O'Brien said to have asked for article sparating clerk & tax collector

GILFORD — Selectboard Vice Chair Kevin Hayes said yesterday that the suggestion to separate the town clerk-tax collector position was brought up as a way to add some flexibility to town government in the future.

He said part of the initial thinking was that in the future, if the town clerk, who must be elected by state law, doesn't want the duties of the tax collector at some point, then the town would have the flexibility to address it.

He said Selectman John O'Brien requested the town administrator look into the possible warrant article that surfaced for the first time this week. The board tabled its discussion of the matter on Wednesday because it had just been presented and they didn't have enough information to discuss it. He said it will be on the agenda for the selectmen's meeting on January 23.

Hayes said should the selectmen decide to put the article on the warrant and should it pass, it wouldn't cost the town any additional money because he believes the board's intent is to have the elected town clerk also be the tax collector and earn the same salary and benefit package as was approved by the voters.

Town Administrator Scott Dunn said yesterday that current Town Clerk-Tax Collector Denise Gonyer's term expires in 2014 and that if the town were to consider splitting the two positions, the decision should be made this year and must be the decision of the electorate.

According to the N.H. Association of Town Clerks President Diane Trippett, about 50 percent of the state's communities have the position as one and about 50 percent have two separate positions.

Trippett said the responsibilities are very different: the town clerk is the official record keeper of the community who also registers automobiles and boats, licenses dogs and generally takes care of the record keeping mandated by the ordinances of the community and the selectmen. The town clerk also monitors elections.

Being elected, the town clerk operates independently from the board of selectmen and is an elected official in his or her own right.

The tax collector, said Trippett, bills and collects whatever levies are approved by the selectmen like property taxes and sewer and water bills. The tax collector reconciles the financial records with the town treasurer and follows the state regulations requiring payments to the state of New Hampshire.

Trippett, who serves as the town clerk-tax collector for Merrimack, said there is no one place in state law that defines the responsibilities of each position, but each office's duties are delineated in a variety different state statutes.

She said the local government offices are typically in the same place and most town clerk-tax collectors have deputies and office staff to help with the work load, depending on the size of the community.

Historically, she said towns have moved to combine the two positions to save money because one person does two jobs and hires deputies and assistants as needed.

Meredith is one of the Belknap County towns who has traditionally had a separate town clerk and an appointed tax collector.

"Technically, the town manager is the tax collector but has an appointed full-time deputy tax collector," said Kerri Parker, Meredith's Town Clerk.

Parker said everyone in the office is cross-trained so the next available person in the office can help the next person in line.

The town of Alton also has a separate town clerk and an appointed tax collector.

In Sanbornton, the town clerk-tax collector positions have been one since the 1950s, said Jane Goss, while in Belmont the posts has been one position since "forever", said Deputy Kari Smith.

In 2007, Tilton voters elected to combine the position of town clerk and tax collector after the retirement of long-time elected Tax Collector Sue Fecteau.