ANNUAL REPORT for the Town of BRIDGEWATER New Hampshire For the Fiscal Year Ending December 1992 31, ANNUAL REPORT for the Town of BRIDGEWATER New Hampshire For the Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 1992 In Memory Of Lawrence Denton 1926 -1993 Larry served the community he loved. He was the prime mover of the Planning Board and served as its Chair since its inception. He also served the Town as a Selectmen. He was actively involved in town government since the late 50' s. We will miss his keen wit and his sense of humor. We will miss his wise counsel and advice. All whose lives touched Larry's were richer from the experience. We extend our sympathies to his family. He will be long remembered by all who knew him. INDEX Town Officers 2 Selectmen s Report 4 ' Town Warrant 8 Town Budget Appropriations 10 Town Budget Revenues 12 Tax Rate Computations & Comparisons 13 Auditor s Report 14 ' Financial Report 15 Trustees of the Trusts Funds 31 Public Library Report 32 Forest Fire Warden Report 34 Fire Department Report 35 Lakes Region Planning Comm Report 36 Bristol Community Center 37 NANA Report 38 Sceva Speare Hospital Report 39 Grafton Commissioner s Report 40 ' Grafton County Senior Citizens Report 42 New Hampshire Humane Society 43 Vital Statistics 44 TOWN OFFICERS March Town Meeting Town Clerk Patricia Mitchell 1993 Selectmen Maurice Jenness 1993 Terence Murphy 1994 Willliam T Thistle 1995 Treasurer Marilyn Raymond 1993 Trustees of Trust Funds Phyllis Clement 1993 Marvin Lewis 1994 Robert Miller 1995 Supervisors of Check Lists Gladys Andrick 1994 Ileene Pollard 1996 Eileen Linde 1998 Moderator Ronald Towne 1994 Library Trustees Catherine Drew 1993 Pauline Havens 1994 Nancy Gray 1995 APPOINTMENTS Tax Collector Margaret A. Thistle 1993 Forest Fire Warden Paul MacVittie Deputy Fire Wardens David Bartlett Greighton Gray Andrew Denton Donald Atwood Town Forester Creighton Gray- Planning Board Paul MacVittie Chm Robert Williams Allen Dehls Ronald Olszak Warren Emmons Marilyn Raymond William Thistle, Ex. Off, Mary Jane Denton, Clerk Alternates: Col. Beverly Finkle Terence Murphy Audrey Hagerman Henry Crane Zoning Board of Adjustment Nils Larson, chm Ronald Towne Thomas Curren E. Wayne Thompson Alternates: Charles Swanson David Cheney Katherine Miller David Horton Conservation Committee Barbara Lucas Chm Nancy Gray , Elaine MacAdam Robert Tucker Marjorie Dehls James Tuedio Alternates: Marion Morgan Phyllis Clement School Board Member Col Beverly Finkle 1995 School Board Budget Comm Mary Ellen Godville 1995 Chief of Police (Acting) Fred Wilcox Fire Chief David Bartlett Building Inspector Fred Wilcox 3- . Selectmen's Report Before we move into the formal town report, we wish to address some concerns that often surface at this time of the year. These concerns are especially heightened when communities face tough economic times. Town management represents a variety of tasks. Some are simple, others complex. One central theme common to those tasks, involves a willingness to recognize the equal importance of all issues in the community. It also involves a conscious effort to address publicly, any question community members have about town government. The forum for those questions may be this report, the Town newsletter, Selectmen's meeting or the Town Meeting. The greatness of a Town Meeting is the opportunity to willingly address all matters "great and small". There is no mystery to managing a Town. However, there are all kinds of people and groups living within a Town. Aided by the team of "citizen volunteers" and the professionalism of the employees, it makes our charge much easier and more rewarding. It is critical that all work together in these tough times and believe in the intent and significance of local government. Local town government represents all the people who attend Town Meeting as well as all in the Town. We look forward to hearing your constructive suggestions at the open Town Meeting and recognize the . . . intent of that body communication, questioning and . . . building consensus for the continued good fortune of the Town. Hopefully, the openness and good intentions of the upcoming Town Meeting will assist in contributing to another successful year. With that in mind... The charge of the office of Selectmen is to ... carry out the prudential (financial) affairs of the Town as directed by the Town Meeting. In the Selectmen Report and newsletters of 1988 and 89, we predicted the problems of the decline in the rate of tax base expansion and "...the turbulent waters ahead with respect to finances...." We recommended the necessary actions to "set sail" for tough economic times. We never realized the extent of those problems! Nonetheless, we have met the goals of keeping the tax rate "...stable or under the rate of inflation..." This year, we were able to reduce the municipal tax rate by $.07 ending the fiscal year with a modest surplus No cuts in services. In fact, we had one of the most productive years on record. For comparison, School and County costs rose 8.5% and 15% over the same time period. Increase revenues and cost reductions in the Municipal sector acted as a shock absorber to "net out" about a 2.5% increase in taxes. We are proposing a lean, but realistic budget for your consideration at town meeting. We are proposing some capital expenditure items for your 4- consideration this year. A new sander is needed in the Highway Department. The aged one is sixteen years timeworn and weary. This will come from the highway capital reserve fund which was established some years ago. This will be cost neutral to this years budget. As