Swanton Village Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

April 6, 2020

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

SPECIAL MEETING

Monday, April 6, 2020

5:30 PM

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau Jr., Village Manager; Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; and Chief of Police Leonard “Joey” Stell.

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

Call to Order:

Neal Speer, Village President, called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance:

Everyone present stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Agenda Review:

Reg Beliveau stated he would like to discuss personnel under Executive Session.

Public Comment:

None.

Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, March 9, 2020:

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, March 9, 2020 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, April 3, 2020:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve Village Warrants through Friday, April 3, 2020. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

COVID-19 Update Pertaining to the Village of Swanton:

Chief Stell stated that as of 1 p.m. today there are 543 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the State of Vermont. He said the state is only testing certain individuals and at this time there are 29 cases in Franklin County but those numbers are at the low end of the spectrum. The only people being tested were people in the hospital, health care workers or very sick people. If you had mild symptoms you were not getting tested. He said the numbers are rapidly going up. Chris Leach asked how many patients were in Northwestern Medical Center. He said he believed their PICU unit was full and they are setting up 50 beds at Collins Perley Complex. He said these beds would be used for patients that need a bit more help than they could get at home, such as fluids and oxygen. He talked about the shortage of respiratory medicines as well. He said the CDC is recommending people wear a face covering while out in public. He said there are young adults in the 20 to 25-year age range that are testing positive for COVID-19 and are showing no symptoms. He said they are not recommending people wear gloves. He said the police department is seeing a reduction in criminal activity around the Village. He said they have had a few complaints about people gathering but it ended up being just a family going for a walk. He said that is encouraged activity for a family to do. He said his officers have masks they can wear if doing a traffic stop. He wants citizens to be aware of the potential scams out there now that the stimulus checks have been sent out. He said the IRS or Federal Government would never call and ask for any personal information. Chief Stell said the mortality rate from COVID-19 is very low and the majority of people with it are weathering this very well at home with mild to moderate symptoms. He said it lasts anywhere from 7 to 20 days depending on the severity of it. He said unfortunately the elderly are going to be the ones who have a hard time recovering from this as well as chronic smokers and people with underlying health issues or lung injuries. Chief Stell said he modified their schedule so that two officers are working at all times but, are able to be socially distancing as well.

Lynn Paradis stated her brother is in the service and is trying to get medical equipment and supplies as well as medications in from other countries. She said this is a 7-day a week job for him and he stresses to her how serious this virus is.

Reg Beliveau explained to the Board how each department is working through this pandemic and Eugene LaBombard stated the Village should continue to do this schedule for as long as it takes. Chris Leach just wanted to make sure nothing was getting pushed aside. Reg said everything was going fine considering. He’s said he’s been on edge wondering if he should keep this up. Lynn explained the office work schedule to the Board. She said herself and Al Mosher are working on the AMI proposal at home as well. Reg said he has been urging the employees to listen to the Governor regarding information on the virus. He said education is key during this pandemic. Lynn said they will never know if they are doing too much but will know if they haven’t done enough. Lynn said for the most part the customers have been understanding on how they are able to make payments now. She said she has been keeping up with her reports on the aged accounts receivable and the numbers are up a little right now. She explained how the Village isn’t able to do disconnects during this pandemic. Chris asked if the Village was still contacting past due customers. She explained how the Village is sending reminder notices but not disconnect notices. She said the Village hasn’t charged overdue interest yet and asked the Board what they thought about this. Reg also informed the Board that the State has put a lot of grant projects on hold during this as well. The Board advised Lynn to go ahead and pay the water bond payments as usual even though the State is allowing municipalities to put their payments on hold. The Board suggested Reg use his judgment and continue to operate as he’s been doing and if they run into an issue, they will address it. Adam Paxman suggested they continue this schedule and listen to the CDC and W.H.O. for pertinent information.

Any Other Necessary Business:

None.

Executive Session to Discuss Personnel:

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter Executive Session to discuss personnel at 6:36 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

Chris Leach made the motion to exit Executive Session at 6:57 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

ACTION TAKEN: None.

Adjournment:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 6:58 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 6:58 p.m. Motion carried.

_____________________________________ _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President Date

_____________________________________ ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk Date

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

March 9, 2020

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, March 9, 2020

7:00 PM

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

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

Call to Order:

Neal Speer, Village President, called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. Everyone stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Agenda Review:

Adam Paxman stated he needs to add “Personnel” to Executive Session. Reg Beliveau stated he would like to discuss their upcoming purchases in each department. He said these were all approved in the budget but wanted to keep the Board advised. He said this could be done in Any Other Business.

