TOWN OF RUTLAND

 

SELECT BOARD

 

 

 

MINUTES:  2-28-11

 

Board members present: Steven Hawley, James Hall, Stanley Rhodes III, James Callahan and Joshua Terenzini.

 

The Meeting opened at 6:00 P.M. with the pledge of allegiance.

 

Mr. Hawley made a motion to accept the minutes of 2-15-11 with corrections. Mr. Hall made a second to the motion.  The motion passed by a vote of 4-0. Mr. Terenzini abstained from the vote.

 

Town Clerk & Treasurer:  Ms. Marie Hyjek reported:

 

  1. Reported off-peak CVPS electric usage at Dewey Field has affected the current bill. Ms. Hyjek said she was not surprised because by the time the Town received the bill they still had off-peak hours. She told the Board that a credit helped reduce the bill. Mr. Rhodes said the Town is being charged $13.12 a kilowatt-hour. He said the first five hours are free.

             

Mr. Rhodes questioned Ms. Hyjek regarding a $42.00 charge on the bill. Ms. Hyjek said it has to do with how many days are in the month. She said she is charged the said fee on her bill. Mr. Rhodes cited the fact the Town received a credit because CVPS was billing the Town interest. Ms. Hyjek said the Town was charged at the business rate with tax for two months. Ms. Hyjek said the Town had a $294.00 credit toward the bill.

 

Mr. Rhodes said that since the lights at Dewey Field are no longer being used the usage charge should drop down to almost nothing.

 

2.      Gave the Board the Delinquent Tax report. Mr. Rhodes said the total taxes due are $28,380.00.

 

3.      Informed the Board regarding the most recent revenues from the local option tax. The Board discussed local option revenue totals for the year with Ms. Hyjek and Town Administrator Mr. Joseph Zingale Jr. Ms Hyjek said she would give Mr. Zingale a copy of the amount that is sent to the Town when she receives the information. Ms. Hyjek said the new revenues bring the Town up to $731,748.72 and that the Board pledged $829,000.00 for the 2011 / 2012 budget. She said the Board still needs to collect $98,000.00

 

4.      Reported she is ready for the election tomorrow. She requested people put the caps back on the voting pens when finished voting.

 

5.      Ms. Hyjek said she has the information requested by the Board regarding the town phone system and the town property maps. The Board, Ms. Hyjek and Mr. Zingale discussed getting Mr. Zingale and Town Lister Howard Burgess their own separate phone line. Ms. Hyjek said based on her research the best option would be to get the two new lines from Comcast. Mr. Zingale said something has to be done since calls are being misdirected and the Clerk’s office is wasting time on inquiries, which should have gone to Mr. Zingale. The matter was discussed further and no action was taken.

Mr. Rhodes questioned Ms. Hyjek regarding a charge from Howard’s Fire Control. Mr. Rhodes said he would follow up on the bill.

 

6.      Mr. Rhodes read from information provided by Ms. Hyjek regarding the Town’s decision to select a new property mapmaker. Mr. Rhodes cited the fact Ms. Hyjek has not paid a bill for $490.00, which Mr. Zingale had authorized for payment. Mr. Rhodes asked Mr. Zingale to explain the bill.

Mr. Zingale said the bill was generated due to the fact Vermont Visualization Services (VVS) had to clean up typographic errors resulting from their scanning the Town’s property maps. Mr. Zingale explained to the Board that had the Town’s former mapmaker released a computer file with the information, the new mapmaker would not have had to do a scan the old mapmaker’s maps. Mr. Zingale said the charge should be paid since the work had been done.

Mr. Zingale informed the Board that VVS has thrown in several free additions to the maps since taking over mapping services for the town. Ms. Hyjek said lawyers and others are asking for the new maps because they read about them in the minutes. Mr. Zingale said Ms. Hyjek should have referred those individuals to him since he has the new maps on his computer. Mr. Zingale said the paper maps would ship soon.

 

7.      Ms. Hyjek presented a liquor license request from the 99 Restaurant and a tobacco & liquor for the Mac’s store for board consideration. Mr. Hall moved to approve the applications and to circulate for signatures. Mr. Hawley made a second to the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

 

Solid Waste Alliance Communities:  Mr. Shields reported:

 

No meeting No report

 

Rutland Regional Transportation Council:  Mr. Shields reported:

 

  1. Reported the Transportation Council met last week and discussed transportation prioritization matters. Mr. Shields said US RT 4 from New York to US Route 7 in Rutland Town would be resurfaced this year. Mr. Shields said the bridges in the Dorr rive area of the City are way down on the list. He said one bridge is listed at 11 out of a total of 99 projects.

 

  1. Reported the Town of Castleton has joined the list of Town involved in the byway project.

 

  1. Informed the Board that continued funding of the Rutland airport does not look good. Mr. Shields said the airport might lose its carrier if the airport looses it subsidy. Mr. Zingale said at a meeting he attended the airport administrator indicated Rutland might actually get more money and not less.

