[0:11] let so call the meeting to order any
[0:14] changes to the
[0:15] agenda looks like nobody's here for
[0:18] public comment sorry should have give me
[0:20] a chance to answer assuming no changes
[0:24] to the agenda and no public comments uh
[0:27] is there a motion on the minutes from
[0:30] November
[0:31] 21st don't move second second any
[0:36] additions
[0:37] changes no all in
[0:42] favor just also thanks for um for
[0:45] changing the meeting schedule on short
[0:47] notice I have something that I thought
[0:49] was going to be scheduled for next
[0:50] Thursday that is scheduled for next
[0:51] Thursday so I wouldn't been able to be
[0:54] here hoping to be here for this
[0:57] discussion um well n word and nobody's
[1:00] on zo I mean we have pretty good
[1:02] attendance too so y it's great um so
[1:05] I'll turn it over to you guys for
[1:07] staff great uh so I wanted to bring us
[1:09] through a couple of things um starting
[1:12] with the wesfield community Wastewater
[1:14] project um under engineering design and
[1:17] permitting um the topographic surveying
[1:21] in its final stages it's probably
[1:23] actually completed by this point it was being finished beginning of this
[1:27] week um uh and mapping of wetlands rare
[1:30] plants and cultural resources fieldwork
[1:32] has concluded uh and the pump station
[1:36] the
[1:37] um the the the test for the msite uh
[1:42] should be completed by now as well um
[1:46] that's happening either yesterday or
[1:47] today or tomorrow so um the the results
[1:51] of all that work uh will feed into the
[1:54] final design process uh and and provide
[1:58] a lot of guidance so a lot of the work
[1:59] is happening right now on the different
[2:01] Design Elements things like Pump Station
[2:03] sizing um working with property owners
[2:06] that would host P pump stations so on
[2:08] and so forth um so things are are
[2:10] humming along on the funding side of
[2:12] that project um one of the primary
[2:15] sources of funding is USDA Rural
[2:17] Development um we uh originally uh the
[2:21] project implemented an application in
[2:24] April 2024 um but was informed that they
[2:27] need this additional environment Al
[2:30] assessment uh work to be um a part of it
[2:33] and actually didn't find out until
[2:35] August September that that that was
[2:36] required so that was submitted on
[2:38] November 15th there's a little bit of
[2:40] back and forth uh and it was actually
[2:42] finalized the beginning of this week um
[2:44] and there's a notice in today's paper
[2:46] which is a requirement of the funding um
[2:49] a notice of the EA submission and you
[2:51] can contact um a guy by the name of Alex
[2:53] sub for USDA if you have more questions
[2:55] or you can ask me um uh but but per the the announcement so that'll run
[3:00] in the next couple editions of the paper
[3:03] um and that was the last thing that
[3:04] needed to be done for for that project
[3:07] uh application so we'd anticipate a
[3:09] response um uh from USDA roal
[3:12] development and potentially an offer uh
[3:15] for funding uh in January which is great
[3:19] what do you mean by an offer uh the the
[3:22] way USDA Ro development provides these
[3:24] sort of it's a funding package
[3:27] essentially U which is a mixture of
[3:29] Grant and okay so you don't ask for a
[3:31] specific number they they throw a number
[3:33] at you and yeah so so we sent them back
[3:38] for the April
[3:39] application all sorts of a tremendous
[3:42] amount of information and said this is
[3:43] what we're looking at doing and this is
[3:44] what we see as our funding and it goes
[3:46] through their underwriting and they are
[3:48] the ones who yeah how much haing can you
[3:51] do uh with the underwriters zero um but
[3:56] my uh after my conversation with the
[3:57] USDA Ral development folks um once you
[4:00] have the initial offer and and your
[4:03] projects moving forward if you need
[4:04] additional funding that's when that
[4:07] happens so essentially accept what they
[4:09] offer at at you at first uh work through
[4:12] the project and as there's additional
[4:14] needs there are opportunities for
[4:16] additional
[4:17] funding rural development over the years
[4:19] has been really clear that that a lot of
[4:22] Vermont towns or a lot of Vermont leaves
[4:24] a lot of money on the table
[4:27] so yeah yeah there there has been
[4:29] opportunity for funding
[4:31] it's as I said we applied in April and
[4:34] now it's December um uh there's a reason
[4:37] why there's money been left on the table
[4:38] because it's it's challenging uh to to
[4:41] access uh and uh but I feel really good
[4:43] about where we are and I've been playing
[4:45] a pretty strong role in uh in in guiding
[4:48] uh in guiding the process so feel good
[4:51] about it um another funding source for
[4:53] that project is the Vermont community
[4:54] development program which is HUD money
[4:57] um and I had a meeting with them
[5:00] initially uh in October and then a
[5:02] followup meeting in November and um
[5:04] looking uh sort of positioning the
[5:07] project who will apply for a
[5:09] pre-application for that program in
[5:11] January sort of in the $500,000 to
[5:13] million dollar range for for that
[5:15] funding in each of their rounds um and
[5:18] then really exciting news of the project
[5:21] is the wtvi community Wastewater
[5:22] projects application to the central
[5:24] Vermont Economic Development
[5:26] corporations uh and centralmont economic
[5:28] Central Vermont Regional planning
[5:30] commissions Regional project priority
[5:32] list so CVC and cvpc um uh are um
[5:38] receive projects um each region does um
[5:41] uh to be on a list of projects of
[5:44] regional significance or Regional
[5:45] project priorities uh and our project we
[5:49] applied last year for the weight weight
[5:50] field waste community that was not
[5:53] funded or not identified um or selected
[5:57] and this year we were selected and we
[5:59] were selected as is the number two the
[6:01] project was selected as the number two
[6:02] project in the region the number one
[6:04] project is a new um uh secondary
[6:08] institution um focusing on engineering
[6:11] at in m at M College I can't remember
[6:14] the name of it right now ever green or a
[6:16] name similar to that um but our but the
[6:18] weight field project was identified as
[6:20] number two so why do you want to be on
[6:22] that list um mostly exposure uh it it it speaks to the importance of a project
[6:29] when state and federal um uh folks are
[6:32] looking at funding uh it means a lot to
[6:35] be on that list so it doesn't come with
[6:36] specific funding but it provides access
[6:38] to funding uh and and recognition for
[6:41] the project so um and the great thing is
[6:44] that the college that was rate ranked
[6:46] number one isn't looking for funding
[6:48] they're just looking for recognition
[6:49] we're looking for funding and we're
[6:51] number two so that's so we're the number
[6:53] one one looking for funding um so I
[6:56] anticipate um there was an article or a little piece in WCAX this week about
[7:03] that college and the reason why they did
[7:05] that piece was because of this ranking
[7:07] and so I anticipate opportunities um for
[7:11] delegations and other folks coming to
[7:14] wesfield to learn about the project so
[7:16] that one of my uh one of our objectives
[7:19] in the month of January is updating our
[7:22] Communications work on the project um we
[7:25] have a really great Foundation of
[7:26] communications and and explanation of
[7:28] the project but but it's mostly it was built for um for specifically the
[7:35] local audience for the bond vote and so
[7:37] we we're going to be tweaking that for
[7:39] this sort of broader audience so anyway
[7:41] um a lot happening specifically in the
[7:43] month of January from a vcbp application
[7:46] I anticipate the USDA Ral development
[7:48] work uh in the uh project priority list
[7:50] stuff um and some other Grant funds uh
[7:53] grant opportunities I'm seeing on the
[7:55] horizon next thing I want to mention um
[7:58] speaking of Pilar in the college area
[8:00] the wusi flood resilience Roundtable
[8:02] that happened up there um on the 4th uh
[8:05] of of December I participated it was a
[8:09] watershed wide discussion about 80 to 90
[8:13] folks were there Paul Costello um uh was
[8:17] the moderator it was a really great
[8:19] conversation um in a in a broad um with
[8:23] a broad constituents really focusing on
[8:26] Municipal folks um explaining and
[8:29] exploring sort of challenges and
[8:31] opportunities related to resilience um
[8:33] it was a it was a really uh positive um
[8:39] uh event and a lot of interest in
[8:41] collaborating
[8:42] across across borders um and and trying
[8:46] to do this work collectively so um where
[8:49] it goes we'll see but that was sort of a
[8:51] kickoff
[8:52] event um handful of things happening on
[8:55] the transportation front the Vermont 100
[8:57] Act of Transportation Corridor scoping
[8:59] study um the local concerns meeting
[9:01] happened in the middle of November um
[9:04] and moving forward with uh sort of the
[9:07] next steps of that project uh the Shish
[9:10] Access Road shared use path um segment
[9:13] one um uh that do you want to explain
[9:17] where it is in segment one yeah so
[9:19] segment one um we had our uh conceptual
[9:23] plan review the day after the local
[9:25] concerns meeting for the Vermont 100 uh
[9:28] active Transportation corridor meeting
[9:30] we had a couple members of the public
[9:32] there to discuss the plans um and
[9:36] shortly thereafter the conceptual plans
[9:38] were submitted to vtrans for uh
[9:42] essentially a preliminary review by
[9:44] vtrans and their deadline to have
[9:46] feedback and comments on the conceptual
[9:48] plans is December 31st at which point I
[9:52] imagine well take their feedback and
[9:55] incorporate it and modify the conceptual
[9:57] plans um and then the long-term view of
[10:00] that project is uh so right now
[10:04] construction is scheduled for 2027 which
[10:07] is a long longer process than we
[10:10] anticipated but it's because there's
[10:11] certain um steps that need to happen in
[10:14] order they can't be happening
[10:16] concurrently and that's the Neer review
[10:18] and the right of way Acquisitions which
[10:20] could both take anywhere between six
[10:22] months on the short term to a year on
[10:26] the longer term um but we are we
[10:30] received um um the green light from the
[10:34] town of Warren to proceed with the
[10:36] funding application for uh Vermont our
[10:40] transportation alter the trans
[10:41] Transportation Alternatives grant
[10:42] program um so hopefully uh by getting
[10:46] that Grant in per segment two funding
[10:49] which is up to $600,000 per project we
[10:52] can get some of these uh segments going
[10:56] on at the same time to realize some
[10:59] hopefully cost and Time Savings by
[11:02] getting them going uh concurrently so
[11:04] that's kind of where we with that I've
[11:05] been drafting the uh narrative for the
[11:08] grant starting this Monday and also did
[11:12] the mapping for that application so it's
[11:14] we're trying to get it to a pretty good
[11:16] spot by the end of the day tomorrow just
[11:18] so we're not having to hustle around
[11:20] Christmas time um so coming along nicely
[11:24] for Segment two and December 31st right
[11:27] that's the deadline yeah
[11:29] nothing like New Year's Eve to have a
[11:32] grand deadline
[11:33] exactly can't imagine anyone was going
[11:35] to look at them on the first but anyway
[11:37] um uh I want to highlight the 2025
[11:41] downtown Transportation fund Grant uh
[11:43] program February 17th the deadline uh
[11:46] this is for um supporting safe
[11:49] multimodal um transportation
[11:51] opportunities within Village centers and
[11:54] downtowns um $200,000 or so uh is the
[11:58] maximum availability of Grants the 20%
[12:00] match um Warren and wesfield had
[12:04] previously been recipients of of of that
[12:06] grant program uh in
[12:09] 2022
[12:12] uh uh after the last meeting Dan reached
[12:15] out to me um about the possibility of
[12:19] being involved in a discussion with the
[12:21] Planning Commission about the Town
[12:22] garage site um and I've done some we
[12:25] tried coordinating and we haven't quite
[12:27] nailed down the meeting that I'll be
[12:28] attending but I've done since last week
[12:30] a fair amount of research and reached
[12:31] out to a handful of folks and so I'm
[12:34] mostly looking forward to listening but
[12:35] you know I'm not going to come in
[12:37] telling um but but I'm doing my research
[12:39] uh and identifying a variety of
[12:41] opportunities and um and considerations
[12:44] and reaching reaching out to folks who
[12:46] know of communities that have done
[12:48] similar projects and specifically
[12:50] learning from their processes um and
[12:52] mostly just coming it from a place of
[12:54] like what's a process that that could
[12:55] work really well J is that conversation
[12:57] going to be specific to that to that
[12:59] project because we had talked at the
[13:01] executive committee about kind of
[13:03] dusting off the old housing study and
[13:06] looking at the broad range of issues and
[13:08] maybe letting the other planning
[13:10] commissions know that conversation going
[13:12] on that's a great Point thank you for
[13:14] the reminder um I'm not saying that if
[13:17] you have something that's more more
[13:19] urgent and more real yeah got definitely
[13:22] go for yeah I mean I so I'm I'm at the
[13:25] stage of I'm really focusing on the
[13:27] warrant opportunity I mean I looked at I
[13:30] think there was a uh
[13:33] Esa environmental sight assessment phase
[13:36] one 2008 to look at to the
[13:40] ability to look at if there were any
[13:43] dangerous issues in uh in 2008
[13:46] specifically for the for the opportunity
[13:48] of housing um so it's it's it's a long
[13:50] time coming in Warren um uh so um so I'm
[13:55] primarily focusing there but I'm my plan
[13:58] is to put together
[13:59] a pretty good document that could be
[14:01] used more broadly um specifically on
[14:03] that sort of development uh opportunity
[14:06] but but thank you for the reminder of
[14:08] ding off the the houseu yeah yeah to
[14:11] translate for Andy a little bit so we
[14:13] know the garage
[14:15] is has a long Runway I mean we need a
[14:19] bond vote and when you mentioned the
[14:21] bond vote website there's probably some
[14:23] learning Warren could do from from the
[14:27] communication strategy you waks field
[14:30] employ but the vision of putting housing
[14:33] on the Town garage site eventually is
[14:36] you know it's been since a 20-year-old
[14:38] Town sherette yeah as I'm sure Joshua
[14:41] knows so the holy gra the Holy Grail so
[14:44] the idea
[14:45] is um well are there steps I mean it's
[14:49] it it you know it's kind of you know
[14:52] it's one it's keep the idea that we'd
[14:55] like housing to go there right keep that
[14:57] as as an active concept because one
[15:00] could think oh well maybe we should sell
[15:02] the land and use those proceeds to help
[15:06] pay for the cost of the new garage right
[15:08] well ideally at least from the planning
[15:11] commission's perspective it would be
[15:12] well that's a great place for housing
[15:13] right in Warren Village and we don't
[15:15] really know anything about there's not a
[15:18] lot of understanding about what we
[15:20] should be doing in the meantime so
[15:23] that's sort of why we're hoping to
[15:25] connect with Joshua and get some
[15:27] understanding and realizing there's a
[15:29] long way to go on the garage but let's
[15:32] try to move you know keep moving forward
[15:35] on the housing idea Dan is the idea that
[15:38] the town will supply the land to a
[15:42] developer under the idea that the
[15:45] developer will build what we
[15:48] expect I think the I mean my idea was I really know nothing about the
[15:53] development process or and know very
[15:56] little about the grants that might be
[15:57] available and the the steps like like
[16:02] thinking longer term if we wanted to get
[16:04] housing on there and access funding
[16:06] sources correct what should we be doing
[16:09] you know are there designations we
[16:11] should be getting are
[16:13] there committees you know are there is
[16:16] there a Housing Coalition a or Housing
[16:18] Coalition we should be forming I mean
[16:20] what should we be doing really to make
[16:22] the case I think to get State funding to
[16:26] help us get something done or federal
[16:28] funding yeah we don't we don't know much
[16:30] about that and Joshua knows a lot about
[16:32] that yeah and if you don't mind me
[16:33] jumping in I mean right um so I so far
[16:36] I've chat with fot at um Veron Council
[16:38] roal development Veron has the
[16:40] conservation board and aenc of Commerce
[16:41] Community Development mostly just saying
[16:43] hey what are there examples of things
[16:45] that that that have worked for examples
[16:46] where they haven't um uh and what are
[16:49] the types of considerations that that
[16:50] are out there and uh and really I mean
[16:53] I'm interested in coming and listening
[16:54] to the Planning Commission um but but uh
[16:57] I think think the first question is what
[17:00] do we want uh like what are we
[17:03] interested in and then identifying what
[17:04] is a process that allows the the
[17:07] community to get there um there was an
