This view of DanvilleDelivery.com isn’t about the town, the schools, or our community. This is the place where I post links and information that I find interesting. The Good will include quotes and stories that inspire me. The Bad will include quotes and stories that make me feel bad. The Ugly I reserve for quotes and stories that offend my sensibilities or darken my heart.
If you were not able to attend the TRSD Deliberative Session, I hope you watched the video. If you have been following along, you know that accountability is a top priority here. I believe accountability begins with a complete, persistent record of committees and boards. I have been posting government meetings for people who do not have cable TV and campaigning for the capture and broadcast of TRSD Budget Committee meetings. I’m pleased to announce that TRSD Budget Committee meetings will begin airing on TEN with our March 25th Organizational Meetings. The meetings will not be live, but will be rebroadcast and posted on the internet. This is a huge win for the rest of us.
In March, I will again propose that we form a subcommittee to review and revise the bylaws. It’s simply not possible for the committee to do its job shackled by the current calendar and process. I did cobble together a framework for that discussion, and you can review it here.
Some members of the budget committee believe its role is to sell the budget to the community. They have repeatedly asserted that…
the Budget Committee is an oversight committee and it would be impossible for the Committee to actually prepare the Budget or even to have the expertise to make the decisions the administration makes, prior to presenting the Budget to the Committee.
I disagree — and budget preparers throughout the district disagree too. Some of these people are on the ballot. While their experience and expertise will be a great benefit to the committee, I want the rest of the committee to be prepared to participate in the budget process. The Local Government Center (LGC) offers an annual budget and finance workshop for muncipal budget preparers. I will be lobbying to get all members to attend this workshop in the fall.
It’s that time of year again. Come March we are going to be asked to approve $2,529,451.00 operating budget. This budget represents a 3.3% increase over last year’s approved budget. The default budget is a 1% increase. Personally, I would have expected the budget to be cut or at least frozen in these uncertain times. People are losing their jobs, wages are being frozen, and everyone is curring back — except for the government.
After the swollen operating budget, the most troubling warrant is Article 2010-18. The town is asking for $190,000 to purchast five acres on Main Street, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. This land is currently taxable. Purchasing the land will reduce the tax base and increase every other taxpayer’s share of the budget. Worse, the land is being purchased for a new police station. We don’t need a new police station and we cannot afford one. I have been trying to renew my burn permit since the beginning of the year and BELIEVE ME there is no overcrowding problem at the safety complex.
How about we move the police department into town hall? Move the town clerk and the tax collector into the first floor of the library and let the police and fire department use their offices. Right away you could eliminate the extra librarian who is required to monitor activity on the first floor. As a bonus, you could read magazines books or use the computers while waiting to get your business attended to.
I would encourage all to vote no on warrants to set aside money for this new police station as well as a new salt storage facility. On both counts, the town should be looking at partnering with neighboring communities to achieve efficiencies. If Plaistow, Atkinson, Sandown, and Danville can cooporate on schools, why can’t we collaborate on safety, roads, and tax administration? And why can’t we share a public library or at least a Director of Public Libraries?
I’ll post all the warrants as soon as they are available. I’m editing as much of the budget discussion as was aired. Links will be posted with here. Hold onto your wallets!
This meeting opens with the town’s accountants. Not very interesting except for the disclosure that we are going to be on the hook for $4,000 in charges for accounting related to the Sandown Road Bridge project. This brings unapproved expenditures to more than $10,000 — twice the amount allowed by RSA 31:95-b.
Update: at the 8/3 BoS meeting, one of the selectmen clarified that the cost of the accounting would be reimbursed. This is per a phone call, allegedly. I’ll post details when I get a chance to review the meeting. Regardless, the BoS was in violation of RSA 31:95-b before learning of the accounting costs. All for a bridge the community has voted not to repair six times.
Most of the rest of the meeting is a discussion of employee policy instigated by our new tax collector’s request for two vacation days — just weeks after taking the position. Employee policy requires six months on the job before an employee is eligible for vacation. The answer is no, she is not eligible for paid time off and the BoS should not have approved her pay warrant. This was not obvious to the Board.
