Selectboard Minutes
Regular Meeting of July 23, 2018
South Hero Town Hall, Monday 7:00 PM
Board Members Present: Jonathan Shaw, Skip Brown (also Board Secretary), David Carter, Sharon Roy, Anne Zolotas
Board Members Not Present: none
Others Present: Janet Yates, Town Clerk & Martha Taylor-Varney Admin. Assistant/ZA
1. Called to Order:
-The meeting was called to order by Chairman Shaw at 7:00 pm.
2. Adjustment to Agenda:
-Add to New Business: Discuss White’s Beach and Recreation Commission new member
-Add to Other Business: Discuss road consultant for the intersection of Landon and East Shore Rd.
3. Minutes:
-David Carter made a motion to accept the minutes of the meeting of July 9, 2018 as written. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
4. Public input:
A. David Gardner of was present to discuss speeding on Keeler Bay Rd. There are currently no posted speed limits, which means that the Sheriff cannot stop anyone for speed under 50 MPH. There was a traffic study done in the past and it will be referred to as to what the speed limit should be. Appropriate signs will be installed.
B. David Carter made a motion to allow the Champlain Island Parent Child Center to hold a benefit 5 and 10K run using a portion of South Street and West Shore Roads on September 16, 2018 at 8:30 am. The roads will not be closed. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
5. New Business:
A. David Carter made a motion to adopt the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Town of South Hero and the South Hero Service Committee, d/b/a Granny’s Attic. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
B. Animal Control Officer, Everett Dubuque, was present to discuss a situation with a cat found near West Shore Rd. and Jackson Point Rd. The declawed cat has been spotted in the area of the unused cottages since approximately March. He caught the cat, and intended to take it to the Chittenden humane society. When he got to the humane society, the building was closed, so he gave the cat to someone in the parking lot. This brings up the problem that there is not a policy for what to do with a found pet that is not a dog. The Board will work on a policy at a future meeting. Also, dogs are not allowed at White’s Beach, but are there anyway. The Animal Control Officer may enforce that rule.
C. White’s Beach has been crowded in this hot, dry weather. The signs that state: “Parking for South Hero residents and their guests” are being ignored and Grand Isle County Sheriff, Ray Allen, states that he cannot enforce that policy as it is too vague. There will be an agenda item at the August 13, 2018 Selectboard meeting to decide if the beach area should only be open to South Hero residents and if a paid sticker program should be re-instated, or should the beach area be open to all with better written rules and enforcement.
D. Stefan Bumbeck has resigned from the Recreation Commission. Anne Zolotas made a motion to allow Linda Burger complete the term of Mr. Bumbeck. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
E. The contract for the new Municipal library is complete and should be signed this week. The finished library will ultimately owned by the Town, so it has been discussed that the Town should also be named in the contract. David Carter made a motion that Jonathan Shaw may sign the contract on behalf of the Town and that he will be the liaison between the Library trustees, the developer and the Town. Sharon Roy abstained, the others so voted and the motion carried. There will be a MOU between the Town and the Library drafted before the actual move in which should happen in approximately 10 months.
F. David Carter made a motion to adopt the municipal portion of the tax rate at $0.3257 and to accept the State education portion for the homestead amount at $1.585 for a total homestead rate of $1.9107; and to accept the non-resident State education portion at 1.5682 for a total non-resident rate of $1.8939. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
G. David Carter made a motion to hire Sullivan, Powers, PC to do the required audit for the South Street Project at an estimated cost of $5,000.00. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
6. Administrative Assistant Report:
A. A written report was submitted. A hard copy with discussion points can be seen in Town Hall filed with these minutes or on www.southherovt.org.
B. To date, no letters of interest for the open Planning Commission spot have been received. Any interested person may submit a letter of interest to Martha and does not have to be South Hero resident.
C. David Carter made a motion to waive the building permit fee for the new municipal library. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
7. Old and Ongoing Business:
A. none at this meeting
8. Announcements and Communications:
A. See other business
9. Other Business:
A. Skip Brown made a motion to sign orders 19-02 and pay the bills associated with this order. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
B. Anne Zolotas made a motion to approve the purchase of a new hot water pressure washer by the Highway Department at a price of $4770.00. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
C. Anne Zolotas made a motion to allow the Highway Department to hire a consultant to assess the intersection of East Shore Rd. and Landon Rd. at $30.00/ hour with the total not to exceed $1000.00. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
D. There will be an open house at the new South Hero Fire and Rescue building on August 12, 2018 from 1:00-4:00 pm.
10. Adjournment:
-Sharon Roy made a motion to adjourn 8:50 pm. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
Respectfully submitted, Approved by,
_______________________________ ________________________________
Graham Brown Jonathan Shaw, Chair
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Administrative Officer’s Report to Selectboard July 23, 2018
Discussion Items:
1. I forwarded the signature page from the draft Hazard Mitigation Plan that the SB signed on July 9 to NRPC. FEMA will formally approve the Plan, at which time South Hero will be eligible to apply for Mitigation grants administered by FEMA.
2. I would like to attend a ½-day class in for Floodplain Administrators in Littleton, NH on August 16. The workshop is intended for community officials who administer and enforce floodplain regulations, review applications and/or issue permits for development in floodplain areas, and for community officials who are interested in learning more about a community’s responsibilities as a participant in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). I hope to take the Certified Floodplain Manager exam next year.
-Planning Commission: As yet, I have received no letters of interest for the open position on the Planning Commission. A reminder that members of the PC need not be a resident of the town but must have a significant and related interest (for example, a business owner, etc.).
.
-Development Review Board: There are no hearings scheduled for July 25, but the Board will meet on their regular night for a short business meeting followed by deliberatives. The next scheduled hearing after this week will be Granny’s Attic conditional use and site plan review for the red fire station building on August 22. No other hearings have been scheduled but several applications are expected.
Respectfully submitted,
Martha Taylor-Varney, ZA and Asst. to the Selectboard