Swear in elected officials for 2020: Neal Speer, Village President (one year term); Adam Paxman, Village Trustee (three year term); Dianne Day, Village Clerk (one year term) and Betty Cheney, Delinquent Tax Collector (one year term) were sworn in on March 4, 2020 to perform duties:

Neal Speer read aloud is Oath of Office for Village President for a One Year Term; Adam Paxman read aloud is Oath of Office for Village Trustee for a Three Year Term. Dianne Day, Village Clerk and Betty Cheney, Delinquent Tax Collector, were sworn in on March 4, 2020 so they could conduct Village business.

Appoint a Treasurer for the Village of Swanton for 2020 and swear in:

Chris Leach made the motion to appoint Dianne Day as Village Treasurer for a One Year Term. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Dianne Day read aloud her Oath of Office for Village Treasurer. Motion carried.

Motion that the Swanton Village Board of Trustees Adopt VLCT Model Rules of Procedures for the rules of procedure for Village Trustees for the upcoming year through March 2021:

Chris Leach made the motion to adopt VLCT Model Rules of Procedure for Municipal Boards, Committees and Commissions. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

2020 Official Voting Results:

Neal Speer, Village President, read aloud the Official Voting Results for Officers and Budgets. They are as follows:

Official Return of Voting Results

OFFICIAL RETURN OF VOTES

ANNUAL SWANTON VILLAGE MEETING ELECTION OF VILLAGE OFFICERS

MARCH 3, 2020

BALLOT ACCOUNTABILITY

Number of Voters on Checklist 1439

Number of Ballots Counted (including absentees) 492

Number of Absentee Ballots Counted 46

I, Dianne Day, Swanton Village Clerk, hereby certify that the results of the ELECTION OF OFFICERS by AUSTRALIAN BALLOT at the ANNUAL SWANTON VILLAGE MEETING held in the Swanton Village Complex in the County of Franklin and State of Vermont on the 3^rd day of March A.D. 2020 were as follows:

VILLAGE PRESIDENT, for one-year NEAL SPEER 450

Write Ins 8

Undervote 34

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED 492

VILLAGE CLERK, for one-year DIANNE DAY 457

Write Ins 1

Undervote 34

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED 492

COLLECTOR OF DELINQUENT TAXES, for one-year BETTY CHENEY 465

Write Ins 3

Undervote 24

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED 492

VILLAGE TRUSTEE, for three years ADAM PAXMAN 438

Write Ins 4

Undervote 50

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED 492

Attest: _________________________ Dianne Day

Swanton Village Clerk

Official Return of Voting Results

OFFICIAL RETURN OF VOTES

ANNUAL SWANTON VILLAGE MEETING BUDGET VOTE

MARCH 3, 2020

BALLOT ACCOUNTABILITY

Number of Voters on Checklist 1439

Number of Ballots Counted (including absentees) 492

Number of Absentee Ballots Counted 46

I, Dianne Day, Swanton Village Clerk, hereby certify that the results of the BUDGET VOTE by AUSTRALIAN BALLOT at the ANNUAL SWANTON VILLAGE MEETING held in the Swanton Village Complex in the County of Franklin and State of Vermont on the 3^rdday of March A.D. 2020 were as follows:

ARTICLE II, General Fund, $131,726

Yes Votes 405

No Votes 77

Undervote 10

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED 492

ARTICLE III, Highway Fund, $517,597

Yes Votes 430

No Votes 54

Undervote 8

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED 492

ARTICLE IV, Fire Department, $80,833

Yes Votes 434

No Votes 52

Undervote 6

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED 492

ARTICLE V, Police Department, $686,886

Yes Votes 350

No Votes 134

Undervote 8

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED 492

ARTICLE VI, Surplus Hwy Funds, $30,615

Yes Votes 416

No Votes 70

Spoiled/Overvote 0

Undervote 6

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED 492

ARTICLE VII, Surplus Gen Funds, $20,600

Yes Votes 356

No Votes 126

Undervote 10

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED 492

ARTICLE VIII, Surplus Fire Funds $18,400

Yes Votes 395

No Votes 91

Undervote 6

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED 492

ARTICLE IX, CDBG Funds $25,000

Yes Votes 420

No Votes 65

Undervote 7

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED 492

Attest: _________________________ Dianne Day

Swanton Village Clerk

Approve and accept Minutes from Monday, February 10, 2020 and Minutes from the Informational Meeting Monday, February 24, 2020:

