Selectboard Regular Meeting Minutes Thetford Town Offices Monday June 20, 2016 at 7:00 pm. (Times listed below are approximate)

Transcription

1 Town of Thetford PO Box 126 Thetford Center, VT (802) Selectboard Regular Meeting Minutes Thetford Town Offices Monday June 20, 2016 at 7:00 pm. (Times listed below are approximate) Stuart Rogers called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. Selectboard Members Present: John Bacon, James Dixon, Jessica Eaton, Jim Lanctot, Stuart Rogers Others Present: Jill Graff (Town Treasurer), Tracy Borst (Town Clerk) Community Members Present: Wayne Parks, Mike Pomeroy Public Comment Mike Pomeroy wanted to let the Selectboard know that the date for the Thetford Hill Fair is July 30 th, and there will be a Labor Day Parade in Post Mills on September 5 th. Mike Pomeroy said he would need an Insurance Certificate for the parade. Stuart Rogers said the weekend of the Thetford Hill Fair is the same weekend the VTrans subcontractor is proposing work on the Railroad crossing, which means closing that road. Mike Pomeroy said that was discussed and the general feeling was there would be little impact. Wayne Parks said the roadwork he had discussed with the Selectboard at a previous meeting, was done first thing Tuesday morning. Wayne Parks wanted to thank the Selectboard and the DPW very much for fast and swift results. Wayne Parks said he would be interested in the update on the Lake Fairlee Dam but couldn t stay that long at the meeting. James Dixon said the work is on schedule, and the house has been moved. This week they will be taking away the part of the dam that was under the house. The last invoice was 6 to 7 thousand dollars under what they had estimated. Correspondence The Selectboard had received an from a Thetford Center resident regarding the water trucks for the Route 113 project. June 20 th, 2016 Thetford Selectboard Regular Meeting Agenda Page 1

2 The Selectboard also received an questioning whether or not the Town could be part of a class action suit against the town because of damage to cars. Route 113 is a state road, not a town road, so the Town would not be liable. The Selectboard received a question about purchasing swimsuits for the Treasure Island lifeguards. James Dixon said there is an existing account to pay for swimsuits and they can be ordered on line. Jessica Eaton had been asked on Saturday at the Recycling Center about composting. By state law, the Recycling Center has to offer a place for composting. Jessica Eaton got contact information from a company that was working on clay courts by Lake Morey. Jessica Eaton asked them to look at the clay courts at Treasure Island and give an estimate. Stuart Rogers said they would need an idea of cost to put in next year s budget. Stuart Rogers said Brian Boland requested a key to the gate at the Post Mills Natural Area, in case a balloon lands there. The Selectboard will discuss with the Conservation Committee. There was discussion about gates at the Lake Fairlee Dam project. Minutes and Warrants #20.3 $133, #23.1 $2, #24.2 $1, Approval of July 1, 2016 pay rates. Motion by Stuart Rogers to accept warrants as presented. Seconded by John Bacon. VOTE unanimous (5-0-0) Update with Police Chief Evans Chief Evans reported to the Selectboard about a conference he attended in Montpelier on The 21 st Century Policing Report. In light of events around the country, the Federal government has issued recommendations for all police departments. There are 6 pillars for the Police Departments to strive for; building trust and legitimacy, policy and oversight, technology and social media, community policing and crime reduction, training and education, officer safety and laws. Chief Evans said these pillars are considered the gold standard that departments will be held up to. Chief Evans said the VT Legislature has created a Fair and Impartial Policing policy. Departments need to adopt it by July 1, June 20 th, 2016 Thetford Selectboard Regular Meeting Agenda Page 2

