Selectboard Minutes
Regular Meeting of Monday July 8, 2024 at 7:00 PM
At South Hero Town Hall and via Zoom
Board Members Present: David Carter/Chairman, David Lane/Vice Chairman, Skip Brown/Board Secretary, Ross Brown and Anne Zolotas
Board Members Not Present: none
Others Present: Sue Arguin/TA, Martha Taylor-Varney/ZA, Kim Julow/Treasurer. Also see sign in sheet of in person and Zoom attendees. *Attendance SB 2024-07-08-2024
1. Called to Order:
– The meeting was called to order by Chairman David carter at 7:00 pm. He read some sections of the rules of procedure about protocols of decorum and public participation at meetings.
2. Adjustment to Agenda:
-none
3. Minutes:
-David Lane made a motion to approve the minutes of June 24, 2024. The motion was seconded, David Carter did not vote since he was not at the last meeting. The others in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
4. Public input:
A. David Carter thanked Anne Zolotas for heading the July 4 parade. She said that it was a group effort and that all participants, owners of property along the route who allow spectators and the enthusiastic spectators themselves make it a success.
B. Tim Maxham apologized to Martha for not speaking up at the last meeting when she was spoken to harshly by a member of the Selectboard. He was dismayed that comments were not made by himself or anyone at the time.
5. New Business:
A. There was a public hearing to discuss changing the Traffic Ordinance by adjusting a few speed limits and sign locations, plus updating a few terms to better reflect the current ones used (i.e “food carts” are now called “mobile vendors”) at the June 24 meeting. Some highlights of the changes are noted here. * 2024 Traffic Ordinace summary changes There was some confusion in the document about the exact locations of stop and yield signs at the triangle intersections at Tracy and Station Rds. The intention is keep the signs as they are, so the document has been updated to reflect what is there now.
Anne Zolotas made a motion to approve and sign the new Traffic Ordinance. See Attached* 2024 Traffic Ordinance The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
B. The Treasurer reviewed the steps to create a resolution for a possible reserve fund in order to obligate the ARPA fund allocation. Should this become necessary, it has to be completed by December 31, 2024. It will be discussed at a future Selectboard meeting.
C. There needs to be more information so the FY 2024/2025 tax rate cannot be set at this meeting. There is a deficit in the FY 2023/2024, mainly due to less delinquent tax income, as expenses were not higher than anticipated. Kim explained that the amount will have to be added to this year’s tax bill.
D. The rent for the Island Craft Shop cannot be set since the tax rate is not known.
E. Ross Brown has resigned from the Town Office Building committee. Ross Brown made a motion to amend the charge for the makeup of the committee to state that “up to 2 Selectboard members” can be on the committee. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
F. CM Property Maintenance submitted an estimate to paint the front of the Town Garage. Ross Brown stated that the building needs to be power washed first and that maybe painting is not the best solution at this time until the rotten siding is addressed.
6. Town Administrator and ZA Reports:
A. See the written reports posted with these minutes.
B. Anne Zolotas made a motion to sign a mobile vendor application for Community Dock and Seafood Market that will be located at Goutlet Farm on Route 2. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
C. There were no letters of interest for the Planning Commission. An ad will placed in the Islander and info will be on Front Porch Forum.
D. Anne Zolotas made a motion to hire Northwest Regional Planning as consultants for the local Hazard Mitigation Plan. The contract amount is $8620.00. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
E. Anne Zolotas made a motion to approve and sign a resolution naming Sue Arguin as the authorized official to oversee the Northern Border Regional Commission catalyst grant in the amount of $500,000.00 that was awarded to the Town for the restoration of the 1816 Old South Hero Meeting House. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
7. Old and Ongoing Business:
A. The salt shed RFP is still being finalized. Ross Brown took another trip to New York to get bids from an Amish company. Estimates are still pending. A RFP will go out for bids for the labor portion of the job.
B. The $600.00 grant that was awarded to the Town for the Conservation Commission kestrel project was discussed. David Lane will meet with Bob Fireovid to see how the money can be allocated and it will be discussed at the next meeting.
8. Announcements and Communications:
A. A thank you card will be sent to the owner of the 1962 Corvette that was lent in order to drive the Grand Marshall, John Roy, in the July 4 parade.
9. Other Business:
A. Skip Brown made a motion to approve and sign the orders 25-01 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/Treasurer updates: see above
C. Recreation Commission (RC) update: The wetland boardwalk behind Folsom is in bad shape. $12,000.00 in ARPA funds has been allocated. Ross Brown will speak with the RC to discuss costs and progress.
D. Road Department update: There will be some asphalt paving done in 2024. Adding asphalt to the existing sidewalks will be looked into.
E. Old South Hero Meeting House (OSHMH) project: See above and read the OSHMH minutes for updates.
F. ARPA updates: See above
G. Wastewater (WW) update: none
H. Town Hall Committee update: The committee will meet every 2 weeks on Tuesdays. Please see the minutes of the meetings on the Town website for more information. The consensus of the Board is that the committee should develop a plan to see if it is advantageous to hire a consultant to complete a projected cost analysis of the 2 projected sites for a new town hall. Should a consultant be deemed necessary, then the money from the grant that was previously awarded may be used to fund it.
10. Adjournment:
-Anne Zolotas made a motion to adjourn at 8:20 pm. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
Respectfully submitted, Approved by,
_______________________________ ________________________________
Graham Brown, Secretary David Carter, Chairman
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June 24, 2024 ZA’s report to the SB
1. There may be one mobile vendor license application for the Boards approval and
signature tonight, for a vendor at Goulet’s Farm.
2. I have received a comprehensive report on updates to Act 250, which became law
on June 17, 2024. I have not had an opportunity to completely digest it yet (there’s a
lot!). If anyone wants a copy, contact me and I will send it along.
3. I received a survey from FEMA at the end of June titled “National Floodplain
Administrator Training Needs”. It’s a survey to help design a training program for
floodplain administrators. The SB needs to decide who will be the designated
floodplain manager. This person will fill out the survey. All NFIP (Nat’l Flood
Insurance Program) communities will be filling it out.
4. The 2024 Vermont Community Leadership Summit will be held on August 6 th at the
VT State University in Randolf, VT. For further information, contact the zoning office.
5. The Agency of Natural Resources is updating their Vermont Significant Wetlands
map. South Hero may be receiving new wetlands maps showing previously
unmapped wetland areas or could see changes made to previously mapped
borders. Landowners are encouraged to consult these maps before planning any
development on their property.
Planning Commission
A. The next meeting is not until July 17 at 6PM.
B. I placed an ad in the June 20 issue of the Islander for 2 new members of the
Planning Commission, to bring the number of members back up to 5 from the
current 3. I have not yet received any letters of interest.
Development Review Board
The next DRB meeting will be this Wednesday, June 26 th . Hearings are so far
scheduled through August 14.
Recent DRB decisions are posted on the Town website.
Respectfully submitted,
Martha Taylor-Varney, ZA