Reorganizational + Regular Selectboard Meeting
Minutes of Meeting of March 14, 2022
South Hero Town Hall and via Zoom, Monday 7:00 PM
Board Present via Zoom and in person (after swearing in): David Carter, Ross Brown, Anne Zolotas, Charles “Chuck” Hulse, and Graham “Skip” Brown
Board Not present: none
Others Present: Naomi, Town Clerk, and Martha Taylor-Varney, Administrative Assistant. Also, see sign in sheet of in person and Zoom attendees. Attendance SB 03-14-2022
1. Called to Order: The meeting was called to order by Naomi King at 7:00 PM.
2. Board Reorganization and appointments:
A. The meeting was opened by the Town Clerk, Naomi King, for reorganization. Ross Brown and Anne Zolotas were sworn in by Naomi King.
B. Naomi King asked for nominations for the Chairperson of the Selectboard. Ross Brown made a motion to nominate David Carter as Chairman of the Selectboard. The motion for David Carter as Chairman was seconded. The nominee did not vote, the others voted for the nominee and the motion carried. The meeting was then turned over to David Carter.
C. David Carter made a motion to appoint Skip Brown as clerk to the Selectboard. The nominee did not vote, the others voted for the nominee and the motion carried.
D. David Carter made a motion to appoint Ross Brown as Vice Chairman to the Selectboard. The motion was seconded. The nominee did not vote, the others voted for the nominee and the motion carried.
E. Skip Brown made a motion that the regular Selectboard meetings will be at 7:00 pm during Daylight Saving Time and 6:00 pm during Daylight Standard Time at Town Hall and via Zoom unless otherwise noted. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
F. Skip Brown made a motion that postings of agendas and other official posting locations will be the Town Hall, the Post office, The Worthen Library and the Town website. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
G. Anne Zolotas made a motion that The Islander would be the paper of record for legal notices. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
H. Appointments:
-Ross Brown made a motion to re-appoint Anne Zolotas as Tree Warden. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
-Ross Brown made a motion to re-appoint John Roy as Road Commissioner. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
-Ross Brown made a motion that the animal control officer will remain Jim Benson. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted. The motion was seconded the others in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
-Anne Zolotas made a motion to appoint Chuck Hulse Deputy Emergency Management Officer. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
I. Ross Brown made a motion to approve and sign the FY2022/2023 Selectboard Rules of Procedure. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
4. Adjustment to the Agenda:
-none
Minutes:
-Ross Brown a motion to accept the minutes of the regular meeting of February 28, 2022 as written. The motion was seconded, the others in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
5. Public input:
A. Heidi Chamberlain was present to discuss the lease from the Town to the Island Craft Shop. Currently the lease runs for one year. The shop is interested in a longer term of 2 or 3 years so they can plan for the future. More information will be at the next Board meeting. Also, Tim Maxham asked about helping to trim some overhanging trees on the east side of the building. Tree trimming will be done in the future.
6. New Business:
A. Naomi gave an update as the new Town Clerk.
-Cindy Spence and Sam Hilliker will remain as an assistant Town Clerks/Treasurers.
-The office hours will remain the same as before for now: Monday-Wednesday 8:30-4:30 PM and from 8:30-5:00 on Thursdays.
-40 years of the land records have been scanned. Hopefully by July they will be indexed and ready to go online.
B. George Rice will continue as delinquent tax collector until May. Ads for a new delinquent tax collector will be prepared.
C. Ross Brown made a motion to allow the Road Commissioner and/or Road Foreman to sign road permits and postings. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
D. There is currently no constable. An ad for a constable will be prepared.
7. Administrative Assistant Report:
A. Martha presented a written report. See the written report available in Town Hall or on the Town website for all of discussion points.
B. Bill Rowe has resigned from the DRB. Ross Brown made a motion to appoint Mike Welch, current alternate member of the DRB, to complete Bill Rowe’s term ending in 2023. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
8. Old and Ongoing Business:
A. Nothing new at this meeting.
9. Other Business and announcements:
A. Chuck Hulse made a motion to sign orders #22-19. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
B. Ross Brown made a motion to approve and sign the wastewater infrastructure loan application. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
C. Ross Brown made a motion to approve the class 2 liquor license permit applications for: Wally’s Place Bagel and Deli, Wally’s Place Bagel and Deli outside consumption and Keeler’s Bay Variety. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
D. Skip Brown made a motion to approve and sign the Records Policy. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
E. Recreation Commission update: Chuck Hulse inquired about the possibility of using ARPA funds to do an engineering study for the possible new recreation area behind the old fire station. Should ARPA funds not be applicable for this, then the Rec. Comm. does have funds to cover the estimate of $3000.00-$6000.00. More information will follow. The Rec. Comm. is very busy. There is a possibility that a paid Recreation Coordinator will be necessary in the future.
