Town of Halifax, Vermont

Joint Informational Meeting

MINUTES

February 22, 2011

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 7: 05 PM by Town Moderator Patricia Pusey.  Selectboard members in attendance were John LaFlamme, Lewis Sumner, and Edee Edwards.  School Board members in attendance were Homer “Chum” Sumner, Paul Blais, and Alfred Corey.  Others in attendance were Town Clerk Patricia Dow Selectboard Secretary Phyllis Evanuk, candidates for election, and a number of interested citizens.

Moderator Pusey advised they would hear questions and comments regarding the Town portion of the Warning and then meet the candidates for Selectman, Town Clerk, Lister, and First Constable.  Following that the School Board would be available for questions and comments.

Mr. LaFlamme presented an overview of how the Selectboard had arrived at the proposed Town budget and reviewed the changes in presentation in the Town Report.  He advised the report changes were in response to the comments and requests at last year’s Town Meeting for a more easily understood presentation of the budget and expenditures.

Moderator Pusey advised that as the questioning time seemed at an end they would now move on to meet the candidates.  She requested that candidates for each office come to the front of the room when called, and face the audience.

Town Clerk:  Patricia Dow (incumbent); Greg Marguet (was not present)

Mrs. Dow advised she had learned a lot in the first year and requested that the voters allow her to continue in the position.

Selectboard:    Lewis L. Sumner (incumbent); Earl B. Holtz

Each candidate gave a synopsis of their qualifications and addressed questions asked.

Lister:  William Moore (incumbent); Roberta P. Dunphy, Greg Marguet, Phyllis H. Evanuk

Each candidate gave a synopsis of their qualifications and addressed questions asked.

First Constable: Andrew Rice (incumbent); Leonard H. Derby, Sr., William C. Butler (was not

present)

Mr. Derby gave a synopsis of his background and advised that he is willing to take the necessary courses for certification through the State Police Academy, as required to be able to have police powers.  He also advised that he would like a police cruiser for patrolling as he believes it would be a better deterrent than using a personal vehicle.

Mr. Rice gave a synopsis of his training and what he has been doing as the constable.  He noted that training is something that is ongoing and he suggested that the voters might want to consider changing the term from one to three years.  He advised that the initial training might take almost a year to complete with the possibility of not being re-elected and able to implement the training.  When asked how much time training entailed, he advised that there are three phases to the part-time officer training: Phase one is 5 full days; Phase two is 200 hours; and Phase three is 60 hours of “field training” working with a full-time certified police officer (FTO).

Moderator Pusey thanked all of the candidates and advised that if there was no objection they would now hear from the School Board about that portion of the budget.

School Board members Sumner, Corey, and Blais gave a summary of the budget and advised they were keeping it as tight as possible.  They answered general questions regarding the school, possible consolidation, and tuition costs.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 8:50 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Phyllis H. Evanuk

Secretary