January 25, 2016

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, January 25, 2016

7:00 PM

 

 

 

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager; Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk & Treasurer; Joel Clark; Wayne Elliott, Aldrich & Elliott; and Ch. 16.

 

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

 

 

1.      Call to Order:

 

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

 

2.      Agenda Review:

 

None.

 

3.      Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, January 11, 2016:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, January 11, 2016 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

 

4.      Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, January 22, 2016:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants (#1-#5) through Friday, January 22, 2016 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion:  Eugene LaBombard asked about the Cogsdale invoice and Lynn Paradis stated that was the Village’s software company. Motion carried.

 

ice rescues.

5.      Joel Clark to Discuss a Memorial in Flat Iron Park:

 

Joel Clark informed the Board that he has done some background on making some possible changes to Flat Iron Park. He said that Flat Iron Park has two monuments that honor veterans past and present. He said the Civil War monument on the Village Green has the names of those that have given their lives serving their country in that conflict. Joel said there is no permanent monument that carries the names of those that have lost their life in combat since the Civil War and the time to change this has passed. He said he recommends adding the names to the monument in Flat Iron Park but also add a viewing center to add the pages of military history as shown in the Swanton History book. He said these pages identify those veterans that served in the major conflicts. Joel said this is going to cost approximately $3500 and the funds would be raised through donations. He said he will form a committee with representatives from the Village, Town, VFW, Historical Society and Mr. Warren Fournier. He said he would keep everyone updated and confirm his plan is acceptable to all on the committee. He would like to dedicate the changes made on Memorial Day 2016. Adam Paxman asked how he could help and Chris Leach said he thought this was a great idea that he really believed in. All Village Board members agreed that this was a good idea and offered their support.

 

 

6.       Wayne Elliott, Aldrich & Elliott – Discuss Water Transmission Line:

 

Wayne Elliott informed the Board that the he wanted to give an update on the water transmission line, the MVUHS water line and Canada Street. He said the design is already done on Canada Street but because of the archaeological issues that came up they couldn’t complete that project. He said the Village would need approximately $470,000 more to complete the MVUHS water line and Canada Street. He said while boring across the river the contractor got a $20,000 30 inch reamer stuck in there. He said he plans on them coming back and asking for a claim. He said they are going to move down about 15 feet and will do the bore from there in a couple of weeks. He said as far as the claim goes they will have to wait and see what they submit. He said they got the reamer stuck because they chose to go deeper than the specs and also because of operator experience. He said they were supposed to drill in October but didn’t make it there. He said daily records are kept and feels they don’t have much of a basis. He said he would review that information with the Board when he gets it.

 

Wayne said that if the Board wants to go ahead with the MVUHS water line they would need to go back to the voters and ask for a supplemental bond. Reg Beliveau stated they already have voter approval for the Canada Street project. Eugene LaBombard stated he is in favor of doing Canada Street now and he doesn’t recall when the MVUHS water line discussion even started. Chris Leach said they hypothetically talked about it last year. Eugene asked if MVU is asking for this new line and Reg Beliveau said no they are not. Eugene stated that must be somewhere in the past the Village took that water line over. Reg said that was the case but he wasn’t sure what year it was. Chris Leach asked how much money the Village would need if they tabled the MVU line and just did Canada Street. Wayne stated the Village would need about $110,000 more to complete Canada Street. He said the archaeological dig took the funds allocated for Canada Street.

 

Chris Leach made the motion to shelve the MVUHS water line replacement and to continue with the Canada Street water line project. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried. Wayne Elliott advised the Board there is a State Clean Water Revolving loan fund available and he will request an application on behalf of Swanton Village. He said this will give the Village a place holder just in case the phosphorus removal issue comes up. Reg Beliveau stated he attended a class in St. Albans and said they have a system in place there that would work well for the Village’s lagoons.

 

 

7.      Approve and Adopt 2016 Budgets:

 

Lynn Paradis gave each Board member her final budgets for each department for 2016. She said all numbers are final and all her purchase power bills are now in. She said they are $328,000 over budget in the Electric Department and VPPSA is putting together a rate case for the Village to make up the loss. Lynn also said the Village is at their cap with solar projects so all customers now going solar will be told that. The Board members all stated that they have gone over the budgets several times now over the last couple of months and were good with her numbers.

