Minutes of the Hinesburg Annual Town Meeting
March 6, 2006
Selectboard: Robert S. Bast, Chairman, Howard E. Russell, Randall C. Volk, Andrea Morgante and Jonathan S. Trefry
Town Clerk / Treasurer: Melissa B. Ross
Town Moderator: Joseph Fallon
Moderator Joseph Fallon called the meeting to order at 7:33 on March 6, 2006. Mr. Fallon noted there is a copy of Town Meeting Procedures located in the town report. He also briefly discussed some basic guidelines of the meeting. He asked members to identify themselves and to speak loudly enough to be heard. He also requested attendees to ask questions if they did not understand the rules or proper procedures.
The moderator read each article in the warning as they were stated in the town report. The first two articles did not require any discussion.
ARTICLE 1: To elect the necessary town and school district officers by Australian ballot Tuesday March 7, 2006 (see Officers for Election list in the Town Report).
Article 1
to be voted upon by Australian ballot on Tuesday March 7, 2006
ARTICLE 2: Shall the Selectboard be authorized to extend the term of the Farmers’ Tax Stabilization “Piggy Back” Contracts to qualified farmers for a five year period to extend from April 1, 2005 to March 31, 2010?
Article 2
to be voted upon by Australian ballot on Tuesday March 7, 2006
ARTICLE 3: To hear the reports of the Town officers and take action thereon.
Rob Bast,
Chairperson of the Selectboard, introduced each Selectboard member to the audience. He thanked everyone for attending and took
note of the Selectboard’s report printed in the town report.
Rob talked
about the Police department and recent opening for a deputy chief. This new position would replace an officer
who is leaving the Hinesburg force.
Rob discussed the difficulty of arriving at the budget figures while being unable to accurately determine the tax rate due to reappraisal, not expected to be completed till summer. He talked about the large growth within the town. Rob presented a PowerPoint slideshow that illustrated how the town has changed from 1985 to 2005. Rob mentioned the on-going planning meetings taking place and urged townspeople to participate in them.
The motion
was voted and Article 3 was unanimously approved.
ARTICLE 4: Shall the Town appropriate $797,888 to defray the general expenses of the Town?
The motion
was made and seconded. The Moderator
asked for discussion.
Monique
Breer asked if the Selectboard could explain how this figure was arrived at. Rob Bast asked the audience to look at page
9 in the town report. He noted that for
each article there is a reference on how the amount of money is calculated.
Barbara Walling asked if the health insurance figures include both teachers at Hinesburg Community School and town employees. The Selectboard stated it is just town employees.
Dawn Taylor
asked about the percentage increase in this article compared to last year’s
budget. The board answered that the
entire budget is up approximately nine percent and this article represents a
similar increase. Upon further
calculation, however, the Board stated that this article is actually up closer to 14 percent.
Sam
Hemmingway asked why zoning permit fees are expected to go up so much this year
and wondered if the town was increasing the rates. It was explained that the budget for 05/06 was significantly
lower than the revenues the town expects to collect. The figure for 2006 reflects a better understanding of the actual
figure. The Selectboard expects the #
of permits to continue to increase, and they said this does not reflect an
increase in fees for a permit.
An audience
member asked about the recreation department numbers, wondering if there was
the same amount of growth this year as last.
Jeanne Wilson noted the numbers for the 06-07 recreation budget were
more representative of the actual program costs. The 04-05 actuals included the year that the driver’s education
program was run through the budget.
This made it appear that there was a large increase in the recreation
budget. She noted the revenue or
payments for the program are now going directly to the instructor. This year the numbers more accurately
represent the recreation department costs.
John Kiedaisch had a question about page 13 concerning buildings and facilities. These numbers are dramatically increased over last year’s budget, especially the difference between the budget and actual. Jonathan Trefry noted it is skewed due to the large amounts of money associated with the recreation path.
Article 4 was voted upon and it passed by voice vote.
ARTICLE 5: Shall the Town appropriate $359,025 for the general expenses of the Community Police Department?
The motion
was made and seconded. The Moderator
asked for discussion.
