Town of Peacham Elected Officials - 2009

Elected Town Officials:

• Town Moderator: Rob Ide
• Town Clerk: Bruce Lafferty
• Town Treasurer: Bruce Lafferty
• Selectboard Member: Andy Cochran
• Lister: Kirsten Szendry
• Auditor: Jan Eastman
• Grand Juror: Charlie Browne
• Town Agent: Robert Fuehrer
• First Constable: John Sheehan
• Second Constable: Bill Thresher

Peacham School Report

2008 has been somewhat of a transition year for Peacham schools.

Shake-ups came in the form of several resignations. The community lost three teachers they past year. Kathy Renfrew, a 5th and 6th grade teacher, music teacher Janet Edmondson, physical education teacher Jean MacDonald have since left the school. But, replacements have been found. Dawnna chase will serve as the new 5th and 6th grade teacher, Mary Beth Nolan will become the new music teacher, and Gina Ostrander will be the new physical education instructor.

The school also two administrative personell. Administrative assistant Martha Evangelista will no longer be with the school. Peacham elementary school principal Wendy Olcott announced that she will leave her position at the end of the school year. There is currently an exploratory committee searching for a replacement.

It seems that, even in these troubled economic times, education is still of vital importance to the residents of Peacham. Overall, the budget has seen an increase compared to previous years. Although some items saw a small decrease, almost all programs saw an increase in funds, or at the least, no deductions.

Permits and Prices - 2009

Dog license rates:

• $4 for neutered or spayed dogs, plus a $3 fee for state rabies control program

• $8 for un-nentered of un-spayed dogs, plus $3 fee for state rabies control program

Building/altering, subdividing or change of use of a parcel:

• $30, plus $8 recording fee

--Note: No land development can begin until a zonign permit has been issued by the zoning administration

Appeal to zoning board of adjustment:

• $25

Road Access:

• $27

--For any access from a property onto state highways and town roads

Fire:

• No fee, but a permit is required for any open burning, except when snow is on the ground
  

Subdivision Updates

In 2008 Peacham continued to proceed with new, though controversial, subdivision regulations. Public outcry could be heard in almost every town meeting about the subject. In theory, this is to protect the town's from developers who might want contstruct sprawling subdivisions, but the opposition claims the new ordinance would be too specific and too expensive to follow in practice.


The legislation regulates just how and where a house can be built; the most disputed part of this plan is to prohibit building on slopes with a 20% grade or higher. Although this is to control erosion, the opponents say this is far too much control for a town of this size to have. Even the writers of this ordinance agree that even their own houses would be illegal to build should the laws have been in effect during the time they were built.

Town officials are planning a final draft for sometime this year, and input from both sides in encouraged.

The comission holds meetings on the second Tuesday of each month, a 7 P.M. in the town hall.

Have an opinion? Leave a comment below.

Storm Repair Updates

In late summer 2008, heavy rains deteriorated several roads through the town of Peacham. The most devastating damage occurred on Country Road when a beaver dam collapsed, flooding the road and eventually washing it out completely. Macks's Mountain Road and culverts under Penny Street also experienced considerable damage.

Due to the very high cost of repair, the town was able to secure over $240,000 from FEMA, who covered about 75% of the cost. The remaining money had to be written into the budget, adding more than $200,000 onto the projected budget for 2008. The biggest expense came with the ordering of gravel and crushed stone; instead of the expected $42,000, the town spent over $120,000.

The budget for 2009 is actually lower than the 2008 projected budget. $145, 500 should cover the cost to continue road maintenance, barring no unexpected summer storms.

Surplus

Throughout the past 5 years, Peacham has accumulated about $365,000 in surplus, mostly stemming from property taxes and general fund sources. Although all of the deficit for 2008 has been paid off (bringing the surplus amount down to about $270,000), voters were asked to appropriate the rest of the funds back into the town in order to reduce further debts.

The money will be going to 5 more areas:

• $20,000 will go to paying off the debt from the construction of the new firehouse
• $100,000 to reduce the amount needed to be raised by taxes
• $60,000 to the Town Retreatement Reserve, which oversees the paving of area roads
• $40,000 to Town Capital Building fund, which would bring renovation to the town garage and town hall
• Any remaining funds will go to a working capital reserve fund, which would reduce the amount of money the town borrows for operation
  

Peacham Budget - 2009

It seems that not even small towns like Peacham are immune from the ongoing financial crisis. Overall, the projected budget for 2009 is about 2.5% lower than the previous year. The new budget has moved funds from one section to another, giving more to some areas and considerably less to others.

General government payroll will be using about $17,000 less than what was projected in the previous year. Workers compensation has not been written into the budget, saving about $7,000.

A few program expenses were also slightly cut; education outreach, which had initially been granted $20,000 for 2008 saw a decrease, and is now granted about $15,000. The entire set of items, which also includes forms of recycling, tire disposal, and hazmat supplies saw a slight decrease.




Some items did see an increase in 2009. Road maintenance is getting about $12,000 more in funding compared to 2008's projected budget. Storms in late August flooded and washed out several roads throughout the town. Although the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) covered a considerable amout of the cost, a few roads are still in need of maintenance.

The Fairbans Museum, Peach Town Library, Adult Basic Education will also get an increase in donations in 2009 rising from $380 to $650 and from $5,000 to $5,500, respectively.

Peacham Town Debts

The fiscal year for 2009 sees a moderate amount of debt. Most of the debt was incurred from new truck leases - there is $22, 020.24 due for the lease of a new highway truck, $26,800.72 due for the leasing of a new firetruck, and $92,785 for the leasing of a dump truck. These debts are main semi0annually, and the final payments for the highway truck and fire truck are to be paid by September 9, 2009.

There's also a fire station not debt standing at $36,668. Paid yearly at $18,333, the final payment is not due until 2010.