Town of Colebrook, NH - Town Meeting Minutes

Moderator Jon Frizzell declared the Annual Town Meeting opened at 7 p.m. Boy Scouts from Troop 220 led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by an opening prayer by Father Bellefeuille.

1) Cluster Housing Ordinance to help the Planning Board facilitate slightly greater density for cluster housing development while keeping the nature and character of our area. This ordinance will be inserted into the Town of Colebrook Zoning Ordinances as Article V, with the remaining Articles renumbered accordingly.

2) Amend Article III of the Zoning Ordinances to include definitions for buffer zone, cluster housing, density, dwelling unit, non-motorized recreational use, open space, open water and trail.

Greg Placy made a motion, seconded by Larry Rappaport, to authorize the selectmen to enter into a long-term, with no escape clause, lease/purchase agreement in the amount of $211,043.00 payable over a term of five years at a yearly rate of 4.25% for a total of $27,209.00 per year to lease/purchase a new Town Grader for the highway department and to raise and appropriate the sum of $27,209.00, for the first year’s payment for that purpose. A trade in of the old grader will be for in the amount of $25,000.00 and we will be with-drawing $50,000.00 from the Highway Equipment Reserve Fund. (2/3-ballot vote required) The motion was denied per the following ballot vote:

Immediately after announcement of the ballot results, John Lyndes made a motion to restrict reconsideration of this article. David Hodge seconded and the motion to restrict passed with a voice vote.

Larry Rappaport made a motion, seconded by Sally Wentzell, to see if the voters of Colebrook were in favor of Continuing Negotiations with Allen Bouthillier for the Purchase of the Old Elementary School Lot for the sum of $200,000.00 he has requested. This was an informational article only. After a short discussion, the voters of Colebrook expressed their desire via a voice vote to not continue negotiations and to not purchase the old elementary school lot for the sum of $200,000.

Larry Rappaport made a motion to raise and appropriate the sum of $160,000.00 for the Purchase of seventy-nine (79) acres of Land from the Connecticut River Drivers Trust/Richard Feltham, Trustee, for the location of future Town Water Wells. The amount of $20,000.00 to be raised by taxation, $60,000.00 is to come from the Town of Colebrook Water Department NHPDIP account and $80,000.00 from Fifteen-Mile Mitigation Grant and to authorize the selectmen to withdraw the $60,000.00 from the NHPDIP account. Sally Wentzell seconded the motion and it passed with a voice vote.

Sally Wentzell made a motion, seconded by Larry Rappaport, to create an expendable trust fund under the provisions of RSA 31:19-a, to be known as the Colebrook Digital Parcel Mapping System, for the purpose of producing an updated property tax map and to raise and appropriate the sum of $20,000.00 towards this purpose, further to name the selectmen as agents to expend from this trust fund. The motion passed with a voice vote.

Sally Wentzell made a motion to raise and appropriate the sum of $20,000.00 for the purpose of conducting the Annual Assessing Update. Greg Placy seconded the motion and it passed with a voice vote.

Sally Wentzell made a motion, seconded by Greg Placy, to raise and appropriate the sum of $67,395.00 for the operation and maintenance of the Colebrook Cemeteries, the sum of $57,395.00 to be raised through taxation and $10,000.00 to be raised from burials, cemetery trust funds and other Colebrook Cemetery revenues. The motion passed with a voice vote.

Sally Wentzell made a motion to create an Expendable Cemetery Trust Fund under the provisions of RSA 31:19-a, to be known as the Colebrook Cemetery Fence Maintenance and Repair fund, for the purpose of repairing and maintaining the Colebrook Cemetery Fence and to raise and appropriate the sum of $5,000.00 towards this purpose. Said funds to come from December 31, 2003 Cemetery unreserved fund balance. (Representing excess 2003 cemetery appropriations.) Further to name the cemetery trustees as agents to expend from this trust fund. Greg Placy seconded the motion and it passed with a voice vote.

Sally Wentzell made a motion, seconded by Greg Placy, to raise and appropriate the sum of $5,000.00 for the Colebrook Village Cemetery Fence Expendable Trust Fund. The motion passed with a voice vote.

Larry Rappaport made a motion to raise and appropriate the sum of $284,244.00 for the Police Department. Sally Wentzell seconded the motion and it passed with a voice vote.

Larry Rappaport made a motion, seconded by Sally Wentzell, to raise and appropriate the sum of $35,000.00 to be added to the existing Equipment Purchasing Capital Reserve Fund with the sum of $25,000.00 to be used for the purchase of highway equipment and the sum of $10,000.00 for the purchase of a new police cruiser. The motion passed with a voice vote.

Mr. Placy explained that it is the intention to do maintenance to Keazer Hill and Titus Hill Road from the landfill to the Columbia line. Larry Rappaport seconded the motion and it passed with a voice vote.

