Selectboard Meeting November 14, 2022 DRAFT Unapproved Minutes

Town of Brookfield Selectboard Meeting
November 14, 2022
6:30 PM
Town Office
MINUTES
Present: John Benson, Chair; Stuart Edson, Keith Sprague, Curtis Koren, members; Vicki Blanchard, Administrative Assistant; Amy Ingrassia, Assistant Treasurer; Mr. Jon Binhammer, Betty Lord did not attend.

1. Call To Order – Mr. Benson called the Selectboard meeting to order at 6:30pm.
2. Adjustments to Agenda – none
3. Public Comments – Mr. Jon Binhammer has some concerns about the new Traffic Ordinance so Mr. Benson said he should submit an Assemblage permit with his concerns. Mr. Binhammer stated he would.
4. Payroll and AP Warrants – Mr. Edson made a motion to accept the AP and Warrants as presented with a total of $61,903.01, with the highest payment being made to Viking in the amount of $9,012.68. Mr. Benson seconded the motion which carried unanimously 4-0-0
5. Highway Report
   • Road crew letter – A letter of Employment to Sean DesRoberts welcoming him as a new member of our Road Crew was discussed and was signed by Mr. Benson and will then go to Mr. DesRoberts for signature and then put in his file.
   • Mr. Higgins will be meeting with the state regarding beaver problem in town to hopefully get the situation under control. They have been working on road signs but it seems it is an ongoing problem because they continue to be stolen or knocked down. Mr. Higgins will also be looking into a new truck for next year. The leaf blowing on roads has been finished as well as stockpiling stone. They have also been working on putting tires on the trucks and getting ready for winter. A lot of work has been done on the one ton which has been used a lot and is old.
6. New Business
   • Application for Temporary School Board Member from Brookfield. The Selectboard has no authority over them so there is nothing that the Selectboard needs to do.
7. Old Business
   • Old Stage Road (TH45) – Mr. Edson said two of the letters have to be resent but should be returned soon so that project can be finalized.
   • Website Update – Mr. Edson has been working with ThorWorks regarding upgrading the site. The board will be able to see a sample of what the new site will look like by the next meeting.
   • Employee Health Insurance – Mr. Benson and Mr. Edson have gone through the MVP and Blue Cross plans and found that BCBS is less money but are very similar in coverage. Mr. Sprague made a motion to approve switching from MVP to BCBS for the road crew. Ms. Koren seconded the motion which was carried unanimously 4-0-0
   • Hippo Park – The new bench has been completed for the park which is handicapped accessible and is setup in the park already.
8. Meeting Minutes (for Selectboard meeting and Adoption of Revised Traffic Ordinance
   • October 24, 2022
   • October 24, 2022 – Ms. Koren made a motion to accept both the meeting minutes, Mr. Edson seconded the motion which carried unanimously 4-0-0
9. Other Proper Business
   • Insurance claim on Halfway Brook Road – Payment for damaged wires has been taken care of by VLCT.
   • Audit – Fothergil Seagel & Valley will not be doing a full audit this coming year due to their work load.
   • Mr. Edson stated that since Bill Bohnyak was not re-elected he recommended they talk with other towns to have a regional police force so there would be some coverage. He did say that there was going to be a recount of ballots though.
   • Mr. Benson mentioned regarding public safety for the town the repeaters at the Brookfield school should be hooked up to standby power, so in case of a power outage there would still be emergency service in town.
10. Status Report – none
11. Adjournment – Mr. Edson made a motion to adjourn at 8:00 pm., Ms. Koren seconded the motion, and there being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was unanimously adjourned.