Official Town Meeting Minutes
March 11, 2008
Colebrook, New Hampshire
Moderator Jonathan Frizzell opened the Annual Town Meeting at 7 pm. The approximate 200 people in attendance stood to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a prayer conducted by Father Craig Cheney.
Article 1
To bring in your ballots for the selection of Town Officers to be elected by ballot for the
Town of Colebrook for the ensuing year.
Article 2
Larry Rappaport made a motion, seconded by Frank Dumaine, to raise and appropriate
the sum of $1,980,282.00 for General Government, as follows:
Executive $75,522.00
Election, Registration and Vital Statistics $43,820.00
Financial/Assessing/Tax Collection/Treasurer/Secretary $188,441.00
Legal and Data Processing $27,500.00
Planning & Zoning $20,728.00
General Buildings $56,361.00
Advertising & Regional Association $2,200.00
Police/Fire/Ambulance/Emergency Management $410,840.00
Highways & Streets $641,189.00
Sanitation, Landfill & Recycling $360,876.00
Health Agencies/Animal Boarding $32,380.00
General Assistance $7,750.00
Recreation/Patriotic $89,000.00
Economic Development $13,675.00
Debt Service $10,000.00
Clint Brooks made a motion to amend this article to read to raise and appropriate the
sum of $1,986,882.00. This $6,600.00 increase should be reflected in a revision of item
#13, Recreation/Patriotic, from $89,000 to $95,600. Arthur Dodge seconded the motion.
The motion to amend the article passed with a voice vote.
The article as amended to raise and appropriate the sum of $1,986.882.00 for General
Government passed with a voice vote.
Article 3
Benoit Lamontagne made a motion to raise and appropriate the sum of $35,000.00 for
the purpose of purchasing a New Cruiser, all of which is to come from the Capital
Equipment Cruiser Fund (Capital Reserve Fund created in 1999). Larry Rappaport
seconded the motion and it passed with a voice vote.
Article 4
Larry Rappaport made a motion, seconded by Benoit Lamontagne, to raise and
appropriate the sum of $36,395.00 for the support of the new 45th Parallel
Emergency Medical Services and to permit the Board of Selectmen to enter into a
contract with this Service for such purpose. The initial contract will be for a six month
period beginning July 1, 2008 and ending December 31, 2008. The intent in the following
years is for the Town to include this expenditure directly in the operating budget. After
much discussion, the motion was passed by secret ballot.
Yes No
Article 5
Article 5 to raise and appropriate the sum of $60,074.00 (gross budget) for the purpose
of hiring a Resource Officer was passed over as it was not approved at the Colebrook
School District Annual Meeting.
Article 6
Frank Dumaine made a motion to raise and appropriate the sum of $65,000.00 for the
purpose of repairing the Hazen Road Bridge, $47,000.00 of which is to be raised by
taxation with the remaining $18,000.00 to come from the Bridge Fund (Capital Reserve
Fund created 2003). Larry Rappaport seconded the motion and it passed with a voice
vote.
Article 7
With the passage of Article 6, Bruce Katz made a motion, seconded by Wayne Hall, to
Pass Over this article to authorize the Selectmen to close to all traffic to the bridge
formally or now known as Hazen Road Bridge, and to discontinue as an open maintained
highway that portion of the highway crossing said bridge, and to reclassify such portion
as a Class VI highway, subject to gates and bars. The motion passed with a voice
vote.
Article 8
Frank Dumaine made a motion, seconded by Larry Rappaport, to raise and appropriate
the sum of $65,000.00 for the purpose of repairing the Washburn Bridge, all of which
will come from the Bridge fund (Capital Reserve Fund created 2003) and no monies to be
raised through taxation.
During discussion, it was stated that a locked gate is at the end of this bridge. Wayne
Hall made a motion, seconded by Robert Hodge, to amend the article by adding the
following sentence to the end of the article: “Passage be stipulated that the gate come
down totally in order for the bridge to be built by the Town.” Arthur Dodge remarked
that it might read better to say “the gate come down permanently.” Messieurs Hall and
Hodge agreed that was their intent and changed their amendment accordingly. The
motion to amend the article as stated passed with a voice vote.
