Select Board Minutes 3-14-2023

Select Board Minutes 3-14-2023

TOWN OF RUTLAND SELECT BOARD OPEN MEETING

RUTLAND TOWN MUNICIPAL TOWN HALL

181 BUSINESS ROUTE 4, CENTER RUTLAND, VT  05736

MARCH 14^th, 2023

 

This meeting had a virtual attendance option available for anyone to join.

• Town Clerk Kari Clark opened the meeting.
• The meeting opened at 6:00 P.M. with the pledge of allegiance.
• Board members present Don Chioffi, Joe Denardo, Mary Ashcroft, Sharon Russell, and Kurt Hathaway
• Members of the public present Chris Howland, Keith Whitcomb Jr, Robyn Sweet, Howard Burgess, Larry Dellveneri, Jim Scholtz, Matt Getty, Shelley Dumas

Selectwoman Russell nominated Selectwoman Mary Ashcroft. Chairman Chioffi seconded the nomination. There were no other nominations. All members voted in favor of the nomination.

Selectwoman Russell nominated Selectman Denardo as Board Clerk. Selectman Denardo declined the nomination. After some discussion, Selectman Denardo accepted the nomination. All members voted in favor of the nomination.

Approval of Orders

The Board approved the orders.

Approval of Select Board Minutes for February 28^th:

Selectman Chioffi moved to approve the minutes.  Selectman Hathaway seconded the motion. The motion passed 4 – 0.

Announcements

Selectwoman Russell thanked everyone who has stopped by and sent messages and support while she recovers from surgery.

Chris Clark Rutland Town Fire Chief:

1. Chief Clark thanked Selectman Chioffi for his help during his time as Chair and congratulated Chairwoman Ashcroft for her election as Chair.
2. There were 9 calls for service in February and 3 so far in March.
3. Presented an application for a new member. Selectman Russell moved to approve the application. Selectman Denardo seconded the motion. The motion passed 4 – 0.
4. We are anticipating a $12,000 refund from the cost for tool mounting since it was not used. Once received, it will be put back in the depreciation account.

Marcia Chioffi Rutland Town Lister

1. Lister Chioffi congratulated Chairwoman Ashcroft on her election as Chair.
2. The April 1st deadline for lodging the Grand List is coming up soon. There is a lot of work to be done in the Listers office. Neither of the other 2 Listers have officially resigned their position and they are also not putting in any time.
3. Lister Chioffi would like to advertise a job for a part time Lister Clerk to do data entry and help with the Business Personal Property. Many new businesses have been identified in Town recently and this is creating even more work. The intent would be to have this person work up to 20 hours per week at a rate between $15 and $18 per hour.
4. Chairman Denardo moved to post and ad for a Lister Clerk for up to 20 hours per week. Chairman Hathaway seconded the motion. It is preferred that we fill the position with a Town resident. The motion passed 4 – 0.
5. The Vermont Tax Department held some webinars recently to discuss the reappraisals. There is a large group of towns needing it to be completed and the plans and requirements from the State are not fully clear and final.

Kari Clark Rutland Town Clerk and Treasurer:

