September 22, 2014

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, September 22, 2014

7 PM

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Reg Beliveau, Village Manager; and Channel 16.

 

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

 

Neal Speer, Village President, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

 

1. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, September 8, 2014 Meeting:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Minutes from Monday, September 8, 2014 as presented. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: Chris Leach asked if there was any progress made with getting Unit #2 back on line at the Hydro Plant. Reg Beliveau explained that Al Mosher was still working on it. Chris Leach stated the Minutes said an expert was coming in. Reg stated he couldn’t figure it out either and said Al Mosher has ordered a part and it will be in this week. Eugene LaBombard asked how long it has been down. Reg stated it has been down for several different reasons lately but this last one is a certain part they are trying to figure out. More discussion took place regarding this Unit and the Board stated they were disappointed this wasn’t up and running by now. Motion carried.

 

2. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, September 19, 2014:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants through Friday, September 19, 2014 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Chris Leach asked what Three C Electric payment for $42,000 was for. Reg Beliveau stated that was for breaker work and testing at the Hydro Plant during the shut-down. Adam Paxman asked what ECI was for? Reg stated that was for paving Second St. and Fourth St.  Adam Paxman also asked about VT Electric Power, Reg stated he wasn’t sure on that one but would find out for them and let them know. Motion carried.

 

3. Electric Cost of Service Update:

 

Reg Beliveau informed the Board that after the first round of going in for a rate increase of 10.69% they were intending on going in for a Class Cost of Service update with the Public Service Board. He said the Village is filing for an extension for that update for November 1, 2014. He said this is just time consuming and requires a lot of work so they need this extension. Chris Leach said he agrees because there appears to be some inequities with the demand metering. Reg stated they wanted to raise those numbers some and the Board stated they would like to make it easier for customers to be able to get off demand metering if they get their numbers below the proper numbers. Eugene LaBombard also stated this will bring them up to date on other issues as well. Reg stated he would keep them up to date on this issue.

 

4. Interfund Borrowing Resolution:

 

Reginald Beliveau stated this is part of the 108 filing that the voters recently approved regarding interfund borrowing in the Electric Department. He said this was the Resolution drawn up by the Village Attorney and he needs a motion as well. Adam Paxman made the motion to adopt the Village of Swanton Interfund Borrowing Resolution for $1.3 million dollars to be signed by Village Clerk Dianne Day. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

5. Transco Equity Purchase:

 

Reginald Beliveau stated the Village of Swanton purchased some equity last year but did so directly through Velco. He said this year VPPSA would purchase our equity from Velco and finance it for a term of seven years with a fixed interest of approximately 4.4% with a principal paid balance over a 20 year amortization. Chris Leach asked when does Swanton Village see the fruits of our labor here? Reg stated he believed it was yearly we receive dividends from Transco from this. Adam Paxman stated it looks like we have a little bit of time here before we have to make a decision. Reg stated we had a month to decide. Chris stated he had a lot of respect for John Morley and his work. Chris Leach made the motion to table this item until they found out what the pay-out schedule was and what form it is in. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

6. Swanton Enhancement Project Update:

 

Adam Paxman stated he wanted to update everyone that things are looking up. He said MVU and Swanton Schools are now on board with the head of the Supervisory Union Mr. Wynn Goodrich as well. Reg stated they have endorsed the Enhancement Committee partaking in the community visit. Adam said they are still looking for people to help support them but are still plugging away getting ready for the community visit hopefully at the end of January. Reg stated they will have another public meeting at the end of October and they encourage people to attend. He said they are informative and gives people the opportunity to see what’s going on and see what they need help with.

 

7. Utility Pole Ordinance:

 

Reg Beliveau stated this Ordinance has been in the works for some time now and they are trying to figure out the correct spot in the Ordinances to put it. He said they could put in under Traffic Ordinances or Miscellaneous. Chris Leach asked where is it stated you aren’t allowed to attach anything to any of Swanton Village’s utility poles. Reg stated that is something they could add to this Ordinance. He said he has a video from NEPPA showing what would happen to a lineman if his glove were to get punctured from something as small as a needle. When people post signs to utility poles with staples or nails they are endangering our linemen who climb these poles. Eugene LaBombard stated this is a State law and we should find the language on that. More discussion took place regarding the language of the Ordinance and making it clearer and easier to understand. The basic rule of this Ordinance is so that old poles are being removed in a timely manner and that utility companies are switching over to the new poles in a timely manner. Reg stated he would work on the language a bit more and would bring it back before the Board for approval.

