We received the following article by Sandra Coleman and have posted the article without correction.
What was the process by which the Board of Selectmen, Chairman
Stewart and Dan Golden, appointed Glenn Dion to the position of Selectman
vacated by the resignation of Dennis Potter?
In her Memorandum, July 15, 2009, Attorney General Kelly Ayotte stated: in
hiring of any person as a public employee, RSA 91-A:3,II b, note: filling a
vacancy for an elected or appointed official is an 'appointment' and not the
hiring of a public employee. Interviews and deliberations on filling a vacancy
in an elected office must occur in public session.
Town Administrator, Paul Branscombe, brought this Memorandum to the attention of
the Water ant Sewer Commissioners at their meeting on August 3, 2011. It
compelled the Commissioners to hold a public meeting to deliberate the
qualifications of each candidate for the position of Commissioner.
It is apparent Mr. Branscombe is aware of Kelly Ayotte's Memorandum. Did Mr.
Branscombe bring this Memorandum to the attention of Chairman Stewart and Dan
Golden? If he did not, why? If he did, why did the Board of Selecten ignore
this Memorandum from the Attorney General? Did the Board of Selecten violate
the Right-to-Know law?
Kelly Ayotte, now US Senator from New Hampshire, strongly recommended "all
public officials learn their responsibilities under the Right-to-Know law".
As I have stated, and it has been stated before me by others, "the public's
right to know what its government is doing is a fundamental part of New
Hampshire's democracy".
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
The Town Beach
At the last Select Board Meeting Paul Branscombe reported that Parks and Recreation has lost $29,000 operating the town beach over the last four years. Paul asked the board whether they want to consider curtailing the life guards and gate keepers and making the beach swim at your own risk to save money. Budget Committee Co-chair, David Reull pointed out that if we consider the beach as part of the camp ground, the operation makes money. A key question, however, is whether the department makes money, breaks even, or loses money as a whole.
Given the current budget situation, we feel strongly that the town cannot afford to lose that much money operating the beach. Although we think Parks and Recreation plays an important role in maintaining the quality of life in the town, we also believe the department as a whole should be at least break even on the programs it provides for the town.
Given the current budget situation, we feel strongly that the town cannot afford to lose that much money operating the beach. Although we think Parks and Recreation plays an important role in maintaining the quality of life in the town, we also believe the department as a whole should be at least break even on the programs it provides for the town.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Town Bulletin
We received this article from an anonymous source.
I believe the Town Bulletin is an excellent way to disseminate information to the
people of Ashland, particularly those unable to regularly attend various Board
meetings. It has been a great addition to our town informational process.
I do object, though, to the author of the Town Bulletin expressing his or her
opinion, rather than merely stating the facts. The particular opinion I refer
to is "Both utility departments need to get their finances in order and plan for
the future". While that may be his opinion, I don't think the author should be
expressing what various departments "need" to do. It's rather obvious all
departments should plan for the future.
I believe the Town Bulletin is an excellent way to disseminate information to the
people of Ashland, particularly those unable to regularly attend various Board
meetings. It has been a great addition to our town informational process.
I do object, though, to the author of the Town Bulletin expressing his or her
opinion, rather than merely stating the facts. The particular opinion I refer
to is "Both utility departments need to get their finances in order and plan for
the future". While that may be his opinion, I don't think the author should be
expressing what various departments "need" to do. It's rather obvious all
departments should plan for the future.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Thursday's Budget Committee Meeting
The Budget Committee meet with the Genesis Mental Health Services, the Electric Department, Public Works, and the Water ans Sewer Department. They also addressed a request that the committee provide more detailed information in their minutes.
Genesis Mental Health Services
Genesis Mental Health Services asked that $2,239.00 be put in the budget to cover mental services provided to the town. Genesis treated 85 patents from the town last year, 11 of whom experienced psychiatric crisis. The money covers part of the deficit in their Emergency Services Department. All of the other towns in their service region contribute to help defray the cost of services.
Electric Department
The Budget Committee voted to contact the Vermont Public Power Supply authority VPPSA directly about the confidentiality of the master power supply contract. The Electric Department agreed to provide the contract to the Budget Committee if VPSSA approves. The Electric Department offered to have their auditor speak with the committee to discuss the details of the reports at a meeting tentatively scheduled for October 6 and 7:00 PM in the elementary school library.
Public Works
The Public Works Department reported that the cost of fuel is a concern at this point, and that they are likely to exceed their budget for vehicle and equipment maintenance. The department has been working on a long term capital improvement plan and showed the committee a draft of the plan. The question of replacing Mark Ober's position was raised. The Select Board has delayed advertising for the position until they can determine an effective start date. They are planning on discussing the matter further at Monday's work session. The town is facing overages in several areas, and a portion of the Public Works Department Head's salary line will go to sick leave and vacation buy out. The committee discussed budgeting for buy outs. Despite budget constraints, it does not seem wise to go into the winter months without a Public Works Department Head.
