[0:00] Invalued on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026, at the month in town offices, polls will be opened from 7am to 7pm.

[0:10] Before we roll into Article 1, some general housekeeping announcements.

[0:17] Jonathan, you want to make about the mic?

[0:27] So, most of these mics are very directional.

[0:31] So, if you're talking to the internet like this,

[0:33] I'm not going to hear you unless you point it at you.

[0:36] This mic stand, a little wonky.

[0:41] If you try to adjust it by tipping this mic back and forth,

[0:43] the mention of the screw will loosen up

[0:45] and the mic will just go like that all over the place.

[0:48] So, if you need to adjust it feel free,

[0:50] But better to then try to twist the stand up if it comes loose.

[0:56] I can tighten it, but kind of a pain to play.

[0:59] The other thing is, please do use the microphone.

[1:02] A lot of people think they project well.

[1:04] I think I project well.

[1:05] There are people here who are arguing and cannot hear you.

[1:09] It's speakers are done.

[1:10] Thank you.

[1:11] Thanks, sir.

[1:13] Okay.

[1:14] So that, and since we're on the topic of microphones,

[1:20] People who have questions, unfortunately, because we're recording this and we want to be sure

[1:26] we get the names and everything right.

[1:30] If you have a question, you need to stroll up and use the microphones so everyone can hear.

[1:38] I'm shouting from the back plate.

[1:41] Also you need to be recognized, in other words, you know, put your hand up with the

[1:48] article and I'll move back and forth till I get, you know, everyone's question is answered.

[1:57] Hopefully, I sometimes miss votes, but I'll try and not do that.

[2:05] Yeah, so we'll go article to article,

[2:11] keep in mind with articles that they need to be moved

[2:15] and seconded before there could be discussions.

[2:19] Votes are one of three ways.

[2:22] We do a voice vote initially.

[2:25] And then, if I think the voice vote is too close for me to call,

[2:29] I'll ask the board of civil authority to come up

[2:33] and we'll do what's called the Division of the House,

[2:36] where we'll have people stand for their particular votes

[2:41] and they'll be counted.

[2:42] If seven among you at any time, what a written ballot, paper ballot, seven of you can

[2:52] so request, seven reward.

[2:56] So that's pretty much it.

[2:57] Let's get started.

[3:00] Article 1 to elect all town officers by Australian ballot.

[3:06] Article 2, shall the voters authorize payment of real and personal property taxes on November 16th,

[3:16] 2026 by the delivery to town hall by that date, or postmarked on or before that date?

[3:22] Can I have a motion, please?

[3:24] Motion?

[3:29] Is there a second?

[3:31] I have a second?

[3:32] Joeman in the Purple Sweater Name?

[3:35] Roger.

[3:36] Roger.

[3:37] All right. Thank you. Article two has been moved in second. This is a standard article we have every year that basically just sets the do beginning for our property taxes. Any questions or discussions.

[3:52] Ready for the vote? Article two, shall the voters authorize payment of real and personal

[4:00] property taxes on November 16th, 2026 by delivering the town hall by that date or postmark

[4:08] on our before that date? All those in favor signify by saying aye? All those opposed signify

[4:16] I say no, the eyes appear to have it, the eyes do have it, article two carrots,

[4:26] article

[4:26] three, shall the voters appropriate $22,349 to the following social service agencies.

[4:37] A, Addison County Community Action Group, hope $1,250, B, Addison County Home Health

[4:45] Hospice Inc. $1946. See, Addison County Restored of Justice Services. $550.

[4:55] D. Addison County Parenthood Child Center. $1600. E. Addison County Readers. $450. F. H. Well. $1,500.

[5:07] She, Bristol Family Center, $250, $H, Bristol Rec, the Department, $2,000.

[5:17] I, Counseling Service of As in County, $1,600.

[5:22] J, elderly services, $800.

[5:25] K, green up Vermont, $1,150.

[5:29] L, have a heart food shelf, $200.

[5:33] And Heinzburg Food Shill, $500.

[5:35] And, homework bound, you've aint society, $250.

[5:41] Oh, John Graham emergency shelter, $1,000.

[5:45] Be, Lewis Creek Association, $550.

[5:54] Q, Mountain Mentors Program, $1,000.

[6:00] Our Open Door Clinic, $500.

[6:04] S, Otter Creek Natural Resources, Conservation District, $198.

[6:10] T. Red Cross $500. You retired and seen your volunteer program $460. V. Rural Fire Protection Program $100.

[6:22] Devia, Tri-Valley Transit $850.

[6:27] X, turning point center of Addison County $1,000.

[6:31] easiest for food besecapers, why for months adult learning $700.

[6:35] Z, for a month for independent living habits and $155,

[6:42] a

[6:43] atria

[6:44] formerly women's safe, $1,250 B, B made cobe, $1,000.

[6:52] Is there a season?

[6:59] —Is there a second?

[7:00] second. Second. Okay, so it's been moved and seconded. We vote on this as a block that doesn't mean that

[7:12] individual line items can't be amended, but that's typically how we've done things years past.

[7:31] I just wanted to ask if there are any new agencies added this year, or agencies which substantially change their request.

[7:40] So, like board?

[7:59] Good morning.

[8:02] There are two such questions.

[8:03] Yes, thank you.

[8:07] All right.

[8:11] Can you hear me now?

[8:13] Thank you so much.

[8:16] Acorn BB on the very bottom is a new social service.

[8:21] And the Mungton Mentors Program increased from $500 to $1,000 this year.

[8:28] Those are the two changes.

[8:33] Yes, sir.

[8:39] I have a question, but the largest item on there appears to be Bristol Recreation Department, and I wonder what the taxpayers a month didn't get in return for that.

[8:54] like board or somebody else?

[9:03] That good? Okay. Great question. Thank you.

[9:07] Morning. I'm Stan Pish. I've been in the cycle for a year. I don't know if I know

[9:10] everybody, but I'm just wanted to introduce myself. So, Bristol Rack also runs a lot of

[9:15] programs that munked in kids and residents take part in. So, just like their, you know,

[9:20] fire department, you know, we sometimes get support from them or the rescue. So, that's why

[9:24] that article is in there and why it pertains to munked.

[9:29] Other questions or comments under article

[9:31] 3.

[9:36] Ready for the vote? Okay. Article 3. Show the voters appropriate $22,349 to the following

[9:45] social service agencies. A. Addison County Community Action Group. Hope. $1250.

[9:55] B. Addison

[9:56] County Home Health and Hospice Inc. $1946. C. Addison County Restored of Justice Services.

[10:03] $550, D Addison County Parent Child Center $1,600, E Addison County Raiders $450, F-H-12,

[10:13] $1,500, G. Bristol Family Center $250, H. Bristol Wreck Department $2,000, J. Counseling

[10:23] Service of Addison County $1,600, J. Elderly Services $800, K. Greenup Vermont $150,

[10:31] dollars. L have a heart food shelf $200. M. Heinzburg food shelf $500. And homework bound,

[10:40] you made society $250. Oh, John Graham, emergency shelter $1,000. Pete Lewis Creek Association

[10:49] $550. Killed Munton Mentor's program $1,000. R. Open door clinic $500. S. Otter Creek Natural

[10:59] resources, conservation district, $198, T, Red Cross, $500, you retired and Senior Volunteer

[11:10] Program, $460, V, rural fire protection program, $100, W, Tri-Valley Transit, $850,

[11:19] X, turning point center of as the county, $1,000, Y, Vermont Adult Learning, $700, Z, Vermont

[11:27] center for independent living, $195, a tree of formerly women's safe, $1,000, $1,000, $1,000.

[11:39] All those in favor of Article 3 signify by saying aye.

[11:43] Aye.

[11:44] All those opposed signify by saying no.

[11:48] The eyes appear to have it.

[11:49] The eyes do have it.

[11:52] Article 3 carries.

[11:53] Before we move on to Article 4,

[12:02] Senator Ruth Hardy is present and we're going to give

[12:06] her five minutes to bring us up to speed on what's going on in my bidder.

[12:20] Hi everyone.

[12:21] I'm Senator Ruth Hardy.

[12:22] I'm one of your two state senators in Addison District.

[12:26] Thank you for letting me interrupt your meeting.

[12:29] I try to get to a bunch of town meetings I just came from Stark'sboro and next I'll

[12:33] fair spurs. So thank you for letting me be on the agenda. This is my eighth session in the

[12:42] Senate and I serve on the Natural Resources Committee and the Finance Committee.

[12:49] You're probably hearing a lot about this conversation about education at the State House.

[12:54] You may recall that there was a major piece of legislation last year that was packed past

[12:59] at 73 that would call for the consolidation of school districts,

[13:04] a new funding formula, and some changes to our tax system.

[13:10] While I thought there were some good things in that bill,

[13:13] I ultimately voted against it.

[13:15] But there are still efforts right now to implement

[13:17] many of the provisions of at 73.

[13:20] So there's kind of a map war going on right now

[13:23] in the State House with different types of maps

[13:26] for how to redistrict school districts.

[13:28] Addison County and one map would be kind of all one school district and another map.

[13:34] It would be part of a larger sort of supervisor union that would cover most of the North West

[13:41] corner plus Addison County, so I don't know where things are going to end up, but that's

[13:47] what's going on.

[13:48] I'm not on the committees that are working on those maps, but in the finance committee,

[13:52] we are talking about how to fund schools and some of it is talking about how do we reduce costs

[13:59] in schools, either by working with school districts to find reductions in costs, or to

[14:04] force reductions in costs, or force reductions in expenses.

[14:10] I don't know how exactly how that's going to work, but and or to look alternative revenue

[14:16] sources, and how that could work to bring down property taxes by using alternative revenues

[14:23] that are very proposal sort of under the guise of, I don't quite love this term, but they're

[14:30] more or less under the guise of tax, the rich kind of provisions. But we're not, we haven't

[14:36] decided on anything, and this is just where what we're discussing in terms of funding for schools.

[14:41] It's a really big issue and I'd love to hear more from you all about what you're thinking.

[14:46] I know this school is very important to the community, so I'm trying my best to make sure

[14:51] that we protect small rural elementary schools and don't create public school deserts in our state.

[15:00] And then in the Natural Resources Committee, one of our big topics of discussion is land use and housing.

[15:08] You might be familiar with the sort of monumental land use law that was passed 55, 56 years ago.

[15:15] Act 250. And then there was an update to act 250, a few years ago, act 181.

[15:22] And we are taking a look at both of those and trying to make revisions to them to make it easier to build housing.

[15:27] that was the point of act 181 and we're trying to extend that even further. I know there

[15:34] are a couple of you, Sam, if you're here. For example, we wanted to talk to me about

[15:40] Act 250 and act 181. So if there's anybody else who wants to talk about anything, you can

[15:44] meet me in the hall after. But also in the natural resources committee, we've done

[15:49] some things about energy, we've passed a bill called balcony solar, plug-in solar, which

[15:54] like many solar panels for people who can't afford or get the big ones if they live in a

[16:01] apartment or just don't have the space for it and you can get a smaller one and then take

[16:05] it with you if you move. And then also I just wanted to mention two bills that are dear to my

[16:10] heart that are my bills that just passed yesterday. One is a bill called the Farm Security Fund

[16:19] And this would create a fund for farmers to dip into if they've been, if they're crops or their property has been damaged during a climate, you know, natural disaster, like a flood or a drought, which we've seen happen a lot lately, and then also build to better support libraries and make them eligible for programs that already exist.

[16:40] Mungton has a beautiful library, and I love libraries, and it would also create a library, a Vermont library day, every October.

[16:49] So trying to bring some joy amongst the really difficult issues at the state house.

[16:55] We're doing a lot of other things, and I'm happy to answer questions, but I don't want to take more time than I'm a lot of it.

[17:02] Thank you very much, Senator.

[17:03] Yeah, do you want me to take a couple of questions?

[17:06] or not really. Okay. Okay. Fair enough. But you have questions. I will go out in the hallway

[17:13] and I'm happy to chat with any of you. So thank you very much for your time today. Appreciate

[17:17] it. Thank you.

[17:25] Okay, folks. Back to the warned meeting article four. Shall the voters

[17:32] authorize general fund expenditures for operating expenses of a general fund deficit, two

[17:39] $1,043,571, 9 cents, B, salaries, and general expenses,

[17:47] $631,122,25 cents, C, Mountain Volunteer Fire Department, $197,600, D, Russell Memorial Library,

[17:59] $4,979.

[18:03] E, month in the Museum in a historical society, $1,500.

[18:08] F, wreck fund, $10,500.

[18:12] G, agricultural and natural areas fund, $30,000.

[18:18] H, highway capital projects fund, $20,000.

[18:23] For a total of $1,176,272.

[18:29] dollars and 34 cents of which 856,478 dollars and 66 cents shall be raised by taxes and 319,793 dollars and 68 cents by non-to-exrevenous.

[18:45] Is there a motion?

[18:48] So, Mr. Pelcher, is there a second?

[18:53] John, seconds.

[18:54] Okay, Article 4 has been moved and seconded, select board, I understand you want to propose an amendment to Article 4.

[19:05] Yes, please.

[19:08] For folks standing in the back, you might not have picked up the paper that's on the seats.

[19:15] There's some up here that could maybe be passed around or you could share with your neighbors.

[19:21] But this report has an amendment to Article 4 in that we want to change the general fund deficit from

[19:32] 243,571 dollars in nine cents to 74,623 dollars in 64 cents.

[19:41] That's one change.

[19:41] The other change would be changing the non-text revenues from the 319,793 dollars in 68 cents to 139,793 dollars in 68 cents.

[19:59] Do I?

[20:00] Yeah, let me read the amendment proposed by the select board.

[20:07] then we'll move and second it and we'll proceed to discuss Article 4 as amended.

[20:14] Show the voters authorized general fund expenditures for operating expenses of A, general

[20:21] fund deficit.

[20:22] 74,623 dollars and 64 cents.

[20:28] B, salaries and general expenses.

[20:29] $631,122.25, see month in volunteer fire department, $197,600, D, Russell, Memorial Library, $41,979, E,

[20:48] month in Museum in the Historical Society, $1,500, f-reck fund, $10,500, g, agriculture,

[20:58] natural areas fund, $30,000, h, highway capital projects fund, $20,000, for a total of

[21:07] 1,7,324 dollars and 89 cents of which, $867,531,21 cents, she'll be

[21:18] raised by taxes and $139,793 and $68 by non-text revenues. Is there a motion?

[21:31] Okay, and is

[21:32] there a second?

[21:37] The amendment has been moved in second. Select board. Would you care to explain

[21:43] the purpose of your amendment?

[21:45] I

[21:52] want to be able to see everybody.

[21:53] Can folks see me?

[21:55] Here me, okay.

[21:56] Great.

[21:58] So I just want to make sure that if folks have not read, there is a sheet of paper that has,

[22:01] like, kind of, info sheet.

[22:03] And if you don't have copies, please do share with your neighbors.

[22:07] Because that guy goes into more detail about what I'm going to talk about.

[22:13] And, of course, ask me any questions.

[22:14] I just want to name that it's obviously not ideal that we're asking to amend tonight today.

[22:21] So it's more complicated than I wish it was.

[22:24] But there are clear reasons for that.

[22:26] And I want to show you that nothing untoward happened.

