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 5, 2007. Mr. Fallon welcomed the town residents. He noted the Free Press article said the budget “cheat sheet” information was mailed. This was an error. The information is in the Town Report.
Mr. Fallon briefly discussed some basic guidelines of Robert’s rule of order. He asked all speakers to address the moderator. He asked members to identify themselves and to speak loudly enough to be heard. Each person may speak once on a particular motion, and must wait until other people have spoken before speaking again. If voice votes are too close, he described how he will ask for a split where those in favor stand and are counted, followed by those opposed. He asked people not to call the question too early in order to allow full debate. He also requested attendees to ask questions if they did not understand what they were voting on so he could help explain the issue.
The moderator read each warning as they were stated in the town report.
ARTICLE 1: To elect the necessary town and school district officers by Australian ballot Tuesday March 6, 2007 (see Officers for Election list in the Town Report).
Article 1 to be voted upon by Australian ballot on
Tuesday March 6, 2007.
ARTICLE 2: To hear the reports of the Town officers and take action thereon.
The moderator recognized Rob Bast, Selectboard
Chair.
Rob introduced the Selectboard members. Rob stated that Jeanne Wilson, Town
Administrator, issued a brief report every Friday. He read a Friday report from September to illustrate the town
activity on a normal week. This
demonstrated what is going on day to day and what it takes to run a town the
size of Hinesburg. The report was quite
extensive and touched upon all the Town departments including the highway,
water and wastewater and police. Rob
noted the emergency situations that come up and the dedication of Town
employees and volunteers.
Other highlights in the Town report include:
·
30
mph speed limit within the village boundary
·
Numerous
road improvements that are on-going including a park and ride planned for Town
Hall
·
New
Town Hall flooring in the main hall with the wood coming from the town forest
ash trees
·
Public
hearings planned on upgrades and expansion of town wastewater treatment system
·
New
committees that are active including affordable housing, trails committee and
ancient roads committee
·
Jan
Bedard was publicly thanked for her years of service as Delinquent Tax
Collector
·
Clint
Emmon’s passing away was recognized by a moment of silence
·
Library
will benefit from a small wind turbine being donated as a demonstration project
Acceptance of the report by Rob Bast motion was
moved and seconded. The article was
passed by unanimous voice vote.
ARTICLE 3: Shall the Town appropriate $810,451 to defray the general expenses of the Town?
The motion was moved and seconded. The Moderator asked for discussion.
Dawn Taylor asked for clarification on the final
number. She asked if the budget could
be broken down line by line. The
Moderator mentioned that a motion couldn’t be made to do this. Dawn noted the budget shows 22%
increase. She highlighted some of the
budget increases noted in the report.
Sara Thompson asked about expenditures budget to
actual (pg 15). She said it appeared at
least 9 line items were well over budget.
Only the highway department was under budget. She asked the question “are we seeing similar trends this year
and did it impact this year’s proposed budget”?
Jonathan Trefry explained that often there are
additional revenue sources such as grants that cover the increased
spending. If there was a specific
budget line it could be looked at.
Josie Palmer Leavitt stated that expenditure
increases under buildings and facilities seemed excessive. Jonathan stated that the recreation path
project is within these numbers with a budget of $328,000. It was not spent in previous years due to
project delays. He stated the project
should go forward in the spring of 2008.
The total increase in the buildings and facilities budget from the
previous year is about $78,000 and is mainly due to some large projects which
will be partially offset by grant money.
They include the streetscape project and the Park and Ride. Also, additional landscaping and a permanent
sign will be completed for the Town Hall.
Ruth Ayer had a question about the fire department
grant expense. Fire Chief Al Barber
mentioned it was homeland security grant money. It shows as an over expenditure but it is covered by the
grant. She also asked about the
addition for the Fire Department in the capital budget and a new ladder
truck. Al Barber stated that with the
growth experienced by Hinesburg and with the size of some of the buildings the
Fire Department cannot reach all the buildings. There is a hope that new impact fees might help offset the
costs. He stated this capital budget is
only a plan and not a final spending plan. He hopes it raises the flag on these
important issues.
