Selectboard Minutes
Regular Meeting of Monday July 12, 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, Treasurer. Also see sign in sheet of in person and Zoom active participants. Attendance SB 07-12-2021
1. Called to Order:
-The meeting was called by Chairman Carter at 7:00 pm
2. Adjustment to Agenda:
-none
3. Minutes:
-Chuck Hulse made a motion to acknowledge the minutes of June 28, 2021 and the special meeting of July 6, 2021. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
4. Public input:
A. none
5. New Business:
A. Erin Morse is resigning as Town Clerk on July 20, 2021. The Board appreciates the time that Erin has been Town Clerk and the office updates that have been made during her tenure. Chuck Hulse made a motion to appoint Kim Julow as Town Clerk until the next election in March of 2022. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
B. Karen Browning, Mary Jane Wirsing and Carol Tremble were present to discuss the publishing of delinquent tax payer names in the Town Report. The data may be outdated when the report is published, and they feel that the unnecessary public shaming does not help taxes getting collected. Ross Brown made a motion to suspend the publishing of delinquent tax payers in the Town Report. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
C. Michael Pontbriand and Lindsay Merrill were present to discuss the 35 mph speed limit on Hochelega Rd. It is a narrow, hilly, dead end dirt road that gets a lot of traffic, especially when the Camp Hochelega is open. ZA and SB assistant, Martha Taylor-Varney, also noted that Keeler Bay Rd. and Iodine Springs Roads are dead end roads that are also posted at 35mph. The Board agrees that 25 mph seems more appropriate on these roads, but more information will be necessary to see if the Board can simply change the limits. Possibly a State traffic study and a new ordinance may be necessary to affect speed limit changes. More info to follow in the future.
D. The Old South Hero Meeting House engineering contract from Arnold & Scangas Architects was discussed. A grant was applied for and the grant paperwork has been approved. The scope of the contract includes: a building assessment, environmental study, scope of engineering, a conceptual rendering and phase staging of a possible rehabilitation. See attached for the full contract. OSHMH – Old South Hero Meeting House A&S Contract 7.7.21 OSHMH – So.Hero Meeting House Proposal 07-2021 Ross Brown made a motion to sign the contract between the Town and Arnold & Scangas Architects in the amount of $30,327.00. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
6. Administrative Assistant Report:
A. See the written report filed with these minutes in Town Hall or www.southherovt.org.
B. Ross Brown made a motion to appoint George Harwood to complete the term of Jonathan Shaw for the Planning Commission, which will expire in June of 2023. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
7. Old and Ongoing Business:
A. A possible land purchase for a Town salt shed is being considered. The consensus of the Board is to continue to get information of the logistics of buying the land and how financing may work for the project.
B. Ross Brown made a motion to approve up to $40,000.00 of earmarked ARPA funds for the digitizing of Town Land Records back to 1985. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
8. Announcements and Communications:
A. See other business
9. Other Business:
A. Skip Brown made a motion to approve and sign orders 22-01 and to pay the bills associated with the orders. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
B. Skip Brown made a motion to approve and have the Chairman sign the “Internal Financial Controls Checklist for Municipalities” form, per Document 24 VSA ss.1571. SB-Internal Financial Control 2021. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
C. Treasurer, Kim Julow, let the Board know that there was surplus of $12,744.20 from last year’s P&L. Since she will be taking over as Town Clerk, she will be advertising for another assistant Town Clerk/Treasurer. Also, ZA and SB assistant, Martha Taylor-Varney, will be advertising for an assistant.
C. Recreation Commission (RC) update: Chuck Hulse reported that GMCS has been monitoring the parking at the White’s Beach and it is mainly going well. Chuck Hulse made a motion to nominate Dylan Degree, Marion Palermo and Jessica Jackson to the Recreation Commission. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
D. Road Department update: Eddie Wendell has had surgery to his injured arm and he will be able to rerun to work will be when the doctors agree. In the meantime, a temporary employee may be hired.
E. Skip Brown made a motion to go into executive session for personnel matters at 8:45 pm. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried. Executive session ended at 9:00 pm. Upon exiting executive session, no motions were made.
10. Adjournment:
-Chuck Hulse made a motion to adjourn 9:01 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 July 12, 2021
Discussion Items:
1. The Planning Commission will be meeting with Karen Bates, a watershed coordinator with the VT Agency of Natural Resources, to discuss grant funding available for village wastewater planning and assessment. The PC would like the Selectboard to take part in this discussion. Available dates to meet with her are the PC’s August 18 meeting (Wednesday) or on the agenda of one of the SB meeting dates – either July 26 or August 9. Does the Selectboard want to be included in these discussions and, if so, what date do you prefer?
2. New town zoning maps have been produced by Northwest Regional Planning Commission, including the two new zoning districts – South Hero Village and Keeler Bay Village districts. Maps of each of the Village Districts were also produced, but the word ‘draft’ is still included and needs to be removed. I will have copies of all the maps for Selectboard members at the 7/12 meeting.
Planning Commission:
The Planning Commission is now meeting in person but continues to provide a Zoom option for those who prefer that.
A. The PC held a public hearing for the proposed amendments to the Development Regulations on June 17, 2021. Minutes from the meeting are on the Town website. At the conclusion of the hearing, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend to the Selectboard that the proposed amendments be approved. A Selectboard public hearing must now be scheduled. The Commission is requesting that the Selectboard public hearing be included as an agenda item at their August 23rd regular meeting.
B. The Planning Commission has recommended that the Selectboard appoint George Harwood to fill the position on the Commission vacated by Jonathan Shaw earlier this spring. The term continues through June 30, 2023.
C. I will be out of the office on August 11 and 12.
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 starting at the June 23 meeting.
– I am scheduling DRB hearings into August 2021.
– The DRB approved the Zlotoff Foundation CU/SP review application for use of the first floor of the Museum at Apple Island Resort. The 30-day appeal period ended on July 9, and the Foundation’s 2019 notice of violation has been resolved.
-Upcoming hearings include a 3-lot minor subdivision, a 9-lot major subdivision, and 2 requests for setback waivers in the Shoreland District.
– 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)