and leave then get called back because something wasn’t signed. The Budget Committee wants the practice stopped!  Mileage for travel away on town business is fine, mileage for going and from town hall is not.  This extra mileage expense is significant and he is the only one doing it.
• Phone Numbers have changed for the Town Hall. The change will stop the charges some residents were experiencing when calling the town hall and being charged a toll call. The old numbers were part of of a cell phone exchange which was costly, the new service will be cheaper for the town as well.
• Electricity and heat line items were cut significantly. There was concern that due to the cool summer last year and the mild winter that Selectmen may have gone a bit deep. Selectmen Cole said they looked at that item at length and think they should be fine.
• The town pays about $1800 a year for the website. Many hosting packages on an unlimited basis for space and bandwidth cost less than $80 a year. Selectmen Cole said he was aware of the cost and the service is being looked into and would likely be changing when the contract comes up this year.
• Animal Control was reviewed. The officer was on hand and fielded several questions over expenses and mileage.
• The Librarian addressed the Budget Committee over concerns that she heard regarding cuts in books and supplies. She explained how if residents approve the Library initiative that the new library space would be available late fall and she needs to fund adult books. She also explained how the summer program books work and how it focused on learning and research to make it more engaging. Selectmen Cole explained the revised budget was not cut as the Budget Committee recommended primarily due to the Library initiative. If approved the library would operate on a year-round basis, therefore the monies would be needed to staff it for the added hours. There was hopes to get some volunteers to assist as well.
• Selectmen Patch explained they looked into the Tire problem and found three charges for pick-up that were paid for another municipality,  the slips were actually for the City of Lebanon NH. The company has issued a credit to the town for the error and Mr. Patch said measures were taken to prevent the mix-up in the future. The three charges account for roughly $4500 (30 ton) which is significant but that still remains 20 ton of tires or roughly 1400 have been paid for. Seven times neighboring towns volume.
• A reporter with the Foster’s Daily Democrat sat through the meeting and asked questions at the end about how Lebanon’s budget process works, when the votes would take place and when the town meeting would be. He explained he needed it for a story he was preparing likely to run the next day or two.
• of course there was more

The Lebanon online video archive is available Here. Click to see all the available video of past Selectmen and Budget Committee meetings.

Watch 04-13-10 Lebanon Maine Budget Committee in News |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

• Budget Committee discusses the extreme delays on receiving budgets. All budget have been late and it has been over three weeks and still no general government budget.
• Disappointment was expressed over the lack of cuts in budgets for all the budgets presented. Everyone is making cuts but the towns budgets don’t reflect this.
• The need to get the essential services article removed was voiced.
• There is a need for formal feedback and recommendations to Selectmen. A record needs to be made of the requests from the Budget Committee so the Selectmen can answer them. Discussing matters is not enough a record needs to be made and it needs to be answered. There is no formal vehicle for this, and as is the case tonight no Selectmen are in attendance… How are they (the Selectmen) to know anything?
• Members discussed letter the Budget Committee members received from Selectmen. Letter states requests for information must be made by Chairman. It was felt this should not be necessary and was unreasonable. the Budget Committee is elected and should have free unfettered access to financial information.
• A lengthy review of E911, EMA, Library, Recreation Department, Planning Board, CEO, and Transfer Station budgets was completed. Recommendations for budget cuts, cost savings, and policy changes were made for each of the departments and will be forwarded to the Selectmen for action.
• A short discussion was had over the ENORMOUS amount of tires (over 3200) that have gone through the transfer station since September. Costing the town over $7,000.00
• There were several recommendations for improving revenue at the Transfer Station including crushing cans and reselling the cardboard.
• During discussions various members stated how a Town Manager would save us money and improve things.
• A formal request of Benefits, Retirement, Vacation and comp time has been requested in order to gain a complete understanding of the employee compensation picture.
• Of Course There was More….