Ruth Ayer
asked how many officers, both full and part time, are now in the
Department. The Selectboard answered
there are four fulltime and 1 full time equivalent of part time officers. Ruth
noted that there was an ad in the paper stating there are 107 hours of coverage
in Hinesburg. Ruth asked why there is
not 160 hours or more considering the number of officers. It was explained that there is often an
overlap of coverage due to vacations, court dates and training that reduces the
actual hours of coverage.
One
audience member noted that at one time the police budget was only 10% of the
town budget and now just several years later it is over 20%. He asked whether there is a plan for the
department. Rob Bast noted that the
police department started from scratch and that there is an increasing demand
on their services. The Selectboard is
planning a strategic review for the police department in the coming year. Andrea Morgante noted that they will be
soliciting public input during this process.
Monique Breer
stated that having a police department does serve the community.
Carl Bohlen
asked about site work and planning on the police department facility. He also asked about the increase in total
salary. He wondered if this increase is
for more officers.
Chief
Morrell noted the salary increase includes a cost of living increase. He also stated the site work is on
hold. The police and fire departments
are talking with a developer who is working on a possible plan for improvements
to both buildings. This work is
preliminary. Andrea Morgante noted that
some of the salary increase in the police budget is to hire replacement
officers who are already certified or trained rather then uncertified officers. They would be paid at a higher rate. Andrea also noted that any development of
the fire and police department facilities would need a lot of discussion,
especially considering that this proposal may require the town to sell town
property.
Ruth Ayer
stated that salaries for 04/05 were not fully covered by the budget. Jeanne noted that the salaries were higher
than stated but these higher salaries were covered by police grants, which are
shown in another area of the town report.
She stated that salaries would again be greater and covered by special
details, paid for by grants. These are
activities above and beyond our normal coverage. Ruth was concerned that the budget would grow if the grants run
out.
An audience
member stated that he is pleased with the police department today but
reiterated concerns about where the department is going and how much it is
likely to continue growing.
Chief
Morrell was asked to explain about the grants.
He stated that the funding for these grants comes from the federal
government and it is used on programs to reduce speeding, driving under the
influence, etc. He said these programs
directly address traffic issues in Hinesburg.
He also noted that the Town of Hinesburg gets to retain eighty percent
of the money generated from speeding tickets that are issued.
Sharonlee Trefry
asked if this money came from Homeland Security grants. Chief Morrell stated that this is not
homeland security money.
After
discussion the Moderator called the vote and article 5 was voted upon and
passed.
ARTICLE 6: Shall
the Town appropriate $656,959 for highway purposes?
The motion
was made and seconded. The Moderator
asked for discussion.
Monique
Breer asked how much of this money is used to improve the quality of the
roads. Rob Bast stated that the budget
is broken out by seasons and there is not an easy quick percentage figure to
offer as an answer. Jonathan Trefry
stated most of the winter highway budget is for snow and ice removal and upkeep
and not used for road improvement. That
is mostly done in the summer.
Carl Bohlen
noted that the budget had increased by $130,000 and asked for an explanation of
the increase. The Selectboard
highlighted some of the increases, which included roughly $30,000 for paving,
$51,000 for leasing an excavator and subcontracting excavator work, $89,000 for
paving the remaining section of Pond Brook Road and $25,000 for purchasing a
loader.
Patty
Whitney asked the Board to clarify the highway reconstruction figures as they
seemed to vary widely from year to year.
Mike Anthony explained that the high number for 04-05 was due to the
installation of the box culvert on Pond Brook Road and that much of that
expense was covered by grant money from the state.
Wendy
Patterson noted the vehicle fuel cost increases. She was wondering what strategies might be applied to reduce the
costs of fuel. Mike Anthony stated that
bio-diesel currently does not save money.
He stated that there is nothing they can do. Diesel fuel is $1 more per gallon compared to a year ago. Rob stated that 16% of the increase in the town budget is related to increased
fuel prices.
Ken Brown
asked about the Silver Street realignment.
Rob noted that the realignment project is for the intersection of Route
116 and Silver Street and is a state project.
