SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
SWANTON TOWN SELECTBOARD
SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX
120 FIRST STREET
SWANTON, VT 05488
INFORMATIONAL MEETING & PUBLIC HEARING
Tuesday, February 28, 2023
7:00 PM
PRESENT: Chris Leach, Village Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; William “Bill” Sheets, Village Manager; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager; Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; Matthew Sullivan, Chief of Police; Jason Cross, Fire Chief; Brian Savage, Town Moderator and Administrator; James Guilmette, Selectman; Nicole Draper, Selectwoman; Steve Bourgeois, Selectman; Earl Fournier, Selectman; Cathy Fournier, Town Clerk, Rich Kelley, Macy Lavoie Dupont, Sandy Kilburn, Rene Fournier, Cody Hemenway, Tim Hemenway, Mark Rocheleau, Dan Chevalier, Betty Cheney, Tom Oliver, Glen Gurwit, Alicia Bourdeau, Shawn Cheney and Ch. 16. Via Zoom: Nick Brosseau, Dillon Dupont.
Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.
1. Call to Order:
Chris Leach, Village Trustee, called the Village Informational Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. James Guilmette, Town Selectman Chair, called the Town Informational Meeting to order at 7 p.m.
2. Pledge of Allegiance:
All stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.
3. Agenda Review:
None.
4. Reading of Town of Swanton’s Annual Warning – James Guilmette:
James Guilmette, Selectboard Chair, read aloud the 2023 Annual Town Warning and presented their power point presentation. See Town Minutes for their power point presentation.
5. Power Point Presentation and Discussion of Town of Swanton’s Proposed 2023 Budget:
See Town Minutes for their power point presentation.
6. Reading of Village of Swanton’s Annual Warning – Trustee Chair Chris Leach:
Chris Leach, Trustee, read aloud the 2023 Annual Village Warning.
7. Power Point Presentation and Discussion of Village of Swanton’s Proposed 2023 Budget:
Reg Beliveau presented the following power point presentation: He stated this would be his last one since he retired in December of 2022 but is staying on to help the new Village Manager, William “Bill” Sheets out on some ongoing projects. He said he would like to start with his explanation of “One Swanton.” Reg said Neal Speer originated that when they held the Community Visit back several years ago and were referring to the Village and Town working together on projects. He said both the Village and the Town are there for the other entity when a situation may arise. He said he doesn’t feel that phrase should be used to push one’s personal agenda. Reg also stated the 2022 Annual Report was dedicated in memory of a Village worker that was killed in a motorcycle accident, W. Scott Mueller. He explained what positions Scott held at the Village. He then showed the Village’s organizational chart that Bill Sheets created when he started, showing who works in each department. Bill Sheets said there are three enterprises here and it’s interesting to see who works where. Reg then asked Lynn Paradis to go through the numbers. Lynn explained the following to everyone:
TAXES 2022 Actual vs. 2023 Proposed
- General Fund 2022 Tax Rate = $0.0899 vs 2023 Tax Rate = $0.0843
- Fire Department 2022 Tax Rate = $0.0505 vs 2023 Tax Rate = $0.0532
- Police Department 2022 Tax Rate = $0.4655 vs 2023 Tax Rate = $0.5168
- Highway Department 2022 Tax Rate = $0.3427 vs 2023 Tax Rate = $0.3484
- 2022 Tax Rate = $0.9486 vs 2023 Tax Rate = $1.0027 for a change of .0541
Taxes 2022 Actual vs. 2023 Proposed
- 2022 Actual on a $175,000 House = $1660.05; $200,000 House = $1897.20; $250,000 House = $2371.50
- 2023 Proposed on a $175,000 House = $1754.72 for an increase of $94.67; $200,000 House = $2005.40 for an increase of $108.20; and $250,000 House = $2506.75 for an increase of $135.25. This annual increase is for fire, general, police and highway.
Proposed 2023 Taxes by Department
- $175,000 House = General $147.52, Fire $93.10, Police $904.40, Highway $609.70 = $1754.72
- $200,000 House = General $168.60, Fire $106.40, Police $1033.60, Highway $696.80= $2005.40
- $250,000 House – General $210.75, Fire $133.00, Police $1292.00, Highway $871.00 = $2506.75
Lynn then showed what the Village of Swanton electric rates are compared to other utilities in the State of Vermont. Swanton Village has the third lowest rates in the 600 kWh range ($86.21) and the 1000 kWh range ($139.11). Lynn said currently most electric utilities in Vermont are filing for rate increases. She said VPPSA will be reviewing their rates this summer to see if a rate case is needed.
Reg stated that he is proud to share that Swanton Village Electric is 100% renewable. He said they care about the environment and community is at the heart of Swanton Village. He also said companies like VPT can receive incentives from the State because the electricity is 100% renewable.
Lynn informed everyone that the Water and Wastewater rates are reviewed annually during the budget building process. She said it has been determined that an adjustment to the water and wastewater rates is not needed at this time.
Water Treatment Plant
This year we continued to focus on the exterior of the plant, clearing scrub and shrub brush from under the powerlines and along the stormwater ditches. Trees will get replaced with newer ones. The low lift station needed some repairs to the walls due to age. Since the upgrade to the plant in 2012, activities have been focused on preventative and modest maintenance repairs and upkeep. Activities have been in the works for a waterline crossing under the Missisquoi River. We’d like to thank the voters for approving the Bond vote in November for $1.2M. The current waterline crossing which is suspended off the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Bridge will be a redundant line for the time being.
