Selectboard Meeting Minutes 13 March 2017

The Town of Brookfield

Selectboard Meeting

13 March 2017 at 6:30 PM

 Town Clerk’s Office

Meeting Minutes

 

Present: John Benson, Jeff Kimmel, Cory Haggett, Teresa Godfrey, Kasey Peterson, Ray Peck, Joe Mangan

1. Call to Order – 6:41 p.m.

 

2. Adjustments to the Agenda
3. Planning Commission discussion
4. Special Town Meeting
5. Letter of Endorsement for Town of Randolph

 

3. Public Comment – none

 

4. New Business
5. Kimmel nominated John Benson to be Selectboard Chair. Mr. Haggett seconded. 2-0-0
6. Cemetery
7. As of Town Meeting the Cemetery Commission has been disbanded and control of the cemeteries is now the responsibility of the Selectboard. Joe Mangan of Kirkyard Services was present with a proposal to fulfill the responsibilities of sexton. There was extensive discussion over the length of the Kirkyard Services contract and the easiest way to bring cemetery contracts in line with the Town’s fiscal year. Mowing is handled under a maintenance contract with Jason’s Handiworks that extends to October 2017. There was further discussion regarding combining the two services under one contract or keeping them separate. Mr. Kimmel made a motion to appoint Joe Mangan of Kirkyard Services as sexton under a contract from 1 April 2017 to 30 June 2018 for an amount not to exceed $7,500.00. Mr. Haggett seconded the motion. 3-0-0
8. Benson made a motion to appoint Joe Mangan as the Town Deputy Registrar in accordance with state provisions. Mr. Kimmel seconded. 3-0-0
9. Haggett moved to accept the Minutes of Town Meeting as written. Mr. Kimmel seconded. 3-0-0
10. On Friday the grader engine failed. There is already a deal in place, discussed at Town Meeting, to replace this grader. Unfortunately, the grader we have is no longer worth the $30,000 it was going to be traded for. Options were discussed on making up the difference. Mr. Peck will discuss the details of the agreement with the salesman from Caterpillar and get back to the Selectboard as soon as he can. This issue may lead to acquisition of the new grader ahead of the schedule originally discussed as the Highway Department cannot properly maintain roads through mud season without a working grader. No action taken at this time.
11. VTrans has informed the Selectboard that the Ridge Road Safety Sign Project will be done summer 2017. No action necessary.
12. David Flint has requested a reimbursement for his CDL physical. These physicals are generally not covered by insurance. There was a brief discussion about whether or not these physicals are mandatory for municipalities. Mrs. Peterson will make inquiries. If the physical is not required for a municipal driver the Town will not reimburse employees and the personnel policy will be amended to reflect that decision.
13. Benson nominated Cory Haggett to be the town’s Mountain Alliance Representative. Mr. Haggett seconded. 3-0-0
14. Two Rivers Ottauquechee Regional Commission: Request to update the Local Emergency Operations Plan. Tabled. Mr. Benson will look at his copy of the LEOP to see if changes need to be made.

 

5. Old Business
6. Haggett made a motion to approve the minutes of the 27 February meeting. Mr. Benson seconded. 2-0-1 (Mr. Kimmel was not present at that meeting.)
7. Green Mountain Power recently contacted the Town regarding the replacement of conventional bulbs in the street lights to LED lights. When inquiries were made it was discovered that the change had been made awhile ago but the Town never received the credit on the electric bill for those lights. There is now a credit of $1,157.53 on the electric bill for street lights. No action necessary. 

 

6. Payroll/AP Warrant
7. Kimmel made a motion to pay the warrants in the amount of $21,156.46. Including White River Valley Ambulance for $6,460.00; Magee office supply for the new copier $3,450.00; and Blue Cross/Blue Shield for $3,433.80. Mr. Haggett seconded. 3-0-0

 

7. Other Proper Business
   1. The Town of Randolph requested a letter of endorsement for a grant from the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security to establish an Emergency Operations Center in the Randolph fire station when it is built. The letter was signed and sent by e-mail.
   2. As the Town Meeting on 7 March was not properly warned, a Special Town meeting must be conducted to ratify the decisions made on the Town Meeting Day. Mr. Kimmel made a motion to conduct a joint Special Selectboard/Town Meeting on 17 April at 6:30 pm at the Town Clerk’s office. Mr. Benson seconded. 3-0-0
   3. After researching the matter Mardee Sanchez reported to Mr. Benson that there is nothing in the current guidelines regarding the number of individuals that constitute the Planning Commission. As it is beneficial for any board to have an odd number of members, Mr. Kimmel made a motion to limit the number of members of the Planning Commission to five as an interim measure while the Planning Commission establishes a Development Review Board sytem. Mr. Benson seconded. 3-0-0.
   4. There was a short discussion regarding security cameras for the office. Mrs. Peterson was tasked with contacting Harmony Electric and Sun Ray Fire and Security for estimates.

 

8. At 8:17 p.m. Mr. Kimmel made a motion to adjourn. Mr. Haggett seconded. 3-0-0

Respectfully Submitted,

Kasey Peterson