1. Clerk Clark thanked Selectman Chioffi for his help during his time as Chair and congratulated Chairwoman Ashcroft for her election as Chair.
2. Reviewed the recent Town election. 23% of registered voters participated. There were some performance issues with the new tabulators. The vendor has already been made aware and is planning to come and do some maintenance soon. All the ballots were counted correctly.
3. Reminder that dog licenses are due by April 1^st.
4. Presented 4 liquor licenses for approval. A renewal of 3 licenses for the 99 Restaurant and a new license for The Maple Angus. The Police had no issues with any of them. Selectman Denardo moved to approve the applicants. Selectman Hathaway seconded the motion. The motion passed 4 – 0.
5. Discussed the potential need for a special election for the new Public Safety Building, and the logistics of it. There are several statutory requirements which are requiring a narrow date range. After a discussion taking all the requirements into consideration, May 23^rd is the best date. This will also need to include any recent vacancies in elected positions.
   1. Discussed mailing ballots to all residents.
   2. The tabulators will not be able to be used due to the limited time to acquire materials.
   3. There are supplies which will be required that need to be purchased. They were not included in the current budget.
   4. Selectman Denardo moved to set May 23^rd as the special election date. Selectman Hathaway seconded the motion. The motion passed 4 – 0. The Board meeting scheduled for May 23^rd will be rescheduled for May 22^nd.
   5. Selectman Hathaway moved that ballots would not be mailed out. Selectman Chioffi seconded the motion. After discussion, the motion failed 1 – 3. Selectman Hathaway voted in favor of the motion. Selectman Denardo, Selectman Chioffi and Selectwoman Russell voted against the motion.
   6. Selectman Denardo moved to mail ballots for this election. Selectman Chioffi seconded the motion. The motion passed 3 – 1 with Selectman Hathaway voting against the motion.
   7. Discussed where the funds should come from for the election supplies. It was decided, the cost for election supplies will come from their appropriate budget lines.

Barbara Pulling Rutland Town Planning Commission Chair:

1. Chairwoman Pulling congratulated Chairwoman Ashcroft and thanked Selectman Chioffi for his service.
2. The Commission reviewed the draft Short-Term Rental Ordinance. They intend to hold a public meeting on it and are planning it for April 20^th.
3. The Permit Tracking Ordinance was finalized.
4. There is a joint Energy Committee meeting planned for this Friday.

Mike Rowe Rutland Town Recreation Director:

1. Director Rowe congratulated Chairwoman Ashcroft and thanked Selectman Chioffi.
2. Signups have started for spring sports.
3. Thanked everyone for their work on the budgets.

David Sears Rutland Town Road Commissioner:

1. One of the new trucks is ready to be delivered. An invoice was included in the orders.
2. Submitted a grant application for paving East Pittsford Road.
3. Paving bids were mailed out last week. They are due on March 23^rd, and a committee meeting is planned for the 24^th. Awards could be made at the March 28^th board meeting.
4. Selectman Denardo moved to allow the Road Commissioner to fill the 3^rd full time position, which was approved in the new budget, right away, and to allow the weekend on-call pay to begin now. Selectwoman Russell seconded the motion. The funds are in payroll due to savings from employees who were budgeted at a higher rate retiring and there is flexibility in those lines. After discussion, the motion passed 4 – 0.
5. The Tier II reports have been submitted to the State.
6. The plow contractors have been called out 38 times. Another one is planned for tomorrow morning. 43 is the maximum before the penalty rate of $54 per mile goes into effect. Their regular pay cycle ends in the next payroll cycle and there is an additional fuel payment to be made.

Ed Dumas Rutland Town Police Chief:

1. Recent calls for service were provided and discussed. Most are still on the south end of Town.
2. Deputy Chief Washburn recently submitted a grant application for additional funding for the Public Safety Building.
3. Chief Dumas thanked Selectman Chioffi for his help supporting the Police over the past year.
4. Discussed the number of rooms on vouchers at the Cortina Inn. The exact number was not known. It is expected the facility will not be using rooms on vouchers after March 31^st.

New Business: Board to discuss filling the pending Delinquent Tax Collector Vacancy

1. Selectman Denardo moved to go into executive session for the purpose of interviewing the 2 candidates. Selectwoman Russell seconded the motion. The motion passed 4 – 0. The Board entered executive session at 7:44 PM.
2. The Board came out of executive session at 8:12PM.
3. Selectman Denardo moved to appoint Don Chioffi as the new Delinquent Tax Collector after the retirement of Jim Scholtz. The appointment would stand until the next election. Selectwoman Russell seconded the motion. The motion passed 3 – 0 with Selectman Chioffi abstaining from the vote. Selectman Chioffi said he would submit his resignation letter by March 31^st.

Selectwoman Russell left the meeting at 8:18PM.

