Budget Committee - Regular Meeting

Tuesday, I think. Thank you. December 30th of the Bristol Budget Committee. Um, our first item is the pledge. So, John, if you would please. Appreciate that. To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Chuck, do you want to take the uh go ahead and do the U tra? So, we will do the solid waste disposal 4324.

Okay. So, I will make a motion to advance consideration of the budget section for solid waste disposal section 4324. The select board recommended amount of $445,425. Second motion by Paul, seconded by Sue. Before we start asking questions, give you an opportunity. Anything you want to bring to our attention, either to explain or to request a change or

No, I'm ready for the questions. I guess Okay. just how how we how we doing on I just just um staffing. You've got all your positions filled. Yeah, we so we have uh the newest member, his name is Kevin. Uh he just come on board about two weeks ago.

Okay. Um, we have Joe Sartos who I share with Highway. So if it snows then Joe works with Highway and does plowing and I lose him. So I'm still struggling a little bit but um we're making it though. I will get a a new employee um somewhere in the summertime. um he's going to he has to retire from one department and then he's going to come work for me part-time. So um um that's why you'll see a little bit on the attendance.

Sorry about that. the little bit a little bit on the attendance is a little little bit higher because uh the Joe Sartos he comes in with a little bit higher um with the knowledge that he has. He has his his u certificate already. Um, and also he comes in with a little bit price, a higher price in hiring him over. And then also the the employee that's going to come over in the summertime, he's going to be a little bit higher priced than what we would uh normally hire. So,

okay. So, so the line 20 with with the significant increase, it isn't so much that we have a lot more people for hours, it's that we have better people. That's right. Exactly. Right. and the one that's coming over, he has his certificate also. So that and then we're also we're covering out the all the trash around the town also picking that up. So that's being budgeted also in there. So that's a little bit more hours, too. Okay, I think that was it for me. Does anyone else have a comment or a question? I'll be abstaining.

Okay, gotcha. I guess that's you typically do that. So that's not a surprise. Um Chuck, sorry I always had to step up. Um both Victor and Jeff are on their way. Okay. So um did we talk touch base and tell them about the administrative assistant being budgeted there? I did not. Okay. Yeah.

Um one thing I did want to point out is that there is also an administrative assistant line that's added there. Um it's a split between the executive department um office and chuck. Um that's that we share the administrative assistant. So it is only I believe only only 10% and so that's why there's a retirement line in there because the administrative assistant is a full-time position. So Chuck is sharing those costs with the executive with the executive budget. So are you saying that 122 is a new line? Yes. Yes. Is it a new position or is it just

No, it so previously this Chuck's position administrative assistant was one person doing three different jobs. So we broke Chuck out and put um him in the executive office. Um, so the administrative assistant that was previously doing his work, um, is still doing highway and assessing the land use and then Chuck's administrative assistant is our our administrative and his combined now. Um, but it's not a net increase in positions. It's just a different allocation. Just a different allocation. It's not an increase in positions.

Okay. Thank you, Christina. Anyone else? I don't want to rush things, but go ahead. I'd just like to comment that u um I at least in my experience, the service of the transfer station is improved. I mean, you barely get out of your car and there's somebody standing there in a yellow vest saying, "Let me help you." That's good. And it's it's not only helpful, but it's also moving things along. Absolutely. weight.

There was a issue when I first come on board with Saturdays. Um, long lines and stuff and I I feel like if we get out there and move them along cuz there's some people like to talk at the transfer station. They like to communicate what's going on in the town. So, I said, "No, we're going to go and get people moving along." So, we're out there helping as much as we can. So, but I do appreciate that. Thank you. Good job. Keep it up. Did you have anything you wanted to No, I just see anything else. All right. So, not hearing anything else. I think we're ready to vote on final approval for the section. Did you have something? No, I just hear someone.

Yeah, somebody's phone's doing something. Yeah, my when my husband goes in and out the door, we have an alarm. That's how I keep track of the moment. All right. Um, not hearing any more questions. not having any myself. I think we're ready for a final vote. So, we're going to do a we're going to have a final a vote on final approval for the budget section for solid waste disposal, which is 4324. We haven't made any changes, so it's in the original amount of $445,425. All in favor? I opposed. Abstain passes. Thank you. passes 601.

Wait, that was quick. Love it. So, so, so you can give us a good feedback just like Buzz gave me good feedback. Oh, yeah.

I appreciate y'all very much. Um, but yeah, we try hard down there. We we uh it's there's behind the scenes that nobody gets to see. We come in early and we try to knock everything out. that way we can help. So once we're done with that, if we're standing around or you know it was the prior to get to that point, you know, so we get out there and we try to help out as much as we can. Since we don't have anyone else, I just thought of another doesn't it's not a budget question, but I remember this past summer when we were in a really bad drought. I thought I had read that the the brush pile got closed off because you didn't accept that. Yeah, we

so so so to me it seems like things are normal. I just saw something in the paper last month saying that officially a good portion of the state is still in a drought, but we've gone back. Have you gone back to normal?

We did. We had about four weeks there at the very end before we closed it. So the whole month of November because we closed the 1 of December. Um we opened it back up, but we stayed closed all the way till then. I got one one burn down there probably ah early in the season and then had to shut it down. Now I say shut it down. That was just the brush. I kept it open for people to come in with leaves which really helped out with a lot of noise that was going on and everything. So, but anytime somebody and a lot of the regulars anytime they wanted I kept it locked the gate locked but I would go down there open it up so they can do their leaves or whatever. So, we try to please people you know keep people happy. Um by doing that that kept them happy. The at the very beginning they said what are we going to do and I the states want to close it you know

a a burn band. Yeah the burn band. So but no we uh we did pretty good on that. So good thing and we got now we do have uh we got a new compactor coming first uh the week of the 5th. Um, we're replacing one that's been really, really bad. So, um, the week of the 5th, hopefully Thursday or Friday, they'll replace that. So, that's coming up, too. So, which I'm happy with that. So, all right.

We'll let you go home and enjoy your Thank you. I appreciate you. You want to do the debt service? Yeah. Well, the debt service ones are for water and sewer. So, if Jeff's not here, do we want to can we do any of those sections without either Victor or I can I can do fire better. That's what I have up right now. I can do fire better. All right. I'm just saying like the death service is what it is, right? They're on their way. Jeff's coming from Andrea. So, so, so Joe's comment was again that the sewer principle and interest and the water principle and interest. We're not going to have much of a discussion. We could bang those out, but we could do that one. Yeah.

Yeah. Why don't we do betterment first and then you could do the 4319 budget, too, which is street lighting. That's pretty much Victor doesn't do anything with that. So, all right. But we'll do we'll do the uh 43 439 better. Okay. activities39. You don't It should say um other water and then it's fire betterment on the line activity.

Other water. Yeah. Oh, I see. Right up there at the top line. Okay. Yeah. All right. So, I will make a motion to uh advance consideration of the Other water section 4339 in the select board recommended amount of $10,000. Second motion by Paul, seconded by Joe. Christina, do you want to we we have at least one new member. You want to just quickly cover what this is for? We do this every year. Fire Ben is the portion of the town for maintaining the

And now I'm having maintaining the hydrants. Thank you. Um the work is done by water and sewer department but the town pays a portion into that in order to keep them up and running um shoveled out cleaned and repaired throughout the year. So you will see that 2025 says we haven't spent it. We have booked it. We wait till the very last minute to pay it. Um and we had encumbered 2024. So, we're paying 2024 and 2025 this week to um to Warner and Sewer. So,

okay. So, this is level funded. This has been in the budget every year at the same amount for the five or six years I've been on the committee. You don't have any questions or comments. I'm just making sure Brian knows what's going on because the first time we did this, I had lots of questions. What the heck is this? It used to be 20,000. Well, I think I think it's 2020 between water and the town. It's been 20 before because we skipped some meters and we had to catch back up because the um town hadn't paid for a while. So, it's all caught up.

It's it Well, it will be this week completely. So, so any other questions, comments? Not hearing any. We'll go ahead and have a final vote vote on final approval. So, we're going to vote on a final approval for section 4339, which is here it says other water. I think somewhere else it says water betterment, but it is what it is in the original amount of $10,000. All in favor? I opposed abstained passes 70. So

why don't we do uh sewer princ debt service principal I think is the next one we will do. So and what number is that? So it's 05-4711. Yeah.

The sewers are 05 the water is 07. The general budget is 01. So, we don't normally say 01, but we need to say that starting unbolting it to water and sewer. So, I'll make a motion to uh advance consideration of the budget section for sewer department debt service principle which is section '05-4711 in the select board recommended amount of 9,23. I thought we said no sense. Sorry. 9,236. rounding up. I have to fix it. That's weird. So, can I make it $37? Yeah. To $9,237.

