Minutes
December 1, 2005
Present: C. Peter Cole
Henry C. Cobb
Norman John Arrison
Daniel Boyer
Patricia Daniels
Others Present: Larry Melen, Town Manager
Lisa Sargent, Recording Secretary
Rolly Cann, Budget Committee
Wes Hazeltine, Road Foreman
Julia Lloyd Wright, Eagle Times
Rachel Frank, Budget Committee
Rick Butler
DeForest Bearse, Land Use Administrator
Edith Stillson
Barry Newton, Constable
1. Call to Order by Chairperson: Mr. Cole called the Weathersfield Select Board meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. at the Martin Memorial Hall.
2. 7:00P.M. Public Hearing (continued from 17 November 2005)
Reclassification of Town Highway 32 (Tarbell Hill Road): Mr. Melen said four members of the Board approved the draft notice. Mr. Arrison made the motion to close the Public Hearing on Tarbell Hill Road and issue the decision in favor of reclassification. Mr. Cobb seconded the motion, which passed without dissent.
3. Comments from citizens: Mrs. Daniels said she received a notice from Mrs. Barbara Richardson that there have not been Select Board minutes posted on the web site since the meeting on September 1 and asked for an explanation. Lisa Sargent explained she sends the minutes to the web master when four or so weeks worth are ready to be posted. The main reason for this is because of a slow computer. It was decided that Lisa Sargent and Mr. Melen would discuss submitting them on a regular basis.
Mrs. Daniels also said there is (was) an advertisement for Pug Rescue Cookbook on the site and asked if this was a paid advertisement. Mr. Melen said this is from a citizen that is a member of the PUG Rescue Association. There was discussion as to why this was posted and if it should have been and if it should still be. It was decided that this discussion would be put on the next agenda to discuss what should and should not be posted on the web site. Mr. Cobb asked for copies of the minutes from when the Board previously discussed this.
Mr. Cobb said on November 18th at Weathersfield Middle School there was a talent show and proceeds went to the Veterans Memorial. Approximately 150 people attended and $443.10 was donated. The Veterans Memorial Committee is looking at other fundraisers including an auction.
5. Monthly Activity Reports:
Highway Department: Mr. Hazeltine said he wanted the Board aware that he has had calls in the past and has already received calls this year about plowing and/or sanding when there is only one or two inches of snow.
Mr. Hazeltine said there were a couple of roads hit pretty hard during the last rainstorm. A couple of roads had construction equipment traffic when they shouldn’t have however, some other roads gave out without the heavy construction traffic. He said he talked to both construction companies and one admitted they should not have been hauling as much as they did. He will have further information for the Board on the repairs at the next meeting.
Mr. Hazeltine said he would like to advertise the Fiat Loader for sale, the consensus of the Board was ok to go ahead and do this. He also said that Gene Adams is interested in the GMC Jimmy and he would like the Town to give this to Gene Adams for all the work that he does for the Town like vehicle inspections, plowing out hydrants, work on vehicles etc. He said it is worth approximately $200. Mr. Melen said he would like to note we have had another inquiry on the vehicle. Mr. Melen said the valuation is $500 before the Town is required to put it out to bid. Mr. Cobb made the motion to transfer the title to Gene Adams on the GMC Jimmy for $1. Mr. Boyer seconded the motion, which passed without dissent.
Mrs. Daniels said she is concerned the Town Garage is still without a working computer system and she would like to see a new computer put there for Town employee’s use. It was decided to put this on the next agenda. Mr. Cobb said he would like it noted what does not work with the current computer system.
Mr. Cobb asked Mr. Hazeltine if they were still hauling sand out of the Bow pit, Mr. Hazeltine said until the storm came. Mr. Cobb asked if the gravel situation was ok, Mr. Hazeltine said yes. Mr. Cobb asked if we are set for salt and sand, Mr. Hazeltine said he will haul more sand when there is a break in the weather and we order salt as needed.
Land Use Department: Mrs. Bearse said she had heard concern about her advertising in the Eagle Times instead of The Message. She said even though the ads appeared larger they were the same size, the column width is wider than The Message so the ad appears larger but is not. As for the cost it was less expensive to advertise in the Eagle so there was not additional cost. The reason this was done is because of a timing issue. She noted she has been told the ad rates are increasing (about doubling) in both the Eagle Times and The Message.
Constable: Mr. Newton went over his written report. He also mentioned he attended a meeting at Woodstock and there is a now a Windsor County Coalition that will have a monthly meeting, they will track and look at animal cruelty. Mr. Newton asked the Board to reimburse him for a coat and boots he recently purchased and also noted he has decided to wear khakis. Mr. Arrison asked Mr. Newton if he wore gloves and proper protective gear when working on a dog with injuries, Mr. Newton said he had proper safety equipment in his van. Mr. Melen asked the Board if they wanted to reimburse Barry, the consensus of the Board was yes. Mr. Cobb asked what account the money collected went into, Mr. Melen said it goes into revenue accounts.
Police: Mr. Arrison said during the recent evacuation there was some criticism of an over reaction and but he feels the Fire Chief did the right thing, Chief Brown agreed. He also mentioned he has heard about reverse 911 and has been told Vermont’s system isn’t compatible yet but should be upgraded within a year.
Mr. Boyer said he had a few calls from citizens with concerns about the evacuation and they will be brought up at the next fire commission meeting.