4. Selectman Denardo moved to post the pending vacant Select Board seat. Selectman Chioffi seconded the motion. Discussed postponing an appointment and waiting for the special election. After a lengthy discussion the letters of interest will be due by March 27^th with interviews taking place prior to the March 28^th Board meeting. Selectman Chioffi will need to make his resignation effective prior to the appointment. The motion passed 3 – 0.

Mike Delehanty Town 1^st Constable

1. Reported there are currently 147 rooms out of 150 booked at The Cortina Inn. This has not contributed to any large issues recently but as the weather improves that may change.

John Paul Faignant Town Health Officer / 2^nd Constable / Public Safety Building Clerk

1. The contractor is working to reduce costs on the new Public Safety Building. A different approach to the building structure can be taken which could reduce the costs. Changing the location of the cistern could also reduce the cost, but engineers need to be consulted.
2. Discussed the numbers of vouchers being used at The Cortina Inn, Health Officer Faignant was not aware of the increased occupancy.

Bill Sweet Town Administrator:

1. Received a water connection request for 1401 Post Road to connect to our new water line. Selectman Denardo moved to approve the request. Selectman Hathaway seconded the motion. The motion passed 3 – 0.
2. Provided a list of Town officials which needs updating based on the recent election and annual appointment needs.
   1. There are 4 Planning Commission members who are up for reappointment. All 4 have said they would like to continue to participate. They are Sherman Hunter, Howard Burgess, Andy McKane, and Jerry Stearns. Selectman Chioffi moved to reappoint those 4 members for an additional 3-year term. Selectman Hathaway seconded the motion. The motion passed 3 – 0.
   2. The vacant elected positions will be added to the special election in May.
   3. The traditional annual appointments made will be done once the individuals holding them can be asked if they would like to continue.
3. Prevent Child Abuse Vermont has sent their annual donation request and offer of pinwheels. We have made a donation but not asked for pinwheels in years past.
   1. Selectman Denardo moved to donate $100 with the funds to come from the miscellaneous account. Selectman Hathaway seconded the motion. The motion passed 3 – 0.
4. Provided a draft copy of the Short-Term Rental Ordinance. Encouraged Board members to review it and give feedback. Approval for adoption by September 1^st would allow us to implement in time for the busy season this year. Discussed some of the details in the draft. More information is being gathered as well as additional resources to be able to implement this ordinance effectively.
5. Provided a copy of the 2023 scholarship applications for High School Seniors. The deadline for submission is April 28^th.
6. The request for bids for the wood at Northwood Park did not get any bids. After discussion, the tree warden will be asked to go back and mark the exact trees which are included.
7. The grant application for Rapid Flashing Beacons was submitted for $8700. This is a fully funded grant.
8. Discussed permanent speed signs, to go at the school. There was a consensus to get them but no decision on a funding source or installation target was decided.
9. Discussed replacing the signs at the gateways to the Town. Awesome Graphics sent us an updated quote. After talking to Dave Sears about it, we agreed a exterior PVC sign was the best option. They are $631 each. We have 3 currently, there is not one on the South end of Town. After discussion, Selectman Denardo moved to purchase 4 signs. Selectman Hathaway seconded the motion. The motion passed 3 – 0.
10. Representatives who plan to redevelop the former Friendly’s property are planning to attend the next Board meeting to discuss their project.
11. Some upgrades to the technology in the Board room are being investigated. There are some better options we could be using. Quotes are expected to be available in the next few weeks.

Chairwoman Ashcroft asked Board members to indicate which committees they would like to participate in. Provided a blank copy of the assignment sheet for members to fill in.

Selectman Hathaway moved to adjourn. Selectman Denardo seconded the motion. The motion passed 3 – 0. The meeting adjourned at 9:23 PM.

Respectfully submitted, Mr. Bill Sweet

 

Mary Ashcroft, Chair

Joseph Denardo, Clerk

Don Chioffi

Sharon Russell

Kurt Hathaway

 

Center Rutland, VT.