Seconded. That was you, Joe, right? Motion by Paul, seconded by Joe. Jeff's not here. So, if we have any questions, we'll have to But I

Well, um, it's the I can tell you what they are. Um, the Central Square project is the their portion. We also have, if you look in the general fund debt service, there's also a central square project line, this is their portion of it. They pay 17% of the principal. Um, I have to find out what's booked under the next one because this says it was paid off in 2024, so there shouldn't be anything booked to it. So, I will check on that and find out what that is. But that's why you don't see any um budget because we paid that off. And then there is no um bond payment until 127. We So that's why there isn't a bond. Correct.

So So the So the payment on line 730 which is the Central Square project is the total amount. Yes. 733 has a zero amount because it's paid off and 997 has a zero because it hasn't started yet. Correct. Okay. Any other questions or comments? Okay, we'll hold a vote to make final approval for this section. So, we're voting on sewer department debt service principle section 05-4711 in the original amount of $9,237. All in favor?

I opposed abstain passes 700. Now we'll do interest for the sewer. Make a motion to advance consideration of the budget section for sewer department long-term debt interest which is section 05-4721 in the select board recommended amount of $30,388

again motion by Paul seconded by Joe. We're doing the ones we don't need you for. Okay. We're not going to cut your dead cell.

So, same same type of thing here. There's three lines. Obviously, the Central Square project has an amount in it. The second one has been paid off. There's nothing in it. And the third one, even though there's no principal payment, there is a payment on the ban. So, there's money in here to potentially make interest payments. We've actually had to start drawing down on the ban which is the bond anticipation note for the project. Um so there will be interest in 2026 towards this project and this is the central street and forest main right and and obviously the 30,000 is an estimate because you don't know when you're going to draw it and how much. So

yeah I can tell you we've drawn 250,000. So um until it's having the tax bills come in. so late. Um, we had to draw we couldn't couldn't find it otherwise. Yeah. So, of that 30,388 388 is for the existing central square project and 30,000 is for the potentially for the new forest main. This I think it's more as the pumping station than the forest main, but it's both. Okay.

Questions, comments from Not hearing any. We'll we'll go ahead and call the vote for final approval. So, we're voting on final approval for section on sewer department long-term debt interest payments, which is section05-4721 in the original amount of $30,388. All in favor? I post abstain. It passes 700. There's a set there. Jeff is here. You want to rather than do water uh debt, why don't we go back and we'll start on sewer operations? Sorry, what was that?

You weren't talking to me. Okay. Is that 4326? So, this is the ' 05-4326. So, I'll make a motion to advance consideration of the budget section for sewer department operating which is 05-4326 in the select board recommended amount of $587,887. Second motion by Paul, seconded by Scott. Jeff, before we start asking questions, is there anything you want to bring to our attention to uh

um No, I think for the most part it's I am uh probably going to the board though. Um I think the the statement line um for the on call I haven't spoke to the board, but I brought in front of Christina. So this is line 142. Yeah. Okay. Um, I don't think I I don't plan on increasing the bottom line, but there may be a possibility that I'll may have to increase the the spending in that line, but I'm going to try to find them somewhere else in the budget. So, okay.

So, so you're interested in changing the rate that the employees will be paid, but that's a select board thing. If you're not changing the amount in the budget, then that doesn't we don't need to do anything tonight. But I just Yeah, just wanted to put it out there. So, thank you for letting us know. We have been talking about changing the rate um for on call for a few months now. So, we're just trying to get it finalized. So, I think other than that, I think everything's pretty well funed.

Yes. um in his in line 301 there's a 44% increase I'll give you um that is we increase it's really $4,000 increase because of the audit we're going to be um that's the s sewer department's portion of the audit because we're going to be required to do a one-time audit in addition to our regular audit so for line 301 I just want to make sure I understand it says increase by a thousand in both budgets. When you say both budgets, that's sewer and and general auditing financial. It's not water, right?

It's not water. I think when I put the note in, it was water, but we cut it in the select board meeting. So, um, we cut the increase in the water budget. It's just sewer and the general fund that paid for this audit, this portion of the extra audit. So, and I and I just need to comment. I want to make sure it's correct. So, the note again says Central Street Project. When I see Central Street Project, I think of the old Central Street Project. This is the new pumping station, Forest Main, right? Correct. Yeah. So, they're both on Central Street, so it can get a little confusing for me. If we spend over a certain amount of money, we have to have 500,000. I think it's up to 750 now.

But we're exceeding. We're going to exceed this. Yes. So, um, before we Yep. Okay. Um, anything else before we start asking you questions? No.

Okay. Um, did anyone I had one maybe, but does anyone have a question or something they wanted to bring up? So I I just wanted to ask about line 391 which is your contracted services. I mean the percentage is pretty high. It's not a huge amount of money but the the explanation to match. So, so the whole thing went up and half of it goes to sewer and half of it

I think it's uh and and why is it just that the contract rates went up? Are we getting more services or what is that?

Our um Continental Looi Continental utility billing company they base it on the number of customers. We do have an increase and they did adjust that. So that's gone up. I think a little bit is uh due to each contract that we have with the billing and the the meter reading software beacon. um also goes on the number of customers that we have and I not sure but I think I think there might have been some other service that we had that we actually moved over to that and I'd have to have to follow up on that.

I think there was because this is a little higher than water. This is 3750 and water is 3,000. It looks like you reverse you switched them out. So, there must have been something underwater that you switched out. Yeah. Okay. I can But between water and sewer, it's not a net increase year-over-year. Right. Yeah. For that particular because it looks like you went from

they're still unbalanced. They're just unbalanced in the opposite direction you're saying. Right. Yeah. Essentially where my brain's going is on a net basis. It's really not an increase other than the increase related to additional customers.

Okay. Anything else? Anyone else have a question or comment or Okay, I think we're ready for a final vote. Not hearing any disagreement, we will we'll call for a vote for final approval of this budget session, which is sewer department operations section05-4326. We didn't make any changes, so it's the original amount of $587,887. All in favor? I abstain passes 700.

Jeff, it was your monitoring. We weren't doing that before. The monitoring of the building now, but you wireless. Oh, okay. Okay. So, did you get that? I heard that it was the alarm monitoring of the building. Yeah. Yeah. The alarm fire alarm monitoring. We used to have those pull boxes like we were fire department. So the same thing that again that we had I think it was the library where before it was in a central section and now it's in the department section. Same thing for water and sewer.

Water, sewer and library pay for theirs. Everybody else's is in general is in general government. Gotcha. Okay. But we switched. Every building is now wireless alarm monitoring. Um, and not hard wire, whatever it's called. Might not be hardwired, but we're not in the master box with a box. Yeah, I know. The one on the side of the library's got a plastic bag over it. Yeah. Okay. Ready for the next section?

We are. So, I'll make a motion to move consideration of the sewer department capital projects, which is section '05-4327 in the select board recommended amount of $18,000. Seconded. Motion by Paul, seconded by Joe. Same thing, Jeff. We'll give you a chance to talk before we start asking questions. Anything you want to say? No, nothing on that. Are you are you okay with this? I see the select board made a significant change and

that's something that was agreed to, right? I think I was there in the meeting when you guys talked about it. So, but I just we'll give you a chance to Yeah. Yeah. It was the paving job. Oh, right. Yeah. And I was I had uh numbers for that and I was way off on what it was going to take to pave the the treatment facility. Right. Um I think I was I think around 30 or 40,000 and it came in over 100. So Wow. Okay. Um so I'm fine with the board pull on that. Right. Cuz it wouldn't have gotten the job done. No. And we're not increasing it to that. Exactly.

And Jeff finished this up main street crossing in October. So there's no need for that to be in the budget anymore. That's been our in our budget for a few years now and it's a good project finally done. And then there's the new line for treatment plant updates which is we we're going to have to start that project sooner to update um repair update water heaters in the shower system. Right. It's fail it's starting to fail fast. Oh boy. Okay. I have some really lovely pictures of the tank. It's rusted pretty badly. So,

all right. Anyone else have any questions? Go ahead and vote on final approval. So, this is a vote to make final approval of section for the sewer department capital projects section 05-427 in the original amount of $18,000. All in favor?

Opposing none. This passes 700. I think the next section is surplus. Make a motion to advance consideration of the sewer department surplus which is section 05-4328 and the board recommended amount of $91,937. Second motion by Paul, seconded by Sue. Anything to discuss here? No, that's just uh I think you understand that it's just the surplus between the revenues and our expected expenditures. We'll switch that over. So,

and that number could change. Um but we we left it level funded. Um because we we aren't quite sure what that number could be. Depends on where where everything plays out, but hopefully it won't change. Right. So I guess the only question I was going to ask just for curiosity and anyone reading in the we're level funding the surplus. Is it fair to say that right now it looks the department is running well and revenues you're not going to need a we're not going to need a rate increase in order to achieve this surplus. Right. I don't think this year we'll see a need for a rate increase for watering.