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and adopt the 2016 budgets as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

8.      Approve and Adopt Village of Swanton 2016 Annual Warning:

 

Neal Speer read the 2016 Annual Warning. Chris Leach made the motion to adopt and approve the Village of Swanton 2016 Annual Warning as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

9.      Approve Water and Sewer Rate Increase:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter into a Water Commissioner’s meeting at 8:08 p.m. to discuss water and sewer rates. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

Lynn Paradis advised the Board that she needs to increase the residential Village fixed rate from $22.14 per month to $23.16 and the variable rate from $2.28 per thousand gallons to $2.56 per thousand gallons. She advised that the residential Town fixed rates would go from $44.29 to $46.31. Chris Leach asked Lynn if the Village could do a rate comparison with other water systems. Lynn stated she would look into that and see if VLCT had that information for her. Chris also asked if this increase was due to bond payments. Lynn said the newest bond isn’t scheduled to begin until 2017, one year after the completion of the job. She advised the Board that she needed to increase the residential Village sewer fixed rates from $29.39 per month to $35.59 per month. She advised the variable rate is going from $3.64 down to $3.60 per thousand gallons.

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve the Village of Swanton’s water and sewer rate increase for 2016. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried. Adam Paxman made the motion to exit the Water Commissioner’s meeting at 8:20 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

10.  Swanton Missisquoi Valley Lions Club request Coin Drops on June 4, 2016 and September 3, 2016:

 

Village Clerk Dianne Day explained that the Missisquoi Valley Lions Club was requesting two different coin drops in 2016. They would like one on June 4 and one on September 3, 2016. The Board decided that they would not allow a coin drop on a Holiday weekend. They advised the Village Clerk to find out if they were interested in their September 10^th coin drop because the June one would interfere with the Fire Department’s Auxiliary coin drop. Dianne Day stated she would send them a letter to find out and would bring their request back before the Board at a later date. Item tabled pending further information.

 

 

11.  Swanton Village Fire Auxiliary request Coin Drops on May 28, 2016 and September 11, 2016:

 

The Board decided that this was two separate entities requesting coin drops, one being the Fire Department and one being the Ladies Auxiliary. The Board stated they would not allow the Auxiliary’s request to hold one on May 28^th because of the Memorial Day weekend. They also denied the Fire Department’s request of September 11^th pending the Lion’s Club coin drop request. Village Clerk Dianne Day stated she would ask the Auxiliary if they wanted their June 25^th date and she also stated she would work out a date with the Fire Chief and bring both requests back before the Board. Item tabled pending further information.

 

12.  Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Chris Leach asked if there was any word on the rubber bag issue at the Hydro Plant. Reg Beliveau stated they will be going in for re-licensing in 2023 and said he had a conference call to discuss figures for a new rubber bag. He said the expected life of a rubber dam is approximately 30 years and this one is now 22 years old. He said he is waiting on more information and would get back to the Board when he had it.

 

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman stated the Chamber of Commerce is requesting permission to hold their Annual Car Show in the Village Green on Saturday, July 30^th. Chris Leach made the motion to approve the Chamber of Commerce’s request to hold their Annual Car Show in the Village Green on July 30, 2016. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman also stated that the Chamber of Commerce is requesting permission to hold their 4^th Annual Memorial Day Parade on May 30^th, 2016. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve the Chamber of Commerce’s request to hold their 4^th Annual Memorial Day Parade through the Village on May 30, 2016. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried. Adam stated if anyone was interested in volunteering to contact him. Lynn Paradis suggested he contact the Boy Scouts Troop #823.

 

Any Other Business: Lynn Paradis stated that the $94,000 they are requesting to be put in the highway department’s capital fund is high because the Village didn’t do any paving last year. She said they are also planning on purchasing a backhoe with some of that money and has received three quotes so far. She said the backhoe they have is approximately 17 years old and she said they are getting good money in trade for it. She said the Village has gotten some very good prices and if the Board agrees to one of them they can get it ordered after Town Meeting Day if approved.

 

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau stated that February 18, 2016 marks one year from the Community Visit last year and there will be a celebration at the Swanton Central School. He said there will be a slideshow of what’s been happening and there will be hors dourves. He said they often get asked how they get information out to the public. Reg stated if you want to get involved look into what’s going on in your community.

 

 

13.  Public Comment:

 

None.

 

Chris Leach stated he needed an Executive Session to discuss personnel. Reg Beliveau stated he needed one to discuss legal matters.

 

14.  Executive Session (If Necessary):

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter into Executive Session at 8:45 p.m. to discuss personnel and legal matters. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

 

Chris Leach made the motion to exit Executive Session at 9:50 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

ACTION TAKEN: None.

 

 

15.  Adjournment:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 9:50 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 9:50 p.m. Motion carried.