Bill
Lippert asked what the town policy is for moving a town road from gravel to
pavement. Jonathan Trefry noted that
this year there is $89,000 to put a base coat of paving on Pond Brook
Road. In previous years there were
people who were opposed to paving sections of the hill roads so this paving was
not done. The Board did have a public
meeting about Pond Brook Road paving but the meeting was sparsely
attended. The meeting attendees were
split for and against.
Data shows
the number of daily trips has increased significantly on Pond Brook Road. It is very difficult to do a cost comparison
between gravel and paved roads. The
Board stated that people should also know that next year’s budget will require
another $69,000 for the second paving coat on this road. Bill Lippert stated that it sounds like the
town policy is to review these issues on a case-by-case basis rather than with
a specific policy. He was concerned
that paving a road permanently changes it and it will most likely never revert
to a gravel condition. Jonathan stated
that the town does review them on a case-by-case basis.
Welly
Cobden noted that he requested information on the road and the decision on
paving. He knows there are other
residents who do not want it paved. He
expressed concern about increasing the budget to do this work knowing that it
will require further spending increases in following years.
Andrea
noted that the Selectboard had a lot of discussion about this and that there
was not a consensus on the Board about the issue. She noted that paving affects the width of the road. Pond Brook Road would be paved to a 21 foot
width to allow for a small shoulder to allow for pedestrian uses.
Stevie
Spencer asked what the town is doing to recognize the multiple uses of roads for more than cars. Rob Bast said the Board is very well aware
of this issue. Andrea stated that the
Selectboard is trying to establish a road policy that should be a
transportation policy (ANDREA- IS THIS WHAT YOU MEANT TO SAY?). She also noted that there is an active
trails committee in the town working on developing pedestrian trails that would
include dirt roads.
Phil Pouech
noted that pedestrian access is a continual topic at these meetings. People are passionate about being able to
get around town without a car. He
proposed the highway budget be changed to a transportation budget. This budget should include a percentage,
such as 5% to be earmarked for non-vehicle transportation such as sidewalks,
multi-use roads, car pool parking etc.
It is critical that that town begin by looking at the big picture of
Hinesburg roads and trails and planning multi-use corridors.
Another
audience member was also concerned about changing dirt roads to pavement. Another audience member noted that the
presence of pedestrians could help with traffic calming.
Richard
Watts wanted to reiterate what Phil Pouech stated. We do need a vision of where we are going. We need a more dramatic signal to cars as
they go through Hinesburg. We are
getting older and we will all need to get around town without always using
cars.
Rob Bast
stated the suggestions are constructive and will be considered in future
planning.
Stevie
Spencer asked what the town is doing about runoff on roadways. Andrea stated the town is learning to seed
and mulch and put stone in culverts.
Hinesburg has a hilly topography and this makes runoff a difficult
problem. Rob Bast noted that a lot of
work was done on Hayden Hill this year and it seemed to improve the runoff
situation. The budget this year has a
$51,000 line item on page 22 to lease an excavator or sub-contract to get
ditching done. Sometimes the town
workers do not have the time to get this critical work done so this was added
to improve the maintenance of these culverts and ditches.
Valerie
Spadaccini noted that most people don’t see a public meeting notice in the
paper. She was concerned that the
meeting on this paving decision was not well attended. She stated that when another section on Pond
Brook was paved the vehicle speed increased a lot. When they hit the dirt portion people have to slow down. She does not want it paved.
Carly Geer
said she was hearing a lot of support for leaving it unpaved. She proposed an amendment to remove the
amount proposed for paving Pond Brook Road.
A motion
was made to amend Article 6 to reduce the total amount by $ 89,000 in order to
remove the money for paving Pond Brook Road.
The motion to amend was seconded.
The moderator asked for discussion on the amendment.
Roger Kohn
was concerned about changing what was decided in a public meeting. Rob Bast said we did have a good public
process and some people did want the road paved. He also noted that the annual town meeting is where the money is
actually voted and it is therefore an appropriate place to suggest changes to
the budget.
Ray Mainer
said his understanding was that the amendment could reduce the budget but not
stipulate where the money is used. (The
moderator had noted this.) Ray Mainer
noted that the original public meeting was warned and wondered if this would be
unfair to those who attended that meeting.