Okay. I know it's not a budget issue, but it's something the town people are are interested in. So, I want to make a chance to just make sure we all understand what's happening. If anything, uh we do have fees that are uh driven by materials that we have to purchase for cups, we're going to probably change those, but as far as the water rates themselves.

Okay. Very good. Thank you. Anyone else have a question comment? Not hearing any. We'll have a vote. Final approval for this section which is sewer department surplus 05-4328 in the original amount of $91,937. All in favor

oppos 70 that passes and we've already handled your debt principle and debt interest. So now we're going to move on to water. So the next section on our agenda is uh water operations. So I'll make a motion to advance consideration of the budget section for water department. Here it says distribution and treatment administration. We call it operations section 07-4331 in the select board recommended amount of $546,347. Second.

Motion by Paul, seconded by Les. Jeff, anything you want to bring to your attention before we not really hard, but we still want you to get a chance before we ask questions.

No. Uh, it's pretty much the same as the sue of my comment on that as far as the siphon, but other than that, the budget will I'm finding the budget the way it is. Um, I will point out line 260, the workers compensation number. It appears to went up a lot more, but that's based off of um that's based off of the funding that we get from the numbers that we get from Primex and water for some reason was a lot higher. So, so the workers comp charges for the water department went up because Primex is charging us more. Yeah.

And it could it could be claims that we've had um I don't know why water was so much higher because it I mean it happened later because Jeff didn't originally ask for it. It was updated and by the select board base but Yep. had to pay the Primex bill. I don't think we have any. Primax gives us a bill that breaks it out by like highway. So every department gets like this charge. The only ones again who pay for them on their own are normally the li only the library probably isn't but the rest get done in the insurance and liability. So

water department is a risk. Jeff So I guess the question I would ask is just the next line which is uniforms line 292 it says additional employees. So is your is your staff you need to increase the staff we increase? We have one vacant spot right now. Um and uh so that that would be um we're also looking at our uniforms going to try to restructure that a bit maybe looking towards taking these dollars and giving a stipen rather than hiring the uniform.

I guess it makes sense when I when I when I was thinking when I was thinking more people new people need uniforms I was thinking that the staffing was going up. I think what I didn't think about was if someone retires or leaves and you hire a new person, they're replacing someone, your staffing stays the same, but they still need uniforms. So that's what I was not understanding when I first started to ask my question. Well, if you remember when we did budget last year, we had three open positions just in the water department alone. So now we're down to one, which is really good. So yeah.

Okay. Yeah. So I I was thinking new not new new employees make sense. I was thinking was new additional employees and that's what I was going to ask about. That's not the case. Okay. Anyone else have a question or comment? Just a quick question. Go ahead. Do you find your customer base increasing? On average, I would say we probably go up about four service connections per year. Okay. So, is that new housing?

Yeah, new housing, additional units, lots of um people putting in apartments, um adding efficiency apartments to their their homes. But, uh and then we do have new new connections. Uh I don't know how many. I'm just I'm actually working on that right now as I do my town report. And once someone is on the system, they either stay on the system. Yeah. They have to tie in if they're in so within so many feet. Correct.

Um on the sewer system, yes. Uh water, there's no requirement to tie into the town water, but uh if you're within 150 ft of the town sewer, you are required to tie into. But we haven't expanded our collection system. So pretty much whoever was on it was on it already. So it's the best town water around for sure. I wish I had it in my house in good water. Great pressure. All right. So I will share go ahead

that Jeff as of August has been with the town 41 years. Wow. 41 years. 41 years. Yeah. Been drinking the water the whole time. Clearly. So you must be 50 years old. Just turn. He started when he was 10. No, it's 42. No, that's not sure. It might go on. Going for 50.

Okay. Any anything else? So, we'll have a we'll go ahead and have a final vote. This is a vote to make final approval. The section for water department distribution and treatment or operations section 07-4331. We didn't make any changes in the original amount of 546,347. All in favor?

I abstain none. Pass the 70. So now we'll do water capital. So, I'll make a motion to advance consideration of the budget section for the water department capital projects, which is 07-4332 in the select board recommended amount of $10,500. I'll second. Motion by Paul, seconded by Sue for water capital projects. Jeff, anything you need to bring to our attention? I don't

No. Uh it's again with the sharing of the expense that would have happened with the pavement um we pulled that out of this budget as well. So I think this the the fiber the ska that's the uh remote monitoring of our system supervisor I can't do the anonym but it's supervisory control system. Yeah. Um, so we just like to put a little bit of money. What's that? Said close enough, Paul. You know what? Supervisor control and data acquisition. See, I got I got two.

You're close. Um, we like to build on that a little bit each year. Um, there's certain things that we like to see that we're not seeing. Okay.

So, we're going to add to that. So the I guess the question I would ask and it might be appropriate for both lines. So I'll just ask it once for both 910 and 911. They're they were budgeted in this year's budget and they're being budgeted again in next year's budget for the same amount of money. So is that a case where it's an we're making improvements year after year and it's an ongoing project? I could see that for SCADA, but for the epoxy floor, is is that the case is just we didn't get it done in 25 and now we're going to do it in 26. Yeah. And I don't think we got it done in 24. So, but uh we'll get there.

Okay. But I don't encumber funds with the enterprise fund. So, we just rebudget. So, Right. So, the epoxy is clearly it's a project that just hasn't been done. Correct. But is the SCADA didn't get done this year and now? No, you didn't do now. You did some things this year and now you're going to do other things next year. Yeah. Okay. So, it's it's a different answer for the two lines. Each each line. Okay. Okay. I don't think it changes the budget, but it improves my understanding of what's going on. So, I I like to know what's happen. Good. Thank you. Anyone else questions? Go.

Okay. So, now we're going to vote on final approval. So, we're going to vote to approve the water department C capital project section, which is 07-4332 in the unchanged amount of $10,500. All in favor? I opposed abstain. Passes 700. Now, we'll do water surplus. I'll make a motion to advance consideration of the water department surplus budget section 07-4333 and the select board recommended amount of 10 I'm sorry $14,884.

Second motion by Paul, seconded by Buzz. Now we'll have a vote to final approval. Did you didn't have anything you wanted to say, did you? Questions? No. Okay. We'll have a vote on final approval for water department surplus 07-4333 in the for,884. All in favor?

I opposed and abstain. That passes 700. And now we'll do your um debt. Make a motion to advance consideration of the budget section for water department death service principal payments section 07-4711 in the select board recommended amount of $57,22. That was okay. A motion by Paul, seconded by Scott. Anything we need to talk about here? I think this is multi-year project. It's nothing new, nothing changed.

Just have to make another year's worth of payments, right? Yeah. Anyone else have any questions? Not hearing any. We'll have a vote for final approval. So, we're voting to to make approval for the water department long-term debt principal payments section 07-4711 in the amount of 57,22. All in favor?

I opposed abstain passes 70. And I think your last section, make a motion to advance consideration of the budget section for the water department long-term debt interest payments section 07-4721 in the select recommended amount of $4,136. Seconded.

Motion by Paul, seconded by Joe. Not hearing any comments or questions. vote for final approval. We're voting on final approval for the budget section for the water department long-term debt interest payments 07-4721 in the amount of $4,136. All in favor? I uh opposed abstain. None passes 70. I believe that's it for you, Jeff. Is there anything else that we didn't cover that you need to bring to our attention? Um, I think one thing I had just recently applied for

Yeah. was a uh $60,000 grant for uh lead service line or unknown service line investigations where uh it's funded through dees. Okay. Okay. Um, I did apply for that and they they sent me an email saying that most likely we'll receive that $60,000 towards that project. Um, a lot of this will be inhouse uh staffing and utilized to to offset that money. Um, but the the grant money that would come in would help purchase equipment to do that investigation and uh leasing of equipment to do so. So,

okay. So, the way we've set it up right now is that there is a $30,000 grant and $30,000 loan from No, that's the on the other one. Okay, never mind. Sorry, there's another one. I haven't read this one. Yeah, this is this is

so I I heard you I heard I heard you mention that it sounds like it's lead abatement that you're going to be searching for lead pipes and make sure that we get them out of the system. Right. And I don't believe there is any, but just the fact that it's unknown, we have to confirm that it's uh not lead. So, and this is countrywide. This is just uh Bristol's attempt to to resolve it. So, I think we're in pretty good shape, but we have to just confirm everything. Okay. How do you do that?

Um door to door we would go to start with. Um, we look we've looked at our records. Um, and if the records aren't clear, we'll go door to door. Um, and we have to determine from the curb stop to the house as well as from the curb stop back to the the main. Um, I recently found some records uh, the original contracts from 1951 that explain just what the pipes were. So, that's going to be helpful because there's documentation there.