F. Road Dept. update: The Board would like to express condolences to Road Foreman John Beaulac on the death of his step-father,William Duchaine. John used eligible paid time off in his absence.
G. Old South Hero Meeting House: The Paul Brun grant is a federal grant, and the stabilization/foundation work to the building will have to be approved by the grantor. There is a hope that work could possibly begin in the fall, but the schedule will be updated as things progress.
H. David Carter made a motion to add Mike Gammal and Mitchell Richardson to the Wastewater Commission. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
I. The Grand Isle County Sheriff has sent a letter to all of the towns in the County that he has lost several deputies recently and cannot cover the hours that were contracted. The Board will invite the Sheriff to a future meeting to discuss when coverage in the Town should be prioritized.
J. Anne Zolotas made a motion to go into executive session for personnel matters at 8:25. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried. Executive session ended at 8:30 pm. Upon exiting executive session, no motions were made. The consensus of the Board is that the salary and benefits will be paid to the Town Clerk as budgeted for.
10. Adjournment:
-Skip Brown made a motion to adjourn at 8:35 pm. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
Respectfully submitted, Approved by,
_______________________________ ________________________________
Graham Brown David Carter, Chair
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Administrative Officer’s Report to Selectboard March 14, 2022
Discussion Items:
1. I sent an email to the VLCT Municipal Assistance Center about the requirement to include Zoom meeting information on Board agendas, as currently required by Act 78. They responded that other Towns have had the same problem as South Hero with Zoom bombing. They have suggested a waiting room but admitted that, because it is an open meeting, participants cannot be excluded from the meeting. The issue has been passed on to the Government Operations Committees, and they also recommended that the Town’s local representatives be notified to add a bit more pressure on that committee.
2. South Hero Land Trust has been working with the Recreation Commission to develop the Robinson Trail, to go from Tracy Rd. to South St. Trailhead parking is proposed for the Town Land at the intersection of Tracy and Station Rds. The DRB will need to do a site plan review, which will mostly be related to parking availability. Can this area be used for parking and what other uses are currently there?
3. I have received numerous email complaints about an undeveloped lot on the lake side of Heron Ridge Rd. that is being used to ‘store’ no-longer-used RV’s and other debris, in addition to seasonal storage of other RV’s. I have a call out to the DEC Enforcement Officer, David Murrish, since there may be some issues related to possible contamination of the lake. As of mid-afternoon today, we have been unable to connect. I’ve also emailed of the State Salvage Yard Program but have yet to hear back.
4. Doug Allen of VHB sent me a copy of the fully executed contract for the next phase of work at the landfill. On an additional note, Buzz Surwillo of the DEC Solid Waste Program, with whom vhb had been working on the landfill’s PFAS testing, passed away suddenly in early March. Doug will keep us informed when he knows who will replace him. I spoke with Doug this afternoon and he said that vhb wanted to field test research for the landfill and asked who in town he may be able to talk with who would have memories of the operation of the landfill. The only name I could think of was perhaps John Roy. Does anyone have a suggestion of anyone else who may have information?
Planning Commission
The Commission continues to meet with stakeholders for the 2023 Town Plan. Discussion at the March 2nd meeting included Housing and Transportation. The March 16 meeting will center on water quality, with Grand Isle Natural Resource Conservation District and Friends of Northern Lake Champlain.
Development Review Board
1. There will be no meeting on March 23rd. The next meeting will be April 13 (2 hearings).
2. Board member Bill Rowe is resigning his position on the DRB. The DRB thanks Bill for his service and would like to wish him well in his retirement. I will place an ad on the Town website and in the Islander for interested people to contact me. I would like to recommend that the Selectboard appoint Alternate Mike Welch to finish Bill’s current term and allow me will advertise for a new DRB Alternate.