Selectboard Minutes
Regular Meeting of Monday June 14, 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,
Anne Zolotas, Chuck Hulse
Board Members Not Present: none
Others Present: Erin Morse/Town Clerk, Martha Taylor-Varney/ZA and Kim Julow/Treasurer. Also see sign in sheet of in person and Zoom active participants. Attendance SB 06-14-2021
1. Called to Order:
-The meeting was called by Chairman Carter at 7:00 pm
2. Adjustment to Agenda:
-Add to Other Business: Review contract for Town audit
3. Minutes:
-Chuck Hulse made a motion to acknowledge the minutes of May 14, 2021. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
4. Public input:
A. none
5. New Business:
A. Kimberly Lord of Green Mountain Athletic Assoc. (GMAA) was present via Zoom to discuss the Clarence DeMar 5K road race. It will take place on South Street at 8:30 am on July 4, 2021. Note that the Sheriff will control traffic on portions of South St. during the race. Ross Brown made a motion to support the Clarence DeMar 5K race on July 4, 2021. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
B. Peter Zamore, Town representative of NRPC presented a discussion of having South Hero adopt a Declaration of Inclusion for South Hero. See attached. Declaration of Inclusion Several Towns in the State have adopted such a declaration. Karen Browning and Bob Buermann also voiced support. Chuck Hulse made a motion to have South Hero adopt the Declaration of Inclusion as presented. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
C. Calvin Banas and Alex Zolotas will co-chair the South Hero July 4 parade with the theme “Essential Workers”. The parade line up will begin at 10:00 am the corner of Landon Rd. and South St. and will proceed down South St. at 11:00 am. The Sheriff will help with traffic control. All are welcome to participate in the parade, so walk, bike, bring a float, car, tractor, etc. and join in! Ross Brown made a motion to have the Town of South Hero sanction the July 4, 2021 parade. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried. Also, Ross Brown made a motion to spend up to $50.00 for posters advertising the July 4 parade. 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 below .
B. The Town has several ordinances that set speed limits on the Town roads. For some reason, the current judge will not honor speeding tickets until he has proof of the posted speed limit on Town roads. Martha has summarized the ordinances on one document Speed Limits and has made a color coded map Speed Limit map showing the speed limits on each road or section of road. Ross Brown made a motion to have the Selectboard sign the documented summary re-affirming the speed limits as per the adopted ordinances. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
7. Old and Ongoing Business:
A. Ross Brown made a motion to appoint Steve Robinson as Constable for South Hero. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
B. Town Hall building updates: The old furnace room is being converted into an office. Sheetrock has been repaired, it has been painted and the carpeting will be installed this week. A new heat pump will be installed soon. Once it is completed, the ZA office will be moved there and the treasurer will move into the current ZA office.
C. Town Website updates: The new website is now active.
8. Announcements and Communications:
A. See other business
9. Other Business:
A. Anne Zolotas made a motion to approve and sign orders 21-25 and to pay the bills associated with the orders. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
B. Anne Zolotas made a motion to approve and sign the contract for the Town audit from Sullivan and Powers accounting firm. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
C. Camp Hochelega will open in 2021 after being closed in 2020 due to Covid-19. The new Camp Director is Alana Matteson. Visit ywcavt.org for more information.
D. Recreation Commission (RC) update: Chuck Hulse reported that GMCS has begun to monitor the parking at the White’s Beach and it is going well. David Hobbs has resigned from the Recreation Commission, so it is short of members. If anyone is interested in joining RC, please reach out to a Selectboard or current RC Member.
E. Road Department update:
-The 2009 International truck is having electrical/wiring harness issues, so it will be replaced. Anne Zolotas made a motion to approve the purchase agreement for a new plow truck as discussed at the last meeting for a final price of $127,153.00. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried. Note that the old plow truck has a value of between $20,000-$25,000, and it will be offered for sale on consignment at the dealership.
-Work on a “Better back roads” grant must be completed by June 30, so the road crew is working hard to complete it by then.
F. Kim Julow reviewed the balance sheet and it appears that the Town will end the 2020-2021 FY approximately balanced. If there is a slight deficit, then either a line of credit in anticipation of future taxes or money may be “borrowed” from exiting Town funds to cover it. The Town may receive approx. $173,000 in ARPA funds. There are still many questions as to how they may be spent. As of now, the Town should have up to 2024 to designate how to spend it and up to 2026 to actually complete any plans. More info will follow as it becomes available.
G. Anne Zolotas made a motion to go into executive session for personnel matters at 8:50 pm. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried. Executive session ended at 9:27 pm. Upon exiting executive session, no motions were made.
10. Adjournment:
-Ross Brown made a motion to adjourn 9:28 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 June 14, 2021
Discussion Items:
- I received an email from Joel Behring of VHB regarding the test wells for the landfill. Wells were scheduled to be drilled on Wednesday and Thursday last week (6/9-10). The Straights changed their minds and decided not to have a test well on their property. If a new access agreement can be reached, that well will need to be done at a later date).
- There is new funding available for the FY2022 Building Communities Grants administered by the VT Dept. of Buildings and General Services. Grants are available for recreational facilities, regional economic development, human services, and educational facilities. I have additional information for anyone interested.
- I was contacted by a New Jersey engineering company who will be installing 2 Electric Vehicle charging stations at Jolly’s on RT 2 here in South Hero. The State identified South Hero as a priority for this installation and has allocated grant money. No schedule is available yet for dates of the installation.
Planning Commission:
The Planning Commission continues to hold meetings via Zoom.
- The PC meeting on June 2 was cancelled.
- The Planning Commission’s public hearing for amendments to the Development Regulations is this Wednesday, June 16. The warning, amendment report, and amendments to Table 2.1, Sec 302, and Sec. 701 were posted on the Town website. The amendments are changes to Table 2.1, regulations regarding Accessory Dwellings, industry in the Village Zoning Districts, and Accessory commercial uses in all districts. A Selectboard hearing will be scheduled after the PC hearing, once changes, if any, are made to the proposed amendments. Substantial changes resulting from the 6/16 PC hearing will require a second Planning Commission hearing before moving on to the Selectboard.
- The Commission has received 3 letters of interest to fill the seat vacated when Jonathan Shaw resigned. 2 candidates attended the May 19 PC meeting. The 3rd was unable to attend and will hopefully attend the 6/16 meeting. The SB will be asked to appoint a new member at its June 28 meeting.
Development Review Board:
– DRB meetings will move back to in-person meetings at the Town Office on June 23. The Zoom option will still be available. Meeting starting times will also move from 6pm to 7pm for the summer months starting at the June 23 meeting.
– I am scheduling DRB hearings into July 2021.
– The DRB approved the Zlotoff Foundation CU/SP review application for use of the first floor of the Museum at Apple Island Resort. Once the 30-day appeal period ends on July 9, the Foundation’s current notice of violation will be resolved.
–Upcoming hearings include a 3-lot minor subdivision and a request for a setback waiver 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))