Town of Halifax, Vermont
MINUTES
March 17, 2009
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 7:32 PM. Board members in attendance were John LaFlamme, Lewis Sumner, and Mitchell Green. Others in attendance were Jesse Ferland, Marilyn Allen, Christina Moore, Norman Fajans, Margo Avakian, Bradley Rafus, and Board Secretary Phyllis Evanuk.
Approval of Minutes
Mr. Sumner moved to accept the minutes of the February 17, 2009 meeting as written.
Mr. Green seconded the motion.
The motion carried 3-0, and the minutes were approved.
Mr. Green moved to approve the minutes of the March 4, 2009 meeting with one correction [Mr. Green moved and Mr. Sumner seconded the appointment of Mr. LaFlamme as Board Chair].
Mr. Sumner seconded the motion.
The motion carried 3-0, and the minutes were approved.
Hearing of Visitors
- Jesse Ferland offered congratulations to Mr. LaFlamme on his position as Board Chair.
- Norman Fajans was in attendance to present information regarding the
re-adoption of the Town Plan. He advised that he spoke with the Secretary of State’s office and was referred to VLCT for guidance. According to a staff attorney if they re-adopt without any changes, the Planning Commission does not need to have a hearing. All the PC needs to do is review the plan and in writing recommend to the Selectboard that it be re-adopted in its present form. The Selectboard then needs to hold a public hearing. If he Selectboard makes any changes, then they need to go back and follow the procedures for amending a Town Plan. Mr. Fajans advised that Brian McNeice spoke with the Windham Regional Commission and their interpretation of the re-adoption procedure is that even for a re-adoption without changes they need to proceed as if it was a new plan.
- Christina Moore asked what the consequences would be for not having a plan approved.
General discussion of the expiring Town Plan followed including what the choices for the town are. Because the voters approved to change the procedure for adoption to Australian ballot, it must be put to a vote for any approval. The discussion covered time frames, public hearings, town meetings, and comments and suggestions for how to proceed.
It was questioned whether or not two Articles could be included on the warning for Town Meeting. One would be to re-adopt the existing plan and one would be to approve an amended or new Town Plan.
- Marilyn Allen advised that the Town Plan is important and should not be allowed to lapse. She hoped that the Planning Commission would work to address the issues and insure that this situation will not reoccur.
- Brad Rafus advised that there is a consequence to not having a Town Plan in place, in regard to highway grants. Without a Town Plan you lose 20% of funding so that instead of receiving 30% the town would only receive 10% of the cost. The three things required to receive 30% are a) Town Plan; b) culvert inventory; and c) road inventory. He advised we have b and c, and at the moment we also have a. He further advised that he has the application materials for the highway grant for the coming year, and will have submitted them for approval before the current plan expires. There should be no problem this year, but people should be aware of the requirements before the next round of highway grants.
Old Business
None
New Business
1. Town Plan – discussed during hearing of Visitors
2. FEMA Update – Regarding Ice Storm Damage
Mr. LaFlamme and Mr. Sumner attended a meeting with FEMA officials and the town will receive 75% of the costs associated with the storm. The final figures are not in yet, and Mr. LaFlamme advised the town should be aware that this is not a windfall; it is a portion of the additional costs associated with the additional work made necessary by the storm event.
3. Roads have been posted and will be until May 15th.
4. Appointments
Mr. Green moved to re-appoint Howard Alboum to the Planning Commission for a four-year term to expire in 2013. Mr. LaFlamme seconded the motion, which carried 3-0.
Mr. Green moved to appoint Sirean LaFlamme to the Planning Commission for a four-year term to expire in 2013. Mr. Sumner seconded the motion, which carried 2-0-1 with Mr. LaFlamme abstaining.
Mr. Sumner moved to re-appoint Frank Maltese to the Planning Commission for a four-year term to expire in 2013. Mr. Green seconded the motion, which carried 3-0.
Mr. Green moved to re-appoint Howard Alboum to the Zoning Board of Adjustment for a four-year term to expire in 2013. Mr. LaFlamme seconded the motion, which carried 3-0.
Mr. Green moved to appoint Sirean LaFlamme to the Zoning Board of Adjustment for a four-year term to expire in 2013. Mr. Sumner seconded the motion, which carried 2-0-1 with Mr. LaFlamme abstaining.
