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You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious.

Here it is, folks, the first session of the annual meeting.  The meeting lasted three hours and forty minutes.  You should sit through the whole thing.  The BoS proposes a budget increase of 3.9% while the rest of us were tightening our belts.  This increase includes three separate pay raises for employees.  Employees who, by the way, saw no reductions in their numbers while the rest of us were losing our jobs, taking pay cuts, and facing increased health care costs.  A proposal to ask employees to turn the heat down to 68 degrees was soundly defeated.

At 2:12 of the meeting, there is a discussion of which town employees get better benefits…whether employees who do not take sick time as vacation should be compensated for unused sick time. 

No matter what your position on the petition warrant to rebate the 90% of us who pay their taxes on time 1.5%, you should be offended that

The first proposed cut was in the heating line item.  Barry Hantman proposed a 5% cut since town offices are typically heated to 72 degrees — even when unoccupied.

 

 Danville 2010 Deliberative Session: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

At 57 minutes of the meeting, Dragon Mosquito begins speaking to the BoS about mosquito control.  Sit through it just to hear the BoS say it isn’t the government’s job to save people, to hear a selectman be more concerned about the food chain than pets and people. “Ayah, more deaths by ca-ahs than ’skeeters, dontcha know.  Ain’t no one killin’ tha ca-ahs, ah they?”

2010 Budgets Board of Selectmen 

• Recreation #4589.10 ($1,500, no change, approved)  
• Health Officer #4411.10 ($430, decreased $50, approved)
• Health Laboratory #4411.2 ($120, no change, approved)
• Health Mosquito Control #4411.30 ($26,500, increased $2,000, approved)
• Septic Inspection #4241.60 ($1,500, no changed, approved)

 

 Danville BOS Meeting 09/21/09: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

At 36 minutes into this meeting, the BoS discusses the mosquito problem.  FINALLY, someone at town hall has figured out that what we are doing is ineffective.  It’s unfortunate that the BoS is only open to spraying.  Indiscriminate larvaciding in the spring and early summer would ELIMINATE the threat.

 

 Danville BOS Meeting 09/14/09: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

First order of business for 8/31 was a presentation on the obligations of elected officers.  These people are paid a salary, set their own hours, and are accountable only to the voters.  Not bad work, if you can get it.  For the record, RSA 41:35 requires that the tax collector shall be at the usual place of business, or any other place, at least one day each month for at least 2 hours continuously for the transaction of tax business, which time and place shall be printed upon the tax bills sent out by the collector.  Still, not bad for $40k/yr (Janie’s haul from 2008). (more…)

 

 Danville BOS Meeting 08/31/09: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

As a fall tradition, our pest control efforts are reminiscent of Charlie Brown trying to kick that football.  Once again, Danville is among communities testing positive for EEE infected mosquitos.  If you are counting on the Board of Selectmen to protect you and your children, you need to pray for an early frost because they have failed us again.  Keep your kids and pets in at dawn and dusk.  Use the time to study the problem so you can protect yourself in the spring.

Nine dead horses and a sick child are the price paid so far this year for politics as usual.  I think it’s time for a little indiscriminate larvaciding in residential areas and around schools.

Unemployment is in the double digits, people are suffering furloughs, and no one is getting raises — except Danville’s employees.  Danville employees may be in line for THREE pay increases in the coming year.  The first raise is awarded to employees who have achieved a service milestone.  These just happen.  The second raise is based on a salary review — the BoS is recommending these so that Danville remains competitive as an employer.  It’s not clear to me if these will be part of the default budget.  The third raise is a cost of living adjustment (social security pensioners have just had their COLA suspended).  This will be buried in the recommended budget.  Something to keep in mind as you try to wrap your unemployment check around your tax bill…and the only reason the rest of us need to disapprove the BoS recommended budget again.

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 Danville BOS Meeting 08/10/09: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I went to the 8/3 BoS meeting because I heard the town could not record the event.  It was to be held at the old meeting house, and I figured anything I could record would be better than the nothing they would record.  Most of the meeting was about Danville’s 250th birthday celebration, but, at the end, a new resident approached the BoS.  I was in the balcony at the time.  As I listened, I was drawn closer and closer.

I couldn’t believe that a body that had just relieved tax delinquents of tens of thousands of dollars in penalties would require a taxpayer to pay $80 in interest on a tax bill never sent to him.  But they did! (more…)

 

 Unprincipled: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is the meeting at the old meeting house.  It turns out this is the oldest unmodified meeting house in New Hampshire.  If you have never stepped inside, I recommend a visit.  I’m not a religious man, but I would like to attend a service there on a cold December Sunday with snow falling.

The quality of the video is particularly poor.  I had heard the town would not record this, so I set up a camera in the balcony to see what I could capture.  With the sun setting and the doors open to traffic, both audio and video are compromised.  If you are interested in the event, however, you can follow the meeting.

This meeting is mostly about preparation for the town’s 250th anniversary.  If you are interested in helping, contact the heritage committee. 

After that, a new resident seeking help with a tax mixup is turned away and your favorite blogger is beaten down by the board of selectmen.

 

 Danville BOS Meeting 08/03/09: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download