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7 JENNY HILL LANE NASHUA, NH 02062 (603)-501-0516
NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE
SCALE: 1" = 100" JANUARY 9 2020

SIGNATURE OF SPONSOR

Surveying # Engineering # Land Planning Permitting + Septic Designs

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206 Elm Street, Milford, MH 03055
Phone: (603) 672-5456 Feoc (G03) 413-5456
www.FieldstoneLandConsultants.com

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A special meeting of the Board of Aldermen was held Wednesday, June 10, 2020, at 7:00 p.m. via Webex.
President Lori Wilshire presided; City Clerk Susan K. Lovering recorded.

Prayer was offered by Deputy City Clerk Nicole Reyes; Alderman Brandon Michael Laws led in the Pledge
to the Flag.

President Wilshire

As President of the Board of Aldermen, | find that due to the State of Emergency declared by the
Governor as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and in accordance with the Governor's Emergency
Order #12 pursuant to Executive Order 2020-04, this public body is authorized to meet electronically.

Please note that there is no physical location to observe and listen contemporaneously to this meeting,
which was authorized pursuant to the Governors Emergency Order. However, in accordance with the
Emergency Order, | am confirming that we are:

a) Providing public access to the meeting by telephone, with additional access possibilities
by video or other electronic means:

To access Webex, please refer to the agenda or the City’s website for the meeting link:

To join by phone dial: 1-408-418-9388 - Meeting number/access code: 712 759 664

If for some reason you cannot connect to Webex, please contact us at (603) 821-2049 and they will help
you with connectivity. The public may also view the meeting via Channel 16.

The public may also view the meeting via Channel 16.
b) Providing public notice of the necessary information for accessing the meeting:

We previously gave notice to the public of the necessary information for accessing the meeting,
through public postings. Instructions have also been provided on the City of Nashua’s website at
www.nashuanh.gov and publicly noticed at City Hall, Public Health Department and the Nashua
Telegraph.

c) Providing a mechanism for the public to alert the public body during the meeting if there are
problems with access:

If anybody has a problem accessing the meeting via phone or Channel 16, please call 603-821-2049
and they will help you connect.

d) Adjourning the meeting if the public is unable to access the meeting:
In the event the public is unable to access the meeting via the methods mentioned above, the

meeting will be adjourned and rescheduled. Please note that all votes that are taken during this
meeting shall be done by roll call vote.

Board of Aldermen 6-10-2020 Page 2

Let’s start the meeting by taking a roll call attendance. When each member states their presence, please
also state whether there is anyone in the room with you during this meeting, which is required under
the Right-To-Know Law.

City Clerk Lovering called the roll and asked them to state the reason he or she could not attend, confirmed
that they could hear the proceedings, and stated who was present with him or her.

The roll call was taken with 15 members of the Board of Aldermen present: Alderman Michael B. O’Brien,
Sr., Alderman Patricia Klee, Alderwoman Shoshanna Kelly, Alderman Richard A. Dowd, Alderman June M.
Caron, Alderman Benjamin Clemons, Alderman Lopez, Alderman David C. Tencza, Alderwoman Elizabeth
Lu, Alderman Ernest Jette, Alderman Jan Schmidt, Alderman Brandon Michael Laws, Alderman Skip
Cleaver, Alderman Linda Harriott-Gathright, Alderman Wilshire.

Mayor James W. Donchess, Corporation Counsel Steven A. Bolton, and Lisa Fauteux, Director of Public
Works were also in attendance.

Alderman O’Brien

Present, | can hear the proceedings, | am alone and | am practicing social distancing.
Alderman Klee

Yes, | am here, | can hear the proceedings, | am practicing social distancing and | am alone.
Alderwoman Kelly

| am here, | am alone, | am practicing social distancing and | can hear everyone.

Alderman Dowd

Yes, | can hear everyone, | am here alone and | am practicing social distancing in accordance with the
Governor's directive.

Alderman Caron

| am here, | can hear everyone, and | am practicing social distancing.

