TOWN OF WILLIAMSTOWN MINUTES PRESENT: Larry Hebert - Vice Chair, Chris Peloquin, Rodney Graham, Art Stone, Bill Ashe Town Manager: Garrett Earls
VISITORS: Kathleen Lott - Northfield News, Mike Sprano, Freda Hollyer, Allen Chouinard – Simons Operations, Kamela Chouinard, Paul Anderson, Paul Zeller, Morris Lasell, Mindy Gabree Larry called to order the Williamstown Selectboard meeting for February
1, 2010 at 7 p.m. He asked for a motion to enter into the Board of Water
& Sewer Commissioners. So moved by Rodney and second by Chris. Motion
passed by voice vote 5-0. Water & Sewer Commissioners Water & Sewer Rates Larry explained that he has many residents asking about the high water rates and when the bills get sent out. Did the Board want to discuss a simple fix for it or call for a special meeting. Rodney asked him to continue and explain. Larry explained we have 355 water users and 315 on sewer. Problem is we have a certain fix cost from Simon’s Operations who keep the water system functional no matter how many users on it. The base cost of $50 is not covering the cost and that is why the water rates are so high. Based on the average water usages, taken right from 0 to 9,000 gallons how many users, -84, 10, 000 to 19,000- 95 or 96, 20,000 to 30,000-87 users. Average usages are 15,000 gals per billing cycle or 30,000 per year for an average household. That would come to $720 for water and sewer. This would be about the same if you had to replace a septic or well so the cost would be very close if you were off the system and they are looking into lowering the total cost too. A discussion followed and Rodney suggested they look it over to give more examples of if its going to work. Larry said what about early March so we can meet on it before the next billing cycle. The Board decided to study the proposal and bring it back to the Board. Larry asked for the motion to come out of the Water & Sewer Commissioners, so moved by Rodney and second by Bill. Motion passed by voice vote 5-0. Selectboard Meeting Announcements: Planning Committee is inviting the public to a hearing on the new draft plan, February 3rd at the Middle/High School at 7 p.m. Visitor’s Comments: Paul said he was very please to hear the Board decided to help the people on Young Road. Review and Approval of Warrants: Rodney moved to approve SB31 and SB32. Second by Chris and after a short discussion the motion passed by a voice vote of 5-0.
Approval of Minutes: Rodney motion to approve minutes of January 18th, second by Chris. A discussion followed and corrections made. The motion passed by voice vote 5-0. Rodney motion to approve the minutes of January 20th, second by Chris. A discussion followed and corrections were made. The motion passed by voice vote 5-0. Manager’s Report: The school board is having a forum at the Middle/High School at 7 p.m. February 24th to discuss the budget. They would like to know if the Selectboard would like to join them. Chris suggested we should have representation and one of our residents that sat on the Finance Committee. Kamela Chouinard was in attendance and could not attend as a committee member. The Board by consensus agreed to attend. Garrett met a Mr. Thomas Garden the developer putting in the solar farm off of Rte 64. It supposes to be the largest solar farm in the northeast and he was one of 16 recipients receiving this stimulus money. More information to come. Garrett asked for the Board to approve to take off restrictions for the module for water and sewer billing from NEMRC. Chris said this will take effect July 1. Larry said it would need to be before the next billing and we are going to run into this with the payroll schedule change. Garrett said March 18th would be the first payroll for two weeks. Larry said it would make sense for Debbie and Bob to go through that and get it squared away. If he doesn’t the clerk will be going in cold. The same thing could happen to the water and sewer billing. Garrett explained that if he was to be doing the water & sewer billing then he should be able to familiarize him self with it. The only training we get is hands on. Larry made his opinion known that we should make the transition. Bill said it seems prudent to give the town manager the tools he needs in order to perform the function , that is to become familiar with part of the computer system in advance to having to perform the duties, it just seems to be the reasonable thing to do and same for payroll. Rodney thought the duties (supervision) belongs to the town manager he needs to access that information regardless who we have do it. Art said we have a town manager, to him that means one person to oversee these peculiar duties, he agreed with Bill he should have all the tools he needs to perform that duty, whether its the town clerk, town manager or any one else that works for the town. Rodney motioned to instruct NEMRC to lift restrictions on the utility billing and ask the town treasurer to work with clerk and manager for a smooth transaction of the changing of duties by Election Day. Chris second and the motion passed by a voice vote of 5-0. Garrett had a directive to the Highway Department for the road crew to do roadway tree and brush clearing. He brought it to the Board for any input they may have to add to it. Chris suggested removing the May 1st ending date as he did not want to give anyone the impression we are not going to continue this work after that date. The date would be change. Larry said he and Garrett discussed this and felt it was a good time to get some of this work done since we have not had a lot of snow. Rodney said he agreed to change the ending date. After trimming the trees and the land owners does not want the wood, it will be brought back to the town garage for residents that need it. Chris mentioned his appreciated for something other than 100 hours a month on shop maintenance. It was the Boards consensus to agree with this directive. Unfinished Business: Payroll Schedule Changes Garrett said the original minutes stated we should be prepared for February. With the potential changes on who was doing payroll plus you have an election in March, did it make more sense to start the bi-weekly in March. The original minutes did not specify the date, only be prepared. Garrett figured the date to start would March 18th would be the first bi-weekly pay and when Deb would be taking it over. There will be 4 paychecks in February and two in March. Rodney said the intent on getting prepared was to be able to work with the employees to notify them of the change which did not happen. So to be fair we had to delay it so they could get prepared. Larry said if they make this decision then the first paycheck would be March 18th and by then everyone should know it. Chris made the motion for by bi weekly payroll starts the first week in March. Second by Rodney. The motion passed by voice vote 5-0. New Business: Ancient Road Presentation Larry said the last few days he has been involved with it and he could certainly appreciate the work Morris, Paul and Horace have done going back to maps from 1858 and trying to figure out stuff. Very time consuming. Morris presented a list of roads that could be walked on, seen on the ground, see where they were, and in some cases he has ridden on them horseback and some time ridden in vehicles. They are roads that can help the town now or in the future. We would like to have the Selectboard authorize the petition for the state (Jonathan Croft) to put them back on the map. As far as the committee could tell these five roads were not legally discontinued. They are as follows: 1. Stebbins Rd. – Avalon Farm through Seaver and Joyal property
to Perkins property.
