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Selectmen defer VoIP cutover, review heat budgets, website changes and election accounting
Summary
Board deferred a VoIP phone transition to summer, discussed government building heat budgets and a potential propane pricing contract, agreed to proceed with a CivicPlus website cutover, and asked for clearer documentation of election budget responsibilities and line-item accounting.
The Stoddard Selectmen addressed a set of administrative and operational items spanning technology, building energy costs, municipal website management, and election accounting.
On communications, the board deferred migrating to a VoIP phone system until the summer, citing implementation complexity. Members noted the need for Ethernet at each handset, an assessment of existing wiring (Cat5 vs. four-wire), power-over-Ethernet feasibility, and implications for operating phones across multiple town buildings on a shared internet connection. They concluded maintaining the current phone budget for now while preparing for a later transition better suits staff capacity.
The board examined heat budgets for municipal buildings — the Fire Station, Town Hall and the Gould House — in light of recent cold weather and insulation upgrades. Members discussed pursuing a propane pricing contract to help stabilize fuel costs across the heating season.
On web presence, the board agreed to move ahead with a CivicPlus website cutover to avoid the overhead of maintaining two sites. The selectmen directed staff to standardize homepage imagery, clarify whether minutes appear under "Minutes" or "Documents," create a Community Information page, remove non-town entities from "Departments and Committees," verify external links, and schedule staff training during business hours for site administration.
Regarding election expenses, selectmen noted confusion over the distribution of responsibilities among the moderator, town clerk and tax collector and how the Department of Revenue Administration (DRA) categorizes election-related costs. The board asked staff to provide clearer documentation for line items such as ballot clerks, training and testing; they clarified that training hours belong under salary while fees and travel should be recorded under training, and that a "moderator retreat" should be treated as a separate cost.
No final policy shifts were approved; the board directed staff to return with implementation details and timelines for the deferred VoIP transition, the website cutover, and any proposed propane contract.