Were you working here in 51? Um um but uh so that was good good to find that stuff. Um but if we have to actually physically go out there would be involve piece of excavation equipment. Uh a lot of towns have been using uh those uh hydraulic vacuum machines that would just suck the material out so you can put put your eyes on the bike without disturb disturbing a huge area. So, we're looking to lease or purchase a unit like that to do that. So,

this sounds like good news. The only question, and I don't know if it's you or more for Christina, is under the state requirement for gross appropriation, do we have to do anything? We haven't been awarded it yet. Okay. So if it kicks in if it starts this year or we um we have been awarded a $30,000 grant with $30,000 loan to offset the loan will be on the warrant article. So um but we haven't that won't kick in until very late in 2026. So and that would be the wastewater asset management. Asset management. Yeah.

Uh we did something similar with the the water side already. I think in all we've had aboutund 13060,000 with the two grants I think over the years for that and now we're focused on the wastewater. So Okay. Well, thank you. Yeah, I heard I heard you we're putting a new piece of equipment in on the inlet side of the sewer treatment plant to um Yeah, we're looking at that. Um most likely um

that piece of equipment is probably over $100,000. So whether we purchase it with cap reserve uh money, but we're going to be looking we've been looking for a while. It's a it's a piece of equipment that is really needed. It's removes any of the the flushable wipes, right? Aren't really flushable, but they they plug up our whole process. Uh just um it would be good to get get them out of the system and Okay. I thought I thought I had heard that was happening. You're saying it's at this point it's not official. It's It's not official, but we're we're shopping.

Gotcha. We we were able to watch um a unit run um without not being in the water and then we got to watch a video of it running in a bigger plant. So it was um there were two different versions we got to watch. So pretty interesting. Okay, before we let Jeff go, does any other committee member have a question or comment they want to make? Thank you for coming. Have a good evening. Yeah. Thank you guys. All right. Thanks. I apologize to you. Yeah, I know. It's my fault.

Come on down. Hello everybody. I apologize about being late.

Well, you made it here before we finished with Jeff. So, we got we got check out quick and then we got Jeff and now we get to do receptions. Um, I don't think we need to talk. I think we need to make a motion first. So, I'll make a motion to uh advance consideration of the budget section for highway department operations administration uh section 4311 in the select board recommended amount of $760,78. Motion by Paul, seconded by Sue. So, now that we have a motion, uh, I think this is you you know before we start asking questions we'll say I will stop talking and give you a chance to say anything you want to bring to our attention or explain or request

well about this section on the operating budget on operating yeah yep the uh I think we operated very well within the restraints this year that we set forth my first budget that I put out last year which was a collective, you know, of taking Mark's old budget and combining with mine. I think

uh at the end of the day, I'm I'm I spent dollars wisely. Um you'll see in the retraction that we're the combining the uh heavy all most of the equipment into the the 660 line. I think that has helped us to keep some equipment alive because we're not looking at individual pieces of equipment. We're looking at bulk over line on a um it I feel that that new system that Christina and everybody employed has made it much more versatile for us to keep the equipment alive instead of just looking at the individual equipment. We do have the ability to look at the individual equipment under another system, but on the daytoday when something goes wrong, we can go, you know, where are we at? What can we do? And just apply the money to what we need to do. Anything beyond uh my $3,000 to $5,000 scope, I get the the select board involved, and that would be with anything else. But it just it takes a lot of the headache away from the dayto-day just going, where are we at with this vehicle? So, I appreciate that going into service. Um, other than that, the budget I think was pretty tight. When my numbers come into the end of the year, I think you're going to see they're very, very tight. So, it was very lean budget last year. And, uh, and let's just move forward with where we're going next year.

Okay. Anyone on the committee have a question or a comment they want to make? Go ahead. No, no, no. I was just going to say this is This is what the select board recommended. This is what they were asking originally. He asked for 797 and the select board recommend 760. It's about a 1 and a.5% increase. Is that for um see I just looked at the is that for the drop in the HD gas diesel adjusted? I'm not quite sure. You're asking where the where they drop their changes. Yeah.

Salt. There's guard rail replacement. vehicle maintenance 693 695 I see all the little ones I'm talking about the big one there that's the big one's probably salt which we're almost bottom line on salt as of today where we laying I think I think when we put salt when we put salt to bed by the first that there'll be maybe a,000 or $2,000 left in it. We cut salt last year by I think 10, but overtime was reduced. Gas and diesel.

That's the one I was looking at. That's gas and diesel. But we're in a locked in fund with the state. So, uh, if the state moves, we move. If the state doesn't move, you know, there's no telling what's going on with that. So, yeah, we have two programs. We have the state and we have a wax card. So, yeah, we get a discount. 99% of our fuel is diesel, which is Oh,

which is purchased from the state. So, no, the stockman cut those lines. I I wasn't here when they cut them. Uh the only one I probably would have fought for was assault to say, you know, uh cuz I I knew going into the the way the numbers were laying in was I was going to be real close and I think we're going to close the year out within within $2,000 of that number. Well, I see also that the line for sidewalks was cut. Was that because there's a specific project that's been cut or is that just

That was always for sidewalk maintenance. It's not saying so. Uh actually this year we applied that to some other projects uh for the when the church renovation went there. So that money will get eaten up on this number there. But if if unless something major happens to the sidewalk, we know we have problems now with the concrete sidewalks, it's going to develop. It's going to build bigger. Uh the working group that you're on, we've had that conversation. We're going to be having that conversation. Uh that there's parts of the concrete asphalt around the square that's disintegrating. The salt's eating it up or just some wear and tear on it. And that's different than doing an asphalt sidewalk. So, I mean, there's there's different ways to handle that. And there's going to be some large conversations when it comes to replacing that's or it's also ornate concrete down there. It's exposed rock. It's polished. So, to replace it, you can't just throw a throw slab of concrete in there, but it just won't be polished if we do the repair, if we we sub it out. So, those conversations will be ongoing with the select board and with the working group that I have uh about, you know, immediate repairs and temporary repairs. We've got temporary repairs already in the concrete, which we've just repaired them with asphalt. So, now you're going concrete to asphalt to concrete. Um because you're not we're not just going to bring someone in to do a 4x4 square, you know, and and try and make it with the rest of it decomposing around it, you know. we have to look at a section. So, these conversations are coming more towards the future, but the select board decided to cut some money out of there, and I'm not going to argue that that sometimes that line carries over two years in a row without being touched. So the way I have to look at it is uh I think with the working group

that I have is to look at the sidewalks more instead of uh I need I can bring that number down to a repair line kind of like the guard rail. So I have no problem with that line being cut. Right. So for the time being for the year you'll just do any urgent repairs and align

and I think with the working group we'll target sections of sidewalk and go we we might create a line to go you know let's repair that you know cuz I mean some of the damage was done and a lot of the damage that you see on some of the roads is because Jeff has a water or sewer issue we've cut into it. we've made a big patch, whatever. And all those numbers when you look at all the little fowls on the 40 miles of road and the 8 miles of sidewalk, you know, they add up. And then if you can get a lane to go, let's just repair this area, I think it's it's easier to budget and target an area than and take the rest as a patch and replace. Okay.

Anyone else questions, comments? Please. So if you go back to I guess to back if there was any line that I mean I do understand why the sle cut but they cut. I'm in no I I won't argue any one of them except for the salt line. I would try and bring that number back up by at least 8,000 but that would be me. So you'd like to talk some more about the salt line 6 93. So

yeah. So if if you look at that number, the previous number, just so you know, the year before Mark ran over in projects and to cover that money, we took 10 grand out of salt. When you take the 10 grand out of salt, it changes that number. So there was 10 grand missing and then last year we took another I think we talked about 10, but we ended up taking five or eight out. So I went down 18,000 assault last year. I'm red line right now. Um, I I just ordered salt today. I I got 7,000 left. I ordered 60 ton. That's going to put another5 or $6,000 bill on it. I will be within two to $1,500 and that's cutting it pretty darn close

of this year's budget.

