Annual Deliberative Session Wraps in 29 Minutes

Residents of Merrimack were in and out of Wednesday night's annual town deliberative session in less than a half hour – pushing all seven of the articles on the warrant to the ballot unchanged.

Five of the seven articles are union contract articles for five of the town's six unions. The Department of Public Works and the Town Council have not been able to come to a collective bargaining agreement and will likely seek mediation to hammer out a plan following the April 9 town meeting.

On Wednesday night, little discussion was held regarding the articles. Each was presented by members of the Council.

Carol Lang, of Wilson Hill Road, spoke toward the union agreements, asking for more equity between the town and school district unions in the future, when it comes to what they pay into insurance. She said the school unions are paying in 15 percent to the town unions' 10 percent.

“I'm not going to oppose a contract you've already got an agreement on, but it would be something I'd like to have considered in future negotiations,” Lang said.

She said she's like future negotiations to strive for equity between town bodies.

Town Council Vice Chairman Finlay Rothhaus said he expected that to happen down the road.

The contracts include a one-time wage increase of $1,500 to compensate for increased contributions to insurance plans, which carry a $20 co-pay and a $10/$20/$45 prescription plan.

The new insurance plans, however, will not take effect until the third year of the contracts.

Town Councilors Dan Dwyer and Tom Koenig voted against the contracts during the Feb. 15 meeting to determine whether the Council would support the warrant articles.

Koenig explained to deliberative session attendees why, stating that because of the way contracts are presented, it doesn't present an accurate picture to taxpayers, he said.

The raises given to employees are not repeated year over year in that they receive a new $1,500 raise each year, he said, but they aren't a one-time expense. The raises are retained in the employees salaries in years two and three, meaning the town is paying more in salaries over the three years, but it's not reflected in the contract because it's not an additional increase year over year.

This is how it is required by state law to present contracts, he said.

I was looking forward to health insurance savings earlier than in the third year.

“While I agree with the general concept of improvements in health insurance and things of that nature, my concern was with whether or not this was the best contract that the town of Merrimack could live with,” Koenig said. “I'm not alone in not being totally happy with it, I don't think any negotiation is going to leave one side completely happy, and a lot of people say if both sides are a little upset that's probably a good contract. Having said all that, I do very much appreciate the employees of the town of Merrimack and I appreciate the work they do.”

In addition to the five contracts moved to the warrant, with a tax rate of $5.25, went to the ballot with no conversation. If the budget were to fail at Town Meeting on April 9, the town would operate next year on the default budget of $27.9 million. The default budget, however, would carry a steeper tax rate of $5.45.

The final article that moved to the ballot is a housekeeping article that would amend the town charter to allow the town manager to perform the duties and responsibilities generally maintained by a cemetery trustee, a body of trustees the town does not have, but is supposed to, by law. This amendment would make up for that board.

At the end of the meeting, attendees gave Town Councilor Jackie Flood a standing ovation to thank her for her three years of service to the Council. Flood, whose term is up in APril, is not seeking re-election. Incumbent Dwyer and former Councilor Dave Yakuboff are running unopposed for the two open seats this year.

The annual Town Meeting, to vote on the articles and for candidates running for office will be April 9, with polls open at James Mastricola Upper Elementary School from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Check out our Town Meeting 2013 Voter Guide for update information about the issues leading up to the election.