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Atkinson Town Hall
The Norman Rockwellian picture of Atkinson
Monday, November 3, 2008
Atkinson's tax rate climbs 21 cents
From the Eagle-Tribune;
Atkinson's tax rate climbs 21 cents
By Meghan Carey
mcarey@eagletribune.com
ATKINSON — The town's portion of the tax rate is going up — 21 cents per $1,000 of valuation — for the first time in years.
The state Department of Revenue Administration confirmed the tax rate at $14.86 per $1,000 of valuation last week, selectmen Chairman Paul Sullivan said. That's a 76-cent increase over last year's rate.
The owner of a $300,000 home would see a $4,458 tax bill under the new rate, a $228 increase.
"We wanted to keep it down," Sullivan said. "We took $450,000 from the general fund and applied it to help with the tax rate."
That's something the selectmen have done before, Sullivan said. This year they left a balance of $899,200 in the general fund for anticipated expenditures and to make sure they retained at least a 5 percent savings for the future, he said.
The town's portion of the tax rate is $2.15 per $1,000 of valuation, up from $1.94. The local school rate increased 67 cents, from $9.02 to $9.69.
The state education component dropped from $2.28 to $2.16. The county rate remained steady at 86 cents per $1,000 of valuation.
Atkinson's tax rate climbs 21 cents
By Meghan Carey
mcarey@eagletribune.com
ATKINSON — The town's portion of the tax rate is going up — 21 cents per $1,000 of valuation — for the first time in years.
The state Department of Revenue Administration confirmed the tax rate at $14.86 per $1,000 of valuation last week, selectmen Chairman Paul Sullivan said. That's a 76-cent increase over last year's rate.
The owner of a $300,000 home would see a $4,458 tax bill under the new rate, a $228 increase.
"We wanted to keep it down," Sullivan said. "We took $450,000 from the general fund and applied it to help with the tax rate."
That's something the selectmen have done before, Sullivan said. This year they left a balance of $899,200 in the general fund for anticipated expenditures and to make sure they retained at least a 5 percent savings for the future, he said.
The town's portion of the tax rate is $2.15 per $1,000 of valuation, up from $1.94. The local school rate increased 67 cents, from $9.02 to $9.69.
The state education component dropped from $2.28 to $2.16. The county rate remained steady at 86 cents per $1,000 of valuation.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Final PUC Hearing on HAWC's Request for Loan for Pipeline.
Article Submission
Final PUC Hearing on HAWC's Request for Loan for Pipeline.
John Wolthers says:
Dear Friends,
Tuesday, November 4, 2008, is the final testimony day regarding Hampstead Area Water Company’s desire to receive MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLAR LOAN ($1,000,000.00) for a twenty (20) year period at 3.44% interest. The LOAN is for the interconnection of Atkinson Town Water with the Town of Hampstead. HAWC has also applied for a full expansion of their franchise to all of Atkinson. I ask that all residents who are concerned about the Public Utility Commission approving the above immediately contact the PUC with your views. A few of the reasons to site would be:
1. Excessive water loss history of HAWC.
2. The interconnection of water flow between Hampstead and Atkinson is against the town ordinance.
3. More than 54% of HAWC’s revenues are paid to HAWC’s related companies without competitive bidding.
4. No town approvals for site or franchise expansion.
If anyone can put this information on the Town TV Channel, it would be helpful.
You can find the complete list of email address to whom you can address your concerns and any other communications at
www.just-goaway.com
Thank you for your support.
John
Webmaster says:
It can be stressed enough how important this hearing is to the people of Atkinson. The citizens will be represent by an able group of people, BUT, the PUC needs to hear from you also. There is power in numbers. Tell the people on the EMAIL list that you are very concerned and that you do not want this pipeline and you do not want HAWC to franchise the whole town. Thank you.
Final PUC Hearing on HAWC's Request for Loan for Pipeline.