Jon Trefry said that after the earlier public meeting the Selectboard
was divided on whether to pursue paving the road. He said it is a hard decision and the economics do not really say
one way or another is more cost effective.
Typically paved roads are considered safer with better traction but we
also know people do drive faster on paved roads.
John
Kiedaisch stated that gravel roads are multi-use and safety is not just about
vehicles but should include multi-purpose safety. The board needs to take an active role in planning for all the
roads and paths throughout the town.
An audience
member thought it was wrong to take the money out of the budget as it will be
very difficult to get it back in. Once
we take it out it will be gone.
Phil Pouech
said the money won’t be gone but will stay in our pockets. He said this road (Pond Brook) has been
unpaved for probably 100 years or more and that putting off the paving for one
more year is appropriate to allow further discussion on what the best approach
is for the town. He noted that once it
is paved we would never go back to gravel.
Chuck Reiss
stated he was unsure of the process and whether it was good enough to make this
type of decision (to pave or not to pave) if only ten people attended. Randy Volk stated the process has been going
on for several years. He stated that he
favors paving the road and this is a highly used commuter route. This is about more than automobile use but
all users. This is not a cost savings
but a safety issue. Dust and gravel is
also a big concern.
Peter Erb
stated you couldn’t pave roads without considering the edges of the road. These often tend to be too narrow. If we pave we need to make sure that the
edges are maintained for multi-use.
Beth Sengle
said that it is okay to make these types of changes at this type of meeting and
that is actually the purpose of town meeting.
Richard
Palmer noted that last year we agreed to prepare the road for paving and paid
the money for that purpose. He is
against the amendment.
Randy Volk
noted that those improvements that were voted upon and completed needed to be
done regardless of whether the road is eventually paved or not. Randy noted that the Selectboard approved
the improvements that were done unanimously.
Bruce
Cunningham was a participant in the opposition to paving on Texas Hill Road and
for him it was a quality of life decision.
He said that as a pedestrian the 30 mph speed limit on Texas Hill is
unsafe under the best conditions. Some
consideration should be made to make all dirt roads 25 mph.
An audience
member said the process should be changed to insure all people on roads with
paving changes are informed of public meetings for that purpose.
Howard
Russell stated that there are many implications of changing roads from dirt to
pavement and it affects many people, not just those who live on the road. He does see people using dirt roads in
multiple ways they do not use tar roads.
He noted that people often drive to a dirt road to then use it for
recreation.
Missy Ross
agreed that there could be a town wide bulk mailing for informing the public
when paving of a dirt road is under consideration. Bulk mailing is relatively inexpensive, especially when compared
to the costs of paving. This seems like
a reasonable thing to do.
Carl Bohlen
noted that no one at the meeting stated that they live on Pond Brook road and
are in favor of paving.
The
moderator called for the vote and it was determined to be too close to call by
voice vote. The moderator then called
for a standing vote. After counting
those standing for and against the amendment, the amendment was passed with 114
in favor and 69 opposed.
The amended
article now reads: Shall the Town
appropriate $567,959 for highway purposes?
The amended Article 6 passed by voice vote.
ARTICLE 7: Shall
the Town appropriate $146,334 for the Carpenter Carse Library?
The motion
was made and seconded. The Moderator
asked for discussion.
An audience
member stated that as a regular user of the library they think the library
staff does a great job and we should support them.
The Article
passed by voice vote.
ARTICLE 8: Shall the Town appropriate $600 for the Lake Iroquois Recreation District as Hinesburg's share?
The motion
was made and seconded. The Moderator
asked for discussion.
Article 8
passed by voice vote without discussion.
ARTICLE 9: Shall
the Town appropriate $5,000 to the Hinesburg Land Trust?
The motion
was made and seconded. The Moderator
asked for discussion.
The Article
passed by voice vote without discussion
ARTICLE 10: Shall the Town appropriate the sum of $7,500 for the purpose of obtaining options and/or the acquisition of lands, or those rights in land, which would preserve open space and natural resources; any unexpended portion of such sum to be placed in the Land Preservation Reserve Fund established?
