 | MINUTES COLCHESTER SELECTBOARD June 27, 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; Maureen P. Dakin
Staff Present: Aaron Frank, Town Manager; Renae Marshall, Deputy Town Manager; Bryan Osborne, Public Works Director; Jeff Barton, Deputy Police Chief; Doug Allen, Police Chief; Lieutenant Pete Hull
Others Present: Lillian and Sebastian Szykier, Andi Higbee
Pledge of Allegiance
Selectboard Chair Pam Loranger led the Pledge of Allegiance.
2. Citizens to be Heard*
3. ACTION | Consent Agenda
a. Minutes of 6.13.2023 Selectboard Meeting
MOTION was made by Jacki Murphy and SECONDED by Charlie Papillo toadopt the Consent Agenda as it may have been modified by the Board andto take the actions indicated for each item:
a. Approve the Selectboard Minutes of the meeting of June 13, 2023.
The MOTION carried.
4. Special Business Items
a. ACTION: Resolution to Honor Retiring Deputy Police Chief Jeff Barton
MOTION was made by Jacki Murphy and SECONDED by Charlie Papillo toapprove a resolution in honor of Jeff Barton’s 40 years of service to the Town of Colchester.
Selectboard Clerk Jacki Murphy read the following resolution for Jeff Barton:
WHEREAS, Jeff Barton pursued his passion for law enforcement by studying itat college and working part-time as an officer in Wilmington, VT with currentColchester Police Chief and long-time friend Doug Allen before being hiredby Town of Colchester in 1983; and,
WHEREAS, after graduating with the highest academic achievement and asthe Class President from the 39th Basic Class of the Vermont PoliceAcademy in 1984, he began to serve Colchester as a Police Officer, andsoon after, as the Department’s first Canine Handler with K-9 Sampson; and,
WHEREAS, through his hard work and dedication to the community anddepartment, he was promoted to Corporal in 1988, transferred to Detectivein 1990, and promoted to Sergeant in 1991, Lieutenant in 2005, and DeputyChief in 2018; and,
WHEREAS, utilizing his excellent attention to detail, he managed informationtechnology for the Department from 2005 to present and was the ProjectDirector for the Department’s renovation in 2012; and,
WHEREAS, he has shared his strengths, knowledge, and time with many otheremergency services organizations over many years, including twice servingas the Chair of the Board of Directors for the New England CommunityPolicing Partnership, being a member of the New England RegionalCommunity Policing Institute, acting as the Lead Instructor for CommunityPolicing at the Vermont Police Academy, and being a member of theColchester Rescue Squad; and,
WHEREAS, he has mentored and encouraged youth through his involvementcoaching the youth sports of soccer and baseball and middle and highschool basketball; coordinating youth basketball; volunteering for being theofficer at middle school dances; and leading or coordinating youth-relatedprograms offered by the Department; and,
WHEREAS, he has, through his 40 years with the Town, continually served thecommunity with loyalty, respect, and humility; and now therefore,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, on the occasion of his retirement from the Town ofColchester on June 29, 2023, the Colchester Selectboard, on behalf of hiscoworkers and the citizens of the Town of Colchester, hereby extend theirmost sincere appreciation to Jeff Barton for his dedication and service to theTown, and wish him all the best in the future.
The MOTION carried.
b. ACTION: Approve FY 2024 Municipal Services Tax Warrant |Renae Marshall, Deputy Town Manager
MOTION was made by Jacki Murphy and SECONDED by Maureen P. Dakin toapprove the Fiscal Year 2024 Tax Warrant setting a municipal services taxrate at $0.6100 per hundred dollars of assessed property value.
Deputy Town Manager Renae Marshall stated that, if approved, the FY24 tax rate would be $0.6100 per hundred dollars of assessed property value, which is a 6.1% increase over last year’s tax rate. Deputy Manager Marshall explained that this tax rate would mean that for a property valued at $300,000, the municipal services portion of the tax bill will increase by $105 compared with the FY23 tax bill. She noted that Colchester has the second lowest property tax per resident among inner Chittenden County communities. This tax rate is possible through growth and investment in Colchester, securing grants and the use of the local option tax to fund all of our voter-approved debt that was previously paid by property taxes.
The MOTION carried.
c. ACTION: Presentation of Draft FY24-FY29 Capital Budget Program andWarn Public Hearing | Renae Marshall, Deputy Town Manager
MOTION was made by Jacki Murphy and SECONDED by Charlie Papillo to approve the draft Town of Colchester FY24-FY29 Capital Budget Program, as presented, per a memo from Renae Marshall, Deputy Town Manager, dated May 25, 2023; and warn the Capital Budget Program for a public hearing on July 25, 2023; and submit the draft to the Planning Commission for their comment, per state statute.