John Wolthers says:
Dear Friends,
Tuesday, November 4, 2008, is the final testimony day regarding Hampstead Area Water Company’s desire to receive MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLAR LOAN ($1,000,000.00) for a twenty (20) year period at 3.44% interest. The LOAN is for the interconnection of Atkinson Town Water with the Town of Hampstead. HAWC has also applied for a full expansion of their franchise to all of Atkinson. I ask that all residents who are concerned about the Public Utility Commission approving the above immediately contact the PUC with your views. A few of the reasons to site would be:
1. Excessive water loss history of HAWC.
2. The interconnection of water flow between Hampstead and Atkinson is against the town ordinance.
3. More than 54% of HAWC’s revenues are paid to HAWC’s related companies without competitive bidding.
4. No town approvals for site or franchise expansion.
If anyone can put this information on the Town TV Channel, it would be helpful.
You can find the complete list of email address to whom you can address your concerns and any other communications at
www.just-goaway.com
Thank you for your support.
John
Webmaster says:
It can be stressed enough how important this hearing is to the people of Atkinson. The citizens will be represent by an able group of people, BUT, the PUC needs to hear from you also. There is power in numbers. Tell the people on the EMAIL list that you are very concerned and that you do not want this pipeline and you do not want HAWC to franchise the whole town. Thank you.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Our Elderly Affairs is a great service, but....
it has been mismanaged, managed illegally, and corruptly, and used as a political backstop for too many years. In these tough economic times, we MUST DEMAND better!
Finally, this year someone complained about the town donation accounts, which for years, have amounted to little more than the chief of police's own personal slush funds, which he has been happy to use to supplement his budgets as he saw fit, and to help out elderly residents in town.
The problem is that these funds have been managed illegally by the town for years. For example;
1.) The Town is REQUIRED, by law, to accept donations in public, but they never have.
2.) The Town is REQUIRED, by the warrant article establishing the accounts, to ONLY withdraw funds after a properly posted public hearing. They have spent money without public disclosure.
3.) The Town is REQUIRED, by law, to post the public hearing in 2 public places, for 7 days prior to the hearing. They have NEVER done this. In some cases they have failed to post the meeting 24 hours in advance, as required by law.
4.) The Town was required, legally, to place all donated funds under the management of the Trustees of the Trust Funds. They didn't until this month after a resident complaint, and the AGO telling them to.
5.) The chief of police has spent money out of those accounts payable to himself!
6.) The chief of police has refused to tell us how many people use the service, until recently, or how many rides they actually give, preferring instead to state some random number that he can not demonstrate.
It is for these reasons, that the selectmen should be using this investigation by the AGO, to get some accountability on this dept.
It should be totally separated from the police dept.,
It should be run for the betterment of the seniors.
No one should be refused the use of this service.
It should never be used as a fall back to excuse the chief's other bad behaviors.
But, as usual in Atkinson, the right, the honorable, the obvious thing to do is the hardest, politically, not because of the people, but because of the chief's ability to misinform, obfuscate, manipulate, and prevaricate, to, the people of Atkinson, particularly the elderly.
Finally, this year someone complained about the town donation accounts, which for years, have amounted to little more than the chief of police's own personal slush funds, which he has been happy to use to supplement his budgets as he saw fit, and to help out elderly residents in town.
The problem is that these funds have been managed illegally by the town for years. For example;
1.) The Town is REQUIRED, by law, to accept donations in public, but they never have.
2.) The Town is REQUIRED, by the warrant article establishing the accounts, to ONLY withdraw funds after a properly posted public hearing. They have spent money without public disclosure.
3.) The Town is REQUIRED, by law, to post the public hearing in 2 public places, for 7 days prior to the hearing. They have NEVER done this. In some cases they have failed to post the meeting 24 hours in advance, as required by law.
4.) The Town was required, legally, to place all donated funds under the management of the Trustees of the Trust Funds. They didn't until this month after a resident complaint, and the AGO telling them to.
5.) The chief of police has spent money out of those accounts payable to himself!
6.) The chief of police has refused to tell us how many people use the service, until recently, or how many rides they actually give, preferring instead to state some random number that he can not demonstrate.
It is for these reasons, that the selectmen should be using this investigation by the AGO, to get some accountability on this dept.
It should be totally separated from the police dept.,
It should be run for the betterment of the seniors.
No one should be refused the use of this service.
It should never be used as a fall back to excuse the chief's other bad behaviors.
But, as usual in Atkinson, the right, the honorable, the obvious thing to do is the hardest, politically, not because of the people, but because of the chief's ability to misinform, obfuscate, manipulate, and prevaricate, to, the people of Atkinson, particularly the elderly.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Atkinson chief still head of elderly affairs program Brand new name, new uniform, same leader
From the eagle tribune;
Atkinson chief still head of elderly affairs program Brand new name, new uniform, same leader
By Meghan Carey
mcarey@eagletribune.com
ATKINSON — The town's three elderly affairs cruisers are getting new decals. Their four drivers are getting new uniforms. But the program isn't getting a new home or director — at least for now.
The elderly affairs program is still going to provide senior citizens with hundreds of rides to doctors appointments, assistance with paying utility bills, birthday cards and other services. But it will soon do so as a town department, not a division of the Police Department.
The shift was six months in the making. In April, the state Attorney General's Charitable Trust Unit fielded complaints from residents about the program's donation accounts and police Chief Philip Consentino's control as its volunteer director.
Charitable Trust Unit Director Terry Knowles spent three months "inquiring" about the senior citizen service program and Consentino's practices. Her recommendations were to separate police and elderly affairs, and she's worked with selectmen over the last month to do that legally.
Selectman Bill Friel has put together a separation plan packet, which Knowles approved. It was on the selectmen's agenda Monday night to discuss and vote on the plan, but Chairman Paul Sullivan said he hadn't gone through the packet yet and asked to wait a week.
Some details of the plan were discussed, however, as Consentino read his proposed 2009 Elderly Affairs Department budget. Consentino arrived at the meeting in his police uniform, which he rarely wears. In case selectmen pushed for him to keep his duties separate, he said yesterday, he had also brought an elderly affairs jacket that he could have put on to hide his uniform.
The separation will cost $5,250. That includes money to take the "Atkinson Police Community Service" writing off the cruisers and replace it with "Town of Atkinson Elderly Affairs Department." There's also money to buy the part-time elderly transport drivers new uniforms since they currently wear police uniforms.
The Elderly Affairs Department likely will get a bigger budget in 2009 — $37,668, up from $24,149. That will include the one-time cost of separating its name from the Police Department. On Knowles' recommendation, the budget includes line items for car maintenance, postage and payroll.
Prescriptions, fuel assistance and other items Consentino usually purchases with donations will still be funded the same way. The money can come either from previously donated money, now controlled by the Trustees of the Trust Fund, or from new donations to the charitable trust Consentino set up — the Atkinson Police Charitable Trust.
Selectmen voted Monday to transfer the balance of the previous police donation account — $11,412 — to the Trustees of the Trust Fund. Consentino will have to go to the trustees with specific expenditure requests to tap into that money.
There are written instructions for receiving and spending donations in the plan selectmen will likely adopt.
Consentino said he could donate money from his charitable trust to the town to cover some of the elderly affairs budget.
"Some people don't understand we take in $10,000 to $12,000 a year in revenue to offset what it takes to take care of seniors' needs," he said.
But Consentino said he is thrilled that much of the program, which he started, will remain the same. The senior citizen transports will still be coordinated inside the police station and he is still in charge.
For now, Consentino will have to document his time spent as the paid police chief and his time as volunteer elderly affairs director. In the future, Selectman Fred Childs said, the idea will be to have the departments run by two different people.
Atkinson chief still head of elderly affairs program Brand new name, new uniform, same leader
By Meghan Carey
mcarey@eagletribune.com
ATKINSON — The town's three elderly affairs cruisers are getting new decals. Their four drivers are getting new uniforms. But the program isn't getting a new home or director — at least for now.
The elderly affairs program is still going to provide senior citizens with hundreds of rides to doctors appointments, assistance with paying utility bills, birthday cards and other services. But it will soon do so as a town department, not a division of the Police Department.