The article as amended to raise and appropriate the sum of $65,000.00 for the purpose
of repairing the Washburn Bridge, all of which will come from the Bridge Fund (Capital
Reserve Fund created 2003) and no monies to be raise through taxation; passage be
stipulated that the gate come down permanently in order for the bridge to be built by
the Town was Defeated by a standing vote.
Yes No
Article 9
Benoit Lamontagne made a motion to raise and appropriate the sum of $218,950.00 for
the purpose of Construction & Repair to the Retaining Wall, with $100,000.00 coming
from the 2007 fund balance and $118,950.00 coming from the Retaining Wall Capital
Reserve Fund (created 2007). No amount will be raised through taxation. Larry
Rappaport seconded the motion and it passed with a voice vote.
Article 10
Frank Dumaine made a motion to raise and appropriate the sum of $70,000.00 for the
following Capital Reserve Funds:
Equipment Purchase (1999) $45,000.00
Police Cruiser (1999) $15,000.00
Re-evaluation Monies (2002) $10,000.00
The motion was seconded by Larry Rappaport and passed with a voice vote.
Article 11
Larry Rappaport made a motion to raise and appropriate the sum of $20,000.00 for the
following Expendable Trust Funds:
Disaster Management (2007) $20,000.00
Benoit Lamontagne seconded the motion and it passed with a voice vote.
Article 12
Larry Rappaport made a motion, seconded by Frank Dumaine, to raise and appropriate
the sum of $377,505.00 to be added to the Main Street Reconstruction Expendable
Trust Fund (created 2000) which will come from revenues from the 2007 fund balance,
and not from 2008 taxation and to authorize the Selectmen as agents to withdraw from
this fund until rescinded. This amount represents revenue received in 2007 under the
Town’s landfill contract.
Wendell Woodard made a motion to amend the article by putting a period after the
words “from 2008 taxation” and deleting the remainder of that sentence. Keith St.
Laurant seconded the motion. The motion to amend the article as stated passed with a
voice vote.
The article as amended to raise and appropriate the sum of $377,505.00 to be added
to the Main Street Reconstruction Expendable Trust Fund (created 2000) which will
come from the revenues from the 2007 fund balance, and not from 2008 taxation (this
amount represents revenue received in 2007 under the Town’s landfill contract) passed
with a voice vote.
Article 13
Frank Dumaine made a motion to raise and appropriate the sum of $ 459,892.00 for the
Colebrook Water Works and the Colebrook Sewer Facilities. Said funds to be offset
by user fees.
Water Department $280,587.00
Sewer Department $179,305.00
Larry Rappaport seconded the motion and it passed with a voice vote.
Article 14
Frank Dumaine made a motion, seconded by Arthur Dodge, to raise and appropriate the
sum of $119,660.00 for the support of the Colebrook Public Library: $107,780.00 is
to be raised through taxation and $11,880.00 of which is to come from other Library
balance on hand January 1, 2008, 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. The motion passed with
a voice vote.
Article 15
Larry Rappaport made a motion, seconded by Frank Dumaine, to raise and appropriate
the sum of $78,643.00 for the operation and maintenance of the Colebrook
Cemeteries, the sum of $66,643.00 to be raised through taxation and $12,000.00 to be
raised from burials, cemetery trust funds and other Colebrook Cemetery revenues. The
motion passed with a voice vote.
Article 16
Benoit Lamontagne made a motion to raise and appropriate the sum of $10,000.00 to
be added to the Colebrook Cemetery Grounds Maintenance and Reclamation Fund
Expendable Trust (2005). Larry Rappaport seconded the motion and it passed with a
voice vote.
