LEBANON SELECTMEN'S MEETING
Thursday 9/3/15
In the opening section of the Selectmen's Meeting video, Selectmen's Assistant Sue Collins requests that the Board Allow a purchase order for admission for herself and Deputy Clerk Christine Torno to attend the upcoming Maine Municipal Association Convention. Collins is also asking that the Board allow her use of the Town's Credit Card to secure a hotel room near the Augusta Civic Center for an overnight stay in between the two days of the convention.
Board Chairman Ben Thompson denies Collins' request without discussion, saying only that he is waiting for some information that he has requested from an unknown source. When asked what Thompson would like for information, he refused to answer, asking Collins to move to another topic.
Ms. Collins leaves the meeting.
**Added information from Lebanon Maine Truth Seekers: The MMA Convention takes place on Tuesday October 6 and Wednesday October 7 at the Augusta Civic Center. The MMA website lists this convention as a gathering of vendors who present their business services, products, equipment, and informational materials to municipal employees and elected officials. They also offer a variety of classes and seminars which are free with the participants $70 per person registration fee. Meals are not included in this fee.**
To see the agenda of lectures and seminars available to participants at the MMA Convention 2015, click HERE:
TO SEE THE OPENING PART OF THE THURSDAY, 9/3/15 BOARD OF SELECTMEN'S MEETING, CLICK HERE:
Part 2 of the Lebanon Selectmen's Meeting shows Lebanon Maine Truth Seekers Deborah Wilson following up with the Board on several ongoing concerns. Wilson asks Selectman Heath if he was able to get in touch with Road Commissioner Tom Torno, asking him to report to the Board regarding the residents' concerns regarding budget overages of the 2014-15 fiscal year, town employees driving private contractor trucks, delivering of soil to private residents' driveways, overseeing of local cemetery and town property mowing........Selectman Heath states he has not yet been in touch with Torno.
Question 2 was with regards to the requested telephone call to J&S Masonry from Brownfield Maine. On Monday, 8/31/15 after resident's complaints, it was delegated to Heath to call the company and see if they were aware they were not performing the work to bid standards. Thursday evening, Selectman Heath stated he had still not made this telephone call.
In the third part of the Board of Selectmen's Meeting, Lebanon Resident and Lebanon Youth Soccer League President Georgianna Allen addresses the Board on her frustration in not being able to use the Martha Sawyer Community Library in order to hold meetings for LYS Board Meetings, for First Aid and CPR classes for Girl Scouts, or for other community based meetings. Selectman Thompson states that while the librarian is now a town employee, the library still belongs to MSAD60 school system and therefore is only available upon their approval.
Ms. Allen, who is also the Director for the Lebanon Rec Department is frustrated by the lack of available meeting space in town.
SEE Part 3 of the 9/3/15 Lebanon Board of Selectmen's Meeting Video HERE:
The fourth section of video shows the Board looking over a list of write in candidates for Budget Committee from the June 9 Lebanon Town Meeting Vote. The Board is searching for an alternate member of the Committee. There is also some light discussion on the completion of the Town's assessing, with Chairman Thompson stating that there are now only 57 properties that the Board needs to check prior to their completion of mobile homes assessing for the 2015-15 fiscal year.
SEE PART 4 of the Thursday evening Selectmen's Meeting HERE:
Video Part 5 is a brief statement by Select Board Chairman Ben Thompson stating that the Board will be entering into Executive Session to discuss a "personnel issue" at 4:30 pm.
SEE the 5th Video segment of the 9/3/15 Lebanon Selectmen's Meeting HERE:
In Part 6 of the Lebanon Maine Board of Selectmen's Meeting from Thursday, September 3, 2015, Town Clerk Mandy Grenier and Town Treasurer Jeanette Lemay speak candidly regarding the meeting from Monday, August 31st and the questions and concerns of Lebanon resident and business owner Chris Gilpatrick.
(See parts 6 and 7 of the 8/31/15 Selectmen's Meeting Video where these problems are discussed HERE:
According to Grenier, the incident complained about by Mr. Gilpatrick, allowed to continue openly in a public meeting, without allowing for her, as the employee in question, was unlawful.
Grenier continues by outlining the details of a simple typographical error that occurred on Friday, July 24, 2015, when Mr. Gilpatrick came in to pay his property taxes. The error was made when she mistakenly hit the number 7 instead of the number 4. Mr. Gilpatrick alerted the Town Office to the mistake on Tuesday, July 28, 2015. Ms. Grenier states that she apologized multiple times for her error and that she went with Mr. Gilpatrick into the office of Town Treasurer Jeanette Lemay to report the mistake.
Because a former Select Board had voted for a bi-weekly Accounts Payable Schedule, the normal pay out date would be a little less than 2 weeks from the date of discovering the mistake, however, Grenier states several times that she offered to create a Special Warrant to have the refund made available, but that Mr. Gilpatrick declined the need for a Special Warrant and agreed to wait the 2 weeks for payment.
