Meredith Selectboard to revisit personnel policy, capital projects, ambulance contract

MEREDITH — The selectboard has a loaded agenda for Monday’s meeting, with eight workshops, including updates on Capital Improvement Plan priorities, several parks and recreation projects including Prescott Park, and a discussion about the personnel policy, including proposed stipulations about attendance.

A Capital Improvement Plan spreadsheet was presented by David Thorpe at the last meeting, a committee member working as a citizen volunteer to help prioritize the 26 projects. He was tasked to bring three plans forward: aggressive, minimal and a moderate plan at this meeting.

Parks & Rec Director Krystal Alpers is making a presentation about Prescott Park renovations, and the potential next steps for the massive, multi-phased project. She will also make presentations to the board about senior programing and disc golf, and a fitness station.

Fire Chief Ken Jones will be at the meeting to discuss a New England Association of Fire Chiefs Grant of $10,758, as well as an Assistance to Firefighters Grant for Forestry amounting to $37,819.42, through the Department of Homeland Security. The selectboard is expected to vote on the Stewart’s Ambulance Contract.

Also at the last meeting, Chris Janosa, director of human resources and special projects, met with the selectboard about personnel policy revisions which hadn’t been updated since 2018.

Several proposed changes pertained to the way vacation is accrued, including for newly hired department heads to receive 160 hours of vacation time on their first day of employment. Department heads would accrue 14 hours of vacation per month, instead of the rate being based on tenure.

Also proposed was an update to part-time employee vacation time, updating the accrual ceiling to 320 hours, and allowing employees who reached their maximum accrued sick leave balance to use up to a day of sick leave per month.

Town Manager Judie Milner said these changes need to be approved by the board to be implemented. Selectboard member Jim Gregoire was surprised at the proposed changes, saying at the meeting Sept. 14 they were more generous than any vacation package of which he could think. Milner said she’d come back with information from other similar communities about their policies.

According to meeting documents, during the Sept. 28 meeting, the selectboard will discuss their wishes to implement a remote work policy. The proposal states all full-time, regular employees will need to adhere to a 40-hour, in-person work week. Other changes, such as training policies, will also be discussed.

Police Chief Michael Harper will be at the meeting to request the temporary closure of Main, Cross, and High streets, Waukewan Avenue, and parts of Lake and Waukewan streets, from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, for Halloween. The board is expected to vote on this during the business portion of the meeting.

The selectboard will meet at the Meredith Community Center at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 28.