The N.H.T.C.A. Executive Board met in Concord at the offices of Plodzik and Sanderson, P.A.

Executive Board members present were Joan Porter, CTC, President, presiding; First Vice President Pat Tucker; Second Vice President Cindy Torsey, CTC; Treasurer Joyce McGee, CTC; Secretary Brenda LaPointe, CTC; Legislative Committee Chairman Jill Hadaway, CTC; Public Relations Director and Certification Committee Chairman Kathy Seaver, CTC; Education Committee Chairman Cheryl-Ann Bolouk, CTC; Convention Coordinator Desiree Mahurin, CTC; and Director at Large Patricia Woolsey, CDTC.

Guest – Honorary member George West.

The meeting was called to order at 9:30 a.m.

Minutes
Consideration of minutes from the July meeting was the first agenda item discussed. Patricia Woolsey noted that her name was not mentioned in the list of those in attendance. Jill Hadaway noted a correction on page 6, second paragraph, “Jill reminded everyone that the deadline for filing legislative changes is almost here so get things to here as soon as possible for consideration this session.”, change “get things to here” to “get things to her”. Pat Tucker made a motion to accept the minutes of the July 14, 2007 Executive Board meeting with corrections as noted. The motion was seconded by Jill Hadaway and passed by unanimous voice vote.

Correspondence and Items of Note

No correspondence was received in the last month.

Pat Tucker reminded Executive Board members about the following upcoming County meetings:

- Belknap County - August 28th

- Carroll County - September 12th

- Sullivan County - August 21st

- Hillsborough County - September 20th

Coos County and Grafton County have already held meetings. As for the rest, Pat will get in touch with the coordinators and remind them that they are obligated to hold one meeting a year.

Desiree asked Pat to remind all of the coordinators to get a copy of their minutes to her as soon as possible so they can be included in the convention packets. If she does not receive a copy of the minutes in a timely manner then the coordinators will be asked to provide enough copies for distribution.

Cindy Torsey noted that the audit will be taking place on October 4 th, 10 a.m., Plodzik & Sanderson. She also noted that during the process of setting up the audit it came to her attention that the Nominating Committee should be putting forth recommendations in time for the convention. When she contacted Blandine in Berlin, she told her that she no longer serves on the committee. This started a discussion about who does serve on this committee. The Director at Large (currently Patricia Woolsey) is always a member of the committee along with two other people appointed by the President. The committee usually gives a recommendation to the Board before the August meeting. Patty was asked by the President to come up with two other people to serve this year and to quickly get together and put forth recommendations. Patty said she has a couple of people in mind to ask and will report back as soon as possible.

One cautionary note, members of the Executive Board strongly suggested that people serving on the Nominating Committee not consider themselves candidates for any open positions. This has led to criticism in the past and is best avoided whenever possible.

For future reference, the task of appointing committee members should be the first order of business after the annual conference. A general note will be put on the website to contact the President if interested in serving on any boards or committees.

Secretary’s Report
A number of Convention scholarship applications have already been received from new Collectors. Brenda was quite surprised at how quickly they came in; some arrived even before she had received the convention information. She questioned one application from someone in Winchester who is not the Tax Collector. Apparently this person is the Deputy so the question is whether or not Deputies can be considered. Kathy said, “Only if they pay dues.” Brenda will check to see if dues have been paid; if not then let them know what needs to be done in order to be considered for the scholarship.

Brenda brought up the subject of postage costs as they pertain to envelope size. The cost of mailing a large envelope has gone up. This came as a bit of a surprise since there didn’t seem to be a lot of publicity about it when the postal rates changed last spring. This subject elicited considerable discussion and the realization that perhaps more research needs to be done and passed along at convention.

There are about thirty people up for longevity awards this year with one person withstanding the test of time for 40 years! Brenda expressed surprised at the fact that more people in office ten or more years are not Certified. Desiree suggested that perhaps a special scholarship should be offered every year to a “veteran” to encourage participation.