The Town Clerk states that, following proper protocol, she then submitted the payment warrant, check, and receipt documentation, along with a written explanation of her error and why the refund was necessary to the Selectmen for normal payment. She states that two Selectmen signed the payment warrant on Mr. Gilpatrick's refund check, also following proper town payment procedure.
Ms. Grenier states that it is "incredible" to her that the Board had allowed this conversation to continue in regular session, and that it had been allowed to be posted on Social Media.
Town Treasurer Jeanette Lemay addresses the Board regarding the accusations made against her by Mr. Gilpatrick during the Monday evening, 8/31/15 meeting. Lemay first addresses the statement that she would "play favorites" between any of the Town Office employees. According to Lemay, she also follows proper procedures when a cash discrepancy is discovered in any of the Town Office cash receipts, first discussing the problem with the employee, and alerting them to the problem, and then if a second occurrence is detected, she then investigates the problem and alerts the Selectmen.
Lemay continues, stating that because of 7 separate cash handling procedure violations, the Town Office Petty Cash is now locked up and needs to be accessed in a different manner than has been used in the past. She goes on to say that the reprimand issued to a Town Employee on Thursday, 8/20/15 (see minute 3:22 of Lebanon Maine Truth Seekers video Part 7 from that date HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlE58Y9IRco ) These 7 separate occurrences, and several different stories to how the discrepancies occurred, are also what led to her calling the Auditors for the Town to request guidance on proper procedure on handling this ongoing problem, and what led to her speaking with the Board of Selectmen regarding a reprimand for the employee in question. Lemay adds that should similar problems to Mr. Gilpatrick's tax payment problem continue to happen with the Town Clerk, she would also seek out the Selectmen's help in following proper reprimand procedure.
The Town Treasurer, Lemay, continues to say that she objects to Mr. Gilpatrick's insinuations that due diligence was not followed in either employee's case. Lemay states, "I am the fiduciary of these funds so I keep track of where they go and what happens to them."
During this video segment, Lebanon Maine Truth Seekers Deborah Dorey Wilson has the opportunity to question the Town Clerk, Mandy Grenier on her statement that Mr. Gilpatrick had agreed to wait the 2 weeks for payment rather than having her draw up a special payment warrant, and Ms. Grenier stated that was indeed the truth. Wilson also asked for clarification to Grenier's assertion that two Selectmen had been presented the warrant for refund of Mr. Gilpatrick's overcharge, and that two Selectmen had signed that check, as during Monday evening's meeting, only Chairman Thompson had admitted to knowing about the mistake. Ms. Grenier affirmed that two Selectmen had signed the warrant according to proper office procedures. With a few more questions, Chairman Thompson reveals that the warrant was presented for payment while Selectman Heath was away from the office at Assessing School, and that Selectman Nadeau had been the second signer on the warrant. During the August 31st evening meeting, Selectman Nadeau had denied knowing that the error had ever occurred, however, his answer during the September 3 meeting, was that when someone gives him something and tells him to sign it, "I'm not going to argue".
Conversation with Town Treasurer Lemay continues with her saying that she objects to the way that Mr. Gilpatrick brought this to light, the half truths and the innuendo, and she's not happy with the stories being told regarding the 8/20/15 reprimand of a town employee.
Selectmen Thompson has dialogue with regards to residents looking at their receipts after making a payment and being sure the correct name appears on the printed receipt, and stating that some responsibility has to fall on the resident as well, adding that he feels cornered and set up by Mr. Gilpatrick's Monday evening disclosures.
Town Clerk Grenier states that she feels her rights, as well as the rights of several other Town Employees mentioned in Monday's meeting were violated as they should have had the opportunity to be present and to request that the matter be taken up in Executive Session if they felt the need.
Town Treasurer Lemay presents several options for the Board to consider to remedy the situation that occurs with the TRIO (sp?) management software system which makes it difficult to discover such mistakes and negative cash transactions. She also discusses the option of not letting residents pay other people's taxes, which is an unpopular suggestion, but she states she's just presenting all options. She finishes her discussion by saying that any resident who has ideas or options they would like to discuss with her is always welcome to come and sit down with her.
Lemay asks Lebanon Maine Truth Seekers if a copy of 8/31/15 meeting and the 9/3/15 meeting can be copied onto a thumb drive for her, which LMTS Deborah Dorey Wilson agrees to.
Wilson also makes mention that it had been known to her that the Town Clerk and Town Treasurer were going to answer the complaints made against them by Mr. Gilpatrick and the comments made on Social Media by resident Chip Harlow regarding favoritism and trying to run long standing employees out of the Town Office during the Thursday 9/3/15 meeting, and that Wilson had messaged both men to alert them to the discussion, giving them the opportunity to attend the meeting and be heard. However it is noted that neither man is present.