 

8. Merchants Row Signs:

 

Adam Paxman stated the Chamber of Commerce office has been open quite a bit more this summer and he said he had someone come in and ask him where Merchants Row was. Adam stated he pointed across the street and said it is right there. The customer said “I’m from out of town, how would I know that? There are no signs.” Adam asked if there was any way they could have a sign made stating “Merchant’s Row”? The Board agreed this was a good idea, just having street signs made and placing one by Ferry Street and placing one at the top of Merchants Row by the VFW. Adam stated he could work with Mike Menard on this. Chris Leach asked if Mike Menard could do a street sign survey at some point and put it on next year’s budget plan and fix them as they come up. Eugene LaBombard asked who’s responsibility it was to clean Merchant’s Row. Chris stated he thought the Mason’s cleaned the front of theirs. Eugene asked if anyone agreed with him that it needed cleaning. The Board all agreed it did. Eugene thought maybe the Downtown Enhancement Committee group could contact them and take an interest in cleaning it up. Reg stated he’s had complaints from business owners about the smoking taking place outside and when they open their doors they smell smoke. He said he’s ordered three signs and hopefully that will help. Adam said he would like to see better store front signs there, he said there’s a couple that could be replaced. Eugene stated if you looked above your head on Merchants Row it’s terrible and needs repair. Adam said it’s getting the store owners to buy in and want to help clean it up. Adam said maybe there are some grants available to help with the lighting there but said the store owners need to take some responsibility there as well.

 

9. Discussion of a Building Inspector Position:

 

Adam Paxman stated he brought this up at the JLB meeting and the more he thought about it the more he feels they need to seriously consider having someone do building inspections in the Village and in the Town. He said this has become a necessity and he said in St. Albans City the Fire Chief is currently doing it. He said was hoping to hear back from some people he contacted in the south to see who’s doing it there or if they actually hired someone to do it. He said if they really want to clean up some of the areas in the community they need to take a step forward and consider this. He wanted some feedback from the Board. Chris Leach asked to what standard are you inspecting to and who is going to enforce what you want to do? Adam stated it should be State standards like fire safety and building inspections. Chris asked if this applied to single family homes, does it apply to only businesses in manufacturing and rental properties? Chris asked what would the enforcement be? Reg Beliveau stated first they would do an inspection and give a certain number of days to fix any infractions. If not you would then be fined for whatever the violation would be. Chris asked what would be the penalty and who gets the money and what happens if they don’t pay. Reg stated if it was a local person the fines would go to the community and you could condemn the property if was deemed unsafe. Eugene LaBombard asked what’s the property owner’s recourse? Reg stated if it’s life safety you need to fix it. Reg stated if a landlord doesn’t have smoke detectors or has junk blocking fire escapes that’s a life safety issue. He said a building inspector could help a landlord evict a tenant for issues like these. He said if you have a good tenant but a bad landlord and they’re not willing to come and make repairs then you would fine the landlord. Eugene stated there wasn’t much response to this at the JLB. Adam stated that was because he didn’t come prepared and said he still didn’t have all the information he wanted to have. Neal Speer asked if this would be another full time employee of Swanton Village. Adam stated it could be the Village or the Town. Chris asked why couldn’t it be for a bunch of towns, he didn’t feel it would be a 40 hour position. Reg stated there were 220 rental properties in Swanton. Adam stated if the municipalities got together and hired a building inspector for Franklin County that would be great. Reg stated there’s only two building inspectors working for the State right now. Reg said he could put Adam in contact with the State inspector for more information. Eugene LaBombard stated this sounded like more of a zoning issue responsibility within the community. Reg stated in some municipalities the inspectors salary is actually paid by the fines generated. Adam said he would reach out to the State inspector for more information and would like to get the ball rolling on this. He said there is a great need for this. Eugene stated there are a lot of eye sores in the Village that should be cleaned up. Adam said he would report back to the Board when he had more information. Chris Leach also stated he would need to report the financial plan on what this would cost and who would pay for it.

 

10. Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Chris Leach asked how Dianne Day was doing. Reg stated he brought her a plant and she was doing better. He said the next meeting they have she is going to Facetime the meeting. Chris also asked about the Maintenance Position. Reg stated the new guy has been hired and is working out well.

 

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau stated he had a meeting with the State today regarding paving First Street in 2016. He said they are going to do 1.6 miles of Route 7 and Route 78. They are going to start on Route 78 by North Country Bait & Tackle and come in to the Village right where they started paving by the Complex and the other is on Route 7 on Grand Avenue up to the Town line on Spring Street. Eugene LaBombard asked Reg to make sure he mentions the intersection at North and South River Street because he feels the asphalt there isn’t of very good quality. Reg stated he was told the Town of Alburg used the same asphalt as they did on First Street and theirs is already starting to ripple up as well. Adam stated the intersection by Route 207 is doing the same thing also. Chris Leach asked if they should consider using concrete on those intersections. Reg stated that was mentioned and they are going to look into it. He said they have some paving money left over and he said Mike Menard is going to get some heavy duty aggregate and fill it in to help with plowing this winter. Reg stated he would need an Executive Session for Personnel.

 

Any Other Business: Neal Speer asked who is cutting trees down by the dam? Reg Beliveau stated Mike Menard went in and cleared out some small shrubs.

 

 

11. Executive Session (If Necessary):

 

Chris Leach made the motion to enter into Executive Session to Discuss Personnel at 8:00 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to exit Executive Session at 8:25 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

 

ACTION TAKEN: None.

 

ADJOURN: Chris Leach made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 8:25 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:25 p.m. Motion carried.

 

 

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                           Date

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                               Date

 

 

Village BOT 9/8/14

 

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, September 8, 2014

7 PM

 

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager, and Channel 16.