The motion
was made and seconded. The Moderator
asked for discussion.
Norm Smith
asked if there is a specific parcel or parcels being considered. Andrea Morgante noted this amount accrues
yearly. The Conservation Commission
will determine which projects might warrant using this money. Their recommendation is forwarded to the
Selectboard for final approval. She
mentioned some projects that funds were used for in the past and it is expected
that some funds may be put toward the conservation rights for the Russell
Farm. Rob Bast noted this is seed money
that leverages quite a lot of money.
Someone asked what the present balance is in the fund and was advised
that it is around $24,000.
The
moderator called for the vote on Article 10 which passed by voice vote.
ARTICLE 11: Shall the Town vote to raise the sum of $25,658 to be disbursed as specifically designated to the following agencies/organizations?
Funded Budget 05-06 06-07
Women Helping Battered Women $ 2,500 $ 2,600
Center for Independent Living $ 250 $ 260
Hinesburg Community Resource Center $ 8,000 $ 10,000
Visiting Nurse Association $ 6,456 $ 6,714
Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS) $ 1,350 $ 1,404
Hinesburg Green Up $ 300 $ 312
Champlain Valley Area Agency on Aging $ 2,000 $ 2,080
Hinesburg Community Meal Site $ 500 $ 520
VT CARES $ 700 $ 728
Vermont Adult Learning $ 250 $ 260
Howard Center for Human Services $ 750 $ 780
$ 23,056 $ 25,658
The motion
was made and seconded. The Moderator
asked for discussion.
Bob Link
had a question on these requests. He
noted that the increases are modest. He
wondered what the process is for determining how much to give these various
organizations. Howard stated that the
policy had been to level fund unless the organization can demonstrate increased
service to the town of Hinesburg. The
Selectboard felt those on the list deserved funds based on their demonstrated
services to residents. People are free
to amend this list to either add to or subtract from the funding amount.
It was
asked if any of these organizations asked for increases. Howard stated that some did and some did not
ask for an increase. The Board felt
that to be most equitable it would give a cost of living increase to all of the
agencies.
Michael
Garavelli stated he would like to add $1,000 for Spectrum Youth and Family
Services. The Moderator stated that he
couldn’t amend to give the money to a certain fund but to only increase the
budget to $26,658.
Carl Bohlen
asked what Spectrum is about. It was
stated they are a non-profit that assists at-risk youth with emergency shelters
and other youth focused services.
Wendy Stein
asked what is the correlation between these organizations and how they directly
impact Hinesburg. Rob Bast stated that
most of the organizations give specific information to the Selectboard on how
they assist Hinesburg. The Selectboard
looks for a benefit to the taxpayers.
Lanny
Dennison asked what impact Spectrum has in Hinesburg. Do they have outreach in Hinesburg? Michael Garavelli stated they serve the greater Chittenden County
area.
Jeanne
Wilson then produced some documentation from Spectrum which stated they served
over 105 Hinesburg residents during the last year.
The
Moderator called for the vote and the amendment to raise this article amount
from $25,658 to $26,658 passed by voice vote.
An audience
member asked about Vermont Cares and who in Hinesburg is served. It was stated that Vermont Cares is an AIDS
service and peer support organization that also provides outreach and
information to those at risk for developing AIDS, thereby helping prevent the
spread of the disease.
The
moderator called for the vote on Article 11 as amended. The motion passed by voice vote.
ARTICLE 12: Shall the voters authorize the Selectboard to furnish the Town of St. George fire protection and first response coverage at the sum of $16,673 for the period of one year?
The motion
was made and seconded. The Moderator
asked for discussion.
The
Moderator called for the vote and Article 12 passed by voice vote.
ARTICLE 13: Shall the voters authorize the Selectboard to borrow money when needed to meet current expenses and indebtedness of said Town?
The motion
was made and seconded. The Moderator
asked for discussion.
Article 13
was passed with no discussion by voice vote.
