Minutes

Budget Advisory Committee

Town of Temple, NH

Meeting Minutes

 

6 November 2014

1. Attendance

Following BAC members were present: Mike Davidson (Chairman), Luke Peterson (Co-Chair), Steve Andersen (Minute Taker); Others Present: Selectman George Willard, Tim Fiske (Road Agent) The following BAC members were absent: Brian Kullgren, Cody Charron.

 

2. Discussion of town’s highway budget. Road Agent Fiske presented the budget request for 2015. Starting with asphalt & paving, Fiske is requesting the budget amount to increase from $100,000 to $158,000, with the money to be used to rebuild 1200 feet of West Road by Tainter Lane. Also Fiske stated he was held back by approximately one mile of sealing due to budget restraints and wants to use the $29,000 that was put into the expendable trust in 2014 to offset the 2015 budget. Fiske requested a budget line of $128,000 for Asphalt & Paving and to use $30,000 from trust fund. Andersen stated that was not the intention of the trust when it was created. A more prudent way would be to ask the voters to remove $30,000 from the trust by warrant article and to budget the true costs. Fiske stated that the money should not have been placed into the expendable trust at the 2014 town meeting. This represents a 58% increase in the Asphalt & Paving line.

 

3. Other road agent budget requests were discussed as follows:

$550 for electricity (up from $500)

$800 for propane (up from $700)

Vehicle maintenance unchanged at $10,000

Supply line went over in 2014 due to purchasing a grader tire

$8000 for supplies (up from $6000 to purchase new grader tire each year)

$250 postage (up from $200)

$2000 for repairs (down from $2700)

$46,000 for sand & gravel (up from $38,000 for West Road base gravel for rebuild)

$2000 for Culvert (down from $2500)

$8000 for subcontractors (down from $9000)

All other items unchanged.

 

4. Cemetery Budget discussion from Road Agent Fiske.

$1 for maintenance wages (down from $3000)

$1000 for supplies (up from $500)

BAC and Fiske did not discuss any action for expendable trust – will need further discussion.

 

5. Fire Engineer Mark Salisbury present at 8:00 pm for discussion of fire department budget. Unchanged for 2015. Discussion about a new way of handling personal protective gear for fire department. Request from Salisbury to BAC to design a system to put money into a reserve account yearly and to fund account with previous year’s unspent money from the personal protective gear line. BAC to discuss at a later meeting.

 

6. Action Items

Discuss correct use of an expendable trust

Discuss if BAC wants to make recommendations on warrant articles in the future

Discuss fire department request for personal protective gear

Schedule Road Agent Fiske to come back to BAC when all members are present

Any other new agenda items

 

Minutes submitted by Steve Andersen

Minutes approved by BAC: 11/20/14