 

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                           Date

 

 

 

_____________________________________          ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                               Date

 

 

 

January 11, 2016

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, January 11, 2016

7:00 PM

 

 

 

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager; Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk & Treasurer; Katelin Brewer-Colie, LocalMotion; and Ch. 16.

 

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

 

 

1.      Call to Order:

 

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

 

2.      Agenda Review:

 

None.

 

3.      Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, December 28, 2015:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, December 28, 2015 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: Eugene LaBombard asked about vendor Galls, from last week’s meeting. Chris Leach had asked what that was used for. Reg Beliveau explained that company was used to purchase equipment for the Police Department. Motion carried.

 

4.      Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, January 8, 2016:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants (#143-#145) through Friday, January 8, 2016 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

ice rescues.

5.      Katelin Brewer-Colie – Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Local Motion and the Village of Swanton for Merchants Row Area:

 

Reg Beliveau informed the Board that Katelin was stuck in traffic on I-89 due to a motor vehicle accident. Moved to Item #6.

 

Reg Beliveau stated that he worked with Katelin recently on the Safe Routes to School program and now more recently with Local Motion. Katelin introduced herself to the Board and said she used to work as a planner at Northwest Regional Planning and also worked on updating the Bylaws for the Planning Commission. She said now she moved on to Local Motion and is working closely with VTrans on walking and biking safety. Reg stated that last year RiseVT helped pay for Mark Fenton to come and do a walkability study which focused primarily on the Merchants Row area. He said VTrans came up with some design plans for that area.

 

Katelin said Local Motion is a non-profit member supported organization that works to improve biking and walking safety. She said they have received a grant which will allow them to work with 5 to 7 communities over a three year period. She said their purpose is to develop bike and walk safety plans. She said Local Motion would like to enter into an agreement with the Village of Swanton to get to that end. She said this will include 40 hours of technical assistance, a design firm to give design assistance (Alta is the design firm), they will look at travel lanes and then bring their recommendations and create some concepts for the Merchants Row area at no cost to the Village. Eugene LaBombard asked if an island like the one on Academy Street could go in that area. Reg said that would be hard to plow around so probably not. Katelin said this is a huge project to take on but said they can come in and help envision the next phase of this to make it an even better legacy improvement. She said this is a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which will give vision and insight. Eugene asked if they could check in with the Board from time to time and give updates on their project. Adam said he would like for them to come in with any significant changes they come up with to make the residents aware of the process.

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to authorize Reginald Beliveau, Swanton Village Manager, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Local Motion for conceptual design plans for the Merchants Row area. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

6.       Brad Aldrich – Review Water Transmission Line, Status Update:

 

Reg Beliveau informed the Board that he spoke with Wayne Elliott from Aldrich & Elliott and said they are not ready to present this information to the Board tonight. He said all that’s left on the Water Transmission Line job is the river crossing. He said they have bored under the river already but haven’t run the pipe through. He said it looks like they are going to have some remaining funds and he was wondering if the Village should use those funds to upgrade the Missisquoi Valley Union High School (MVUHS) water line. Eugene LaBombard asked who would pay for this upgrade. Reg stated there may be funds left over from the water transmission line job but that they would need an additional $250,000 to do this upgrade. Reg said the Village is also considering using the left over funds to upgrade Canada Street which already has voter approval. He said the Village would be about $500,000 shy to do both projects but said they would have to go to the voters for approval. Eugene LaBombard stated that the Canada Street project should take precedence over the MVUHS project. He said the school should pay for this upgrade. Reg stated that the Village would upgrade as far as the driveway and MVUHS would pay for the rest of the project. He said they would like to upgrade to a 12” water line. Adam Paxman said the Village should focus on Canada Street first as it is going to be paved and also because it’s in the Village. Chris Leach suggested they table this item until they know for sure how much money is going to be left over. Reg said it would be nice to upgrade the MVUHS line but agreed they should focus on Village streets first. He said there is opportunity for expansion of this water line. Chris Leach said maybe they could have specific information for their next meeting such as cost, alternatives, etc. He said to ask Brad Aldrich for the specs on Canada Street and the MVUHS line for their next meeting.

 

Moved back to Item #5.

 

 

7.      2016 Budget Discussion Update:

 

Lynn Paradis presented the Board with a copy of her updated budgets. Eugene LaBombard asked if there were many changes from the last one she gave them. Lynn stated there are a few subtle changes to the budgets. Adam Paxman asked Lynn if the Village was making plans for new water meters. Lynn stated those are not in the 2016 budget because they need to do more investigating before they decide which way to go. Lynn stated she would have the final budgets for them for the January 25^th meeting. She said the Warning and water and sewer rates would be ready for that meeting as well. The Board looked over the budgets and thanked Lynn for her hard work.