Article 17
Benoit Lamontagne made a motion, seconded by Larry Rappaport, to raise and
appropriate the sum of $201,106.00 for the Colebrook Dispatch Center, of which
$110,507.26 will be raised through taxation, $5,000.00 will be withdrawn from the
Colebrook Dispatch Center Reserve Fund (a special revenue fund created in 1999) and
the remainder to be offset by revenues from the participating towns. The motion
passed with a voice vote.
Article 18
Benoit Lamontagne made a motion to authorize a Ninety-Nine (99) year lease to be
given to the Colebrook Downtown Development Corp. for the Broadband antenna
building. The lease will be for an easement under the building and 50 feet around the
perimeter of the building to allow for maintenance and repairs, this easement will include
a 25 foot roadway leading to the antenna. Larry Rappaport seconded the motion.
Larry Rappaport stated that the wording needed to be corrected. Colebrook Downtown
Development Corp should be changed to Colebrook Development Corp as there is no
“downtown” in their name. After a brief discussion regarding the location of the building
and who Colebrook Development Corp was, the motion passed with a voice vote.
Article 19
Benoit Lamontagne made a motion, seconded by Frank Dumaine, to Pass Over Article 7
to rescind the designation of Aldrich Road as a scenic road. (By Petition.) Mr.
Lamontagne explained that, since the petition had been brought to the Town, the
petitioning parties involved had solved the issue and had asked the Selectmen to
withdraw the article. The Moderator questioned if any of the petitioning parties had a
problem with this, and upon hearing none, called for a vote. The motion passed with a
voice vote.
Article 20
Benoit Lamontagne made a motion, seconded by Frank Dumaine, to change the number
of persons serving as Library Trustees from seven to five, beginning with the 2009
election. At that time, two persons will be elected for three-year terms, two for
two-year terms, and one for a one-year term. The motion passed with a voice vote.
Article 21
Frank Dumaine made a motion to give a property tax incentive in the amount of 100% of
the assessed value of a wind energy system? (By Petition) Larry Rappaport seconded
the motion.
Larry Rappaport made a motion to amend the article and add the word “residential”
before “wind energy system.” Frank Dumaine seconded the motion. The motion to
amend the article as stated passed with a voice vote.
The amended motion to give a property tax incentive in the amount of 100% of the
assessed value of a residential wind energy system passed with a voice vote.
Article 22
Larry Rappaport made a motion to give a property tax incentive in the amount of 100%
of the assessed value of a solar energy system? To include photovoltaic, solar space
heating, solar water heating and passive solar energy systems. (By Petition) Julie Moran
seconded the motion.
Larry Rappaport made a motion to amend the article and add the word “residential”
before “solar energy system.” Frank Dumaine seconded the motion. The motion to
amend the article as stated passed with a voice vote.
The amended motion to give a property tax incentive in the amount of 100% of the
assessed value of a residential solar energy system to include photovoltaic, solar
space heating, solar water heating and passive solar energy systems passed with a
voice vote.
Article 23
Granvyl “Bud” Hulse made a motion, seconded by Wayne Hall, to accept, ratify and
confirm the reports of the Agents, Selectmen, Auditors and all other Town Officers.
The motion passed with a voice vote.
Article 24
To transact any other business that may legally come before this meeting:
Larry Rappaport was acknowledged for his twenty-two years on the Colebrook Planning Board and six years as Selectman with a standing ovation and citation from Governor Lynch.
Granvyl “Bud” Hulse was presented the 2008 Citizen of the Year Award for “daring to ask the questions the rest of us wanted to”, his many years of service as a volunteer, and dedication to the town and its citizens. He also was presented a citation from Governor Lynch.
In answer to an inquiry as to whether the Pay as You Throw program was being voted on this year, Larry Rappaport stated no. Mr. Rappaport explained that the Town is
planning on creating an alternative energy at the landfill site by taking the methane being produced and turning it into electricity. There is also the probability that a couple of windmills will be placed at the height of the land at the old landfill site on Skyline Drive.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:25 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Sheila M. Beauchemin, Town Clerk
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