Water and Sewer
The Water and Sewer Department reported that they have initiated a plan to incrementally raise water rates over the next three years beginning in November 2011. The plan is designed to return the water side to profitability. They also have placed $300,000 in a capital reserve account for cleaning the lagoons and other long term sewer expenses.
Genesis Mental Health Services
Genesis Mental Health Services asked that $2,239.00 be put in the budget to cover mental services provided to the town. Genesis treated 85 patents from the town last year, 11 of whom experienced psychiatric crisis. The money covers part of the deficit in their Emergency Services Department. All of the other towns in their service region contribute to help defray the cost of services.
Electric Department
The Budget Committee voted to contact the Vermont Public Power Supply authority VPPSA directly about the confidentiality of the master power supply contract. The Electric Department agreed to provide the contract to the Budget Committee if VPSSA approves. The Electric Department offered to have their auditor speak with the committee to discuss the details of the reports at a meeting tentatively scheduled for October 6 and 7:00 PM in the elementary school library.
Public Works
The Public Works Department reported that the cost of fuel is a concern at this point, and that they are likely to exceed their budget for vehicle and equipment maintenance. The department has been working on a long term capital improvement plan and showed the committee a draft of the plan. The question of replacing Mark Ober's position was raised. The Select Board has delayed advertising for the position until they can determine an effective start date. They are planning on discussing the matter further at Monday's work session. The town is facing overages in several areas, and a portion of the Public Works Department Head's salary line will go to sick leave and vacation buy out. The committee discussed budgeting for buy outs. Despite budget constraints, it does not seem wise to go into the winter months without a Public Works Department Head.
Water and Sewer
The Water and Sewer Department reported that they have initiated a plan to incrementally raise water rates over the next three years beginning in November 2011. The plan is designed to return the water side to profitability. They also have placed $300,000 in a capital reserve account for cleaning the lagoons and other long term sewer expenses.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
About Anonymous Postings
I had a question about why I accept anonymous postings for the Blog last night. My answer is simply that the coalition wants to encourage discussion of issues that are important to people in the town. Our focus is on ideas and opinions rather than personalities. Our policy is to post all submissions unless they are defamatory. Readers can judge the submissions for themselves, and they can post responses. Anonymous articles carry a different weight than signed articles that is why I make sure to identify them as anonymous when I post them.
Important Meetings This Week
There are two especially important meetings this week that are of special concern to us all: The first is the Budget Committee meeting on Thursday, September 8 at 6:00 in the Elementary School Library, and the Joint Loss Committee meeting on Friday at 10:00 at the Town Hall.
The Budget Committee will be reviewing key issues resulting from the Electric
Department review held on August 6, as well as meeting with the Public Works
Department, and meeting with the Water and Sewer Department. At the last
meeting, the Budget Committee questioned the Electric Department about its
accounting practices. Also at that meeting, the Electric Commissioners denied
Budget Committee's request to review the Master Power Supply Agreement. The department has given the committee the details of the new 6-year agreement. It is important that Committee have all of the financial information and that it understands the terms of the agreements to in order to prepare the budget. We need to have the same information to vote on the budget.
There will also be a meeting of the Joint Loss Committee* on Friday, September 9 at 10:00 in the upstairs Conference Room at the town Hall. The committee is responsible for safety and will be looking into the accident involving the Electric Department digger-derek truck that occurred two weeks ago. We need to be assured that the department is following proper safety procedures, that employees have proper training, and that proper corrective action has been taken. We should also be concerned about the cost of replacing the truck, where the money is going to come from in the department budget, and how it will be accounted for.
*The Joint Loss Committee is listed on the Town's Website, but there is no information about the committee or its members. I do not know the specific duties and responsibilities of the committee.
The Budget Committee will be reviewing key issues resulting from the Electric
Department review held on August 6, as well as meeting with the Public Works
Department, and meeting with the Water and Sewer Department. At the last
meeting, the Budget Committee questioned the Electric Department about its
accounting practices. Also at that meeting, the Electric Commissioners denied
Budget Committee's request to review the Master Power Supply Agreement. The department has given the committee the details of the new 6-year agreement. It is important that Committee have all of the financial information and that it understands the terms of the agreements to in order to prepare the budget. We need to have the same information to vote on the budget.
There will also be a meeting of the Joint Loss Committee* on Friday, September 9 at 10:00 in the upstairs Conference Room at the town Hall. The committee is responsible for safety and will be looking into the accident involving the Electric Department digger-derek truck that occurred two weeks ago. We need to be assured that the department is following proper safety procedures, that employees have proper training, and that proper corrective action has been taken. We should also be concerned about the cost of replacing the truck, where the money is going to come from in the department budget, and how it will be accounted for.