[17:09] explor wesfield uh in the last year
[17:12] received a um a neighborhood Development
[17:14] Area designation uh which has made
[17:16] possible funding for the Wastewater
[17:18] project um I talked to the Planning
[17:21] Commission I want to say 14 years ago
[17:24] about having a neighborhood Development
[17:26] Area designation for Warrant
[17:28] specifically for uh for for for which
[17:31] can Aid in housing it it caps water
[17:34] Wastewater fees and a variety of other
[17:35] things and it's those but that
[17:37] designation program is Shifting and
[17:39] changing so I contacted the guy at the
[17:40] state being like hey can you help me
[17:42] understand how uh like like what what
[17:44] are the opportunities and it's that that
[17:45] kind of thing like what are the
[17:46] structural things uh and what are the
[17:48] process opportunities um my biggest
[17:52] thing I would say is
[17:55] um I think you're far away from having a
[17:58] conversation of EX exactly who does what
[17:59] and how it happens because you know if
[18:01] you work with a housing developer of one one type or another you might end up
[18:06] in One Direction or another and that
[18:08] that'll have implications on funding um
[18:10] so like down street as a partner but I
[18:12] wouldn't suggest talking to down street
[18:14] soon I would sort of wait on that and
[18:16] really really understand what what the
[18:18] interests are is it a moment so I I will
[18:21] say that we we had a what I consider is
[18:24] actually a very good housing development
[18:27] of Wheeler Brook um that no one was
[18:30] really happy
[18:31] with the way it turned out and who was
[18:35] allowed to be there and the the the
[18:38] financials of it um so I think that
[18:43] there's more options than just one of
[18:47] the big three or four um nonprofits in
[18:52] central Vermont that do this kind of
[18:53] work a th% and I think
[18:57] that some sort of public private
[19:00] partnership is probably the way to go
[19:02] with the town giving the land the sewer
[19:05] and the
[19:06] water and you
[19:09] know having certain stipulations on
[19:12] what's expected to be built there I
[19:15] think that is a very difficult site
[19:16] actually it's flat with a huge hill of
[19:19] sand behind it and the parking lot
[19:23] above I think that to build on it you're
[19:25] going to have to stabilize that entire
[19:27] Hillside and that could be very
[19:29] expensive and I will tell you a
[19:32] secret there's a better piece of land
[19:35] directly across the
[19:36] street for a smaller project
[19:41] um anyway it's townland and uh I don't
[19:45] know why it's never been really
[19:47] discussed but it's right there and the
[19:51] sewer is just down on um on Brook Road
[19:55] so the sewer coming up solves multiple
[19:58] problems
[19:59] um for sighting place anyway happy to
[20:03] show you sometime yeah and I think
[20:05] that'll be I mean I don't think
[20:07] that I I think the like for example you
[20:10] should pursue a neighborhood designation
[20:12] if the garage site's not the right site
[20:14] and the site across the street is well I
[20:17] mean I think the same learning I'm
[20:19] assuming the same learning as to what
[20:21] steps we should follow to try to do
[20:24] something and then and then the other
[20:26] thing is is what's the future who's who
[20:28] owns are we building something for
[20:30] someone to for ownership or are we
[20:33] building it for um something someone to
[20:37] some entity to run as lowincome housing
[20:41] that you it's rented so what what works
[20:45] best for Warren and and what do I don't
[20:47] know you guys may have discussed it or
[20:49] that may be another topic of discuss no no I mean I think we're
[20:53] really it's really that the fact that
[20:55] the garage is finally moving was like an
[20:58] opportunity we thought to and I know the
[21:01] mvpd is very excited about it too to
[21:03] finally try to move the ball forward in
[21:05] Warren Village um and so we don't have
[21:08] any preconceptions we we don't have any
[21:11] we don't have enough knowledge to to
[21:13] move the ball forward so that we're
[21:15] trying to gain that knowledge that's the
[21:18] idea well just speaking at the 100,000
[21:20] foot level I think it's very um Exemplar
[21:24] to move this process forward now as
[21:27] opposed to wait until the whole garage
[21:28] thing is done uh because we all know as
[21:31] we talked about the past and so on the
[21:33] sequential processes are such the sooner
[21:35] you start the sooner you can get
[21:36] something that you can make decisions on
[21:38] so I think it's great that you're doing
[21:39] that oh thank
[21:41] you well thank you for well which is to
[21:45] say we may not have that much to say
[21:47] yeah other than we have ideas we'd like
[21:49] to do something but we we really I'm
[21:52] looking I'm looking forward to it and uh
[21:54] I mean when we finish the the housing
[21:57] study a couple years years ago I was
[21:59] like what we need is a project we need a
[22:01] we need we need a project a community
[22:03] project uh and like sort of waiting for that to happen so this is this is a
[22:08] potential opportunity and I think it's a
[22:10] great conversation and and we've got a a
[22:12] pretty good base to work off of and
[22:13] there's a lot of resources out there so
[22:16] I'm looking forward to it so do you
[22:18] think it would be worthwhile for other I
[22:20] mean I guess if you're a planning
[22:22] commissioner and you know I don't know
[22:24] if Jonathan's on but like you're welcome to attend hopefully it's
[22:29] of Interest totally you know you know I
[22:32] think there should be some learning
[22:34] shared that we would be happy to hear
[22:37] from folks in weights field or faced in
[22:40] who have ideas to share or questions to
[22:42] ask yeah I didn't mean to to change the
[22:45] agenda but I just I thought it was a
[22:47] really cool idea um if if were there's
[22:51] opportunities to share information where
[22:53] there's a topic that might be of
[22:55] interest to all the towns and and some
[22:58] of the know talking broadly about
[23:00] strategies just the practice of letting
[23:03] other folks zoom in and I think it's a
[23:05] great idea why not it's awesome I mean
[23:08] yeah people have going on isn't
[23:11] weatfield kind of in the midst of
[23:13] some public private partnership with the
[23:17] U Valley me folks and then there's a
[23:21] parcel that they want to develop down by
[23:23] trom blé Road uh yeah the Sha brothers
[23:27] who own um own the old Gallaghers and
[23:31] the Methodist Church and did a small
[23:33] subdivision they bought the old small
[23:35] farm and the weed they came um they came
[23:39] to this SL board and just pitched give
[23:41] us this land and we'll develop housing
[23:43] and right that was extremely preliminary
[23:46] we're not you know anywhere near that
[23:48] conversation but but it is it is
[23:50] relevant it's the same kind of thing a
[23:52] public private Partnership of some sort
[23:54] in involving Town property and then of
[23:56] course we you know there's we still
[23:58] haven't figured out the future of the
[24:00] fairgrounds um and what whether that has
[24:03] a role in future Wastewater disposal or
[24:06] in some other form of development that's
[24:08] okay new guy here where's the
[24:11] fairs um behind the Catholic
[24:14] church it's actually it's it's there but
[24:17] I know where it is it's an amazing piece
[24:18] of property it's 16 a great place to go
[24:21] to for a walk yeah it's F you will you
[24:24] will think you're in a different world
[24:25] yeah for real you be like this is like
[24:28] yards off of Route 100 and I've know
[24:30] nothing about it behind behind our it's
[24:32] a 16 acre
[24:34] field flat field even know there in the
[24:37] 1940s or 50s it was a Fairgrounds yeah
[24:40] there are pictures of old of fairs that
[24:42] are Conservation Commission you wouldn't
[24:44] know there unless you go to it and it
[24:46] goes up to um it it goes up to woo
[24:50] Ledges in
[24:52] a quite a hike from edges but there is a
[24:55] trail at least there used to be a trail
[24:56] it's actually it's it's a real nice hike
[24:58] although it's not a very well-defined
[25:01] tra right yeah I don't have to walk
[25:04] through the Catholic Church to get there
[25:06] well if you go to the back of the
[25:07] parking lot there's like a slope that
[25:09] goes right up to it yeah is that am I
[25:11] correct that yes yeah it's just like a
[25:15] farm we don't need to get into
[25:19] your this is a safe
[25:22] space you do have
[25:25] the
[25:26] last just say three Hill Mar's and do
[25:29] two rosaries and whatever El they do
[25:32] you're all set one
[25:34] FL so I I'll keep keep rolling I only
[25:37] have a few more a couple things one the
[25:39] Irish village Master planning uh project
[25:42] uh so what was the 18th at the 15th or
[25:44] 18th of November the Monday uh the week
[25:47] before Thanksgiving was a um was a
[25:50] really great uh public event uh and uh
[25:54] for that project there's a there's a
[25:56] website that's Linked In Here the master
[25:58] planning effort if you weren't able to
[26:00] attend and are interested in what was
[26:02] discussed and potentially interested in
[26:04] sharing your thoughts and opinions um
[26:07] there there there's a way to participate
[26:09] um there there's a summary of of that
[26:11] event on the page there is U um a form
[26:16] that you can fill things in and pictures
[26:17] of every single one of the um of the dot
[26:21] voting U panels uh used at that that
[26:24] event so take a look at it um just an
[26:28] last week I think it was the municipal
[26:30] planning Grant uh program for this
[26:32] upcoming year uh March 31st is the
[26:35] deadline so um up to $30,000 for
[26:38] individual municipalities $45,000 for
[26:41] Consortium applications um that's what a
[26:44] consortion applications what's funding
[26:46] the iris project that I just mentioned
[26:48] um but the next round of funding has
[26:50] been uh identified and I think that was
[26:53] all I was going to
[26:55] mention I'm happy to answer any
[26:57] questions
[26:59] yeah anything else stand out to anybody
[27:01] on this written
[27:05] report I would to ask one one more time
[27:08] before I I want so I mean I guess I
[27:10] could do it I need a a whole acronym um
[27:14] sort index you know what I'm saying I've
[27:17] got complete acronym overload I don't
[27:19] know how you TR all this stuff I will
[27:21] try to do a better job of spelling them
[27:24] out but I I literally wrote down spell
[27:25] them out I could go through them and
[27:27] then I could just make my own
[27:29] little cheat sheet but I actually wrote
[27:30] down vcrd vhcb and accd so I wouldn't
[27:34] say it that way um and I actually can't
[27:36] even remember if I actually said said
[27:38] them out loud or or just gave you the
[27:40] acronyms but I I I mean truly I mean
[27:42] there are a lot of acronyms and second
[27:45] all those acronyms can can can make you
[27:47] feel excluded um and and part of the
[27:49] idea is to ensure that people are
[27:51] included in this work yeah I mean you
[27:53] could have the entire presentation and
[27:56] it would have just got
[27:58] right that's a problem of eating it and
[28:01] breathing it for so long well thank you
[28:04] for you're welcome breaking
[28:06] it so let's move into new business the
[28:09] uh mvpd that stands for Mad River Valley
[28:13] planning
[28:15] district um draft work plan which
[28:20] we have not we did not thinking back to
[28:24] the executive committee meeting where we
[28:26] looked at a draft we have not we did not
[28:27] look at had it in November so we did not
[28:29] correct we have not presented a draft to
[28:31] the steering committee yet correct and
[28:33] I'm realizing I should do put it on the
[28:35] screen anyway just for um a minute Taker
[28:38] and if anybody else is interested in in
[28:41] what we're talking about I'll share the
[28:44] screen and correct me if I'm wrong Josh
[28:47] we have the steering committee is
[28:48] typically I've only been through one
[28:51] budget and work plan cycle as a member
[28:53] of the steering committee but have
[28:55] typically this time of year looked at
[28:57] them and in conjunction because they're
[28:59] related to see what we're investing in
[29:01] and correct where we're going to be
[29:02] putting our resources this year exactly
[29:05] and uh yeah and and I think it's good to
[29:08] start with the work plan because let's
[29:09] start talking about the work before we
[29:11] start talking about what we're spending
[29:13] money on um before before we talk about
[29:15] the money side so I think that that's
[29:17] the right order um
[29:19] so I want to sort of start with um our
[29:24] first off with this FY uh fiscal year 26
[29:29] um what is our fiscal year our fiscal
[29:31] year starts on March 1st and it ends at
[29:33] the end of February this year that's on
[29:35] the
[29:37] 28th uh the this year February so that's
[29:40] our fiscal year um at our September 19th
[29:44] steering committee meeting uh which was
[29:45] that halfway point essentially of our
[29:47] fiscal year I presented an update in the
[29:50] broader context for the plane District's
[29:51] work um we talked about the plane
[29:54] District's purpose the vision statement
[29:56] the domains The Guiding approaches
[29:58] um and grants and we also talked about
[30:01] where we were in the work plan uh that had been uh that we were again
[30:05] halfway through in the year so I just
[30:07] want to um so so we did kind of a deep
[30:10] dive not that long ago but I want to
[30:12] highlight a handful of things uh before
[30:14] we talk about where we're going so this
[30:16] is the existing um uh this is the
[30:19] resulting work plan of of the effort
[30:22] last year approved by the select Board
[30:23] of January of 2024 um and it s to
[30:27] balance broad lens as well as a focus on
[30:29] specific projects um the plan district
[30:32] has this you know our charge uh as an
[30:35] organization and if anyone wants to go
[30:37] into that those those things like our
[30:39] values and domains I absolutely will but
[30:41] I was planning on just sort of staying
[30:44] focused on the actual work plan but our
[30:46] focus is really Broad and the tendency
[30:49] when it's uh when when the charge is
[30:51] Broad is that the work is also broad um
[30:54] uh and in my tenure um I found trying to
[31:00] strike that balance of focusing on a
[31:03] project as well as getting spread too
[31:06] thin and doing too many things at once
[31:08] and so uh right a little bit of Housing
[31:10] and a little bit of rural resources a
[31:12] little bit of infrastructure a little
[31:13] bit of Economic Development um you know
[31:16] generally we kind of have a primary
[31:18] thrust and uh and and and and in sort of
[31:22] like two three primary things and then
[31:25] involvement or support in some other
[31:26] things um
[31:28] and two years ago uh
[31:31] in fiscal year
[31:34] 20 four um in fiscal year
[31:38] 24 uh that was a time where we were down
[31:41] a staff member uh at the beginning of
[31:43] that year that that's the year that Sam
[31:45] came on board um but we made a decision
[31:48] to really hammer and focus on one thing
[31:50] and that was the wefi community
[31:52] Wastewater project um and uh and and I
[31:57] think it worked um it was a good use of Staff time uh that project U it it
[32:03] was a it was a key involvement and a key
[32:06] uh piece of time last year uh so that
[32:09] was essentially 90% of my work in that
[32:11] year that and um and and Sam coming on
[32:14] board and and so on and so forth um last
[32:17] year um or in fiscal year 25 the year
[32:20] that we're in right now the waitsville
[32:21] community Wastewater project is
[32:23] essentially 50% of my time so it's not
[32:26] as much um as it was before
[32:28] um but uh but there's a fair amount of
[32:30] involvement it is the primary thing that
[32:31] I'm focused on um we also have um our data work um that Sam is U primarily
[32:39] responsible for the data report the
[32:42] community well-being survey the
[32:44] community dashboard um uh housing U so
[32:49] again these are things that we had put
[32:51] on our work plan administer actually I'm
[32:53] gonna pop to the next page because when
[32:55] we talked about this last uh September I
[32:59] identified this is where we are the
[33:00] green things are the are the areas that
[33:02] we've been deeply engaged in um uh and
[33:06] the things that are not highlighted were
[33:08] the things that we weren't deeply
[33:09] engaged in but were ready well but were
[33:11] at the ready if and when they they are
[33:13] ready to be uh uh for our involvement so
[33:18] this is where we were uh in September
[33:21] and honestly all those things have have stayed the course there there
[33:24] hasn't been a big change in any of that
[33:26] um and then we had some additional items
[33:28] um off to the right related to the July
[33:30] 10th uh flood and support um which
[33:34] started with sort of damage assessment
[33:36] and mapping and facin Recovery
[33:39] coordination Dialogue on emergency
[33:41] response and uh interest in a
[33:45] collaboration with friends of M River on
[33:46] response rebuild and resilience and
[33:48] talking about it an event Series so
[33:51] that's kind of just I just want to
[33:54] remind people where where we were um at
[33:57] that particular