[22:30] This is what took place was our treasurer resumed, and we thank Bill and many of you know Bill for his

[22:34] years of service to the town. It's the best practice when a treasurer leaves to have an outside, you know,

[22:42] nonpartisan expert look at your books. So we hired NEMRIC, so there are really

[22:48] gromants like top accounting experts, almost every single town in Vermont uses NEMRIC's software, which is kind

[22:55] remarkable, and they are especially set up to advise towns when they're going through this type of

[23:01] transition. So they've been helping towns for, I think, over 50 years do this kind of thing.

[23:08] So we, we the Slack board decided to contract with them to make sure the numbers that we're proposing

[23:13] for all of you are correct because we think it's very important to be transparent with all of you and that the numbers are correct.

[23:20] If I was sitting in the seats where you are,

[23:23] I would want to be assured that an outside person looked at,

[23:26] we all looked at it, we have people in the town hall

[23:28] look at it and we had two experts from NEMRIC look at these numbers.

[23:33] So I'm confident in them to the best of our ability.

[23:36] They did recommend a couple of changes,

[23:38] which are reflected in the amendment.

[23:41] The two biggest components of that are changing how the town has

[23:46] changing how we budget for delinquencies, so in the original warning that was

[23:53] budgeted as like incoming revenue and the the best practice really is to

[23:57] not treat that as revenue because that's money that we didn't necessarily we didn't

[24:00] receive because it was delinqued. So they recommended not treating that as

[24:04] revenue, so that's why that revenue line went down by a fair amount and we

[24:11] We also, because of the way that our talent does, we're on a calendar year, not on the state

[24:17] fiscal year.

[24:18] So the education, obviously, the education topic is big, as Senator Hardy said, we don't

[24:23] know what the final rate is going to be.

[24:25] So that gets true to what our final education payment happens later in the spring.

[24:31] So there's a certain amount of money that we, as a town, hold back to be able to pay that

[24:36] state bill, the state education bill.

[24:38] And the amount that we thought we were going to hold back is a little bit different.

[24:42] So NEMRK is recommending that we actually, you know, expect you to get a credit back.

[24:46] So I have a little bit more money than we thought we were going to get.

[24:49] So that's why that number of the deficit number really came down.

[24:52] And there were a couple other funds in there that really should be accounted as true revenue.

[24:57] So again, that's also another reason why that deficit line is coming down.

[25:02] So again, we wanted to be totally transparent.

[25:04] I don't know if this has ever happened before,

[25:06] where we've had to amend the amendment on the floor,

[25:09] but we really want to make sure that all of you

[25:11] as taxpayers are voting on accurate numbers

[25:14] and there are a couple of changes that we requested

[25:15] that we may have.

[25:16] So happy to answer any questions, but one,

[25:18] do you have that context?

[25:21] OK, thank you.

[25:23] Questions or comments from the floor?

[25:26] Yes, sir.

[25:27] I want to welcome the state of your name.

[25:30] Roger Wallace, and thank you for that explanation, diving right into the part you mentioned

[25:38] about Dillmanquintaxis.

[25:41] If I understood you correctly, you said that NEMREC is recommending not the count that

[25:47] has revenue because it isn't revenue.

[25:50] However, we collect Dillmanquintaxis every single year, so if we collect them and they come

[25:58] into the town as they're showing in the town sheet,

[26:02] why aren't they revenues?

[26:05] Because we've just followed with the, we've already,

[26:07] we've deducted that from, you know,

[26:11] for instance, if we budget so much for 2025,

[26:15] and we only collect 80%, then we show that 20% reduction

[26:19] in the actual, and then we collect from not 25,

[26:24] but years prior.

[26:25] So we have it coming in as revenue every year,

[26:27] So why isn't it being reported this revenue?

[26:31] It will be.

[26:32] It will be.

[26:33] Yeah, just keep in mind folks.

[26:35] All comments go through the chair.

[26:38] And then I turn to whoever can answer.

[26:43] Go ahead.

[26:47] Um.

[26:49] That's a really good point, Roger.

[26:52] But, um.

[26:53] What never suggests is that we don't budget for that income.

[26:57] Because it's in liquid taxes.

[26:58] we can't count on that. So putting that in our budget is not the right practice. It will

[27:07] come in and it will become revenue and it will be reported, but not to put it in the budgeting

[27:13] so that we don't artificially inflate our revenue.

[27:28] So I understand that given that advice, but historically we can show that we can always count

[27:34] on dealing with taxes to some amount being collected.

[27:39] And so we have this historical trend that we can count on some of it.

[27:43] And at the same time, you know, based on that explanation from NEMRIC,

[27:49] we always budget a certain amount of taxes to be collected.

[27:52] We vote on a certain amount of tax being collected.

[27:54] However, we never collect that full amount.

[27:56] So you could make that exact same argument and say,

[27:59] well, we can't count on our full amount of taxes being collected.

[28:01] So we shouldn't budget for that.

[28:02] So you can't have it both ways.

[28:05] So I'm trying to understand how they can say,

[28:08] even though we have an historical trend

[28:09] of that we can collect a certain percentage

[28:12] of outscaining delinquent taxes,

[28:15] how they say we shouldn't budget that.

[28:17] Because that's implies we're always going to,

[28:19] if we don't budget it and we always collect it,

[28:22] then basically that's going to force higher tax rate

[28:26] and the towns can always be running a surplus year to year

[28:29] because we are going to be collecting delinquent taxes.

[28:42] So if you want to turn to somebody, get ahead.

[28:53] I'm Joan Holloway, and so can I turn this around so I face the audience?

[28:57] Yes sure.

[28:57] Go ahead.

[29:02] Okay, so I had a total geeky accounting moment on this one.

[29:06] So I found out, I've listened about this yesterday,

[29:09] and I thought about it all day.

[29:13] Is that right?

[29:15] Okay.

[29:15] So I thought about this all day.

[29:17] So I can't draw you any pictures, but I try to explain this

[29:20] because I had an epiphany this morning about why,

[29:24] because I had the same question that Roger had,

[29:27] which is, you have a certain amount of liquid taxes,

[29:30] but you collect a certain amount,

[29:31] so why isn't it revenue, right?

[29:35] In the very first year of the universe,

[29:39] the town sets the tax rate,

[29:43] so that you have the ground waste.

[29:45] Okay, you have the ground list and a certain,

[29:49] and you set a tax rate,

[29:50] So a certain amount of revenue comes in.

[29:53] He spent all your expenses in a perfect world

[29:56] you'd come out with zero, right?

[29:57] You would have raised as much taxes as you spent.

[30:01] However, there are some delinquent taxes. So at the end of that first year, you have a gap in your, you have a deficit in your general fund, right?

[30:14] The next year, if those delinquent taxes come in, it restores the deficit that was in the general fund.

[30:24] And so it is double counting if you count them as revenue, because they already were part of,

[30:34] I agree with you, and I would be happy to sit and draw pictures with you, because it took me about 12 hours thinking about this to understand it.

[30:43] Okay, but it's because they were saying it's double counting, and I was like, but they come in the next year, but you already counted that when you set your expenses,

[30:52] you came out to come out at zero. So the next year you can't count them again towards

[30:58] the tax rate because you would never restore that hole in your general fund. Does that make

[31:05] even a dilemma?

[31:10] So anyway, and so I would be happy to draw pictures. I think I could be

[31:16] more clear, but anyway, that's the reason. And I agree, I totally agree with your

[31:20] it did not make sense to me why you wouldn't collect them when that money comes in. But you already counted it when you set your expenses in that first year.

[31:33] We storing money owed exactly. So thank you.

[31:37] Thank you very much. OK. Other questions or comments on the amendment?

[31:42] We're still on the amendment? Yes sir?

[31:45] And then I'll get to you.

[31:50] Hi, Scott's leader.

[31:54] having worked in a non-governmental company for a lot of years.

[31:59] When there are material changes to the books recommended by the auditors,

[32:03] it may serve us in the future to have the auditors here.

[32:08] Generally, annually, we would have the auditors present to our board

[32:11] if there were questions, such as that point of order.

[32:15] Thank you. Yes, sir.

[32:17] Come on up.

[32:24] Please state your name.

[32:26] Jim Merett, so one question I have in here in the explanation doesn't quite

[32:32] shy with me is, what a county method are you using? What has the

[32:39] auditors suggested? It sounds like you're changing your accounting method, because

[32:45] you don't double your thing. You put it in a country's sea level, that's an

[32:50] country's sea level, it's on your books, it's money that's going to be

[32:53] coming in. It sounds to me like you're moving from your

[32:56] chiral method of accounting. You're different. Probably

[33:00] cash accounting. Is that what you were doing? Can you

[33:04] explain. Selectboard?

[33:11] Or, yeah, could I call on Lisa

[33:12] Burns? Are townlister?

[33:18] This is probably fine. So the best

[33:21] you might want to try.

[33:28] So I think that one of the things

[33:30] that. Hello. There we go. So one of the things I think

[33:34] that we, those of us who aren't in financial services or dealing in, you know, these types

[33:39] of numbers all the time is that we have a tendency to get confused about all the terms

[33:44] that get used.

[33:46] So when you're talking about the financial statements and the auditors, those are the

[33:51] and the method in which we are accounting for this, those are things prepared by the outside

[34:03] CPAs.

[34:04] and they conform with government-accepted standards for accounting practices.

[34:10] That's what's been done in the past.

[34:12] What's been done in the future?

[34:14] Those are different from what we do when we drop a budget.

[34:19] So it's sort of like looking at your own personal checkbook.

[34:22] The money that goes in and out.

[34:24] Those are actual.

[34:25] Our budgets that we create perhaps for our families,

[34:29] are projecting and showing what is happening in the future.

[34:34] So, you're not using necessarily accounting practices and standards for your budget, which is projecting the future, versus what has happened on your financial statements in the past.

[34:49] And I also think we have to be careful about the term we use as auditors.

[34:53] So an auditor in my world is a certified public accountant that comes in and is performing

[35:00] an actual testing of every single account on your financial statements, and they're coming back to us with

[35:07] and saying this is what we see here or these are your adjustments you need to make.

[35:12] Then we also have our auditors that we elect at town meeting, or at the on our Australian ballot,

[35:20] And those are the people that come in, are fellow neighbors that come in and look at our bank accounts and try to true them up on a monthly basis.

[35:29] What NEMRIC is doing, NEMRIC is an outside consultant. They are not our auditors.

[35:37] They are a consultant that comes in and says, hey, you know, we were experts at this.

[35:43] So we'd like to be able to help you in establishing better practices going forward.

[35:50] So I don't think NEMARC has come to us and said, you've done something wrong.

[35:54] They've said, this is a better way to do it.

[35:57] And I think that the select board has accepted those recommendations.

[36:01] So hopefully that clarifies it a little bit, and I didn't just confuse everybody.

[36:07] Okay. Thank you.

[36:08] Thank you.

[36:11] Okay, other questions, comments on the amendment?

[36:14] Yes, sir.

[36:16] And then I'll...

[36:18] John McNerny.

[36:21] With the proposed amendment, I see on page 19 you had an estimated tax rate.

[36:30] .4275.

[36:31] I'm wondering if you've had a chance to figure out how the proposed amendment affects that estimated tax rate.

[36:44] Sorry, I missed a second page.

[36:48] Sorry, I could never mind.

[36:50] Yeah, for those who, it's on the back of the handout,

[36:58] the projected tax rate goes up a smidge.

[37:05] Yes, Mr. Pilter.

[37:10] I had a question regarding the monthly

[37:13] volunteer fire department, there are $197,000 this year, I'm substantially from what it's

[37:23] been historically and a lot of it, as I can see, I think on page 72.

[37:30] It seems to relate to the truck fund that they are busy accumulating, and that's as is appropriate.

[37:40] I wonder if they could, currently, I think it's $90,000 or so going into the truck fund.

[37:48] I wonder if they could speak to how much money they need in that truck fund, and when that truck fund,

[37:58] we won't need to be putting so much money into the track fund.

[38:04] Is there somebody here from Fire Department?

[38:07] Yes, OK, he's coming up,

[38:13] Bob Howard.

[38:20] Fire Department Chief, Stephen, what?

[38:24] So back even when you were on it, we had requested $80,000 a year

[38:30] to, because we have signed a contract on a truck.

[38:36] And that truck was figured out that the payments on that would be about $80,000 a year.

[38:44] The truck is delayed as per usual with the manufacturers.

[38:50] And then what we asked for was another $10,000 this past year to start our next truck fund.

[39:00] Because what's going to happen is when we get this truck,

[39:03] We want to take the money that we have been saving up for now because of the delay from the manufacturer.

[39:11] Whatever is there, we've most everything that is there.

[39:15] We'll go towards the payment of the truck once of receipt.

[39:21] And so the next $10,000 that you see, like I said, is a starter fund for our next truck.

[39:29] Senator.

[39:30] Thank you.

[39:32] Okay, other questions or comments under the amendment, yes ma'am in the back,

[39:42] come on down.

[39:46] Just like a game show.

[39:50] So I have to say my name.

[39:52] Name?

[39:53] Julie Palin.

[39:54] Thank you.

[39:55] My question is under the highway department.

[39:58] I'm wondering how many full-time positions are funded under the full-time payroll budget.

[40:04] And in the report, the Highway Department report, it talks about two employees and then

[40:11] the four minutes.

[40:12] That's three people.

[40:13] Is that the full, is there four funded positions?

[40:17] That's what I wanted to know.

[40:18] Because we used to have four people on the Highway Department.

[40:22] Thank you.

[40:29] I'm sorry.

[40:30] I didn't quite hear all the questions, but did it have to do with the Highway Department?

[40:35] Okay, we're going to save that for Article 5, because that's the article that deals with the highway department.

[40:45] Okay, that's okay, no worries.

[40:48] I mean, there is a line item in Article 4 dealing with the capital projects fund, but my sense is your question went more towards the highway department in general.

[40:59] Well, so if you can come, we'll come back to that when we get the article five.

[41:04] So article four of the amendment, any further questions or comments?

[41:11] Yes, sir.

[41:15] Again, the Rudd Wallace.

[41:17] So my previous question was based on item two on the FAQ that was passed out.

[41:23] Now looking at item one, just looking to get an explanation for the floor.

[41:31] NEMRIC recommended, based on this, that we basically reduced the deficit by tapping into

[41:38] the projected deficit by tapping into the tax stabilization fund for $30,000, it looks

[41:44] like another cash reserve for $10,500.

[41:49] Can the board just explain why NEMRIC made these specific explanations, especially for the tax

[41:56] stabilization fund which are they thinking that this is a particularly good year to tap into that or so

[42:04] So important yeah, I can't speak for them, but my sense is yes, that is a good and in particularly because we're trying to

[42:13] Correct, but move to better practices about delinquent tax revenue

[42:18] So that's a big change

[42:20] It's a big change, so that's like a lot of revenue that we would have predicted to receive that we're not receiving if you all agreed to vote for that.

[42:29] So, I mean, these funds could appropriately be used.

[42:31] I mean, tax stabilization, you know, that's exactly germane to try to keep the rate as low as possible, which I imagine is all of our goal.

[42:40] So, that is what they're recommending to try to minimize the tax impact, or that's what we're recommending, I should be more clear.

[42:47] And that isn't a proper use of those funds.

[42:51] Okay, other questions or comments under the amendment?

[42:55] Ready for the vote?

[42:58] Okay.

[43:01] We're voting on the amendment only.

[43:05] Article four, amendment.