Meeting Highlights:

• General Administration Budgets are STILL NOT AVAILABLE, well they are but there not..you get the picture.
• The Roads budget is being revisited and may be seeing some changes
• Rescue budget is about the same as last year even though their call volume is up significantly.
• The Ambulance is in dire need of Air Bags that are used to raise and lower the box. The maintenance will take the Ambulance offline for up to two weeks, since the whole box must be removed to change the units out. During this time the town will be reliant on mutual aid coverage from away.
• Rescue is regularly finding difficulty in dealing with multiple calls. Volunteers arrive on scene and begin treatment, but the Ambulance is already on another call and the responders have to wait for an Ambulance from another town to respond. Chief Cole explained seconds count in an emergency. They detailed several cases during the presentation.
• Rescue is seeing increased calls for mutual aid to help other towns.
• Rescue explained the need for an additional Ambulance. Call volume, service to residents, mutual aid are all a part of it. The additional ambulance would pay it’s own expenses through revenue generated, it further would provide a back stop for maintenance of the current ambulance. There is a large enough volunteer base to support the second unit.
• Although first and foremost Rescue is concerned with saving lives and emergency response it does provide revenues. the revenues not only cover it’s own operating expense but saves the town money. The town is able to save a significant amount of money by utilizing the Rescue’s revenue. By doing this the Town doesn’t have to borrow money to pay bills while waiting for tax proceeds to come in.
• The last portion of the meeting regarding the New Ambulance was missed on the video.
• Of course there was more….

The Lebanon online video archive is available Here.

UPDATE 3/29/10 – Added second half of video

Watch 03-17-10 Lebanon Maine Budget Committee in News |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

In Attendance: Selectmen Patch, Selectmen Cole, Selectmen Secretary Sue Collins, Town Clerk Laura Bragg and 4 residents. Meeting lasted roughly 50 minutes. Selectmen Chairperson Bob Frizzell was absent…no reason provided.

• A resident came concerned over the changes in Shoreland Zoning. The changes being made are required and will be placed to the people for vote in June. The exact changes are unclear, and the Planning Board has the details. The plan should be available 45 days before vote and the town will try to place information online.
• Laura Bragg asked if Selectmen will be having a Town Manager come to speak on the job and role of a Town Manager since the item will be on the ballot. Selectmen said that they had spoken to North Berwick’s Town Manager Duane Morin and he said he could be available. There was also interest in possibly contacting Berwick as well.
• A resident came in concerned about the gate placed on Hebo Hibo Road. Selectmen Cole explained the gate was placed there to keep people out of the area. There has been lots of trouble with partys, fires, mischief and trash. Since the road is subject to gates and bars the Town of Lebanon felt it is the best interest to gate the road. All property owners will be provided keys.
• Laura Bragg explained the Town of Lebanon purchases passes for Water Country, Funtown USA, and the movie theaters at a discount rate. These are available to residents and will be advertised on the town site. There was a question on the movie tickets since they needed to be purchased ahead of time.
• Laura Bragg wanted to ensure Selectmen understand since the town does referendum voting, the ballot must be finalized by Monday, April 26th to allow the 45 days as required. Selectmen are urged to get all the items together to placed on it early.
• Chris Gilpatrick had questions and concerns over having a single Budget for the Roads department versus having a Winter and Summer budget as has always been done. Primarily his issue is the money could be spent leaving no funds to plow, salt, and sand. Selectmen Cole explained the single budget was recommended by the attorney and the town auditor. He also explained how payments are approved by Selectmen and signed off and that spending for each of the department is checked routinely. Selectmen Cole felt there was little to be worried about and that checks and balances were sufficient.
• Chris Gilpatrick also raised concerns over the nearly $300,000 remaining in this years winter budget. He wanted to see the money moved forward for next year and not spent. Selectmen Cole said that some roads had received damage with the recent storms and some of that work would likely come from these funds but some should remain.  Heath Road is also a problem and may be done from these funds.
• Glen Stadig asked that the policy requiring Budget Committee members paying for financial information be revisited. Just last week when doing research a charge of $5 per department was levied when requesting simple electronic reports from the accounting system. It cost $30… Mr. Gilpatrick had requested a vendor listing and was charged $28. The same report was later provided to the Budget Committee for free.  Selectmen said that reasonable requests made by those in a Budget Committee role would be provided an exception. They said to contact the Treasurer for a refund.
• Glen Stadig also asked that the Selectmen consider sharing the Budget Status reports they look at routinely with residents via the town website.
• Of course there was more….