Alderman Clemons

Yes, | am here, | can hear everyone, | am by myself and | am staying home under the Governor's orders.
Alderman Lopez

| am here, | am social distancing, | have nobody with me and | can hear your every word.

Alderman Tencza

| am present, | can hear everybody, and | am staying home per the Governor’s order and no one is in the
room with me.

Alderwoman Lu

| am here alone, hearing you well, | am practicing social distancing.

Board of Aldermen 6-10-2020 Page 3
Alderman Jette

| am here, | am alone, | can hear you and | am obeying the Governor's Order to stay home.
Alderman Schmidt

| am present, | can hear the proceedings, | am alone and | am following the directive for distancing.
Alderman Laws

| am here, | can hear you, | am alone and | am also following the directive for social distancing.
Alderman Cleaver

| am here, | am alone, following social distancing.

Alderman Harriott-Gathright

| am present, | can hear you, | am in this room alone and | am practicing social distancing.

President Wilshire

| am here, | am al one and | am practicing social distancing. Mayor are you on tonight?

Mayor Donchess

Yes, Madam President.

President Wilshire

OK, thank you. And Corporation Counsel, Steve Bolton?

Alderman Dowd

Attorney Clarke is one.

President Wilshire

Attorney Clark, ok very good. And there are a number of other people that maybe we can have them
introduce themselves so that we know that they are here before | turn the meeting over to Alderman Dowd.
Chief Rhodes? Chief?

Chief Rhodes

Good evening, yes, | am here, | am alone and | am honored to be before the Board. Thank you.
President Wilshire

And it looks like David Boucher?

David Boucher, Wastewater Superintendent

Yes, Dave Boucher, Wastewater Superintendent. Thank you for having me.

Board of Aldermen 6-10-2020 Page 4
President Wilshire
Yes. Don Davidson.

Don Davidson, Fire Commissioner

Yes, | am here, | can hear you and | am alone.
President Wilshire
And we have Dorie Clarke.

Dorie Clark, City Attorney

Yes, | am here, happy to participate in the meeting.
President Wilshire

Thank you. We have Deputy Chief Walker.
Deputy Chief Walker

| am here, | can hear you and! am alone.
President Wilshire

And we have John Griffin. And I’m not sure if there is anybody else. If there is, could you identify yourself
please?

David Fredette, City Treasurer

Alderman Wilshire, this David Fredette, City Treasurer.
President Wilshire
Ok thank you.

Kim Kleiner, Director of Administrative Services

Kim Kleiner, Administrative Services.
President Wilshire
Thank you.

Kevin Burgess, Fire Commissioner

Kevin Burgess, Fire Commissioner.
President Wilshire

Anybody else that hasn’t been identified that is part of the meeting?

Board of Aldermen 6-10-2020 Page 5

John McAllister, Nashua Fire & Rescue

John McCallister, | can hear you, | am home and | am alone.
President Wilshire

Anyone else? OK as is customary, | will turn this meeting over to the Chairman of the Budget Committee,
Alderman Dowd.

Chairman Dowd

Good evening everyone. We have two Public Hearings this evening on two different subjects. We will not
be taking a break between them. We will take a 5-minute break between the Public Hearing and the actual
Budget Meeting. | will be calling for testimony in favor and testimony in opposition twice. If somebody would
like to speak, if you are on video, please raise your hand and | will see you and recognize you. If you are
on the phone, please just state your name and | will try and catch you — if many people are talking at the
same time we will get whoever will like to speak on either one of the items. Vhen we leave the Public
Hearing, we will be going into the Budget Meeting and then the only people that will be able to attend will
be from the Board of Aldermen.

When we include the Public Hearing, before we get into the Budget Meeting, if you have any lingering
questions for Attorney Clarke, Treasurer Fredette or Mr. Griffin, they may not be staying for the entire
regular Budget Meeting so if you have a question, please ask them so that they can sign off.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
R-20-040 AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND CITY TREASURER TO BORROW FROM THE NEW
HAMPSHIRE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES STATE REVOLVING LOAN
FUND AN ADDITIONAL AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED TWO MILLION FIVE HUNDRED
THOUSAND DOLLARS ($2,500,000) FOR PUMP STATION UPGRADES

Chairman Dowd

Is there anyone that is going to speak to that for us from the City? Someone going to present what we are
doing with this motion?