[43:07] Show the voter's authorized general fund expenditures for operative expenses.

[43:12] up, A, General Fund deficit, 74,623 dollars and 64 cents, B, salaries and general expenses,

[43:22] 631,122 dollars and 25 cents, C, month-involunteer, fire department, $197,600, D, Russell

[43:32] Memorial Library, $41,979 dollars, E, month-in Museum and Historical Society, $1500,

[43:41] F, wreck fund, $10,500, G, agricultural, and natural areas fund, $30,000,

[43:50] H, high-week capital projects fund, $20,000, for a total of $1,000,000, $324,89,

[44:00] of which $867,531,21, 21 cents.

[44:05] She'll be raised by taxes and 139,793 dollars and 68 cents by non-to-exrevenous.

[44:16] All those in favor of the amendment signified by saying aye.

[44:20] Aye.

[44:21] All those opposed signified by saying no.

[44:24] No.

[44:25] The aye's agreed to have it.

[44:27] The aye's do have it.

[44:29] The amendment carries.

[44:31] Okay, we're back to article four, has amended any further discussions or questions or comments under article four?

[44:44] But don't need to.

[44:44] I don't see any hands.

[44:46] Thank you, though.

[44:47] Yes, sir.

[44:48] Go ahead.

[44:48] Come on up.

[44:58] Stay tuned.

[45:00] Good. So, I've been to every slight board meeting since tell meeting last year, regular meetings, and I've been trying to get an explanation of where these monies from D on this list and article 4 down are, where the actual monies are, not on the computer, not on a paper like this.

[45:30] but actually where the money is.

[45:34] And the reason I question that is because we keep hearing

[45:40] in the slight board meetings in different places

[45:43] that we're going to move this there and not there.

[45:46] But I'd like to know where that actual cash is,

[45:49] what bank account it's in.

[45:52] Because the treasurer who's now left

[45:56] And told me and Stan Wilbur, the town minister, when we asked him about it, that there was only one account.

[46:03] Checking account attached to a savings account, plus another little account that held some money regarding the,

[46:12] some of that, the health insurance for employees.

[46:15] So we know that the town ran out of money last spring, right after town meeting, got down to just a few thousand dollars,

[46:22] And they had to borrow to keep operating until tax revenue started coming in.

[46:31] But if you look in the town of Quarant, age 39, there's some pretty significant amounts listed

[46:38] there under some of these same names there, 500 and something thousand on that age.

[46:45] And I'd like to know where that money, what account it's in, because it obviously wasn't in the

[46:52] check in account because it's a town ran out of money.

[46:57] Okay, so like,

[47:02] thanks, Tom.

[47:05] And we appreciate, thank you for coming to every meeting.

[47:08] It's really, a public input is really important for us, so we appreciate it.

[47:13] Just a word on terminology, just want to be really clear, fun is different than account.

[47:18] So, in account, I think we all know what a bank account is, but in NEMRIC, which is the accounting software that we have, we have these different funds and we have a general ledger, we're all these different monies are allocated and clearly explained.

[47:35] So in our water, I know Randy you're here, and if you want to speak, feel free, ready to

[47:41] run around three town auditors, and looks at our statements.

[47:45] Just about the tax anticipation note that you're referring to about, you know, the town running

[47:49] out of money.

[47:50] As I mentioned earlier, Monkton's part of about a third of towns that doesn't run on the

[47:55] state this year, which, you know, it's not like it's a wrong thing.

[47:59] What it does is it creates a bit of a challenge for, like, for cashflow really.

[48:05] So, last year, the town did have to take out a tax anticipation note, which is, you know, a regular practice, we have good credit with the bank.

[48:13] And that's really until our taxes come in in November and December.

[48:18] So, we pay a little bit of interest on that, but it's not significant.

[48:23] And as I just want to also flag, thanks for bringing this up, actually.

[48:26] This is one of my pet topics.

[48:29] You'll see a note in our town report that we have talked about.

[48:32] And we've not, there's no decision that's been made,

[48:34] but we are thinking about recommending

[48:37] to the voters considering changing to the state fiscal year.

[48:42] Again, we have not decided on that yet.

[48:45] We would love a bunch of public input to the extent

[48:47] that you're willing, so that is something

[48:49] we might be considering a future years.

[48:51] And that would get at the tax-intentioned piece.

[48:54] there's complications to doing that, which I can get into if you want to nerd out with me

[48:58] technical accounting stuff, which I imagine many of you do not, but yeah, hopefully that helps

[49:05] an happy to answer any follow-up questions you have. Okay, any other questions or comments

[49:10] under article four? Yes, ma'am, in the back.

[49:26] Good morning, everybody.

[49:30] Good morning.

[49:31] Yeah, I feel like put it like almost to my face. Yeah. Good morning. I just want to introduce

[49:36] myself, it's Christian Bjornberg-Farrow. I'm President of the Mountain Museum in the Historical

[49:40] Society and I'm happy to tell you we have a museum. So I'm thankful for your support of us

[49:46] over the years that we've created what we dreamed about back in 1976 when we were incorporated.

[49:52] We have new bylaws or bylaws or on a website and we have a lot of things going on, cemetery cleanups,

[50:00] 19 events, Facebook followers of 151, so we're on Facebook too.

[50:05] I just wanted to just let you know, we are taking all of your kind support of our historical

[50:10] society and we are putting it to really good use.

[50:13] We'd love to see you at our meetings, Mondays, but I wanted to just say hello, thank you.

[50:19] Okay, Mr. Pilcher, did you have something?

[50:23] No? Okay.

[50:27] Anyone else and then I'll come back to you, sir.

[50:29] anyone else have questions or comments under order before? Okay.

[50:43] So Sam's

[50:45] explanation of that, the difference between Fungs and these numbers on page 39. I believe

[50:56] our taxes that were raised and put into a fund for that particular purpose for each one of those.

[51:04] blow D in by wrong there.

[51:09] Select board.

[51:11] Let me just make sure I understand your question.

[51:14] So you're saying, you're asking if the money that was raised was put in the accounts.

[51:19] The Russell Memorial Library.

[51:21] You're asking if they are put in the first quarter of a thousand.

[51:23] Are we going to get that from taxes?

[51:24] Yes.

[51:25] Then where's it going to go?

[51:26] To the library.

[51:28] Where's it going to go?

[51:29] What account is it going to go into?

[51:31] It'll go into the, there's a library line.

[51:33] OK, but there's there's not a library account.

[51:38] It's going to go into the general font.

[51:40] Randy, Randy's raising his hand.

[51:42] But go to moderator.

[51:44] OK.

[51:45] All right.

[51:50] Yeah.

[51:52] Do you have a question?

[51:53] Yeah, yeah.

[51:54] No one.

[51:54] Oh, I'm going to try and explain it to the best.

[51:56] OK, good.

[51:58] OK, the money is all.

[52:00] My name's Randy Schravernell.

[52:02] I am an auditor, but I'm sort of here

[52:05] my own not representing the auditor, so take it as you will.

[52:12] Oh my god, I'm sorry.

[52:14] Okay, everything gets thrown into one account, the bank account.

[52:19] I have at the end of the year December 31.

[52:23] We had 1.1547-3146.

[52:30] 1,154,731.46. Now, if you take that money and you subtract out was a page 39, we

[52:59] have that

[52:59] And, again, I'm not in the accountant, but I believe we have the money to cover those

[53:07] funds, if that's what you're looking for.

[53:11] Okay.

[53:17] Well, your happiness is not the issue.

[53:20] The issue is, can we answer your question?

[53:25] Being gone, if it is, is important.

[53:30] Well, what's your question?

[53:31] Okay, so the money on listed on page 39 is money that was at one point raised by taxes in some year in the past.

[53:56] Recreation fund.

[54:01] Agriculture on natural areas fund.

[54:05] So there's $200,000 in there listed on page 39.

[54:10] You're adding $30,000 in tax revenue to that.

[54:15] are you keeping it in a separate account, or is it going into the general fund?

[54:21] And if we ran out of money last spring, if those money are not in a separate account,

[54:28] because the treasure told Stan and I that there was only one account, if we ran out

[54:34] of money, the money that claimed to be in the natural resources fund was gone.

[54:42] Select board.

[54:43] I'll go ahead.

[54:47] I'll call you if you want.

[54:53] So, no longer on the select board.

[54:55] I spent 13 years there.

[54:57] I'd like to explain.

[54:58] As has been explained on numerous occasions,

[55:01] when this question was asked in select board meetings by Mr.

[55:04] Stedman and others.

[55:06] There's a difference between accounts and funds.

[55:09] We could have chosen to set up a separate account

[55:12] and put the Anac money in a totally separate bank account and kept it there until it was needed.

[55:20] Because we're on, we start our fiscal year on January 1, but we don't collect taxes until November,

[55:29] we're faced with having a bunch of expenses before we have the money to pay for them.

[55:35] So rather than put these separate funds in a separate account and then having to take out an even larger tax

[55:42] anticipation note and pay interest on that, we use those funds to reduce the amount of the need for

[55:50] a tax anticipation note and the amount if it is if we do end up getting one.

[55:57] When the taxes come in, we have enough to cover that.

[56:00] To my knowledge, we have never reneged on an act needing a project, money for a project

[56:07] when the request comes to do, we do it.

[56:10] If it comes to do before taxes are collected, that might affect how much tax anticipation

[56:14] note.

[56:15] But the question has been asked and explained at Nazium,

[56:22] and the implications that get made repeatedly

[56:25] that there's some malfeasance going on gets old.

[56:27] bit my tongue for 13 years and tried to explain it calmly. I'm not calm now. I'm sick of

[56:34] the accusations that the full moon after every every town meeting the select board gets together

[56:41] and drinks at a pint of goats blood and swars and oaths Satan and figures out how to screw

[56:45] everybody out of money. That's not what's happening. It's been explained if you don't understand it

[56:50] I can't help you with that.

[56:55] Okay. Other questions or comments under Article 4? Yes, ma'am.

[57:12] I don't know if this will help clarify.

[57:15] I do work in a fiscal office for an on-profit.

[57:19] But I think it sounds as though there is one bank account for all town expenses.

[57:25] All revenues go into that same bank account.

[57:29] And the bank account balance is never going to be the entire revenue because you're paying expenses at the same time.

[57:35] Just like, we get our paychecks and we pay our bills.

[57:40] So, different bills are due at different times.

[57:46] So, we'll get the revenue and pay the bills when they're due.

[57:49] So, these different funds might become due for whatever expenses they have at different times during the year compared to when the revenues are received.

[57:58] So, it's not that some funds are taking away from others, they just do it a different time.

[58:07] So, I don't know if that helps clarify the question at hands,

[58:10] but comparing it to your own personal finances where you get your paycheck and pay your bills.

[58:15] You don't get your entire salary for the year in one lump sum at the beginning of the year

[58:20] and you don't get your expenses for all of your groceries in one lump sum.

[58:25] The same is true of the town budget.

[58:28] Okay.

[58:29] Kim Barber.

[58:31] Other questions or comments under Article 4?

[58:34] Are you ready for the vote?

[58:37] Was that a waiver?

[58:40] I'm sorry?

[58:43] Yeah.

[58:43] Okay.

[58:44] Article 4.

[58:46] Shall the voters authorize general fund expenditures?

[58:49] Article 4 is amended.

[58:51] Shall the voters authorize general fund expenditures for operating expenses?

[58:55] up, a General Fund deficit, 74,623 dollars and 64 cents, B salaries and General expenses,

[59:03] 631,122,25 cents, C, month in volunteer fire department, 197,600 dollars, D, Russell

[59:14] Memorial Library, 41,979 dollars, E, month in Museum in the Historical Society, $1,500,

[59:21] F, REC Fund, $10,500.

[59:26] G, agriculture, and natural areas fund $30,000.

[59:30] H, highway capital projects fund $20,000 for a total of $1,7,324.89.

[59:39] Of which $867,531.21.

[59:44] She'll be raised by taxes, and $139,793.68.

[59:51] by non-tax revenues. All those in favor of Article 4 is amended, signify by saying aye.

[59:58] Aye.

[59:59] All those.

[1:00:00] Opposed, signify by saying no. The eyes do have it. Article 4 carries. Article 5, shall the voters

[1:00:11] authorates, highway fund expenditures,

[1:00:19] or operating expenses of A, highway fund surplus, $272,900, $97,000,

[1:00:29] B, highway expenses, 1,653,434,661 cents, for a total of 1,380,533,64 cents of which $989,33,64 cents

[1:00:50] raised by taxes, and $391,500 by non-tax revenue. Can I have a motion?

[1:00:59] So, both.

[1:01:00] A name?

[1:01:01] General.

[1:01:02] Okay, thank you. Is there a second?

[1:01:06] Thank you. Article 5 has been moved in second. I understand the select board has an amendment.

[1:01:14] They'd like to propose for Article 5.

[1:01:25] Yeah, so, as I talked about with NEMREC, there was a, I would say, very minor change, it's a little over $4,000 that we're recommending and changing the exchange.

[1:01:36] So, $4,253 or $22,000.

[1:01:39] And the reason for that is, so, as I, I don't want to bore everybody talking about NEMREC more, but,

[1:01:45] so our accounting system, when we develop our budget, we're taking numbers off of that, putting it into spreadsheet.

[1:01:50] There was a minor difference that they found when they were going through our books

[1:01:55] So we just want to again make sure that you all have the most accurate numbers and that's what they're recommending

[1:02:00] So that's what the amendment is. It's a very minor change

[1:02:03] But we want to make sure that you guys are not paying anymore or any less than you need to. Thanks.

[1:02:08] Okay, so select board is proposing an amendment article five. Let me read it

[1:02:14] This is on the handout, show the voters authorized highway fund expenditures for operating expenses of A, highway fund surplus.

[1:02:24] 268,647,000 dollars and 5 cents, B highway expenses.

[1:02:31] 1,653,434 dollars and 61 cents for a total of 1,384,787 dollars and 56 cents, of which

[1:02:45] 993,287 dollars and 56 cents, she'll be raised by taxes and 391,500 dollars by non-tax revenue.

[1:02:56] Can I have a motion on the amendment?

[1:02:59] Yes, sir.

[1:03:01] Okay.

[1:03:01] And is there a second?

[1:03:04] It's been second.

[1:03:05] It's been second.

[1:03:06] Okay.

[1:03:07] The amendment has been moved in second.

[1:03:09] Are there any questions or comments on the amendment?

[1:03:16] I can answer the.

[1:03:17] What was the question?

[1:03:18] Good.

[1:03:19] Yeah.

[1:03:19] Ma'am, you had a question.

[1:03:22] If you want to say I'm the ill answer your question.

[1:03:25] Yeah.

[1:03:29] I'll just say we have board crew members now, so, yes, thank you.

[1:03:34] Yep, and our boardman is here, too.

[1:03:36] Thank you.

[1:03:37] Yes, sir, Mr. Piltr.

[1:03:41] Yes, I have a question on page 55 of the town report.

[1:03:48] Under hot mix, you guys have pledged it a sum of 621,000 dollars.

[1:03:55] I'm going to ask for some reason.

[1:04:00] I'm there.

[1:04:00] Thank you.

[1:04:12] Yeah, got it.

[1:04:13] Got it right up there.

[1:04:14] Got it?

[1:04:15] Okay.

[1:04:18] Last year, 2025, we budgeted $125,000.

[1:04:23] They didn't work.