[33:58] time
[33:59] so what what do I see for the new year
[34:03] well you might look at that and be like
[34:04] well that looks exactly the
[34:06] same um I don't know I can go back and
[34:09] forth until until somebody can figure
[34:11] out what are the two things that are
[34:13] missing but but I'll make it easy on you
[34:15] something's gone from data yeah um yes very good Community wellbeing survey
[34:21] and the historical photo project related
[34:23] to the real Resource Commission so um
[34:27] the reality is most of the work um
[34:30] doesn't fit cleanly within a particular
[34:32] fiscal year um uh projects have a long
[34:36] lifespan uh and the waitsville uh
[34:40] Whitesville Community Wastewater project
[34:42] and the role that I've been playing as a
[34:44] doing project coordination um the
[34:47] project as I shared before is is in
[34:50] final design and um and is is poised to
[34:56] have bid documents that summer um or or
[34:59] fall with with the hope of construction
[35:01] in
[35:02] 2026 um and and finish going through the
[35:05] permitting and other pieces of that work
[35:07] and so in the um the new fiscal year the
[35:11] things that I relate see specific to
[35:13] that project in addition to finish
[35:15] continuing the coordination and and
[35:16] final design work and serving on the
[35:19] engineering and Technical team um but
[35:21] that grant funding as I shared before
[35:23] building off that momentum the USDA
[35:25] Rural Development um Vermont Community
[35:27] Development program northern border
[35:29] Regional Commission um and and all the
[35:31] opportunities related to the regional
[35:33] project priority um uh listing as well
[35:37] as communication Outreach working with
[35:39] Regulators so on and so forth I don't um
[35:42] I see in many ways that project heating
[35:44] up um in in in those particular ways uh
[35:48] in in the new year um and there was a
[35:52] again a commitment for a a tremendous
[35:55] amount of plan District time two years
[35:57] uh two fiscal years or last fiscal year
[36:00] uh and continuing that effort for a
[36:03] project that has impact um across the
[36:06] entire Valley uh the second on the data
[36:09] side uh so the we do an annual data
[36:13] report uh so that that work happens
[36:15] every single year and then the dashboard
[36:17] the community dashboard is part of the
[36:19] output um of that effort the community
[36:21] well-being survey uh which we uh which
[36:24] Sam administered this year will be um we move to an every other year time
[36:29] frame and so um so we get to set that
[36:32] aside uh but you know s was a lot
[36:36] quicker the in doing the data report
[36:38] this year than you were last year as far
[36:40] as like putting all the pieces together
[36:42] and and and really building a um
[36:45] efficiency in that effort um the next is
[36:49] Warren short-term rental data project um
[36:53] so it is our understanding that that uh
[36:56] Warren's moving
[36:58] um uh intending to have an ordinance on
[37:00] short-term rental ining closer inching
[37:03] closer um uh so the the war in PC was
[37:08] really been implementing this pro
[37:10] project uh leading it initially and it's with the select board now um
[37:14] building off the plane District's
[37:16] previous work on identifying a strategy
[37:18] around short-term rentals um we
[37:22] undertook a 2022 um Community survey on
[37:25] short-term rentals and I me it's really
[37:27] great to see where war is and
[37:29] anticipating that that the ordinance
[37:32] will will move forward and then we'll be
[37:34] working with a short-term rental company
[37:37] granicus uh and we um specifically Sam
[37:40] will be providing support on the the
[37:42] data side of that um and uh collecting
[37:46] um uh and and analyzing the data so
[37:50] we're prepared we were prepared for that
[37:52] this year but we're going to be prepared
[37:54] for that for next year um uh and doing
[37:57] the iris Village master plan uh project
[37:59] that I gave a little bit of update on
[38:01] before the shared use paths the sort of
[38:03] Transportation things the first two so
[38:06] as Sam mentioned the sugar Bish Access
[38:08] Road shared use path I think it was
[38:11] 2016 was the scoping study for that
[38:13] project and segment one uh is uh has
[38:18] received funding and that's the one
[38:19] that's um where the project plans are
[38:21] being reviewed and we'll be going to U
[38:23] through those processes that Sam
[38:25] mentioned as well as applying for the next segment of that of that
[38:30] project so the segment one goes for the
[38:32] four corners and waren to um Airport
[38:35] Road and then segment two is identified
[38:37] to going from Airport Road sorry Golf
[38:39] Course Road thank you um from Golf
[38:41] Course road to the Sugar Bush in German
[38:44] Flats Road um uh so assuming that that
[38:48] gets well one the the existing phase um
[38:52] moving that forward and then second
[38:54] anticipating that there'll be the next
[38:56] phase or segment of the project
[38:58] um the Vermont 100 active Transportation
[39:00] Corridor study um which is underway
[39:03] right now with it with with an intention
[39:07] uh in the either late summer or winter
[39:11] of next year to apply for funding um for
[39:15] either additional analysis or
[39:17] implementation of a segment of that of
[39:20] that project um so that's sort of what
[39:23] the work is related to that um
[39:26] continuing the support of the Mad bus
[39:28] Which oh man I left the bus mapping
[39:31] guides on my desk um but the bus starts
[39:34] on the 20th of December um the bad bus
[39:38] but supporting the operation of that
[39:39] work um and also being at the ready for
[39:42] the Vermont 117 intersection project uh
[39:46] with the town of wesfield and and VR um
[39:49] it is on the list it was scheduled for
[39:52] some work to happen uh in December the
[39:56] end of 2024 but that apparently is being
[39:59] pushed back so was just in as side any
[40:02] changes anticipated in the MB schedule
[40:04] for this year compared to last
[40:06] year um there was a small change in um I
[40:12] can get back to the specifics basically
[40:14] it was a late night service on the
[40:16] weekend there was a very low ridership
[40:20] can't remember the exact time slot to
[40:21] the valley floor um and it was a
[40:23] reduction of maybe 20 to 30 hours per season so that was that was one
[40:31] alteration um but I can I can send you
[40:34] the specifics later on but by and large
[40:38] it was more or less the same Okay the
[40:40] reason for stimulating the question was
[40:42] the GMT have just cutbacks across the
[40:44] whole state and whole operating areas
[40:47] when impact us yeah so so we're not
[40:50] aware
[40:51] of of of of that type of impact with
[40:54] which is great and maybe I'm off the
[40:56] back here as well but what's um what is proposed for the Vermont 117
[41:04] intersection we have zero
[41:07] idea not off the back yeah yeah so so so
[41:11] nothing is proposed I mean there was a
[41:12] 20-year process they came up with a
[41:14] design a long time ago that then got
[41:17] sheld um I think it came up with 16
[41:19] designs correct a lot of disagreement
[41:22] among bodies in Wayfield over what the
[41:24] protester actually crazy and Fa it
[41:27] t uh and not only were there 16 designs
[41:30] but I remember seeing 16 different
[41:32] options in the in like the 17th year of
[41:35] that project which absolutely blows my
[41:38] mind but um so when vtrans came to we
[41:42] came with an offer to help they made a
[41:44] sign a a commitment to get
[41:49] along where where's the town where's the
[41:51] town lch um just over the
[41:55] bridge right yeah yeah the brid just a
[41:58] little ways yeah just on the other side
[42:00] of the bridge yeah so so the reason just
[42:03] a little bit of quick
[42:05] history uh the my understanding is that
[42:09] uh that the intersection work that was
[42:10] done before was uh it started because of
[42:14] looking at the bridge and and that the
[42:16] bridge over the milbrook was both
[42:19] functionally um deficient and
[42:21] geometrically deficient um uh and there
[42:24] was an they were looking at that and the
[42:26] approach to that bridge isn't fa it um
[42:29] and when they were looking at the bridge
[42:30] they were like well there's this
[42:31] intersection too which is also tricky
[42:33] and it and it got larger and um so it
[42:35] was a complicated project there was a
[42:37] lot of disagreement I actually found the
[42:38] motion at town meeting day I want to say
[42:41] 2005 2003 uh where the voters voted to
[42:45] offici wesfield to officially disengage
[42:48] from VR and stop working on the project
[42:50] because of all of that disagreement I've
[42:52] never seen that before and so the fact
[42:54] that V is willing to come back is great
[42:56] they they these types of stipulations as
[42:58] Brian said and um uh but uh my
[43:01] understanding is that there's a fair
[43:02] amount of backlog but it was in their
[43:04] budget this past year which I anticipate
[43:07] will roll over into the next year um I
[43:10] have a reminder every single month to
[43:12] send a reminder to VR and cvpc asking
[43:15] them the status of of that project and I
[43:17] will continue to be the squeaky wheel um
[43:19] so rural resources the B Valley Rural
[43:22] Resource Commission um uh the planning
[43:24] district in 2022 focused on on
[43:27] reconstituting the matter value Ro
[43:29] Resource Commission fulfilling a
[43:30] commitment that the plane District made
[43:32] back in 1987 to have a an active CLG
[43:35] Community local government entity um and
[43:40] uh I'm
[43:41] trying um there's a lot of them Paul's
[43:43] blazing
[43:45] over blazing over certifi certified
[43:49] sorry what did I say community oh yes
[43:51] than thank you Brian certified love
[43:53] govern see I'm even if we're using you
[43:57] and uh and and and and in 2022 and
[44:02] 2023 was the Boyce Hill education
[44:04] project in fac in um which was led by
[44:08] the r Resource Commission and the
[44:10] historical photo project was the project
[44:12] that that's happened in this particular
[44:14] fiscal year um there is not a particular
[44:16] project on the docket for that group and
[44:19] right now it's kind of in a quiet stage
[44:21] um but what a sort of holding space for
[44:25] the rural Resource Commission there um Al speaking of holding space provide
[44:30] project review and guidance on sug Bish
[44:32] projects and mou revisions is sort of
[44:34] something that two two items that we've
[44:36] sort of held um that not aware of any
[44:39] particular projects that require review
[44:41] and guidance and no proposals on theou
[44:44] revisions that I'm aware of but holding
[44:46] space for those things um and then
[44:48] Municipal support everything from tting
[44:50] meetings um in support of Zone
[44:53] administrators and having uh Gatherings
[44:55] of them across the valley
[44:57] um TR toown leadership meeting uh which
[45:00] we lasted in in
[45:02] 2023 and um communication and Outreach
[45:05] activities one question jge very as I've
[45:08] been away from this table for a bit has
[45:10] there been any change in the mou since I
[45:12] was last year no okay thank you and is
[45:15] there anything
[45:16] anticipated no okay um and and we might
[45:20] meet there was a request from Sugar Bush
[45:22] to keep that on there previously and
[45:24] that's what we did um and was a
[45:27] discussion after the trown leadership
[45:29] meeting in
[45:30] 2013 which really kicked off the the
[45:35] commitment to the Wastewater project but
[45:36] there was a discussion about the
[45:38] possibility of having some mou changes
[45:40] um but there nothing that I'm aware of
[45:44] came from that I mean sorry but at one
[45:47] time there was because a lot of theou is
[45:49] focused well it's almost exclusively
[45:51] focused on sugar Bush's what right it's
[45:54] what Sugar Bush is going to do and it's
[45:56] been changed
[45:58] that's what predicated it right and the
[46:00] mvpd does a lot of other things now I
[46:02] would say largely not focused on Sugar
[46:04] Bush so there there there there's an
[46:07] argument for saying well what but it's a
[46:10] big thing it's a big thing and maybe I'm
[46:12] not sure there's a lot of will to take
[46:14] on that big to open that can of worms
[46:17] when there's so many other things going
[46:18] on but but the roles of responsibilities
[46:21] the um subcommittee of the planning
[46:23] district uh which was formed and has
[46:25] been focusing on a variety of things
[46:27] this this was um I think that that's an
[46:31] opening to have uh some mlu
[46:34] changes indeed so in addition to those
[46:38] things um so almost almost fully the
[46:42] same as the existing year um
[46:44] opportunities requests um items for this
[46:47] year that I'm aware of that have been
[46:49] brought to my attention or have had
[46:51] requests so that friends of Mad River
[46:52] collaboration response rebuild and
[46:54] resilience efforts um and well and I
[46:56] should should mention each of these
[46:58] things are kind of more conceptual than
[47:00] they are anything specific um but these
[47:03] are sort of opportunities and request so
[47:05] one is working with Friends of the Mad
[47:07] River um and and and and engaging the
[47:11] community on one uh events exploring
[47:15] response uh rebuild and resilience
[47:17] efforts but second um uh working on some structural things with Emergency
[47:22] Management coordinators and things of
[47:23] that sort um we've had a handful of
[47:26] initial conversations um but that's as
[47:28] far as it's G it's gone so far uh the
[47:31] second as we mentioned the Warren PC
[47:34] conversation on the Town garage site not sure where that conversation is
[47:37] going to go um but being open to that uh
[47:39] and want to ensure that we have
[47:42] resources to be able to to to provide
[47:44] that support um community recreation
[47:46] visioning 2.0 so the VOR Grant the
[47:49] Vermont outdoor recreation economic
[47:52] collaborative um uh uh that if you
[47:56] remember back in the summer late summer
[47:59] um Laura arson um and Phil Huffman did a
[48:03] presentation on the VOR project and
[48:05] specifically a portion of that which is
[48:07] the community recreation visioning um
[48:09] also known as CRV um uh and that work in
[48:14] the VOR Grant are uh going to be closed
[48:17] in March um and there's an initial
[48:20] conversation on 2.0 of that effort a not
[48:24] having that grant funding U but wanting
[48:26] to continue having dialogue and work
[48:28] related to Recreation and conservation
[48:31] efforts in the valley um uh and so Laura
[48:34] reached out to me directly a month and a
[48:37] half ago um and requested planing
[48:39] District's involvement as she did um
[48:42] when she was here um but specifically
[48:44] related to this this next version um
[48:48] there isn't Clarity yet on what that
[48:50] work looks like um uh is it you know
[48:53] quarterly meetings of the partners and
[48:55] they're looking for facilit support or
[48:57] are they looking in involvement in a in
[48:59] a more substantial way um and that's yet
[49:02] to be seen but what did I read in the
[49:05] Val report today about war they got more
[49:09] funding okay and I'm sorry it's I hate
[49:11] to keep doing this this great it's
[49:13] conservation Recreation oh me you are
[49:17] right
[49:19] Brian see this is why I CRV Still Still
[49:24] CRV um no I just read you correct at any
[49:27] point all of you
[49:28] can um I just read in the paper that
[49:31] they got some additional funding
[49:33] including from uh B and Conservation
[49:36] Commission Warren ARA money and W
[49:39] District right great
[49:43] I I don't know which for yeah and and I don't either and so but but I do
[49:48] know that the existing group is having a
[49:50] conversation about a 2.0 and um and
[49:53] looking uh and are interested in having
[49:54] the plan districts involvement um you
[49:56] know if it was something like
[49:58] facilitation and and that kind of work
[50:00] that that that could be we've talked
[50:02] internally that that could be a role
[50:03] that that Sam can could play um uh but
[50:07] you know so that's kind of a wait and
[50:10] see and then last is um TR Town
[50:13] leadership meeting so like I said in
[50:14] January 2023 so a year almost two years
[50:17] ago was the last time that we had a
[50:19] gathering and that was really specific
[50:21] specifically focused on sort of like
[50:23] where's the plane District now um but
[50:26] this next year is our 40th anniversary
[50:28] which Brian previously corrected me on a date um but I got it right this
[50:32] time right um and maybe it's an
[50:35] opportunity to have a gathering um that serves the community but also uh
[50:42] potentially some either writings or or
[50:44] other things in this year that highlight
[50:47] the sort of longevity of the work in the
[50:48] planning district um has has undertaken
[50:52] in service of its its um partner
[50:54] communities so those are things for
[50:57] which I don't have a particular project
[51:01] um uh or or or anything related to it um
[51:04] the next sort of piece and we're nearly
[51:06] done is sort of like okay so who do does
[51:08] what and i' I've kind of explained some
[51:10] of this uh so far one of the things in
[51:13] this particular uh fiscal year that
[51:16] we're in now and I foresee going forward