*The Joint Loss Committee is listed on the Town's Website, but there is no information about the committee or its members. I do not know the specific duties and responsibilities of the committee.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
More Positive Signs: The New Ashland Website
The Ashland Website 2.0 is now available for viewing. The site features a new Home Page, improved navigation, and links to social networking sites. The Home Page has been completely redesigned around a picture of the Squam River taken from the Memorial Park. The design creates a feeling of openness and accessibility, and the balance of warm and cool colors - sky blue, gold, rust, and black - makes the page inviting and easy to to read. It is important to note that the entire site design has been completed. Much information remains to be added or updated.
Navigation has been improved dramatically. There is a horizontal, black navigation bar near the top of the page that contains the main menus: Home, Living, Visiting, Business, Town Government, and and A-Z advances search function. Clicking on one of these opens a drop down menu of choices. Under Business, for example, you will find two sub menus: Ashland Business and Community Organization. Moving the mouse over Ashland Business, you will see a cascading menu of The Cheney House Bed and Breakfast, The Common Man Restaurant, Mountain Laurel Florists, and Submit Your Business. This navigation system makes it possible to get directly to the information from the main menu in one or two mouse clicks. Navigating to information on the old website could take up to 5 clicks, and the menus were not always easy to follow.
Another nice feature of the new site is that most information about the town loads onto the home page. For example, if you click on Town Government and choose the Board of Selectmen, the information loads on the Home Page rather than in a new window. This means that the information in the top (header)and bottom (footer) of the page remains the same. In addition, the complete menu for Town Government appears on the left side of the page. If you click on the Cheney House Bed and Breakfast, however, you will be redirected to their website. The web designers might consider having the town website remain open while the Cheney House website opens in a new window.
At the bottom of the Home Page there is a relatively new navigation tool called a tag cloud. A tag cloud is a group of keywords and tags used in the site that appear in a cluster that moves in response to the mouse. Unlike the main menu, the items are not listed in a particular order but appear to rotate and swirl on the screen. Using the tag cloud may be a faster way to navigate the site for some users.
As mentioned above, the site has not been completed. Ashland Website 2.0 is the framework for the site. One of the main problems with the existing website is that much of the information is out of date. The town will need to add new information and keep that information updated, which is no small task. In keeping with the theme of transparency, the town needs to post all public information so that it is readily available to the townspeople. We support developing a searchable data base of public records beginning with current information but eventually including historical records.
We would like to thank Paul Branscombe, who is largely responsible for the project, as well as the people in the town who contributed ideas. Special thanks to Glen Smith and Keith, an intern from Plymouth State University, who did the hard work of developing the site.
Navigation has been improved dramatically. There is a horizontal, black navigation bar near the top of the page that contains the main menus: Home, Living, Visiting, Business, Town Government, and and A-Z advances search function. Clicking on one of these opens a drop down menu of choices. Under Business, for example, you will find two sub menus: Ashland Business and Community Organization. Moving the mouse over Ashland Business, you will see a cascading menu of The Cheney House Bed and Breakfast, The Common Man Restaurant, Mountain Laurel Florists, and Submit Your Business. This navigation system makes it possible to get directly to the information from the main menu in one or two mouse clicks. Navigating to information on the old website could take up to 5 clicks, and the menus were not always easy to follow.
Another nice feature of the new site is that most information about the town loads onto the home page. For example, if you click on Town Government and choose the Board of Selectmen, the information loads on the Home Page rather than in a new window. This means that the information in the top (header)and bottom (footer) of the page remains the same. In addition, the complete menu for Town Government appears on the left side of the page. If you click on the Cheney House Bed and Breakfast, however, you will be redirected to their website. The web designers might consider having the town website remain open while the Cheney House website opens in a new window.
At the bottom of the Home Page there is a relatively new navigation tool called a tag cloud. A tag cloud is a group of keywords and tags used in the site that appear in a cluster that moves in response to the mouse. Unlike the main menu, the items are not listed in a particular order but appear to rotate and swirl on the screen. Using the tag cloud may be a faster way to navigate the site for some users.
As mentioned above, the site has not been completed. Ashland Website 2.0 is the framework for the site. One of the main problems with the existing website is that much of the information is out of date. The town will need to add new information and keep that information updated, which is no small task. In keeping with the theme of transparency, the town needs to post all public information so that it is readily available to the townspeople. We support developing a searchable data base of public records beginning with current information but eventually including historical records.
We would like to thank Paul Branscombe, who is largely responsible for the project, as well as the people in the town who contributed ideas. Special thanks to Glen Smith and Keith, an intern from Plymouth State University, who did the hard work of developing the site.
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