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept Minutes from Monday, February 10, 2020 and Minutes from the Informational Meeting Monday, February 24, 2020 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

Approve and accept Village Warrants through Friday, March 6, 2020:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants through Friday, March 6, 2020 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Chris Leach asked about the payment made to Kittell, Branagan & Sargent for $22,570 and one for $1930. He wanted to know why there were two invoices. Dianne Day, Village Clerk, said someone from their office comes and does an inventory audit a few weeks before they audit the financial documents. Motion carried.

Public Comment – Tom Benton will introduce BENT Media:

Reg Beliveau advised that Tom couldn’t make tonight’s meeting because of sickness. The Board suggested this item be tabled to a further date.

Sign Loan Agreement – Vermont State Revolving Fund for Wastewater Treatment Plant Planning Loan:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion for the Board of Trustees to sign the loan agreement for the Vermont State Revolving Fund for $62,900 for the Wastewater Treatment Plant Planning Loan. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Eugene LaBombard stated this has already been discussed and approved at previous meetings. Motion carried.

11. Any Other Necessary Business:

Reg Beliveau informed the Board that VT Transco is offering equity units and the Village of Swanton’s share would cost $2370. He said because this is a lower amount than usual, he would like the Village to purchase these units on their own. Chris Leach made the motion to authorize Village Manager Reg Beliveau to sign and purchase Class A and Class B Units and Class A and Class B Equity for a total of $2370. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau presented the Board with a list of items scheduled to be purchased in each department. He said these were in the budget and were approved. Some of the items to be bought include a truck in the electric department and he also mentioned the FERC relicensing that cost $215,000. He said they also plan on purchasing a skid steer that will be split in the sewer, water and highway department. He also mentioned that if something isn’t purchased for some reason or another these funds are put back into that department the following year if the voters approve of it.

Any Other Business: Chris Leach stated he wanted to acknowledge that the Board of Trustees are aware of what’s going on with the Corona virus. Reg Beliveau said the Chief of Police has attended a conference regarding this and they are working on putting procedures in place.

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman stated he received information on the latest Legislative Update from February 28^th and he read an article on dam safety. He read the paragraph and said this sounds like they could be talking about the Swanton Lower Dam. He also mentioned a report from the finance committee referring to raising electric rates by as much as 10% each year to fund alternative power source projects. The Board discussed this as well as the Act 250 proposed changes.

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau informed the Board that he would like to offer the residents who live along the new water line by Missisquoi Valley School District the opportunity to connect to that water line free of charge. He said the residents would have one year to do this if they wanted to. Adam Paxman made the motion to enter a Water Commissioner’s meeting at 7:52 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to authorize the Village of Swanton to allow the residents who live along the new MVU water line the ability to connect to the Village water system free of charge for up to one year. He further moved the residents would need to pay for any excavation that took place on their own property and would have to purchase a water meter package from the Village. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to exit Water Commissioner’s meeting and re-enter Open Session at 7:53 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau stated he along with the Board of Trustees attended the Highgate Selectboard meeting last week regarding the Highgate Airport Water Line Project. Eugene LaBombard stated that Wayne Elliott gave a very good presentation on how to get the Village’s water line up to the airport. He said the cost for this project would be incurred by the Town of Highgate and said it wouldn’t cost the Village anything. They talked about how viable this project is and very good economically for the community. Chris Leach stated it would bring more industry to the Town of Highgate. Reg said Tim Smith from FCIDC told him if there were enough buildings up there, they could be filled with businesses already. He also said Joe Flynn from the Agency of Transportation supports this project. The Board agreed and hoped the State of Vermont would get behind this project and help support it. Eugene said this would help the entire county and keep current citizens in Franklin County working instead of traveling to Chittenden County. Reg said that this would benefit Swanton Village as well by being the water contributor and said the timeline for this project is in the next year or so. Eugene said it was a very informative meeting and the Board definitely supports this project.

Any Other Business: Neal Speer said he would like to thank Chris Leach for taking his place at the Town and Village Informational Meeting. Reg also said he would like to thank the voters for their support again this year.