Brenda asked Kathy about the status of bulletin items. With everything she has on her plate and the debacle with her e-mail account Kathy hasn’t had time to put everything to together. After Certification and a well deserved vacation she will put everything together and forward to Brenda for distribution.

Finally, Brenda asked members of the Board if they could find it in their hearts to fund the purchase of a new tape recorder. She has a “love/hate relationship” with the one currently in use as it likes to munch on tapes. Patricia Woolsey made a motion to fund the purchase of a new tape recorder for the Secretary. The motion was seconded by Cheryl-Ann Bolouk and was approved by unanimous voice vote. (Thank you all! J)

Treasurer’s Report
Joyce handed out copies of the Treasurer’s Report dated August 8, 2007, and a draft of the Treasurer’s Annual Report. Once again she was pleased to report that the Association is in good shape. Dues and convention monies are the main source of revenue right now and the number of expenses is limited. The checking account has about $7,600.00 dollars in it right now and total cash on hand is $27,691.36.

Desiree Mahurin made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report dated August 8, 2007 as submitted. The motion was seconded by Pat Woolsey and was unanimously approved by voice vote.

Desiree turned over a couple of payments to Joyce, one for vendor registration and the other a $500.00 contribution from Countrywide. Des asked Joyce to keep track of any “odd” payments that might come in. She has already had some payments that were sent to LGC for commuter meals. It is a bit of a task to keep track of but she is diligently trying to keep it all straight.

Workshop Coordinator’s Report
Joe Wiggett was not in attendance thus no report was presented.

Certification Committee
Hard to believe, but Certification is next week. Kathy stated that a total of fifty seven people are registered for classes this year. Twenty four are first year students (including two people from DRA) and twenty seven people will be graduating. The re-cert class will see seventeen returning graduates.

The most exciting new development in the program is the addition of new teachers for the Personnel Management session. Both Kathy and Cheryl are very impressed and are looking forward to the presentation. Their enthusiasm stands as testament to the fact that even seasoned veterans are eager (and willing) to learn.

Kathy spoke briefly about the progress being made on the job description/evaluation for Town Clerks and/or Tax Collectors. She has been meeting with representatives from both organizations and is hoping to come up with a more accurate interpretation than the version currently being used as the standard by LGC.

Legislative Committee
Jill said there was “not much action” in the legislature right now. LGC’s final Legislative Bulletin for 2007 lists everything that passed this year (available on-line @ www.nhlgc.org). As everyone knows, the legislative session is called a biennium and runs on a two year cycle. They have just finished the first half and will now move on to the second part. Usually, the second session is not as active as the first, but new bills can be added and anything that was tabled can be brought up again. There is still time to submit the change discussed last month so Jill will be moving that forward.

Jill and Kathy will be meeting to review the bills that have passed this year and update the law books.

Jill noted in passing that a date has not yet been set for the Presidential Primary. Kathy said ballots are likely to be printed without dates indicating that a last minute change is likely. Many Board members voiced concern about the possible timing (during tax collection time) and the added unbudgeted costs.

Convention Coordinator’s Report

Reminder - 2007 Fall Convention – Wednesday, October 17 – Friday, October 19 th

Red Jacket Resort – North Conway, NH

Desiree was pleased to report that the convention packets were mailed and registrations were already being received. Letters will be mailed to vendors within the next few days. She asked Cheryl if the main speaker is all set for Wednesday. Cheryl explained that on July 19 th Bill Colton e-mailed his apologies and declined the invitation to speak at convention. After frantically searching for someone to fill the void she was able to come up with Toni Flewelling. Ms. Flewelling was formerly with the City of Concord, but is now a member of the Primex team. Cheryl confirmed that this speaker will not be in need of a room for the night so Des can cross that off her “to do” list.

Seventeen vendors will be displaying their wares during the breaks. Kathy mentioned she has heard of one group that was planning to attend the conference but was not going to set up a table. This prompted a discussion about whether or not this should be allowed. All of the other vendors pay a fee to show their products and talk with Collectors so why should one group reap some of the benefits without paying the customary fees? Executive Board members agreed to keep an eye out for any of these individuals. (We’ll sic George and his badge on any offenders!) Jill suggested that during introductions a subtle announcement be made thanking vendors for their sponsorships and reminding everyone that they pay to be a part of our convention.