 

8.      Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Adam Paxman informed the Board that he is stepping down from the Northwest Solid Waste District board as of March 1, 2016. He said Carlo Micheli will replace him on the board if approved by the Joint Legislative Body. Adam said he believes he will do a great job and he will attend the Northwest Solid Waste District’s meeting with him on February 3^rd.

 

Any Other Business: Eugene LaBombard asked who was responsible for the sidewalk safety where the bricks fell at 1 Canada Street. Reg Beliveau stated the owner is but said the Public Works crew put up barricades around the fallen bricks.

 

Any Other Business: Chris Leach asked if there was any word on the gas compacting business. Reg said he hasn’t heard anything.

 

9.      Public Comment:

 

None.

 

10.  Executive Session (If Necessary):

 

None.

 

11.  Adjournment:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 8:24 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:24 p.m. Motion carried.

 

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                           Date

 

 

 

_____________________________________          ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                               Date

 

 

 

December 28, 2015

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, December 28, 2015

7:00 PM

 

 

 

 

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

 

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

 

 

1.      Call to Order:

 

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

 

2.      Agenda Review:

 

None.

 

3.      Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, December 21, 2015:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, December 21, 2015 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: Chris Leach stated he would prefer further clarification on paragraph #4 regarding VEEU and VPPSA. Dianne Day, Village Clerk, made the clarification. Motion carried with clarification.

 

4.      Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Wednesday, December 23, 2015:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants (#141-#142) through Wednesday, December 23, 2015 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Chris Leach asked what vendor Galls was used for. Dianne Day, Village Clerk, stated she couldn’t remember but that it was vendor used frequently and said she would find out for their next meeting. Motion carried.

ice rescues.

5.      Sign Approved Village of Swanton Financial Policies:

 

Dianne Day, Village Clerk, explained that the Swanton Village Financial Policies were approved earlier in the year by the Board of Trustees and Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, needed them signed. Eugene LaBombard made the motion for the Board members to sign the Village of Swanton Financial Policies. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried. All board members signed the approved financial policies.

 

6.       Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Chris Leach asked if the Village was picking up Christmas trees this year. Dianne Day, Village Clerk, said that Mike Menard and his crew would pick up trees if they were left in the Village right of way. Chris stated this is a great service to the Village residents. He also stated that the Electric crew has been doing a lot of tree trimming again this year and that would help with any ice storm we may have. He said this would help keep the power on.

 

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman said he wanted to remind our Village residents about the Winter Parking Ban that is now in effect.

 

Chris Leach stated he would need a very short Executive Session to discuss personnel.

 

 

 

7.      Public Comment:

 

None.

 

8.      Executive Session (If Necessary):

 

Chris Leach made the motion to enter into Executive Session at 7:14 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

Chris Leach made the motion to exit Executive Session at 7:22 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

ACTION TAKEN: None.

 

 

9.      Adjournment:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 7:45 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 7:45 p.m. Motion carried.

 

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                           Date

 

 

 

_____________________________________          ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                               Date

 

 

 

December 21, 2015

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

 

SPECIAL MEETING

Monday, December 21, 2015

7:00 PM

 

 

 

 

PRESENT: Chris Leach, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager; Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Chief of Police Joey Stell; Officer Chad Parah and Ch. 16.

 

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

 

 

1.      Call to Order:

 

Chris Leach, Village Trustee, welcomed all to the Special Board of Trustees meeting and called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

 

2.      Agenda Review:

 

Chief of Police Joey Stell asked to make a presentation to Officer Chad Parah. He introduced him to the Board of Trustees and said that the Department gives “Service Bars” at 5, 10 and 20 years of service. Chief Stell presented Officer Chad Parah with his 5 year bar.

 

3.      Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, December 14, 2015:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, December 14, 2015 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

4.      Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, December 18, 2015:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants (#137-#140) through Friday, December 18, 2015 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion:  Chris Leach asked what vendor James A Kiley Co. for $210,757 was for. Lynn Paradis explained that was for the digger truck in the Electric Department. Chris Leach asked what the difference between VEEU and VPPSA were. Reg Beliveau explained and said the Village pays VEEU (Efficiency Vermont) monthly. He said each ratepayer is charged a fee based on their consumption and that is sent to the State each month. He said the Village pays VPPSA for their purchase power. Motion carried.

 

ice rescues.

5.      Discuss 2016 Budgets:

 

Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, further explained the 2016 budgets to the Board of Trustees and answered any questions they had.

