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Select Board and police commissioners discuss county dispatch bill, commission-size petition and seal non-public minutes
Summary
At the March 12 joint meeting, Select Board members asked the Police Commission to review a draft letter asking the county to moderate the dispatch portion of its bill (the 2023 dispatch portion was cited at about $143,000). Commissioners also discussed a petition warrant article on expanding the commission and the boards entered and later sealed a non-public session under RSA 91-A:3,c.
Select Board and Wolfeboro Police Commission members met jointly on March 12 and discussed a draft Select Board letter asking the county whether it can moderate the dispatch portion of the town’s bill. Select Board member Paul O’Brien said the dispatch portion of the county bill was around $143,000 in 2023 and asked commissioners to review and edit the draft letter and return it to Amy by next Wednesday.
Linda Murray pressed for a firm timeline; commissioners agreed to return editorial changes by the requested date. Paul O’Brien framed the request as seeking a way to moderate that component of the county charge.
Commission Chairman Shawn Coope addressed a petition warrant article concerning the size of the Police Commission. Coope said the commission put the matter to voters after repeated petition articles over the past three years asking to disband the commission or expand the membership; he said state regulations set the default at three commissioners and that a change to five commissioners would require state legislative approval if the warrant article had passed.
During the meeting the Select Board voted to enter a non-public session under RSA 91-A:3,c (reputation). The motion to enter non-public session was moved by Paul O’Brien and seconded by Brian Deshaies; the Select Board members recorded roll-call yes votes. The board re-entered public session at 6:03 P.M. and moved to seal the non-public minutes; Paul O’Brien moved to seal and Commissioner Kevin Duffy seconded; the motion passed on a recorded yes vote by the commissioners present.
With no further public business, the Select Board moved to adjourn at 6:03 P.M.; the motion was moved by Paul O’Brien and seconded by Brian Deshaies.
The minutes do not record a final outcome on the petition warrant article (for example, whether it passed at town meeting or any state action after the meeting); the transcript records only the commissioners’ explanation of the article and the requirement that a statutory change would be needed to alter commission size.