Dawn Taylor made a motion to reduce the article
amount by $300,000 to offset the budget increase. Moderator Fallon stated that this was out of order due to the
size of the change. He would accept a
motion for up to a 15% change in the warned amount on the article. Dawn moved that the budget be reduced by
15%. Moderator Fallon asked for a
second to the motion and there was none so the motion failed.
Josie Palmer Leavitt said that the grant money is
good but wondered why we run into engineering issues that increase costs for
these projects. Jonathan Trefry gave
the example of the recreation path.
Since the state gives the grant money, every state agency has a say in
the design and process. It is an
onerous process. The funding comes at
the beginning before the problems are even raised. He also gave the example of the sidewalk on Rte.116. Again the state got involved and raised
issues that were unexpected. Josie said
that every year we get grants that end up costing too much. Rob Bast said the recreation path has new
regulations that did not exist when the project was started. The town has to comply with these
regulations.
Carl Bohlen offered an amendment to reduce the
budget by $25,000 ($785, 451). It was
seconded. Carl noted that the voters
were being asked to vote on a number of articles. He noted that Article 8 is asking for $100,000 for the Laplatte
Headwaters Initiative, which he was supportive of, and he would like to pass
this motion to help defray the total budget costs. The motion was voted upon by voice vote and was passed.
Richard Watts asked how the Selectboard would
reduce the budget by $25,000. Rob Bast
said the budget process was started in November. The process is thorough and well considered and he was unsure
where they might cut the budget.
Ruth Ayer noted the zoning permit revenue was
going from $35,000 to $70,000. Rob Bast
stated the board asked planning and zoning to raise the rates to better cover
the permitting process costs.
Dawn Taylor asked if the town was getting new
computers since the computer hardware budget was up significantly as shown on
page 15. Jonathan Trefry said the town
budgeted to replace a server and some of the printers.
Charles Kogge stated that since the budget
discussions by the Selectboard were all warned public meetings and we shouldn’t
circumnavigate the process and just vote the budget down. He felt that people should attend the budget
meetings if they wanted to have input.
Roger Kohn asked to make an amendment to change
the budget to $790,000 and it was seconded.
Lynn Gardner asked what the fund balance would
be. He noted that there would probably
be enough to cover this $25,000.
Howard Russell noted that the fund balance is
often used to defray the upcoming budget.
The town has been reducing the fund balance over the past few years and
wants to maintain a minimum amount, around $250,000. The money is not there to be spent. The board has used the fund balance appropriately for this year.
Carl Bohlen suggested we might postpone the vote
and that he hoped to cut some from each article to help cover Article 8. Moderator Fallon stated that we could not
postpone the vote on an article.
The motion to change the amount of the first
amendment by reinstating $5,000 was taken by voice vote and failed.
Joe Donegan asked the Selectboard if the police
department were adding a new police officer,
and whether it would make a big difference if this were done next
year. Rob Bast suggested this would be
better discussed if we waited until Article 6.
Matt Vincent asked what would $25,000 do to the
tax rate. The Selectboard stated it
would be about $0.005.
There was a proposed amendment to go back to the
original amount budgeted in Article 3.
It was seconded. The voice vote
was determined to be too close to call so a standing vote was asked for by the
moderator. The amendment passed with
142 for and 132 against. There was then
a vote on the original Article as written in the warning and the article passed
on a voice vote.
ARTICLE 4: Shall the Town appropriate $613,911 for highway purposes?
The motion was made and seconded. The Moderator asked for discussion.
Dawn Taylor asked if the Pond Brook Road paving
was a part of this Article. The answer
was no.
Tom Ayer asked if in the past we voted for items
but they were not acted upon, for example the paving of Pond Brook Road. It was suggested that this wait for the road
paving article.
Article 4 was voted upon and it passed by voice vote.
ARTICLE 5: Shall the Town appropriate $103,260 for the purpose of paving the 0.8-mile gravel section of Pond Brook Road?
The motion was made and seconded. The Moderator asked for discussion.
An audience member asked if we could respond to
Tom Ayer’s question. If this is voted
upon will it actually be done? Rob
noted that this article did not pass last year. It is the intention of the board that if it is approved, it will
be done. He noted that this is just a
basecoat and it will need to be finished with a second coat in the next
year. He stated that Highway Foreman
Mike Anthony gave the board a thorough presentation on this project.
