Joint Informational Mtg w/SLB & Electric Facility Public Hearing 2/24/25

Web version

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON TOWN SELECTBOARD

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

INFORMATIONAL MEETING & PUBLIC HEARING

Monday, February 24, 2025

7:00 PM

Present: Joel Clark-SLB Chair, Nicole Draper, Steve Bourgoies-SLB Members, David Winchester- Village President, Adam Paxman, Suzie Kelleher, Eugene LaBombard-Village Trustees, Brian Savage-Town Administrator, Cathy Fournier-Town Clerk, Bill Sheets-Village Manager, Lynn Paradis-Assistant Village Manager, Christina Candels-Assistant Town Administrator, Dianne Day-Village Clerk, Betty Cheney, Al Kinzinger, Deb Bourgeois, Dean Ryan, Jason Starr, Dan Chevalier, Betsy Fournier, Damon Broderick, Tod Jones, Chris Leach, Rich Kelley, Nicholas Brosseau, Lynn Savage, Neal Speer, Duane Couture, Matt Sullivan, Don Collins, Sean Conner, Michael Conner Absent: Earl Fournier, Brendan Long-SLB Members, and Ch. 16. Via Teams: Denny H; Office.

1. Call to Order:

Mr. Winchester called the Village Trustee meeting to order at 7:00 pm. Mr. Clark called the Selectboard meeting to order at 7:00 pm.

2. Pledge of Allegiance/Moment of Silence:

Mr. Winchester led those present in the Pledge of Allegiance.

3. Agenda Review:

Mr. Winchester reviewed the agenda, no changes.

4. Reading of Town of Swanton’s Annual Warning:

Town Moderator Brian Savage. Mr. Savage as Town Moderator read the 2025 Town of Swanton Warning for Town Meeting Day. Please see Town Meeting Minutes for their Warning.

5. Reading of Village of Swanton’s Annual Warning:

Village President David Winchester. Mr. Winchester as Village President read the 2025 Swanton Village Warning for Town Meeting Day:

ANNUAL WARNING

The legal voters of the Village of Swanton are hereby warned and notified to meet at the Swanton Village Complex, 120 First Street, Swanton, Vermont on Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at 7:00 a.m. to vote on the articles set forth. All articles are to be voted by Australian Ballot. The polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m.

 Article 1:         To elect from the legal voters of said Village the following officers:

                        President for a 1-year term

                        Trustee for a 3-year term

                        Clerk for a 1-year term

                        Collector of Delinquent Taxes for a 1-year term

Article 2:          Shall the voters of the Village of Swanton appropriate $197,139 for the

                        operation and maintenance of the General Fund for 2025?

Article 3:          Shall the voters of the Village of Swanton appropriate $763,395 for the operation and maintenance of the Highway Department for 2025?

Article 4:          Shall the voters of the Village of Swanton appropriate $94,457 for the operation and maintenance of the Fire Department for 2025?

Article 5:          Shall the voters of the Village of Swanton appropriate $1,005,026 for the operation and maintenance of the Police Department for 2025?

Article 6:          Shall bonds or notes or other evidences of indebtedness of the Village of Swanton in an amount not to exceed Eight Million Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($8,300,000), subject to reduction from alternate sources of funding, be issued for the purpose of constructing a new building for the Swanton Village Electric Department, the estimated  cost of such improvements being Eight Million Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($8,300,000)?

The legal voters of the Village of Swanton are further notified that an Informational Meeting will be held on Monday, February 24, 2025 at 7:00 PM in person and via Teams for the purpose of explaining all the Budget items to the voters. Anyone desiring to participate & listen in on the meeting can do so by going to the Village’s website at swantonvt.gov, click on Village, Village Trustees and find the meeting by date. Open the agenda and click on the meeting link.

Dated at Swanton, Vermont this 27th day of January 2025.

6. Power Point Presentation and Discussion of Town of Swanton’s Proposed 2025 Budget:

Mr. Savage presented the 2025 Town of Swanton Budget PowerPoint. Please see Town of Swanton Meeting Minutes for presentation.

7. Public Comment:

Mr. Collins shared he is running for re-election for his current MVSD School Board position and would appreciate continued support from Swanton voters.

Mr. Clark shared his is running for re-election of his Selectboard position. Mr. Clark shared the correct phone number to reach him, as the Town Report shows the wrong phone number. Please reach out to him any questions he can help with.

Mr. Speer asked why the Swanton Public Library is listed as two separate line items to be voted on? Mr. Clark said the payroll and building maintenance are handled by the Selectboard. The second article is the library’s operation budget that they take care of by the Library Trustees once it is voter approved. Ms. Cathy Fournier said the Town budget for the Library pays for payroll, health insurance and building maintenance and the appropriation they use for books and programing. Mr. Clark said this was decided years past by the Selectboard & Trustees to ensure the building was taken care of.

Ms. Draper made a motion to adjourn the Selectboard Informational Meeting at 7:38 pm, seconded by Mr. Bourgeois. Motion carried.

8. Power Point Presentation and Discussion of Village of Swanton’s Proposed 2025 Budget:

Village Manager William “Bill” Sheets highlighted the Village’s organizational chart and mentioned his Village Manager Report on pages 4 through 8 in the Annual Village Report. He mentioned the following significant impacts or pressures in each department.

