BY DAVE CHOATE

Town offices are entrusted with providing information to their residents every day, so it’s little surprise that the offices for Goffstown, Weare, New Boston and Dunbarton fared well in our of Right to Know Law investigation.

In Goffstown, our reporter dealt with Board of Selectmen executive secretary Kathryn Fisher and Linda Moody of the finance department. Both women addressed the reporter’s requests immediately despite what appeared to be a busy day at town hall.

When town salaries were requested from Moody, a 20- year veteran of the town hall, she said she fields such requests on a regular basis. She said she almost inquired about the reporter’s identity but stopped herself when she remembered she could not under the Right to Know Law. Moody handed over the requested salaries a few minutes after they were asked for.

“I’m glad we did what we were supposed to be doing. I’d rather give out the information and have the truth be known,” Moody said.

The reporter then spoke with Fisher, who warned her that copies were a dollar a page and the minutes from the last meeting were 15 pages long. She offered that the reporter could find the minutes on the town’s Web site if money was a concern and pointed out where the minutes could be found.

Fisher said she did not realize she was speaking to a reporter.

“I’m not allowed to inquire that under the Right to Know Law,” she said.

In Weare, both requests were granted to our reporter.

The payroll list that was given to the reporter only had pay rates for hourly employees and not salaries for salaried employees, which Tina Pelletier of the finance office said was a computer mistake.    

She offered to take his e-mail address and send the pertinent information.

“I’ll have to get the software people to fix that,” she told the reporter.

New Boston also granted our requests with no hassle.

The reporter spoke with Town Administrator Burton Reynolds afterward to attempt to gauge the town’s knowledge of the Right to Know Law.

“We have a limited number of requests through the year; we just don’t get many inquiries. I think that maybe that is because we have been using the Web site a great deal to place some of these public records,” Reynolds said.

He added that most of the department heads are familiar with the law and others will ask before giving something out if they are unsure if it is public information.

Dunbarton also complied with the requests. Town Administrator Janice VandeBogart said requests are infrequent but almost always granted.

“We like people to put what they’re looking for into writing because that way we’re able to get it for them right away. If the person is a resident of Dunbarton they’re entitled to up to 20 free copies. That’s why I asked (what town the reporter was from),” VandeBogart said.

She said town employees are well versed on the Right to Know law but take precautions regardless.

“If it isn’t someone’s department or job, we make sure to have them ask the person to wait until I come back, and they know to call me and if it’s something available I will get it. We try to treat everybody right,” VandeBogart said.

Dunbarton resident Lori Davis said her experience with the town officers has been a bit different.

“I’m asking for stuff they don’t readily want to release. It tends to depend on who’s in the office as to whether or not I can get the information I ask for,” Davis said.