Ken Brown asked about pages 34 and 35 which note
the cost is $103,000 for this year and another $100,000 for next year. Randy Volk said the cost for next year would
be about $70,000.
Donna Constantineau noted that it is only 0.8 mile
and she would like to postpone this until next year. Barbara Walling uses the road a lot and would like to not pave
the road. The gravel and culvert work
so far has been very helpful.
Phil Pouech asked the Selectboard for their
individual opinions.
Randy Volk stated he is in favor of this article
for reasons of safety. Over 1,000
people use it daily. He did agree the
speed and use will increase if the road is paved.
Howard Russell does not support this and it was
put forward out of respect for taxpayers who wanted this considered. Dirt roads are useful as multi-modal and it
will not be used as such when it is paved.
Jonathan Trefry supported this last year for
safety but not this year due to budgetary issues. The paving is only 22 feet wide as proposed but the road
standards are 24 feet. The cost would
be more if we did it to the standards.
He felt the town should adhere to the road standards that other people
must comply with.
Andrea Morgante did not support it this year (or
last). Pavement is a non-renewable
resource and it will be more expensive in the long run to keep up with more
miles of paved road that need resurfacing.
Rob Bast supported it last year but due to budget
issues it should be deferred.
Willem Leenstra asked how we could use safety as
an issue without actual data. Rob Bast
said there is data on the safety of pavement vs. gravel on traction of
vehicles. The assumption from that is
that a paved road will be safer.
Someone noted that the cost went up $20,000 in one
year when compared to the article from last year, and they were questioning
whether the costs would just keep going up if we postponed it again.
Doug Henson lives on Pond Brook Road and has been
told for over 20 years it was to be paved.
He uses it to drive, run and walk.
He feels that if the road is 22 feet wide it will slow the traffic. The gravel that is there is now 24 to 26
feet wide. The paving will allow a
grass shoulder for running and walking.
His experience is that it is safer to run on paved roads. He also thought horses are not used on that
road. Doug read a letter from Jeff
White, a Pond Brook Road resident. Jeff
was unable to attend the meeting but wanted to have his letter read. The letter was written in support of the
paving.
Nancy Baker lives off Pond Brook Road and is not
convinced that paving will slow down the traffic. We must find a way to slow people down.
Debra Light stated that this town meeting process
is not the best way to decide this issue. This forum does not allow us to look
at the data and issues properly.
Ray Mainer lives on a town dirt road and asked how
long the town gravel pit would be able to supply gravel. Randy Volk said it will be a very long time,
though obviously not forever.
Rob Farley asked if a porous pavement was
considered. Rob Bast said it is more
expensive and with the compacted base would not be the best solution.
Ellen Foster asked what would be less expensive
over 15 years. She also asked if there
are other audience members who live on this road and what is their
opinion. Jonathan Trefry stated there
is not clear data on which is less costly.
The studies say if you maintain a dirt road well it can be as
cheap. Rob Bast stated that
historically pavement was less expensive but the pavement costs are
unpredictable.
Someone called the question and it was
seconded. A standing vote was asked for
by the Moderator. It was clear there
was not the two thirds majority required to end discussion.
Colin McNaull stated from his experience when
there is paving fewer people use the roads for recreation due to the speed and
lack of shoulders. Paving is
forever.
Tom Tanner had several issues with the article and
they included safety. This road can
become a minefield of potholes and is very dangerous. He thinks there will be more recreation if the road is paved,
especially for road bike use. Putting
this off will only increase the cost.
Joe Donegan is a Pond Brook Road resident who is
not in favor of paving. Pot holes are
effective speed bumps, he suggested.
His parent’s house is probably the closest house to the road. Adding stop signs would slow the traffic.
Valerie Spadacini is another resident who lives on
Pond Brook Road. She is against
paving. People should drive
slowly.
Jeff Tobrocke is a resident of the road and he
uses the road for running. He felt that
dust is a big issue, and that the traffic will only increase over time. Paving would help.