[1:04:23] We're on the humics line.

[1:04:25] But only ended up through scheduling a weather getting to $48,292.

[1:04:30] Of that.

[1:04:31] So there's a substantial remainder that left $376,000.

[1:04:37] of work that we still need to do, you're all aware of the condition of the pay froze, the

[1:04:42] deteriorating, we need to keep up with it. So that's going to carry forward. We want to do

[1:04:47] that work. We don't want to just put a pause on it and skip it here essentially. And then the

[1:04:52] reason the number is bigger is we also have this year's work we want to do. So that is roughly

[1:05:03] $244,000 worth of paid-in-word for this year, and together, that's their 621.

[1:05:14] Okay.

[1:05:15] Other questions?

[1:05:16] I should probably, I heard of a mobile, so the surplus is, if you look at the bottom line

[1:05:22] on page 55, the surplus is in there.

[1:05:26] So it's a big number on the expense line, but it's not actually 621,000 being act for

[1:05:33] of this year's taxes, there's the leftover

[1:05:36] has come back into health care.

[1:05:38] So it's only 244 from this year.

[1:05:43] Okay, other questions or comments under the amendment

[1:05:48] to article five?

[1:05:53] I'm looking for anyone else to even then I'll come back to you.

[1:05:57] Okay, go ahead, Steve.

[1:06:02] Given that explanation and given the fact

[1:06:04] that we have another article, article 7 coming up regarding Pinywood's road.

[1:06:13] I'd like to give some headroom for the expenses that we're going to be asked for for

[1:06:18] Pinywood's road and would like to introduce an amendment at this time, a two article

[1:06:26] So far, I'd like to amend this budget of $621,000.

[1:06:33] I would like to lower it by some $70,000 to give us to basically cover what we will need

[1:06:40] when we discuss Article 7.

[1:06:43] So that's an amendment to move that line item from $621,000.

[1:06:51] I believe to $551,000.

[1:06:55] I would look for a second.

[1:06:57] Okay.

[1:06:58] This is a secondary amendment.

[1:07:02] You can only ever have two on the floor at any one time.

[1:07:06] Otherwise, General Robert's blows his mind.

[1:07:12] Robert's rules only allow us two at a time.

[1:07:14] So this is a secondary amendment.

[1:07:16] Is there a second?

[1:07:18] There is a second.

[1:07:19] Your name?

[1:07:24] Okay.

[1:07:25] Thank you.

[1:07:26] All right.

[1:07:26] So, now discussion is limited to...

[1:07:30] The secondary amendment. The request to reduce the line item by 60,000? Was that 70,000? I'm sorry, 70,000.

[1:07:43] Okay. Questions or comments? Only under the secondary amendment. Yes, sir.

[1:07:52] So I think the amendment that Steve just proposed is basically comes down to micromanaging the select board.

[1:07:59] department because what we vote on is not line-on by line-on and we vote on the bottom line.

[1:08:07] So basically this budget is only a recommendation and the town is in no obligation at this

[1:08:15] point in time to spend out the money is outlined. We're just voting on the bottom line and if the

[1:08:22] bottom line is approved, then the town can move it around as they see fit, as necessary going forward.

[1:08:28] And so we can basically have this discussion underneath the money with road discussion and not have to lock something in now for the display board to just hide our hands.

[1:08:39] Well, let me ask Mr. Filcher for a point of clarification with your reduction of the line item of $70,000 did you intend for that to reduce the overall amount by $70,000?

[1:09:00] Yes, the idea was that if the $70,000 would come off of an article five that total of

[1:09:09] 1,381,384 dollars and said 787.

[1:09:16] Right.

[1:09:17] So one, three, ten, five, 33, 64.

[1:09:21] That's one, one, three, and one, four, seven, eighty, seven, and we're going to point five

[1:09:28] Yeah, 70,000 less than one, three, eight would be one, three, ten.

[1:09:36] I'll go with it.

[1:09:38] I mean, that's not going to ask what's happening.

[1:09:41] Okay.

[1:09:42] All right.

[1:09:43] So I just wanted to be clear what we're talking about here.

[1:09:46] He's not just talking about moving things around.

[1:09:49] He's talking about chopping 70,000 off of Article 5.

[1:09:57] And that's been second. Any further discussion or comments? Yes. Go ahead and then I'll move.

[1:10:05] Yeah. Remember we're only talking about the secondary amendment.

[1:10:09] So I guess my question is if probably question for the select board.

[1:10:15] I could agree with the second.

[1:10:16] their amendment, if that 70,000 for Piny Woods Road,

[1:10:22] is already in the other article, the rest of the article.

[1:10:28] But if it's a question of, we're going to cut out $70,000

[1:10:32] of other work in order to cover Piny Woods Road.

[1:10:35] I'm a little concerned, because we've got two years worth

[1:10:38] of the paving that needs to be done.

[1:10:41] What didn't get done to last year and what's coming up this year.

[1:10:44] So I'd like some clarification on, if there was a matter

[1:10:46] it's being double counted, sure. If it's not being double counted, I don't support cutting

[1:10:52] out the, the, the, the paving that is then posted. So I would have any, uh, comments.

[1:11:01] And

[1:11:01] then I'll catch everyone else's questions or comments.

[1:11:06] Thank you, John. Um, I just want

[1:11:08] to clarify it. No, it's not being double counted.

[1:11:12] Okay. Uh, yes, sir. And then there were some

[1:11:15] other hands, I'll get you all next.

[1:11:20] So, purple, so Robinson, I would generally appreciate the idea of what I think Stephen was

[1:11:27] asking for in his amendment, but I think finding words throughout definitely needs to be fixed

[1:11:33] if it's a separate question for Article 7, but I don't agree with actually chopping off 70,000

[1:11:39] from repaving more in order to accomplish that specific task.

[1:11:43] The reason why is we have to take patients on an ambulance through a monkden quite a bit to get them to a hospital.

[1:11:49] And if you have a back pain or some other kind of traumatic injury going down a really really bumpy solar street right now is really not a great idea.

[1:11:58] So we often end up actually opting to take 1-16 instead because it's a much better road.

[1:12:03] We really do need to actually do the work to refave the roads in a monkden.

[1:12:07] Other questions or comments in this section?

[1:12:10] We're talking about the amendments.

[1:12:11] this section.

[1:12:15] Yes, sir. No, it'd be. I know you. Yeah.

[1:12:22] There were two. Yes, sir. The one

[1:12:24] standing.

[1:12:28] Can you just tell the residents is there a plan of which roads are going to be

[1:12:32] paved? So we know. Yes.

[1:12:42] Sam, you're getting the work out. So if this is going on, we're going

[1:12:47] to do a section of Silver Street by the county line. Okay, we're going to also do a portion

[1:12:53] of Tyler Bridge Road.

[1:12:56] He also, there's also a file mile of paving on hardscrable road

[1:13:00] that we're looking to do along the Monkton Road

[1:13:03] over by Parker Lane.

[1:13:05] And that area is like two miles over there.

[1:13:15] Basically, I'm going to reiterate my point, which is,

[1:13:18] let's say, Article 7 gets voted down.

[1:13:22] All right, we give, under this amendment,

[1:13:25] we just cut out 70,000 out of the highway funds.

[1:13:28] And if Article 7 gets voted down, there's no place to move those 70,000.

[1:13:33] Again, let's discuss Article 7 and leave it up to the select board, the highway department, the side where the funds come from.

[1:13:43] Okay.

[1:13:43] Any other questions or comments?

[1:13:45] Under the secondary amendment.

[1:13:47] You ready for the vote?

[1:13:48] Oops.

[1:13:49] There is a question.

[1:13:51] Come on up.

[1:13:58] Just a question for the highway department, John.

[1:14:00] said that we were behind schedule from last year so maybe you can give us an idea

[1:14:05] worst-case scenario, best-case scenarios, how much of that missed work we make up

[1:14:09] this year and how far into this year's planning we get, just so we have an idea.

[1:14:15] We're getting a little field of the secondary amendment, but go ahead.

[1:14:19] All right, so last year, all we were able to pay is you could do this in

[1:14:23] scheduling your own issues with a monthly regio or a right in front of the account hall.

[1:14:27] last year, we're supposed to do that section by Parker Lain, over Smonti Road. So hopefully

[1:14:33] we can get on the agenda this year to get that done. So that the Monti Road is supposed

[1:14:40] to be done last year.

[1:14:46] Okay. You ready for the vote on the secondary amendment? Okay. Let me read it.

[1:14:56] Show the

[1:14:56] Butter's authorized, highway-funded expenditures.

[1:15:00] So, for operating expenses of highway fund surplus $272,900 dollars in 97 cents, highway expenses.

[1:15:14] A million,

[1:15:17] 573,434 dollars in 61 cents for a total of 1,310,533 dollars in 64 cents.

[1:15:29] of which $989,000, $39,000 and $64,000 will be raised by taxes and $391,500 by non-tox revenue.

[1:15:42] Could I ask a question?

[1:15:44] You're the expert.

[1:15:45] Should we be voting on the amendment first?

[1:15:48] That's what we're doing.

[1:15:54] Well, Robert's rules.

[1:15:55] They're funny.

[1:15:58] So basically, you can't just vote on hack and 70,000 out and, you know,

[1:16:04] like that. You got to put the numbers in the context. So, I put the numbers in the context.

[1:16:11] We're voting on Mr. Pilcher's secondary amendment of reducing the line item of $70,000,

[1:16:18] which has the net effect of reducing Article 5 by $70,000,

[1:16:24] thus $1,310,000 instead of 1,380,000. Everybody understand what we're voting on.

[1:16:32] We're just putting on the secondary amendment.

[1:16:35] Then we're going to go back to the select boards amendment,

[1:16:38] which is to fix the squid news error,

[1:16:41] and then we're going to go back to Article 5 eventually.

[1:16:45] Okay, secondary amendment.

[1:16:46] All those in favor of Mr. Pilchure's secondary amendment,

[1:16:50] signify by saying aye.

[1:16:54] All those, Steve, you're not even going to vote for your amendment?

[1:16:59] Jesus.

[1:17:04] Okay, I'm not recognizing you again.

[1:17:07] All those opposed signified by saying no, that's fairly resounding, the secondary amendment fails.

[1:17:19] All right, back to the primary amendment.

[1:17:22] If there is any further discussion about the primary amendment, which is the handout article five,

[1:17:29] proposed by the select board.

[1:17:33] You ready for the vote?

[1:17:36] Out of the five, as amended.

[1:17:38] Shall the voters also rise high

[1:17:40] with fund expenditures for operating expenses

[1:17:42] of highway fund surplus 268,647,

[1:17:48] and five cents, highway expenses.

[1:17:51] 1,653,434, or 61 cents for a total of 1,384,077,

[1:18:00] $387.56 of which 993,287,588 cents shall be raised by taxes, and $391,500 by non-tox ribbons.

[1:18:15] All those in favor of the amendment signify by saying aye, all those opposed signify by saying

[1:18:24] Now, the eyes appeared to have it, the eyes didn't have it, the amendment carries.

[1:18:31] Okay, now we're back to Article 5, has amended any further questions or comments under Article

[1:18:37] 5?

[1:18:38] Yes.

[1:18:43] On page 54, onto the proposed budget.

[1:18:48] So the members who are voting on, or we'll be voting on, are predicated on kind of a confidence

[1:18:55] in the budget presented to us.

[1:18:57] And at the top of the revenues, the proposed revenue numbers are a lot higher than historic

[1:19:05] actual revenue numbers, and so can you can the sled board or someone else give us some

[1:19:10] confidence in these large increases in revenues, one specifically referencing our highway

[1:19:16] state aid, actual for this past year was 85,000, proposed is 166,000, so that's a twice

[1:19:24] increased highway grants actual was 74,000 proposed is 224,000 so that's almost a three times

[1:19:32] increase so just give us some confidence in those increases. Yeah, no great question. Egalai, that's

[1:19:38] good. So with all the flooding the state actually allocated grants in a different order because of

[1:19:46] the disasters so we actually got less money because it was how can I explain this in more clear

[1:19:52] Anyway, what we had those disasters, the state changed how quickly the state, like the different towns, got money.

[1:20:00] So we are actually budgeting more like what we actually typically expect to get.

[1:20:04] Last year was actually a little bit lower than we would have expected because we got a little bit more the year before.

[1:20:09] So it's basically kind of like coming back to an equilibrium.

[1:20:12] Who knows if we'll have more disasters?

[1:20:14] But that explains the grant revenue piece of it.

[1:20:19] But can you restate, Roger, sorry, the other question that you had, just so, and I have it up here.

[1:20:25] Do you mind?

[1:20:26] I want to make sure I'm answering it.

[1:20:29] We ready to do it, do we?

[1:20:32] No.

[1:20:32] So again, yeah, exactly.

[1:20:35] Not for me, sure.

[1:20:37] The top two lines.

[1:20:38] Highway State aid.

[1:20:40] So it's 166 budgeted versus 85 actual.

[1:20:44] and then how he grants 224 budgeted versus 74.

[1:20:49] Gratial.

[1:20:49] Yep, and thanks, I would ask you to clarify again and move around.

[1:20:53] So the way the Paving Grant works is you get a chunk of money after the Paving is done,

[1:20:58] but since the Paving was not done last year, that explains that.

[1:21:02] And again, that was a timing and kind of communication issue.

[1:21:06] So we're hopeful, hopefully we're correcting that this year.

[1:21:08] Thank you.

[1:21:10] Okay, any other questions or comments under our rule five?

[1:21:13] you ready for the vote? Okay article five is amended. Show the voters authorized.

[1:21:19] High will fund expenditures for operating expenses up. A, high will fund surplus, $268,647,

[1:21:26] and five cents. B, high will expenses, $1,653,434,617, for a total of $1,384,787,56, of which $999,99,

[1:21:43] $3,287.56 should be raised by taxes and $391,500 by non-tax revenues.

[1:21:55] All those in favor of Article 5 is amended, signify by saying aye.

[1:22:01] All those opposed signify by saying no.

[1:22:04] The eyes appear to have it.

[1:22:05] The eyes do have it.

[1:22:07] Article 5 carries.

[1:22:08] Before we move on to Article 6, we have a distinguished member of the State Legislature

[1:22:16] Mr. Harib Olsen, who would like to address the body for five minutes.

[1:22:30] I'm here in one of your representatives, along with Karen Leaders.

[1:22:36] And I was just in charge for this. This is a day that I get to spread myself a little

[1:22:40] thing. But having to be here, I wanted to give you a little update on what's going on in my

[1:22:46] earlier. Last going on, I think the stuff that I think you folks might be really interested in,

[1:22:53] or at least one of the things, is some of the education things. And what's on the table now,

[1:23:00] is that a bunch of committees are trying to draw maps.

[1:23:04] And in the process of drawing maps,

[1:23:08] they're intending, we'll see what happens.

[1:23:10] But they're intending to consolidate

[1:23:13] the existing school districts into much larger districts.

[1:23:18] And that could take two forms, either.

[1:23:21] So we're in a supervisory district now.

[1:23:25] So we got a school board in this responsible for all the schools

[1:23:28] in Manning University.

[1:23:31] If you had a larger supervisory district, say,

[1:23:34] Addison County, you'd have a single board responsible

[1:23:40] for all the budgets and stuff like that,

[1:23:44] as well as whether schools would stay open or not.