 

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

 

Neal Speer, Village President, welcomed everyone to the Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees and called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

 

1. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, August 20, 2014:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, August 20, 2014 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Eugene LaBombard commented that Chris Leach was listed as present but he was not, correction made. Adam Paxman stated he didn’t think it was a Special Meeting, Neal stated it was because it was held on Wednesday in order to have Wayne Elliott attend. Motion carried with correction.

 

2. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, September 5, 2014:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants through Friday, September 5, 2014 as presented. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: Adam Paxman asked about Jeffords Steel & Engineering. Reg Beliveau stated that was for work done at the Hydro Plant. Adam also asked about Mountain Air Systems, Reg stated that was for work also done at the Hydro Plant. Eugene LaBombard asked about SD Myers, Reg stated that was for repairs to the Sub-Station because one of the transformers was leaking. Motion carried.

 

3. Appoint Assistant Village Clerk and Assistant Village Treasurer:

 

Reginald Beliveau informed the Board that Village Clerk Dianne Day will be out due to back surgery. He advised that due to State Statute the Village Clerk needed to appoint an assistant. He said Dianne Day appointed Trish Foote as Assistant Village Clerk and appointed Lynn Paradis as Assistant Treasurer. Chris Leach made the motion to appoint Trish Foote as Assistant Village Clerk and Lynn Paradis as Assistant Treasurer. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

4. Discuss NEPPA Conference:

 

Reginald Beliveau stated the NEPPA Conference was a huge success and he said the discussion was geared more toward leadership this year. Neal Speer stated it was information they certainly could use. Reg stated that on Tuesday afternoon they focused on legislative issues. Chris Leach stated it would be a good idea to ask our local legislators for email updates occasionally. Reg stated the focus of Investor Owned Utilities is the bottom line, they are in it to make money. He said the rates are very different in a public power company than in an IOU company, he said the rates are a lot different. Chris Leach stated Vermont is the only state in the United States that governs their utility companies, he said other states do not do this. Chris Leach stated he would like to see more trend data being available. The Board members all agreed that the NEPPA Conference was very informative this year.

 

 

5. Electric Rate Case Discussion:

 

Eugene LaBombard said he wanted to thank those involved in this rate case. Reg Beliveau stated that when the VPPSA members were here recently they asked what they could do differently this time with the Department, meeting with them regularly and asking them what they think. He said this time around there was an adjustment on how they reviewed rate cases and he said they learned a lot. He said this will change a lot of our accounting procedures here at the Village, will change when the Village gets quotes and purchase orders from vendors for work, they have to have a very good paper trail showing this is in the best interest of the rate payers. He said this will have to be done for each project. He said this past rate case they went in for a 7.42% rate increase and the Public Service Board approved a rate increase of 6.07% effective September 1, 2014. Reg stated last year Swanton Village put in the rates ahead of time before they were approved and had to refund 9% back to the customers. He said this year they didn’t do that and because of this increase they will now be able to maintain the infrastructure, getting work done and reliable. He said the taxpayers also approved the 108 filing a couple of weeks ago approving two electric bonds and even with this and the rate case Swanton Village will still be below the 10.69% they asked for last year. He said this will help improve Swanton Village. Chris Leach said he has sat on this Board a long time and has scrutinized everything electrical that he can. He said there’s a reason we have the lowest rates in the State and that’s because of the people who work here. He said the State doesn’t need to scrutinize Swanton Village to this extent. Reg stated he had this argument with the Public Service Board but is pleased with what they approved for a rate increase. He also thanked all the voters for their support on the two electric bonds that were approved.

 

 

6. Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Chris Leach wanted to comment on how good the striping looks downtown. He said it was too bad that they lost the red crosswalks. Adam Paxman stated his only concern while they were doing it was the traffic flow and said people need to really slow down when they see people working in the road. Chris Leach mentioned the island going in on Academy Street. He asked what lane are you supposed to be in when you’re turning into Academy Street from Grand Avenue. Reg stated this was a rain garden being installed and he drew a diagram on the board for the Trustees. Reg stated there is another rain garden site they are working on but are having issues with the landowner. He said that would take care of about a third of the phosphorus runoff going into the river.

 

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman stated the Chamber of Commerce would be holding a “Halloween in the Park” next month on Halloween night. He said if anyone is interested in helping them they can email the Chamber at info@swantonchamber.com for more information. He said they are always looking for volunteers. He said on Saturday, November 29^th the Chamber will be holding their Christmas in the Park and they could also use volunteers for that as well. Reg stated People’s United and Champlain Insuring are helping out with the Halloween in the Park event and said if any other businesses want to donate to contact the Chamber. Adam also stated the Swanton Enhancement Project is still going strong and said there are a bunch of people looking to make the community a better place to live. He said they will be meeting in January if interested.

 

Any Other Business: Chris Leach asked if the power plant was back up to 100% yet. Reg stated it was but Unit #2 went back down again and they have a guy coming in Tuesday to look at it. Chris asked about the paving being done on Route 78 and asked if the Village was going to get any paving done. Reg stated not until 2016. Neal stated there was a big difference already between here and Highgate.