John Dunshee asked what the cost of paving the
Town Hall parking lot would be and who proposed it. The answer was $12,000 and
it was in the original plan.
Cindy Dunshee noted that during an ice storm there
were a lot of cars stuck on this dirt road and they are more dangerous in those
conditions.
Welly Cobden stated he feels safer riding his bike
on Pond Brook Road when compared to adjacent paved roads. He feels safer on this road because it has a
wide shoulder. We can maintain the dirt
road with our equipment and gravel pit.
Hinesburg does not have an oil well.
Ken Brown stated he lives on Silver Street and he
wishes it was a dirt road.
Doug Henson stated that porous pavement would not
work. Doug stated that the gravel in
the Town pit barely meets the standard due to lack of course aggregate. He also noted that runoff will be worse
without pavement.
After discussion the Moderator called the vote and
article 5 was voted by voice vote which was too close to call. A standing vote was taken and the article
was defeated.
ARTICLE 6: Shall the Town appropriate $472,349 for the general expenses of the Community Police Department?
The motion was made and seconded. The Moderator asked for discussion.
Jose Palmer Leavitt said the Police department
does a great job, but she wanted to know why we are buying Jeeps and Tahoes
when we could be using more fuel efficient vehicles. Chief Morrell stated the reason they drive 4-wheel drive vehicles
is because no one is paving the roads.
Mud and winter season makes it difficult to get up the hills. He acknowledged they do burn more gas. The vehicle size is to accommodate lots of
important equipment they have to bring with them.
Patty Whitney had questions on why health care and
professional services budget lines have increased. Jeanne Wilson, Town Administrator, said professional services
were for the expected long-term strategic planning. Health care costs include one additional officer. Just keeping the current officers would have
resulted in a 12% increase.
An audience member asked what proportion of health
care is covered by the town. The answer
is health care costs are covered at 100%.
John Kiedaisch noted there was a 27% increase in
cost for staff and a 70% increase in health care. This is the largest line item increase in a budget with a 32%
total increase. He questioned whether
the town could afford those kinds of increases. Jeanne Wilson said the increase in staffing costs is not just for
the new officer but that the existing officers are also getting pay
increases. It is more cost effective to
keep trained officers than have turnover.
Rob Bast said there was considerable debate by the
Selectboard on this item. He noted the
police do a number of services beyond just policing. He described the process around the police budget and this effort
concluded that the best thing to do to maintain services would be to give the
department one more full time officer or equivalent. This will allow them to hire the best people whether it is one
full time member or more part time help.
Dawn Taylor asked what part-time means and what is
the full time equivalent. Chief Morrell
said there are presently three full time, one part time administrator and
officer and 4 part-time officers. The
part timers add up to 20 hours per week.
This totals to about four full time positions.
Jonathan Trefry stated that he agreed with the
conclusion to add one-full time position based on a number of reasons. One reason was an independent study that
was done a number of years ago that showed the need. Additional information shows that this is the correct amount to
handle the present caseloads. The
studies show a need of 1.7 more people.
This is a smaller increase than the study indicated. He feels that the present caseload is not
sustainable at present staff levels.
The workload is too great and we are losing good officers. It should not be looked at as an increase
but the need to keep the coverage at where it is.
Shelley
Henson asked if part time employees get insurance coverage. The answer is no. Do other police departments have to contribute to their health
insurance? Chief Morrell stated it is a
mixed bag. He said the Hinesburg
benefit package is inferior to other community departments.
Vicki Mathews asked what percentage is kept from
tickets that are issued. Chief Morrell
answered 80% for speeding and overweight infractions although it can be
sometimes less. Enforcement does raise
money.
State Representative Bill Lippert stated that he
looked into how money comes from the State for tickets. He said Hinesburg has enacted the necessary
ordinances to get the most money from tickets.
An audience member asked why we have a Deputy
Chief. The reason given was to insure
proper transition when Chris Morrell retires.
George Dameron, chair of the Village Steering
Committee, stated he favors this budget article. He would like to see more traffic control. He asked if it would be possible to give
more traffic control. Marianne Incerpi
noted that the Chief and Deputy Chief run patrols and also do the
administrative work.