Wastewater Treatment Plant
This report is pretty similar to last years, as we continue to work on our treatment process at the plant to reach the new State phosphorus rules and TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) limits of 0.2mg/L. Nexom Blue Pro Filters were picked as the vendor of choice, so now the work begins on final engineering and funding which may include a future bond and grant opportunities.
Public Works
- Paving projects for this year included Winters Court and smaller sections of much needed broken pavement.
- A sidewalk project on Fourth Street repairing broken sections between Liberty Street and the Rail Trail were completed which improved the crossings into the Swanton Central School and the Fourth Street sidewalk system. This section totaled 320ft of new sidewalk. Another 24ft of miscellaneous broken sections of sidewalk were also repaired.
- New main line valves were installed in order to better isolate waterline breaks, and reduce downtimes caused by the repairs. The old valves are aged and some nonfunctioning making shutdowns for repairs impossible.
- A bike repair station was installed at Swanton Beach this summer to help with our many bike riders who visit the beautiful shores of Lake Champlain.
- Other projects included working with the Town’s paving project on Wheeler Round where we worked with them on raising the sewer and storm structures prior to paving. Once again, showing collaboration and teamwork are what make this community great.
Electric Department
- The electric crew continues to keep our system reliable during normal conditions, and during poor weather events. The funding for the AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) system is still hung up at the State level. The State grant funding will help cover a significant portion of the program for Swanton.
- Upgrades for the coming year will be reviewing pole replacements and any conductor upsizing that would be necessary for future electrification needs.
- Once again, we provided Mutual Aid to a neighboring community post windstorm. These crews worked through the Christmas Holiday restoring power to families that were in the dark.
Hydro Plant
- Relicensing is continuing through the different stages. 2022 has proven to be the second highest production year in a ten-year comparison.
- The hydro team continues to test the efficiency of all the units trying to get the most generation possible.
- Upgrades to the hydro plant station batteries and battery charger will help keep things charged for starting and stopping the units for years to come.
- The Annual Plant Maintenance shut down in 2022 revealed no major issues.
Maintenance Department
- They have continued preventative checks throughout the Village properties this past year resulting in a lower number of unpredictable and unforeseen repairs to all assets. The maintenance staff’s dedication to seek out and handle issues before they become costly repairs is of the highest priority.
Accounting, Utility Billing and Customer Service
- Our office staff continues to serve our customers with great customer service.
- They have been busy this year maneuvering the various COVID relief programs that assisted customers with their utility and property tax bills.
- In addition to customer service, our small office also handles utility and property tax billing, payroll, human resources, accounts payable, grant support, budget and financial statement reconciliation for all the Village departments.
Carry over projects into 2023
- Hotel Riviere remediation/demolition
- Vietnam Veteran Memorial Bridge (Depot Street)
- Downtown Enhancement Project
- Missisquoi River water main river crossing
- Highgate water/sewer to the Airport
- Wastewater upgrades
- Public Works/Water
- Village Complex – renovation
- Public Safety Complex
2023 Candidates
- Village President 1-year term - Neal Speer: Thanked everyone for their past support and asked for their continued support.
- Village Clerk 1-year term - Dianne Day: Thanked everyone for their past support and asked for their continued support.
- Village Trustee 3-year term – Adam Paxman: Thanked everyone for their past support and asked for their continued support.
- Collector of Delinquent Taxes 1-year term - Betty Cheney: Thanked everyone for their past support and asked for their continued support.
Reg and Bill thanked everyone for their continued support and reminded everyone to come out and vote on Tuesday, March 7th from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
8. Public Comment:
Tom Oliver, State Representative, introduced himself and said there hasn’t been a whole lot going on at the moment in Montpelier. He said there are some bills he is watching and waiting to see how they will be presented. He said there are some he will not support. Some members of the audience asked him a few questions about current bills.
Shawn Cheney made a statement about how the Village of Swanton will lien a property owner if a tenant leaves an unpaid electric bill. He said no other utility does this and he feels it’s an unfair practice. He said as a real estate agent it’s difficult to encourage individuals to purchase rental property in the Village’s electric territory because of this. He said this has cost him approximately $8 to $10 thousand dollars over the years. Lynn Paradis stated that the Village updated their Charter in 2009 to include putting liens on unpaid electric bills. She said Swanton Village was the 13th municipality to do so and it helps to keep electric rates stable. She said in previous years she would ask the Board to write off approximately $40 thousand dollars in unpaid electric bills. She said this was then absorbed by all the rate payers and rate increases were necessary. She feels this practice is working because in recent years she is only asking to write off approximately $7,000. William “Bill” Sheets thanked Shawn for his comment and said he heard what he had to say.
9. Any Other Necessary Business:
The Town of Swanton had one item to conduct regarding an amendment to their January minutes. See Town minutes for more details.
10. Executive Session If Necessary:
None.
11. Adjournment by both Boards:
Adam Paxman made the motion to adjourn the Board of the Trustees and Selectboard Informational Meeting and Public Hearing at 8:30 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. The Town adjourned their meeting as well. There being no further business at hand, Chris Leach, Village Trustee, adjourned the meeting at 8:30 p.m. Motion carried.
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Neal Speer, Village President Date
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Dianne Day, Village Clerk Date