[1:23:48] So that's a big deal in some of the towns.

[1:23:51] There's another option on the table that from the Senate

[1:23:55] that we talk about supervisory unions

[1:23:57] would give a little more flexibility, the talents in terms of education policy and keeping schools

[1:24:07] open if they should be kept open. So I'm going to get my head chopped off if I go beyond five

[1:24:13] minutes or I'm going to go to some things around housing. Really important, just I really feel

[1:24:21] for especially some of the young kids, families that are trying to start out and trying to find

[1:24:26] place and it just can't find a place. I think there's some pension these days between our need for housing

[1:24:34] and not environmental standards themselves, but a lot of the process that we use around deciding,

[1:24:41] you know, what should be built. And that's playing out in the state house. I personally think that

[1:24:50] we need to line up a little bit on the process while keeping the standards so we can get more housing.

[1:24:56] But I welcome, you know, comments about that.

[1:25:01] Healthcare, primary care, I think is a real big deal.

[1:25:05] And trying to support that as much as we can.

[1:25:10] Specific bills, I've been working in a committee that deals with genetic data

[1:25:15] privacy.

[1:25:15] Privacy issues, I think, are real, real important these days.

[1:25:21] A bill around course debt, so if you're in a domestic situation and you're

[1:25:26] or has signed up for a loan or some sort, you know, trying to create a process to get that

[1:25:33] person out of, out of, in, into financial, uh, good place, uh, again. Um, I think, uh, I think

[1:25:42] about it. Um, I'm trying to organize a meeting. I hope that it will be in, uh,

[1:25:49] a month and in about a week or so. Uh, it's trying to get folks, um, sense of where the coming

[1:25:55] I'm on some of these education issues, you know, I have really

[1:25:58] tip of the iceberg in terms of what I talked about here.

[1:26:01] But instead of, you know, my talking to you about this,

[1:26:04] or I'm not another, you know, I'm hoping that this kind of a meeting

[1:26:06] will allow folks to bring your questions, concerns,

[1:26:10] suggestions, whatever.

[1:26:12] So I hope to see you then too.

[1:26:15] How was that?

[1:26:16] Very good.

[1:26:23] Four minutes.

[1:26:25] A new record.

[1:26:30] Okay, folks, back to the meeting. Article six shall the voters approve the sum, not to exceed

[1:26:38] 311,930 dollars for the purchase of a John Deer rev grader with a total cost of 361,930 dollars,

[1:26:49] less 50,000 for a trade allowance.

[1:26:54] Is there a motion?

[1:26:56] So moved.

[1:27:01] Second?

[1:27:02] Uh, yeah.

[1:27:03] Okay.

[1:27:04] There's the second.

[1:27:05] Article sex has been moved and seconded.

[1:27:07] Select board.

[1:27:08] Anything you'd like to say?

[1:27:16] Trevor, do you want to say anything or no?

[1:27:17] It's up to you.

[1:27:19] Okay.

[1:27:32] This machine that we have has never actually been shipped in any way.

[1:27:36] So, all the work that's being done to this machine, which is roughly $48,000 worth of repairs,

[1:27:42] it's just shimming any components that move.

[1:27:46] And that's just to tighten up the mobile board to try and get rid of the washboard effect

[1:27:49] that that grain is currently leaving on the roads that we do.

[1:27:52] And that's not including any motor repairs and transmission repairs or any hydraulic drive lines.

[1:27:57] That's just solely the shimming of the machine.

[1:28:01] The whole purpose of just going to a new machine is with the hydraulics,

[1:28:05] and everything else that we also need with that machine.

[1:28:07] I mean, it does burn a little bit of oil.

[1:28:09] It does burn something for one.

[1:28:11] Shimming it to me seems like a band-aid fix

[1:28:12] for something that's just going to cause this more problems

[1:28:14] later down the road.

[1:28:16] The machine was originally new for a 15 year replacement

[1:28:18] we're currently on 21 years.

[1:28:21] So we're a little overdo on that as it is.

[1:28:23] So we're just hoping to be able to get a newer machine

[1:28:25] to be able to find a better road surface

[1:28:28] for people in your town is realistically

[1:28:30] what we're going for.

[1:28:32] So if anybody has any other questions on that,

[1:28:33] I'm more than happy to answer them, but the majority of it is just to try and get rid of all the

[1:28:39] losses in the machine that we have now.

[1:28:41] Okay.

[1:28:41] Thank you.

[1:28:43] Other questions or comments from the floor.

[1:28:49] Ready for the milk?

[1:28:52] Article 6.

[1:28:54] Shall the voters approve of some not to exceed 300 $11,930 dollars?

[1:28:59] For the pressures of the John Dea Road greater.

[1:29:01] With a total cost of $361,930 less 50,000 for a trade allowance.

[1:29:08] All those in favor signify by saying aye, all those opposed signify by saying no, the

[1:29:17] eyes of prayer to have it, the eyes do have it, article six carries, article seven.

[1:29:23] So the voters authorized no more than $1,150,000 for the repairs of Ponywood's road of

[1:29:31] It's $60,700, sorry, $60,723 and $9,270.

[1:29:40] She'll be raised by taxes and $89,276 in $0.8 by non-tax revenues.

[1:29:48] Is there a motion?

[1:29:51] There's a motion, second, it's been seconded.

[1:29:55] All right, so Article 7 has been moved and seconded,

[1:29:58] Select board.

[1:30:00] Anything you'd like to say?

[1:30:04] I guess we just go with whatever ask questions. Okay, floor, yes, sir. Go ahead and then I'll get to your ma'am.

[1:30:40] me to get to Virginia. And I also rise to say, having been there for 35 years and watching

[1:30:47] it blow out three or four times over that period of time, I would almost like to know

[1:30:52] how much money has the town had to spend over the past 20 years to keep that road open

[1:30:59] because if we're going to be doing this every 10 years, we may still just put a budget

[1:31:04] to keep Pineywood's road open.

[1:31:07] Also, I would love to know from the select board or from any town official, how many actual

[1:31:14] complaint emails or letters from how many different town members have you actually received

[1:31:22] that Warren's spending this amount of money when I am one of those ambulance drivers who

[1:31:27] us this week, handed a divert of 116, we cannot use these roads and motorcycleists are going to kill

[1:31:35] themselves. In my wife and I, actually, we ride motorcycles. Our roads have become dangerous in places.

[1:31:42] There is a pot hole when you come up the road that's going to break somebody's axle coming up

[1:31:47] at a Lewis Creek. So, yes, it would benefit me? No, I don't think it's a great use of money

[1:31:54] until we fix our primary roads.

[1:31:57] And I don't see how you can say it's 150,000

[1:32:00] after all these years.

[1:32:02] And we're setting a capital 150.

[1:32:03] What happens if we find out it's 200?

[1:32:05] Do we just stop?

[1:32:08] I'm a little confused.

[1:32:10] So, here it is for a minute.

[1:32:11] So, like important.

[1:32:13] So, as far as the number of complaints and emails,

[1:32:16] I can tell you it's about weekly

[1:32:18] that we have received complaints about the road

[1:32:20] not being opened.

[1:32:21] From all eight of the people.

[1:32:22] There's back quite a few different people who've emailed the board phone calls.

[1:32:28] So as far as the 150,000, so we've had FEMA getting involved, I'll be the weekly meetings

[1:32:37] all last year, St. Majesica, and with rebuilding it to their specs, it's going to be $1.2 million

[1:32:47] that they're going to put in for.

[1:32:49] So, FEMA pays for 75% of the 1.2 million, the state pays for 12.5% of that.

[1:32:59] Monkton's 12.5% is the 150,000 that you see in your time report.

[1:33:18] So, what is the clear class designation of Pinywich Road?

[1:33:25] So, if we're bringing it up to FEMA, whatever recommendations, is it staying a class 3 road or are you improving it?

[1:33:34] It was still being class 3, but there would be improvements.

[1:33:37] Are you going to be plowing it?

[1:33:39] It will be class 1 or 5 days, a class 3 road, yes.

[1:33:42] Okay, so you're going to widen it, improve it, but it's going to be a class 3, not improved further.

[1:33:49] And then the culverts at the bottom will be improved and larger as well, which they did in the last month before the world.

[1:33:57] It's basically bigger.

[1:33:59] Okay.

[1:34:01] Other questions, comment?

[1:34:02] Yes, ma'am.

[1:34:03] Yes, ma'am.

[1:34:06] Hi, Susan testimony.

[1:34:07] So I have a question about the class of the road in the minutes from the last select board meeting.

[1:34:12] There was an option of turning it to a class four.

[1:34:15] But I actually also wanted some clarification about class four.

[1:34:18] It seemed like in those minutes it talked about that would allow them to close it and us to close it in the winter.

[1:34:25] We have a class four room that we love to hike across the street for most, but you can't drive it.

[1:34:31] And so I'm just unclear about what it means to designate something a class four.

[1:34:38] And what that would mean for Piny Woods, and then sort of a follow-up,

[1:34:42] would FEMA give us any money to make it a class four or would we forfeit any FEMA money if we did class four?

[1:34:52] Great questions. I'll do my best and folks in board can add or whatever.

[1:35:00] So we would not get FEMA money for making a class for and designating a road.

[1:35:05] A class for is that I don't know the full details of the process but I don't think we can do that.

[1:35:11] That would be done by the board. It's my understanding. So really what we're voting on is repairing it.

[1:35:17] What Joe hopefully mentioned is, you know, it can look a little weird like how could it only cost

[1:35:22] 150,000. So there's that other FEMA component if we decide to go down that route. So FEMA and then that's that state share.

[1:35:39] I don't know if if I'm correct, but

[1:35:42] when FEMA awards money

[1:35:45] they

[1:35:46] list

[1:35:47] How you're supposed to use that money. You have to follow their guidance. If you don't follow your that guidance

[1:35:53] You have to report back to them what you've done.

[1:35:57] You don't want to mess around with that.

[1:36:00] So I think we could repair the road and not go to the full length of what they're discussing

[1:36:09] the $1.2 million, but we would have to still follow the hydrology study and follow the recommendations

[1:36:17] from the state regarding taking care of the strain and but we wouldn't have to go the whole

[1:36:24] route and then we would have to return the money that we didn't use to FEMA. That's my understanding.

[1:36:31] Thanks for that. It's more. It's a better answer than what I gave. I agree.

[1:36:34] Okay. Other questions or comments under article 7. Yes, ma'am.

[1:36:49] Thanks, John.

[1:36:49] So from what I've heard it sounds like it wouldn't be a good idea to do this but I would like to hear

[1:36:55] from somebody here who thinks it would be a good idea to pass us.

[1:37:03] Select board, I didn't actually hear the question.

[1:37:07] Who wants to answer it?

[1:37:11] She was just asking, she's heard people say why not to prove it.

[1:37:16] She wanted to hear from somebody who thinks it's a good idea to improve it.

[1:37:21] Okay.

[1:37:22] We're getting a little far afield from the warned article,

[1:37:25] but I'll allow that. Go ahead. Anybody want to answer?

[1:37:30] So a woman in the back?

[1:37:38] Julie Palin. I've lived on Pinywood's road for 42 plus years. So I can tell you, I walked the road, I'd like the road, I'd write on the road. And I've seen many people use that road to get to parks for a road or the other direction. And, you know, I'm supporting it being open, because I think it does.

[1:38:04] to help people get from one place to the other.

[1:38:09] So I just want you all to know,

[1:38:11] I've seen a lot of traffic going that way.

[1:38:13] So I'm gouging for that, and that's my opinion.

[1:38:18] Uh, yes, sir, in the front here, and then I'll get to you.

[1:38:22] Yeah.

[1:38:23] Front.

[1:38:24] Yeah.

[1:38:25] Thank you.

[1:38:26] The other front.

[1:38:26] All right.

[1:38:28] So just so I understand this as well.

[1:38:30] So Article 7, the 150,000 is to move forward with the FEMA project where FEMA is going

[1:38:38] to do most of the money, as you said, the percentage states going to give us a percentage.

[1:38:43] This is our share of that project to make those full, the bigger culverts, everything else

[1:38:49] that they said needed to be done based on the hydrology studies and everything else.

[1:38:53] Yes, if I have the studies right here as well, but as you'll see in here, so the 12.5%

[1:39:00] of $1.2 million is $150,000.

[1:39:03] That is being offset, because we have FEMA funds

[1:39:08] from other rows that we did not use last year,

[1:39:11] which is the $18,000 to $176, which will help offset

[1:39:18] that $150,000.

[1:39:20] Okay, then it sounds like it's a worthwhile investment.

[1:39:22] So what we're asking for is the $60,000.

[1:39:25] Yep, that's a worthwhile investment.

[1:39:27] Okay, and then there was a gentleman

[1:39:29] and then right behind you. Yeah. Okay. Mike Bushie again. My question is going to be too

[1:39:37] part, I guess. First part is if the vote is approved, it's $150,000. But Fever doesn't give us

[1:39:44] the money. What happens to the 150 grand? A. And with regard to the viability of Ponywood Road as

[1:39:53] a road for the community. I think it makes a lot more sense to have that road than it does to maintain

[1:39:58] in a full length of old stage road, for instance.

[1:40:01] So, there you go.

[1:40:04] Slypon?

[1:40:06] There's been a lot of conversation this year

[1:40:08] about whether towns or states will receive FEMA funding.

[1:40:11] So, it's a really good question, Mike.

[1:40:14] Just this morning, I've learned that we received

[1:40:17] the final dollars that we would do to receive from FEMA.

[1:40:21] So, we actually have

[1:40:24] close to $900,000 from FEMA sitting in our bank

[1:40:28] count right now to put towards this. The way the FEMA funds work is for projects of this size

[1:40:34] were awarded 90% of the money. The remaining 10% is sitting with the state. So that money

[1:40:40] is gone from the federal government to the state. So the likelihood that we will have all that

[1:40:44] money in order to complete the work is extremely high.

[1:40:51] Okay. Other questions, sir? Yes, sir. Come on up.

[1:41:00] Just one real comment quick. My name is John Zekowski. With respect to the FEMA money and the

[1:41:07] studies that were referenced, I don't work for FEMA, but generally my understanding is that when

[1:41:13] FEMA does their hydrology studies and designs these projects, they're looking at certain size

[1:41:18] storm events over time. So in other words, to get back to Mr. Richter's comment earlier is

[1:41:23] he's just worth it over time. Generally they're going to design the sizes of these box

[1:41:27] So these structures to withstand certain floods, you might hear the phrase 100-year flood event or 500-year flood event.

[1:41:36] I don't know what specific study they did here, but my guess is that they modeled it to withstand a pretty significant size flood.

[1:41:44] So that hopefully, again, this may be able to withstand floods over an extended period of time.

[1:41:51] Do I know that for sure? No, but my strong suspicion is yes.

[1:41:54] They wouldn't be providing this level of funding for a smaller size structure that's just going to get washed out five years from now.

[1:42:02] Thank you. Yes, sir.

[1:42:08] As I said, I'm going to benefit from this. I like being able to get divergence.

[1:42:12] It's not that I rise against it, but my question then, and that's a great explanation.

[1:42:17] Did the town receive FEMA funds the last time when we had to rebuild Pineywood's road because both the culverts had blown out.

[1:42:24] one at the bottom, where the stone turns the water and the one further up. Did FEMA provide funding

[1:42:29] to us to allow us, that just totally pay by the town.