The shift was six months in the making. In April, the state Attorney General's Charitable Trust Unit fielded complaints from residents about the program's donation accounts and police Chief Philip Consentino's control as its volunteer director.
Charitable Trust Unit Director Terry Knowles spent three months "inquiring" about the senior citizen service program and Consentino's practices. Her recommendations were to separate police and elderly affairs, and she's worked with selectmen over the last month to do that legally.
Selectman Bill Friel has put together a separation plan packet, which Knowles approved. It was on the selectmen's agenda Monday night to discuss and vote on the plan, but Chairman Paul Sullivan said he hadn't gone through the packet yet and asked to wait a week.
Some details of the plan were discussed, however, as Consentino read his proposed 2009 Elderly Affairs Department budget. Consentino arrived at the meeting in his police uniform, which he rarely wears. In case selectmen pushed for him to keep his duties separate, he said yesterday, he had also brought an elderly affairs jacket that he could have put on to hide his uniform.
The separation will cost $5,250. That includes money to take the "Atkinson Police Community Service" writing off the cruisers and replace it with "Town of Atkinson Elderly Affairs Department." There's also money to buy the part-time elderly transport drivers new uniforms since they currently wear police uniforms.
The Elderly Affairs Department likely will get a bigger budget in 2009 — $37,668, up from $24,149. That will include the one-time cost of separating its name from the Police Department. On Knowles' recommendation, the budget includes line items for car maintenance, postage and payroll.
Prescriptions, fuel assistance and other items Consentino usually purchases with donations will still be funded the same way. The money can come either from previously donated money, now controlled by the Trustees of the Trust Fund, or from new donations to the charitable trust Consentino set up — the Atkinson Police Charitable Trust.
Selectmen voted Monday to transfer the balance of the previous police donation account — $11,412 — to the Trustees of the Trust Fund. Consentino will have to go to the trustees with specific expenditure requests to tap into that money.
There are written instructions for receiving and spending donations in the plan selectmen will likely adopt.
Consentino said he could donate money from his charitable trust to the town to cover some of the elderly affairs budget.
"Some people don't understand we take in $10,000 to $12,000 a year in revenue to offset what it takes to take care of seniors' needs," he said.
But Consentino said he is thrilled that much of the program, which he started, will remain the same. The senior citizen transports will still be coordinated inside the police station and he is still in charge.
For now, Consentino will have to document his time spent as the paid police chief and his time as volunteer elderly affairs director. In the future, Selectman Fred Childs said, the idea will be to have the departments run by two different people.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Elderly Affairs to cost over $40,000.00 after separation of budget!
This blog would have to guess that the critics of the chief's shady accounting practices were correct!
Estimates by people in the know, last year, such as Brian Boyle, Mark Acciard, and Jane Cole, estimated the total cost of the elderly affairs dept. at about $35,000.00 or so, and it looks like they were right, but low.
So for all of you asking how elderly could have provided 1644 rides for $19,000, the answer is they couldn't. The other $20,000 or so was being spent out of the police dept., this is why separation was so important.
Did anyone notice how chief Consentino also said that the budget was going to increase because monies that used to come from the donation account would not be available anymore?
WHY NOT?
Are you NOT going to use the money donated to your private slush fund for the same purposes that you used to?
But that cant be, in his letter to everyone, he said; " The police dept. equipment fund/ senior donation acct. now operate under a new name, the Atkinson Police Charitable Fund"
If it is just operating under a new name, then the money should go to the same places.
Estimates by people in the know, last year, such as Brian Boyle, Mark Acciard, and Jane Cole, estimated the total cost of the elderly affairs dept. at about $35,000.00 or so, and it looks like they were right, but low.
So for all of you asking how elderly could have provided 1644 rides for $19,000, the answer is they couldn't. The other $20,000 or so was being spent out of the police dept., this is why separation was so important.
Did anyone notice how chief Consentino also said that the budget was going to increase because monies that used to come from the donation account would not be available anymore?
WHY NOT?
Are you NOT going to use the money donated to your private slush fund for the same purposes that you used to?