Mr. Sumner moved to re-appoint Frank Maltese to the Zoning Board of Adjustment for a four-year term to expire in 2013. Mr. Green seconded the motion, which carried 3-0.
Mr. Sumner moved to re-appoint Bradley Rafus as Road Commissioner for a one-year term. Mr. Green seconded the motion, which carried 3-0.
Mr. Green moved to re-appoint Bradley Rafus as Tree Warden for a one-year term. Mr. LaFlamme seconded the motion, which carried 3-0.
Mr. Sumner moved to re-appoint Frank Stone, Bruce Swanson, and Malcolm Sumner as Fence Viewers for a one-year term. Mr. LaFlamme seconded the motion, which carried 3-0.
Mr. Sumner moved to re-appoint Craig Stone as Inspector of Lumber for a one-year term. Mr. LaFlamme seconded the motion, which carried 3-0.
Mr. Sumner moved to appoint Andrew Rice as Pound Keeper for a one-year term. Mr. LaFlamme seconded the motion, which carried 3-0.
Mr. Green moved to re-appoint William Pusey as Town Service Officer for a one-year term. Mr. LaFlamme seconded the motion, which carried 3-0.
Mr. LaFlamme moved to re-appoint Paula Hendler as representative to the Council on Aging for a one-year term. Mr. Green seconded the motion, which carried 3-0.
Mr. Sumner moved to re-appoint Margaret Bartenhagen and Brian McNeice to the Windham Regional Commission for a one-year term. Mr. Green seconded the motion, which carried 3-0.
Mr. Sumner moved to re-appoint Mitchell Green as Representative to the Windham Solid Waste Management District for a one-year term. Mr. LaFlamme seconded the motion, which carried 2-0-1, with Mr. Green abstaining.
Mr. Sumner moved to re-appoint Clifton Inman as Representative to the Windham Solid Waste Management District for a one-year term. Mr. LaFlamme seconded the motion, which carried 3-0.
Mr. Green moved to re-appoint Allan Dacey and Andrew Rice to the Loan Review Committee for a one-year term. Mr. LaFlamme seconded the motion, which carried 3-0.
Mr. Green moved to re-appoint Lewis Sumner as ADA Coordinator for a one-year term. Mr. LaFlamme seconded the motion, which carried 2-0-1, with Mr. Sumner abstaining.
Mr. LaFlamme moved to re-appoint Wayne Courser as E-911 Coordinator for a one-year term. Mr. Sumner seconded the motion, which carried 3-0.
Mr. Sumner moved to appoint Michael Drummey as Recycling Coordinator for a one-year term. Mr. Green seconded the motion, which carried 3-0.
Mr. Sumner moved to appoint Stephanie Aldrich to Green-Up Vermont, Inc. for a one-year term. Mr. Green seconded the motion, which carried 3-0.
Mr. Sumner moved to re-appoint Rose Alboum as Weigher of Coal for a one-year term. Mr. LaFlamme seconded the motion, which carried 3-0.
Mr. LaFlamme moved to re-appoint Lewis Sumner as Emergency Management Director for a one-year term. Mr. Green seconded the motion, which carried 2-0-1, with Mr. Sumner abstaining.
Mr. Green moved to appoint Andrew Rice to accept Citation Ticket Responsibility for a one-year term. Mr. LaFlamme seconded the motion, which carried 3-0.
Mr. Sumner moved to re-appoint Michael Drummey as Energy Conservation Officer for a one-year term. Mr. Green seconded the motion, which carried 3-0.
After two motions failed for lack of a second, it was agreed to defer the appointment of a Zoning Administrator until the next meeting. The current Zoning Administrator and the current Acting Zoning Administrator will be invited to the next meeting for interviews before any appointment is made.
Other Business
The Board scheduled a Work Session with Brad Rafus for Tuesday, March 31, 2009 at 7:00 PM for the purpose of reviewing highway grants, FEMA approvals, and the next fiscal year budget. They will begin to assess where services can be reduced and projects can be down-sized or eliminated, given the reduced budget and the dwindling state contributions to the town.
Communications/Mail
The mail was reviewed and appropriately filed.
Selectmen’s Order to Town Treasurer for bill payment
The order for payment of bills was completed and signed.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 8:50 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Phyllis H. Evanuk
Secretary