[1:42:34] So I recall from what the previous roadformin said was that in 2019, that road did receive FEMA funds.

[1:42:45] Maybe John, you remember? So the FEMA did their studies recommended we spent the money and

[1:42:51] and it blew out again. Okay. Yeah, no. Yeah, the problem is we have a hundred

[1:43:00] year for every ten years now today. So, you know, John, are you talking to anyone else?

[1:43:07] Have any questions or comments? Yes, ma'am. In the back. Steve, I don't see you.

[1:43:21] Yes,

[1:43:22] Mike, whatever. Okay. Hi, Barb Cranville. I just had a clarifying question. If we, if we don't take the FEMA money, if we choose not to do repairs, do we lose it for future years?

[1:43:37] So I bet.

[1:43:43] Yes, we would lose that money.

[1:43:47] Yeah, why would you ever turn down money from the federal government? Especially these days. Anyway, yes, sir.

[1:43:53] I have all the tools on there, opportunity costs for town employee hours or machinery for the project and does that endanger some of the planning that we just approved and

[1:44:08] Can you remind me how long or how how much service time money will it's has been in operation for the last five or 10 years.

[1:44:18] select board. Yeah, I can't give you an exact answer but how much service time has been down there.

[1:44:25] I mean, Trevor, you can chime in. You've been here for around five years. If you want, you don't have to, of course.

[1:44:32] But yeah, and you asked about opportunity cost, great question. I mean, there would be a lot of opportunity benefit going through this because I mean,

[1:44:41] done, may the details of which, if we done through an outside company, which are there

[1:44:46] for free, may the crew might help out, but would free up the crew for doing a number

[1:44:51] of other projects that I know that they're planning. So there will be a benefit to going

[1:44:54] with this route with the theme of support.

[1:44:57] And if I should also say it folks one more

[1:45:00] Details about the study or about the process. We have them here, and feel free to ask us any time.

[1:45:07] So, I just want to add one more thing to that. So, if this is passed, we will put it out to bid for different contract and companies.

[1:45:16] And at that point, they will probably walk the road and everything with us, with device and king and they will submit their bids.

[1:45:27] So the local contractor, whoever gets the bit, will be the ones doing the work, and if they need a truck or something from the highway department here and there, I'm sure we can facilitate that.

[1:45:39] Okay, yes sir.

[1:45:50] I'm going to do show how my live up on Burl Hill.

[1:45:53] And I just wonder how many wood does it get fixed, what will happen to her?

[1:46:02] Yeah, I mean, not if it doesn't get fixed, I mean there's, I guess there's a couple options we have, but it's basically going to stay the way it is, you know, folks walk on it.

[1:46:10] And, you know, it won't be accessible.

[1:46:13] But you're going to allow the public to walk on

[1:46:15] when you have put bridges in and get over the two streams.

[1:46:20] And that will probably come out of the telemoney

[1:46:23] and probably have to be engineered by the state.

[1:46:27] Yeah, we haven't made any decision about what to do

[1:46:30] if we don't repair it.

[1:46:32] I mean, I think you've asked this question

[1:46:34] because this is why it's really important.

[1:46:36] Or we felt it was really important to have this as an article

[1:46:38] a town meeting. So questions like yours and we could discuss it as a group. So there would

[1:46:43] be, you know, if we decided to keep it under eminent that would be a decision for the

[1:46:47] for the board to make whether or not to add bridges there. But that would obviously,

[1:46:49] you know, we need permitting and all that stuff. And we need to follow the proper state

[1:46:52] process. So there would be costs to that if we decided to do that.

[1:46:55] I just think it's a valuable infrastructure to be ashamed of the rules of it.

[1:47:00] Okay. Other questions or comments? Yes, ma'am.

[1:47:06] Yeah. I'll get to the next. Thanks.

[1:47:09] that make a rick near the other half.

[1:47:11] That lives right, right, where Pinywood almost ends.

[1:47:17] I highly recommend that we reopen the road,

[1:47:19] because it is a direct route down to Virginia.

[1:47:22] It's better if my husband, when he goes on first responses,

[1:47:25] has to go all the way around to get the other side of town.

[1:47:29] When we moved in in 1992,

[1:47:31] we didn't realize it was the middle of the winter.

[1:47:32] We didn't realize the road was blown out.

[1:47:34] And we were like, oh, this road is so peaceful.

[1:47:37] This road is so quiet.

[1:47:39] And then the, they fixed the road and we realized there was a lot more traffic but it still is a very useful road and I think that it probably should be open as long as it can be guaranteed that this time it won't blow out again in five years.

[1:47:54] Also, one thought if it's not fixed is, the many years ago, we talked to some of the landowners down that road and tried to recommend that the Autobahn center take over some of the land down there,

[1:48:12] what down by the water and the cliffs and the it's really an amazing place

[1:48:16] burning and everything and I highly recommend that the town

[1:48:21] reach out to park system or or the town

[1:48:25] town far as system or the Audubon Center and set the road up as a place

[1:48:30] for people to go and you know birdwatch hike etc etc.

[1:48:43] I'm just wondering if we had FEMA funds left over from other projects

[1:48:48] Why would we lose these if we didn't use them if we still had some leftover?

[1:48:55] And I was also wondering when FEMA needs to have a decision from the down.

[1:49:00] Like Gordon?

[1:49:07] Those are great questions, Kelly.

[1:49:08] Thank you.

[1:49:10] Speak right into it.

[1:49:14] So, FEMA funds, FEMA projects get classified in different ways and depending on the dollar amount.

[1:49:21] So, the funds that we have left over are from a dollar amount that was below a certain threshold by which we get to keep those funds.

[1:49:34] With projects that are as large as the Piny Woods Rose project, we wouldn't be able to keep those funds.

[1:49:42] I think Stan, right?

[1:49:44] So, the reason we have money left over is because when, what is the, what does that mean?

[1:49:52] Old stage, thank you. When Old stage was repaired, there were some funds left over from that.

[1:50:01] And Davis wrote too. Thank you, Joe.

[1:50:04] And that was one part of your question. What was the other part?

[1:50:06] when is

[1:50:10] right. We had already asked for an extension because these funds were supposed to be used

[1:50:16] up by February or something silly like that. So stand asked for an extension and we would be able

[1:50:24] to ask for another extension. So we don't really have a deadline at this point.

[1:50:29] I think it was July.

[1:50:33] July

[1:50:36] 14th. Okay. Wow. Okay. Yes, sir. And then I'll get to the person over here. We're still talking

[1:50:43] about Article 7.

[1:50:47] You've parented over on Silver Street, which is kind of bouncy.

[1:50:52] I remember some years ago, we had a flood in Vermont.

[1:50:56] It wasn't in the last several.

[1:50:57] It was longer to go.

[1:50:59] But I understood from a newspaper article

[1:51:02] that culverts that were put in had to follow FEMA recommendations

[1:51:08] and all those culverts eventually flew out.

[1:51:12] But because you took the FEMA money,

[1:51:14] you couldn't do anything else but what they recommended.

[1:51:18] So I'm wondering, is can we all rebuild the culverse?

[1:51:22] Because the storms aren't going to get less intense.

[1:51:25] And if we have to put it, I'm sort of with Mark Richtner on this

[1:51:29] that I think is going to blow out again.

[1:51:32] And I don't know if we have the flexibility to build larger

[1:51:35] stream crossings.

[1:51:37] I think John wants to answer this one.

[1:51:44] So there's, there's a couple kinds of theme of projects.

[1:51:49] It's always a pain to deal with them and it takes forever,

[1:51:53] usually takes forever to get your money back.

[1:51:55] But if you're going to rebuild something as it was before,

[1:52:00] it's a little more straightforward process and a little faster

[1:52:03] process to get a response from FEMA.

[1:52:06] So the first time was the 2020, I forget when the other blowout

[1:52:09] was 2019, that blowout,

[1:52:12] We got the approval more quickly, we got funds more quickly because we were basically putting it back as it was in fact

[1:52:18] I think the exact same culverts

[1:52:21] At least from the large ones went back in where they were before

[1:52:24] So it went through pretty quickly as a much smaller number

[1:52:28] What's proposed?

[1:52:30] Now, well, in part of the reason that it took so long and it's been down so long is, it didn't make sense to go back.

[1:52:37] And let's just replace it as it was again before and build it back again.

[1:52:42] Five years later, we have another blowout. It just doesn't make sense to keep doing the same thing and expect a different outcome.

[1:52:48] So we went through the more lengthy process of, we need to upgrade this.

[1:52:53] We need to get a, they pay, I think, a lower percentage when you're doing, you know, an upgrade.

[1:53:00] And it takes a lot longer to get approval. So that was a whole, and if you look at the proposals,

[1:53:06] the culvert, I'm not sure the box culverts are just, yeah, they're like what went in on mountain road,

[1:53:13] not long ago, and by the lanes on the Bristol road before then,

[1:53:21] And there are much, much bigger, probably would have wing walls to protect them and let

[1:53:26] them everything.

[1:53:28] Is that going to guarantee that it doesn't pull out again?

[1:53:31] I can guarantee you it's not.

[1:53:34] That road is a problem road.

[1:53:36] It will get damaged again when we have a big storm.

[1:53:40] With these improvements, it should be a whole lot less of a mess than what happened this

[1:53:45] time, because the culverts will be able to carry it and it should be more minor damage

[1:53:50] like we see on other roads when we get a big storm.

[1:53:54] OK, other questions or comments?

[1:53:56] Yes, sir, and then I'll get to you.

[1:53:58] Yes, sir, in the back.

[1:54:08] And from my side of the fence,

[1:54:10] it's a nice little country road.

[1:54:12] It should stay a nice little country road.

[1:54:15] If you've widened the way they want it,

[1:54:17] it's going to be like a big interstate.

[1:54:19] Guide rails to all nine yards down to the finding wood road.

[1:54:22] If that's what you folks want to look at, vote for it.

[1:54:26] I choose not to, but I'd rather see the road closed.

[1:54:29] Thank you.

[1:54:37] Yeah, my name is Michael Herbert.

[1:54:40] I'm with Tom Kenyan.

[1:54:41] We all in the rest of the property on the point of Woodrowed.

[1:54:45] Years ago, the point of Woodrowed was designated as scenic route,

[1:54:49] which it is.

[1:54:50] I mean, the road's closed.

[1:54:51] And all kinds of people are walking up and down the road.

[1:54:56] If we're talking about the autobond society,

[1:54:58] wanting to access some of our property,

[1:55:01] Well, tell you the truth of their property is legally posted and we got trio came with the people walking all over our property, but that's besides the point

[1:55:11] As far as I'm concerned we should leave the road

[1:55:16] as

[1:55:17] as it is as much as possible the problem has been the culverts were not big enough

[1:55:23] I mean when you you know the culverts not big enough it washes out again

[1:55:28] You don't put the same size culvert back in.

[1:55:31] You put a bigger culvert in, but the thing of it is, if you put the bigger culvert in,

[1:55:38] it's there, which takes a water five years out of 20, it's fine, but there was those years

[1:55:44] where we have the fresh it, you know, the big floods it comes through, where that culvert's

[1:55:49] not picking up.

[1:55:50] So simply, you need some bigger culverts or you need to put some culverts aside with

[1:55:57] bigger culverts so when the water gets up there it has a place to go and my brother

[1:56:02] day was saying well the upper culvert all you need to do is have a place for the water

[1:56:08] to go when it when it you know can't go through the culvert so if you make a ditch

[1:56:13] between the two culverts that are already there in line it was stone when the water can't

[1:56:20] culvert can't take it it goes down the ditch and avoids the other culvert and goes back into

[1:56:25] the brook. And there's a lot of things that can be done without widening the road without cutting

[1:56:33] all the trees down. I mean the trees that are there sure the snow plow hooks them because

[1:56:37] the road is narrow. But the trees also hold a road in place. They hold a road from washing out.

[1:56:45] And if you take the trees out, you're going to have to put some burglars up because there's a

[1:56:50] to drop off there, and if somebody rolls off that, they're going to get killed.

[1:56:56] So I'd like to just see him with bigger culverts in, maybe some more, and fix the road.

[1:57:03] As it was, as much as we can, sure, to shortcut.

[1:57:07] I mean, I go to my daughter's house over on the lanes over there, and I have to go all the way

[1:57:12] around, or before, it was just a shortcut, and I'm sure a lot of people, I kind of like

[1:57:17] have it closed because there's a lot less traffic going by my house in the morning. But I guess

[1:57:22] that's all I have to say. Thank you.

[1:57:30] Article 7, any other questions are caught?

[1:57:33] Ments. Yes.

[1:57:38] Oh, come on. Let me sit down this time. So, Pinewood has always been my favorite

[1:57:45] place to bicycle in Monkton.

[1:57:49] That said, $1.2 million to repair it.

[1:57:57] FEMA responds to a lot of natural disasters.

[1:57:59] They fund a lot of repair as natural disasters.

[1:58:02] Funny what's road is relatively minor.

[1:58:06] And this is money that is part of a larger society.

[1:58:10] And the question comes down is, is this the best place

[1:58:14] to spend $1.2 million dollars.

[1:58:17] The way I finally thought about it for myself

[1:58:21] is just some quick math.

[1:58:23] If you assume 50 cars a day, I'm funny with this road.

[1:58:30] And driving 365 days a year, and you

[1:58:32] buy that into $1.2 million, that's $65 per car.

[1:58:38] So now that's just over one year.

[1:58:40] If you say 10 years, that's $6.50 per car.

[1:58:43] travel that road. You know, think about it as a total

[1:58:47] road. You're going to charge $6 a $5 a ride up and down

[1:58:50] that road each year to keep it maintained. It's just in terms

[1:58:55] of overall society. It seems to me that it's low-wonged

[1:58:58] their practical. Maybe practical for saving time in the

[1:59:02] horse and buggy age, but in cars. I think it's time to let

[1:59:05] the road go to the class for it.

[1:59:11] I actually wanted to let

[1:59:13] you have the opportunity to respond because I don't know

[1:59:16] what the engineering studies look like.

[1:59:18] Things have just been put out on the table.

[1:59:21] Are we really looking at retaining walls?

[1:59:24] Are you widening the road?

[1:59:25] So two fire trucks can pass,

[1:59:27] are you making it, are we going from a 30 foot easement

[1:59:30] to a 60 foot easement?

[1:59:32] Are we putting up retaining walls?

[1:59:34] Where the trees are gonna come down?

[1:59:36] Because it is a straight drop, 40 feet at times.

[1:59:39] Are they're going to be guard rails?

[1:59:41] Could things were just brought up?

[1:59:43] I'd love to give you the opportunity to respond.

[1:59:46] So I put,

[1:59:55] yes, the road would need to be wide and if we were with the theme of it.

[2:00:00] And I just want to say, like, this is why we wanted to have this as an article at town meeting. Maybe folks are like, I want to get the app out of here, but this is really, this is really important. These are great questions.

[2:00:11] I mean, we're really in a bind. So if that road is going to be repaired, the most inexpensive and effective option is to go with the FEMA route.

[2:00:20] The challenge or that, obviously, into Mr. Kenyan's points, which I totally take in

[2:00:26] sincerity, is, you know, that's going to change the character of the road.

[2:00:31] And we would have to adhere to the FEMA standards and also the state permanent standards.

[2:00:36] You know, so we would be limited by those constraints.