Colin McNaull said he is in sticker shock. He would like some assurance that this is
not a yearly increase. Rob Bast stated
that the Selectboard wants to only sustain the service we presently have. The strategic plan will help steer where we
need to go.
An audience member asked several questions
including how many small towns actually sustain their own police force. Are we locked into this forever? What other options are there? Have we considered a regional police force? Could these other options be considered in
the future? Rob Bast answered that at
the start of the police force other options were considered including regional
and state police. At that time it was
determined that this is the best service for the money.
Andrea Morgante thinks we can consider a regional
approach. The approach we have may not
be sustainable. There is less
efficiency. Some towns around us have
no police service yet these towns affect our town. We can’t solve this issue by ourselves. She thinks this goes throughout all public
safety. She is in favor of completing
the strategic plan because it should consider surrounding towns and possible
sharing of equipment and personnel.
Sam Hemmingway asked why have we not completed the
strategic plan and suggested we will always face the issue of officers leaving
for bigger and better opportunities.
Howard Russell stated that the issues were thoroughly discussed. He does believe we need some level of
increased staffing to maintain current services. He said it is critical that everyone participate in the upcoming
strategic plan.
Carl Bohlen wanted to make two
recommendations. We should consider a
police commission and the strategic plan should look at the services beyond the
incidents that are reported against a dollar value. This will provide the data needed to properly discuss the issue.
Scott Shumway asked if crime prevention is in the
budget. Chief Morrell stated that
community policing is all about crime prevention. Examples of community policing include the annual Halloween party
and the first time offender program.
They also try to dig a little deeper in problem areas.
Bruce Cunningham stated that a rapid response to
his serious injury was deeply appreciated.
He also thanked Doug Olufsen for gathering data to help us understand
the level of service and how this can be sustained. He strongly supports this article.
Rich Armstrong, Assistant Fire Chief and EMT
responder stated the police department is extremely valuable in maintaining a
fast response time, especially during the daytime when volunteers are not
available. If the police department is
unable to respond, this will force the fire and EMT to look to adding paid
positions.
Jessica Rohde, who works in the bank, said she
values the police department.
Chris Bataille stated that this is not a raise for
the department and only maintains the current level of service. His experience when living in Charlotte the
service was nowhere near the level needed.
Bill Lippert noted some costs are passed to the
Hinesburg Police department. For
example, we pay for state police who respond to towns without police. Bill has asked for a study on the state
police. He noted that full-time police
officers are required to have certain training and part time officers do not
need the same level of training. He
wants to make sure Hinesburg has the highest level of training for such an
important job. Jonathan Trefry noted
that Charlotte does pay over $200,000 per year for paid first responders.
Loy Harrell noted our police force is put in harms
way everyday. We should support the
police department 100%.
The moderator called for a voice vote and Article
6 passed.
ARTICLE 7: Shall the Town
appropriate $158,724 for the Carpenter Carse Library?
The motion was made and seconded. The Moderator asked for discussion.
There was no discussion.
The Article passed by voice vote.
ARTICLE 8: Shall the Town appropriate the sum of $100,000 for support of the LaPlatte Headwaters Initiative on Bissonette Farm (with a total estimated project cost of $3,675,000) for the purpose of acquisition of land and conservation restrictions which will preserve open space and natural resources?
The motion was made and seconded. The Moderator asked for discussion.
Marie Ayer is in favor of conserving land but
there is not enough information on this item.
Craig Chevrier stepped forward and gave a brief
overview of this project. This project
came about because of widespread interest by townspeople. As a result of this interest the Hinesburg
Land Trust (HLT) took this project on.
The HLT is asking for 3% of the cost of this project which will conserve
over 600 acres of open land. This
project protects wildlife, water quality and open farmland. The project must prove local support to get
the grant monies.
The project will include somewhere between 12 to
15 house lots which will cover about 12% of the cost. The intent is to build some homes to leave the farmland for
agriculture. Marie Ayer stated that the
pie chart indicates that the house lots will sell for just a little under
$30,000. She was concerned that the
numbers are not firm and that that is a ridiculously low price, and couldn’t
the $100,000 be raised by selling more lots.