 

Any Other Business: Eugene LaBombard asked if there was any information the public can have regarding the recent break-ins. Reg stated he hasn’t heard anything recently but knows the police have made an arrest or two. Adam stated he knows they’ve made two or three arrests and one of the persons were apprehended and they can tie that person to several recent break-ins. Eugene thought a press release may be a good idea as long as it didn’t jeopardize this case.

 

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau stated that FERC was coming up to do a visit and inspection at the Hydro Plant on September 15^th at 3:30 p.m. to make sure all FERC listings and postings are in order and kept up to date. He said most of this is already done he was just informing the Board about this inspection.

 

Reg Beliveau informed the Board he needed an Executive Session to discuss personnel, real estate and customer accounts.

 

7. Executive Session (If Necessary):

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter into Executive Session at 7:48 p.m. to discuss personnel, real estate and customer accounts. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to exit Executive Session at 8:46 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

 

ACTION TAKEN: Chris Leach made the motion to remove the NIPA block from each customer’s electric bill. He stated that this was discussed with VPPSA and Ron Barrins and they support the removal of this NIPA block from Swanton Village’s rate structure. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

 

ADJOURN: Adam Paxman made the motion to adjourn the Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees at 8:48 PM. Chris Leach seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:48 PM. Motion carried.

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                           Date

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                               Date

 

 

 

August 20, 2014

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

SPECIAL MEETING

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

7 PM

 

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager, Dianne Day, Village Clerk; Wayne Elliott, Aldrich & Elliott; and Channel 16.

 

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

 

Neal Speer, Village President, welcomed everyone to the Special Meeting of the Board of Trustees and called the meeting to order at 7:25 p.m.

 

1. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, August 11, 2014:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, August 11, 2014 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

2. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, August 15, 2014:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants through Friday, August 15, 2014 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Adam Paxman asked what the First Niagra Leasing payment for $4,564.25 was for. Reginald Beliveau stated that was for the police cruiser and vactor lease payment. Motion carried.

 

3. Wayne Elliott – Discuss Phase III Recovery for the Archeological Investigation on Waugh Farm Rd:

 

Wayne Elliott stated their main concern at this time is the lower part of the Waugh Farm Rd. He said UVM found some sensitive areas and now need to do further field work. He said they have had several meetings with the State of Vermont Historic Preservation Committee and UVM and the field work recovery dig will cost approximately $317,294. The work will include digging 4' deep in a 1000' section on Waugh Farm Rd. This will allow Swanton Village to then shallow bury the pipe in that area only. They are looking at about 30 days of field work. Adam Paxman asked if UVM could exceed that $317,000 amount. Reginald Beliveau stated they don't have the ability to negotiate it. Wayne agreed with Reg and stated he feels this price is in line with other recovery's they've seen. Eugene LaBombard stated the price is lower than we he expected. He asked where would they display the artifacts they find. Reg stated he would like to have them displayed at Swanton Village for some time since they are paying $317,000 for the recovery of them.

 

Wayne stated the other amendment he needs to make the Board aware of tonight is the Rail Trail Amendment #3. He said initially they were going to follow the Rail Trail but now the Federal government is saying one day they may return that rail trail back to the rail bank and so Plan B is to minimize the impact to the Rail Trail. He said they will go along Waugh Farm Rd., Route 78 and Lafar Drive instead of going down the middle of the Rail Trail as originally planned. He said they need to update some permits with VTrans and get some easements. Adam Paxman asked when he thought they would begin construction. Wayne stated next spring would be realistic. Wayne also stated that the Fourth St. and Second St. job came in under budget and the archaeological dig is over what they planned. He said the numbers are still coming in good with construction so they are keeping an eye on everything.

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve the Archaeological Phase III Scope-of-Work for Data Recovery Mitigation at Site VT-FR-12 Within the Village of Swanton Water Transmission #2 Project at a cost of $317,294. Adam Paxman seconded. Eugene LaBombard also moves to give Village Manager Reginald Beliveau authority to sign all necessary documents pertaining to this Project. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve Amendment #3 Rail Trail and Waugh Farm Road Archaeological A&E Project #13032 at a cost of $37,000. He also moves to give Village Manager Reginald Beliveau authority to sign all necessary documents pertaining to this Project. Adam Paxman seconded. Motions carried.

 

4. Set 2014 Swanton Village Tax Rate:

 

Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, provided the Board with the 2014 Village Tax Rate. Village Clerk Dianne Day stated that because the Grand List is a bit lower and the voters approved $10,000 in holiday decorations the tax rate for 2014 will be .7231 if approved. On a home assessed at $175,000 the 2014 tax bill will be $1,265.47 and a home assessed at $200,000 the 2014 tax bill will be $1,446.25. This amounts to a 5.61% increase this year. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve the 2014 Swanton Village Tax Rate at .7231. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

5. Sanitary Survey of Swanton Village Water System:

 

Reginald Beliveau informed the Board that State Inspector Matt Guerino inspected the Water Treatment Plant on August 12, 2014. He stated he received a letter from Matt stating "the Water System appears very well operated and maintained. There were no significant or minor deficiencies identified during the survey." The Board was pleased with this report. Neal Speer stated Brian Bishop is doing a good job as usual. Reg stated that he keeps such good records and the state was impressed with this.