 

6.      Sign Electric Line of Credit:

 

Lynn Paradis informed the Board that the Electric Line of Credit documents were prepared and needed to be signed by the Board. Board members signed the Line of Credit.

 

7.       Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Reg Beliveau informed the Board that he received an Electric Emergency Management Certificate in recognition of the Electric Department’s help during last year’s storm.

 

Any Other Business: Lynn Paradis advised the Board that the software upgrade went well. She gave the Audit Board Inquiry to Adam for completion.

 

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman stated there are five fire fighters in the Fire Department that have completed level FFII. Reg Beliveau advised this was training. Adam stated that Bill Getz was awarded Firefighter of the Year and Gary Longe was awarded Cadet of the Year.

 

Any Other Business: Chris Leach stated two individuals have told him how nice the park looks. Reg Beliveau also stated they just finished Operation Happiness. Reg stated he needed an Executive Session for Personnel.

 

8.      Public Comment:

 

None.

 

9.      Executive Session (If Necessary):

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter into Executive Session to Discuss Personnel at 8:02 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to exit Executive Session at 8:50 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

ACTION TAKEN: None.

 

10.  Adjournment:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to adjourn the Special Board of the Trustees meeting at 8:50 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. There being no further business at hand, Chris Leach, Village Trustee, adjourned the meeting at 8:50 p.m. Motion carried.

 

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                           Date

 

 

 

_____________________________________          ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                               Date

 

 

 

December 14, 2015

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, December 14, 2015

7:00 PM

 

 

 

 

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

 

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

 

 

1.      Call to Order:

 

Neal Speer, Village President, welcomed all to the Regular Board of Trustees meeting and called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m.

 

2.      Agenda Review:

 

Neal Speer stated they will move Item #7 up to #5 so the Fire Chief can give his report and not sit through the budget discussions.

 

3.      Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, November 23, 2015:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, November 23, 2015 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

4.      Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, December 11, 2015:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants (#126-#136) through Friday, December 11, 2015 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion:  Adam Paxman asked what Johnson Hardware was used for. Reg Beliveau explained that’s where Swanton Village buys their linemen clothing. Adam also asked about the Department of Public Safety. Lynn Paradis explained that was for the Police Department’s internet connection and data base. Motion carried.

 

5.      Discussion with Fire Chief Tim Girard:

 

Fire Chief Tim Girard stated he brought along Deputy Chiefs Jason Cross and Jason Butler. Tim stated the call volume so far this year is down but is right on track. He said the duration of the calls has been a lot longer and that has caused salaries to be over budget.  He said it is projected to be over $5000 this quarter. Chris Leach asked if Tim could show a chart showing this information over the last five years. Tim said he prints that in the annual Village Report. Tim said there have been a lot of new members added to the Fire Department. He said two thirds of them are Level I and Level II certified. He said because of the structure fires in the first half of the year payroll was almost gone in the first quarter of the year. Adam Paxman asked how the Village determines the Town Fire Assessment. Lynn Paradis said it is based on a 5 year rolling average. She said that her number is subject to change and she’s waiting on the grand list number from the Town. She stated none of these budgets are finalized yet. Chris Leach stated the Town grand list has grown considerably. Lynn stated because of the Dollar General store going in that will increase the Village grand list also. Neal Speer said that the Town fire assessment will go up if the grand list goes up because they are covering more places. Chris Leach stated they should show the school fire prevention program in the Village report. Tim Girard stated they went over budget on that as well stating they served 500 kids for about $800 for the week.

 