Fire Department

• Significant Impacts/Pressures
  • Dispatching Costs
  • Property Insurance
  • Transportation (Fuel, Maintenance)
  • Equipment Replacement

Police Department

• Significant Impacts/Pressures
  • Salaries and Benefits
  • Office Supplies (Computers)
  • Dispatching cost
  • Property Insurance
  • Workers Compensation Insurance
  • Training
  • Transportation Maintenance
  • Equipment Replacement Fund

Highway Department

• Significant Impacts/Pressures
  • Salaries and Benefits
  • Property Insurance
  • Workers Compensation Insurance
  • Street and Sidewalk Maintenance
  • Transportation Equipment Maintenance

Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, then showed the Tax Rate 2024 Actual vs. 2025 Proposed:

• General Fund 2024 Tax Rate = $0.1037 vs 2025 Tax Rate = $0.1176
• Fire Department 2024 Tax Rate = $0.0528 vs 2025 Tax Rate = $0.0564
• Police Department 2024 Tax Rate = $0.5962 vs 2025 Tax Rate = $0.5998
• Highway Department 2024 Tax Rate = $0.4126 vs 2025 Tax Rate = $0.4556

2024 Tax Rate = $1.1653 vs 2025 Tax Rate = $1.2294 for a change of .0641 (5.5%)

Taxes 2024 Actual vs. 2025 Proposed

• 2024 Actual on a $200,000 House = $2330.60; $250,000 House = $2913.25; $300,000 House = $3495.90
• 2025 Proposed on a $200,000 House = $2458.80 for an increase of $128.20; $250,000 House = $3073.50 for an increase of $160.25; and $300,000 House = $2688.20 for an increase of $192.30. This annual increase is for fire, general, police and highway.

Proposed 2025 Taxes by Department

• $200,000 House = General $235.20, Fire $112.80, Police $1199.60, Highway $911.20 = $2458.80
• $250,000 House = General $294.00, Fire $141.00, Police $1499.50, Highway $1139.00 = $3073.50
• $300,000 House – General $352.80, Fire $169.20, Police $1799.40, Highway $1366.80 = $2688.20

Lynn then showed the electric rate comparison, showing Swanton Electric has the third lowest rates in the state for a customer using 600 kwh’s and 1,000 kwh’s.

She said Swanton Electric is proud to share that our electricity is 100% renewable. Our current FERC license expired in April of 2024 and efforts to renew the license are ongoing.

Enterprise Fund Rates
Water and Wastewater

• Missisquoi River Water Line Project was completed in 2024.
• Wastewater Treatment Facility Upgrade Project is under construction.
• A rate increase evaluation is ongoing based upon these two upgrades. The next increase will likely occur in the Calendar Year 2026. 

2025 Candidates

Village President – 1yr Term - David Winchester

Village Clerk -- 1 yr Term - Dianne Day

Village Trustee -- 3 yr Term – Neal Speer

Collector of Delinquent Taxes 1 yr Term  - Betty Cheney

Article 6: Bond Vote

• The Bond request of $8,300,000 is for an Electric Department building.
• If approved, the building will be built on our lot located at 124 First Street and would start in 2025.
• The project will require 12 months to complete.

Bill Sheets stated this year’s Annual Report is dedicated to Eugene LaBombard who served as Village Trustee for 25 years. Adam Paxman presented Gene with a plaque and words of gratitude, and the audience gave Gene a standing ovation.

9. Public Comment:

None.

10. Public Hearing for Electric Facility Bond Vote on March 4, 2025;

See the full PDF presentation on our website at swantonvt.gov.

Mike Connor, Connor Contracting, said his company is pleased to be working with the Village of Swanton and Wiemann Lamphere on the design of this new building. He said they have built 3 similar buildings in the last four years and they are looking forward to the voters approving this new facility. He said they are working with many other consultants and have come up with the projected conceptual building cost being $8.3 million dollars. He said if it’s approved by the voters they will get more detailed pricing after the building gets fully designed. He said it takes 4 to 6 months to really come up with a design that works for everybody. Sean Connor talked about the building design as well and new state standards. Mike said they are eager to help the community get this beautiful facility built.

11. Public Comment:

Nick Brosseau asked how this differs from last year’s building and how it will benefit the police department. Al Kinzinger asked about the floor drainage. Bill said the police department will be able to spread out in the office space left by the current administration, as well as gain some of the garage space. They also talked about the design of the floor drains and said if need be the vactor truck can clean them out as well.

Chris Leach thanked Eugene LaBombard for his many years of service to the Village of Swanton. Chris also said lately people complain about taxes, the weather, the mail not being delivered but said one thing they can’t be complaining about is Swanton Electric’s power going out. He said in other utilities the lights are probably out tonight because of the wind. Chris said he wants people to support the electric department and by doing so it will benefit the other departments as well.

David Winchester, Village President, said there’s been some confusion about last year’s proposal and this year’s proposal. He said everything about this, other than the location, is different. He said the size, scale and cost and how it’s being funded are all different. He said Swanton Electric is very unique and does a fantastic job, has grown over the years and delivers affordable power to their customers. He said they are almost 100% lower than the other neighboring utilities. David said this new proposal is the only solution they can put forth to reinvest in itself and continue to grow. He said the airport upgrade is happening, the Southern Growth District and charging electric planes at the airport are all things that will bring a bigger customer base and allow rates to stay low. He said another benefit is gaining 12 or 14 thousand square feet of extra space for the other departments. He said any other solution would be funded through property taxes and this option doesn’t cost shift between the Town and Village, it’s the same for everyone. He said the police department will have more room and maybe Regional Policing will be able to happen down the road. He said one investment leads to another and this is a good economic theory and solution. He said if anyone is confused or has questions, he will gladly help explain it. David said he wanted to thank everyone who’s been involved with this, especially Connor Contracting. He said he hopes everyone supports this new facility.

12. Any Oher Necessary Business:

None.

13. Adjournment:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to adjourn at 9:00 p.m. Suzie Kelleher seconded the motion. Motion carried. There being no further business at hand, David Winchester, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 9:01 p.m. Motion carried.

_____________________________________    _______________________________________

David Winchester, Village President                  Date

__________________________________         ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                 Date