At the end of this part of the video, Selectmen's Assistant Sue Collins enters to ask Selectmen for signatures on two residents' request that their property lots be combined for tax purposes. The Board signs the requests with some discussion.
SEE PART 6 of the 9/3/15 Lebanon Board of Selectmen's Meeting Video HERE:
In part 7 of the Lebanon Maine Selectmen's Meeting Video from 9/3/15, Town Clerk Mandy Genier and Lebanon Code Enforcement Officer Mike Beaullieu speak to the Board in a "Workshop" style, presenting the several ordinance changes that will be presented on the November 3 town ballot. Most of the proposed changes, are only removing the setting of fees or fines from the ordinance itself, as suggested by the Maine Municipal Association, and adding the ability of Selectmen to set a separate fee schedule, "which shall not exceed the town's reasonable cost for administration and enforcement" of the ordinance dictates, which Grenier states would help to ensure that the town departments are funded more by residents who actually utilize the services that the fees support.
While leaving the need for a Mass Gathering Permit in place for events that will be hosting over 500 people for more than 5 hour periods of time, the pair of Genier and Beaullieu have also prepared an ordinance creating a Festival and Events permitting structure for smaller gatherings of 250 people or more. This permit would utilize the same application format as the larger Mass Gathering Permit, and be similar in structure in laying out requirements for trash clean up, first aid stations, the availability of emergency services, parking availability, and neighbor notification.
At 55 minutes on the video, Select Board Chairman Thompson reads aloud a complaint from a Lebanon resident regarding the August, "Greenlove Medical Marijuana Festival" held on a Center Road location. As a result of this conversation, there is much discussion regarding neighbor notification as part of the permitting process and ways to ensure all property abutters are notified prior to an event.
Part 8 of the 9/3/15 Meeting video continues with Lebanon Code Enforcement Officer Mike Beaullieu and Town Clerk Mandy Grenier as they continue to work with Selectmen to fine tune wording on the proposed ordinance for a Festivals and Events permitting structure in Lebanon. The ordinance will be discussed at the Lebanon Town Hearing on October 20, 2015 and will be presented for voter approval on the November 3 election ballot. It will be required for the permitting application packet to be submitted to the Code Enforcement Officer 30 days prior to the scheduled event. However, Lebanon Maine Truth Seeker Wilson questions regarding an "emergency waiver" to the permit that could be obtained if a resident were expecting a large group of family and friends for events such as funerals, which seldom come with 30 days or more of advanced notice.
Planning Board Vice Chairman Gary Getchell speaks to the Board regarding several ordinances being worked on by the Lebanon Planning Board and expected to be presented on the November ballot, including one with wording about "grandfathering" of non-conforming property lots, and septic system overloads in existing developed areas. It is decided that the Planning Board should request a similar type ordinance workshop with the Selectmen in the near future.
Code Enforcement Officer Mike Beaullieu returns to speak with the Board regarding a recent Code Violation with trash and debris buildup on a Hubbard Road property that has been of concern to area residents for a long period of time and was discussed by the Board most recently with resident Larry Downs during the 8/20/15 meeting. (See part 3 of the 8/20/15 meeting where this was discussed HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaQmgkpNPfI) Beaullieu states that the residents of the violating property have no money to pay for disposal of the trash and debris that has accumulated on their property, and suggests to the Board that the Town grant a "waiver" to the fees at the Lebanon Transfer Station to the property owners to help facilitate a clean up, along with a deadline for the clean up to take place.
Beaullieu's final discussion is regarding an ordinance he is planning for November's ballot with regards to the need for an Electrical Permitting structure within the town, stating "We'd be doing the homeowner a favor," after saying he has seen some sketchy homeowner electrical wiring jobs.
This section finished up with Select Board Chairman stating that on Tuesday, 9/8/15, the Board will be having a meeting, but that it will be only for an Executive Session regarding "personnel issues".
The ninth and final part of the Lebanon Board of Selectmen's 9/3/15 Meeting Video shows Lebanon resident, Jim Emmons (a representative for Primerica) and Primerica Vice President Anthony Mercadante (sp?) as they address the board regarding the possibility of investing the Town's Reserve and Capital Accounts, and for the availability of town employees to participate in a 457 investment fund. Treasurer Jeanette Lemay joins in the discussion with regards to different options she has been considering, including Jumbo CD's as the Town would not appreciate the requirements of being locked into long term investment plans after recently losing money on the old Money Market investment accounts. Mercadante and Emmons speak regarding the lack of penalties and liquidity that is enjoyed with 457 investment plans and their availability to help further discussion on this topic should the Board, after reviewing documentation left for their review, decide they would like to pursue this option further.
After the Primemerica representative team leaves, Selectman Nadeau motions for meeting adjournment, which is seconded by Heath, and the Board ends their meeting.
SEE The 9th and FINAL part of the Lebanon Maine Board of Selectmen's Meeting Video of 9/3/15 HERE:
