Still no word on when $300G votes taken by board

It’s been a week since The Lebanon Voice sent an email to Selectmen Chair Karen Gerrish asking her to explain why there is no vote in any selectmen meeting minutes dating back to 2011 regarding two $300,000 withdrawals from the general fund to reduce taxes. (See story from last week: General fund underfunded, auditors say.)

The second withdrawal, in fiscal year 2012-2013, drew the fund down to $1.1 million, a level unable to sustain fixed expenses by the town for a period of two months. Auditors warned the town about the unsustainability of the general fund and selectmen were made aware several times this year that the issue had to be addressed.

Yet Gerrish, who writes afternoon meeting minutes, herself, never mentions the fact. Can anyone guess why?

If you see Gerrish you should ask her why the $300,000 was taken from the fund the most recent time, in which that withdrawal placed the general fund, which is like a town savings account, at an unsustainable level.

That low level means we have to take out short-term loans just to keep the town going, which costs taxpayers money in interest.

Just so everyone is clear on this, the boards of selectmen involved in the two withdrawals are those who served in fiscal year 2011-12 and fiscal year 2012-13, Bob Frizzell, Ronal Patch and Gerrish; and Frizzell, Gerrish and Jason Cole, respectively.

Both those fiscal years taxes went up for town residents about 5 percent. That’s pretty bad when the inflation rate is around 2. Without the $300,000 withdrawals it would have been closer to 10 percent. That wouldn’t have looked good, would it?

Ask Karen when the votes were cast, and why there aren’t minutes on such huge movement of funds, the last of which was especially ill-conceived.

Selectman Paul Philbrick recently said every decision should be a board decision. I wholeheartedly agree, but I would add that every Board of Selectmen vote should be entered in meeting minutes.

We hope the board going forward will begin the practice of having a town employee record the minutes, even in afternoon meetings. A meeting is a meeting is a meeting is a meeting.

We also believe that if substantive revisions are sought for the minutes after recorded by the selectmen secretary, that all selectmen should approve those changes.

What’s ironic is that in most selectmen meeting minutes over the years one selectman will make a motion to adjourn and another will second, so that vote is in there.

But when it comes to moving $300,000 from our savings account to offset taxes, apparently, not so much?

Editor’s note: Below is a verbatim copy of the email sent to Gerrish on May 28 with a town employee’s name redacted.

Karen:

A short time after (REDACTED) came on board last year, selectmen were told that the town's general fund was under-funded at $1.1 million. Selectmen were apprised of this several times by (REDACTED) - and it was noted in the auditor's report - yet looking over all the minutes I see no details of this finding. Why no mention in any minutes?

Also by looking over spreadsheets I determined that the town has deducted $300,000 in FY 11-12 and FY 12-13 to offset taxes. I saw no vote or mention in any minutes on this either. That was going back to June minutes of 2011 and reviewing all pertinent minutes going forward. Again, why no mention in any meeting minutes? Was this voted on by selectmen? Is there a notation of a vote?

Thank you,

Harrison Thorp
thelebanonvoice@aol.com 207.432.2218

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