Town of Brookfield
Selectboard Meeting
November 26, 2018 at 6:30 P.M.
Town Clerk’s Office
Draft Minutes
Present: John Benson (Chair), Cory Haggett, Jeff Kimmel, Dawn Conant, Ray Peck (Road Crew Foreman), Stuart Edson, Starr Strong
Call to Order: 6:39 p.m.
Adjustments to Agenda: Highway business first as Mr. Peck has to depart due to impending storm.
Public Comment: None
New Business:
Highway
Witts Bridge Emergency Repair
VTrans approved Mr. Peck’s recommendation of Parent Construction Inc. (PCI) as contractor for the repair work. Proposed schedule is for substantial completion of the project by December 21, and final completion by Dec. 28; these are draft dates.
Peck met with PCI: the water level is high right now and the contractor is concerned that bridge damage is likely to increase if the project is delayed.
Historic preservation protections for the project: as this is an emergency situation, the contractor will need to avoid impacts to what is left of the bridge.
Benson will send Mr. Peck and Board members copies of the bid proposal documentation (Bid, Certificate of Insurance, ANR Permit, Grant Conditions etc.). Mr. Benson will report on contract status as discussions with the contractor continue.
For the sake of grant funding and reimbursement, Mr. Peck will need to work with Administrative Assistant Kasey Peterson to document Town materials, equipment, and labor that used in the project.
Haggett made a motion to accept the proposed bid from PCI with revised provisions to Articles 3, 4, and 8, and to authorize Mr. Benson to sign on behalf of the Town once the contract is finalized and executed by PCI; Mr. Kimmel second: 3-0-0.
Annual Financial Plan: the state Agency of Transportation AOT has asked the Board to provide an annual report on funds raised by municipal taxes for Town Highways. Mr. Benson will complete the information and submit the report.
Payroll/Personnel Question: Mr. Benson made a motion at 7:47 p.m. to go into Executive Session; Mr. Kimmel second: 3-0-0. Mr. Benson made a motion to come out of Executive Session at 7:58 p.m.; Mr. Kimmel second: 3-0-0.
Mr. Kimmel made a motion to amend the Town’s Personnel Policy as follows:
When the Town Crew is short on personnel (due to a lack of employees available for a specific job), the Road Crew Foreman is authorized to hire an additional temporary person who is deemed qualified by the Foreman, with concurrence by the Selectman in charge of roads, on a case-by-case basis, not to exceed 40 total hours of employment. Mr. Benson second: 3-0-0.
VTrans FEMA Form to request emergency funding for the Witts Bridge proposed project: the Board reviewed the amount of $98,772, and Mr. Benson will sign.
Other
Access Permit: Mr. Peck reviewed the proposed access permit application submitted by Dan Childs, and concluded that the drainage is appropriate and meets requirements. Mr. Benson made a motion that the Board approve the application for access to 542 Kibbee Drive; Mr. Kimmel second: 3-0-0.
Health Officer Recommendation
Starr Strong has agreed to stay on as Town Health Officer for another term. Mr. Benson made a motion to appoint Star Strong as the Town of Brookfield’s’ Health Officer for another 3-year term effective December 1, 2018; Mr. Kimmel second: 3-0-0.
Ms. Strong presented her findings regarding ongoing cleanup of trash on a Ridge Road property:
The cleanup is not going well; while the residents have made a couple efforts to remove portions of the trash, it continues to accumulate.
The property is owned by an out-of-state land trust, and one of the trustees resides at the property. There are 5 adults and 2 toddlers living in the residence at this time. Strong spoke with one of the residents and reported that she gave them verbal notice/warning that the remaining trash must be removed promptly.
Strong report that the state-mandated procedure for progressive enforcement of health violations is: 1) Verbal Notice, 2) formal written Health Order letter served by the Town Constable/County Sherriff’s Office, 3) State Court civil action.
Strong and the Board discussed the next steps and concluded that the Health Order letter should be served to both the trustee/resident on the property and to the trust company itself (located in South Carolina). In addition, the Order should include a December 14 deadline for the cleanup to be completed and for a plan to be in place for the residents to properly dispose of trash in the future.
Strong will leave the Health Order letter with Town Clerk Teresa Godfrey to process and give to a representative of the Orange County Sherriff’s Department to serve.
Strong has also contacted state authorities regarding property conditions, although there was no current state interest in further action.
Cyber Security – Dominion Tech Proposal
Mr. Edson presented his findings regarding the current state of security with the Town’s information technology, along with potential improvements:
The Town is currently using the state NEMRC system and software for accounting and data preservation. At this point, NEMRC has limited IT support, and is relying on third-party vendors.
Dominion Tech provides IT security support, offering 2 options: a) $1,797/year based on the Town’s existing setup including a server and 4 satellite computers, with replacement of the server every 4-6 years (at additional cost); b) an internet cloud-based system for data storage, for $3,600/year, which includes 1 hour/month of free technical support.
The current server is showing signs of age, and is filling up with data.
The current DSL service is inadequate for migration to cloud-based storage, but the likelihood is that fiber-based data transmission (ECFiber) will be available in the near future. If the Town retains a server-based storage setup, replacing the server will likely cost $3,000 to $4,000.
The Board and Mr. Edson agreed that the Town needs to investigate how other Towns have performed with cloud-based storage; Mr. Benson will also contact an IT person at his workplace for suggestions on secure storage options. The Board also needs to do budget planning for IT equipment and services for the upcoming fiscal year. Mr. Edson and Ms. Peterson will also be consulted during the process.
Old Business – approve Minutes of November 12, 2018 meeting: Mr. Haggett made a motion to approve the November 12 meeting minutes; Mr. Kimmel second: 3-0-0.
Payroll/AP Warrants – Mr. Haggett made a motion to pay the warrants totaling $9,194.53 with large bills that include: Cargill, Inc. (salt): $2,677.44; Cargill, Inc. (salt): $2,586.28; Texas Refiniery Corp. (lubricants): $1,454.96; Mr. Kimmel second: 3-0-0.
Other Proper Business: Mr. Kimmel will follow up with a potential candidate for Town Attorney regarding their availability and range of services.
Mr. Kimmel made a motion to adjourn at 8:10 p.m., Mr. Haggett second: 3-0-0.