Tim Girard stated that by the year 2023 all air packs need to be replaced to meet state standards. He said this will cost approximately $6000 per pack plus face pieces. Tim said there’s some grant money out there and they are trying to get that. He said they would like to do at least six packs per year which cost $32,500 and another $7000 for the face pieces. Jason Cross stated this will increase annually by at least 5 to 7%. Jason Butler said if the face pieces can’t handle the temperature of fires they need to be replaced. Tim Girard stated he would like to reduce the radio equipment line item by $3000 and add that to the personal protective equipment line item. He stated they are asking for a $2000 increase in the personal protective equipment line item as well. He stated last year the fire department wages were brought up to minimum wage and that the firefighters are not in this for the money. Lynn Paradis stated that over the last three budgets the fire department’s budget has increased from $227,000 to $284,000. Tim Girard stated they don’t have a lot of control over line items such as Workmen’s Comp., rent, and dispatching. Reggie said that Swanton has the first fire prevention program documented fire save in the State of Vermont. Reg said if they gradually upgrade the air packs it would take six years to get it done and then the department would be in compliance. He said you could argue needs and wants but it’s equipment and viable for the fire department. Tim Girard stated they do a lot of specialty stuff such as boat rescues, hazmat calls and ice rescues. Eugene LaBombard asked what percentage the department is up from last year. Lynn stated there’s an 11% increase and their tax rate is going from .0391 to .0439. She said on a home costing $150,000 there would be a $66 tax bill. Lynn stated that in 2015 a home costing $150,000 had a tax bill of $56. Eugene LaBombard stated he feels Tim will meet some resistance from the Town. Eugene said he feels that they will ask some very hard questions. Reg Beliveau said to present this budget as preliminary. Chris Leach said it’s a very defensible budget and the safety of the people is important. He said it’s great that young people are joining the department also. Reg asked about the truck replacement fund. He said they have two years left and then the ladder truck is the next truck in rotation. Chris Leach asked how well we collect on invoices that are billed out. Tim stated we’re at 100% for the year 2015 and the year 2014 was about 50-50. Eugene stated a $10 increase sounded okay to him. Neal Speer stated they don’t have any choice regarding the air packs. Lynn stated they could go to the voters with a separate line item to purchase the air packs. Chris Leach stated he didn’t have a problem with the budget and Adam said he didn’t either. Lynn stated the budget is up $18,000 from last year. Adam said he appreciated Tim’s time and effort and Neil said the board stood behind him. Tim thanked the voters for all their support and thanked the Board of Trustees as well.

ice rescues.

6.      Discuss 2016 Budgets:

 

Police Department: Lynn stated salaries are going up by about $20,000 in this department. She said it’s because of having to cover five part time shifts. She also said telephone and Internet coverage were going up because Comcast raised their rates. She said they had a savings with them at first but now their rates have increased. Lynn stated that the property insurance was going down in this department but that workers compensation was increasing. She said this is because of an increase in claims this past year. She said a claim in the electric department will affect all departments. Chris Leach asked about the school resource officer. Lynn stated that the high school covers those expenses. She also said health insurance was up by about 5% and dental coverage had a and dental small increase as well. She said their training line item was also increased a little bit. Lynn said the Town contract is the same as last year but said she wasn’t sure if they’re going out to bid on this for next year. She said five part time shifts would decrease if they don’t have the Town contract. Chief Stell said the training budget is up due to new legislative mandates. He said there are rule changes taking effect in January which will mean more training for all officers. Lynn said the tax rate in this department is up .3 cents from last year and on a home costing $150,000 the tax bill would be $555. Last year’s bill would have been $513. Lynn stated if they don’t have the Town contract the dispatching expense goes away. Adam Paxman stated everything is justified in this department and thanked Joey for keeping it as low as possible. Chief Stell said he would need an executive session to discuss personnel.

 

General Fund: Lynn stated this fund covers mostly the Complex building. She said salaries are up in this fund due to a straight increase. She said there are no new personnel. Lynn said property insurance was staying the same but workers compensation was increasing. She said there is a 5% increase in health insurance and dental insurance was staying the same. She said there is a big increase in plant maintenance because that covers cleaning, fixing sidewalks, the lunchroom repairs, parking lot signs, an awning over the front entrance, furnace repair, painting, sprinkler and fire alarm service work. She said rent is figured on square footage and she can determine what each department pays for tax purposes. She said overall this budget is down a little bit.

 

Highway Fund: Lynn stated she really hasn’t had a chance to sit with Mike Menard yet. She said wages are really the only thing that will change in this fund. She said the equipment number may change because this department needs a new backhoe. She said the one they have is a 2001 and they’ve only put tires and normal maintenance into it. She said Mike has gotten two or three quotes and with municipal discounts and the trade in they are looking at very good prices. She’s wondering if they ask the voters on a separate line item for a loan or if they should lease it. She said the interest rate on the digger truck is 2.25%. After a discussion the board asked her to put a separate line item on the ballot for voter approval. She said the tax rate is going from .2887 to .2924, a very small increase.

 

Electric Department: Lynn stated she is recommending they file for a rate increase in this department. She said her depreciation rates are not the same as what’s being booked and bond payments are coming out of depreciation rates. She stated purchase power is at $2.1 million dollars and those two items alone will drive a rate increase. She said wages at the power plant are budgeted to go down because of the new swing position. She said this has cut overtime hours considerably. She said when this operator isn’t working at the plant he’s working in the maintenance department. She said maintenance of plant is over budget because they are now doing a lot of preventative maintenance. She said purchase power is up to $2.9 million dollars from $2.6 million dollars. She said they are projecting 2016 purchase power costs to be over $3 million dollars. Lynn said there are salary increases in this budget and uniforms are up because of requirements. She said the new linemen need their gear. She said tree trimming is up as well.