Eight vendors have taken out advertisements on this year’s calendar. A total of $880.00 has been received in vendor sponsorships and FIS has donated a DVD player for a door prize. Pat T. mentioned that she will be sending a reminder notice out to the County Coordinators about their gifts ($50.00 reimbursement from Association). Joan was reminded to purchase a gift for the raffle too - $60.00 limit.

Desiree asked Brenda to send her a copy of the Past Presidents listing and a complete list of Tax Collectors for the First American booklet. All reports and miscellaneous information for the packets will need to be in by August 30 th.

Education Committee Report
Cheryl’s big news was the change of speakers for the first session, as previously noted. The Education Committee will be meeting again the week of August 20 th. The only item left to be refined is scenarios for the “technical issues” session. Some things have already been put into place but it needs a bit more organization before going live. Kathy, Cheryl and Bernie Campbell will be joining forces to present the session on bankruptcy Friday morning. Bernie will be providing the “technical” part – the differences between the various forms of bankruptcy. Cheryl and Kathy will be handling the “practical” side, everything from filling out the forms to posting payments. The MS-61 - A General Overview will be presented by Kathy and Pat W. prior to breaking off into user groups. (Complete details of this session are to be ironed out after certification.) Cheryl will send a list of the user groups to Desiree so she can make sure there are enough rooms available.

Cheryl asked how many microphones will be available for each session. Three wireless microphones, three table microphones and two easels have been requested for use during the entire conference. This should cover all of our needs. Cheryl will get back to Des about the need for any screens or overhead equipment. Desiree will contact the vendors to make sure equipment is available to meet their needs as well.

Cheryl asked everyone to forward any specific employee issues to her attention for use during the “Employee Issues” segment. This subject sparked quite the conversation which managed to encompass everything from use of e-mail and cell phones to documentation of employee problems. (Looks like there will be plenty of fuel to keep our speaker busy!)

New Business
George West took the floor and gave a short pep talk about the usefulness of including a short narrative in the annual report. He recently visited the Town of Bristol and was told by the Tax Collector that as a result of discussions during a certification forum, for the first time she intends to include a short blurb in this year’s report. George applauded the effort and hopes that many others will follow her lead.

He took a few minutes to give a “job well done” nod to the Board’s very own Desiree Mahurin who received a special commendation from Governor Lynch for her participation in local government. George went on to say that Desiree’s narrative, six paragraphs, was one of the best he had ever read. Desiree said that she also took some of the things learned at certification last year and used them as tools to formulate the narrative. George’s point was, “Don’t hesitate to promote yourself.” Information readily available through our jobs should be passed along to the public so that citizens are more aware of what is actually involved with execution of the job. On behalf of all members of the Association - Congratulations Desiree!

Policy Relative to Flowers for Tax Collectors
Joan wanted to take a minute to discuss the policy as it stands for purchasing flowers for members of the Association. This practice could end up becoming quite expensive over time. The concern always is that someone will be forgotten unintentionally as the Executive Board is not always aware when someone is sick or has lost a family member. Joyce referenced the currently policy which says, “A $50.00 memorial donation following the death of a member, associate member, a family member of a member, or a family member of an associate member.” A suggestion was made to get rid of the associate member part and add at the discretion of the Executive Board. No motion to amend the current policy was forthcoming; however, a recommendation was made to review this section during the next term.

Kathy suggested a section be added to the policies specifying that at the first meeting after convention all policies will be reviewed. This would be the ideal time to take a look at some of the items discussed throughout the course of the previous year. (Note for November, 2007 agenda.)

Cheryl-Ann Bolouk made a motion to adjourn. Desiree Mahurin seconded the motion and passed unanimously.

Next meeting – September 13th; 9:30 a.m..

Respectfully submitted,

Brenda LaPointe, CTC
Secretary