The Lebanon online video archive is available Here.

Watch 03-16-10 Lebanon Maine Selectmen Meeting in News |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Meeting Highlights:

• Concerns were raised over large $17,752 transfer of cash from the Contingency Fund on August of 2008 tagged for a “free dump day” that was held in May 2008 of the prior accounting year, this was then moved again in April 2009? It was explained the funds were pulled because the “free day” expenses were not in the budget, but it did not explain why the transaction was in the wrong accounting period. The normal expenses for the month of 5/08 don’t show a $17,752 increase.
• Documentation supporting this odd accounting transfer showed a time slip where the  Department Head Mr. Patch who is paid salary also charged the town $45 per hour for operating a loader for 6 hours. Many of the Waste expenses included is this transfer were the normal typical monthly charges for the period (not extra), one invoice for $1096 was paid as a duplicate. The Tire and Appliance waste slips were very very  high.
• The high waste expenses was cause for deeper investigation, which showed extremely high volumes of tires some 119 tons in the last 44 months with 48 of the tons in the last three months alone. This has cost the residents over $18,000.00 in trucking alone and accounts for an estimated 9000 tires. Mr. patch didn’t think this was volume was excessive and he explained it as tires simply being picked up along side the road. Fees were discussed since found tires provide No revenue it was felt increasing fees could make things worst.
• Concerns over having a commercial hauler use the facility raised.
• There was discussion over Recycled material and a desire to improve recycling. Mr. Patch explained that recycled stuff actually cost the town more than just running it through compactor. The slips were looked at during the meeting and the rates calculated, the normal waste is actually 2 to 3 times More expensive than the Recycled waste is,  exactly opposite to what Mr. Patch had just explained.      Recycling and separating IS saving us money and reducing our waste stream! This saves us money!
• The Solid Waste for 2009-2010 should finish with more than $20,000 under budget, which represents nearly one extra month of fees. The new budget for 2010-2011 carried this extra month amount forward.
• There was confusion over repairs… So far this year the repairs budget hasn’t been spent. Mr. patch explained how the pits for the compactor containers needs to have some work. The 2010 budget request was for another $5000. By conversation it seemed funding for the work is fine, but the committee didn’t want to approve another amount if the work were to be done this spring.
• This raised the issue that many of the budgets that happen to have extra cash, such as the winter roads budget which has a few hundred thousand (from the light winter) manage to find a way and or feel obligated to spend it. In the case of the roads for example the funds could come back into the general fund for purchase of materials for next winter.
• Budget Committee members questioned the cost of Safety Equipment at the Transfer Station. Specifically the policy of purchasing boots for each one of the employees at $75-100. It was felt the employees could provide there own.
• Mr. Patch explained how on occasion he might send one of his people out to pick-up a sofa tossed on the road. Questions of liability were asked in regards to an accident or injury.
• Of course there was more..
• meeting lasted 1:27 min

(Video: Watch this video on the post page)

The Lebanon online video archive is available Here.

Keep Recycling!!           It Saves us Money!


Watch 03-10-10 Lebanon Maine Budget Committee in News |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Meeting Highlights:

Recreation Department:

• The recreation budget was reviewed (I arrived late so i don’t have all the detail )
• The recreation department purchases about 150 discounted movie passes that are available annually. The passes save about .50 a ticket.
• The Recreation Department has many activities and services but most residents are unaware. The schedules and services should be posted better.
• A certain portion of the funds used by the Department are matched by the others.