Of this year's budget. So, so I got double whammy last year because we tried to cover uh cost overrun in projects. And then you know as as select board and committee I can't remember which the number was we cut a little bit more out of it and Mark ran that line and again not me and but I mean that line was run heavy for a lot of years for a lot of reasons but we spiked. I mean at one point when I took over last year we were running at almost $100 a ton. It dropped down midseason this year at the end of my contract with Morton Salt, but that's August. I'm not going to I'm not going to fill the bin. But because of that, I had talked to Christina and we cleared and we put another 30 ton in there just so that when we did our sand mix that we were able to buy it at the cheaper rate, it did not come all the way back up to 100. But salt can fluctuate

worse worse worse than fuel. Okay. And so I just to me it felt like we're taking too much of the buffer out of that line in one year than than than more. And if and like I said, if the number stays that way, we'll just have to work with it. I'll work with it. If there was one that I would fight for would be the salt line to put a little bit more money in there. Even if it's five grand would would that's that's basically five grand at what we're paying right now, which is I think uh I think we're running around $92 a ton. uh you know that'll handle two loads at 60 tons which is three storms you know

I think we've had two mild winters too back to back and now this winter's coming

well you know and but the winters so like if you look at this storm that we just had the other day this is an ice storm okay so we and again you could drive around right now I was just up in Ashlin at dinner you can't walk down their sidewalks ours have got ice patches on it there's glazed completely over. But you if you do not get out in front of an ice storm, you will pay for it for 3 weeks after because the roads we glazed over. We got out in in front of this one at 1:00 in the morning the other night and we stayed on it until 4 or 5:30 or 6:30 last night and then we were back in at 4 in the morning this morning. Our roads look very good compared to the surrounding towns. I'm not saying they're perfect. That is not what I'm saying. I'm just saying it it it takes material to do it, you know, and we have to have the material to be able to do it. And regardless, we'll find the money one way or another, and that's what the overall budget is for. But if out of the operating budget, there was a line that I would beef up and be solved. Okay, I'll make a motion to amend line uh 4311693 uh to the department requested amount of $44,200. I'll second.

Okay. Motion by Joe, seconded by Brian to amend line uh 4311693 from the select board recommended of 40,000 to a new amount of 44,200 which is the original department request motion.

Baker, you get to talk first. Yeah, I mean, as Victor said, sell prices fluctuate, but sounds like this year he's going to clearly hit the 44,200 that was budgeted for the current year. So, you know, I think it's reasonable to level fund it. I think we know this winter is likely going to be more than the past few. And um, you know, hopefully we don't get any more ice storms this year, but any year we get an ice storm, this is going to go haywire. I I think it's a reasonable request. You know, it's money we're going to spend and I'd rather have salt on the roads than not. Okay. Anyone else?

Well, the actual spending though you would as the budget for was for 44,200, but the actual spending was 36,390. Is that correct? We haven't finalized all finalized any. So, you don't know how far off you'd be from that, right? And what I'm saying is I have to watch that line number tight, you know, in in making purchases. And I know where I was sitting uh a week ago to what I ordered today. I had a I had 60 ton come in. I took that number and minus it out of there. And I just ordered another 60 ton and I'm saying it's going to be around another five to $6,000 on there. That'll leave me within a $2,000 margin what I had left on that line.

Four to four. Yep. The last one that we paid was from December 18th. So that's So we haven't we definitely will have more bills. Yeah. Well, I I guess I think it makes sense. I I was glad to hear you say that if we didn't make the change, you wouldn't we won't use salt. You you'd have to

somewhere else to to scrge in the budget to to do the money. But but um if we know we're going to use it. I guess the other thing is for me is you you're not unique. But I mean I I I have I have faith and trust that I think you're doing good work for the town. If you tell me that you need the money, I tend to believe you. I'll put it that way.

I appreciate that. I I you know, again, it's it's a year under my belt as your superintendent. Um, I've tried to watch every penny as tightly as I can. I There are lines that are over, there are lines that are under. And uh, it there's there's two theories when you sit there and watch it that it's a bottom line budget and you can just look at the bottom line. I try to look at every individual line. I let them run into a negative for a reason if I have to go into a negative and that is to prove a point to myself and then to be able to justify to you look we're run a lean on this line and and these are the reasons why just to help us all be able to build this budget. But I mean that's our job collectively between the select board yourselves and myself is to build this budget be reasonable for the taxpayer and the residents and go we can either prove it or you're just grasping it strongly.

Right. Okay. Anyone else want to make a comment or the other comment I'd make is um I noticed on Facebook there was some really positive comments about how great our roads were compared to other towns. in the comment was actually from somebody who doesn't usually comment that positively. So, it was very nice. I haven't seen it, so it's nice. I You'd be happy.

Um, you know, at the end of the day, it really comes down to the crew. It's it's you know, I may sit at the helm, but the crew is doing from uh, you know, when we we'll get into projects here in a minute, and the crew has just done an outstanding job this year. I just I can't say enough good about them. Okay. Anyone else want to make a comment before we have a vote?

Not hearing any. All right. So, we're going to vote on the motion, which is to change increase line 4311-693 to a new amount of $44,200. So, an increase of $4,200. Is that clear? I think it is. All in favor? I opposed. Abstain. Zero zero. That passes. All right, let me do some real quick.

I'm just going to point out there is a new line um for we talked about it under Chuck's budget as well for administrative assistant. Um it is not a new position. It's just a breakout again of the um the cost allocation for the position. It's the same person doing the work, just Victor's budget paying for it as well as assessing and land paying for it. So, so you're saying that the the person who has been here and continues to be here in the past was being paid completely out of land use and now they're being some of their time being charged to highway. Gotcha. Okay.

And that's line 121, just so you know. And and again, any of those lines that like this shows a 0% increase, I will put that star disclaimer on, but I don't I won't do it until the end because I have to manually do it. So, right. Okay. Any other comments from committee members or Victor? Anything else you wanted to Not on the operating budget. No.

All right. So, let's go ahead and have a vote on final approval for this budget section. So, we're voting for final approval of the highway department operations, which is 4311 and it's in the new amended amount of $764,278. All in favor?

I oppose abstain. That passes 70 0. So, we're done with operations. Now we'll move on to capital projects. Highway projects is what what it's called. So I'll make a motion to uh advance consideration of the budget section for highway department highway projects which is 4312 in the select board recommended amount of $335,1 motion by Paul seconded by Joe Victor. anything you want to bring to our attention?

Um, so we've done a lot of projects this year. Uh, we did very very well on all the projects. We we had some setbacks. We were able to move forward, change direction. Um, I've got a working group now for the highway. A lot of discussion was had there. Um, and we're moving forward this year. the we're in a transitional stage where we're doing a lot of subterranean work prior to paving. So, we we kind of changed the name of the paving line to the road maintenance construction line uh which would be the overall bigger budgeted things uh that are out there. Instead of just putting it all in a package, we do have one called drainage. So, there's a second phase going on up on Chesna Street due to cost that changed when we started that project. We were able to complete uh four street. We were able to complete multitude crossings that were failed around the town. Uh all of them are are have worked out very very well. There's a larger one that you'll see when we go into uh warrant articles because it's it's too big for us to handle. We had to had to put that out as a warrant article. Uh road maintenance. Uh, and because we're in this transitional phase, we can't just go out and just start paving when we're looking at doing under drainage work. And we're kind of in this little gray area where we're trying to do some of the drainage so that we can do a larger amount of paving, but we're going to try and hold that number because of some of these costs, these unforeseen costs that come up like on the drainage project. One of them to give you an example is on the Chestnut Street one. The drainage is right up against two or three telephone poles on that street.

It used to be that Eversource would come hold the pole for us as we went by for nothing. Now it is $1,500 to $3,000 a day to hold the pole.

Wow. Now, with that being said, we could take a risk and strap it to the loader and have the loader hold it all day and go on a private property and do what they do. But if something fails, we're liable for all the damage. So, you can say, why would we risk doing that, which I'm not willing to risk doing that? Because they're old, old poles that are brittle that could break on their own. Um, if they're there and as we go by and they break it, it the almost falls on Eversource. So, we had to cancel the second phase of Chester Street because with three polls, $9,000 some odd dollars we did not have. Okay.

Okay. But we got it in a position where we got over a third of that or probably half the job done already. But because of these things, we're I'm leaving the money and and road maintenance that we can pave Danforth Brook and the po portions of Danforth Brookbrook after we do some minor under drainage there the overflow money. We can look at Chestnut Street and say we can continue that project cheaper than subbing it out, but we can pay every source to come hold the pools. That's an example of some of the cost overruns that appear that don't exist in the the building of the consensus of the project because we went based on past history which was Eversource was going to hold that poll for nothing.

Um there are other things that happened too but we didn't have any of them happen to us because um I think because of the working relationship with Jeff you know we knew where the water was. We knew where the, you know, we we knew we were going to have problems with some laterals on the sewage side of the house and we were all Johnny on the spot, you know, taking care of the problem. The the flip side of it when you throw it back towards Jeff is Jeff has had a large amount of water breaks this year and he's not budgeted for the repairs and the repairs came out of my end once the pipe is repaired.