 

Lynn also said bank charges are up due to the number of people paying by credit card. She said their SCADA system needs an upgrade this year also. She said workman’s compensation increased a lot as well as conventions, meetings and training because two linemen are in classes. She said this is the final year for the 1988 bond payment. She said she talked with VPPSA about a rate increase and they recommend between 7 and 10% for an increase.

 

Water Fund: Lynn stated chemicals were up in this fund and testing was about the same as last year. Reg stated they should be thinking about new water meters very soon for this department. He said he is going to have a demonstration done. Lynn said she reduced the training in this fund also. She said she is recommending a rate increase in this fund also, going from $22.14 to $23.18 for the fixed rate and $2.28 to $2.53 in the variable rates. This is for a Village residential account.

 

Sewer Fund: Lynn said they need a rate increase in this fund also. She would like to go from $29.39 to $35.50 in the fixed rates and from $3.61 down to $3.55 in the variable rates. She said there is an increase in the electric costs due to the aerators not working properly, chemicals have increased, testing costs are up and maintenance of lines labor is up. She said they made their final payment on one of the CSO bonds and there is one remaining bond for 2016.

 

Commercial Building Fund: Lynn said it is time to increase the rent in this fund but said everything else remains the same. She said she added a plant maintenance line item in this fund as well.

 

Lynn said she would like to meet next week with the board because she would have more solid budgets for them. She said she factored in a 3% wage increase as well. The board thanked Lynn for all her hard work on these budgets and agreed to meet on December 21^st to review the budgets again.

 

7.      Electric Line of Credit:

 

Lynn Paradis informed the Board that last year she drew funds out of the Village’s Return of Contingency bonds. She said she has paid some back but not all of it and she is requesting permission to open a $1.5 million dollar line of credit. She said she received a quote from Union Bank for .84% and from People’s United for 1.39%. She said she would like to go with Union Bank for the line of credit. She said it needs to be paid by the end of next year and she will put any excess money on that line of credit to pay it down.

 

Chris Leach made the motion to authorize Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, to open a $1.5 million dollar line of credit with Union Bank with an interest rate of .84%. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

8.       Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Lynn Paradis stated this past weekend Boy Scout Troop #823 went to Arlington National Cemetery for the Wreaths Across America project. She said they raised $8000 over the last year for this trip. She said this was a great experience for them and they got to see several monuments and the Air & Space museum.

 

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman stated he has received a copy of the Memorial United Methodist Church (MUMC) parking lot agreement and it looks good. He said they covered everything and downtown Swanton needs the parking spaces. Adam Paxman made the motion to authorize Village Manager Reginald Beliveau to sign the final parking lot agreement between the Town of Swanton, Memorial United Methodist Church and the Village of Swanton. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

 

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman asked Reg if the Village was going ahead with ICloud. Reg stated it’s looking like it will be up and running the first quarter of 2016. He said they have a contract in place for it.

 

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman stated he wanted to thank everyone who attended Christmas in the Park. He said over 600 people attended and they are working on getting a second carriage for next year.

 

Any Other Business: Chris Leach asked about the FERC visit to the Hydro Plant. Reg said the rubber bag was inspected and they said it’s the best they’ve seen for the age of it. He said they  need to address a few things on it and will be getting a report. Chris asked if Reg has heard anything more about the gas compacting company. Reg said he hasn’t heard anything.

 

Any Other Business: Reg stated he had a meeting with Paul Nolan and a potential developer of the Lower Dam. He told them the Village wants to keep the dam and are interested in a small 500 KW generating facility. He said he would like this to be a training tool in renewable energy for local students. He said he needed an executive session for personnel also.

 

Any Other Business: Chris Leach said Marianna Gamache would like a tour of the Hydro Plant and he’d like to ask Brian Savage too. He said they’d like to do this before the legislative session starts back up.

 

9.      Public Comment:

 

None.

 

10.  Executive Session (If Necessary):

 

Chris Leach made the motion to enter into Executive Session to Discuss Personnel at 9:37 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to exit Executive Session at 10:25 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

 

ACTION TAKEN: None.

 

11.  Adjournment:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 10:25 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 10:25 p.m. Motion carried.

 

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                           Date

 

 

 

_____________________________________          ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                               Date

 

 

 

November 23, 2015

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, November 23, 2015

7:00 PM

 

 

 

 

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

 

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

 

 

1.      Call to Order:

 

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

 

2.      Agenda Review:

 

None.