Mr. Cole thanked several people on behalf of the Select Board for their assistance during the evacuation.
Mr. Cobb asked Chief Brown if communication was OK. Chief Brown said it wasn’t at the beginning, he could not talk to the fire department so he had to have a fire department member with him to communicate with them. Mr. Cobb asked if there was a time when it wasn’t known who was in charge, Chief Brown said no.
Solid Waste Management Fund: Mr. Melen said Mr. Hazeltine and Patrice have started to pull bills and review them but we are still out of whack. He noted the Construction and Demolition haulage has had a fuel surcharge added to it.
6. Old Business:
A. Stop Sign Ordinance (continued from 03 November 2005) Third Reading: Mrs. Daniels made the motion to approve the Stop Sign Ordinance for the final reading, Mr. Cobb seconded the motion. Mr. Melen said he would have it available for signatures at the meeting on the 15th. Motion carried unanimously.
B. Current Tax Collections (Continues from 17 November 2005): Mr. Melen said currently we are short $152,700, last year we were short $140,000. Mrs. Daniels asked if there would be a tax sale in the spring, Mr. Melen said a tax sale would start in February. Mrs. Daniels asked if the October property had been reclaimed, Mr. Melen said not yet.
C. Ascutney Crosswalk (Continued from 02 June 2005): Mr. Melen said he hasn’t heard anything yet. He talked to Representative Shand and he will follow up on this. Mr. Cobb asked for this to be continued on the agenda.
7. New Business:
A. Appoint Town Health Officer Laurence J. Melen: Mr. Melen said this is a three-year term. Mr. Boyer made the motion to recommend appointing Laurence J. Melen as Town Health Officer. Mrs. Daniels seconded the motion, which passed without dissent.
B. Fiscal 2007 Budget Discussion: Mrs. Daniels said she would like a day time meeting on a Saturday or Sunday in January with a concerted effort from the Budget Committee and the Select Board to discuss the budget. There was discussion about this and it was the consensus of the Budget Committee members and the Select Board members that this could be done during the scheduled Thursday night meetings.
Mr. Melen proposes to increase the Accountant position to 30 hours so the position would qualify for benefits. It was discussed that the proposed cost of living increase was set at 4.7% aggregate and three positions have been reclassified this year being the secretary, the accounts clerk and the accountant.
Mr. Cobb asked Mr. Cann what the Budget Committee does at this point. Mr. Cann said they review the information individually, write their notes and discuss at the next meeting. He said they sometimes meet before the Select Board joint meeting to discuss the budget. Mrs. Daniels asked who was on the committee and Mr. Melen said Wayne Gammel and Betty Adams along with Mr. Cann and Mrs. Frank.
C. Energy Conservation Measures: Mr. Melen said Johnson and Dix were at the Town Office to look at the heat again and it still doesn’t make sense. He noted he has made inquiries about having an energy audit done at the Town Garage and he is doing a fuel analysis, letters will go out to the two Fire Chiefs.
D. Ascutney Volunteer Fire Department: Mr. Boyer asked to table this because Chief Spaulding is meeting with the State regarding the evacuation.
E. Agendas: Mrs. Daniels said she would like to receive the agenda in the mail on Saturday and she does not think it is worth while to have the Town crews deliver them to each household.
F. Disposal of Town Land Highway Garage Boundary Adjustments: Mr. Melen received a list of 12 things that we have to do, he has called Mr. Rapanotti to work on a few of the issues, he will answer to the rest.
Mr. Melen said we need to get a representative for the Southern Windsor/Windham Counties Solid Waste Management District as soon as possible. Mr. Arrison said he would call someone to see if they are interested.
9. Sign Treasurer’s Warrants: Mr. Cobb made the motion to approve the Treasurer’s Warrants dated December 1, 2005 as follows:
General Fund Payroll $ 13,035.26
General Fund Operating Expense $783,719.45
Highway Fund Payroll $ 14,339.75
Highway Fund Operating Expense $151,776.77
Solid Waste Management Fund Payroll $ 2,880.26
Solid Waste Management Fund Operating Expense $ 372.77
Mr. Arrison seconded the motion. Mr. Melen noted the State Education payment was made and the Loader payment was made. Motion carried unanimously.
Mrs. Daniels said she received a call that the transfer of the old fire truck we agreed to do on September 15th has not been done. Mr. Melen said Mr. Knight found the papers and it is done.
10. Next Meeting’s Agenda Items: Advertisement on the Web, Veterans Memorial, Gravelin & Skyline Drive, Sale of Fiat Loader, Highway Garage Computer, Budget, Sign Stop Sign Ordinance, Ascutney Crosswalk and Ascutney Fire Department.
11. Executive Session, Personnel: Mr. Arrison made the motion to go into Executive Session to discuss Personnel. Mrs. Daniels seconded the motion, which passed without dissent.
The Select Board came out of executive session at 10:04 p.m. at which time Mr. Cobb made the motion to adjourn. Mr. Boyer seconded the motion, which passed without dissent. The Weathersfield Select Board meeting was adjourned at 10:05 p.m. on Thursday December 1, 2005.
Respectfully Submitted,
Lisa Sargent
Approved by the Weathersfield Select Board on December 15, 2005
_____________________
C. Peter Cole
Henry C. Cobb
Norman John Arrison
Daniel Boyer
Patricia Daniels