David Fredette, City Treasurer

That would be the Superintendent of Wastewater. This is David Fredette.
Chairman Dowd
Yes. Would the Superintendent please let us know the extent of what we are doing with this particular bond?

David Boucher, Superintendent of Wastewater

Yes this is David Boucher, | don’t know if you can see me, but | am the Superintendent. This bond, currently
we have a sewer pump station upgrade project. The project consists of upgrading 13 sewer pump stations
throughout the City of Nashua. Most of the pump stations were built in the 1960’s and have exceeded their
useful life. So we are doing complete rehabs on all of them; some are receiving new buildings. All are
receiving new pumps, some that didn’t have buildings are receiving buildings. Some only had one pump, now
they are receiving back up pumps. So this is taking place, currently we have six being upgraded currently as
part of Phase I.

Board of Aldermen 6-10-2020 Page 6

And we have Phase Il, this one should be complete around September. We are getting ready to start going out
to bid for Phase II which would be the remainder of the pump stations. So this Resolution is for additional
monies. The project initially started, it was in the works in 2015 so | think the money had a changed over time, a
need for more money, change over time as expenses increased. So this Resolution would help us borrow
more money from the State to cover the cost of Phase Il.

Chairman Dowd

Thank you. Treasurer Fredette, did you want to add anything to that?

Mr. Fredette

No, | didn’t really have anything, unless somebody had a question. But as the Superintendent stated, this is a
loan from the State, not a bond. The requirements, it is a lot easier than going through a bond process, we do
have quite a few loans through the State for Wastewater.

Chairman Dowd

Are there any of the Aldermen that would like a clarifying question before we get started in the Public
Testimony? Alderman Lu?

Alderwoman Lu

Thank you, Chairman Dowd. Could you clarify for me, did you say the $2.5 million will include funds for Phase
II? You started out talking about Phase | and then you mentioned Phase II. So if | could just get clarification?

Mr. Boucher

Yes, we had borrowed enough money for part of Phase Il, it wasn’t enough. We need to borrow an additional
$2.5 million. We are expecting Phase II to cost around $6.1 / $6.2 million, so we need the additional $2.5.

Alderwoman Lu
Thank you. Just to follow up, so you are currently in Phase II.
Mr. Boucher

No, we are currently in Phase |. Phase | should be complete around September. That’s the first six pump
stations.

Alderwoman Lu

Ok and what is the interest rate that the State charges?
Mr. Fredette

That’s listed in the Bond Resolution, it’s 2%.
Alderwoman Lu

Thank you, that’s all.

Board of Aldermen 6-10-2020 Page 7
Chairman Dowd

OK any other questions before we get going in Public Testimony? Seeing none, | will now take testimony in
favor of R-20-040. Is there anyone that would like to speak in favor?

TESTIMONY IN FAVOR - None

TESTIMONY IN OPPOSITION - None

TESTIMONY IN FAVOR - None

TESTIMONY IN OPPOSITION - None

Chairman Dowd
| will now close the Public Hearing on R-20-040. The next item for Public Hearing is R-20-041.

R-20-041 APPROVING THE COST ITEMS OF A COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT
BETWEEN THE MAYOR AND THE BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS OF THE CITY
OF NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE AND LOCAL #789, INTERNATIONAL ASSOCATION OF
FIRE FIGHTERS FROM JULY 1, 2019 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2023 AND AUTHORIZING A
RELATED TRANSFER AND SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION

Chairman Dowd
Who from the City would like to present the City’s point of view on this?
Mr. Davidson

This is Chairman Davidson, | would ask and yield to the Chief and | will make comments afterwards, thank
you.