[2:00:40] Now, those vessions of the law, you know, like the state law and federal law, which we have

[2:00:44] to comply with.

[2:00:47] Thank you, my son, out there.

[2:00:49] In terms of the work that will be done, I can share the high level of what the theme

[2:00:54] is recommended.

[2:00:55] I don't recall anything about retaining walls, but at the end there would be three box

[2:00:59] culverts, and there would also be a number of Vanessa Hobert's point.

[2:01:02] There would be some ditching higher up and up-sizing some of those culverts across culverts

[2:01:08] that are going across the road.

[2:01:11] I've learned a lot about culverts.

[2:01:13] I've walked that road about 10 times, many of the times with Joe.

[2:01:16] The culverts that are there actually need to be installed at an angle.

[2:01:21] So right now they're at a right angle and they need to be installed at a more like a 45 degree

[2:01:25] angle to better redirect water.

[2:01:27] So that's also in the theme of proposal.

[2:01:31] So there are a number of changes that I mean like John said I totally agree we can't guarantee

[2:01:35] that a one damage the row but this would give us the best chance to both allow that row to

[2:01:40] be open and then we would do everything we possibly can to preserve the row character that

[2:01:45] within the constraints that are provided to us from the Fed's federal government and from the state.

[2:01:50] So, so this culverts are going to be some ditching, and then box culverts at the end.

[2:01:58] Does that answer your question?

[2:02:01] Yep.

[2:02:21] That should only be

[2:02:26] 70 feet across.

[2:02:27] Anyway, so, are you, I don't know the study.

[2:02:33] There's no room when you go down the hill.

[2:02:36] There is nothing to the right.

[2:02:39] So, are you cutting into the left to make it wider, or are we filling all that to the right?

[2:02:47] There's only certain of them.

[2:02:50] We'd be cutting more of the left.

[2:02:51] There's nothing in that space, but if I hear this concern, I know that exactly that corner you're talking about.

[2:02:57] I mean, I think that would be something crust to consider.

[2:02:59] I mean, the safety of that road is really important.

[2:03:01] You know, I think, you know, that's probably my favorite road in town.

[2:03:04] and I look very close by there.

[2:03:06] There are parts of that road that need to be more safe.

[2:03:09] For sure.

[2:03:09] I mean, there's that blind curve that you're talking

[2:03:11] about that left piece there.

[2:03:12] I know exactly we're talking about that.

[2:03:13] We are proposing that would be a part of the pose

[2:03:15] of going to that side rather than going off into the stream,

[2:03:18] which I don't think would even be permitted.

[2:03:20] I'm not an engineer, but yeah.

[2:03:21] And I guess my follow-up is going back to what Roger said.

[2:03:26] It sounds like we're going to have an incredible, well-designed,

[2:03:31] beautifully constructed to my heart.

[2:03:33] one mile road at each end of which is an old country road and this is probably going to end

[2:03:40] up being the best dirt road we have in the entire town or a cutthrew that used to be a

[2:03:48] scenic bypass. It's just bring it up. They didn't get it. It's no benefit. Right now we cannot

[2:03:55] we won't take an ambulance through there. I'm not sure we will once it's fixed. We'll have to

[2:03:59] to see what it looks like. But if it looks like we could, it probably means it's lost all of

[2:04:03] this character.

[2:04:06] That's what I mean, our intention is certainly, I know it's not to disrupt the character

[2:04:12] of the road. It's just to offer you all the information about what we need, what we would

[2:04:16] need to comply with in order to repair it, and still receive the thing that we want to

[2:04:24] Okay, Article 7.

[2:04:26] You've got a question?

[2:04:28] No, I don't know.

[2:04:28] Okay.

[2:04:31] Yeah.

[2:04:31] Go ahead.

[2:04:33] Let the slide board to make the move.

[2:04:34] Just one last comment.

[2:04:37] This article, according to, from outlies of cities and towns.

[2:04:41] This is not a binding vote.

[2:04:45] You guys can vote against it.

[2:04:46] And the select board could still decide to fix the road.

[2:04:49] But part of the reason for putting the article on the warning is because it's so important for us to hear from the voters what they want.

[2:05:05] So there was a lot of concern about keeping the road, like as it is, is rural as possible.

[2:05:12] And Sam and I, we did try to go with that route with just what campus hours in walk

[2:05:19] never road, we went with contractors, the highway department, but with how we were trying

[2:05:25] to do that, we were not going to get the permits approved to reopen the road that we needed

[2:05:30] and we crossed the rivers, which we didn't know at the time when we started going down that route

[2:05:35] of having local contractors, so we would essentially have more control over how the road is

[2:05:40] me felt so I can I can tell you that was not going to be a proof so then it just comes back

[2:05:45] to the old throw it up or not like we've done the multiple of the risks okay so there's

[2:05:50] been a request to call the question do I need to take that to a vote sorry unfortunately

[2:05:59] when when a voter requests to call the question in other words to cease to pay we've got

[2:06:08] immediately move to a vote on that. So we're going to vote on the request to cease the pay.

[2:06:15] Although it's going to be by two thirds majority. All those in favor of the request to cease the

[2:06:20] pay under Article 7, signify by saying aye. All those opposed signify by saying no. The

[2:06:30] If you guys approve of it, the eyes do have a request to cease to make carries, okay, we're going to vote on Article 7.

[2:06:39] She'll the voters authorized no more than $150,000.

[2:06:43] For the repairs of finding Woods Road of which $60,000.

[2:06:49] $7239,000.

[2:06:50] She'll be raised by taxes and $89,200, $268,000 by non-tax revenues.

[2:06:57] All those in favor of Article 7, signify by saying aye.

[2:07:04] All those opposed signify by saying no.

[2:07:12] Yeah, we're going to go to a division of the House.

[2:07:16] Are there seven among you who would like to do a paper ballad,

[2:07:20] or is a division of the House sufficient?

[2:07:23] I don't see seven hands.

[2:07:25] One, two, three, four.

[2:07:30] The Division of the House would be either hand or standing. I don't see seven members that want to pay well. Okay, now I do. All right, all right, for the civil authority, please come forward. We're going to proceed to an Australia ballot or paper ballot on this article.

[2:08:22] Okay, folks, if you're going to vote, you've got to stay in the room.

[2:08:30] The bear is so authority's going to pass out of ballot.

[2:08:33] One ballot per person, only,

[2:08:39] well, you'll have, but you'll be surprised.

[2:08:42] One ballot per person.

[2:08:45] And then you mark your ballot.

[2:08:47] Yes, in favor of Article 7, though, a post of Article 7, the Bill of Civil Authority will ask you to

[2:08:56] put your ballot into a box, and then we'll count them in rule and answer them up.

[2:09:03] It's going to take 10 or 15 minutes, so just to give you an idea.

[2:10:24] Come on, do it after

[2:10:45] you and deposit it next to Sharon.

[2:10:47] You

[2:11:09] are not allowed to vote,

[2:11:14] particularly in most towns, there is a non-resonant section for people to sit.

[2:11:20] So if you're not a resident, please don't vote.

[2:13:19] Let's go to vote in.

[2:13:21] So that card you allowed to vote as well.

[2:13:24] You measured downspaper

[2:13:33] in these kinds of things unless to break a tie.

[2:13:50] Okay, vote in is now ceased.

[2:13:53] We're going to count.

[2:14:13] Your results are the vote here in a couple minutes.

[2:18:14] And there was also the Australian ballot under Article 7. In favor, 54, opposed, 64, Article 7 fails,

[2:18:32] article, yes, man?

[2:18:47] It's been voted upon

[2:18:51] in the 7. We

[2:18:57] can't change what's been done. Okay? So, article 8.

[2:19:06] Article 8, shall the town provide notice of the availability of the annual report by postcard

[2:19:14] mail to all registered voters, at least 30 days before the annual meeting, instead of

[2:19:21] mailing or otherwise distributing the report to the voters of the town, pursuant to 24

[2:19:28] for Mont Statutes, annotated section 1682A. Is there a motion? It's been moved second. It's been

[2:19:38] seconded. All right, automatically it has been moved in second. It's like when any comments you'd

[2:19:46] like to make about, this is apparently a recently enacted statute by the legislature to perhaps

[2:19:53] to save the town some money.

[2:19:58] Thank you, Jerry.

[2:20:00] So the town spends about $10,000 a year

[2:20:03] printing and mailing the town reports.

[2:20:06] And we could get maybe 150, 100, 250 people

[2:20:10] who show up for town meeting.

[2:20:12] So the question is, are we wasting the town's money

[2:20:16] and are we wasting resources

[2:20:17] by printing and mailing town reports to so many people?

[2:20:23] With this, we can mail at a postcard, let people know that time reports are available.

[2:20:27] People can request for the time reports to be mailed to them, or they can come into the town offices and pick up a time report.

[2:20:39] Any other questions? Yes sir.

[2:20:44] So the postcards that comes out will come out, how far in advance of town meeting?

[2:20:52] And that report will be available immediately at the upon receipt of those postcards?

[2:20:56] I'm sorry.

[2:20:57] that report will be available immediately upon receipt of those postcards.

[2:21:03] Well, I guess my question is, are we going to benefit by getting the information 30 days earlier or not?

[2:21:16] Because currently, the town report comes out about a week and a half ahead of town meeting

[2:21:20] and doesn't give a lot of people all of time to digest all the information in there,

[2:21:25] given the size and scope and growth of town government and bureaucracy contained there in.

[2:21:31] So, earlier getting the reports would be a great benefit to the community, and that's the reason I support this.

[2:21:39] I don't care about the expense. I care about getting the stuff in time to be able to digest it and act on it.

[2:21:50] Other questions, yes, John, and then I'll get to use it a quick one might impression is that this would not affect the timing of the availability of the information.

[2:22:01] Gentlemen in the back there, who had your hand raised yes.

[2:22:09] Yeah.

[2:22:12] Yeah, it's available online, probably way before the books come out.

[2:22:18] Well, never mind.

[2:22:25] Maybe shortly before the books come out.

[2:22:28] Good.

[2:22:31] So, I'd be in favor of this, too, just because with the way things go with the postal service currently, like it took forever to get this to our house.

[2:22:43] So, I'd rather than I put it in the postal services hands at this point to trying it to me at a timely fashion given as he said,

[2:22:50] there's a lot more to read, a lot more to consider, and so being able to say hey, hey, I can go by the town office and rather download it online.

[2:23:01] You're Jenny?

[2:23:02] And then I'll get to you Steve.

[2:23:04] I haven't.

[2:23:05] I haven't been to you forever.

[2:23:07] Yeah.

[2:23:08] The only thing that I'd like to have is that I think you would be important to have the town report available other places.

[2:23:14] Maybe the school.

[2:23:16] Maybe at recycling.

[2:23:18] Because I think what this would result in this human people getting the town report would not be a good result.

[2:23:24] So if we couldn't maybe there's going to be a new general store.

[2:23:27] maybe in town, that could be maybe of the garage, maybe, I don't know, other places, but

[2:23:34] somewhere other than just one place.

[2:23:39] Jill in the back,

[2:23:45] it's been spent.

[2:23:47] If you think in charge of you to count on four, if you think four starts, don't be in order.

[2:24:06] There's about 1850 registered voters in town, and we had about maybe 130 folks show up, so you can kind of do the math.

[2:24:17] There are 17,000, there are about buckets that got mailed to folks who, you know,

[2:24:26] this is the pilot who show up for town name.

[2:24:28] Good, Steve.

[2:24:29] So we don't, we don't send a kind of report to every registered motor.

[2:24:35] We send a ton of households.

[2:24:37] But the equivalent is this.

[2:24:39] This used to get sent to every voter in London,

[2:24:45] well, with some exceptions.

[2:24:48] But this is the annual report from a USD.

[2:24:52] This is what it would be like.

[2:24:53] You guys would be something that you would

[2:24:56] come and pick up on town meeting dates.

[2:24:59] I think this sent to every voter every household in London

[2:25:04] is about community engagement.

[2:25:06] It's not about whether or not they come to town meeting.

[2:25:10] This is a really great, great community resource.

[2:25:15] I would be in favor of continuing our current policy.

[2:25:18] Thank you.

[2:25:21] Okay.

[2:25:21] Other questions?

[2:25:22] Comments under article 8.

[2:25:26] Ready for the vote?

[2:25:27] Can I take a comment?

[2:25:28] Oh.

[2:25:29] Sorry.

[2:25:29] Go ahead.

[2:25:30] My self-enrading truck 17 boxes from the post office of those things.

[2:25:36] 850 up the correct and it costs a town how much to do this every year?

[2:25:41] 10,000 dollars okay and everybody's environmentally concerned so we don't

[2:25:46] want to waste the trees right so wouldn't it be better if we it is hung on the

[2:25:50] SharePoint or the portal of the town's website correct okay so wouldn't it be

[2:25:58] more efficient if we said the town reports are out you can either download it

[2:26:03] yourself and bring your laptop to the meeting, you can ask for it to be printed by the town

[2:26:08] or you can print it yourself or, and if you can't come to the town office to pick it up

[2:26:14] will mail it to you.

[2:26:15] With that great, we reduce the number of town reports we produce and it will still give us

[2:26:20] a community engagement because it's still out there somewhere, but we wouldn't have the

[2:26:24] print, 850 of them haven't said me and Randy up there once a year to try to mail them.

[2:26:30] Right? The shower was involved in that pulpy asco, it's involved for chewing all the coats of

[2:26:34] masks for a mine's fur, and I could see that it's looking out on us, and we're on

[2:26:38] Sharon's side, and I got two free lunches out of Rianni out of it.

[2:26:44] Okay. Just a recommendation.

[2:26:47] The thought, maybe cut down the cost to here. You know, we're talking a bit of a million

[2:26:51] dollars, we're building a road. Well, could we save $7,000 to put towards that road to

[2:26:57] put a sign on the end of it, or something like that?

[2:26:59] My thoughts.

[2:27:00] Yes, sir.

[2:27:01] I got a, maybe a amendment to this.

[2:27:05] Maybe we should send postcards out that we will be returned to the town and the people

[2:27:12] who don't want a town report can say I don't want a town report and the people who do

[2:27:18] want a town report, they're postcards will say I want a town report that we only have

[2:27:23] to print so many town reports rather than say you know.

[2:27:27] Yeah, unfortunately, the chair cannot accept the proposed amendment because, unfortunately,

[2:27:33] the article is pursuant to a state statute and the article is drafted in such a way

[2:27:40] as to follow the law and what you're proposing is something that's not included in the statute.

[2:27:47] That's probably something you could bring up under advisory motion as a, you know, advice

[2:27:53] to the town about how to implement it, but you can't.

[2:27:57] You can't change the statute, so I can't allow the amendment.

[2:28:01] Okay, well, secondly, I might go on to the next article, but I'm sorry.

[2:28:05] Last year, at town meeting, I asked that the town we put it in, big enough so you could

[2:28:13] read it without magnifying glass, and most of it was this year, except for winning, got

[2:28:19] to the dollars and cents of the budget, and it's really small, and I'd like to see that

[2:28:25] We can read it next year without a magnifying glass, but thank you.

[2:28:31] I think the select board heard you on that.

[2:28:33] Yes, ma'am?

[2:28:40] Debt gainer.

[2:28:41] I would like to emphasize the fact that the town report is more than just bringing people out to town meaning.

[2:28:47] It contains reports from every committee and every commission in town.