Jonathan Trefry stated that the issue is should the town contribute to
preserve our rural and agricultural environment. He said many forums and town discussions stated the town is
concerned about these issues. The
project could be funded by selling more lots, but the Town’s contribution is a
way for the town to show commitment to the project and generate more funds.
An audience member asked if the town needs to
contribute $100,000 to show commitment, or would $50,000 be enough? Craig stated that the work on this project
has been on going for 2 years. They
have gone to every potential source of grant money and have done very
well. The HLT feels that the $100,000
is very reasonable. This project has
overwhelming support all around.
Colin McNaull thanked the Bissonettes for giving
the town this once in a lifetime opportunity.
This is a great investment.
Dawn Taylor said she resents being asked to put
her money where her mouth is. We’ve
been putting money away every year. We
cannot continue budget increases every year.
We never say no. She made a
motion to reduce the amount to $50,000.
Moderator Fallon opened the motion to
discussion. When asked, Craig said it
is still possible for the project to go
through if the money is reduced but it will make it more difficult. The project is pretty fragile.
Ruth Ayer asked how much is in the HLT
account. Jonathan stated most of the
money has been spent. Carol Jenkins,
HLT treasurer, stated that at the end of 2006 they had $29,500 of which $17,000
is already committed to prior projects.
The rest of the money will be used on start-up for new projects.
An audience member asked the Moderator why we can
reduce this motion by 50% and cannot reduce the town budget by the same
percentage. Moderator Fallon stated
this Article is different from a town budget and he ruled that it was okay.
Gay Reagan noted how difficult the project has
been and how much work has gone into this project. This money does not come easily.
It will not be easy to raise another $50,000. The town will receive property on this project.
Bob Linck is a Hinesburg resident who works for
Vermont Land Trust. He noted $100,000
for a $3.9 million conservation project is not a lot of money. This project leverages an awful lot more
money. It is very important the town
shows support at this level. If this
land is developed it will cost taxpayers a lot more money over time.
Rae Harrell said she complains a lot about taxes
but this decision affects future generations.
We need to act now while conserving land is affordable. The expenditure only amounts to $25.00 per
person.
An audience member stated that conservation does
not work as well as proper zoning and planning. What does the $25 per person buy us?
An audience member stated this is a great
opportunity for sustainable farmland.
Jose Palmer Leavitt said she grew up on a
farm. She wants to make sure the
research is done and the cost does not go up too much. Craig stated these are the best numbers possible
and nothing is cast in stone.
Ruth Ayer stated that we have too much land off
the tax roles already. Tom Ayer asked
which grants would be lost if this money is not approved? Andrea Morgante stated that this money is
necessary to meet a 1/3 local match for the Vermont Housing and Conservation grant
which totals about $500,000.
Rob Farley asked if there was a surplus where
would the money go. Craig stated as a
non-profit they have yet to have a project that they have more money than they
need. Andrea noted that the HLT will
not be building the housing development but would use a builder. There is a hope that some of the housing
could be affordable.
Vicki Mathews asked if a stipulation could be put
on the article to keep further money from being put to this project. Moderator Fallon stated that this could not
be done.
Missy Ross stated that this project has a lot of
recreational potential. Rae Harrell
stated $25 is a bargain and she would give $50 to keep Hinesburg from looking
like South Burlington. She also stated
the houses and farms would provide town taxes.
There was a vote on the amendment to reduce the
amount to $50,000. The amendment was
defeated by voice vote.
Catherine Ryan stated this would not be a lot of
money. If you car-pool into Burlington
two times per year you will easily save this money. She is a photographer and would be willing to give anyone an 8x10
color print if they vote for this.
Ruth Ayer asked for a motion that upon sale of the
first house lot the $100,000 be given back to the town. The motion was seconded.
The question was asked if this is legal and the
Moderator thought it was a fair motion.
A voice vote on the motion resulted in the motion
being defeated.
At the end of discussion there was a vote on the
Article. The Article carried by voice
vote.
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 $600 for the Lake Iroquois Recreation District as Hinesburg's share?
The motion was made and seconded. The Moderator asked for discussion.
The moderator called for the vote on Article 10
and it passed by voice vote.