Schools:

• The schools have done an good  job of cutting by managing the continued downsizing of services and people in a way to impact the children the least.
• The anticipated effect to Lebanon at this time is an increased cost of about $90,000 over last year. This increase is really more caused by how the “share” is calculated between the three towns. this calculation is explained in detail during the meeting.
• The early budget forecast was for a much more significant increase, but this was able to be curbed.
• One of the creative measures being used at the school was using some bus drivers also as also custodians. they used similar approaches in other areas to maximize use of people.
• A survey was conducted online and the trends captured were reviewed, such as where people preferred cuts be made, and potential changes to the school year and it’s schedule.
• Mr Andrade stepped through his budget and fielded questions from the Budget Committee. Joanne Potter, our school board representative, was also in attendance and provided insight on the process.
• Mr Andrade explained the potential plan to add a public library addition to the Hanson School. This would provide residents with a year-round library and construction could be funded by grants and the trust monies set aside by the town. The library would have it’s own entrance so the public would not enter the school.
• Having a Library open year round would allow Lebanon to participate in grants and programs that have been unavailable to us in the past.
• I placed a scanned copy of the handouts provided here in PDF. The Library Blueprint and the Town Sharing ratio worksheet are near the very end of the document.
• Of course there was more…..

The video below picks up the meeting in process at the start of the School discussion.

(Video: Watch this video on the post page)

The Lebanon online video archive is available Here.

This week the Budget Committee reviews the Code Enforcement Officer (CEO) and Road Commissioners Budgets.

I would like to mention there were Three residents who came and observed. It is great to see people taking an interest in seeing for themselves how things are run and monies are handled. We need more involvement and support…

Code Enforcement Officer

• The CEO was reviewed first and the Committee spent about 30 minutes going over the budget.
• The CEO’s budget has been voted down by the residents for the past 3 years, and rolls back to old funding of $37,000.
• The CEO’s budget request was about $39,000
• The CEO does bring in revenue through the issuing of permits. He explained how Lebanon is about 1/4 the cost of any other towns and how important it is we increase the fees to the developers to get more inline. The fees are a revenue stream to the town and if even brought up slightly they would more than cover expenses.
• The CEO also explained how the position is more that just doing an inspection and issuing a permit. He explained briefly his involvement with enforcement of illegal junk yards and public safety issues.

The Road Commissioner went through his budget.

• Wages are listed at $46,000 which was explained as the road commissioners salary AND sub contractors
• The budget is broken out to categories like wages, ditching, brush, sand, hot top etc. The categories represent estimates but monies are freely moved between groups once appropriated to the period.
• In the past the Road budget would be broken out with a total for Summer and a total for Winter which is voted upon. The Budget Committee was told this year residents would vote on the total and be provided an estimated  breakout. Essentially this places all the funds in one bucket for the entire year to be spent at the Roads Commissioner’s discretion.
• There is no specific plan of what improvements will be done with the monies, no specifications have been prepared and no bids have been received for any of the upcoming potential work.
• A Budget Committee member questioned the paving bid last year was won by FR Carroll but other paving done by other companies from NH. The Road Commissioner said that it was a smaller project. When asked by another Committee member why one of the local in town paving companies wasn’t contacted the Road Commissioner had no response.
• The Road Commissioner was asked why the same group of  6-8 “sub contractors” are used every single week and kept busy with ditching and projects. This amounts to having a highway department, when the work is supposed to be sub contracted and bid by project. The Road Commissioner responded that if a tree fell at 2am you need someone you can call who would respond.
• Two of the Budget Committee members who are intimate with roads, paving, plowing and methods asked serious questions over the practices used by the Road Commissioner.  These included; using small one ton trucks for ditching versus using larger ones, making the ditches gradual to prevent washout and allow wider shoulders, properly building shoulders on roads to save the pavement, and the proper rebuilding of roads by grinding and removing rocks versus simply coating over the problems.
• It was pointed out as it has in the past that using small one ton trucks to haul dirt clear across town is not cost effective and that larger trucks should be used.
• It was questioned why the closest pit is routinely not used when hauling material. The Road Commissioner stated that someone is available to load at Selectmen Frizzell’s pit. Committee members questioned the Commissioner’s planning ability to look ahead and the why he couldn’t make use of the $1200 spent annually on phones to make a simple call to notify the closer pit of the need.
• Budget Committee asked the Commissioner why the town (itself) had done some paving. it was explained that there was a small area at the end of a private road where a bus turnaround was, this also included the coating of a boat ramp.
• The Road Commissioner explained the budget he requested was initially about the same as last year $970,000 -/+ and that the Selectmen had increased the budget $200,000 primarily for road improvement and paving. The was talk of the desire to rebuild a section of Heath road due to poor drainage and the need to resurface a couple other areas. None of the work has been fully specified or bid.
• Near the end of the meeting the Road Commissioner while being asked a question over his practices and methods, stood up and dismissed himself stating he was tired of it and was done.
• Of course there was more….