Deputy Town Manager Renae Marshall presented the draft FY24-FY29 Capital Budget Program and explained that the FY24 Capital Budget contains 44 capital projects totaling $3,721,863 in spending. Approximately 53% or $1,970,000 is expected to come from state and federal grants as well development impact fees. The remaining $1,751,863 will be funded by local property tax dollars from voter-approved capital plans. She previewed some of the projects planned for the following five years which total $14,191,664 with approximately 52%, or $7,407,500 expected to come from state and federal grants as well as development impact fees.Selectboard Vice Chair Tom Mulcahy asked if the addition of a pool has been incorporated into the five-year capital plan and Deputy Manager Renae Marshall explained it is not currently included in the five-year capital plan.
Selectboard Clerk Jacki Murphy advocated for additional sidewalk projects to be included in the capital plan.
Town Manager Aaron Frank explained that the capital budget program has been constructed with current funding systems, that federal grants available now align with other Town needs, like intersection work, rather than sidewalks or multi-use paths, and that the Town would have to make the decision to raise property taxes to more aggressively pursue additional bike/pedestrian projects.
Deputy Town Manager Renae Marshall highlighted amendments to the capital budget narrative that address authorization and administrative amendments associated with ordering equipment in order to take advantage of the best pricing available during times when there are supply chain issues.
Selectboard member Maureen P. Dakin asked if there was a shift in moneyfor the new solar project for this year, and Town Manager Aaron Frankexplained it is a new project, but has the same budget and expenses as thepreviously proposed one.
The MOTION carried.
5. ACTION | Adjourn to the 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.
6. Public Hearing | Licenses and Petitions
· Amusement License for VT Community Investments LLC
· Peddlers License for Parking Lot Pizza
MOTION was made by Jacki Murphy and SECONDED by Maureen P. Dakin to hold a public hearing regarding the following Licenses:
· Amusement License for VT Community Investments LLC, 116 Main Street, Colchester VT 05446
· Peddlers License for Amir Jusufagic, D.B.A. Parking Lot Pizza, 480 North Ave, Burlington, VT 05401
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.
Selectboard member Charlie Papillo noted his concern with the times of operation that the Amusement License applicant included in the application as he recalled there was a difference in what had previously been approved. Town Manager Aaron Frank stated he would follow-up with the Town Clerk’s Office to get clarification for the Selectboard.
Selectboard Chair Pam Loranger noted a concern from Planning and Zoning regarding the time and place of operation for the Peddlers License applicant, and Town Manager Aaron Frank suggested they could discuss further in their deliberative session, but that they could issue the permit as long as the Planning and Zoning department receives the appropriate information.
The MOTION carried.
Selectboard Chair Pam Loranger closed the public hearing.
7. Additional Business | Manager’s Recommendations
a. Pictures of Progress
Town Manager Aaron Frank shared photos of recent Town happenings, including Colchester Rescue Squad training, Public Works drywell work, the delivery of a replacement dump truck, removal of a dangerous tree near cemetery grounds, a storytime visit from Burnham Library, repaving of the Library’s parking lots, Colchester Fire Department summer training, the annual Library book sale, new staff, and the retirement of Deputy Chief Jeff Barton.
8. Informational Items
Selectboard Clerk Jacki Murphy noted that Colchester’s first Habitat for Humanity home is being built, and encouraged any interested Colchester families to apply for it.
Town Manager Aaron Frank shared that the Town Assessor appealed some of the State Education Tax by challenging some of the values, and this resulted in the collective savings for the Town taxpayers of $768,000 on the FY24 State Income Taxes.
Town Manager Aaron Frank also announced that the clearing of some of the trees from the Bayside/Hazelett parcel has begun in preparation for the Recreation Center project and David Murrish, an Environmental Enforcement Officer from the Agency of Natural Resources’ Environmental Conservation Division, came to inspect the site this week and found nothing of concern to report.
9. Announcements
Selectboard member Maureen P. Dakin noted that this year’s Annual Burnham Memorial Library Book Sale netted the Friends of the Library $5,500, which was almost $1,000 more than last year.
Selectboard Chair Pam Loranger outlined the schedule of events for the Town’s July 4th celebrations.
10. ACTION | Warrants
MOTION was made by Jacki Murphy and SECONDED by Tom Mulcahy to approve Warrant #23-36 in the amount of $326,828.60.
There were no questions on the warrants.
The MOTION carried.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. Adjournment**
MOTION was made by Tom Mulcahy and seconded by Charlie Papillo to adjourn the meeting.
The MOTION carried.
The meeting adjourned at 8:43 p.m.