 

6. Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Adam Paxman thanked everyone for their support and voter approval on Tuesday, August 19th on the electric bonds. He also reminded everyone to come out and vote on the MVU budget on Tuesday, September 9, 2014.

 

7. Executive Session (If Necessary):

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter into Executive Session at 8:12 p.m. to discuss a customer's account because it is confidential and to also discuss Real Estate due to discussing the facts in open session could hinder negotiations. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to exit Executive Session at 8:40 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

ACTION TAKEN: None.

 

 

ADJOURN: Eugene LaBombard made the motion to adjourn the Special Meeting of the Board of Trustees at 8:40 PM. Adam Paxman seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:40 PM. Motion carried.

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                           Date

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                               Date

 

 

 

August 11, 2014

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

INFORMATIONAL MEETING & PUBLIC HEARING

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, August 11, 2014

7 PM

 

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager, Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; Ronald Reynolds, Glen Gurwit, Chris Goodman, Gary Guilmette, Darla Blondo, Butch Patch, Lloyd & Lorraine Collins, and Channel 16.

 

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

 

Neal Speer, Village President, welcomed everyone to the Informational Public Hearing and Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees and called the meeting to order at 7 o’clock.

 

1. Informational Meeting & Public Hearing – Electric Bond Articles:

Village Manager Reginald Beliveau read the Articles to the public that was in attendance:

 

Article I: Shall the voters of the Village of Swanton approve a note not to exceed $1.3 million dollars for the purpose of establishing a line of credit facility to support the operation of the Swanton Village Inc. Electric Department?

 

     Article II: Shall the voters of the Village of Swanton approve a note or notes not to exceed

     $1,450,000 for the purpose of purchasing utility vehicles and making capital improvements to

     its Orman Croft Generating Facility?

 

He asked if there were any questions from the audience members. Butch Patch stated he was concerned why the Village didn’t vote on this at Town Meeting Day in March. Reginald stated that Swanton Village applied for rate increase last year for 10.69%, they only received a 1% rate increase. He stated because of that they needed to file additional paperwork and were finished with that at the end of May. Lynn Paradis stated the Public Service Board needs to approve that paperwork and because of that approval time they were not able to vote on this at March Town Meeting day. Butch stated if they voted on it in March they would have a better turnout. He was concerned that very few people would show up on Tuesday, August 19 and that very few people would approve this.

 

Lynn Paradis advised everyone there that Article II is two years worth of work at the Hydro Plant. She stated at the end of 2016 the original bond payment will be paid off and that will free up about $400,000. She also informed the public about the outages they’ve had at the Hydro Plant and the costly repairs that they’ve had to endure. Christine Goodman asked about hiring another maintenance technician at Swanton Village. Reginald stated it was necessary to have another maintenance technician on hand due to the five-year preventative maintenance plan that is now in place at all Swanton Village plants. He said they need to maintain these plants and cannot do it with two people.

 

Chris Leach stated that the Public Service Board is being very strong on all utilities in Vermont now and he stated Swanton Village is the first utility to go in for rate increase since Green Mountain Power merged with CVPS. He stated the Public Service Board is being hard on Swanton Village and that they are the biggest Hydro Plant in the State of Vermont and that they are very unique.

 

Ron Reynolds asked why the Electric Department wasn’t voted on Town Meeting day like the General Fund, Police Department, Fire Department and Highway Department. He asked about Article 1 and Lynn advised this was for internal accounting purposes only and she said this would not affect the rates. She stated it would be a 0% interest line of credit and it would handle internal accounting functions here at Swanton Village. Ron asked why the Village needed to purchase new vehicles. Lynn stated the pickup truck in the Electric Department is a 2005. She stated they were interested in buying a bigger utility truck so that they could take that on outages rather than taking the bucket truck out every time. Ron stated his frustration with the Public Service Board and asked who governed them. He asked what would happen if Swanton Village told them no on some of these issues.

 

Darla Blondo asked what would happen if the vote didn’t pass on Tuesday. Lynn stated they wouldn’t be able to do the work scheduled at the Hydro Plant and they would run the risk of major repairs needing to be done. She stated they could have longer outages if the electricity were to go out and safety issues would arise as well. She also said they would be in violation according to the PSB and she doesn’t know what they will do to Swanton Village if Article I doesn’t pass.

 

Christine Goodman asked where all the cash has gone. Lynn Paradis advised they had been depleting the cash since 2008. She stated they have been over budget on purchase power, have done major line improvements, have done a substantial amount of work at the Swanton Village substation, and purchased a huge transformer. Lynn stated they were $600,000 over budget last year alone on purchase power and have had to budget higher for that line item.

 

The Board of Trustees thanked everyone for attending and urged them to come out and vote on Tuesday, August 19. They asked the Village taxpayers to support these two Articles and vote in favor of them on Tuesday, August 19^th.

 

2. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, July 28, 2014:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, July 28, 2014 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

3. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, August 8, 2014:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Village warrants through Friday, August 8, 2014 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: Eugene LaBombard asked who vendor ECI was for. Reginald Beliveau stated that was for the bridge job. Eugene also asked why the payment made to Wesco was so high. Lynn Paradis stated that amount included several invoices in one payment and that was for electric inventory. Motion carried.