 

3.      Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, November 9, 2015:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, November 9, 2015 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: Chris Leach stated he wanted more clarification on his statement regarding the Wind Project meeting. He said this project doesn’t fit the definition of “public good” as set by the Public Service Board. Motion carried with clarification.

 

4.      Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, November 20, 2015:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants (#120-#125) through Friday, November 20, 2015 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Chris Leach asked if Warrant #124 for Swanton Enhancement Project was the water project or the community enhancement project. Adam Paxman stated this was for the community enhancement project and said it is grant money that is dispersed through Swanton Village. Motion carried.

 

5.      Discuss Gilles Tremblay Gifting 41 Brown Avenue to the Village of Swanton:

 

The Board discussed this item again and stated Swanton Village has no interest at this time in that property. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to decline Gilles Tremblay’s offer to gift 41 Brown Avenue to the Village of Swanton. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried. The Village of Swanton will send a letter to Mr. Tremblay thanking him for his offer but declining it.

 

6.      Delinquent Tax Collector’s Request to Hire Attorney Vaughn S.P. Comeau to Asisst in the Completion of Tax Sales:

 

Dianne Day, Village Clerk, explained that Swanton Village Delinquent Tax Collector Betty Cheney hires Attorney Vaughn S.P. Comeau to assist her in the process of tax sales. She is requesting permission to have him assist her for 2015. Chris Leach made the motion to authorize Delinquent Tax Collector Betty Cheney to hire Attorney Vaughn S.P. Comeau to assist her in Village tax sales for 2015. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

7.       Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Chris Leach asked about the vactor he has seen on Spring Street lately. Adam Paxman stated VT Gas hired Hardigan’s to inspect the sewer line on Spring Street to see if there were any leaks in it after all the work done there by the gas company. He said they found and repaired three sewer leaks at the expense of VT Gas Company. He said they are also cleaning the sewer line before the paving project next year. He stated Mike Menard is aware of this and has made sure the leaks were repaired to his standards.

 

Chris Leach also stated that Rep. Marianna Gamache sits on the State of Vermont Energy Committee and has stated she would like to tour the Hydro Plant. He said he would like to take her with Reg Beliveau’s permission as well as the staff there. Chris also asked if the Police Chief would be attending a Board meeting to give an update on the drug problem in the community. Village Clerk Dianne Day stated he would attend their next meeting in December.

 

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman stated he met with the Town Selectboard last week regarding the Methodist Church parking lot. He said the Town Administrator will handle the leasing of the church parking lot. Adam said the Town and Village will swap each year plowing the lot. He said he suggests the poles remain in the parking lot until after snowfall. Adam said Joel Clark was a very big proponent of this agreement and is very happy with the outcome. He said there will be added parking for the community.

 

Adam also stated Christmas in the Park will be held on Saturday, November 28^th from 4 to 6:30 p.m. and hopes everyone comes out and enjoys the Christmas tree in the bandstand as well as all the lights in the park. He said they have some big surprises lined up this year and is looking forward to a great event. Chris Leach stated the use of the park lately has been great. Adam said a lot more families are attending these events with enthusiasm, smiles and respect.

 

Any Other Business: Chris Leach stated he met with one of the men fundraising for the Skate Park to be built at Marble Mill next year. He said this looks like it’s going to be a great Skate Park.

 

Any Other Business: Eugene LaBombard reminded residents about the Village Winter Parking Ban to begin on December 1^st and run through April 15^th from midnight to 6 a.m.

 

Any Other Business: Neal Speer stated he is still working on the lighting issue at Merchant’s Row. He said the canopy needs repair and the lights there are very dim. He said he would like to see a change in the type of lights installed and have the underneath lit up and match the upper lights. He said the only light there is by Swanton Rexall and they pay for it. Chris Leach stated the Village owns that sidewalk and therefore should budget street lighting for it. Eugene LaBombard stated the ally way gets very icy and very slippery during the winter months so wanted to make the public aware of this. Chris Leach stated they would mention that to Mike Menard and see that it gets salted.

 

Any Other Business: Chris Leach stated Jerry Duffy passed away and he was a Village Trustee for many years. He said Swanton Village appreciates Mr. Duffy’s years of service and sends their sincere condolences on his passing.

 

8.      Public Comment:

 

None.

 

9.      Executive Session (If Necessary):

 

None.

 

10.  Adjournment:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 7:25 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 7:25 p.m. Motion carried.

 

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                           Date

 

 

 

_____________________________________          ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                               Date