Selectboard Minutes
Regular Meeting of Monday November 9, 2020 at 6:00 PM
South Hero Town Hall
Board Members Present: Jonathan Shaw, Skip Brown (also Board Secretary), Anne Zolotas, and Ross Brown in person. David Carter via Zoom.
Board Members Not Present: none
Others Present: Janet Yates, Town Clerk and Martha Taylor-Varney. Also see sign in sheet.Attendance SB 11-09-2020
1. Called to Order:
-The meeting was called by Chairman Shaw at 6:00 pm
2. Adjustment to Agenda:
-none
3. Minutes:
-Anne Zolotas made a motion to approve the minutes of October 26, 2020. The motion was seconded, Skip Brown abstained, the others in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
4. Public input:
A. Sandy Gregg said that there is a grant opportunity for the Worthen Library. She asked that the Selectboard give a letter of support for the grant. It will be finalized at the next meeting.
5. New Business:
A. Ken Kowalowitz of the Worthen Library presented a budget request, level funded from last year at a total of $135,600.00. The library foundation will fund $40,000.00 of the total bringing the Town portion request to $95,600.00. Ross Brown made a motion that an article will be written for Town Meeting asking the Town for $95,600.00 for the Worthen Library for FY 2021-2022. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
B. Patrick Robinson and Rich Goggin of the SHVFD were present to discuss the equipment replacement fund. For the last several years the amount put aside has been $35,000.00. This amount does not seem sufficient to meet future needs. It is suggested that $60,000.00 be budgeted for the next budget, with $5,000.00 increases in subsequent years until the yearly amount reaches $75,000.00.
C. Terry Robinson and Ron Phelps presented a level funded budget in the amount of $6200.00 for the South Hero Bicentennial Museum.
D. Neil Hazen and Sam Robinson were present to present the budget for the South Hero Cemetery. The annual maintenance is level funded at $5000.00, but there is need for $3500.00 to cover surveying fees in order to introduce approximately 260 new plots. Anne Zolotas made a motion to include an article for the South Hero Cemetery in the amount of $8500.00. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
-Note that all budget requests will be reviewed by the Selectboard, will be included in the Town Report and will be voted on by the Town residents in March of 2021.
6. Administrative Assistant Report:
A. See the written report filed with these minutes in Town Hall or www.southherovt.org.
7. Old and Ongoing Business:
A. There was a discussion of the draft of an Ordinance to License and Regulate Mobile Vendors. Anne Zolotas made a motion to approve the draft, but after further discussion, she withdrew the motion in order for some suggested changes be reviewed by the Planning Commission. More information will be at the next Selectboard Meeting.
8. Announcements and Communications:
A. See other business
9. Other Business:
A. Skip Brown made a motion to approve and sign orders 21-10 and to pay the bills associated with the orders. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
B. The general Town budget was worked on.
10. Adjournment:
-David Carter made a motion to adjourn 8:31 pm. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
Respectfully submitted, Approved by,
_______________________________ ________________________________
Graham Brown Jonathan Shaw, Chairman
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Administrative Officer’s Report to Selectboard November 9, 2020
Discussion Items:
1. On Thursday, Nov. 5th, I represented the Town in a virtual meeting of the Vermont Community Development Board as part of the Town’s application for an Implementation Grant application for the proposed Bayview Crossing Senior Housing Development. Others joining me were Cindy Reid of Cathedral Square and Robin Way of CIDER. The VCDP Board is considering grant applications from numerous applicants in Vermont and, due to a limit in funds for this cycle, South Hero’s grant application is being considered for April. The feedback from the Board was positive and Cathedral Square is optimistic that the Town’s application will be approved at that time.
2. VHB has sent an invoice for the period ending Oct 31. Joel Behrsing added a note that the expenses include time and expense associated with attempting to sample the landfill monitoring wells, which are required by the end of October each year. However, the groundwater levels are too low to allow for a sample collection. The State has been notified, and the sampling will be rescheduled to a future date once the water levels improve.
3. Per the Board’s discussion and approval for a new computer for the Zoning Office, I have been notified by David Dewyea that the replacement laptop will be shipping at the end of December.
Planning Commission:
The Planning Commission is meeting at the Town Office with proper social distancing and mask protocols.
A. The Commission has finalized a draft for an “Ordinance to License and Regulate Mobile Vendors”. I have given each SB member a copy of the Ordinance. If approved by the Board at a future meeting it will need to be posted throughout town and published in the Islander. Unless 5% of the Town’s registered voters appeal the SB’s approval within 44 days of approval, the Ordinance will become effective 60 days after the Selectboard’s approval date.
B. In an act related to promoting affordable housing, the State’s Planning and Development Act has changed its requirements regarding accessory dwellings. These differ from the Town’s current definition – 1BR dwelling, clearly subordinate to a single household dwelling; measuring up to 50% of the total habitable floor area of the single household dwelling but may not exceed 700sf. The State’s new definition allows for additional bedrooms (as long as there is sufficient wastewater capacity) and to be as large as 900 sf or 30% of the floor area of the principal dwelling (whichever is greater). The Planning Commission is working on the new language for Sec. 701 of the Development Regulations and will be asking the Selectboard at a future meeting to approve the amended language in the Regulations.
Development Review Board:
– The DRB has scheduled hearings currently through December 9. All hearings are being held via Zoom.
– A preliminary site plan review for the proposed senior housing was held October 28th. The decision is due within 45 days of the hearing. I anticipate the decision will be reached and posted before then.
– The Board will not be holding their regularly scheduled second meetings during the months of November and December due to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
– Recent DRB hearing decisions can be found posted on the Board outside the ZA’s office or can be emailed upon request.
Respectfully submitted,
Martha Taylor-Varney (ZA)