<<The Video of this meeting has been stuck in the que at the normal provider and is awaiting a solution when available it will be added to the library>>>

In the meantime,  I have added the video into the post and you should be able to stream this directly with a broadband connection. Note you can click the lower right hand corner to make full screen on your computer.

(Video: Watch this video on the post page)

The Lebanon online video archive is available Here. Here you will find all of the Selectmen and Budget Committee meetings.

What do You expect of your Budget Committee and the Budget process?

What do You see as the Budget Committee’s  purpose and function?

What amount of influence, guidance, control, input and authority do you expect it has?

I personally am astounded at the treatment of the current Budget Committee and the experience as it has proceeded this year. I will share just a couple instances and observations as an example..

The Budget Committee requested to review budgets and spending with department managers, to provide recommendations to Selectmen. Instead Selectmen would meet with department managers and then “set” the budget informing the Budget Committee there will be “No Changes”.

Budgets estimates were due by all departments just after the first of the year. The Budget Committee has  canceled meetings and re-scheduled and are still getting budgets only a week before we meet. This is odd given the Selectmen meet multiple times during the day, during the week and yet cancel evening meetings.

All Budgets presented to date have had very little to no downward change with the Roads budget actually increasing $200,000.

Last evening while a Budget Committee member was inquiring how things are handled, the Road Commissioner walked away from the meeting, showing a total level of disrespect to the member and the committee. Throughout the meeting members of the committee pointed out several areas that could improve operations and save monies, but nothing will change, many are the same issues that have been pointed out years past.

The Budget Committee has reviewed accounting transactions where items are placed in the wrong budget accounts. I recall the same issues occurring last year and hearing the Budget Committee be told by Selectmen it would change. Well it hasn’t changed, and appears to be accepted practice.  Everyone tends to lay blame at the “treasurer” when in fact the department heads and Selectmen should obviously be looking at the accounts routinely to know where they stand week to week, month to month. The Budget Committee was informed last night, the proposed solution from Selectmen is to place the road budget (more than 2/3rd  of the towns expenses)  into a single $1,2 million dollar account instead of splitting them, thus reducing accounting accountability instead of strengthening or increasing it.

In my experience and in research I have done, I have never seen it explained that a Budget Committee is to only ask questions and then only vote.  Here is a list of objectives or purpose of a Budget Committee you might typically see. I would imagine this list will follow what you have in your mind as well:

* Reviews department budgets and making recommendations;
* Examines periodic reports showing actual performance compared with the budget Significant variances are identified and   recommendation made on actions to be taken;
* Develop and examines long term plans and needs;
* Identifies budget objectives;
* Give advice to board of directors and chief executive;
* Creates a better understanding and awareness among managers of the role of each others department;
* Coordination of budgets or budgeting;
* Review external conditions like economic conditions for the ensuing period;
* Considers forecasts compiled by departmental managers.

Typically the actual work of budgeting is done by a Budget Committee. The chief executive / selectmen should head or be an active participant WITH the budget committee. The only benefit to the residents this Budget Committee serves is to meet for hours each week and ask questions. We never get any changes or solid assurances of change. Through the support of private video at least residents can see and hear the dialogue exchange.