In fact, it was not clear to the BoS if salaried employees are even required to work office hours. Apparently, RSA sets the minimum at 2 hours per month. Based on this, the tax collector should be paid for her time off without losing unearned vacation time. It was also stated that the tax collection season is really only two months long and that the tax collector would work a lot of hours during that season so those hours could be used to to make up the time off. It was argued that the deputy tax collector could cover office hours. (more…)
It’s a picnic not a funeral. Asked about dealing with down days, Sarah responded…
It is not a down day – my son called this week from Iraq. He is safe, he is sound. It is always a good day when my son calls.
Perspective is welcome. In the wake of Obama’s assault on Cambridge’s Finest, Mrs. Palin reminded us what is important…
Let us continue to love our country, be proud of our country, never apologize for our country.
I don’t care what Sarah Palin does next. I’m confident she will be looking after the rest of us.
I love a bargain, and SonyStyle.com is always running promotions, but I urge bargain hunters to pass on this Snake Oil outlet. Let’s start with Sony’s partner in crime — Chase Bank. SonyStyle.com routinely offers discounts of up to $150 off purchases made on a Chase Bank card. What could be wrong with this? First, Sony does not stand behind these promotions. If you cannot redeem your reward, Sony will not help you. And Chase is as crooked as a credit card gets. See ChasedAway for details of my dealings with Chase.
And SonyStyle.com is no better. I recently had an order for five games cancelled. The chinglish email I received looked like this…
Dear Valued Sony Customers,
We regret to inform you that any video game which was part of your order SW09071201885 that has not yet shipped has been cancelled. If you have previously received an email with a tracking number, the items associated with shipping confirmation have not been effected.
Your order had to be cancelled due to an overwhelming number of orders placed during a severe pricing error that occurred on our site. We have done everything possible to fulfill every order but we have exhausted all inventory.
We are very sorry for the inconvenience this has caused but, we do not anticipating any further inventory in the near future. Additionally, because this was a pricing error, we are unable to offer other products at a discount.
Thank you again for your patience and understanding,
Sincerely,
Sony Style Customer Care
SonyStyle.com
Attempts to get clarification engaged a support center in Costa Rica. English at the center was limited to, “Order number, please.” I used their sales number to get an english speaking assistant who told me SonyStyle still had not decided if they would cancel my order. My order status still indicates processing and SonyStyle has not refunded my purchase price.
Get the picture? I like my PS3, but I would never do business with SonyStyle.com. Buy your games at Walmart.com where english speaking staff work hard to ensure you get your $60 worth out of each purchase.
Per the School Board’s newsletter…
Pollard did not make AYP in both Reading and Math. The High School entered SINI status this year for Reading and remains SINI for math for the fourth year.
Four years of SINI (School In Need of Improvement) for the high school means that the has completely failed the kids who just graduated. Despite this dismal math program, the SAU offers only summer help for entering freshmen and failing students. Your school district has resources for 21 sports camps, a frisbee clinic, and a band program, but offers no help for math students who suffer a program that is in need of improvement for four consecutive years! Help your school board set its priorities. Tell them we want our kids to focus on academics. Tell them we’ll handle the frisbee lessons…
Changing of the guard at Forestry. Mention of stewardship plan. Preliminary discussion of events tied to Old Home Days. Casual discussion of easement progress and management potential.
The BoS ammended the tax deed notification letter to state clearly that a penalty of 15% of the value of the property will be assessed against residents who wish to redeem property taken for taxes unpaid. The BoS reserves the right to waive this penalty in the case that it affects friends and family.
In a clear violation of RSA 31:95-b (“Action to be taken under this section shall: Not require the expenditure of other town or village district funds except those funds lawfully appropriated for the same purpose“), the Board of Selectment unanimously approved the expenditure of funds approved for road repair and money from the general pay for repairs to Sandown Road Bridge. Additional costs not funded by the state and federal government will be assessed to the town via other unapproved projects. Asked about the impact of the misappropriations on emergencies and contingencies, the Road Agent responded, “If you go over you go over. Mother nature is not under my control.”
Bottom line is that the Board of Selectmen have approved funding of a project explicitly opposed by the electorate. They will break ground BEFORE next year’s town meeting so that it will be too late for those opposed to react.
I didn’t vote for any of these guys.
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Concerned parent of two children in the TRSD school system who pays taxes and is not employed by -- or contracted to -- the town or the SAU...one of the Rest of Us