[51:19] is um my in addition to the planning
[51:22] work um uh which is overwhelmingly what
[51:25] you see here uh that said and I are
[51:26] engaged in but but working specifically
[51:29] more of the administrative work on and things related to financials and
[51:32] budgeting um uh for which I have been
[51:35] engaged in that's the next thing we're
[51:37] going to talk about um but wanting to
[51:39] ensure that that can can be will be a
[51:41] priority going forward um you know left
[51:44] to my own devices I usually will do more
[51:46] the planning work than they than the
[51:47] finance work U because that's kind of
[51:49] how I'm hardwired but um but I want to
[51:51] ensure uh but I'm excited to do that
[51:54] work as well and want to make sure that
[51:56] we're overloading so that we're being
[51:58] pulled in too many
[52:01] directions so that leads
[52:03] to essentially the list of things minus
[52:06] the two with a couple items to explore
[52:09] um uh and I've got I guess I only made
[52:12] five pery copies can I add something to
[52:14] your list yeah pleas yes not so much
[52:17] that it's going to U create a lot of
[52:19] work for the two of you but we had
[52:21] talked about the mou that we are going
[52:23] to try to develop with the ambulance
[52:25] service oh yeah and I think it should
[52:27] stay on a project list just to stay on
[52:30] our radar I don't know yet what would be
[52:34] required of you two other than us we had
[52:38] talked about didn't there didn't the
[52:40] engs prepare a draft they did prepare
[52:43] draft so I guess it would be up to us to
[52:46] take a look at that and determine how we
[52:48] want to do it as Valley towns um but I
[52:51] just like to see it on the list so we
[52:53] don't lose sight of it I don't think we
[52:55] have to do anything to completion
[52:58] probably before the end of the summer
[53:00] when we get into budgeting season again
[53:02] and they're going to be asking us for
[53:03] money again and we should have anou in
[53:06] place when that happens so I thought it
[53:08] was a little more immediate is it not I
[53:11] don't think so okay well I think they're
[53:13] going to be asking for money this year
[53:15] yeah yeah and and I guess that's going
[53:17] to be separate from the mou I mean
[53:20] that's that's the way our our select
[53:22] board looked at it for budgeting we're
[53:23] going to CU we talked about it two
[53:25] nights ago and we didn't have the we we
[53:28] thought they were going to come and
[53:29] present and they didn't okay so we
[53:32] didn't take a vote on it but we're we're
[53:34] pretty much ready to go
[53:35] on nothing to wait for that I'm aware of
[53:38] yeah and if it happen sooner the better
[53:40] so so I I was like I was thinking it was
[53:42] an
[53:43] imminent U okay I don't know we had
[53:47] talked at one of our last meetings about
[53:50] yeah I'm trying to remember I thought so
[53:52] as well and it
[53:54] was um I I know we've received it I
[53:57] don't know that we taken action on it
[54:00] mean the draft look fairly ready to just
[54:02] be tweaked and well I think an attorney
[54:05] review would be appropriate as well
[54:06] before we move forward with it so you
[54:09] know those kinds of things um and all
[54:12] three I'm assuming all three towns have
[54:14] to right it's a single mou so all three
[54:17] towns would have to age and more town is
[54:20] part of the deal as well so we half yeah
[54:23] partner whatever yeah have to coordinate
[54:25] with them as well so but I think we have
[54:27] it on the list we so so what do you
[54:30] think the order of business is
[54:32] it's have a town attorney look at each
[54:35] town has a town attorney look at it or
[54:37] do we all uh sign off on one town
[54:40] attorney or how do we do that I think
[54:43] that would be ideal if we could do it
[54:45] through this organization you know have
[54:47] one attorney look at plan District pays
[54:49] for it another Town's reimburse I would
[54:52] think yeah yeah yeah no offense to the
[54:55] attorneys but I'm just having three
[54:57] attorneys or four attorneys look at oh
[54:59] that that that's like divorce
[55:03] cord that's not kind so I'll put I'll
[55:06] put the breaks on Warren for a little
[55:08] bit and tell this is
[55:11] not needed for the immediate term we we
[55:16] were going to pass it the other night
[55:17] and sign it oh so uh good that we did
[55:20] not we we bring that back up I'm trying
[55:23] to remember if it was on our consent
[55:24] agenda we may have signed off on it but
[55:27] I will check on Monday okay yeah let's do that and communicate through
[55:31] Josh yeah sounds good
[55:34] great so it sort of leads to here and
[55:37] really what I want to do is have have a
[55:39] discussion is like you know are
[55:44] these are there blind spots are we
[55:46] focusing on things that um uh where there where focus should go
[55:51] elsewhere so on and so forth U many
[55:54] questions about these things um you know
[55:57] this isn't as ful you know I didn't come
[55:59] in with a fully baked thing it was just
[56:01] sort of building off of the work we've
[56:02] been doing um uh and and and a
[56:06] continuation of that with some some
[56:07] opportunities for for some new things is
[56:10] there work to be added in for um Health
[56:14] Center
[56:17] issues or do do you have do you have a lane there or is that
[56:21] something that is not really it may not
[56:24] be like our B at all it's just something
[56:27] it's done to us rather than we're part
[56:30] of having it done yeah yeah I mean I
[56:33] think I think that that's a well
[56:35] one yeah there there seems like
[56:39] they're similar to the what you were
[56:41] just talking about there there there's a
[56:43] timing piece here right so there's a
[56:45] timing piece related to the health
[56:47] center but there's but you know there's
[56:49] an immediate things that are happening
[56:51] or could be happening right now and then some longer term I don't
[56:55] exactly know what that Lane would be or
[56:57] a role but you know it there does seem
[56:59] to be an opportunity or potentially a
[57:02] need uh to have uh some leadership and um centrality around the discussion
[57:10] um I've been focusing on
[57:14] budgets for the last couple of weeks um
[57:17] so so I haven't been in that in that
[57:19] brain space but um but but yeah I mean I
[57:21] think that that's a great discussion for
[57:23] us to have I was going to bring up in
[57:24] the Run table that we proba should about
[57:26] discussion I think it's a very shortterm
[57:27] issue it's not really a a budget for
[57:29] 2026 issue I don't think at this point
[57:32] at least something dramatically happens
[57:34] build build something new right yeah
[57:38] Josh and I were talking about this we I
[57:41] received one with a couple other people
[57:42] Marco being one the letter from Su fet I
[57:46] don't know if you remember that's Sue
[57:48] had a background in in nursing and um
[57:52] medical Consulting kind of thing and so
[57:54] she offered to help whatever group or
[57:59] organization could use the help just to
[58:01] kind of analyze what's going on and Josh
[58:03] and I talked about that and we you know
[58:05] there's nobody in the valley that has
[58:07] the Focus right now to to do that kind
[58:10] of work to have somebody like Sue come
[58:12] in analyze what's been going on make
[58:14] some suggestions even on questions to
[58:17] ask she said you know she she could be
[58:19] helpful and that but there's nobody
[58:21] really in the valley that's that's
[58:23] sparting that and I don't know if we're
[58:24] the group to do that or or there's
[58:27] others that may be more appropriate but
[58:29] you know so I I haven't directed her
[58:32] anywhere um you know not knowing who the
[58:37] best organization would be to do that
[58:40] wouldn't you think it should be the the
[58:41] health center board is kind of this
[58:43] bearhead or no well so their
[58:46] responsibility is for the building and that's it and and the rank um so
[58:51] they they don't really have any any say
[58:55] in the healthcare aspect of it if that's
[58:58] the right way to put it but they did 10
[59:00] years ago right didn't they morph out of
[59:02] that no so they uh CU I was on that
[59:05] board a while back as well and um no we
[59:08] were always the landlord and okay and
[59:11] still are the landlord now naturally the
[59:14] one of the missions of that building is
[59:16] to support healthc care in the valley
[59:19] and so they're concerned from that
[59:20] perspective they're also concerned about
[59:22] having empty space in the building that
[59:24] they would need to rent um but as far as
[59:27] the direct medical uh impact they don't have any I mean they've been
[59:33] sending letter to their voice yeah has
[59:35] been heard I read their their letter in
[59:39] the paper and I thought it was well done
[59:40] yeah um initially that when they were
[59:43] formed to to build a building it was to
[59:45] recruit a doctor corre correct way back
[59:49] and and Fran cook uh actually was he had
[59:54] the little ranch house right and he
[59:56] moved into that practice Yeah and then
[59:59] there was too much administrative work
[1:00:01] for him I believe and he was happy to
[1:00:03] have in the hospital offered to come in
[1:00:05] and take over that space that he
[1:00:07] transitioned into working for the
[1:00:08] hospital and then he retired and then we
[1:00:12] have all the other practitioners that
[1:00:13] are in there now so yeah it's been a
[1:00:17] transition
[1:00:19] since 2007 2008 I think the building
[1:00:22] opened yeah yeah around there yeah so I don't know I just put that out
[1:00:28] there I don't know who the proper people
[1:00:30] are to to spearhead it does seem like
[1:00:32] it's going to be a short-term thing I
[1:00:34] don't know if if it's there's enough
[1:00:36] time to organize people to to do the
[1:00:39] work that needs to be done you know in
[1:00:41] time for impacting a decision I don't
[1:00:44] know how all that will
[1:00:46] work but who's available if anybody
[1:00:49] hears of anyone who's looking for
[1:00:51] additional information or support um
[1:00:54] she's volunteering
[1:00:59] so yeah I mean I I would say from a
[1:01:02] staffing perspective in in timing and
[1:01:05] resources we're not in a position like
[1:01:07] we're not we're not looking for
[1:01:09] something um but but but but I think
[1:01:11] it's it's a mixture of having resources
[1:01:14] being well positioned and um like
[1:01:17] CommunityWide uh and being in a
[1:01:19] leadership role and being respected
[1:01:22] whatever that organization or individual
[1:01:24] is um but but they does seem to be in
[1:01:27] need um uh but I yeah it hasn't been
[1:01:31] identified yet yeah like it's
[1:01:34] Communications and coordination right if
[1:01:37] I yeah I mean because right now I think
[1:01:39] it's overwhelmingly confusion yeah right
[1:01:41] confusion is the is the circumstance
[1:01:43] that we're all dealing with like what's
[1:01:44] going on and why what's the motivation
[1:01:46] and how is that happening and why did
[1:01:48] that happen and what can happen I mean
[1:01:50] that those are
[1:01:51] the that's how I would frame sort of
[1:01:54] where things are at
[1:01:56] yeah it is a Communications
[1:01:59] piece and do we have any levers to
[1:02:01] change anything
[1:02:03] right the end of the day yeah I mean
[1:02:06] I've been in communication with somebody
[1:02:07] at the hospital who's the communications
[1:02:09] director at the hospital about this and
[1:02:12] he's very he's he's happy to
[1:02:15] communications director he's happy to
[1:02:16] talk about it um uh and and be part of a
[1:02:20] conversation here if if that's necessary
[1:02:24] yeah so if we want to continue this
[1:02:25] convers this topic I I think it is going
[1:02:28] to need some fairly heavy hitting in a
[1:02:30] very short time frame to make something
[1:02:32] actually happen I mean as written up in
[1:02:34] the paper last week when the landlords
[1:02:36] discussed with the hospital they said we
[1:02:38] made a decision know nothing to talk
[1:02:40] about we're not going to talk any
[1:02:41] numbers thanks for coming by I mean that
[1:02:43] was basically the essence of the article
[1:02:45] right U and on the other hand the
[1:02:48] hospital is SE with the green M care
[1:02:50] board decisions on our budget we can't
[1:02:52] do anything so it seems to me this going
[1:02:54] to have to get resolved with a political
[1:02:55] level I mean the green M care board is
[1:02:58] appointed by the governor right they got
[1:03:00] a term which goes on for infinity or
[1:03:02] something another four or five years but
[1:03:04] presumably there's political pressure
[1:03:05] can be brought to bear but it seems to
[1:03:07] me that the only way we make a
[1:03:08] difference is if we do get some kind of
[1:03:11] I know task force or something that
[1:03:13] represents the community all elements of
[1:03:16] it and uh and basically brings in some
[1:03:19] political support to start bashing heads
[1:03:21] together because I don't think
[1:03:22] anything's going to change otherwise uh
[1:03:24] the note I sent around the other day
[1:03:25] conversation my doctor suggests things
[1:03:27] are going to happen very quickly like
[1:03:29] staff are been given deadlines to decide
[1:03:31] where they're going to go and once
[1:03:32] they've gone they're not going to come
[1:03:33] back right uh so I I think we need to
[1:03:36] get on top of this before Christmas H so
[1:03:38] I mean the opportunity of having someone
[1:03:40] that knows what they're talking about is
[1:03:41] a good idea but I think we need to form
[1:03:43] some kind of group and I don't think it
[1:03:45] should fall on Josh and Sam I think it
[1:03:47] needs to be somewhere else but it does
[1:03:49] need to represent the community so I
[1:03:52] don't I don't know beyond that what the
[1:03:54] answer is but I think it has to be done quickly and it has to be
[1:03:57] a body that clearly represents the
[1:03:59] community you know the valley and the building because it's got a
[1:04:04] vested interest in success here uh but
[1:04:07] it's probably the number one issue in
[1:04:08] the community at the moment is why is
[1:04:11] this happening how do we fix it when you
[1:04:14] say it's a political issue I mean
[1:04:16] obviously the legislature is not in
[1:04:18] session now it's about to be you know
[1:04:21] January 5th the the administration seems
[1:04:24] to be in charge of green mind and care
[1:04:25] Rob the legislature as I understand
[1:04:28] it the the yes Phil Scott appoints the
[1:04:31] Green Mountain care board the Green
[1:04:32] Mountain care board has said to UVM
[1:04:34] you've got to cut costs right they did
[1:04:36] not say you've got to cut you've got to
[1:04:37] take away the health center that's right
[1:04:39] but you know they said you've got to cut
[1:04:41] cost actually they said you have to cut
[1:04:44] Revenue doesn't make any sense to me
[1:04:47] cost that's the head scratcher but any
[1:04:49] event it see it seemed to me the one
[1:04:51] intervention that hasn't happened so far
[1:04:53] is is with the
[1:04:54] administration uh and just to find out
[1:04:56] if there are any Leever there I don't
[1:04:57] know if there are but well I think
[1:04:59] that's where legis I mean it's I mean
[1:05:02] this is like I could see the mrv PD yes
[1:05:04] you like you convinced me last meeting
[1:05:06] the mrv PD has a role I could see the
[1:05:09] chamber having a role I could see the
[1:05:10] board of the heal Center having a role I
[1:05:12] mean it's kind of falling all it falls
[1:05:15] in the middle of all these Community
[1:05:17] organizations um but I wonder if trying
[1:05:20] to get our legislators maybe they're
[1:05:22] doing something I don't know what
[1:05:23] they're they're not in session but that
[1:05:26] I mean if you want to the Christmas shop
[1:05:29] I don't know maybe has someone I mean I
[1:05:31] think people have reached out to them
[1:05:32] but as Brian said it's a Communications
[1:05:35] thing right it's Communications and
[1:05:36] coordination yes situation I think
[1:05:39] everyone involved has received multiple
[1:05:41] letters and emails on the topic but
[1:05:44] coordinated Focus I don't think exists
[1:05:45] at
[1:05:46] point I'm one maybe a group of community
[1:05:51] leaders should reach out and try to meet
[1:05:53] with the governor and you know
[1:05:55] Washington County senators are going to
[1:05:57] be chairs of two money committees in the
[1:05:59] Senate and I imagine they might have
[1:06:02] some
[1:06:06] sway I mean
[1:06:09] they're don't don't do dagger IE at me
[1:06:11] but there's a lot of leaders around this
[1:06:13] table um and uh and but yeah I mean I
[1:06:17] think it it takes a certain amount of
[1:06:19] leadership and and and bandwidth to be
[1:06:22] able to to do this right right now I
[1:06:25] agree with your
[1:06:29] assessment I mean certainly one of the
[1:06:31] things we have three what we listen see
[1:06:33] if two of our Senators are fairly long
[1:06:35] term they know the RO andc comings in
[1:06:37] particular I don't know if anyone's
[1:06:39] reached out to her directly uh that's a
[1:06:42] great question well I think we dropped
[1:06:43] the ball on um the letter I don't
[1:06:48] know still hasn't been signed by
[1:06:50] everybody I'm going to put it on the
[1:06:51] agenda on