Executive Session if Necessary:

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter Executive Session to discuss personnel at 8:07 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

Chris Leach made the motion to exit Executive Session at 8:15 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

ACTION TAKEN: None.

Adjournment:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 8:15 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:15 p.m. Motion carried.

_____________________________________ _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President Date

_____________________________________ ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk Date

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

January 27, 2020

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, January 27, 2020

7:00 PM

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

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

Call to Order:

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

Agenda Review:

Adam Paxman stated he would like to move Item #6 to #10.

Public Comment:

None.

Approve and Sign Minutes from Monday, January 13, 2020 as presented:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, January 13, 2020 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Reg Beliveau stated the invoice they asked about at their last meeting was for their new server. Motion carried.

Approve and Sign Warrants through Friday, January 24, 2020 as presented:

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and sign Warrants through Friday, January 10, 2020 as presented. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: Adam Paxman asked about the payment of $111,580.42 made to VPPSA. Lynn Paradis stated that was for November’s power supply bill. Motion carried.

#6 Moved to #10.

Adopt 2020 Budget as Presented:

Lynn Paradis stated there are no changes from their last meeting to this budget. She said as long as the grand list doesn’t change, she is asking for an estimated tax rate of .8838 from .8431 last year. She said most of this increase is due to the new fire trucks and the police budget. She said a home assessed at $150,000 would see an increase of $60.99; a home assessed at $175,000 would see an increase of $71.15 and a home assessed at $200,000 would see an increase of $81.31. Lynn also stated the sewer rates needed to be adjusted and she is requesting that go into effect in March of this year. She said the overall increase in sewer rates for a residential home would be approximately $18 per year. She said most of the increase is coming from commercial and industrial customers. Chris Leach stated he would like to see a comparison of rates between Swanton Village and our neighboring towns. Lynn stated she would not need a rate increase in the water department or the electric department in 2020.

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve the proposed sewer rate increase to be in effect for March 2020 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve the 2020 budget as presented. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

Adopt and Sign 2020 Annual Warning as Presented:

Neal Speer, Village President, read the 2020 Annual Warning as presented. It was decided that the wording on Article #9 be revised. Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and sign the 2020 Annual Warning as presented after revising Article #9. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

Review 2019 4^th Quarter SQRP Report:

Chris Leach made the motion to acknowledge receipt of the 4^th quarter SQRP report as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Chris Leach stated the Village of Swanton is well run, well represented and our customers are well served. Eugene LaBombard asked if this only applied to the electric department. Reg Beliveau stated yes because the state doesn’t govern the water department. Motion carried.

Any Other Necessary Business:

None.

Review and Sign State Revolving Loan Program Funding Application for Missisquoi River Waterline Crossing:

Wayne Elliott, Aldrich & Elliott Engineering, stated he was present tonight because the Village has been discussing redundancy of the water line that crosses the Missisquoi River underneath the bridge. He said if something were to happen at the water plant there would be no way to get water to the Village. He said Lynn has completed the State Revolving Loan Program funding application and they are requesting $12,400 for the preparation of a preliminary engineering report and environmental report for a new water line across the Missisquoi River. Eugene LaBombard stated he brought this up a couple of years ago and it really needs to be looked at. Chris Leach stated the Village needs this done and asked if this new line would be a replacement or a secondary line. Wayne said they will look at that and see what makes the most sense but said he would envision keeping both lines. He said they would need to directional bore under the river for the new line. Wayne said the state has reviewed their Scope of Services and is accepting of the $12,400 requested. Adam Paxman made the motion to the approve the State Revolving Loan Program Funding Application in the amount of $12,400 for the engineering fee to study a new river crossing water line and to also authorize Reg Beliveau to sign the engineering agreement. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

Executive Session to Discuss Contracts:

Chris Leach made the motion to enter into Executive Session at 7:43 p.m. to discuss contracts. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

Adam Paxman made the motion to exit Executive Session and re-enter Open Session at 8:35 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

ACTION TAKEN: Adam Paxman made the motion to authorize Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, to sign the agreement between the Village of Swanton and Swanton School Housing and to also sign the Subordination and Priority Agreement between the Village of Swanton and Rural Housing Service. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: Reg Beliveau stated he needed the date changed on the agreement and would get that done this week. Motion carried.

12. Adjournment:

Chris Leach made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 8:37 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:37 p.m. Motion carried.

_____________________________________ _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President Date

_____________________________________ ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk Date