Fire Chief Brian Rhodes

Good evening everyone. Thank you for the opportunity to testify before you. No one knew we would be
facing the pandemic or the situation that we are in. | have faithfully served this City for over 33 years. And
in those 33 years it has never been a good time for the Fire Fighters. The Fire Fighters have historically —
well first let me back, full transparency. | have paid Union Dues for Local 789 for 29 % years. | no longer
pay any dues, | roll the fire trucks they ride on, | crawl down the hallways they crawl down, | do the Safe
Station calls they do today, that we started 3 % almost 4 years ago.

This contract negotiations was not easy. We did not roll over as a City, we did not roll over as a Fire
Administration. And there was some healthy dialogue along the way. The letter that you all received from
Fire Private Michael O’Brien, Jr. was very factual: extremely factual. The Fire Fighters of Local 789 are not
looking for parity with our brothers and sisters of the Nashua Police Department. They are looking to close
the gap. And that document that you got clearly is spelled out, the disparities and the differences between
all levels of both organizations. Now both organizations, and again, | am in no way, shape, or form
speaking against our Police Department, because we have the best Police Department in New England; we
have the best Fire Department in New England.

| didn’t want to bring this up at this point because it’s not really factual but | am going to because | think you
need to hear this as the Board of Aldermen. So the Management Study that you approved for our
Organization has been sidetracked a little bit. But through that process, the lead for Emergency Services
Consulting International, one of the things that they do is they look at our past studies and they look at our
past ISO ratings, which determines business insurance rates.

Board of Aldermen 6-10-2020 Page 8

We have been an ISO Class II Fire Department for as long as I’ve been here. Again, | am not 100% sure,
but | am 99% sure, that in a very short time, we are going to be the first Fire Department in the State of
New Hampshire that is going to be an ISO Class | Fire Department. And that’s pretty big, because there
are less than 300 Fire or Rescue Organizations in the entire country who have achieved that level.

And we got to this, and we found this through the study that you so graciously approved, to help us
determine the needs of our Fire Department going forward based upon the growth of our organization.
Again, | am not guaranteeing that, in full transparency, we are 99% sure this is going to happen in very
short order.

To the contract — again we did not roll over as a City negotiating. The Board of Fire Commissioners,
Attorney Clarke was there through all of it, financial services, Rose Evans was there through much of this.
But it isn’t all just a give. The Fire Union made some pretty good concessions and | am going to highlight
three of them. So if you please excuse me, | am just going to read from the paper that | have so | don’t
misquote what is in this tentative agreement.

Currently, our dispatchers are paid time and a half overtime for every minute after their scheduled time,
which means they work varying schedules because of the rotation. So they could be 34, 38, 48 hours a
week. The way the current contract was written, if they worked 34 hours, they would get overtime for hour
35 at time and a half. We were able, through negotiations, to come to an agreement with Local 789 that we
brought that to 40 hours. But that 40 hours is just like the Fire Fighters and that is feet on the floor time,
which means they have to come to work. If you take a sick day, if you take a vacation day, you have to
make up those hours before you get into the time and a half overtime. That’s a big concession.

In this contract we negotiated for and the City wanted this, the Fire Administration wanted this, the Fire
Commission wanted this, when we got the three dispatchers in our Fire Alarm Office, the two person model
and the three person model currently, there is no defined outlined supervisor in that room. Currently, we
still have one trainer / clerk for the Fire Alarm Division. That means that one person is responsible for
training all of the different and new employees we bring in. So just think about that. One person is
responsible for, at the time, 7 others, excuse me, now 11 other people, so how do we get consistent
training for these members? We have to keep moving people around. We have to keep adjusting
schedules, so one of the things we did in this new contract was, and we have already tested for it, we have
tested to create and eliminate the Clerk Dispatcher position and create a Dispatch Supervisor position,
which would be similar to a Lieutenant. So now we have a person in that room 24/7 who is responsible for
decision making, who is accountable and it is not just peers. | mean no disrespect to our dispatchers when
| say this. This was peers working together and the difference might have been seniority. So now with this
contract, we can have a supervisor in that room 24/7 which is safer for our community, it’s safer for our Fire
Fighters, it is safer all around.