well, we are recommending the purchase of a new fire truck. This will be a special purpose vehicle to carry one mile of four inch hose and a high capacity pump. In effect, it is a portable water system. In the last few fires, this would have been very effective. We are in the position to afford this kind of expenditure. We have been positioning our finances to prepare for this outlay. The grader is paid off. The debt on the Town Hall is 50% paid off with the interest considerably reduced. We will pay off the pickup truck this year and the police cruiser next year. These are prudent expenditures. Still and all, we must heed that we will have to keep a restraint in spending for the next two years to reconcile the capital expense of this year. In short, no major increases in spending (except for emergencies) for the next two years. The format of the Town report has changed. The State altered its reporting reguirements and we added some other changes to give you a better view of town finances. In order to accommodate the State (they said it was voluntary!), we had to revise our computerized accounting system as well as the Town Report. The new format sets up new categories (buckets). Next year financials will be more clear-cut. For example, Town Officer Salaries (old) is now split between Executive and Financial Administration (new). Likewise, Town Officers Expenses is also split between two or three accounts. We have spent countless hours rewriting our software, reporting and accounting systems. Ultimately, this will give you better information and better control for us. Our outside, independent auditors have worked with us during this transition and have validated the changes. All modifications check out. We completed the state modifications in current use assessment and concluded the street numbering system. (Yes, we finally completed that project! Many thanks to the able assistance of Eileen Linde. We are waiting on the postal ) service to give us some starting numbers seguence. This Spring, you will be getting the updated, official, never to be changed, street numbers. All bantering aside, this will greatly aid in safety services. When the planning board initiated this project, no one realized the size or complexity of the task. We finished all the above tasks (accounting, current use and street numbers) with little or no cost to the Taxpayer. Other: We are proposing the feasibility study of a police district similar in concept to the HB refuse district. This is a long range plan to see if we could share some common services. The goal is to reduce long term cost and improve services. In spite of critical newspaper comments by our former chief, this is a no cost planning study. This kind ) of district has been viewed favorably by NH Police Standards and Training. (The Conservation Commission is also discussing some common matters with Hebron as well as the Fire Department. Legal: We have recently been informed that the Parkhurst legal action against the Planning Board has been dismissed. Whether this is the end of this matter is unknown at this time. How this impacts Tuttle vs Parkhurst vs Bridgewater is also unknown. The reinstatement case of the former chief against the Town was changed (by them) from the cause of the termination (why) to the procedures of the termination (how). Since the termination, insinuation, innuendo, and unsubstantiated accusations have been made about this Board, the Highway department and the HB refuse district. When accused, we sought outside, independent investigation in these matters. The outcome, nothing but innuendo. Last year, an attempt was then made to indict us for taping a public meeting under a wiretapping statute. (The grand jury deliberated less than two minutes before dismissing the case as twaddle). We are not cavalier about these matter. We have been harassed beyond reason for the dismissal of a public employee who happened to be a police chief. We sympathize with his disappointment. For two years we tried to remediate the problems. When that failed, we worked closely with Town Counsel on the matter. We have been diligent in our restraint of our comments. We believe this action will end in the near future. Schools and County: As you realize the tax bill is comprised of Town, School and County assessments. When you attend only the Town Meeting, you are only voting for about 20% of your taxes. Did you realize that only 35 Bridgewater residents voted in the school budget process last year? This number is the average over the last 5 years. Only 400 of about 5,000 eligible voters in the district attend the schools district meeting. Whatever your outlook, please attend this meeting on MARCH 20th at 1pm. Earlier this year, we voiced some concerns as to the impact of the proposed increases. Normally, we reserve comments on this matter. However, we were misinformed as to the suggested increases (we were led to believe an 8.5% budget increase with a 10% teacher increase) In discussions with the Bridgewater representatives to the School and Budget Committees, Col. Finkle and Mary Ellen Godville, the overall increase (including teacher raises) will be a maximum of 3.1% over the prior year. Additional inguiry shows that the teacher pay scale is below that of Wentworth and Rumney (among others) causing a high rate of turnover. Further erosion in this matter will surely have to be addressed in the future causing us a rate shock not to mention the adverse impact on the schools. This is the best budget we have seen in some time and should be supported. While we do not necessarily agree with all the warrant articles, we do -6-