Brookfield approves 15-acre intent-to-cut and hears administrative reports

The Town of Brookfield’s board approved a notice of intent to cut timber on Map 22 Lot 3, a roughly 15-acre parcel along the Wolfeborough/rail-trail border, and received a series of administrative updates from town staff and trustees.

Intent to cut: Unidentified Speaker 2 presented the notice of intent to cut for Map 22 Lot 3 and moved to approve it; Unidentified Speaker 3 seconded and the board voted in favor. The board noted this action records an intent to cut and that taxation and related changes will follow when final results are submitted.

Online payments and tax collection: Rose (first speaking on the tax-collector report) said she and Joanne met with the company the town clerk uses for on-line payments and that the vendor will send a change order to enable online tax payments. Rose said the vendor indicated there would be no cost to the town and that resident fees for card payments would be similar to the town clerk’s current fees; she referenced a typical card fee range near 2.99–3.3 percent. Staff said a separate bank account for tax-collection receipts would streamline bookkeeping and auditors recommended the separate account.

Auditors and capital policy: Trustees reported submission of MS-9 and MS-10 reports to the state and that auditors are assisting the town to draft a capital asset policy to address an adverse audit opinion. The vendor PrimeX recently increased insured replacement values for several town buildings and contents; trustees asked staff to verify whether those recorded values reflected replacement cost.

Facilities and elections equipment: Supervisors of the checklist requested approval to purchase a wireless printer for elections and proposed establishing a small workspace in the schoolhouse. Board members discussed relocating election equipment into secure closets and acquiring a fireproof file cabinet; logistics for delivery and placement of heavy furniture were discussed.

Website, acoustics and library services: Staff reported the town website launch is near completion and that data have been migrated; an acoustics engineer and architect have provided options and staff were collecting quotes. Library staff highlighted upcoming programs and community services including Tri-Cap assistance and AARP tax help scheduled from Feb. 10 to Apr. 14.

Finance: The board reviewed a manifest of bills and a payroll manifest. The manifest total was reported as $191,094.51; payroll totals were $5,933.49 with payroll taxes of $2,335.20.

Executive session and sealed minutes: The board moved into a non-public session under the cited RSA language to discuss hiring; the record shows the board subsequently exited the executive session by roll call ("Austin, yes; Zachary, yes; Gauthier, yes") and voted to seal the minutes from that session for one year.

Contractor replacement: The board noted the town’s cleaning contractor retired and said a person named Bailey Champion would be brought on to perform snow shoveling and office cleaning; the transcript records the board’s intention to hire her but does not show a formal vote in that moment.

Next steps: Staff were asked to follow up on the investment policy, confirm insurance valuation bases, finalize any vendor paperwork for online payments, and arrange IT and facilities work for cables and new equipment.