 | COLCHESTER SELECTBOARD April 25, 2023 @ 6:30 PM 781 Blakely Road 3rd Floor Conference Room __________________ |
1. Call Meeting to Order
Roll Call: Pam Loranger, Chair; Tom Mulcahy, Vice Chair; Jacki Murphy, Clerk; Charlie Papillo
Staff Present: Aaron Frank, Town Manager; Renae Marshall, Deputy Town Manager; Bryan Osborne, Public Works Director; Seth Lasker, Fire Chief; Lara Alemy, Finance Director; Alicia Tebeau-Sherry, Communications Coordinator
Others Present: Timothy Bruner, Dieter Mulac
Pledge of Allegiance
Selectboard Chair Pam Loranger led the Pledge of Allegiance.
2. Citizens to be Heard*
Timothy Bruner, representing Whispering Pines Condominiums, requested that the Town install one streetlight in the Town’s right-of-way located in their development’s cul-de-sac, noting that their association is willing to pay for the electricity and half of the installation.
Selectboard Vice Chair Tom Mulcahy asked if there was a diagram, and Tim stated Amanda has the diagram, the streetlight would be installed in the cul-de-sac and will light that whole area including where the plows turn around.
Dieter Mulac asked for an update on the Fire Department hiring process and if a staffing study will be conducted. Selectboard Vice Chair Tom Mulcahy explained there will be two firefighters hired, one this year and one in FY24, and Selectboard Chair Pam Loranger confirmed that information and suggestions presented at the last Selectboard meeting have or will be considered by the board.
3. ACTION | Consent Agenda
a. Minutes of 4.11.2023 Selectboard Meeting
b. Appoint Seth Lasker as Colchester Fire Warden for a five-year term beginning now and ending June 30, 2028
MOTION was made by Jacki Murphy and SECONDED by Charlie Papillo to adopt the Consent Agenda as it may have been modified by the Board and to take the actions indicated for each item:
a. Approve the Selectboard Minutes of the meeting of April 11, 2023.
b. Appoint Seth Lasker as Fire Warden for a five-year term from now until June 30, 2028.
The MOTION carried.
4. ACTION | Adjourn to Meeting of Board of Sewer Commissioners
MOTION was made by Jacki Murphy and SECONDED by Charlie Papillo to temporarily adjourn the meeting of the Selectboard and convene a meeting of the Board of Sewer Commissioners.
The MOTION carried.
5. Special Business Items
a. ACTION: Adopt 2023 Local Emergency Management Plan (LEMP) | Seth Lasker, Fire Chief
MOTION was made by Jacki Murphy and SECONDED by Charlie Papillo to adopt the updated 2023 Local Emergency Management Plan (LEMP) as required by the State of Vermont Department of Public Safety, Emergency Management and a s authorized by the Code of Ordinances for the Town of Colchester, Section 16-2(b) and Section 16-4(a), per a memo from Seth Lasker dated March 16, 2023.
The MOTION carried.
Fire Chief Seth Lasker reviewed the 2023 Local Emergency Management Plan (LEMP) and noted that the document is mainly used as a resource and for planning purposes, specifically for the State of Vermont and the Town to know who to contact during emergencies.
Selectboard Clerk Jacki Murphy asked if there have been tabletop exercises or trainings recently putting this plan in place, and Fire Chief Seth Lasker shared that a statewide exercise was held a number of years ago. Town Manager Aaron Frank added that during the COVID pandemic the plan was used in a real-world emergency and was successful.
Selectboard Chair Pam Loranger thanked Fire Chief Seth Lasker for stepping up into his new role as Fire Chief.
b. Information: FY 23 March Financials | Lara Alemy, Finance Director
Finance Director Lara Alemy presented an update on Town financials at 75% through FY23. She noted that expenses are 1% overbudget due to several factors, such as inflation, supply chain issues, gasoline costs, CPOA bargaining agreement, and IT spending on security software. She concluded that revenues are 1.5% overbudget due to several revenue-generating elements, including recording fees, building permits, and bank interest rates.
Selectboard Clerk Jacki Murphy asked about property tax collection amount being lower than expected, and Finance Director Lara Alemy stated that this year less property taxes were billed and the collection of property tax installments is later than usual.
c. ACTION: Certification of Compliance for Town Road and Bridge Standards and Network Inventory | Bryan Osborne, Public Works Director
MOTION was made by Jacki Murphy and SECONDED by Charlie Papillo to confirm that the Town’s current codes and standards are consistent with the State’s minimum Town Road and Bridge Standards and sign the provided Certification of Compliance for Town Road and Bridge Standards and Network Inventory in accordance with Vermont State Statute, Title 19, Chapter 3, § 309b per the recommendation contained in a memo dated April 19, 2023 from Bryan K. Osborne, Director of Public Works.
Public Works Director Bryan Osborne explained that this certification is to make the Town eligible to receive an additional 10% from various State grant programs and the FEMA public assistance program.
The MOTION carried.
d. ACTION: Annual Financial Plan – Town Highways (TA-60 form) | Bryan Osborne, Public Works Director
MOTION was made by Jacki Murphy and SECONDED by Charlie Papillo to certify that funds raised by municipal taxes are equivalent to or greater than a sum of at least $300.00 per mile for each mile of Class 1, 2, and 3 Town Highway in the municipality and sign the provided Annual Financial Plan – Town Highways form in accordance with Vermont State Statute, Title 19, Chapter 3, § 307 per the recommendation contained in a memo dated April 19, 2023 from Bryan K. Osborne, Director of Public Works.