 

Regional Planning Commission Mr. Fred Nicholson reported:

 

Not present

 

Road Commissioner:  Mr. Byron Hathaway reported:

 

  1. Reported he is keeping busy with snow work.

 

  1. Informed the Board that he and Mr. Walt Tripp would be conducting a culvert and street sign inventory over the next couple of weeks. Mr. Hathaway said by producing the information the Town qualifies for an additional 10% for culverts and bridges.

 

  1. Mr. Rhodes questioned Mr. Hathaway regarding the new Town truck. Mr. Hathaway said the truck is all right and that there were no issues with the recall.

 

  1. Mr. Hathaway informed the Board he planned to take the following day off in order to keep his hours down.

 

Fire Chief: Joseph Denardo reported:

 

Not present

 

Planning Commission: Mr. William Matteson reported:

 

Not present

 

Police Department: Chief John Sly reported:

 

  1. Congratulated Sargeant Ed Dumas for the arrest of a wanted New York State individual, out of jail on bail.

 

 

 

  1.  Reminded resident to keep an eye on their neighborhoods and to report suspicious individuals.

 

  1. He told the Board that contrary to popular belief, the individuals who are breakings into local homes are not killing pets and that they do not have a super-secret electric garage door opener. 

 

 

Recreation Commission:  Mr. Jode Hall reported:

 

  1. Reported the Commission is finishing its basketball season and will begin registration for baseball in the third week in March.

 

  1. Informed the Board the Town will participate in a Cal Ripkin baseball League.

 

  1. Inquired what would become of a $500.00 donation to the Recreation Commission. Mr. Rhodes said it would go toward the income side of recreation.

 

  1. Informed the Board he has received additional interest in the summer maintenance position. Mr. Rhodes said Mr. Hall should place a notice in the newspapers seeking a maintenance person after a meeting with the Recreation commission.

 

Town Administrator:  Mr. Joseph Zingale reported:

 

  1. Informed the Board he had met with Mr. Jamie Stewart (REDC), Mark Blucher (RRPC), Alan Shelvey (City of Rutland), Mary An Goulette (West Rutland) and discussed applying for a $30,000.00 Community Development Block Grant to study the feasibility of providing water and sewer service to Center Rutland Business Route 4 corridor to create jobs.

    Mr. Zingale said the study would consider whether water and sewer service should be extended from Rutland City or sewer service from West Rutland or a combination of the two.

    Encouraged the Board to discuss tax sharing with Rutland City and West Rutland prior to applying for grant funds.

 

  1. Reported he had received an inventory of all streetlights and power requirements from CVPS.

 

  1. Urged the Board to playing an active role in getting a R-O-W over the proposed Aldi’s development to secure a future service road. Suggested the Board get some free advice from VLCT.

 

  1. Informed the Board that he had received a call from a realtor who planned to sell a home to a non-profit organization, which operates an eight-person group home. Mr. Zingale said the home in question is located a 437 Victoria Drive.

 

  1. Informed the Board regarding a proposal from Mr. Tim Hubbard pertaining to the removal of freon from appliances prior to removal from the Town Transfer Station. Mr. Rhodes said the Board should share in the profit from the metal box, which the Hubbard pull at no charge and keep all the revenue. Mr. Zingale will inform Mr. Hubbard of the Board’s desire to begin to share in the metal box revenues.

 

  1. Reviewed the proposed Farrell Road slip lane study with the Board. Mr. Zingale told the Board that VTrans feels the proposed slip lane makes sense and will review a conceptual plan, when ready. Mr. Zingale told the Board that the slip lane group would ask VTrans to pick which of the two-slip lane alternatives it prefers, prior to producing the conceptual plans.

 

  1. Reminded the Board that VTrans has placed a “City of Rutland” sign 2000 feet inside the Town of Rutland. Mr. Zingale will contact VTrans to get the sign moved.

 

  1. Informed the Board that the Town had received a press release from Mr. Tom Hughes regarding the Town of Rutland’s 250th anniversary. Mr. Zingale said it would come as a shock to many to learn the Town of Rutland is 119 years old. Mr. Zingale said the Town learned its true age in 1991 when the City tried to take over the Town. Mr. Zingale cited a letter from Deputy State Attorney Paul Gillies, in which he said the Vermont Legislature created a new Town of Rutland in 1892 after it had created the City of Rutland. Mr. Zingale and the Board discussed the matter further and no action was taken.

 

  1. Told the Board that the Killington Ski area would be putting on another concert at the Spartan Arena.

 

Mr. Rhodes requested a motion to spend $1,800.00 for an appraisal of General Electric. Mr. Hall moved to spend $1,800.00 for the GE appraisal. Mr. Terenzini made a second to the motion. The motion passed by a vote of 3 to 0 Mr. Hawley and Mr. Callahan abstained from the vote.

 

The Board reviewed packet Correspondence.

 

Mr. Hall cited the fact there is a bill in the legislature, which would require Select Board’s to interview candidates interested in being appointed to town commission or Boards in open session and not in executive session. Mr. Hall said the law should not be changed. He informed the Board he had sent a memo to VLCT expressing his thoughts.

 

Mr. Hall made a motion to adjourn the meeting.  Mr. Hawley made a second to the motion.  The motion passed unanimously.