I want to fix the road. bringing bringing all the sub the subterranean back up to standard and then repairing the road comes out of my end. Jeff's able to supplement me here and there with whatever he does, but it's just unforeseen money. So, he's had a large amount of breaks and then when you see what of course happened, uh we had a breakdown on uh Central Street Marramac at the intersection and it the his big job is going right next door. a lot of vibration they blasted down there. Did it have something to do with it? We don't know. But at the end of the day, the repair ended up belonging to Jeff, which belonged to me and that. So, again, it all comes down to watching the dollars. But leaving leaving uh road maintenance at the number it is, I think we've got enough room plus saving Danforthbrook and Danforbrook is on a full reclaim. I I think we're doing very well with those two lines. Um, and we're going to leave chip ceiling at a zero at a dollar balance in case we want to bring that back, but I don't see a need for chip sealing at this point. Uh, guardrail wise, uh, it's not guardrail repair. We had Wickham Road wiped out last winter. It was not in the budget this year to repair. Uh, we did, uh, Chestnut Street, which came out phenomenal. We did Green Street, which came out phenomenal. Uh but when we had budgeted that last year, steel prices spiked because of the tariffs, it went into cost overrun. We were able to absorb that in the project, the overall line, the bottom line, we're able to absorb it. Um so we've got a forecast for doing Wickham Road, the radius on Wickham Road. I left it a couple thousand heavy just in case we have some issues with steel prices and that. And again, just like fuel, steel prices go up and down, fluctuating with the market. It's like buying a lobster based on market value at the time, you know.

All right. Any questions? I I'm going to ask even though I might be I remember hearing in past years that there was some multi-year contract I thought with the paving company where we got a really good price that I think that I think has expired. We're on year I believe two expired. Yeah, we're on year two of a three-year contract. Great then. Right with GMI. Yep. I thought it was GMI. Yep. That's what you Okay.

I'm just I'm just I don't really want to increase the number, but I'm just was want to make sure that level funding at 300 for road repair was sufficient because when that GMI contract ends potentially we're going to have to look at a cost increase. Yep. But we would put it out to contract and pike and then again to see if they could bid and and hold the number or tighten the number or go up just a few dollars. And there's still fluctuation in that contract based on fuel and oil prices. So that number is right. It's not a solid number, but it I thought I had heard I had heard that it was a contract that looks like it's working to our benefit.

It has worked extremely well. I was under the impression that we were at the end of the contract. We're still in the middle of the contract. I I believe we're I think they have We had just renewed it as Mark was retiring and I think it was a three-year contract. Okay. is I feel really bad that you guys over there. It feels like I'm not talking to the whole group. It is a three-year contract and I think we are in the middle of it, but So, thank you. That answers my question. It makes me feel better.

Yep. Uh and again, we will always strive to put ourselves in a position where where we can get a better number on and that that number is based on uh on not only buying it but laying it down. I get so like when I send my crew down there to get asphalt, it is under that number. It is not just it's not just when they lay it down. Okay. So, very good.

Okay. We're ready for a vote. So, we're going to have a vote for final approval of this section which is highway department capital projects or highway projects. uh section 4312 in the we didn't make any changes so it's still $335,1 all in favor

I opposed abstain 700 it passes our next uh street lighting and bridges other than highway I make a motion to advance consideration of the budget section for other highway street lighting and bridges which is section 4319 and the select one recommended amount of $35,01 second

motion by Paul seconded by Sue um so there's two lines here one for it says other highway but it's street lighting and bridges and bridges is a $1 hold so it's street lighting you want me to jump Yeah, I was going to say my counterpart really handles that line number and I can handle the dollar one, but my counterpart pretty much runs that line. So, I'm going to I'm going to defer to her. That's fine. Christina, do you want to say

it's pretty b it's pretty self-explanatory, but it is maintenance and lease payment. Um, the lease will be paid off in 2027. And those are the affinity we went through affinity lighting and um had the lighting switched over to LED lighting. So um that lease will be paid off in 2027. So that's that's included as well as the actual billing from Eversource on the lighting in this line. So

So just to clarify, when you say it'll be paid off in 2027, does that mean January 1st of 27 and 26 is the last or at the end of 27? 2027. You should the bill is I just got a bill from them and they're due in February. So February of 2027 will be the last payment. So that okay it's it doesn't change anything for this. It's level funded but then next year it probably won't be level fun. It should be the same because 2020 it'll be paid off in February of 2027. So you'll still have to budget it one more year after next year.

Okay, I gotcha. A bill in February isn't just for two out of 12 months. It's an annual bill. Yeah. Yeah. It's the lease is only 20,000 roughly. It's $20,000 and change, I think. So, um but and that'll be the final payment on it. Okay.

And then hopefully they've turned over. They're still working on the company that we work with, which is Affinity, is still working on a program called tariff dimming where they are trying to get us a reduced rate um for dimming at certain times of the day. Um we already program some um majority of our lights. They will be really bright at a certain time and then they'll dim down after a certain time and then they'll come back up early in the morning and get bright and then they go off with the daylight. So um so they're already pro it's a neat program um and they already programmed to do that but um there are some other locations we shut we try to dim them earlier because of complaints that we've had. So

okay anyone else have any comments or questions? Okay, not hearing any. We'll go ahead and have a final vote. So, we're voting to approve final approval of street lighting and bridges section 4319 in the amount of $35,01. All in favor?

I opposed abstain. Passes 700. And now we get to the last I believe the last section which is Kelly Park. So, I'll make a motion to advance consideration of the budget section for Kelly Park, which is section 4522 in the select board recommended amount of $56,376.

Second, fell asleep. Sorry, it is not me. Motion by Paul, seconded by Joe for Kelly Park. So, you want to So, uh I'm kind of going to be taking this uh section of the budget over. Yep. That's why we moved it tonight.

Yep. And, um the one that used to run is sitting right there. She's going to retire out next December. So, but I am involved in this budget. The highway department's very much involved in this budget. Um the line 45 uh 222120 I asked for an increase on that. Uh we use that labor in a part-time position for the last couple of years. Uh we finally got a laborer that is doing the things that u all of us are. So TTCC manages the park. Okay.

They see things, they bring them to my attention, we fix them. uh we attend to them. We maintain the park and all that. One of the biggest issues with the maintaining of the fields and a lot of cry out from the public from uh the leagues and things like that. Um we were able to really improve the maintenance of those fields this year on a on a new program or the way less Dan and I had talked about it and we started labor. He he starts late in in the spring and then early in the fall he disappears. And then we found our complaint region is just prior to that to just beyond that.

And if we had kept that laborer, we brought them in earlier in the year and started the work on the fields and ran them a little later into the fall, we wouldn't have some of the issues that we're having down there. So we're looking to extend that uh a little bit longer to a 29we period. to keep the maintenance onto those fields. Whereas my full-time guy is is mowing the mowing the park and maintaining the park and he can help with that. But we've also got Milstream Park. We've got Eagle Scout Park, we got the square, we got the library, we've got rails to trails down here or that that my guy gets stretched so thin that he can't be out there taking care of those fields and the detail that he needs to. And even what little time this guy is doing on it is sometimes not enough. But um I will say this in the one of the larger droughts that I've been through in the 12 years that I've been here, we still had green grass not on the entire park, but we had green grass more than almost every field in the surrounding area. Uh where they were all just burnt solid black and that's because we've got this maintenance position that's doing a very very good job.

Okay. So, I was just looking to extend that to a 29we period. Um, down on the projects line, uh, we've got there are several projects. We've got two buildings that are leaking some water, the Kelly Park maintenance building and the concession building. And we had some repairs done to the uh, roof to the pavilion. We're not quite sure whether we need a full roof done on that. And then the second phase of the sidewalk uh is in there for next year, which would take another sidewalk that cuts basically from the parking lot by the tennis courts straight across behind the baseball field to the maintenance access road to the other side. Um that's the phase 2 project that was started several years ago. I'm just looking to try and tie that up and that's in that project also. Uh and so those are the lines that I basically in dealing with. We left the other lines alone. So

and trees. Yeah. Well, one of the other bids was uh so we replaced the two trees this year um down there. We have a Kelly Park committee. The committee itself is looking to add a couple more trees down there for shade. Uh that still has to go before the select board for the approval, but they have they've uh got a contract number in there. I don't have the number with me to have I think three more trees added. Was it three more trees?

And but the placement of the trees would be decided by the select board, the committee presenting to the select board and the select board approving it. So it was looking to get a little more shade down in the park because we're going to be losing that big oak. Not this year, but probably the big oak. You say the big oak. The big oak right by the cross from the elementary school. Just across from the elementary school.

Yeah. It's been dropping some debt charges on us and widowmakers are up in there. I've had three times uh aerial tree come in and remove widowmakers out of there. It it's it's going to go. Um we've done what we can to save the tree going down the walking path. We've moved the snow dump further down and that. But, you know, so it's it's better to be proactive than reactive. If we get some other trees around the park right now and get some shade down there, it'll it'll only help with the grass growing. Go ahead.