The third major concession that Local 789 made was in our promotional process. Currently you do need
any prerequisites other than one year on the Fire Department to testing to the Fire Marshall’s Division.
Through the negotiations we were able to secure that anyone starting on January 1* of 2021 who aspires
to be a member of the Fire Marshall's Division must have Fire Inspector | and Fire Inspector Certifications
prior to taking the exam. What does that do, what does that mean for us? That means we are saving
money now because we do not have to send someone out to achieve the Certification to do that job. That
was in the current contract.

| am not going to belabor this point; | fully understand the current situation we are in. Again we were in a
blue-chip economy, we were in record low unemployment, we were in record low vacancy rates in the City
of Nashua. The City of Nashua is exploding with building and developing which is putting more work on the
limited staff that we have and | am going to bring it up because it has to come up. Our Fire Fighters have
done the Safe Station Program for 4 years, with $0 additional benefit. They have done a fantastic job; they
have saved lives and it is because of the great job they did. And they took this on and they didn’t ask for
anything at the beginning because they knew we were in a problem; we had a huge problem as a City and
they took it on.

Board of Aldermen 6-10-2020 Page 9

So again, | totally understand the situation we are in, | am taxpayer, | have been for many, many years. |
plan on being one for many more years. But at the end of the day, the question for me is, when is the right
time to do the right thing for the Nashua Fire Fighters. So | appreciate you giving me the opportunity to
speak, | am truly passionate about this organization because this organization has been so good to me and
my family.

Again, we are a shining star in the New England Region and far beyond and we are because we have
support from our community and we have good employees who do a fantastic job for us every day who are
not looking, they are not looking to get anything they don’t deserve, because they fully deserve it. So | ask
you, you have a tough decision before you, again | fully understand that and | just ask you to please, really
thing about the implications of this contract and think about the good things that your Fire Fighters do in our
community, every single day. Thank you.

Chairman Dowd

Thank you, Chief. Mr. Davidson, did you want to add something to the Chief's statements, or do you want
to wait until Public Comment.

Don Davidson, Nashua Fire Commissioner

The comment part may be appropriate if that fits the system.

Chairman Dowd

Ok, is there anyone else on the City side that wants to comment? OK and unless somebody has an
objection, | am going to ask that the President of the Nashua Fire & Rescue, if he would like to say anything

at this point or wait for public comment?

John McAllister, Nashua Fire & Rescue

The Chief hit a lot of good points right on. This contract has been negotiated: we’ve been in negotiations
for this for over a year now. Local 789 sent a letter of intent to the City and we started negotiations back in
March of 2019. It took that long before this Local stood firm on some of the goals that we wanted to
accomplish here. Those goals that we wanted to accomplish, as the Chief had mentioned, were to close
the gap in pay that our members currently have in reference to our brothers and sisters in the Police
Department. And again, | do not begrudge them, they are worth every penny that they make; but so aren't
our members.

As the Chief had stated, for four years now we have been dealing with opioid crisis in the City head on. Our
members are on the frontline. Four years ago our working conditions changed for the members of the
Local 789. We didn’t bat an eye; we took the challenge and we accepted it and | think our members have
done a fantastic job. Many lives have been saved and many people have fought the addiction and they
have come out on the other end. But our members have not been compensated for that. Four years a
change in working conditions and we haven't received any type of benefit for that. So that’s why we would
stood firm on the percentages that we are looking for.

Not too long ago this Board approved the contract for the Police Supervisors for 3% over a 4-year deal.

We are asking for 1/2 % more. We are asking for 72% more due to Safe Stations, due to our involvement in
that process. Over the past, as the Chief had mentioned, it is never a good time for the Fire Fighters. At
the end of March we finally came to a deal after two mediations. We had mediations for over 6 hours with a
private mediator, two separate occasions. And then we filed for fact finding. But at the last minute we went
back to the table and we were able to successfully come out with the agreement that you have before you
tonight. That’s a fair deal. It’s a fair deal for the City; it’s a fair deal for our members. As the Chief had said,
it's never a good time for the Fire Fighters. We come out at the end of February with that agreement and
then — Bam — COVID-19 hits us unexpectedly. Nobody saw this coming, it’s not our fault, it is nobody’s
fault.