Selectboard and Finance Committee

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Tuesday, April 18, 2023, 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm
Town Hall
A meeting of the Select Board

Meeting of Select Board

Members: (Quorum)

• Absent: Erica Goleman
• Present: Christopher Waldo, at 6:00 PM
• Present: Philip Kantor, Chair, at 6:00 PM

Also Present:

• John Craine
• Alan Singer
• Roy Cohen
• Nelson Shifflet
• Thaddeus Bennet
• Bob Armstrong
• Seth Capista
• Phyllis Craine
• Rhyanna McLeester
• Ron Sweet
• Veronique Blanchard and Adam Reed

See original Agenda Final Minutes

Meeting opened: 6:00 PM

Meeting closed: 8:18 PM

0. Meeting Preliminaries

   • Meeting Opened / Attendance Taken (see above).

   • Minutes Approved: Mon, Apr 10 - Selectboard and Finance Committee

1. Warrants

   • - No warrants

2. Meetings Attended by Select Board Members

   • General Discussion...
     Chris had a Capital Improvement meeting, the Transfer Station forum and completed the IT assessment.
     Phil was at a pollinator meeting and various other town related discussions.

3. Public Comments. None

4. Unfinished Business.

5. New Business

   • - Announce new Police Officer hire, Sergeant Don Bates.

     General Discussion...
     Don Bates has been hired as the new Chief of Police and will start on July 1, 2023.

   • - Nelson Shifflet & Thaddeus Bennet to discuss annual town meeting publicity.

     General Discussion...
     In an effort to increase attendance at town meeting, last year Nelson and Thaddeus led an effort which included lawn signs, post cards and child care at town meeting. They would like to have the Selectboard take over this as part of the regular annual town meeting preparation, so there are funds available to strengthen the efforts to boost attendance.

   • - Bob Armstrong to discuss the pricing options with the new aggregation contract.

     General Discussion...
     The 15 municipalities in the aggregate will be voting to sign a new contract, which will begin January 1, on April 24th. Bob will be lobbying for another 3 year contract to try and lock in the best deal for the town. It was also mentioned that Wendell and Leverett have joined the aggregate for this contract.

   • - Vote to obligate the remaining ARPA funds to the Public Safety Building office addition.

     General Discussion...
     Tabled for a future meeting

6. Joint Meeting with Finance Committee, 6:15

   • 6:15: Joint Meeting with Finance Committee and Capital Improvement - Discussion of warrant, budget and COLA continued.

     General Discussion...
     The Finance Committee and Capital Improvement Committee were called to order at 6:35.
     
     Article 10 was discussed. To rent the boom lift it comes to $3,000 a month. The availability of equipment to rent is also more difficult. The Highway Department is asking for $40,000 to buy a used boom lift. This equipment has a long life and is needed depending on weather related events. Renting won't solve the problem of use when needed because the weather can not be predicted. Capital voted 5 to 0 to approve the warrant request.
     
     Article 11 was discussed. We currently have a good deal to rent a chipper for $1,800 per month. It is a good deal but must be returned whenever the renter needs it and the town doesn't know how long this cheap deal will last. Finding a used 18 inch chipper is near impossible at this time. A new chipper would last up to 20 years if maintained properly and would be paid for for the funds left over from the highway building coming in under budget. Capital voted 5 to 0 to approve the warrant article.
     
     Article 12 was discussed. The compact loader is going on 10 years. The one we have is under repair often and it is time to trade it in. A new one is priced up to $70,000 but with the trade in and the discount that municipalities receive, the price will come in lower. This piece of equipment is used regularly by the department and has multiple attachments. Capital voted 5 to 0 to approve the warrant article.
     
     Article 13 was discussed. A new 1 ton plow truck is needed as a piece of front line equipment. Used vehicles for this are not much cheaper than new and are hard to find. The old truck will not be traded in as the town still has a need for it; it will replace the vehicle Ron donated to the department as a general purpose errand vehicle. Capital voted 5 to 0 to approve the warrant article.
     
     It was decided that article 12 and 13 be moved to article 10 and 11. 12 and 13 are existing pieces of equipment that need replacing because the current equipment is worn out. The chipper and the boom lift are new pieces of equipment that are needed to satisfy the state regulations regarding tree removal.
     
     Capital Improvement adjourned at 8:08 and the Finance Committee adjourned at 8:12.

7. Items Not Anticipated 48 Hours in Advance of the Meeting

   • None.

8. Town Administrator update

9. Selectboard member comments/concerns

10. Mail

11. Announcements

    • None

12. Meeting Wrap-up

    • Next Meetings:
      1. Sun, Apr 23, at 10:00 AM "Selectboard and Finance Committee" -- Town Hall
      2. Mon, Apr 24, at 6:00 PM "Selectboard and Finance Committee" -- Town Hall
      3. Mon, May 1, at 6:00 PM "Selectboard " -- Town Hall

The listing of matters is those reasonably anticipated by the Chair which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law.

Minutes approved on Wednesday, May 3, 2023