But that cant be, in his letter to everyone, he said; " The police dept. equipment fund/ senior donation acct. now operate under a new name, the Atkinson Police Charitable Fund"
If it is just operating under a new name, then the money should go to the same places.
Timberlane schools and grounds in need of repair Schools, grounds need work
From the Eagle Tribune;
Timberlane schools and grounds in need of repair Schools, grounds need work
By Meghan Carey
mcarey@eagletribune.com
There's a hole in Atkinson Academy.
"We did some hedge trimming and made an interesting discovery," facilities manager Jim Hughes said. "The siding is sliding."
Moisture from the hedges that line the front of the historic part of the school has rotted a portion of the clapboards. But because the 1802 building has a thick sill and foundation, it's just the exterior of the building that has been damaged, Hughes said.
Repair work there is just one of many projects that will need to be done next year to keep the Timberlane Regional School District buildings in working order. Hughes made his first budget presentation to school officials late last week, and he's asking for an additional $43,360 just for building repairs.
That would bring the building repair line of the budget up to $734,360.
The request comes on the heels of a New England School Development Council's recommendation to either renovate and add on to the middle and high schools, or to build one new school and renovate the other. Those buildings are 35 and 42 years old.
There's a list of 43 building projects and six site projects throughout the district that the facilities committee will prioritize tomorrow morning, business manager George Stokinger said. The site project estimate is $58,400.
At Pollard Elementary School, there's a 3-inch drop in the handicap ramp outside the main office and many of the sidewalks around it are crumbling and cracked, Hughes said. Roadwork also needs to be done at Sandown North, where a misplaced catch basin has caused part of the driveway to wash out, he said.
The costly repairs are necessary, given the age of many of the district's schools, School Board member Michael Mascola said. Voters may think school officials constantly throw money at projects, but he said it's necessary to maintain $88 million worth of property.
Superintendent Richard La Salle said the district also is considering putting forward a warrant article for a second phase of renovations in the high school woodshop area. The first phase, which created a physics and chemistry lab and cost $500,000, was funded through the operating budget.
It's up to voters to decide on the budget and any potential warrant articles, but La Salle said it is officials responsibility to put forward the logical projects that are safety issues.
Timberlane schools and grounds in need of repair Schools, grounds need work
By Meghan Carey
mcarey@eagletribune.com
There's a hole in Atkinson Academy.
"We did some hedge trimming and made an interesting discovery," facilities manager Jim Hughes said. "The siding is sliding."
Moisture from the hedges that line the front of the historic part of the school has rotted a portion of the clapboards. But because the 1802 building has a thick sill and foundation, it's just the exterior of the building that has been damaged, Hughes said.
Repair work there is just one of many projects that will need to be done next year to keep the Timberlane Regional School District buildings in working order. Hughes made his first budget presentation to school officials late last week, and he's asking for an additional $43,360 just for building repairs.
That would bring the building repair line of the budget up to $734,360.
The request comes on the heels of a New England School Development Council's recommendation to either renovate and add on to the middle and high schools, or to build one new school and renovate the other. Those buildings are 35 and 42 years old.
There's a list of 43 building projects and six site projects throughout the district that the facilities committee will prioritize tomorrow morning, business manager George Stokinger said. The site project estimate is $58,400.
At Pollard Elementary School, there's a 3-inch drop in the handicap ramp outside the main office and many of the sidewalks around it are crumbling and cracked, Hughes said. Roadwork also needs to be done at Sandown North, where a misplaced catch basin has caused part of the driveway to wash out, he said.
The costly repairs are necessary, given the age of many of the district's schools, School Board member Michael Mascola said. Voters may think school officials constantly throw money at projects, but he said it's necessary to maintain $88 million worth of property.
Superintendent Richard La Salle said the district also is considering putting forward a warrant article for a second phase of renovations in the high school woodshop area. The first phase, which created a physics and chemistry lab and cost $500,000, was funded through the operating budget.
It's up to voters to decide on the budget and any potential warrant articles, but La Salle said it is officials responsibility to put forward the logical projects that are safety issues.
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