[1:06:53] Monday fa in now we signed off on it now
[1:06:56] so Warren face sign we got Monday and he
[1:07:00] letter okay and then I think you have
[1:07:03] the letter yeah so maybe you can leave
[1:07:05] it it again yeah oh you actually have
[1:07:07] the physical well so I'll give you faens
[1:07:10] and you can sign on there and then waren
[1:07:13] we it was scanned okay so but we'll get
[1:07:17] it yeah but just as a Thum BR want you
[1:07:18] for letter her sign by the three bodies
[1:07:21] I mean one of my suggestions was maybe
[1:07:23] you as chair of this group you know
[1:07:25] maybe say okay I've got this letter we
[1:07:27] need some guidance on what to do next
[1:07:28] and maybe gets call particularly because
[1:07:31] she might be the
[1:07:33] most well informed person and comings
[1:07:36] because she's been around the longest if
[1:07:37] you like in the
[1:07:38] Senate yeah h i mean our two
[1:07:42] representatives are both fairly new and
[1:07:44] I don't think they particularly
[1:07:45] influential I mean one of them hasn't
[1:07:46] even sat in there yet so yeah uh and I I
[1:07:51] just you know my previous thought was to
[1:07:53] try and get a hold of the uh of the
[1:07:54] hospital Administration which is who
[1:07:56] we're sending a letter to but at the end
[1:07:58] of the day I think they're going to
[1:07:59] require some bigger hammers to hit
[1:08:01] before they're going to do anything
[1:08:03] based on what the uh the uh the health
[1:08:05] clinic uh board found out from them
[1:08:08] they're they're in transigent because
[1:08:09] they say our hands hands are tied so
[1:08:12] they're not going to do anything unless
[1:08:13] someone tells them to or tells them the
[1:08:14] rules are
[1:08:16] changed and the one thing that our
[1:08:19] Representatives could do is reach out to
[1:08:21] appropriate chairs are going to be
[1:08:22] changing but to leadership in the in the
[1:08:25] house too to say this is a real
[1:08:27] important Community issue and maybe
[1:08:30] convening some kind
[1:08:32] of I I don't I don't have the bandwidth
[1:08:35] or really the knowledge I don't
[1:08:37] understand healthc care at all I own any
[1:08:41] I mean there's a lot of people we could
[1:08:42] reach out to we could reach out to the
[1:08:43] cboard yes you know we could reach out
[1:08:45] you know like you know we could reach
[1:08:46] out to the governor we could reach out
[1:08:48] tocs I think the real problem is that
[1:08:51] this is the decision that they all
[1:08:53] really wanted to make and this is just
[1:08:55] the big Le that they're using to make
[1:08:57] the decision I don't think it's like oh
[1:08:59] we have to do this now I think it's like
[1:09:02] no now we can do
[1:09:03] this uh so you
[1:09:06] know I I realized long ago when I got
[1:09:09] fired by a client that he already made
[1:09:11] his decision he didn't want to hear my
[1:09:14] excuse or my reasoning or whatever it
[1:09:16] was he'd already moved
[1:09:19] on these guys have moved on they've
[1:09:21] already made decisions they've already
[1:09:23] uh reprogrammed their there people it's
[1:09:27] all done it's a done deal and I I don't
[1:09:30] believe there is a reversing of this
[1:09:32] course that's my take my take as well it
[1:09:37] certainly seems that way but I think it
[1:09:38] would be negligent of us to not try to see if we can have an influence it's
[1:09:44] Christmas and we're about 10 days from
[1:09:46] Christmas and you're saying it needs to
[1:09:49] be done by Christmas and I don't see it
[1:09:51] happening Peter I just don't think
[1:09:53] there's that the ground swell of is out
[1:09:56] there but the ground swell of directed
[1:09:59] Focus isn't I I just I don't see it
[1:10:03] happening so your read is that the that
[1:10:05] UVM the medical center made the decision
[1:10:08] regardless of care it was it was a it
[1:10:11] was just what they needed to make a
[1:10:12] decision they wanted to make
[1:10:15] already this was a great thing to hide
[1:10:17] behind for was political cover for them
[1:10:19] to you know cut this corner and and pull
[1:10:23] in their their for
[1:10:25] and put their money
[1:10:28] elsewhere and to say to the cboard you
[1:10:30] squeeze us we'll squeeze your right back
[1:10:32] yeah and it's a and it's a it's a
[1:10:36] little without without getting too
[1:10:38] colorful it's it's what what uh big boys
[1:10:41] do in the sandbox right it's you know
[1:10:44] there's a little bit of uh BS going on
[1:10:47] yeah yeah you know and I don't know to
[1:10:50] what extent uh that that's all happening
[1:10:52] you know they just signed a two-year
[1:10:53] lease at the hell Cent before this
[1:10:55] announcement was made um there's other
[1:10:59] things that haven't been on this the
[1:11:01] hospital board up until this this past
[1:11:04] summer um I can tell you that there's
[1:11:07] some things that the Green Mountain care
[1:11:08] board did like there was reimbursements
[1:11:11] for uh Co money that the hospital got
[1:11:16] was over a million something dollars
[1:11:18] that got included in the
[1:11:20] revenue uh area that inflated the
[1:11:24] revenue and this is why now the focus is
[1:11:26] on the you know looking at the revenue
[1:11:28] because we get too much revenue it it's
[1:11:31] so
[1:11:32] convoluted um I can't say that I totally
[1:11:35] understand it and there are so many
[1:11:36] aspects to it we don't have Focus I
[1:11:39] guess that's what I was getting at with
[1:11:41] you know Sue saying who can I help yeah
[1:11:43] there's nobody here that has that Focus
[1:11:46] it's 10 days before Christmas you know
[1:11:48] all of that stuff so I I don't know
[1:11:51] where it all stands what we can do
[1:11:54] beyond what we've done
[1:11:56] um it's it's a difficult
[1:12:00] situation you know I mean if if if if
[1:12:03] the idea is retail to an Cummings like
[1:12:07] my wife from the legislative internship
[1:12:09] the UVM legislative internship program
[1:12:11] I'm sure she knows an Cummings I me let
[1:12:13] can say an Cummings is there anything we
[1:12:15] can do but you know be on you know ask
[1:12:19] but I don't you know I I'm if you think
[1:12:23] that would be useful I'll happy to ask
[1:12:26] Liz to ask an coming but that's hardly
[1:12:29] um uh you know that's an ask not a not governor Scott saying damn it open
[1:12:36] the clinic or you
[1:12:39] know that would help or else that would
[1:12:41] help that would help or else Bri we're
[1:12:45] going to ask briam and women's to come
[1:12:46] up here and open up a rival hospital
[1:12:48] system and see see how much you like
[1:12:52] that or Mass general come you know or
[1:12:56] whoever else get get another from what I
[1:12:58] read Dartmouth hedgeh coock is in the
[1:13:00] same kind of boat as UVM and trying to
[1:13:02] figure out all these little far-flung
[1:13:05] entities that they're controlling so I
[1:13:09] would invite them up in a heartbeat but
[1:13:11] uh they got their hands full too good
[1:13:17] point yeah I mean there's no doubt that
[1:13:19] this is happening in the midst of our
[1:13:22] Health Care system in Vermont you know
[1:13:25] on the precipice have collapsed
[1:13:27] basically MH you know it really is MH
[1:13:31] not just Vermont it's everywhere I mean
[1:13:33] it's such a I hate to sound defe but you
[1:13:38] know the whole system is broken and this
[1:13:41] is just a very very very very very tiny tiny part of it but we have uni I
[1:13:46] mean we have uniquely small population
[1:13:48] and a uniquely old population um and a
[1:13:51] uniquely spread out population so of
[1:13:54] those things are
[1:13:57] helpful people in the Valley now have to
[1:13:59] travel
[1:14:00] to waterg
[1:14:03] m i mean I not anyway I had to travel I
[1:14:08] have to travel to Utah for my health
[1:14:10] care so driving to waterb would seem
[1:14:12] like really pretty good deal for me I
[1:14:15] mean like I'm my insurance is in Utah my
[1:14:18] wife has recurring cancer and and and
[1:14:22] you know we can't change our health
[1:14:24] insurance and so my health insurance is
[1:14:27] in Utah I can't go to water I I I got I I need to you know I have to go back
[1:14:33] to Utah for for any sort of any
[1:14:37] nonmedical
[1:14:38] emergency um I had to pay out of
[1:14:42] pocket it's I mean our whole Health Care
[1:14:45] system is just it's all screwed up I
[1:14:47] agree but at the same time I I think it
[1:14:49] would be it would be silly of us not to
[1:14:52] at least take the opportunity to bring
[1:14:53] the politicians into this uh and I think
[1:14:56] approaching an and specifically
[1:14:58] approaching an in the context of how to
[1:14:59] bring this to government's attention and
[1:15:01] see what levers he has to play because
[1:15:03] it appears that either green M care or
[1:15:07] the hospital ownership is not going to
[1:15:09] make any changes unless someone puts
[1:15:10] some some pressure on them whether there
[1:15:12] is any pressure that can be exerted I
[1:15:14] don't know but if it has if it's going
[1:15:16] to happen it's going to have to happen
[1:15:17] quickly otherwise it's a Fed comp was
[1:15:19] already a Fed compete but it hasn't been
[1:15:21] fully implemented yet well we were ceas
[1:15:25] seeing everybody on the letter we could
[1:15:27] follow up yeah I me that was that was my
[1:15:29] thought of once the letter goes out is
[1:15:30] to and I was just think suggesting of
[1:15:32] that Focus point I think rather than the
[1:15:35] dealing with the perpetrators trying to
[1:15:36] deal with the Pol politician side first
[1:15:38] I'd be i' know an fairly well would be
[1:15:40] glad to reach out for that would be a
[1:15:41] better reach out um just see see what
[1:15:43] her take is on it and yeah but I It just
[1:15:46] strikes me this is one of the things
[1:15:48] where we could potentially get the
[1:15:49] governor's ear uh I mean this is a a
[1:15:53] Major Impact in this community I'm not
[1:15:55] got to reach out to the
[1:15:57] governor and and could help us with that
[1:16:00] the governor's relationship with the
[1:16:02] legislature is not pleasant but
[1:16:07] perhaps maybe better than others
[1:16:14] yeah so where were you on the work
[1:16:19] sorry so I mean I think this is a
[1:16:21] conversation that isn't a next fiscal
[1:16:24] year work plan conversation something
[1:16:26] that we ought to so next week we F isue
[1:16:28] yeah and I will give an a call tomorrow
[1:16:31] but I I just want to emph I don't think
[1:16:32] this is job we should be looking to Josh
[1:16:34] and and St to look after it's really
[1:16:36] something that yeah the committee should
[1:16:39] be looking after so it so one comment I
[1:16:42] have is I I have been an advocate for
[1:16:44] some involvement in the community
[1:16:46] recreation visioning process and um I
[1:16:49] know Phil has
[1:16:50] requested
[1:16:52] cons nice job
[1:16:56] it on your it's reading what I wrote but
[1:17:02] like but I don't you know I I don't see
[1:17:04] it as running the thing yeah you know
[1:17:06] but I think if it's like periodic
[1:17:08] facilitation and I think the desire that they have for the planning district
[1:17:14] is that we have a unique perspective in
[1:17:16] balancing our Recreation economy with
[1:17:18] our you know our natural resource
[1:17:21] conservation and that kind of big
[1:17:24] picture is a helpful perspective to have
[1:17:26] at those meetings that's why i' advocate
[1:17:29] for it yeah and when I'm thank you Brian
[1:17:33] and yeah when Sam like looking at the
[1:17:36] work plan there's essentially the things
[1:17:38] that were taken off the plate or none of
[1:17:41] my
[1:17:41] things uh and they were Sam's things so Sam's potential involvement uh in
[1:17:48] that work and um
[1:17:51] so it's a conversation with them that I
[1:17:54] think is worth continuing to explore and I do think that we have an important
[1:17:59] perspective uh and and I mean we led a
[1:18:04] um a collaborative Recreation and Trail
[1:18:07] organizations in the valley which was
[1:18:08] the precursor to this um I I led that
[1:18:11] effort for a good number of years um I
[1:18:14] guess about a decade um uh so uh yeah I
[1:18:19] mean our our lack of involvement is is
[1:18:21] heard um and it's mostly and and it's
[1:18:24] come true because we're our energy is
[1:18:27] elsewhere um not not because we don't
[1:18:30] want to be involved and i' I've tried to
[1:18:32] make that as as clear as possible in the
[1:18:34] conversations before um I mean this this
[1:18:37] is this is possible uh this work again
[1:18:40] those items to explore being the sort of
[1:18:42] like question mark but um obviously it's
[1:18:44] possible uh this isn't a a big reach
[1:18:49] it's a work plan that
[1:18:50] essentially anticipates that it's the
[1:18:53] tool of us doing the work which I think
[1:18:54] is an important important consideration
[1:18:56] we're not looking at adding another
[1:18:58] staff member we're not looking at going
[1:19:00] down to one staff member we're not
[1:19:01] looking at at at a really a huge shakeup
[1:19:04] uh here in our in our operations um with
[1:19:07] this but again it's it's always been
[1:19:10] important to me that the steering
[1:19:12] committee is very much a part of the
[1:19:14] work plan obviously we we do the
[1:19:16] majority uh of of the implementation of
[1:19:18] this work um but it's really important
[1:19:21] that when we're you know I I never want
[1:19:23] to be in a position position when we're
[1:19:25] 6 months you know we're in the middle of
[1:19:26] the summer or something and we're
[1:19:27] working on a project and the steering
[1:19:29] committee steering committee memb is
[1:19:30] like what the heck are you doing that
[1:19:32] for um right I mean it's important that that we all collectively agree uh
[1:19:37] to this work and are supportive of it
[1:19:39] through through the year um and if there
[1:19:41] are some ways to shift it uh shift
[1:19:44] perspective I I don't see this as a a
[1:19:47] perspective shift in year um there have
[1:19:49] been times where where that's absolutely
[1:19:51] been the case um but we have a lot of
[1:19:54] things in
[1:19:55] that I think uh that I think it's worth
[1:19:57] continuing to see them through and and
[1:20:00] I'm I'm I don't want to I don't I'm not
[1:20:03] looking for a a question but the when
[1:20:05] you say support that varies greatly
[1:20:08] support the r rural Resource Commission
[1:20:11] is pretty much do the work and
[1:20:13] coordinate it support the uh um 117
[1:20:17] there's going to be an engineer who's
[1:20:19] going to be you know who's going to be
[1:20:20] helping the logistics and meetings right
[1:20:23] and whatnot but uh
[1:20:26] less less involved as opposed to
[1:20:28] Wastewater project which is very
[1:20:30] involved right yeah yeah yeah great
[1:20:32] Point Brian and and um I didn't do this
[1:20:35] level of analysis this time around but
[1:20:37] what we what we we did last year and and
[1:20:40] did the year before was literally went
[1:20:42] through and uh and I a spreadsheet of of
[1:20:46] how many hours is Sam and how many is me
[1:20:48] and like I getting into that granularity
[1:20:50] of what does it mean to be involved in
[1:20:52] these things obviously they're not all
[1:20:53] the same same Lev and yeah I can use
[1:20:56] support or collaborate or you know so on
[1:20:58] and so forth um interchangeably but the
[1:21:01] reality is that there's different levels of of different roles
[1:21:05] to play uh with with different projects
[1:21:08] will you be doing that next step shortly
[1:21:09] in terms of the spreadsheet I could uh
[1:21:13] if necessary but to be honest I don't
[1:21:15] think it's necessary okay yeah I think
[1:21:17] it would be a lot more effort than in
[1:21:20] reality is going to come and interfere
[1:21:22] with it
[1:21:23] anyhow and been doing it for 16 years so
[1:21:26] like kind of at yeah um but but it was a
[1:21:30] really great exercise uh last year for
[1:21:32] samon to go through from my from my
[1:21:34] perspective of like sort of working
[1:21:36] through and being like okay so what does
[1:21:38] it take it it let's be really cognizant
[1:21:40] about um that amount of time so we
[1:21:42] should probably be moving towards the
[1:21:44] budget sounds great yes oh
[1:21:49] look do you
[1:21:52] know so the next agenda item is the
[1:21:55] budget um so
[1:21:59] um years passed um so little bit of
[1:22:03] context so in my tenure since 2008 uh
[1:22:06] when I started here um
[1:22:10] the a lot of the origins of the planning
[1:22:12] district grew out of the central Vermont
[1:22:14] Regional Planning Commission and uh and
[1:22:18] they uh they had a staff member there
[1:22:20] who who served essentially the planning
[1:22:23] district um Lori emry
[1:22:25] uh
[1:22:26] for from from the beginning from 1985 to
[1:22:31] 200 12 somewhere in there um 11 or 12
[1:22:36] and uh and she attended meetings and
[1:22:38] took minutes she also um so so she was
[1:22:43] um she was the secretary at cbpc I can't
[1:22:46] remember what her in her her title was
[1:22:48] but that she was referred to um but she
[1:22:50] did a lot more than that and she also
[1:22:53] played that role
[1:22:55] the not only with minutes um in
[1:22:57] attending our meetings um and it's an
[1:23:00] incredible institutional knowledge but
[1:23:02] Lori also through CPC did our books and
[1:23:05] so when I was hired in 2008 Lori was the
[1:23:08] person who who who did all the
[1:23:10] administrative work so everything from