3 Chief Evans gave an update on a grant for equipment. The grant will provide 40% funding for vests, helmets, and first-aid/self-aid supplies. The town s share would be $5600. Chief Evans said the grant is good through May 2017, so he can continue to look for alternative funding. Chief Evans said he had received 2 applications for the open position. Chief Evans has reached out to the Police Academy. Chief Evans said things were going well at Union Village Dam. Buzzel Bridge Road is passable all the way through. There was discussion about the speed limits during the Route 113 project and damage to vehicles. Review & Discussion of Updates to Timesheets The Town Treasurer had submitted a new timesheet format for the Selectboard to review during a previous meeting. There was continuing discussion on the need for this new format. Jill Graff (Town Treasurer) explained to the Selectboard that the separation of hours worked onsite from hours worked off-site will be more transparent and consistent. This will help when the town has the annual VLTC audit. There are questions that come up and clarification needed on timesheets on payroll days. The new time sheet will help with some of that confusion. Jill Graff said many hours are spent trying to clarify hours marked on timesheets. Stuart Rogers said some questions had been asked about who should be using the off-site column, and what is considered off-site. Examples used were the Zoning Commissioner who does work in a home office and Listers, who sometimes work off-site, but not at a home office. The Recreation Director will work in a home office, but is often at a game. Jill Graff said on-site would be locations that are considered a part of your normal job. There was discussion about whether the off-site/on-site needed to have more specific guidelines around it, or whether the two separate columns were even needed. Jill Graff said that payroll can be confusing because some people note where they are and what they are doing for work, but not everyone does. Payroll costs could be tracked more accurately with this information; such as how much was being spent on training. There was discussion about the amount of training and the actual costs associated with training. The Selectboard was in agreement that, for the moment, the timesheets should not change from the current on column format, to an on-site/off-site two column format. The Selectboard, the Town Clerk and the Town Treasurer discussed how floating holidays are paid, and the difference between how the policy applies to hired employees and elected officials. The Town Clerk and Town Treasurer are paid an hourly wage in Thetford. June 20 th, 2016 Thetford Selectboard Regular Meeting Agenda Page 3

4 There was discussion over how to determine holiday pay, holiday hours for part-time and full time employees. Stuart Rogers said he will draft an addendum to the personnel policy for elected official concerning holiday pay. The draft will be sent to the other members, the Town Clerk, and the Town Treasurer for review. Recreation Department Update Diana Kimball-Anderson wanted to inform the Selectboard about a situation that occurred at the Post Mills ball field, and to get direction about communications and public records. Tracy Borst said any s to the Rec Director are public record. Tracy Borst said if someone wants access to s, they must put the request in writing. The person receiving the request would then have 5 days to respond, either by giving them the requested information, or reasons why the information would not be released. Diana Kimball-Anderson said the Town does have a protocol for what to do if storms with lightning interrupt a game. The protocol is in the handbook that all coaches receive. Diana Kimball-Anderson said the protocol can be amended, if necessary. There was discussion about the use of dug-outs during a storm, and the concern about fields that do not have any shelter. Diana Kimball-Anderson said this is especially true with soccer fields. Other Business Motion by James Dixon for the Selectboard Chair, Stuart Rogers, to sign the TRORC extension for project management services for the Thetford Trailhead through the year. Seconded by Jim Lanctot. VOTE unanimous (5-0-0) Motion by Stuart Rogers to accept the maintenance proposal for the 2017 tax map from CAI Technologies for professional mapping service, at a cost of $2,250. Seconded by John Bacon. VOTE unanimous (5-0-0) The Selectboard received a land use permit extension from the VT Department of Conservation District 3, for Dick Towle. There was discussion about a government surplus purchase for the DPW. The Selectboard agreed to the purchase. James Dixon said the Treasure Island manager has requested WiFi. The manager would like to be able to check on weather updates, and be able to access MyRec. James Dixon will speak with Jill Graff about the previous WiFi provider. James Dixon said he had received an from Sue Fritz, requesting to be on the Conservation Commission next year. Sue Fritz will be on sabbatical for the next six months. Stuart Rogers said June 20 th, 2016 Thetford Selectboard Regular Meeting Agenda Page 4

5 the Conservation Committee will be at the next Selectboard meeting and it would be discussed then. Motion by Stuart Rogers to discuss personnel and legal matters in an Executive Session per Discussion of Matters as Per 1 V.S.A. subsection 313 paragraphs A 1 & 3. Seconded by James Dixon. VOTE unanimous (5-0-0) Motion by John Bacon to exit Executive Session at 11:28 p.m. Seconded by Jim Lanctot. VOTE unanimous (5-0-0) No action taken at this time. Motion by John Bacon to adjourn the regular Selectboard meeting at 11:30 p.m. Seconded by James Dixon. VOTE unanimous (5-0-0) The regular Selectboard meeting adjourned at 11:30 p.m. June 20 th, 2016 Thetford Selectboard Regular Meeting Agenda Page 5