ARTICLE 14: Shall the voters authorize the payment of real and personal
property taxes for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007 payable in full to the
Town of Hinesburg in one installment, with the due date being November 15,
2006. Any and all payments received in
the Town Treasurer's Office later than midnight on November 15, 2006 will be
considered delinquent and will be subject to the collection of interest at the
rate of 1% per month or fraction thereof for the first three months and
thereafter at the rate of 1 1/2% per month or fraction thereof.
The motion
was made and seconded. The Moderator
asked for discussion.
A question
was asked about who collects the delinquent taxes and how are they paid. It was stated that this is an elected
position and they are paid by salary.
The
Moderator asked for a vote on Article 14.
Article 14 passed by voice vote.
ARTICLE 15:
Shall the voters of the Town of Hinesburg instruct the Governor and our
State Representatives and Senators to oppose:
·
any use of the State Education Fund for purposes that are outside the
law’s original intent to “make payments to school districts and supervisory
unions for the support of education”;
·
the shifting of existing State General Fund expense obligations to the
Education Fund; and
·
the reduction of any existing State General Fund revenue support to the
Education Fund?
The motion
was made and seconded. The Moderator
asked for discussion.
Bill Lippert stated that he had mixed feelings about the article. He believes this article is an initiative from The Vermont League of Cities and Towns. The Governor’s budget proposes to use education funds for the transportation budget. In the past some education budget money was used for educational purposes outside of K-12 such as adult education. This seemed to make sense for the Act 68 funds. Bill stated that this article would oppose this type of reallocation. Another example would be the education fund being used to fund some early education initiatives. These uses would not be allowed if this article passed as written. Bill was concerned that this article may have other implications not obvious from the wording.
Rob Bast
explained why the Selectboard added this.
The Selectboard’s concern was that the state education fund is being
paid out of property taxes but will be used to fund other purposes. This would
change the commitment of the original bill, and add to the impact on property
taxes. It is more about where the money
is coming from rather than what it is appropriate to fund. Rob noted that this is a very difficult
question.
Bill said
all he is trying to point out is that this is not a simple black and white
question. He agreed that the purpose of
this fund should be for education. The
sentiment is a good one but the wording is over-directive and narrow.
An audience
member asked if Bill could come up with an amendment to make this more
palatable. Bill stated the town should
generally instruct the state government to use the state education fund for
education purposes.
Roger Kohn
suggested the following amendment: Shall
the Town of Hinesburg instruct the Governor and our State Representatives and
Senators to oppose any use of the Education fund for non-educational
purposes? Carl Bohlen then asked if the
teacher’s retirement fund is a good use of the education fund. Bill Lippert stated that he would want to
look at that carefully.
A
discussion ensued until the moderator called for a vote on the amendment. The voice vote was too close to call and the
Moderator called for a standing vote.
The amendment passed 70 to 55.
Colleen
McKinnon, a Hinesburg Community School board director stated she is concerned
about the tax rate and noted we have income sensitivity so some people can get
relief. She noted that pre-K – 12
educational funds need to be maintained and she noted the prison system is
actually the largest high school system in the state. She also feels the legislature needs some leeway to apply the
funds for appropriate educational purposes.
It was
noted that this motion is non-binding
The amended
article was voted on and passed by voice vote.
ARTICLE 16: To transact any other business proper to be brought before said meeting.
An audience member moved to adjourn and this was quickly seconded and
voted.
Adjourned at 10:07
An audience member spoke up and thanked the board for their dedication
and hard work.
Respectfully submitted,
Phil Pouech
We
have read, approved and accepted these minutes as a true record of the
proceedings that were held at the Hinesburg Town Meeting held on March 6, 2006.
_______________
_______________ _______________
/s/
Robert S. Bast /s/ Andrea Morgante /s/ Howard E.
Russell
Chairman,
Selectboard Selectbperson Selectperson
_______________ _______________
/s/
Jonathan S. Trefry /s/ Randall C. Volk
Selectperson Selectperson
I
hereby certify the foregoing to be a true record of the proceedings that were
held at the Hinesburg Town Meeting on March 6, 2006. Witnessed and attested to the _____ day of _____, 2006 by
__________________
/s/
Melissa B. Ross
Town
Clerk / Treasurer