[1:23:12] writing the books to you know grants to
[1:23:15] um HR all of that was was essentially a
[1:23:18] service that
[1:23:19] cvpc um provided for the planning
[1:23:21] district um and that continued
[1:23:25] um uh Lori retired um uh and
[1:23:29] subsequently within a year um passed
[1:23:30] away uh with cancer um uh but handful of
[1:23:35] years later under a change of cvpc um
[1:23:39] they're essentially became a a request
[1:23:43] or or we were told uh that they were no
[1:23:46] longer going to do that and it was up to
[1:23:47] the planning district to run its own
[1:23:50] financials so on and so forth and
[1:23:52] everything from like our Personnel
[1:23:53] policies were there Personnel policies
[1:23:55] and um and so that was a break around
[1:23:58] 2014 or so um and and that's fine right
[1:24:02] our organization had sort of been under
[1:24:05] the wing of cvpc for a long time and
[1:24:07] then we are in a position of of of
[1:24:09] leading um in in taking up uh that
[1:24:12] responsibility and uh Bob was the CH I
[1:24:16] don't think he was the chair at the very
[1:24:18] beginning um but uh but soon thereafter
[1:24:21] Bob Akin became the chair of the plan
[1:24:23] district and um and Bob was the person
[1:24:26] who sort of took over um when it comes
[1:24:29] to the financials so Bob was in charge
[1:24:32] um took over the financials uh budgeting
[1:24:35] so on and so forth and it was and and
[1:24:38] that's what he did and my in my
[1:24:39] involvement I became more involved than
[1:24:41] I was when cvpc was involved um and
[1:24:44] leading but um it was Bob show uh and honestly I was fine with it because
[1:24:51] he was he was doing it and I was doing
[1:24:52] the planning work and that that that
[1:24:54] seem to be fine um uh so fast forward to
[1:24:57] where we are now prob longer on the
[1:24:59] planing District um uh and I've been
[1:25:02] taking over uh uh that role primarily
[1:25:06] and which is required as there is
[1:25:09] transition any time uh from one to
[1:25:11] another um start understanding the way
[1:25:15] things were done and
[1:25:19] um the planning district votes on a
[1:25:21] budget every year uh and 90% of our
[1:25:25] budget is is uh payroll um staff uh
[1:25:30] related uh costs and we're funded
[1:25:33] through our our four funders uh as the
[1:25:35] income
[1:25:37] and the last couple years when Bob was
[1:25:41] doing the budgeting um he didn't provide
[1:25:44] as much detail as many of us would like
[1:25:47] and so we were getting the sort of
[1:25:49] larger summary numbers of things like
[1:25:51] payroll um which again is is the
[1:25:53] majority of work and in this so since
[1:25:57] I've been back since the beginning of
[1:26:00] June or middle of June July um Chuck uh
[1:26:04] Sam and I have have been sort of
[1:26:06] exploring okay so how are things done
[1:26:08] before um and where are things and so
[1:26:11] generally we use Quick Books online uh
[1:26:14] we have a bookkeeper have Holland Holden
[1:26:18] they do very they're very minimal
[1:26:21] involvement um uh they they re recile
[1:26:26] um not all that often uh and sort of
[1:26:29] process the checks that the processing
[1:26:31] side happens here but the larger role of
[1:26:34] kind of the CFO role of kind of like
[1:26:36] where are we financially and and uh they
[1:26:40] don't do that that was something that
[1:26:41] Bob did and then managing QuickBooks
[1:26:44] they don't do that that's something Bob
[1:26:46] did so we've been sort of bumping our
[1:26:49] way through figuring those things out um
[1:26:51] so for this year uh to put together a
[1:26:53] budget for our upcoming fiscal year
[1:26:56] required understanding what got us here
[1:26:59] understanding where our accounts are uh
[1:27:02] and and understand where we are to date
[1:27:03] in this particular year and in doing
[1:27:05] that um I learned some things so um I
[1:27:10] have printed copies too which I don't
[1:27:13] even think that font's even easier to
[1:27:15] read see than that but I can zoom in as
[1:27:17] well um but what you see here um are a
[1:27:21] handful of things um one is the um
[1:27:26] fiscal year 2025 approved budget so this
[1:27:29] is what was approved by the steering
[1:27:31] committee uh last December December 21st
[1:27:33] I believe the year-to date fiscal year
[1:27:36] 2025 actuals so that's through the end
[1:27:39] of
[1:27:42] November which one yeah so there there
[1:27:44] were like some that had a larger font
[1:27:46] because I did some they were really
[1:27:48] small all just one page right yeah okay
[1:27:51] um uh and so we have actuals we have
[1:27:55] projected totals to the end of the year
[1:27:57] 2025 and then a fiscal year 2026 so I
[1:28:00] know it's hard but try not to look at
[1:28:02] 2026 yet because I want to make our way
[1:28:04] from left to right um so uh what what we had been looking at in the
[1:28:10] last good number of years was payroll
[1:28:13] and then a number for payroll um uh and
[1:28:15] I've uh there are all these
[1:28:18] subcategories of of items that are
[1:28:19] related to payroll um and and they were
[1:28:24] not on the prior year correct that
[1:28:26] detail was not there um and I did a lot
[1:28:29] of digging and was able to find the the
[1:28:32] detail for payroll again that's 90% of
[1:28:34] our budget um and you can see there's a
[1:28:36] couple whole uh things that that don't
[1:28:38] have any numbers like uh HRA
[1:28:40] contribution um C contribution FICA and
[1:28:45] Vermont income tax um that's because
[1:28:48] they were not
[1:28:49] budgeted so those are items that do not
[1:28:53] have uh that were're not budgeted for
[1:28:55] this particular year and they're all
[1:28:56] things that require uh money so um so so
[1:29:02] what was uh voted on was was 210 778 as
[1:29:06] the payroll uh and then uh these are the
[1:29:09] other items that were in that budget um
[1:29:11] red telephone supplies of computer uh so
[1:29:13] on and so forth um and it resulted in
[1:29:18] 23,8 48 as the budget for the year uh
[1:29:22] and then uh so that's on the expense
[1:29:23] side the revenue side um equal uh
[1:29:27] amounts across the three towns in Sugar
[1:29:29] Bush so it just says towns in Sugar Bush
[1:29:30] but it's 53 962 time three for the three
[1:29:33] towns plus the same amount with
[1:29:35] Sugarbush uh and you'll see that the total revenue is $155,000 less
[1:29:42] uh the expense uh and there was an
[1:29:45] identified carryover or or balance
[1:29:48] forward for the previous year and it was
[1:29:50] identified that the balance a portion of
[1:29:52] that balance forward of $150,000 would
[1:29:55] be used um for the that particular year
[1:29:58] um so the the result is that the revenue
[1:30:02] equals the expense um so that's what was
[1:30:06] budgeted uh we get to year year-to dat
[1:30:09] actuals so I've um used the services I I
[1:30:13] recently worked with a u accounting and
[1:30:17] uh business uh Finance team uh to
[1:30:21] provide some assistance what I realized
[1:30:23] was that a lot of these categories um
[1:30:27] were not necessarily in QuickBooks uh
[1:30:30] sometimes they're in different
[1:30:32] structures so I what essentially Bob
[1:30:35] made did things his way and then and
[1:30:37] then um that made sense to him and then
[1:30:39] he put them into QuickBooks and not
[1:30:40] things didn't always line up and so
[1:30:42] that's been a lot of the work that I've
[1:30:44] been sifting through in the last couple
[1:30:45] of months um uh and and I should say I
[1:30:48] confirmed with Bob that the those
[1:30:50] missing items um he confirmed that that
[1:30:53] the they were not included in this
[1:30:55] budgeting so we've gone through an
[1:30:58] oversight yes it was an oversight um as well as Website Maintenance was also
[1:31:04] not included um I think that was
[1:31:07] intention I think he thought that that wasn't necessary but these were
[1:31:11] oversight um FICA was actually zero in
[1:31:14] the spreadsheet and then there was
[1:31:15] nothing for the
[1:31:17] HRA um so the amount on the HRA
[1:31:20] contribution based on uh on the uh
[1:31:24] health care plan is um should have been
[1:31:28] $110,000 and if you look at the
[1:31:31] uh the other big one is FICA which
[1:31:34] should have been uh almost $111,000 so
[1:31:39] uh it the budget was short
[1:31:42] the if I was to make the budget and and
[1:31:45] put all those numbers in there it's
[1:31:46] about
[1:31:47] $222,000 um shy so then we get to
[1:31:51] year-to dat actual U so so I I end
[1:31:54] utilizing uh this firm to help us go
[1:31:56] through and detangle and make sense of
[1:31:59] where we were but really for the goal of
[1:32:02] getting a budget um uh not to fix
[1:32:05] QuickBooks and do that cleanup um but it
[1:32:08] did require some of that work to get us
[1:32:10] here and and they've been really
[1:32:12] instrumental 10 hours of work um in
[1:32:15] assisting this so we have a year to date
[1:32:16] actual that they were able to run uh and was able to remedy um some of the challenges with QuickBooks
[1:32:24] um which ends up with a
[1:32:25] 183505 and then there's a end of year
[1:32:29] end of fiscal year 25 projected totals
[1:32:32] um and that end of year takes those
[1:32:34] actuals um and looks at uh the the
[1:32:38] future inflows and outflow well the that
[1:32:41] would be the the inflows and outflows
[1:32:43] but it but it looks at the the actuals
[1:32:45] Compares it to the previous year
[1:32:48] identifies um what's essentially missing
[1:32:51] and in averages and comes up with a
[1:32:53] project the total um and if you look uh
[1:32:58] payroll uh is even though even though
[1:33:01] the amount
[1:33:02] missing missing in the original budget
[1:33:04] was over
[1:33:05] $220,000 um it's about $112,000 in
[1:33:08] payroll um uh light and then we we we
[1:33:14] look at the second half there of of what
[1:33:16] we expect in the year and I'm happy to
[1:33:18] go through any of these particular items
[1:33:19] I have two other spreadsheets uh two
[1:33:21] other tabs on this spreadsheet one that
[1:33:23] is a payroll tab that goes into all that
[1:33:25] detail um uh as well as the other uh
[1:33:29] detailed items and and what fits within
[1:33:32] each of those categories so at the uh
[1:33:36] end of the the total expenses expected
[1:33:38] in 2025 is 245 852 so essentially
[1:33:43] $15,000 um above what was budgeted um if
[1:33:49] we follow that through um so uh the the
[1:33:54] there's
[1:33:59] 30,000 oh yes so a revenue is
[1:34:02] 25848 um our expenses is $245 so there's
[1:34:06] a
[1:34:12] $3,043 today um uh and identified a cash
[1:34:16] balance of
[1:34:18] 24716 with inflows um uh essentially
[1:34:22] what's left after uh
[1:34:24] year to date of
[1:34:26] 40472 and then identified what what so
[1:34:29] the inflows of 40472 are the three of
[1:34:33] our um funders uh We've reminded them uh
[1:34:38] of of their last quarterly payment to be
[1:34:41] paid this month so that's 40 462 that's
[1:34:43] three funders um fourth quarter payment
[1:34:46] uh and then the outflows uh and at the
[1:34:49] end of the year we anticipate a cash
[1:34:50] ending balance of 2841
[1:34:54] um so while $115,000 was identified uh
[1:34:57] was allocated as the carryover um the
[1:35:01] what's needed to get through the end of
[1:35:02] the year is all of it um which is that
[1:35:05] 24716 again minus
[1:35:09] 82841 um any questions about that yeah I
[1:35:12] do have one on that so that that
[1:35:14] shortfall of
[1:35:17] 5746 that's with us collecting
[1:35:22] 68,000 from each of the contributors are
[1:35:25] you which which where are you looking so
[1:35:27] um at the very bottom right column uh
[1:35:30] it's showing yeah I'm not there yet next
[1:35:32] year's budget okay let let's wait I just
[1:35:36] any questions about 20 fiscal year 25
[1:35:38] before we get to FC year 26 so I yeah I
[1:35:40] do have one okay that's legitimate this
[1:35:42] time so that
[1:35:44] 53,9 62 that we collected this past year
[1:35:47] from each of the towns in St Bush yeah
[1:35:50] how long has it been at that number uh
[1:35:52] it was a first year that we've been
[1:35:55] level funding that for quite a number of
[1:35:56] years until last year so so we were
[1:35:59] level funding for a um I think seven
[1:36:04] years five years or seven years I and I I had I'm in Zoom right now so but
[1:36:10] it's on my computer I can pull it up in
[1:36:12] a moment but we were at about
[1:36:16] 47,0
[1:36:18] 45,000 for a good number of years um and
[1:36:21] level funded like truly level funded I
[1:36:23] think for four years but within a couple
[1:36:25] thou thousand for about s years so last
[1:36:29] year was the first year of an increase
[1:36:33] um a a a more substantial increase and
[1:36:36] kind of the first time almost the first
[1:36:38] time in my time here um a couple of
[1:36:41] things like how how are we level funded
[1:36:44] well because we weren't spending all all
[1:36:46] of our budget why because we didn't have
[1:36:48] two full-time staff we Sam is the fifth
[1:36:52] Community planner since
[1:36:55] 2016 um so we we we were budgeting for
[1:37:00] having um two fulltime staff but then we had a fair amount of turnover and
[1:37:05] with that turnover in the more recent
[1:37:07] time in
[1:37:08] 2023 um uh time period 2022 to 2023 that
[1:37:12] was seven months so that's one way to
[1:37:14] save money right and that's what built
[1:37:16] up um essentially the Surplus and so
[1:37:19] we've been working off of the Surplus um
[1:37:22] essentially what we've been asking of
[1:37:25] our um of our partners is not the full
[1:37:28] amount of funding the plan dis District
[1:37:30] we've been been um relying on
[1:37:33] essentially our reserves or our savings
[1:37:36] um uh so essentially last year was the
[1:37:39] first year of playing catchup and what
[1:37:41] was that bum last year what was the
[1:37:43] increase
[1:37:44] um I also have that on here I can p pull
[1:37:47] it up but I can probably find it and if
[1:37:49] you want to keep going Josh so what I
[1:37:52] the reason for the question is I'm
[1:37:53] thinking in terms of they ask and I know
[1:37:56] you haven't got there yet but if they
[1:37:57] ask
[1:37:58] 68,000 uh from each of the towns in jush
[1:38:02] uh that incorporates some of the things
[1:38:04] you just mentioned but also some of the
[1:38:05] things that were missing that should
[1:38:07] have been collected over time that were not correct and so the ask probably
[1:38:12] would have been higher for the past
[1:38:14] three or four years if we had known all
[1:38:16] of this at that time correct yeah so
[1:38:18] that's the point I wanted to make with
[1:38:20] that yeah and and I think that there was
[1:38:22] a um
[1:38:24] many of the time this steering committee
[1:38:25] when we've talked about the budget um
[1:38:28] sort of a philosophical question of
[1:38:31] should we be kind of filling our coffers
[1:38:34] a little bit and increasing a little bit
[1:38:36] over time or should we be zering it out
[1:38:39] and there's even conversations of giving
[1:38:40] money back to the town in in in in
[1:38:43] periods of time where we didn't need it all um uh and so that was kind
[1:38:48] of the practice I mean that that's kind
[1:38:50] of where the brain space was was let's
[1:38:53] minimize the amount we're at let's only
[1:38:54] ask for what we need because budgets are
[1:38:57] tight this year I've heard that
[1:38:59] conversation every year since 2008 the
[1:39:01] budgets are tight this year um and I'm
[1:39:04] not saying they aren't but but uh but
[1:39:08] that we we didn't build an an on-ramp or an off-ramp um we sort of stayed with
[1:39:14] that and then kind of hit with this more
[1:39:15] dramatic increase that's the so I think
[1:39:19] this is the correct spread G but the I
[1:39:22] think the funder amount for not this
[1:39:25] year but the year before was
[1:39:28] 4,317 and then last year around this
[1:39:31] time there were two proposals one in
[1:39:33] which we would not use carryover which
[1:39:35] would be a funder amount of
[1:39:38] 57,7 12 and then a secondary approach
[1:39:41] which we ended up doing this approach of
[1:39:43] using $155,000 of carryover to make the
[1:39:47] funder contribution
[1:39:49] 53,9 that's yeah that's what I remember
[1:39:52] MH and so in 2018 it was 41 988 2019
[1:39:59] 44067 then 4467 and 20 and 2021 45317
[1:40:05] and that continued 21 22 and 23 so there
[1:40:07] was a fair amount of consistency over
[1:40:09] time um and then yeah so the idea in
[1:40:14] this last year was to Let's utilize some
[1:40:17] carryover so that this year's increases
[1:40:20] in that Year's increase wouldn't be so
[1:40:22] dramatic obvious viously it didn't
[1:40:24] include all the costs um uh and and and
[1:40:29] so that it's in some of this year it's
[1:40:31] kind of bailing that out or utilizing
[1:40:33] more of the carryover in order to to
[1:40:36] afford that you know this this isn't
[1:40:38] this shouldn't have been a complicated
[1:40:40] budget and it I understand the amount of
[1:40:43] work you put into it it was I I don't
[1:40:46] understand how this how these decisions
[1:40:49] were
[1:40:50] made and I I think it was just I think
[1:40:53] you know and I was here last year and it
[1:40:55] was just okay that's the budget that's
[1:40:56] presented to us it's always been good
[1:40:58] it's always you know we've always paid
[1:40:59] our bills let's um let's go with it but
[1:41:03] had we looked under the hood right it
[1:41:05] might have been a scary conversation is