I have said it before but it bears repeating “The definition of insanity is doing the exact same thing over and over and over again and expecting different results”

My fellow committee members and I are good people trying to do a good job… We care. It is important You understand clearly that we have no impact on the Budgets as presented, or the articles that are drafted for you to vote on.  As a committee we question practices, policy, methods, and expenses as items are gone through, but that is about it. These recommendations for changes and or concerns we raise are not formerly prepared or presented since we have previously been told no changes will be made. It has also been demonstrated that even when changes have been told to be made, they never ever happened.

All this results in the only power or influence any members of the Budget Committee and You for that matter is to vote NO.

Most importantly vote No on the “Essential Services” article,  so that operating budgets DO NOT roll back for the entire year. This article being in place results in the unapproved budgets rolling back back and they are never revisited. ALL the power is thus taken away from the people and your budget committee. If a budget increase is approved you can almost never get it reduced. It’s my opinion if there was a potential for work stoppage more parties would participate faithfully. I certainly don’t want a stoppage, but I don’t accept the process as being functional as it is.

We as residents deserve better, we expect better, and we have to have improvement. We need greater cuts on these larger budgets, improvement with accountability of funds, and overall improvement with the way town affairs are managed particularly with regards to Roads.  I don’t have all the answers, but I know a problem when i see one.  We have to stop doing things the way we are and do them differently if we want to see different results.

I am not posting this as a rant, if it comes across that way I apologize. I just believe it is important for residents to understand what there Budget Committee actually can do since in my case, it falls far short of expectations.

The Lebanon online video archive is available Here. Here you will find all of the Selectmen and Budget Committee meetings.

Watch 02-23-10a Lebanon Maine Budget Committee in News |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

The Lebanon online video archive is available Here. Here you will find all of the Selectmen and Budget Committee meetings.

Watch 02-17-10a Lebanon Maine Budget Committee in News |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

• Minutes were read and approved
• The Budget Committee had not met in two weeks due to lack of Budgets being available from Selectmen. As it was Budgets were NOT received until the until the meeting tonight so there was really no business acted upon since the material could not be reviewed.
• Selectmen Patch and Cole were in attendance.
• Concerns were raised with the Selectmen over the time line only having seven remaining weeks and lack of available budgets. It was explained they are doing the best they can and expected the Fire Department to be completed tomorrow with other following.
• Selectmen Cole explained the need for everyone to attend the County Budget meeting next week. He explained how the county was doing more with less but do to State funding cuts there presently would be about a 6% increase to the towns. The Budget Committee moved the meeting date up to Tuesday so that members may participate.
• There was some discussion on the Schools. There was desire to hear from the School Board and to see if they might be able to meet with us to share. Participation by the townspeople is paramount during the process. Last year maybe 20 people attended.
• Information requested a couple weeks ago was handed out which included vendor lists, and salaries for town employees. There were also examples of mileage expense slips from various people. The most notable was a slip for Jan 2010 by selectmen chair Frizzell submitting for going to the Town Hall which the Budget Committee pointed out last year was to be stopped.
• Of course there was more…

The meeting ran about an 43 minutes..

The Lebanon online video archive is available Here. Here you will find all of the Selectmen and Budget Committee meetings.

Watch 02-11-10 Lebanon Maine Budget Committee Meetinga in News |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Minutes read from last meeting, approved without changes

Budget Committee Reviewed EMA and E-911 Budgets…

These budgets are small. There were not many questions over EMA. Mainly over confusion of radios that were purchased under a separate warrant. The E-911 budget appeared like it could be reduced significantly by consolidating and or not using a home office arrangement. Further the labor could be saved by having the CEO could do the numbering as part of the building permit / occupancy process. Last year the E911 director used less than half of the allocated wages due to a slow year. The position estimates provided were for 4-5 hours per week.

