Selectboard Minutes
Regular Meeting of Monday August 9, 2021 at 7:00 PM
At South Hero Town Hall and via Zoom
Board Members Present: David Carter/Chairman, Skip Brown/Board Secretary, Ross Brown/Vice Chairman,
Chuck Hulse
Board Members Not Present: Anne Zolotas
Others Present: Martha Taylor-Varney, ZA and Kim Julow, Town Clerk/Treasurer. Also see sign in sheet of in person and Zoom active participants. Attendance SB 08-09-2021
1. Called to Order:
-The meeting was called by Chairman Carter at 7:03 pm
2. Adjustment to Agenda:
-none
3. Minutes:
-Ross Brown made a motion to acknowledge the minutes of meeting of July 26, 2021. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
4. Public input:
A. Andrew Hills of Harrington Lane discussed the triangle where West Shore Rd. joins Rte. 314. It seems that vehicles are cutting over the area and not using the actual road. This was mentioned previously, and it may be in the State ROW for Rte. 314. The Road Dept. will look into it. More info will be needed to see if the Town has a solution.
5. New Business:
A. none at this meeting
6. Administrative Assistant Report:
A. See the written report filed with these minutes below or in Town Hall.
B. The speed limits on various dead end Town roads and an updated canine policy were discussed.
-For the Road ordinance, the Sheriff notified the Town that he cannot do a speed study, as his equipment is broken. The Town will look into other solutions.
-VLCT has a new model canine policy. The Selectboard is considering changing the current canine policy to reflect the updates. It will be reviewed at the Sept. 13 meeting, and a draft is currently on the Town website.
7. Old and Ongoing Business:
A. The Town received $86,629.12, which is ½ of the ARPA funds. Up to $40,000.00 of the funds have been allocated to update Town land records. The Board has several years to decide how to spend the rest of the funds.
B. Skip Brown made a motion to have Ross Brown continue to investigate the possible purchase of land for a salt shed and sign the “Due Diligence” document, as necessary. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
C. The Old South Hero Meeting House committee met today. As of now, Arnold & Scangas Architects has not signed the contract for the work proposed. A website for the project will be forthcoming.
8. Announcements and Communications:
A. The “Welcome to the Islands” committee has asked for a donation from the Town. It was not budgeted for, so more info will be needed to see if it is possible.
B. A large tree fell on the South Hero Cemetery fence. VLCT claims that the fence was not specifically noted as a Town asset on the insurance policy, so it will not be covered for this event. The consensus of the Board is to add this fence to the policy.
9. Other Business:
A. Skip Brown made a motion to approve and sign orders 22-03 and 22-03a and to pay the bills associated with the orders. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
B. Town Clerk updates: Tax bills were sent out. So far, the delinquent tax collections are going well and there is about $105,000 still outstanding. Kim has hired Cindy Spence to be another part time assistant Town Clerk/assistant Town Treasurer, in addition to Naomi King and Sam Hilliker.
C. Recreation Commission (RC) update: The RC Trails subcommittee is working on applying for a grant to increase pedestrian and bicycle access.
D. Road Department update: Martin Road is due to be upgraded. Ditching has begun and resurfacing may happen this fall. The grant to pave Landon Rd. had been approved, so that has to be paved in a timely manner so the grant is not lost.
E. Skip Brown made a motion to go into executive session for personnel matters at 8:15 pm. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried. Executive session ended at 8:20. After exiting executive session, no motions were made.
10. Adjournment:
-Chuck Hulse made a motion to adjourn 8:21 pm. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
Respectfully submitted, Approved by,
_______________________________ ________________________________
Graham Brown David Carter, Chairman
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Administrative Officer’s Report to Selectboard August 9, 2021
Discussion Items:
1. The Selectboard will be meeting with the Planning Commission at the PC’s regular meeting on September 1, 2021 to discuss grant funding available for wastewater planning and assessment. The meeting will be facilitated by Lynette Claudon, a watershed coordinator with the VT Agency of Natural Resources. to discuss grant funding available for village wastewater planning and assessment. This will be a regular Planning Commission meeting and will be warned as a joint PC/SB meeting. THIS MEETING WILL BEGIN AT 6PM – THE PC’S REGULAR MEETING TIME. The public will be encouraged to attend.
2. I’ve asked Sheriff Allen if the Sheriff’s Dept. could do a traffic study of Hochelaga, Keeler Bay, Iodine Springs, and Martin roads. I received an email from Sheriff Allen today saying that their speed monitor no longer works, and the Department won’t be able to do any speed studies for the Town. I still have copies of a VLCT document “Setting Speed Limits – A Guide for Vermont Towns,” for those who have insomnia. There may be other options there.
3. I advertised for a Zoning Assistant in the 7/21/21 Islander. So far, no applicants.
4. East South Hero Co. LLC (ESHC) has filed a petition with the Vermont Public Utility Commission to install a battery energy storage system at the VEC/Vermont Electric substation on Eagle Camp Rd. The Selectboard, Planning Commission, and Zoning Office received a letter from E. South Hero LLC (a subsidiary of WEG Electric Corp.) asking for inquiries and comments about the proposal. Deadline for this is September 8, 2021. ESHC intends to file the petition for a certificate of public good with the Public Energy Commission on or about September 14, 2021.
5. The Town Office tech consultants, TCI, told me last week that all personal devises in the Town Office should not be on the TOSH network, but should instead be on the Town of South Hero Guest WiFi, to avoid issues that could compromise the Town Office network. I have the password for the Guest wifi, so personal devises can be removed from the TOSH network.
6. I will be out of the office on August 11 and 12.
Planning Commission:
The Planning Commission is now meeting in person but continues to provide a Zoom option for those who prefer.
A. The Selectboard public hearing for the proposed amendments to the Development Regulations is scheduled for the Selectboard’s August 23rd regular meeting.
B. Funding options for the 2023 Town Plan are currently being considered.
Development Review Board:
– DRB meetings moved back to in-person meetings at the Town Office on June 23. The Zoom option will continue to be available. Meeting starting times also moved from 6pm to 7pm for the summer months.
– I am scheduling DRB hearings into September 2021 but right now have only 1 for each of the 2 DRB meetings that month.
– Recent DRB hearing decisions are posted on the Board outside the ZA’s office or can be emailed upon request.
Respectfully submitted, Martha Taylor-Varney (ZA and Assistant to the Selectboard)