[1:41:08] this year yeah and and I'm a like I'm a
[1:41:12] detail oriented person so like I I 100%
[1:41:16] stand behind all of the data here I've
[1:41:17] spent a tremendous amount of effort in reading through and making sure I
[1:41:22] know what what's in here um like I said
[1:41:24] I have some other spreadsheets I have
[1:41:26] more detail if you're interested in that
[1:41:27] detail happy to talk about it but um but
[1:41:30] in the past I wasn't uh and and I wasn't
[1:41:33] because somebody else had it and you
[1:41:35] know and and and that's fine um and it
[1:41:38] served us well for a very long time uh
[1:41:40] to be honest but but but I think we are
[1:41:43] at at you know it was
[1:41:45] identified when when Bob shared the
[1:41:47] budget last year one of the things I
[1:41:49] requested from him was to not just what
[1:41:51] is the budget for the next year but what
[1:41:53] is the budget for the next five years
[1:41:55] like like what's a trajectory um and and
[1:41:58] where does that go and he and he ran it
[1:42:00] out to 2030 um uh and to be honest this
[1:42:05] is kind of the kind of where that was
[1:42:08] showing like like this is in that
[1:42:10] direction for sure it yeah but I think
[1:42:12] it was more like five years from now and
[1:42:14] not this year yeah it 20 fcal year 2026
[1:42:18] was 63,000 so under yeah so it it it
[1:42:23] yeah and and and again if we didn't
[1:42:26] spend if we had $20,000 that we were
[1:42:30] that we had already budgeted for it
[1:42:31] wouldn't be as big of a jump in this
[1:42:33] particular year so so given the
[1:42:35] time um we did not have a chance to talk
[1:42:39] about this beforehand I did get on the
[1:42:40] call yesterday with the folks that Josh
[1:42:42] was working with it was it was eye
[1:42:44] opening and it was very helpful and it's
[1:42:46] really seems to be figuring things out
[1:42:50] what i' suggested an email to Josh today
[1:42:53] was let's get the presentation
[1:42:56] understand the numbers let us go back to
[1:42:58] our boards and kind of have it and maybe
[1:43:01] have the executive committee sit down
[1:43:02] and think through a couple of things if
[1:43:05] any or you know anybody wants to weigh
[1:43:08] in on any question or thoughts and then
[1:43:10] come back in January and finish the
[1:43:12] budget when we have a better idea how
[1:43:14] it's going to be received I don't know
[1:43:16] that we'll have time um our our intent
[1:43:19] is we have a budget another budget
[1:43:21] meeting it's Monday and that was going
[1:43:23] to be our last budget meeting then we
[1:43:25] have one more slateboard meeting before
[1:43:27] the end of the year and then we were
[1:43:29] going to finalize the budget at at that
[1:43:30] time so we would want this number a lot
[1:43:34] sooner than when we would meet again as
[1:43:36] a group in the third week in January so
[1:43:39] I I don't know if that's doable for you
[1:43:41] guys are offici my select
[1:43:44] any three
[1:43:46] member tell you yeah you know so I I get
[1:43:51] involved a little earlier on as to the
[1:43:53] treasurer and trying to find somebody
[1:43:56] who would do this background work for us
[1:43:59] who would establish a long-term basis
[1:44:01] for our financials that we could really
[1:44:04] rely on moving forward and the other
[1:44:07] backup sheets that you have on there
[1:44:08] Josh certainly do that uh so we have the
[1:44:12] foundation for moving forward that this
[1:44:15] won't happen again and we even have an
[1:44:18] opportunity and I don't know that we
[1:44:20] need to decide that tonight but to hire
[1:44:22] on this firm
[1:44:23] long term to to act as almost a
[1:44:27] financial VP for us to keep track of
[1:44:29] these numbers to do the budgeting to do
[1:44:32] the the forecasting to do all the other
[1:44:35] uh Financial work so from my perspective
[1:44:38] I feel comfortable with what's on here
[1:44:42] now I don't know that much would change
[1:44:44] between now and our next meeting so my not recommendation but my feeling is
[1:44:51] that you know I would totally feel
[1:44:53] comfortable moving forward voting on
[1:44:55] this um it I guess depends on how the
[1:44:58] rest of the folks feel but I I do feel
[1:45:00] now that we have a good Financial basis
[1:45:02] to start from and we won't we won't run
[1:45:05] into this again in the
[1:45:08] future so I I what does HRA stand for
[1:45:14] um well there's a HSA in h Health
[1:45:18] Savings
[1:45:20] Account HSA health reimbursement account
[1:45:23] yes employer correct well so one of one
[1:45:26] of the key differences with HSA is with
[1:45:28] the individual and H is with the
[1:45:31] employer um HRA if you don't utilize it
[1:45:34] all it doesn't all um
[1:45:38] uh if you
[1:45:40] don't Ju Just because you budget it
[1:45:42] doesn't mean that that that's the full
[1:45:43] amount that's essentially the ceiling
[1:45:45] all the way to the deductible so one of
[1:45:47] the components with the healthc care so
[1:45:49] an HSA is is owned by the employee
[1:45:53] own by the employer correct so why why
[1:45:56] the big jump in 2026 that's the biggest
[1:45:58] change in the whole budget yeah so so so
[1:46:01] yeah if you don't mind I walk through a
[1:46:03] couple of the 2026 budget items one um
[1:46:06] wages um wages from 143 to
[1:46:10] 147 is that 292 um so that's a 3% um
[1:46:15] wage increase for staff um the next is
[1:46:18] the health insurance premium so we are
[1:46:20] currently with a Blue Cross Blue Shield
[1:46:23] gold um uh which uh has a 54 essentially
[1:46:29] $55,000 premium for the the two of us
[1:46:34] twers plan and a family plan and an HRA
[1:46:37] of um uh 10,000 essentially
[1:46:42] $10,500 um what we are what what we're
[1:46:46] planning on moving to is an MVP plan
[1:46:48] that mvp plan so Blue Cross Blue Shield
[1:46:51] for the same plan went up by
[1:46:53] 5.5% so we needed to explore a different
[1:46:56] option um and MVP has a product uh that
[1:47:01] essentially the health insurance premium
[1:47:03] goes down just I think it's 8% um but
[1:47:07] the HR the deductible
[1:47:09] skyrockets um so so so the deductible
[1:47:13] combined it's it's two and a half times
[1:47:16] what it was in the other one um and that
[1:47:18] works fine so long as you know well the
[1:47:22] so so the combined impact in the plan
[1:47:25] year is a
[1:47:27] 10.67% increase versus a
[1:47:30] 25.5 um these numbers calculate one of
[1:47:34] the things that that's that's
[1:47:35] challenging is that our is our is the
[1:47:37] timing of our fiscal year versus the
[1:47:39] calendar year um so this would this is about calendar year that we're
[1:47:44] in right now um sorry this is about
[1:47:48] calendar year 2025 and then fiscal year
[1:47:50] starts in in March uh so I also had to
[1:47:53] calculate what I anticipate an increase
[1:47:56] being next calendar year um so combined
[1:48:00] the health insurance goes up by just
[1:48:01] about 12% and I was just going to add
[1:48:04] that so you mentioned the 3% uh salary
[1:48:07] increase and we had surveyed the towns
[1:48:10] Brian as a executive committee and most
[1:48:14] of the towns are in the range of 4 and a
[1:48:15] half% but because we were C covering the
[1:48:19] HRA um we we landed on a 3% in inas for salar so we tried to balance that
[1:48:25] out from the from the salary and benefit
[1:48:28] perspective y but and we we also had a
[1:48:32] conversation and we had at steering
[1:48:34] committee level is
[1:48:36] that I I don't believe the health care
[1:48:38] benefits are compar comparable to our
[1:48:41] town health care benefits especially
[1:48:43] with that jump in the
[1:48:45] HRA
[1:48:46] um which I know our our town has an
[1:48:49] employee contribution to health
[1:48:52] insurance and we don't cover an HSA or
[1:48:54] an HRA um we do cover it and and we pay
[1:48:59] 85% of the the benefit for families yeah
[1:49:04] do you do the
[1:49:05] H yeah and we cover the HRA as well yeah
[1:49:08] we do
[1:49:09] too yeah so so what the plan district
[1:49:14] has so years ago when it came to health
[1:49:16] insurance we had um kind of a
[1:49:19] traditional plan with a lower deductible
[1:49:22] um there was a poor time when the
[1:49:24] planning district paid for both and
[1:49:26] there was a time where the planning
[1:49:28] district paid less um to less of the
[1:49:32] deductible um and then there was a time
[1:49:34] that we switched to a high deductible
[1:49:36] which is essentially what this plan is
[1:49:38] um that the plane District didn't pay
[1:49:39] for and then I end up paying like $8,000
[1:49:41] out of pocket that year over the
[1:49:43] previous year and uh and and and I
[1:49:47] shared that with the board and was told
[1:49:48] oh that wasn't what we meant to do um uh
[1:49:51] and that's why we that that's why we've
[1:49:53] that plan district has had the gold plan
[1:49:55] with a full coverage of the H the last
[1:49:57] couple years but this is a high
[1:49:59] deductible plan um uh I I anticipate I
[1:50:04] anticip you know right I mean health
[1:50:06] insurance is health insurance you have
[1:50:07] no idea but in a perfect world we're not
[1:50:10] utilizing that that full deductible um
[1:50:12] but life is life um um anything else
[1:50:17] about that before I keep on quoting on
[1:50:18] the list uh dental insurance continuing
[1:50:21] the same plan um not much hardly any
[1:50:24] change at all vision
[1:50:26] insurance no change um group life and uh
[1:50:31] disability um it was budgeted low last
[1:50:34] year um but no change uh the CP
[1:50:38] contribution is essentially a $600
[1:50:40] broker fee and I don't quite understand
[1:50:42] why there's numbers in there at more
[1:50:43] than $600 I think things something got coded wrong um uh in in this
[1:50:48] particular year but that's a small
[1:50:51] amount retirement um it is 5% of salary
[1:50:56] uh that the plan planning district pays
[1:50:57] after one year of employment yeah so so
[1:51:01] Sam was was in this year uh after um in
[1:51:06] April um the
[1:51:10] FICA taxes so on and so forth so um then
[1:51:14] I want to get down to to rent so rent we
[1:51:18] anticipated it being um $300 a month
[1:51:22] it's been
[1:51:24] 271
[1:51:26] forever uh
[1:51:27] and town of wesfield has raised the rent
[1:51:30] and has a new lease for this new year um
[1:51:33] so that's 3600 which is what we budgeted
[1:51:35] for last year anyway um Telephone um for
[1:51:40] a long time um the plan District paid
[1:51:43] $35 a month towards my cell phone um
[1:51:49] uh because I was doing work on my cell
[1:51:51] phone um uh and since I came back from
[1:51:55] my sabatical I have not put my work
[1:51:57] email on my
[1:51:59] phone and I'd like to continue that um
[1:52:03] uh that that's one of the changes I've
[1:52:04] made in my life so I've I've zeroed that
[1:52:07] out oh uh and sorry um back up to
[1:52:10] payroll total employee perks so employee
[1:52:13] perks 1277 approved in the budget um
[1:52:16] when I started the planning district in
[1:52:19] uh part of working here one of the
[1:52:20] benefits was getting a pass that two sh
[1:52:22] bush in that first year at the very
[1:52:24] least if not the second year it was a
[1:52:26] compt pass from Sugar Bush um and then
[1:52:30] it stopped being a comp pass from compt
[1:52:32] pass from Sugar Bush and then the
[1:52:33] planning district was paying for a pass
[1:52:35] for an employee um as as part of of the
[1:52:39] perks I removed that from the budget
[1:52:42] because I thought it was hard for us to
[1:52:45] make our budget not because I didn't
[1:52:47] want that P want the pass but I was just
[1:52:49] trying to make the budget work so I I
[1:52:51] did that to my to ourselves um anybody
[1:52:55] here can um argue differently but uh I
[1:52:59] so I've reduced uh the the the ski pass
[1:53:01] benefit and I've reduced the cell phone
[1:53:03] contribution benefit um and I should
[1:53:07] also state that the MVP plan uh doesn't
[1:53:11] include all of most of but not all of
[1:53:14] the providers of my that my family
[1:53:15] visits um so I understand the like we're
[1:53:21] not doing as much of a raise because we
[1:53:22] do it you know we're giving money this
[1:53:24] other place we are also recognizing
[1:53:27] compromise as well um and trying to be
[1:53:29] really cognizant and diligent um and I
[1:53:33] could get into the details about
[1:53:34] supplies and computers and all those
[1:53:35] things but the main things I wanted to
[1:53:37] identify was just hosted workshops which
[1:53:39] is the trown select board meeting has
[1:53:40] always been $300 as long as I've been
[1:53:42] here I raised it because if we actually
[1:53:44] have an event it's going to be probably
[1:53:45] more than
[1:53:46] $300 um uh we we've tried to include um
[1:53:50] all the printing of like this um it's
[1:53:53] fair it's quite expensive to print so
[1:53:55] we're we're printing things like um the
[1:53:57] Ann U our data report U the wellbeing
[1:54:00] survey um we've been keeping track of
[1:54:02] those costs and they're all covered by
[1:54:04] this um
[1:54:06] the general liability insurance um that
[1:54:10] is the passive program through VCT which
[1:54:13] includes workers comp um Bob previously
[1:54:16] had workers comp up high with payroll
[1:54:18] and then other things I didn't want to
[1:54:20] break those things out so I just kept it
[1:54:21] as one one thing um but he under budget
[1:54:25] it was under budgeted last year stop
[1:54:27] blaming him it was under budgeted last
[1:54:29] year so bookkeeping
[1:54:31] services I recognize that we need more
[1:54:34] help um and we need to do things
[1:54:36] differently we we pay for QuickBooks um
[1:54:38] we have like I said minimal uh support
[1:54:40] from and minimal payment um uh to
[1:54:44] Holland Holden um but I have identified
[1:54:46] in there um I set aside an amount of
[1:54:50] money for budgeting support and quick
[1:54:52] books cleanup of
[1:54:54] $3,000 um I anticipate a quote from that
[1:54:57] particular company that I already worked
[1:54:58] with by tomorrow um of what that amount
[1:55:01] is I just put an amount in there I don't
[1:55:02] know if it's correct um uh so that's for
[1:55:06] fiscal year 25 that we're in um and then
[1:55:09] for uh proposed um that goes up to
[1:55:12] 10,000 uh they already provided a
[1:55:14] proposal they they said what they think
[1:55:17] is that once we have some initial budget
[1:55:19] support QuickBooks clean up um uh some
[1:55:22] training of staff and sort of clean
[1:55:24] things up it's going to be a lot easier
[1:55:26] going forward and they recommend five
[1:55:28] hours of work uh a month uh and that
[1:55:32] doesn't have to be used just in that
[1:55:33] month um but five hours a month and that
[1:55:35] and that's included in the uh 26
[1:55:38] proposed budget number um so that's
[1:55:40] essentially the ongoing support is is
[1:55:42] that number in included in there dve
[1:55:45] that by 50 y okay it is in the 10,000
[1:55:48] that is correct y y and you did put um
[1:55:52] you and I talked about
[1:55:54] I raised a concern you were going to
[1:55:57] strike out travel in conference yeah no no it's back yeah um I mean travel
[1:56:02] and Conference so the reason why in this
[1:56:04] year travel and Conference workshops
[1:56:06] those things are so low I was gone for
[1:56:08] three and a half months I mean I don't
[1:56:10] know if Sam knew that knew that he' go
[1:56:12] to conferences he probably wanted to
[1:56:13] check with me first I like I haven't
[1:56:14] talked about this I'm just saying like
[1:56:16] we just haven't um and since I've been
[1:56:18] back I've been really busy and I've been thinking about conferences so it's it's been really low this year and
[1:56:24] then anticipate that coming back going
[1:56:26] for well I raised the concern not to
[1:56:27] zero it out to made make sure that we
[1:56:30] have professional development
[1:56:31] opportunities and so professional
[1:56:32] development and and that work is
[1:56:34] included and it's at the same level as
[1:56:35] it was in the previous uh in the current
[1:56:38] fiscal year budget um so that that's
[1:56:40] essentially it um as far as those
[1:56:43] changes and uh and and I'm happy to send
[1:56:47] around the digital version um as well uh
[1:56:51] that that has the two other tabs that
[1:56:53] like I said go into payroll and the
[1:56:54] other items um so that that's where we
[1:56:58] ended up so if a a the revenue to cover
[1:57:03] all that um fully would be 68334 which
[1:57:07] it would be a 26.6% increase over the
[1:57:10] existing year um uh it it isn't touching
[1:57:14] what I see as the 2841 of the end cash
[1:57:17] ending balance that I anticipated at the
[1:57:19] end of this year so it would retain that
[1:57:21] um I think it's good to have a little
[1:57:23] bit of money in the bank um uh and I
[1:57:26] also think that there's a possibility
[1:57:27] that we could have some money in the
[1:57:28] bank at the end of the year if we don't
[1:57:29] fully utilize all the h u the Sor of the
[1:57:32] deductible umh but that's to be seen um
[1:57:36] so this budget does not fill the coffers
[1:57:39] it does not put us in a position going
[1:57:41] forward um to to have more um you know a
[1:57:46] stronger place to to to come from or to
[1:57:49] fall back if there are errors I'd like
[1:57:51] to think that there aren't erors in here
[1:57:52] but you
[1:57:54] know yeah yeah I guess like I understand
[1:57:57] where you're coming from I'm also a