Public Works Director Bryan Osborne explained that this form is a State requirement, which outlines how much the Town must spend on highway in order to receive State aid. He confirmed that based on the $300 per mile, the Town needs to spend $28,000 on highway, and that the Town does qualify because the highway budget is currently $1.6 million, so the Town is eligible to receive approximately $213,000 of State aid in FY24.
The MOTION carried.
e. ACTION: CCRPC FY24 Committee Re-appointments
MOTION was made by Jacki Murphy and SECONDED by Tom Mulcahy to re-appoint the following persons as representatives to the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC):
· Jacki Murphy as the Colchester Representative for the Board of Directors of the CCRPC
· Pam Loranger as the Alternate Colchester Representative for the Board of Directors of the CCRPC
· Bryan Osborne as the Colchester Representative to the Transportation Advisory Committee of the CCRPC
· Amanda Clayton as the Alternate Colchester Representative to the Transportation Advisory Committee of the CCRPC
· Karen Adams as the Colchester Representative to the Clean Water Advisory Committee (CWAC) of the CCRPC
· Bryan Osborne as the Alternate Colchester Representative to the Clean Water Advisory Committee (CWAC) of the CCRPC
All representatives will serve two-year terms to commence July 1, 2023 and end June 30, 2025.
The MOTION carried.
6. ACTION | Adjourn to Meeting of Liquor Control Commission
MOTION was made by Jacki Murphy and SECONDED by Charlie Papillo to temporarily adjourn the meeting of the Selectboard and convene a meeting of the Liquor Control Commission.
The MOTION carried.
7. Public Hearing | Licenses and Petitions
a. Amusement License for 275 Lakeshore Drive Inc.
MOTION was made by Jacki Murphy and SECONDED by Charlie Papillo to hold a public hearing regarding an Amusement License for 275 Lakeshore Drive Inc., 133 Broadacres Dr., Colchester, VT 0544 All information included in the packet related to such application is considered part of the public hearing, and, whereby the Colchester Selectboard shall enter a deliberative session later in the meeting to consider the matter and then issue a permit or denial in writing to each applicant via staff through the US Mail and will share the outcome publicly by placing the permit or denial as an informational item in the next Selectboard packet.
The MOTION carried.
Pam Loranger closed the Public Hearing.
8. Additional Business | Manager’s Recommendations
a. INFORMATION: 2023 Voting Trends Presentation | Alicia Tebeau-Sherry, Communications Coordinator
Communications Coordinator Alicia Tebeau-Sherry presented an update on voting trends, noting an increase in voter turnout for this year’s Town Meeting and that lower budget increases appear to increase the likelihood of their passing, but more variables would need to be researched to identify stronger correlations in the future.
b. Pictures of Progress | Aaron Frank, Town Manager
Town Manager Aaron Frank displayed pictures from recent Burnham Memorial Library programs, Colchester Technical Rescue trainings, Lieutenant Jim Roy’s retirement, progress on the Heineberg Drive storage units, an article on the Causeway, and Colchester Parks and Recreation’s Annual Easter Egg Hunt.
9. Informational Items
There were no questions on the information items.
10. Announcements
Selectboard Chair Pam Loranger invited the community to help clean up around Town at Green Up Day on Saturday, May 6th, 2023, and thanked Casella Waste Systems for their sponsorship of Green Up Day and collecting and tracking trash data, CWSD for covering additional litter disposal costs, and Myers Container Services for donating the roll off container at the Town Offices for litter that is collected. She added that participants can pick up bags, road assignments, and instructions on where to leave bags for pick up by the Town's road crew at the Police Station on Blakely Road between 8 a.m. and noon on Green Up Day.
11. ACTION | Warrants
MOTION was made by Jacki Murphy and SECONDED by Charlie Papillo to approve Warrant #23-30 in the amount of $454,745.88.
There were no questions on the warrants.
The MOTION carried.
12. Deliberative Session | Licenses and Petitions
MOTION was made by Jacki Murphy and SECONDED by Tom Mulcahy to meet in deliberative session under the authority of 1 V.S.A. § 312(e) for the purpose of considering licenses and petitions which were specifically noted on the agenda and for which a hearing was held earlier in the meeting. The Selectboard will issue a permit or denial in writing to each applicant via staff through the US Mail and will share the outcome publicly by placing the permit or denial as an informational item in the next Selectboard packet.
The MOTION carried.
13. Executive Session
MOTION was made by Jacki Murphy and SECONDED by Tom Mulcahy to find that premature general public knowledge of contracts, pending or probable civil litigation, and personnel issues would clearly place this Selectboard at a substantial disadvantage because the Selectboard risks disclosing its negotiation strategy if it discusses these topics in public.
The MOTION carried.
MOTION was made by Jacki Murphy and SECONDED by Tom Mulcahy to enter executive session to discuss contracts, pending or probable civil litigation, and personnel issues under the provisions of Title 1, Section 313 (a)(1)(a)&(e) and (a)(3) of the Vermont Statutes, Executive Sessions.
The MOTION carried.
14. Adjournment**
MOTION was made by Tom Mulcahy and seconded by Charlie Papillo to adjourn the meeting.
The MOTION carried.
The meeting adjourned at 9:37 p.m.