ARTICLE 11: Shall the Town vote to raise the sum of $25,441 to be disbursed as specifically designated to the following agencies/organizations?
Funded 06-07 Budget 07-08
Center
for Independent Living 260 270
Hinesburg
Community Resource Center 10,000 10,000
Visiting
Nurse Association 6,714 6,585
Committee
on Temporary Shelter (COTS) 1,404 1,456
Champlain
Valley Area Agency on Aging 2,080 2,157
Hinesburg
Community Meal Site 520 539
VT
CARES 728 755
Vermont
Adult Learning 260 270
Howard
Center for Human Services 780 809
Spectrum
Youth & Family Services 1,000 0
$26,346 $25,441
The motion was made and seconded. The Moderator asked for discussion.
Maureen Barnard asked who uses the Hinesburg
Community Resource Center. Ginny
Roberts said the funds go to Friends of Families, summer camp for Hinesburg
kids on free and reduced lunch and a nutrition program.
Another audience member asked why we were not
funding Spectrum Youth and Family Services.
Howard Russell stated the Selectboard asked them to submit a written
request but they did not. Andrea
Morgante stated the town only funds previously funded agencies and other
agencies would need to request funds through an amendment.
Hinesburg resident Kate Dodge was representing
Vermont Works for Women’s and would like to make a motion for an additional
$500 for that program. The motion was
seconded.
A voice vote was taken and the town voted the
amendment.
A voice vote was taken on this Article as amended
and it 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 $15,687 for the period of one year?
The motion was made and seconded. The Moderator asked for discussion.
Harry Scott asked why this amount was reduced from
last year. It was explained that this
number is based on 15% of the fire department’s actual expenditure from the
previous year. The fire department
stated this amount is consistent with the number of calls. Ruth Ayer suggested the strategic plan look
into the actual cost of this coverage.
The Moderator called for the vote and Article 12
passed by voice vote.
ARTICLE 13: Shall the voters authorize the town to increase the qualified veteran's exemption from $20,000 to the statutory maximum of $40,000 of appraised value, pursuant to 32 V.S.A. § 3802?
The motion was made and seconded. The Moderator asked for discussion.
Paul Lamberson asked if this tax exemption ends
when the veteran dies or does the benefit extend to their children. The Selectboard thought it applied only to
their spouse. An audience member asked
who qualifies. It was explained that to
qualify you must be a 50% disabled veteran.
Without any request for discussion the Moderator
asked for the vote on Article 13, which passed, by voice vote.
ARTICLE 14: 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. There was no discussion.
The Moderator asked for a vote on Article 14. Article 14 passed by voice vote.
ARTICLE 15:
Shall the voters authorize the payment of real and personal property
taxes for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008 payable in full to the Town of
Hinesburg in one installment, with the due date being November 15, 2007. Any and all payments received in the Town
Treasurer's Office later than midnight on November 15, 2007 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.
There was a question about the delinquent tax
collector since the ballot is empty.
Rob Bast stated the default would be that the Town Clerk’s office would
handle the additional duties.
Maureen Barnard asked if the Town Clerk would get
the money that the tax collector normally received. The answer is no. Rob
said the employees would be paid for their time. Missy Ross, Town Clerk and Treasurer, stated the two staff
members would do the tasks and it will cost less than the $8,000 budget
approved for FY 07 – 08.
The article was put to a voice vote and passed.
ARTICLE 16: To transact any other business proper to be brought before said meeting.
An
audience member asked why the grand list is not calculated before the town
meeting. The answer was state statute.
Another audience member asked how we put things on Australian
ballot. Moderator Fallon stated there
is a procedure for doing that. Roger
Kohn said there was a great turnout and great discussion.
An audience member moved to
adjourn and this was quickly seconded and voted.
Moderator Fallon adjourned the
meeting at 11:16 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Philip 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 5, 2007.
________________ ________________ _________________
/s/ Robert S. Bast /s/ Andrea Morgante /s/ Howard E. Russell
Chairman, Selectboard Selectperson 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 5, 2007. Witnessed and
attested to the _____ day of _____, 2007 by
__________________
/s/ Melissa B. Ross
Town Clerk / Treasurer