Concerns were raised over the fact the older computer system was being used instead of the nearly new laptop purchased for the purpose. Further data back-up was a concern in either instance.

It was indicated that the Selectmen would not be making any changes to these budgets. They would remain as is, which brought discussion over the Budget Committee’s purpose. If the Selectmen would or will NOT be responsive to matters raised then all we could do is vote NO.

Concerns were raised over lack of participation by Selectmen as well as the absence of budget for next review at next weeks meeting. Next weeks meeting has been postponed and moved out until Feb 10, 2010 due to unavailability of budgets.

These first budgets submitted for review were virtually unchanged from previous year in total. The Budget Committee was anticipating some cuts and are hopeful the budgets to follow meet expectations.

An idea was raised to mark budget pages and other reports with a letter, number, or ID to make them easier to locate. That way when someone sees an item in question everyone can locate the page quickly and follow along. This would reduce confusion and keep the meeting on topic.

Rescue requested a meeting with the Budget Committee over the upcoming petition item for a new ambulance as the Fire Department had. It was felt that this could be done during warrant or budget review since the item is going to be on the  Ballot anyway. In the case of the Fire Department they were looking for Budget Committee’s opinion to see if the they should request to have it put on the ballot.

There was some inquiry to eligibility for Health Insurance for the Town…. Laura Bragg said, Be an employee and work 32hrs week.

Meeting ran approximately 1 1/2 hrs

The Lebanon online video archive is available Here. Here you will find all of the Selectmen and Budget Committee meetings.

Watch 01-27-10 Lebanon Maine Budget Committee in News |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

As it turned out the Budget Committee and Volunteer Firemen arrived at the station and before anything started the Chairperson Nancy Neubert asked  Laura Bragg to explain the situation.  Laura explained the meeting for the evening would be canceled due to the omission to post it properly in advance. It was looked into and according to her boss meetings require proper public notice. As to not cause issue of complaint, which she said would be filed if the meeting was held, the meeting would be re-scheduled to January 20th at 6:30pm.

It’s unfortunate that the Budget Committee and volunteer Firemen had to all get to the station before the decision came down to cancel. It seems a bit of a waste, but in the end the Chairperson made the right decision and did the right thing. I don’t know if any residents would have attended the meeting if it WAS properly posted, but it is important to post things properly to allow people the opportunity to come and listen. Public posting is part of the basic right to know philosophy and it was missed in error.

I was glad to see the right thing done..  People often say they don’t see positives here on the website when speaking about committees and town government. Well this is a positive…. we followed the rules.

This was the first meeting of the new Budget Committee since the election in June. Business commenced with the election of  a Chairperson. Nancy Neubert was nominated and elected. Nancy then requested nominations for Budget Secretary, Laura Bragg was nominated and the vote passed.

Minutes from the last meeting in April were reviewed and accepted.

A meeting schedule was then discussed, what days and times would work. Consensus was Wednesdays and Thursday worked with one being a fall-back day if needed. Regarding meeting time 6:00pm or 6:30pm start seemed to appeal to most. No formal vote was taken on the matters. It has yet to be determined when regular weekly meetings would commence and budgets would be available. This information will be requested by Selectmen.

The Budget Process was discussed. In the past Selectmen would review the Budget and a Department Head would Present. It was thought having the Department Head present to the Budget Committee first might be more productive since the Budget Committee could provide more feedback, this is also how most other towns operate. This will be requested to Selectmen.

It was requested that singular authoritative copies of Budgets and Information be provided to the Budget Committee. Last Budget session several versions of numbers would be provided causing massive confusion and wasting time. It further invalidates any research done before the meeting. In some instances department heads use one set of numbers and the town office another.  This will be requested to Selectmen.

Several Budget Committee members complained over Conflict of Interest Policy that was initiated last year. The minutes stated that Judy Churchard would see the matter was addressed by the Town Attorney. This never happened and the current policy has remained in effect. Many on the Budget Committee spoke in favor of the current plan and felt it worked fine, you just need to use common sense with it’s application. Copies of the current policy were circulated. The Budget Committee will inquire to the status of any action. Karen Gerrish stated she had already inquired and was told by Selectmen it would remain “as-is”.

The sharing of Budget Worksheets online at the town website was raised. Many on the Budget Committee thought it would be beneficial for residents to see and have access to the same information the Budget Committee does. Residents could further review this information and ask questions at the meeting (time allowing) or ask a Budget Committee member to raise the matter on their behalf. Some felt it would be a waste and nobody would use it, but in the end transparency was viewed as a good thing. A request will be made to Selectmen.

The Budget Committee discussed and will request that the Town Treasurer and a Selectmen attend each meeting to field questions as they may come up in review of the operating budgets. This request will be made to the Selectmen.

Meeting length was discussed and it was deemed important to try and limit meeting length to no more than and hour a half or two hours. Last year on several occasions meetings went three hours or more, having a limit will help to keep the meeting focused. Nothing was formally adopted however, shorter was deemed better than longer.

The Budget Committee had a new alternate attend, Steve Endsley. It was questioned how the appointment occurred since last year a request was made to residents to write a letter of interest and the position was then  appointed by Selectmen. The Selectmen had not passed a motion at a regular meeting appointing the person. It was unclear how officially this could have occurred. Unofficially Laura Bragg believed Mr. Endsley had the next most write-in votes. This needs to be addressed with the Selectmen.

Fire Chief Skip Wood has requested a meeting with the Budget Committee to see if we would favor a new truck for his department. Skip would like see what the consensus might be before putting in the work and effort to spec. a vehicle. A meeting will be held at the Fire House in the few weeks so the Budget Committee may learn more about the need.

There was some discussion about the role of the Budget Committee and it’s purpose. In the end it was agreed the Budget Committee operates in an advisory capacity and doesn’t impact numbers directly. The Budget Committee can recommend and make requests, and ask why, but in the end, the Budget is set and Warrants prepared at the Selectmen’s discretion. Ultimately all the Budget Committee can do is Advise and Vote its will on the items presented.

The next meeting will be the fire truck review meeting in a couple weeks. The exact date and time will be communicated by the Chairperson.

Of Course there was more….

Video of the meeting may be downloaded directly here (right click “save as”) and is 573mb and is 1:16 long. The Audio only MP3 file may be downloaded here 52mb (right click “save as”). You may also view the 5 min preview below and watch the entire video online by clicking links below the preview. Alternatively you may view the entire online video library here.

Watch 11-18-09 Lebanon Maine Budget Committee in News |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

• Selectmen Churchard explained a desire to relax the Conflict of Interest Policy on 4/7/09 (15 days ago). She has spoken with the Town Attorney to see if the language can be simplified and she is working to get a new draft completed for review. The current policy will remain in effect until such a time any edits may be reviewed and voted upon.
• Budget Committee discusses how to handle any conflicts for tonight’s vote and if alternate should be used and allowed to vote in those cases.  It was decided since all Budget Committee members were in attendance that the alternate would not vote. Any Budget Committee members with a conflict would simply abstain.
• The Old Town Hall has an agreement for sale and the papers should be passed next week.
• Referendums were read and voted upon by Selectmen and Budget Committee members.
• There were some discussions and debate of conflicts of interest as Referendums were reviewed, which at times became contentious. In the majority of instances conflicts were obvious and when pointed out persons abstained without issue.
• Budget Chairperson Nancy Neubert explained she wanted Selectmen to inform residents that the Budget Committee has spent many hours reviewing the Budgets. (Over 19 hours of meetings alone not including home review of information and research)

Video of the meeting may be downloaded directly here (right click “save as”) and is 349 mb and 1:34 min long. The Audio only MP3 file may be downloaded here 86 mb (right click “save as”). You may also view the 5 min preview below and watch the entire video online by clicking links below the preview. This link also takes you to the online video library. Official Minutes can be viewed here when available.

Watch 04-22-09 Lebanon Maine Budget Committee in News |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com