 

4. Electric Rate Case Discussion:

 

Lynn Paradis stated Swanton Village filed a rate increase three and half weeks ago. She said the Public Service Board has until Friday to approve or litigate and said she is waiting to hear back from them. She stated Swanton Village pulled a few things out of the rate increase and they dropped from a 7.4% to a 6% rate increase. Lynn stated the Public Service Board wanted a cost-benefit analysis done stating when a vendor would arrive and when the vendor would leave as well as signed quotes. Lynn said another utility has agreed to do this so now Swanton Village will have to. She said they are creating a base level of standards. She stated they also had to do a depreciation study and Swanton Village paid $10,000 for that study when normally it would cost $40,000. Lynn stated as soon as she hears from the Public Service Board regarding what they been approved for a rate increase or whether or not they will litigate she would let Board know.

 

5. Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Adam Paxman wanted to remind everyone that the Downtown Enhancement Committee will hold a meeting on August 28^th at Holy Trinity Church at 7 PM. He urged everyone to attend and check it out.

 

Any Other Business: Eugene LaBombard wanted to remind everyone to come out and vote on Tuesday, August 19 from 7 AM to 7 PM. He also stated the MVU budget revote will be held on Tuesday, September 9 from 7 AM to 7 PM here at the Swanton Village Complex. He also stated there will be a JLB meeting on September 10 at 7 PM here at the Village Complex.

 

Any Other Business: Reginald Beliveau stated he received the tree survey back from UVM. He said this was a report on all trees in the Village right of way. He said the study named the species, size and health of all trees here in the Village. He said the study was done at no cost to Swanton Village and they also included a replacement schedule on these trees.

 

6. Executive Session to Discuss Real Estate:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter into executive session at 8:35 PM to discuss Real Estate in regards to Municipal Parking. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to exit Executive Session at 9:10 PM. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

 

ACTION TAKEN: Adam Paxman will talk to landowner to discuss options for parking.

 

 

ADJOURN: Eugene LaBombard made the motion to adjourn the Informational Public Hearing and Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees at 9:10 PM. Chris Leach seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 9:10 PM. Motion carried.

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                           Date

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                               Date

 

 

 

July 28, 2014

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, July 28, 2014

7 PM

 

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager, Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; Joey Stell, Chief of Police and Channel 16.

 

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

 

Neal Speer, Village President, welcomed everyone to the Board of Trustees meeting and called the meeting to order at 7 o’clock.

 

1. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, July 14, 2014:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, July 14, 2014 as presented. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion:  None. Motion carried.

 

2. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, July 25, 2014:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion:  Eugene LaBombard asked about the Radio North Group payment, Lynn Paradis advised that was the grant for the Fire Department for their new radios and that it would be reimbursed at 100%. Chris Leach asked about the payment made to Iron Brook, Reginald Beliveau explained that was for the Ultra Violet system at the Waste Water Treatment Plant.  Adam Paxman asked about the payment made to Bergeron Protective Clothing, Reginald Beliveau explained that was for the Fire Department. Motion carried.

 

3. Section 108 Update Discussion:

 

Reginald Beliveau presented of Board of Trustees with an insert that will go into the utility bills explaining the two articles coming up for a vote on August 19, 2014 if approved by the Board. Neal Speer read aloud the insert. Article one is asking the voters to approve $1.3 million dollars for the purpose of establishing a line of credit facility to support the operation of the Swanton Village Electric Department. Chris Leach asked if this was normal accounting practice and Lynn advised it was and stated one way around it would be to have a separate checking account for each department. She stated she would need to modify her software program in order to do this and maybe in the future the Village would work on doing so. Lynn stated these figures were not in the rate case yet and said that the ratepayers would not be affected by this until 2015. She said this year they have gone in for a 7.42% rate increase and that still keeps Swanton Village the lowest in the state. Chris Leach stated the insert is very informative and he would approve it being mailed soon as possible. Lynn stated article 2 is asking the voters to approve a note not to exceed $1.45 million dollars for the purpose of purchasing utility vehicles and making capital improvements to its Orman Croft Generating Facility. The only change the board thought should be added to the insert was to add the length of the loans. Lynn advised she would make those changes and get that insert mailed as soon as possible.

 

4. Approve and Adopt Special Warning for Electric Bond Vote August 19, 2014:

Chris Leach made the motion to Approve and Adopt the Special Warning to vote on the two Electric Bonds August 19, 2014 with a public hearing to be held on Monday, August 11, 2014 at 7 PM at the Village Complex. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

5. Wayne Elliott – Discuss Phase III Recovery for the Archaeological Investigation on Waugh Farm Road:

 

Wayne Elliott didn’t show for this article, the Board of Trustees decided to table this item until further notice. Item tabled.