A discussion followed with Morris explaining how they determine these five roads. He explained the roads in this classification have to be visible on the ground. The roads would revert back to the land owners after 2015 if the town does nothing or the Town can identify roads they feel are a value to keep, list them on the map. Some landowners may object and challenge or some may not. If the state approves these five roads a hearing would be held for the public and have 45 days which to challenge. Rodney asked what were the basics of benefit to the town. Morris said the ones he felt went from one point to another. If these roads were open as legal trails they could be used for hiking, snow machines and horse back riding. Recreationally use. Bill asked if the land owners know if there might be a right of way through there property. Morris did not know. One thing that bothered Bill was people buying and selling property in good faith for years and years. He could image without having the knowledge it feels a little odd at this point. Bill asked if any of the land owners have any objections what is their recourse. Larry said a public hearing would take place and the adjacent property owner’s notified. They would have 45 days to object. February 10th is the cut off date to bring it to the state to get the roads on the map. Rodney abstained from the rest of this discussion because if these roads get approved then he will be objecting to one of them as a land owner. Art motioned to authorize Morris to talk to the state and try to have these 5 roads approve for the map as soon as he can make the appointment to meet with the gentleman he needs to talk to. Bill asked what is the hearing progress, we set a public hearing and is it this Board that hears the hearing and has the decision making ability. Morris said it would and each road would be heard separately. Bill said the roads are being use currently and who gave permission for recreational purposes the land owners. They have been treated as private property for those permissions. So if we don’t do anything how would it negatively affect those things. Larry said if we lose the right of way to the land owners could shut us out. Bill said that is his point they have behaving that it’s there right to grant for those purposes. Given we would have the opportunity to hear from the landowner’s there seems as reasonable a chance that landowners may be in support of this as they might be in opposition. We would have an opportunity to hear those arguments before we expend any amount of money on legal fees. He would second Art’s motion. The motion passed with 3 yeas, 1 nay and 1 abstained. Fairpoint Communication – Petition & Order, replace telephone poles. Chris motioned to approve and sign the petition and order from Fairpoint Communications. Second by Rodney. Motion passed by voice vote 5-0. Audit Recommendation Review Larry asked to have this on the agenda to set a date to review the audit recommendations. Chris said that has been mention at a past Town Meeting by a resident and for that reason we should do it at a regular meeting in front of the camera so people of the community that are paying attention can view it. The consensus of the Board is to have the next Selectboard meeting start at 6 p.m. Feb. 15th for the review. Around the Table: Chris: He was asked twice this week what is the status of the salvage yard. Garrett reported on going documentation by the people for the state to be doing more. The two known salvage yards have been sent certified letters with the application they need to fill out. One has refused the certified letter and he is waiting for an Orange County Deputy to hand deliver it. And the other has not responded. The state had Garrett fill in some information about it. We don’t have the resources to enforce this and the state is the enforcement agency. The application will come to the Selectboard for review and set up a hearing. Then make the decision if it is on approved locations and they will have to get registered with the state. Rodney: Rodney thanked the Board and Town for the plant he received after his surgery. Bill: A taxpayer asked him if we were going to do roadside mowing over the summer. Garrett said they restored that back in the budget. Art: Nothing at this time. Larry: Nothing at this time. Visitor’s Comments: Mike said he saw they had it in the budget for $8,000. this year but
that is not a good number, its going to cost us about $15,000 by time
you figure the mans wages, insurances, and stuff for roadway mowing. Garrett
said they paid $4,200 for hired out road side mowing the summer before.
That was man and machine. We are talking about trying to rent the tractor
and our man for $8,000. Maybe getting another municipality to split the
cost with us. Rodney asked Garrett to get estimates from road side mowing
people to compare costs. Larry asked for a motion to adjourn, so moved by Chris and second by Rodney at 9:40p.m. Motion passed by voice vote 5-0. Approved February 15, 2010 |