What are some of the other projects you did this fall down there for the like the softball field? So, um, the softball field, uh, we were able to bring in and, uh, put some new material in because what happens is and, and Dan and Les and I are working with the leagues and stuff. The softball field is really maintained really, really well. Not only about my guy, but the leagues and and them, they drag that field quite a bit. We got to work with them on how they're dragging it because they're dragging it from the inside out or sometimes they're dragging it too much from the outside in. And when they drag it from the outside in, what happens is it causes a lip where the grass line meets the the turf or the the the ball filters.

Either way, if you get a deflection in there, you know, the players can get robbed cuz the ball can come hit the grass and pop straight up instead of just being a ground and running out. If it goes the other way, you know, apparently it slows the ball down. I'm not quite sure on what is what. So, what we did was we were at a a deficit. The way they were dragging it was moving it all around. And not only that, when it dusts up, because they're dragging it when it's dry, the dust goes further out into the soccer field and we're losing grass and that. So, what we did was we collectively brought it all back in, excuse me, and we brought that the the field mix up to where it's matching the grass line. We're budgeting part of the budget, too, on the maintenance was to redo the baseball field because we had some problems out there. Not as bad, but they're getting in the same position. So, there's a lot of things that go on with the field to get the fields to play the way the games are supposed to be played. So what we did was we added almost an inch and a half of material to the softball field, leveled it all off. At the same time that we were down there, we dug a trench from the Kelly Park building down to the dugout and added electricity down there so they can run the scoreboard that we they Kelly Park paid a lot of money and they don't use the scoreboard because you got to laterally go up to the Kelly Park building and bring 200 feet of extension cord out. No one wants to do that and whatever. So now they can actually run the scoreboard during the games whether it is the middle school or whether it's leagues. Our active scoreboards can be used for any games that are going on. We also had uh some problems behind the softball field uh dugout. While we were there, I put my crew on to uh reclaiming the embankment. The embankment slid down right over the back stop and was between the back stop and home plate. We have subtrain and drainage there and

it we feel that it failed because the last two years home plate and beyond were staying wet longer than they normally do in the spring. Uh and we've had some dry springs and it was still staying wet. What I feel might have happened is that embankment sliding down is keeping the water from penetrating down to the piping that goes around the park. As we cleared that, we found the peace stone right behind the the back stop. We exposed the peace stone and we pulled it back 18 in to where the peace stone stop. So my what I'm hoping is that pipe is still active and working. And if we we see that it's solved the problem, we know we can hold that we may have to build some type of retaining wall behind that embankment to keep it from sliding down every time it rains and pulling material out in there and blocking that subterranean drainage that we have. So there were a lot of projects that went on down there this summer. Uh the big hit was the year before when we did the paving from the parking lot to the

concert, the play area. It was originally only supposed to be the play area. I took highway money. We extended to the pavilion and it's just it's worked out phenomenal to get the handicap over there. Get they can get in some shade. They can also get to the play area and we extended it up to uh the sidewalk crossing at the elementary school. So cars that are parked up there have a sidewalk to walk down. They can either go down to the TTCC entrance or go the other way. So it's all worked out really really well for the park. What's your question? Y

just to add to that, the other piece of it is we have to maintain those fields to middle school standards because all the middle school games are, you know, they're a higher standard than what we would have read or and as is Babe Ruth. So they have to be maintained to a certain level. The grass has to be cut to a certain field hockey is a certain height. So there's a lot to it that we do additionally because of that. Yeah. It's probably also worth noting too that some of those teams are actually doing exceptionally well. Yes.

Regionally um championships and so forth right now which at least in my time in Newfound that was not very common. I I will say the working relationship between the community center and the highway department I I feel anyways is phenomenal. There's not a lot that goes on down there that we don't know about. And they're very proactive that before something becomes a problem. It's only an issue and it's a conversation. And so I I don't think the budget is anywhere near out of whack or anything. I think everything we're looking for on there is only bonus plus to the community and everything that goes on down there. I mean, uh, when you look at old home day, when you look at, uh, Dances with the Stars, when you look at that they have conscious down there every Thursday night, um, the support that Highways giving them and what what they return to us with the communication, I think we've we've managed a very beautiful park area for the community. And when he says lesson Dan, he really means Dan.

I I really mean Dan. All right. Anyone else?

I don't know. I was wondering why the projects went up, but after that explaining all the good things that are happening, sounds like let's not do anything to stop the momentum of having a great jewel that Kelly Park is for the town. So, that was my comment. Anything else? All right, let's have a vote. So, we're voting on final approval for this section of the budget, which is Kelly Park section 4522. We didn't make any changes. So, it's $56,376. All in favor? I opposed abstain. Pass the 700. Thank you, Victor, for coming out. Oh, you're welcome.

Hopefully, we you finished your dinner. I did. Before you came, I had she not asked me to go out to dinner, I would have been in bed and I probably would have said, "Christina, I'll give you 50 bucks to cover for me." But, uh, cuz we had a we had a we had a tough couple days. You had you mentioned that

out out on the road. Um, I will say if I could say before I leave, I this is my, uh, second time around sitting in the seat. Um, as a superintendent, uh, again, I I can't say enough good about the department and everybody there. They are doing a phenomenal job for for the select board, for Christina, for this budget committee. Um, they have a a very good understanding of of what the budget is and why we have a budget. Um, and I think the process that we go through, the work that I do with Christina prior to any meeting with the selectman, uh, whether it is a emergency issue that we've got to declare or whether it is a a forecasted project out there, I think this whole process that we go through, you know, presenting to the budget committee, working it up with Christina, presenting it to the select board, and then presenting to you. I think the the residents are getting what they're looking for, the answers that not just a rubber stamp on anything on these budgets or at least on my budget. Uh I can't speak for for Chris or Ben or Jeff. Uh I think this process works very very well and I appreciate everything that you're doing. I understand that you're sitting there trying to make the best decisions you can for the tax base and the residents and and I appreciate the opportunity to give you the input that you need to make these decisions. I don't think everything should be a rubber stamp. I think you have the right to cut and do what you need to do as long as you give us a chance to justify it. And I I want you to know I appreciate the process. Well, thank you, Christina. Have I embarrassed you enough?

All right. Well, thank you for your time. Thank you. All right. So, let's try to Are you in tomorrow? Let's try to get out of here. We got It's not too bad. I have a couple things I have to ask you about. Yeah, I'll come see you. Okay. Okay. All right. So, shouldn't take too much longer. We've got minutes to approve from our last meeting. So, we have the minutes from the December 16th meeting. Um, they went out yesterday morning. Hopefully, that was a little short. You had time to take a look at them. So, oh, I need to make a motion. I'll make a motion to approve the minutes of the December 16th meeting of the Bristol town of Bristol Budget Committee.

Second. Motion by Paul, seconded by Les. any changes, modifications, corrections? I know there'll be some grammar and things to go, but hopefully we got the factual part mostly right. Not hearing anything else. Buzz, you want to go ahead and give us your uh um first page, um under 4130 executive, second paragraph, second line to a higher federal rate, the federal should be capitalized. Okay. On the third page under 4155.

Mhm. One, two, three. Um, first or second paragraph? The first paragraph. Uh, four lines down. There's a word missing. Um, reflecting a 20 20.6% overall increase. The word increase is missing. Gotcha. Yep. Okay.

The next page um the first or the second paragraph that begins Miss Sodan Sodano um four lines down um whether the increased costs were attributable to rate increases not rating increases. Okay. Um, I don't know what page this is. It's it's the the page which section

40 4550 um library. It's the page that is all all text. Okay. Mostly one paragraph. About 23 a little less than 2/3 the way down that paragraph, there's a line that begins a 30hour employee position. Yeah.

And then it's drawing on personal experience. He noted his family members are at it. It's not their family are. It's just grammar. It's Joe talking about her. Yes, I remember. And then in the next line um users and greatly enjoy not enjoys.

So it's he noted his family members are avid library users and greatly enjoy the children's program. Okay. Um, I'm on the page that 4711. Um, 47 page 8 47. Yeah, Mike didn't come through with page numbers. Yeah. Okay. Um,

I can see it now. Oh. Um, never mind. Okay, I'm happy to never mind. And there's one, this one is really picky. This is on the last page. Um, the paragraph just three lines or four lines above staff comments. Um, it talks about a townowned asset. When you're using multiple words as an adjective, it should be there should be a dash. So, it's town dash home. I told you it was

okay. I can't help myself. All right. Did anyone else have any comments or corrections to make? Can I actually pick apart my minutes? Can I make a couple suggestions that I didn't cash? Yeah, but hold on. Joe, I just want on the so the last paragraph that Bud B actually just mentioned, you know, those are the comments about the the library budget at the end of the meeting. We just don't know if those should be in our minutes because a lot of that really I appreciate the the concern you raised, but I felt like it was more about it was a a matter of the library trustees, not really a matter of the budget committee.