 

6. Electric Rate Case Discussion:

 

Reginald Beliveau stated that as of the last meeting they hadn’t filed their rate case yet so he couldn’t discuss the percentage being asked for. He said as of this week they have filed and they are asking for a 7.42% rate increase in the electric department. He said their consultant has met with the Public Service Board and some of the items they are working on include purchase orders and quotes. He said the Public Service Board has 30 days to review their requests and he would keep the Board updated as soon as he heard anymore on this rate increase. Reg stated in the maintenance budget they are increasing it from $45,000 to $100,000 and the Public Service Board wants to know why. He said they have now included a five year maintenance plan in each department at the Village and will be hiring a new maintenance technician. He said Swanton Village has a very good accountant and his hat goes off to Lynn Paradis for all her hard work. Lynn stated the Public Service Board wants to see financial policies in place for all utilities and wants them to be very similar in nature. Lynn also stated she is waiting to hear back on her depreciation study and she also wants to hear from the Village auditors to see if they are on board with that study. Reginald advised the Board he would keep them updated as soon as he had more information regarding this rate increase.

 

7. Second Quarter SQ RP for Review:

 

Lynn Paradis presented of the Board of Trustees with the second quarter SQRP report for review. She explained there was one escalation issue out of almost 11,000 customers. Chris Leach stated the percentage numbers were always very low and that Swanton Village employees always do a good job. Board of Trustees accepted this SQRP report.

 

8. Discuss the Sale of Used Vactor In Sewer Department:

 

Lynn Paradis advised the Board she has had interest expressed in purchasing of the old vactor. She asked the Board if she should put it up for sale and if so should she put on reserve/minimum bid on it. Neal Speer asked if they should get it appraised. Lynn advised they were given a value on the old vactor when they bought the new vactor. Chris Leach advised to go ahead and use that as the minimum bid. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve the Village of Swanton selling the old vactor in the Sewer Department with a reserve/minimum bid in place. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

 

9. Tree Inventory Discussion:

 

Reginald Beliveau read a letter of thanks from the UVM students that were in Swanton Village doing a tree study in the Village. He said UVM will be hosting a community celebration on Thursday, July 31, 2014 from 6 to 8 PM and said anyone from the Board was welcome to attend. He said UVM will send a complete report on their findings in the very near future.

 

10. Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Adam Paxman stated he would like to thank Jay and Duane from the Electric Department for painting the old utility poles. He said they look brand new and he has heard nothing but great things. He said it’s the little things that make a big difference. Adam also stated he would like to thank everyone for coming out to the Car Show. He said they had 154 cars and had a very good turnout. He said he wanted to thank the Public Works crew for all their help and said the parks and streets looked great. He also wants to thank the Swanton Village Fire Department for their help on the car fire. He said he wanted to thank the Village for supporting on their annual car show each year. Neal Speer stated the park has never looked better.

 

Any Other Business: Reginald Beliveau stated that Friends of Northern Lake Champlain held their BBQ last week at Marble Mill Park. He said that’s a great place to hold an event because you can have restricted access. Reginald stated that on Thursday, August 14 Northwest Access TV and the Swanton Recreation Department will be hosting a Movie Under the Stars event. They will be showing the movie Shrek at 8 PM at Marble Mill Park in Swanton and that it is free for everyone to attend. He said bring your chairs, blankets and bug spray and come out and enjoy a fun evening at Marble Mill Park. Reginald also stated at the Vermont State Firefighters Association two local firefighters were recognized. John Greer was named Maintenance Technician of the Year and Ronald Young Jr was named Firefighter of the Year. He said Swanton did a great job.

 

Any Other Business: Village Clerk Dianne Day advised the Board that there was interest expressed in the Food Arts Riot being held in Burlington.  She advised them they could check their link out on Facebook.

 

Any Other Business: Chris Leach asked to reschedule Wayne Elliott at his convenience.

 

11. Executive Session to Discuss Real Estate and Personnel:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter into executive session at 8:05 PM to discuss Real Estate Personnel. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to exit Executive Session at 9:30 PM. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

ACTION TAKEN: Eugene LaBombard made the motion for Swanton Village to begin advertising to hire a Maintenance Technician. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

Chris Leach made the motion to revisit the agreement regarding the Woodshill property and seek legal advice. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

ADJOURN: Eugene LaBombard made the motion to adjourn the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees at 9:32 PM. Adam Paxman seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 9:32 PM. Motion carried.

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                           Date

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                               Date

 

 

 

 

Trustee Minutes: July 14th, 2014

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

REGULAR MEETING

MONDAY, July 14, 2014

7:00 P.M.

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Reg Beliveau, Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; and Ch. 16.

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

Neal Speer, Village President, welcomed all to the Regular Board of Trustees meeting and called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

1. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, June 23, 2014:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, June 23, 2014 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Chris Leach stated he wasn’t in attendance at that meeting and asked who Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, had to file the Financial Questionnaire for. Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, stated he couldn’t remember but said he would find out and let him know. Chris also asked about the scaling on the bridge that was mentioned. Reg stated the bridge job did get moved up on the priority list, with a date of 2016 for planned work. Chris also asked if the walking bridge by the Hydro Plant was re-opened yet, Reg stated it was now repaired and open. Motion carried with one abstention.

