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Hancock Advisory Committee Meeting Tuesday, January 5, 2010 Minutes
Present: Gail Hoffmann, Marsha Kono, Rich LeFebvre, Greg Lusted (Chair), Pat Payne. The meeting convened at 6 p.m. at the Town Office. The Committee met with Kurt Grassett, Director of Public Works, to discuss his proposed budgets and projects for 2010. Kurt explained that he uses a zero-based budgeting process, estimating actual needs for the coming year on a line-by-line basis. He looks back to prior years for trend information on costs. Kurt walked us through his line-by-line worksheets, which included specifics on plans and costs. SANITATION (Transfer Station) Acct # 01-4324 * Proposed 2010 budget is $97,737, which is a $1393 increase or +1.4% over the 09 budget, or a $1283 increase or +1.3% over 09 actual spending. [from 1-19-10 version of the 2010 Expense Budget/Report] * Kurt said "per ton" prices we receive for recyclables are up a bit from the price collapse of 2008, but are still way below pre-recession numbers. Income from recyclables is about ½ of what it was. * The larger issue is that Hancock's recycling rate began to drop in 2008 and continued down in 2009. Every additional ton in the compactor costs us $115, plus some lost revenue from recyclables. To put these costs in perspective – 2009's budget included $42,550 to dispose of 370 tons of compactor waste, up 12 tons from 2008! Kurt believes the Town needs to have a serious discussion about "pay-per-throw" (a per bag charge for mixed household waste thrown into the compactor) not as a means to raise money but as a way to increase our recycling rate, which will both lower compactor/haulage costs and increase income from recyclables. His 2010 budget includes a goal of 10 tons less of compactor waste, which will be achievable only if recycling increases drastically. [Note: Subsequent review of actual 09 spending for this line item appears to reflect over 400 tons for 2009!] * Kurt's proposed Transfer Station budget contains no budget for raises (except for a 6-month review for a 2009 hire, which was promised at the time of hire) and is based on 50 hours weekly total for the three part-time staffers.
GENERAL GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS (Town Buildings Maintenance) Acct # 01-4194 * Total requested is $64,462 which is essentially flat with the 09 budget, but is up about $13K [i.e., $13,000] over 2009 actual spending. [from 1-19-10 version of the 2010 Expense Budget/Report] * Kurt (along with other department heads and town committees) are looking into a number of cost saving areas: a) Investigating "Voice Over Internet" (i.e., computer- & Internet-based phone service) which is considerably cheaper than both cell and landline phone service. An important issue is whether VOI can work with the town buildings' alarm system "dialers." b) Have completed some upgrades to energy-saving light fixtures/bulbs and should be starting to show savings in 2010. The Town Energy Committee (HEAT) is working toward energy audits of each town building and looking for grants to help with actual changes. c) Continuing to use town employees for maintenance/repair where possible to avoid higher costs of outside contractors. * Kurt said 2010 will mainly be a year of routine maintenance and repair. However he elaborated in two specific areas: a) The Police Department has requested some minor renovations to reconfigure the entry hall of the Station and also create a locked (weapons) storage closet (approx. $1000). b) Kurt plans to get back on schedule with regular seeding/fertilizing/aeration of Kepner Field at Moose Brook Park in order to keep this significant investment in good shape. (Request for 2010 for Kepner Field is $2115, up $365 from 09 Budget, and up $1608 over 09 Actual). Less work was done in 2009 than planned due to all the rain. Kurt added that he will approach the new Facilities Director at Conval to see how the District might contribute/share more in the upkeep of this resource that they use regularly.
HIGHWAY DEPT. Acct #01-4311 and 01-4312 * Total request is $404,619, essentially flat to the 09 Budget, but up about $20K (+10%) over 09 Actual. [from 1-19-10 version of the 2010 Expense Budget/Report] * Kurt said he sees 2010 as a "maintenance year," finishing some major projects but mostly catching up on routine road maintenance that was put off last year. (He reminded us that the Main Street project, to be paid for with stimulus funding, will not be done by Town staff.) * He highlighted some specifics: a) Plans to grade the town's gravel roads twice in 2010 (at a cost of about $1K per mile.) b) Is discussing with new Police Chief Andy Wood the possibility of having Town Garage staff do routine maintenance on the police vehicles (at lower cost than outside garages.) c) Has budgeted one day's worth ($1500) of an outside contractor to do selected tree-cutting along town roads. While technically speaking, homeowners own trees in the road right-of-way, there are issues of maintaining road access and safety that he thinks warrant the Town taking down potential problem trees. d) He anticipates requesting a Warrant Article (approximately $20K) to rebuild the 1994 Mack Dump Truck. He said the dump body is "shot" but the frame is fine, and with replacement of the dump body and a rebuild of the transmission, he anticipates being able to get several more years out of it. He stressed that he "can't be without that truck." * Kurt said he plans to do a review of all the town's bridges this year, and start formulating a long-range strategy/tentative schedule for needed major repairs or replacement. Currently all town bridges are safe for legal loads. He said he was pleased with the way the Antrim Road bridge replacement project worked – Hancock's costs were only $16K plus the contribution of town labor and equipment, with the state picking up 80% of the total project cost of $325K. Bridges mentioned were Longview Road (issues of how not to overly impact the campground), Middle Road, and Windy Row. * And he recognizes that any bridge plans will need to be juggled with assessment and planning for anticipated work on the roads on Prospect Hill over the next several years. * Kurt mentioned that some of the ice storm cleanup funds received from FEMA will be carried over to 2010 and put toward the cost of generators for the Town's "Disaster Headquarters" (Fire Station Command Post, Town Office/Police for warming and water, and Town Garage for the fuel depot, garage space/mechanic shop, and respite space for town workers.) The Committee thanked Kurt for his comprehensive presentation and for his thorough explanatory notes. Following Kurt's departure, Committee Chair Greg Lusted announced that Tony Lockwood has resigned from the Committee, effective December 2009. We will be looking to Ric Haskins, Town Moderator, to name a replacement.
The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Marsha Kono [As Approved: Feb. 4, 2010]
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