Larry Rappaport made a motion to raise and appropriate the sum of $9,615.00 for the third year of a five-year lease agreement entered into in the year of 2000 for a Backhoe for the Public Works Department. The sum of $3,205.00 will come from the Highway Department to be raised through taxation. The sum of $3,205.00 will come from the Colebrook Water Works Department and the remainder of $3,205.00 will come from the Colebrook Sewer Department. It was noted during the discussion that this is actually the fourth year of the five-year lease. Sally Wentzell seconded the motion and it passed with a voice vote.

Larry Rappaport made a motion, seconded by Sally Wentzell, to raise and appropriate the sum of $179,087.00 for the maintenance and expenses of the Transfer Station for the ensuing year. The motion passed with a voice vote.

Greg Placy made a motion to raise and appropriate the sum of $10,000.00 for the Landfill Closure Plan. Larry Rappaport seconded the motion and it passed with a voice vote.

Greg Placy made a motion, seconded by Larry Rappaport, to raise and appropriate the sum of $26,000.00 for Monitoring Wells at the landfill. The motion passed with a voice vote.

Sally Wentzell made a motion, seconded by Larry Rappaport, to raise and appropriate the sum of $7,750.00 for General Assistance for the ensuing year. The motion passed with a voice vote.

Sally Wentzell made a motion to raise and appropriate the sum of $68,511.00 for the Colebrook Recreation Department. Larry Rappaport seconded the motion and it passed with a voice vote.

Larry Rappaport made a motion, seconded by Sally Wentzell, to raise and appropriate the sum of $3,500.00 for Parks and Patriotic Purposes. The motion passed with a voice vote.

Greg Placy made a motion to raise and appropriate the sum of $50,000.00 for the Main Street (Route 3) Reconstruction Expendable Trust Fund. Larry Rappaport seconded the motion and it passed with a voice vote.

Greg Place made a motion, seconded by Larry Rappaport, to raise and appropriate the sum of $500,000.00 for water works infrastructure, to Tie New Water Wells into present town water system and said funds to be offset by federal government grant. The motion passed with a voice vote.

Sally Wentzell made a motion to raise and appropriate the sum of $100,527.00 for the support of the Colebrook Public Library, $80,047.00 of which to be raised through taxation and $20,480.00 of which to come from other sources such as Library balance on hand January 1, 2004, book sales, donations, trust funds, non-resident fees, other communities, over due fines, book resale’s, copying fees etc., such funds to be expended under the direction of the Board of Library Trustees. Larry Rappaport seconded the motion and it passed with a voice vote.

Sally Wentzell made a motion, seconded by Greg Placy, for the town to accept the provisions of RSA 202-A: 4-c, authorizing indefinitely, until specific rescission of such authority, the Public Library Trustees to apply for, accept and expend, without further action by the town meeting, unanticipated money from a state, federal or other governmental unit or a private source which becomes available during the fiscal year. The motion passed with a voice vote.

Sally Wentzell made a motion, seconded by Greg Placy, to raise and appropriate the sum of $148,131.00 for the Colebrook Dispatch Center, of which $ 94,925.05 will be raised through taxation and the remainder to be offset by revenues raised from the participating towns. The motion passed with a voice vote.

Greg Place made a motion to raise and appropriate the sum of $6,150.00 for purchase of Radio Recording System and to authorize the selectmen to withdraw this amount from the Town of Colebrook Radio Dispatch Center Capital Reserve Fund. Sally Wentzell seconded the motion and it passed with a voice vote.

Greg Placy made a motion, seconded by Sally Wentzell, to raise the sum of $1,000.00 as a contribution for the support and services of the Vershire Center. (By petition) The motion passed with a voice vote.

Sally Wentzell made a motion, seconded by Greg Placy, to raise and appropriate the sum of Two Thousand One Hundred Fifty Dollars ($2,150.00) for the support of the Tri-County Community Action Program. (By petition) The motion passed with a voice vote.

Greg Placy made a motion, seconded by Sally Wentzell to approve the following article: We, the undersigned, support the request being made by Tri-County CAP, Inc. North Country Elderly Programs for the Colebrook town funding in the amount of $3,000.00 to be raised and allocated to the North Country Senior Wheels Program. (By petition) The motion passed by a voice vote.

Greg Placy made a motion, seconded by Sally Wentzell to approve the following article: We, the undersigned, support the request being made by Tri-County CAP, Inc. North Country Elderly Programs for Colebrook Town funding in the amount of $3,775.00 to be raised and allocated to the Senior Meals Programs. (By petition) The motion passed by a voice vote.

Greg Place made a motion to raise the sum of $2,400.00 as a contribution for the support and services of the Upper Connecticut Valley Mental Health & Developmental Services. (By petition) Sally Wentzell seconded and it passed with a voice vote.

Bud Hulse made a motion to accept, ratify and confirm the reports of the Agents, Selectmen, Auditors and all other Town Officers. Palmer Lewis seconded and it passed with a voice vote.

Outgoing Select person Sally Wentzell was a given a round of applause for her many years of service to the town, along with Police Chief James Farrell, who will retire the end of the month. Rosemary Mulliken (Supervisor of the Checklist) and Barry Jenkins (Cemetery Trustee) were also thanked for serving.