2. Approve and Accept Warrants through Friday, July 11, 2014:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept the Warrants through July 11, 2014 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Adam Paxman asked about the payment made to Primmer & Piper for $2,555.35. Reg Beliveau stated that was for attorney fees for the rate case. Adam also asked about the payment made to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office for $1227.60. Reg stated that was for traffic control on the bridge job. Chris Leach asked about payment made to Taser International, he asked if the police department now carried tasers. Reg stated they do carry tasers and this was for supplies. He also asked about the payment made to St. Albans City Police Department for $55,593.55. Reg stated that was for dispatching services and the Fire Department was charged for 24% of that bill and Missisquoi Valley Rescue was charged for 76% of it. Motion carried.

3. Waste Water Treatment Plant UV System Purchase Discussion and Approval:

Reg Beliveau advised the Board that the funds for this purchase were built into the rates in depreciation and that the money was in the savings account. He said they were initially quoted $470,000 to replace the UV disinfection system at the Waste Water Plant. He said Jim Irish and Joe Letourneau researched this more and found that these UV lights can be replaced and upgraded at a cost of $66,000. He said this is with the original installer of the UV lights at the plant and they are confident in this system.

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to authorize Swanton Village to purchase a UV disinfection light system at a cost of $66,000 for an upgrade at the Waste Water Treatment Plant. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

4. Section 108 Update Discussion:

Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, explained to the Board that from this point forward Swanton Village would have to get voter approval for any purchases or capital expenditures in the electrical department to comply with the Public Service Board 108 Rules. He explained that when they had gone in for their last rate increase this was something the Board requested Swanton Village comply with in the future. He said they are going to be requesting $1.3 million dollars for the purpose of establishing a line of credit to support the operation of the electric department and $1.45 million dollars to purchase utility vehicles and do capital improvements to the Orman Croft Generating Facility in the very near future. The Board discussed the importance of explaining this to the Swanton Village residents who will be voting on this and decided to table this item so they could figure out a date to hold the vote, public hearings and also print inserts to be mailed with the utility bills. Item tabled.

5. Electric Rate Case Discussion:

Reg Beliveau informed the Board that the attorney’s were still working on this rate case and they haven’t gone to the Public Service Board yet with an amount. He said he would keep them informed as soon as he had more information regarding the rate case.

6. Any Other Necessary Business:

Chris Leach asked if the generator at the Hydro Plant was still down. Reg Beliveau advised it was because they were still waiting for parts to come in. The Board was concerned about the revenue being lost because of this and advised Reg do whatever it takes to get this back up and running.

Any Other Business: Chris Leach asked about the sidewalk study being conducted for the pedestrian/bike path being proposed for First Street and South River Street. He said he hoped this would help find funds to pay for the project.

Any Other Business: Chris Leach stated he attended the Smart Meter seminar in Arizona last week and said it was very informative. He said he has more information to study and said he would report more back to the Board when he finished reading a book he purchased at the seminar. He did say that the price has come down on installing smart meters but he still feels this is a fit for Swanton Village at this time. He said Swanton Village has a great SCADA system that tracks power outages and peaks. He said he would keep the Board informed on any further information he has on smart metering.

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman stated this is a very busy time of year and asked motorists to please show down in the Village and to watch for pedestrians in the crosswalks. Reg Beliveau stated the Police Department had a police officer out and a about looking at this problem.

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman stated that on Tuesday, August 5^th the Swanton Village Police Department would be hosting their 5^th annual National Night Out. He also said the Chamber of Commerce would be hosting their Car Show on Saturday, July 26^th from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. He said the Fire Department would be having a BBQ afterwards this year at 4:30 and then the Nobby Reed Band will be playing in the Park at 6 p.m. He urged everyone to attend these events and have a good time.

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman stated the Swanton Enhancement Committee would be hold a public meeting the third week in August and urged people to attend.

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, advised the Friends of Northern Lake Champlain would be holding their annual meeting and cookout on Thursday, July 17^th from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Marble Mill Park in Swanton. A few highlights of that event are local food will be served including a pig roast, live music from the Missisquoi River Band and guest speaker Mary Powell, CEO of Green Mountain Power will be in attendance. He urged everyone to attend this event.

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau advised that two of Swanton Village’s firefighters will receive awards at the State Convention this coming weekend. They are John Greer, receiving Maintenance Tech of the Year award; and Ronald Young Jr, receiving Firefighter of the Year award. Reg also stated that Fire Chief Tim Girard is recommending promoting Jason Butler to the position of 1st Assistant Chief and promoting Jason Cross to the position of 2^nd Assistant Chief. He said he would like these positions to become effective August 1, 2014. The Board of Trustees and Village Manager accepted his recommendation.

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau advised that Brian Bishop, Water Treatment Plant Operator, was featured in the TPO Magazine (Treatment Plant Operator). He was pictured doing testing on water. Reg also stated the UV system in place at the Waste Water Plant is doing a good job and said the lagoons need to be churned. He said they will be getting the lagoons de-sludged.

7. Executive Session to Discuss Real Estate:

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter Executive Session to Discuss Real Estate at 8:15 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

Adam Paxman made the motion to exit Executive Session at 9:30 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

ACTION TAKEN: The Board of Trustees recommended Reg Beliveau review other municipalities procedures or ordinances regarding abandoned and/or vacant properties in their communities.

ADJOURN: Adam Paxman made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 9:30 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 9:30 p.m.

_____________________________________             _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                                     Date

_____________________________________             _______________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                              Date