So, would you like to just do you want to shorten it or do you want to just delete the whole paragraph? Um I I guess I don't have a short version proposed. So I guess who would debate the whole paragraph? Yeah.

Because so again just I think we all know Shan Shannon writes up a first draft and sends them to me as and as a chair. And so before I got them, she had said, "I'm going to be sending them." And I kind of struggled with this and I changed it, but before I got it, I'm like, "I'm not even sure that whole I would say spew that I did needs to be in the minutes." And then when I read it, I'm like, "Yeah, but I did say it. So maybe it does need to be in the minutes." But you're bringing me back to where I started. I I I'm okay with that. But All right. So why don't you make a motion?

I'll make a motion to paragraph. So, we have a motion to delete the paragraph at the end starting with Mr. Regan discussed. Motion by Joe, seconded by me. Actually, does anyone want to comment or can we just go ahead and vote? I guess if you disagree, if you think that it should stay in, please comment. Okay. So, we're ready for a vote. All in favor of deleting that paragraph from the minutes. I s you vote. No. Okay. Do you want more time to think? Well, yeah. The only reason why I was saying is is what might be pertinent in this in this whole paragraph. So, what are you saying that wasn't pertinent in this?

Well, it just the concern or the frustration was raised at that point in the conversation was really about Paul's interactions with the trustees and not necessarily what was presented to us in the in the budget. We we took action and voted upon what was presented to us in the budget. I'm going to say two things. I'm going to say that I agree with what you just said. What I would what I would say is that if you think that a edited shorter something should still be in here, I what I would like to do is vote in favor of Joe's motion. Yeah. If you show up at the next meeting, we'll reopen and consider adding a different paragraph in.

Yeah, I feel better. Yeah, I think that would be better because there's other information. So even after we approve the minutes tonight, if at a later moment, at a later time you reconsider and want to make additional changes, we do have the ability to go back and reopen the issue and do that. So rather than not take that out now, I'm order. We already there was a motion. We've already voted on it. No, we didn't vote. We did. The five the six of us voted. Oh, yeah. Congratulations. Thank you. So as amend as amended. So now we can she can vote against it if she wants. Yes. So do you want to do you want to So right now we have six votes for and you haven't voted. Do you just want to not vote or do which would be an extension?

Yeah, I just want to vote on it. Okay. So 601 passes. So this can't be opened again. It should it can be opened again. Yeah. I just will tell you my concern is that this looks very inappropriate because it the conversation took place after the trustees left. Yeah. And and it was um the chair that was actually the reason I kept it in there is because I felt like that it needed to be part of the public record for people who impacts that weren't in the meeting. Okay. If I if I had it all over to do, I think I would have swallowed my tongue. But I can't go back and change that. Mhm.

Yeah. So, so if Sue comes up with something good, if Sue comes back with something tightened up or someone else wants to work on that, I don't work on just do a simple sentence. It said, "Mr. Reagan discussed his certain concerns about the library and its administrative processes or something like that and personal concerns." Right. Right. and then just leave it at that cuz then it's on the record that you did say something. Mhm. But we haven't gotten into the the weeds. All right. I know Scott I know Scott wants us to move on.

No, no, I'm saying Well, now I'm saying we should probably just move on or if that's it's as simple as that, we should just do it now because we'll probably forget about it. Well, I don't have the exact language. I'm just saying the the other thing the other thing I will say the other thing I will say Christina is is your comment is is not wrong it is correct but I didn't say anything I haven't said in a trustee meeting so they've heard that from me right but you didn't say it when the trustees were here

right but I'm saying I didn't say something they haven't already heard so it's not something I'm it's not like I'm I don't feel like it's I'm criticizing people behind their back because I've also said it to their face is what I'm trying to say. Do you want us to add a simple sentence um that what Buzz suggested? Bring it back to you and you'll vote on the minutes of the next meeting instead. Would that be better? Should we table? Can we table them? You can table them if you want to. It's up to you. Label them and put it in future consideration. Yeah. Okay. It's up to you. I just made that suggestion. Well, when you say you, you mean you committee, not you, Paul? No, it's never up to you.

So, we've already voted. We've already voted to approve deleting the paragraph. Do we want to go back and just say we're not going to approve the minutes tonight? Somebody Does somebody want to make a motion or do we want to move on? Why don't I just resend my motion and I'll make a motion to table the minutes the next meeting? Yeah. Okay. I'll second Joe's motion to table approval of the minutes. All in favor? I 70. Okay. So, we'll discuss the minutes next meeting. We'll we'll make some we'll bring something back to you. Um correspondence.

I don't think I have any correspondence. Any other committee member have any correspondence they want to share with the rest of the committee? I don't. Christina, you didn't get any correspondence you need to share with us, right? in here. Sorry. Correspondence. You don't No, I didn't. Sorry. Okay. Comments. Um, I will make a quick comment. I just You probably don't care. But I want to let you know that Shannon did get the minutes to me before Christmas and I get busy over Christmas. So, the reason I only got him a day last yesterday morning was not Shannon's fault. We just want to let you know. Fair enough.

That was my comment. Any other comments? I don't think I have anything. Any comments? Comments? No, I would just say that I doubt that anybody was looking for the minutes before I was just consider staff. Any comments? Either of either.

I I do want to just um I talked to only a couple members of the board, not Scott. So, um, there were 27 pay periods in 2025. Unfortunately, we did not budget that. Um, so you will see some of the payroll lines going over. Um, we we're going to keep an eye on the bottom lines. I've already check gone through the whole budget to double check them and we booked the 27th paper today. Um, and I'm going to redouble check them just to make sure. So, um, but I just wanted to make sure that you were aware of that. So, um, we thought this payroll was going to be booked in 2026, but the payroll company changed the date to December 31st instead of January 2nd. So, it all gets booked in this year.

It normally gets booked on a Thursday. Is that what you're saying? Yeah. Normally, Jan, so January 1st is a holiday. They had told us originally it wouldn't be booked until January 2nd, which means we would have booked the whole 27th pay period to to 2026, but they're booking it December 31st. So it and I've talked to to the chair and um we we we're going to leave at booking to 2025. So save money next year.

Yeah. um somehow it would have been 27 pay periods next year if we if this didn't happen. So, it's better to just get this over with and take care of it in the budget and make sure we um check it ahead of time. And I don't think it happens again for like five or six years. So, okay.

I I think that's it for me anyway. Before we adjourn, I just wanted to make one more comment is that our so this was the fifth of our five meetings where we met and went over specific budget sections with department heads or the or the owners of the budget section. So our next meeting is what I in my list I consider revisit, revise and first look at the warrant. So, our next meeting, which is in 3 weeks on the 20th, is to is to reopen any section, revisit, talk about any questions we had that didn't get answered, and that we don't have to. We have the ability to open any section, but if we know we're going to open a section, I'd like to put it in the agenda just to let the public know in case they want to show up. So if you know you want a budget section reopened, let me know say by the middle of January by the 15th so we can add it to the agit agenda. Please go ahead.

I'd like to reopen the pemmy path committee which is the EDC section. I think you already mention numbers by then. Thank you. Did he get back to you because he'd ever get back to me? No. Okay. So, so I don't we don't need I don't need you to do anything now, but I need to let you know that please if you if you know you want a section reopen and actually if you know you want a resection open and you want some information, let me know so we can go back to the to the appropriate person and get the information so we have it available. If we're going to really do something drastic, we probably invite the department head to come in if we're going to make any significant changes. I think that's it for me. I'll I'll accept it.

Before you did I did email you all updated information after the last meeting. I just wanted to make sure you all saw it. I sent you the information from the retirement. I I god it's feels like it's been longer than I can't remember what else, but I think I updated you on a couple things that um I had owed you. So in the email I thought you said yes, you sent out an email. I remember reading it and I don't remember. I don't remember either. out except for retirement. But I get but I get Go ahead, Scott. Yeah, retirement rate the name change or economic development. I updated that the flags.

Oh yes, thank you for that Scott. I did update the economic development to economic opportunities. Um that's the name of the economic development committee is changing to that. Um and then so I updated the section to that. So just so just to be clear because I didn't say it. If you look at the meeting our our committee meeting schedule, it says the next meeting is the 13th. That was basically the extra meeting for in case we had a snow day or something. Since we didn't have a snow day, we'll go our next meeting will be the 20th which was scheduled for the revisit, revise, reconsider. Okay. Someone please make a motion to adjourn.

No. Go ahead. Motion by seconded by Sue. All in favor? You can leave them right where they are. I'm glad you told me to. Okay, good.