[2:28:52] It contains a lot of information about what their activities are and calls for donations and volunteer activity.

[2:28:59] And provides information for the progress that is being made by the committees that we're all volunteers on.

[2:29:09] So it's not just about coming out to vote.

[2:29:12] It's also about what the town is that we're all part of.

[2:29:15] Thank you.

[2:29:18] Okay. Other questions or comments under Article 8?

[2:29:24] Are we going to vote?

[2:29:27] notice that the availability of the interim report by postcard may have all registered voters

[2:29:32] at least 30 days before the annual meeting, instead of mailing or otherwise distributing

[2:29:38] the report to the voters at the town for 7 to 24 for months that you've annotated section 1682

[2:29:46] sub-paragraph A. All those in favor signify by saying aye.

[2:29:51] All those brothers signify by saying no

[2:30:00] All right, let's do a division of the House. The division of the House is we're going to count hands or actually, it's probably easier with people, well, yeah, no people standing. Yeah, well, except we got people standing in the back. So that doesn't work. Some people don't want to sit. So we're going to raise hands. All those in favor of Article 8, please raise your hand.

[2:30:30] for the civil authority, your responsibility to count.

[2:30:38] Well, I don't know how many for the civil authorities are here,

[2:30:42] but yeah, the select board's part a bit short.

[2:30:49] Yeah, yeah, split it up.

[2:30:52] Just one hand, just one hand.

[2:30:57] No two hand voting.

[2:31:05] Yeah, keep your hands up until I tell you to lower.

[2:31:13] This is in favor of article 8.

[2:31:44] Okay, you can lower your hands.

[2:31:49] All those opposed, please raise one hand.

[2:32:03] Keep them up if you want to count it.

[2:32:53] Okay, but your hands down folks.

[2:32:55] Aye. Article 8. Yes.

[2:33:02] In February 16, opposed for three.

[2:33:06] Article 8. Gary's. Article 9. To transact any other business property come before this meeting.

[2:33:13] This is the so called advisory motion, opportunity can't take any binding town action under this article, but if you've got suggestions or thoughts for the select board or just comment you'd like to make

[2:33:29] Yes, ma'am, and then I'll get to you Jessica. Yes, ma'am. Come on up. Grab a mic.

[2:33:38] As some of you may know, there's been an ongoing attempt to approve the agricultural literacy of the

[2:33:46] kids in Monten, also the agricultural literacy of the adults in Monten, and we have there's a writing

[2:33:54] contest every year, farmers in Monten. We have noticed over the past 25 or 30 years that the contest has been running less

[2:34:03] knowledge about what is going on in town. I work culturally, what's grown here, who's doing that.

[2:34:10] And so we have a new project which is to record anybody farmers or former farmers or children

[2:34:18] of farmers who would like to be recorded sort of a story core kind of thing and more

[2:34:25] and higher than myself are getting trained to do this. We are definitely not experts. We've

[2:34:30] to introduce so far.

[2:34:32] The hope with this is that the interviews will be,

[2:34:35] the recordings will be at the Hunting Historical Society

[2:34:40] in the Library available through the school

[2:34:42] and also there.

[2:34:43] So anybody who would like to be interviewed, contact me

[2:34:47] or Lauren, or you can volunteer your relatives,

[2:34:51] if you want to.

[2:34:52] Will come to your houses, or we've permitted the library,

[2:34:56] whatever you'd like.

[2:34:56] There's a sign-up sheet at the Historical Society table,

[2:35:00] And I'm sure that I'll be giving further opportunities.

[2:35:04] I'll be bugging people.

[2:35:06] Thank you.

[2:35:08] Jessica?

[2:35:12] I wasn't able to comment on the article that we had voted on about Piney Woods Road.

[2:35:19] I heard that there were questions on the floor about why the vote was advisory only.

[2:35:24] And state law gives select boards the legal means to take care of the roads as they see fit.

[2:35:33] We're charged with keeping the roads safe and keeping the roads open.

[2:35:37] So it's not arbitrary.

[2:35:49] I just wanted to sort of rise and, you know, Bill Joes was our treacherous for 13 years.

[2:35:58] before that, he was the liquid, he was our assistant treacher.

[2:36:03] He really got thrown into the fire when Chuck Roomis

[2:36:07] had treachery left and he sort of trained himself as he went.

[2:36:15] And I just wanted to recognize his years of service

[2:36:19] and give my appreciation.

[2:36:36] I actually look forward to the select board coming back

[2:36:39] giving us more details on Piney Woods Road and keeping us all in form. I know it's not an easy decision.

[2:36:46] And I hope you're able to keep the character so it's not the only major third way in our town.

[2:36:52] At the same time, I'd like to say that as a recommendation, there are people in our town and as a first response that we can't get to and less we go to another town.

[2:37:03] So as we're looking at roads, and I know you always do

[2:37:07] Why can't we get to Jockey Lane from our own town and if we're looking at roads to open, we need more North South

[2:37:16] Corridor's not less and we used to have North South Corridors, but we seem to have run a few of them up

[2:37:22] I mean, I literally had to re-devert somebody who bought the nickels roads still went through when they were responding

[2:37:28] New work on get anywhere

[2:37:30] But, you know, as we look at roads, there's a lot about the roads that could be looked at, so.

[2:37:40] But, yes, in the back.

[2:37:46] I'm Laura, I'm from States Prison Hall of Rotten.

[2:37:50] My name is, and I have the same sentiment, and we really like to thank the current road crew for how well they've kept our road this winter.

[2:37:59] I know it's been really challenging, and I just wanted to recognize that this is a great crew. It hasn't seen this good since Wayne left.

[2:38:07] Thank you.

[2:38:18] Hi, Kathy Sharmino.

[2:38:20] Now that the treasure is stepped down and we're looking for new one.

[2:38:24] I was wondering if we're going to have an audit done of our books.

[2:38:29] And how far back you will be doing that.

[2:38:33] I did listen to the last select board meeting, the recording,

[2:38:37] and there were issues that were brought up with our

[2:38:41] account reports that were incorrect, specifically the capital projects and other funds,

[2:38:51] where they were describing the end of 2023 started out with a plus 71,000, the start of

[2:38:59] 2024 started at a negative 69,000, the end of 2024 ended at a negative 10,000, the start

[2:39:09] 225 was plus 126,000 and that it was zero times lapse mean and whatever ended in the prior

[2:39:17] year should be the start of the next year and this hasn't been happening since at least 2023

[2:39:24] if not before. And I believe I heard the last audit was when there was a bond for the new

[2:39:31] down hauling 2020.

[2:39:33] So I would like to suggest that we go back at least to the last audit.

[2:39:40] And wonder if that's going to be done.

[2:39:43] Great questions.

[2:39:44] Thank you.

[2:39:44] Yes.

[2:39:45] There is a budget for an audit.

[2:39:46] I believe it's 35,000.

[2:39:48] We've said it's 25,000 to set aside for it.

[2:39:51] We're going to be getting bids from different municipal auditing firms of which they're not

[2:39:56] a ton, so we'll be getting bids.

[2:39:58] and then in the RFP, which is on our town website,

[2:40:01] there is the option for them to bid on subsequent years,

[2:40:04] but I mean, some of that it's going to be

[2:40:05] seeing what the contracts come in.

[2:40:06] And if we're able to do more years back

[2:40:08] than the budget, then we'll do the best we can.

[2:40:12] So folks are going to be betting on it.

[2:40:14] My name

[2:40:45] is Mark Gilmett, and I'm just wondering

[2:40:49] what the town highway, if we have any maintenance procedures,

[2:40:54] in effect,

[2:40:57] I hear that there's a,

[2:40:58] Transmission shot and one of the trucks and I don't know if that truck goes in for an inspection once in a while

[2:41:06] Like a statement's faction

[2:41:09] Transmission lines went hold it up but most people would advise to get the transmission lines repaired

[2:41:14] Before we just blow up the transmission

[2:41:17] It also sounded like we tried to tell a select board that

[2:41:22] It didn't only take out the transmission, but it took out the wearing you took out the chance for a case and it took out the rear end

[2:41:27] Look, I don't see how a transmission can take everything else out, and I think some stuff

[2:41:33] is presented to the board that's way more serious than it actually is.

[2:41:41] I don't know, it seems like if somebody had changed oil in the truck, they would have

[2:41:45] noticed that the transmission lines were leaking, dripping on the floor at highly doubt that

[2:41:50] it just plain sheer it off.

[2:41:54] And now if we're gonna get a new grader,

[2:41:57] is anybody gonna change oil in it?

[2:41:59] Is anybody gonna run around with a grease gun

[2:42:00] before use?

[2:42:02] Do we have anybody in the town garage

[2:42:06] that does any servicing or has the abilities

[2:42:08] to do any servicing?

[2:42:10] Do we need a mechanic one day a week?

[2:42:13] Catch up on some loose ends?

[2:42:15] I don't know the answer, but little disappointed.

[2:42:19] And this truck wasn't even due for another four-year sounds like,

[2:42:26] and buying a transmission

[2:42:27] is expensive.

[2:42:28] Absolutely no doubt, but rust on a truck and stuff, and I guess it was a used truck.

[2:42:35] I don't really know all the details, and I also would like to know, like, I don't think

[2:42:41] that the town should be allowing the road commissioner to drive around with his truck,

[2:42:48] Transporting the crew around. I think it's an absolute liability. I have lived an absolute nightmare

[2:42:54] I know more about law suits in the last four years and in judges and everything else

[2:43:01] I don't think it's proper for him to be transported and if something happens to his truck

[2:43:08] Well, that's a whole another issue

[2:43:10] I'm just surprised at the town of Munkton doesn't have a backup of vehicle whether it's a vehicle for

[2:43:16] the zoning administrator to go check out places, the state troop, the JOL or whoever to go out and check driveway

[2:43:26] curb cuts, the town employees there for the highway to get to work on another job somewhere,

[2:43:35] and just surprise we don't have a backup vehicle. And those are my thoughts and a little

[2:43:41] to this point, whether the transmission and that truck

[2:43:46] can answer one of those questions.

[2:43:56] So to answer your questions as far as the maintenance goes on the vehicles, since I've

[2:44:00] taken over, I got a whole vehicle maintenance sheet where all of our trucks have specific pre-trip

[2:44:06] checks that we have to go through. When we do maintenance on the vehicle, everything's written down.

[2:44:10] So I have binders that show, you know, if the trucks do it, 350 hours, this is one of the trucks

[2:44:15] do, this is what we did on the service, we write all that down now. So all that's all in there,

[2:44:21] have everything written down. As far as the transmission line goes that, that was the previous

[2:44:26] employer that happened all of his and his yard that he had ever before. So what led up to that,

[2:44:31] I'm not entirely sure, but that's just what we picked up on that from that truck coming back

[2:44:36] because I had to go help him try to get the truck here and that's what we found as a transmission line

[2:44:40] which just brought an off and just laying on the ground with no fluid left in the transmission.

[2:44:45] The only reason we're saying on that truck going to the truck that we're thinking about the rear

[2:44:50] being damaged, we're thinking about the transfer case being damaged is we hooked up a dealership

[2:44:54] scanner tool and it's throwing codes for all of these components. So it could just-

[2:45:00] This would be a sensor saying that, you know, the transmission slips and I was showing wheel speed sensors wrong.

[2:45:05] That could just be because it shows that the rear end is going fast in the front end.

[2:45:08] That could be simple like that. We don't know. That's why we're bringing it to a dealership on Tuesday morning.

[2:45:14] Get their full spec on and then we're bringing it to a second shop following that to the second opinion on it.

[2:45:19] See which one will give us a better price. So as far as maintenance goes, going back to that, the highway crew, we do all of our maintenance.

[2:45:26] I have training procedures, I have procedures on how to do everything, everything written up on how we should be doing it.

[2:45:32] And then following it to that exact line and make sure that everything does get done the way that it should be.

[2:45:38] That includes the pre-trip inspections, the annual inspections, and the actual services of the vehicles.

[2:45:45] Any vehicles that we have for state inspections are GMC goes to smaller shots because smaller shots can do it.

[2:45:51] all of our bigger equipment has to go to bigger dealerships that the proper licensing

[2:45:55] to do that. It's all of our equipment will be getting the required state inspection

[2:46:00] to make sure that they're safe and legal for our roads, but we're just getting caught up on that

[2:46:06] right now. Some things that weren't done in the past that are getting done now, we're playing a little

[2:46:11] bit of catch up on it. So it will get better, there will be more behind it.

[2:46:19] Um, you want to follow up?

[2:46:24] Look, I'm not really trying to get at about the state inspection stuff. I'm just saying that when

[2:46:28] the truck went to a state inspection facility or if somebody was calling underneath the truck

[2:46:35] seems like the transmission lines would have been noticed for rust.

[2:46:41] I'm not sure in this guy's name if it's Trevor or what but the road boardman's name

[2:46:47] well they have so much work to do out on the highway.

[2:46:51] They've got ditches.

[2:46:52] They've got complaints from everybody that lives on a dirt road.

[2:46:56] They've got complaints for snow plowing.

[2:46:58] They've got so many complaints to deal with.

[2:47:00] So many places to be.

[2:47:02] They only got four on the cruise sounds like.

[2:47:05] They don't have time to stay in the shop and loop trucks

[2:47:10] and check cool it and you never

[2:47:13] are going to get the road snow plowed.

[2:47:15] And somehow, these trucks are going by my house every hour.

[2:47:19] One to talk to a clock, three to talk, four to talk, five to talk.

[2:47:22] Still plowing.

[2:47:25] They need grease and they need the fluids checked and we need to be looking and see if the

[2:47:30] brake line is eroded out of the transmission line is eroded out so we can prevent the

[2:47:35] future accidents, incidents, or what, no, I don't know, yeah, maybe there was a previous

[2:47:41] team but look at everybody on the highway department, I'm sure they're not really mechanics.

[2:47:47] And I'm not saying anything about them, maybe they're, maybe they're great but, and

[2:47:54] I'm not saying to him about myself being a mechanic.

[2:47:56] I'm just saying that really this way is a transmission length went from this truck in the transmission going to cost so much money to fix and now we're just going to cost up 70,000 per another truck.

[2:48:06] In Trevor treats money like it's cheap.

[2:48:09] The public, that truck would cost 87,000, but to us because we're admitted to the quality, it's only 72,000, so it's just no big deal.

[2:48:17] I think it's a big deal.

[2:48:19] And that's about all I got to say on it.

[2:48:21] All right, any other questions or comments?

[2:48:26] Chair would entertain them.

[2:48:27] Well, good.

[2:48:31] At some point, the chair would entertain a motion to adjourn.

[2:48:35] Yes, you go.

[2:48:36] I'm quick, as well.

[2:48:38] I just want to say thanks to John for passing this microphone around.

[2:48:42] Versus, I haven't ever been to come up here because the aisles are narrow.

[2:48:46] And I'd like to advise the select board.

[2:48:48] Reach out to the Boy Scouts.

[2:48:49] have a couple of voice counts and a couple of microphones here next year and that would really help a lot.

[2:48:55] I know they couldn't be here this year. They're going to food drive down at the recycling center.

[2:49:00] But I think thanks John and...

[2:49:16] Do a adjourn, signify by saying hi.

[2:49:21] All those opposed, signify by saying now?

[2:49:25] Motion adjourn carries.

[2:49:28] Thanks folks, see you next year.

Monkton Town Meeting 2026

Transcript