MINUTES of the Brookfield Selectboard Meeting
February 14, 2022
Held at the Town Clerk’s Office
Those Present: John Benson, Chair; Jeff Kimmel, Betty Lord, Kate Threlkeld, Members; Vicki Blanchard, Administrative Assistant; Amy Ingrassia, Assistant Town Clerk; Jack Zebora, Jon Binhammer, Deputy Sheriff Scott Clouatre.
A. CALL TO ORDER – Mr. Benson called the Selectboard meeting to order at 6:31 p.m.
B. ADJUSTMENTS TO THE AGENDA – Agency of Natural Resources added to Public Comments.
C. PUBLIC COMMENTS
1. Farnsworth Lane discussion – There was no discussion as none of the interested parties were in attendance.
2. Public Safety Committee/Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvement – Orange County Deputy Sheriff Scott Clouatre. Most of the suggestions by the Brookfield Public Safety Advisory Committee are not feasible for the Town of Brookfield’s roads, due to the roads not being wide enough and speed bumps can’t be done on dirt roads. The best way to deal with and warn speeders is with the OCSD speed cart.
3. Mr. Binhammer wanted to notify the Selectboard that the Agency of Natural Resources has been facilitating community values mapping in towns across the state, the purpose of which is to get input from a broad range of people about areas they value in their town, as well as why. Value categories are: recreation, scenic areas, hunting and fishing, natural areas, historic sites, working lands, and community places. They will have an online, in-person event scheduled with Jens Hilke of Fish and Wildlife for the evening of March 23 at 7 p.m. Pre-registration and link to participate are required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brookfield-community-values-mapping-tickets-260296352397
D. HIGHWAY REPORT – There was no one in attendance to give a report.
E. NEW BUSINESS
1. Hippo Park Improvements – A question was raised about whether to apply for a grant to make repairs to the park. Mr. Ted Elzey had reported that the existing bench is falling apart and needs to be replaced, the fence needs to be fixed, and a picnic table would be a good addition. The Selectboard said there was money put aside so these repairs could be done without applying for a grant.
2. Status of the end of TH45 (Schoolhouse Road) that borders Linda Park’s property – Mr. Benson will contact Ms. Park and tell her how she can view the map both in the Town Clerk’s Office and on the Vtrans website.
3. Mr. Benson signed a letter to appoint Ms. Blanchard as the new Entity Administrator for the SAM.gov website.
F. OLD BUSINESS
1. ARPA Funds discussion – Ms. Lord reported she spent time with VLCT and got a lot of clarification on what the money could be spent on. Discussion on how to use these funds is ongoing. Ms. Lord and Ms. Blanchard will attend and ARPA Regional Online Forum on February 24, 2022 to better understand the reporting process and requirements on ARPA Funds.
2. Annual Report discussion – The budget is still not finalized yet so it could be sent to the printers; Town Clerk Teresa Godfrey is going to send out a note to inform the Town about the new Town Meeting date (May 21, 2022: Brookfield Elementary School) and that the Annual Report will be out in March.
G. MEETING MINUTES: Mr. Kimmel made a motion to accept the 24 January 2022 Selectboard meeting minutes as presented, Ms. Lord seconded, and the motion was carried unanimously: 4-0-0.
H. PAYROLL and AP WARRANTS – Ms. Lord made a motion to approve the AP warrants as presented with a total of $2,582.09 with the highest payment being made to Vermont Appraisal Company of $3,030.00. There was a credit of $19,817.12 from Caterpillar Financial which was why the total was $2,582.09. Mr. Kimmel seconded the motion which carried unanimously: 4-0-0.
J. OTHER PROPER BUSINESS
1. Rate increases with VMERS and Casella: Mr. Benson will check the budget to confirm whether there should be any adjustments.
Mr. Benson made a motion to go into Executive Session at 7:55 p.m. regarding personnel issues. Mr. Kimmel seconded the motion which was unanimously passed: 4-0-0. After the discussion, Mr. Benson made a motion to come out of Executive Session at 8:30 p.m., Ms. Threlkeld seconded the motion, which was unanimously approved: 4-0-0.
K. ADJOURNMENT: Ms. Lord made a motion to adjourn at 8:33 p.m. Mr. Kimmel seconded the motion and there being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was unanimously adjourned.