[1:57:59] little concerned about making a decision
[1:58:01] without having sugar but provide any
[1:58:04] input I mean I guess they were here at
[1:58:09] 4:30 yeah suar haven't seen these numers
[1:58:13] so far
[1:58:16] right I just think they should give you
[1:58:18] back glasses
[1:58:23] we can we can have that vote right
[1:58:24] because they don't vote anyway so we can
[1:58:26] all vote they have to get pass it as
[1:58:31] well now I I must say that I had a
[1:58:33] philosophical uh challenge when I was
[1:58:36] told originally that uh the job came
[1:58:39] with a pass because I had always seen
[1:58:41] this as equal contributions from the
[1:58:43] four different funders and that they
[1:58:45] were giving something more that the
[1:58:46] others were not uh providing and I
[1:58:48] remember calling Jared Cadwell and being
[1:58:50] like hey they're offer me a like can I
[1:58:52] do this and he was like if you don't
[1:58:53] take an eye will Josh you better get
[1:58:56] after that so um I mean I honestly think
[1:58:59] that it being being paid paid across is
[1:59:01] a more Equitable way but um
[1:59:05] yeah I mean so you know I'm no I'm not a
[1:59:08] budget I'm not a budget guy in terms of
[1:59:11] my responsibilities in the town yeah
[1:59:14] um but I mean big picture having thought
[1:59:17] about this we've seen the work plan it's a two staff work
[1:59:22] plan I you know I don't see how we're an
[1:59:25] effective planning district without both
[1:59:28] of you you know across from me so you
[1:59:32] know I mean I could see okay you know it
[1:59:35] be like take off 90% of the work plan
[1:59:37] and support weights field we could do
[1:59:39] that but you know I don't think that's a
[1:59:41] long-term recipe for Success from
[1:59:43] planning district so maybe easy for me
[1:59:46] to say because I'm on the Planning
[1:59:47] Commission but I I think it's you know
[1:59:52] I guess I'm with Chuck I'm like I don't I mean it seems like you you've
[1:59:56] done the numbers and I sort of a radical
[2:00:00] revamp of our Ambitions as a planning
[2:00:02] district or our not Ambitions but what
[2:00:05] we can do I don't I'm not seeing an easy
[2:00:09] I'm not seeing another path and I do
[2:00:11] think it's really I do think Sam's
[2:00:13] contributions to be very clear I think
[2:00:16] Sam's contributions have been extremely
[2:00:18] valuable um and and are highly you know
[2:00:21] are just really iated in the community
[2:00:23] um of course as our Joshua's you know
[2:00:26] but um yeah I don't know well as the guy
[2:00:29] from the town without a Town
[2:00:31] Administrator and a sewer
[2:00:33] project you know I'm
[2:00:37] not we're certainly benefiting from the
[2:00:39] planing District I acknowledge that and
[2:00:41] I agree with you about Sam's work I
[2:00:43] second I second what Dad saiding too as
[2:00:45] just the planning guy and not having to
[2:00:47] worry about budges and not sitting you
[2:00:50] know fortunately not having
[2:00:53] do what Chuck
[2:00:56] does we also did agree that we wanted to
[2:00:58] bring the
[2:01:01] um Health Equitable more or less with
[2:01:05] the communities but we didn't want we
[2:01:07] need that going to take time and um we
[2:01:12] don't want it to come with a big hit in
[2:01:14] any year to staff that it needs to be
[2:01:17] something that's careful and that
[2:01:18] doesn't doesn't you know cause any
[2:01:21] Financial hardship so that's like a
[2:01:24] Year's project out we'll have to figure
[2:01:26] out how to allocate things coming
[2:01:28] forward what do you think Andrew so it
[2:01:32] would be best if sh wor was here but
[2:01:34] again they really don't get a vote so
[2:01:37] they do you know they march to our tune
[2:01:41] right till they don't they always have
[2:01:44] yeah and it was on the
[2:01:47] agenda so under how how do you think
[2:01:49] this is going to be take seen in in the
[2:01:52] W and there's going to be some long
[2:01:54] faces
[2:01:55] in we're we're we're we're finding like
[2:01:59] probably everyone is that everything
[2:02:02] costs more this year and last year but
[2:02:06] um holding the line right everyone's
[2:02:08] upset about their property taxes so we
[2:02:11] want to uh offer a budget that is less
[2:02:16] painful and it is just really hard to do
[2:02:21] everybody wants everybody wants a race
[2:02:24] everybody wants uh you know um you know
[2:02:28] the U the dictionaries all have their word of the Year this year it's
[2:02:32] Merit race that's the word of the year
[2:02:37] um
[2:02:38] so trying to hold the line on the budget
[2:02:41] is really ludicrous this year it's just
[2:02:46] not happening and I think we're going to
[2:02:49] find that at the state level as well so
[2:02:52] get ready for it um they'll pull some
[2:02:56] pocus pocus but it's still coming out of
[2:02:58] our asses anyway uh that being
[2:03:01] said um I I don't see any reason not to
[2:03:05] vote on the budget tonight and then
[2:03:08] bring it back to our our groups and see
[2:03:11] what we get for feedback and if we have
[2:03:14] a big c buffle we'll be talking more
[2:03:17] about it here
[2:03:19] M you see a sameway Clos
[2:03:22] yeah what's you see the same way I me us
[2:03:25] back to facing as it is yeah yeah yeah I mean as Andy said they'll be long
[2:03:29] faces but um there's so much going on
[2:03:33] with payroll with us with road crew and
[2:03:36] you know backfilling the Patty Lewis
[2:03:38] leaving his town clerk so we had to have
[2:03:40] extra people on for that so um yeah it's everywhere yeah it's everything
[2:03:47] everywhere all the time yeah this
[2:03:48] shouldn't be a there shouldn't be a hard set so the problem everything
[2:03:54] planning district does especially in FA
[2:03:56] like I I mean with with with just the
[2:03:59] reaction to to the events in July to the
[2:04:02] flooding right and and the and the
[2:04:05] immediate reaction and the work that
[2:04:07] these two guys did from face it
[2:04:09] shouldn't be yeah long faces but if so a
[2:04:14] hire gun to come in there and argue well
[2:04:17] let me let me tell you the piece you're
[2:04:18] missing here is that you're a point yeah
[2:04:22] we're
[2:04:23] elected that's where the rubber meets
[2:04:25] the road they're not going to piss and
[2:04:26] moan at you at down
[2:04:28] meeting yeah no I know in the in I got I
[2:04:32] said that I said I don't have
[2:04:34] fortunately I'm not sitting I'm not
[2:04:36] sitting where you know I don't have but
[2:04:38] that's that's why we make the big money
[2:04:39] too yeah
[2:04:41] exctly but I mean if you needed if if if you need somebody to add your back
[2:04:48] and I'm happy to I mean whatever thank
[2:04:52] you you know and and probably just to
[2:04:54] clarify the long faces it's not going to
[2:04:57] be that they would deny this
[2:05:01] request one more one more know exactly
[2:05:05] one more quill exactly yeah exactly I
[2:05:08] think what makes it harder is that there
[2:05:11] were so many years with no bump yeah it
[2:05:14] was complacent and then we had one last
[2:05:16] year it's like oh okay I hope that's
[2:05:18] going to do it for you for a while but
[2:05:20] and you know we thought that it might it
[2:05:21] didn't and but it's also an era of just
[2:05:25] huge inflation in the last five years
[2:05:27] yeah the property taxes we don't know
[2:05:30] when the end of that bump is coming so
[2:05:32] it's just every year is a surprise but
[2:05:34] we should know it's coming but you know
[2:05:37] everything's gonna get better next
[2:05:39] year I I can tell you from I'm on the
[2:05:43] teacher's pension retirement system GFR
[2:05:46] pointy and every you know the the
[2:05:48] actuaries assumption for the growth in
[2:05:50] healthcare costs
[2:05:52] is it's going to it's going to stop
[2:05:55] because every year he says it's it's
[2:05:56] going to stop because it has to stop we
[2:05:58] can't afford this yeah it becomes it's
[2:06:01] unaffordable yeah so you know we're
[2:06:03] going to build an assumption that the C
[2:06:05] that you know that healthcare costs are
[2:06:06] going to stop
[2:06:09] Rising okay and then and then they come
[2:06:12] in and they're 7% higher or 10% higher
[2:06:15] or 20% high as long as there's money in
[2:06:18] your wallet they're going to come for it seems is a very pragmatic perspective
[2:06:23] here as you said that you know we've got
[2:06:25] W enough work for these two guys we've
[2:06:27] got tremendous respect for the work
[2:06:29] they're doing you know individually and
[2:06:30] from the three towns um 90% of the costs
[2:06:34] here are supporting these two guys so if
[2:06:36] we want the work to be done this is the
[2:06:37] budget I mean there's not much to
[2:06:39] discuss well I will also say that I
[2:06:42] while I I do think I'm going to get here
[2:06:45] about the health care issue um I don't
[2:06:47] think that our salaries are extra are
[2:06:49] extravagant
[2:06:52] I mean I think you guys are are worth
[2:06:54] the salary you're getting and you said
[2:06:56] the healthare isn't
[2:06:58] even on a par with with Town employees
[2:07:02] right uh no I think that is the coverage
[2:07:06] is is on a par yeah the coverage is on
[2:07:09] par there's just the 100%
[2:07:13] employer contribution is unusual right
[2:07:16] yeah so would the chair hear a motion of
[2:07:19] uh approval for for the budget as given
[2:07:23] yeah I'm not gonna if the consensus is
[2:07:25] to move forward uh I'll take is there a
[2:07:28] second for
[2:07:29] [Music]
[2:07:31] that seconded yeah uh any discussion all
[2:07:35] in favor I
[2:07:40] unanimous thank you uh Josh I know the
[2:07:43] amount of time that you put into not
[2:07:45] only that but it's totally uncomfortable
[2:07:48] uh dealing you know on the budget which
[2:07:51] is all about you two guys yes so we we understand that uncom discomfort and
[2:07:58] uh you you've done well to uh to set it
[2:08:02] out for us thank you yeah well thank you
[2:08:04] for recognizing that it is uncomfortable
[2:08:06] right it is
[2:08:08] UN talking about themselves well some
[2:08:10] people like
[2:08:12] talking I don't uh but I don't mind
[2:08:15] talking that must time for the round
[2:08:16] table now but also
[2:08:22] we conflict of interest thing to discuss
[2:08:25] here yes yes can we do that if there's
[2:08:28] it depends on how people I'm I'm pretty
[2:08:31] cooked so well save it for another
[2:08:33] meeting yeah yeah I mean let save it for
[2:08:36] another meeting that's fine I just
[2:08:39] realiz go around oh save that for
[2:08:42] another time no save the conflict of
[2:08:44] interest from the time oh yeah sure um
[2:08:47] the only if everyone has read it and
[2:08:49] said great I mean we can vote on it but
[2:08:51] sure
[2:08:52] if we have to discuss it let's if we
[2:08:53] have to discuss it yeah let's do another
[2:08:57] okay table I think you I've covered you
[2:09:00] know we talked about the the shortterm
[2:09:02] rals in the hands of the select board we
[2:09:04] have you know we've invited Josh to come
[2:09:07] talk about housing that's kind of what's
[2:09:10] and and um you know at some point we're
[2:09:12] going to get a report from our
[2:09:14] consultant so we can have our public
[2:09:15] meeting on the lers and of Warrant then
[2:09:18] commission can I ask question of the
[2:09:22] board um sure as part of my discussion
[2:09:25] here so we're to the point now where
[2:09:28] we're we're we sent out rfps for the
[2:09:31] bridge of design for the permanent
[2:09:32] bridges in town to replace the
[2:09:35] Temporaries that just get put in we only
[2:09:37] had one response okay Not Unusual in
[2:09:40] today's
[2:09:42] environment the response didn't have any
[2:09:45] dollar quote on it it's it's a 3 to 5%
[2:09:50] of the total construction cost of the
[2:09:53] bridge once it's built now we're being
[2:09:55] told the FEMA accepts that we're trying
[2:09:57] to follow up on that now to see if in
[2:09:59] fact it does but we all know as Towns at
[2:10:03] least we have never voted on accepting
[2:10:06] an RFB proposal without a solid dollar
[2:10:10] amount attached to it and I don't know
[2:10:12] if in your work with these F over time
[2:10:16] never heard of it okay who's the um
[2:10:21] I'm trying to think of the name
[2:10:24] now it's not coming to me I you hadn't
[2:10:27] asked him yeah um so we get a response
[2:10:31] back from them so well Fe you know
[2:10:32] FEMA's good with this you can check with
[2:10:35] them which like I said we're doing but
[2:10:37] I've never approved anything without a a
[2:10:40] budget number attached to it so I I
[2:10:42] don't know I didn't know if any of you
[2:10:44] had I never heard of that okay it sounds
[2:10:47] extra squishy if they're just giving you
[2:10:48] a range of three to five and it can't
[2:10:50] even
[2:10:52] well yeah that was to try to give us an
[2:10:54] estimate but we don't even know what the
[2:10:56] cost of the construction will be so
[2:10:59] that's not even a good estimate I mean
[2:11:01] there's certainly Cost Plus contracts
[2:11:03] but I don't see how a town
[2:11:05] can it seems like the Builder have you the only resource I can think
[2:11:12] of is the Vermont League of cities and
[2:11:13] towns yeah yeah is just consult with
[2:11:16] them and say hey is this yeah see if
[2:11:19] they have any experience okay thank you
[2:11:22] I was hoping somebody said oh yeah
[2:11:23] that's what happened to
[2:11:25] us okay you might you might also talk to
[2:11:28] I don't know Barry City or somewhere who
[2:11:30] has recently done a lot of female work
[2:11:33] say is that what you're hearing I mean
[2:11:34] is that true because maybe they're like
[2:11:37] yep that's the way it is and then you'll get
[2:11:40] your yeah well you know and also for us
[2:11:43] for budgeting um we're going to need to
[2:11:45] know if they're going to ask us some
[2:11:46] money next year the year after you know
[2:11:49] retainer kind of money and and we have
[2:11:53] nothing to base that on so yeah okay
[2:11:57] thank you Peter yeah my run table lik to
[2:12:00] be discussed which was getting next step
[2:12:02] on the health center so that's it well I
[2:12:07] no given the way I we had a meeting end
[2:12:09] of November we're we're going round in
[2:12:11] circles on on um trails and Trail
[2:12:14] building and stuff we got one member on
[2:12:16] our commission that um likes to sew
[2:12:20] conflict and so we're just working
[2:12:22] through some of that stuff and we um we
[2:12:24] tabled our December meeting because of
[2:12:26] all the um all the um time and space
[2:12:30] requirements of the select board on the
[2:12:32] budget so we're not meeting until
[2:12:34] January so oh I saw that yeah we get
[2:12:37] invitation come with yeah yeah okay
[2:12:40] which I I will be able to go to that by
[2:12:43] the way yeah and you should yeah and
[2:12:45] we'll talk yeah
[2:12:51] good good any well if you haven't heard
[2:12:56] no I am I am rounding the bend on my
[2:12:59] final
[2:13:00] lap and uh not running for office in
[2:13:04] that town uh and neither is Luke ell so
[2:13:08] we're going to lose our chair and vice
[2:13:10] chair uh to uh to uh hment exhaustion how many years 17 oh wow not quite what Jared did yeah you
[2:13:24] don't want to hang around well yeah I
[2:13:27] see you know he's old and decrepit now I
[2:13:29] just I see it
[2:13:31] coming get out while you can with last
[2:13:34] year it's the continuity is so so yes we
[2:13:37] are we are concerned about continuity
[2:13:39] but uh
[2:13:41] um change is good change is important
[2:13:46] and so yeah so that's that's kind of the news and I don't know if it's out
[2:13:50] there yet but I assume some people know
[2:13:52] about it any indications to who's
[2:13:54] interested in running uh we have a few
[2:13:57] names
[2:13:59] and but no nobody nobody's leaping in
[2:14:02] yet but we'll see do you nominate for
[2:14:04] the floor or no no do nope we uh
[2:14:08] Australian ballot
[2:14:09] from the day so uh nominated has to be I
[2:14:14] think by the about the 25th of
[2:14:17] January Monday what's the criteria for
[2:14:20] nomination how you so many people sign
[2:14:22] you have to get 15 people to sign a
[2:14:26] petition W than 15 people that like you
[2:14:30] it's amazing
[2:14:32] yeah cost about 150
[2:14:37] bucks the old boys
[2:14:42] club easy now 1 years that's one of the
[2:14:45] reasons I'm leaving I get in trouble for
[2:14:47] saying
[2:14:48] things was that that I've the position
[2:14:51] old girls
[2:14:54] club sorry mind that's
[2:14:56] anake follow follow you're right
[2:14:59] corrected well all I've got is we're
[2:15:05] only starting budget season and wait SPI
[2:15:07] I'm meeting with the road commissioner
[2:15:08] tomorrow to figure that out we are read
[2:15:11] vertising Our Town Administrator
[2:15:12] position so if you know anybody who
[2:15:15] might not have town government
[2:15:17] experience but just has the good skills
[2:15:20] can handle up spreadsheet and good
[2:15:23] personal skills and good head on their
[2:15:25] shoulders send them our
[2:15:27] way all right I'm out I don't do
[2:15:30] spread and you are going to pave East
[2:15:33] Warren Road next summer yes yes from
[2:15:37] start to
[2:15:38] finish I look forward to who's taking
[2:15:41] notes
[2:15:44] right transition at the moment which
[2:15:46] across the time
[2:15:47] boundary yes so with that I'll take a
[2:15:50] motion to return so move second all in
[2:15:54] favorable all right thank you all