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Trustees Meeting 1/25/21

  • Monday, January 25, 2021
    7 PM – 9 PM

Village Trustees

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SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, January 25, 2021

7:00 PM

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau Jr., Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; and Leonard “Joey” Stell, Chief of Police. Via Zoom: Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Span Members: Michelle Nordberg, Joanne Parah Reiter, Priscilla & George Connelly, Janet Dimick, and Janet Soavi; Gordon Winters, and Ch. 16.

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

  1. Call to Order:

Neal Speer, Village President, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

  1. Pledge of Allegiance:

Everyone present stood and recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

  1. Agenda Review:

Reg Beliveau stated he would need an Executive Session to discuss personnel.

  1. Public Comment:

Chief Stell had Officer Kyle Gagne come in with his K-9 Scout. He surprised him with his wife and daughter being present so he could promote him to Corporal. Kyle’s wife Harley pinned his new badge on him and the board congratulated him on being promoted to Corporal.

  1. Approve and Sign Minutes from Monday, January 11, 2021 as presented:

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, January 11, 2021 as presented. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

  1. Approve and Sign Warrants through Friday, January 22, 2021 as presented:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and sign Warrants through Friday, January 22, 2021 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

  1. Adopt and Sign 2021 Annual Warning as Presented:

Neal Speer, Village President, read the 2021 Annual Warning as presented.

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 2, 2021 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 $151,242 for the

                        operation and maintenance of the General Fund for 2021?

Article 3:          Shall the voters of the Village of Swanton appropriate $517,602 for the operation and maintenance of the Highway Department for 2021?

Article 4:          Shall the voters of the Village of Swanton appropriate $80,833 for the operation and maintenance of the Fire Department for 2021?

Article 5:          Shall the voters of the Village of Swanton appropriate $686,871 for the operation and maintenance of the Police Department for 2021?

Article 6:          Shall the voters of the Village of Swanton authorize the Board of Trustees to place surplus funds in the Highway Department anticipated to be $19,131 into a capital fund for future equipment purchases and paving projects?

Article 7:          Shall the voters of the Village of Swanton authorize the Board of Trustees to place surplus funds in the General Department anticipated to be $38,453 into a capital fund for future Municipal Complex upgrades?

Article 8:          Shall the voters of the Village of Swanton authorize the Board of Trustees to place surplus funds in the Fire Department anticipated to be $13,705 into a capital fund for future purchases?

Article 9:          Shall the voters of the Village of Swanton authorize the Board of Trustees to place surplus funds in the Police Department anticipated to be $5,469 into a capital fund for future purchases?

The legal voters of the Village of Swanton are further notified that an Informational Meeting will be held on Monday, February 22, 2021 at 7:00 PM via Zoom for the purpose of explaining all the Budget items to the voters. To join via Zoom use Meeting ID: 851 7629 3612, join by telephone: 1-646-558-8656 or by using this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85176293612.

Dated at Swanton, Vermont this 25th day of January 2021.

Neal Speer, President______________________      Chris Leach, Trustee________________________

Eugene LaBombard, Trustee __________________ Adam Paxman, Trustee______________________

Received and filed this 25th day of January 2021

______________________________

Dianne L. Day, Village Clerk

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and sign the 2021 Annual Warning as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

  1. SPAN (Swanton Public Art Network) Discussion on Art Walls:

Adam Paxman stated he has been meeting with SPAN along with Reg Beliveau and Chief Stell in the hopes of reinstalling the art walls in the community. He said the proposal SPAN presented to them has been sent to their attorney for review and as soon as they hear back from the attorney they will notify the SPAN members. Michelle Nordberg thanked them for working with them and said they hope to establish public art in the community. She said they will also be meeting with the Town Selectboard as well and hope they can be in partnership with the Village on this request. She said their proposal defines what is permissable and how they will be monitored. Reg Beliveau stated their proposal is well thought out, well written and he thanked them for their effort.

  1. Swanton Village Police Department Update:

Chief Stell stated in the month of December they responded to 142 calls for service in the Village. He said they had a wide variety of calls from fireworks on Christmas day to family fights and domestics. He said they are seeing more of this because of COVID-19. He said they issued 10 motor vehicle warnings and 4 tickets totalling $851. Adam Paxman asked if speeding was still an issue. Chief Stell stated they are still seeing violations but because of the pandemic they are not seeing much traffic after dark. He said traffic crashes are low and out of state vehicles is also low. Neal Speer stated he would like to mention the bridge that is falling apart on the westerly side. He said a steel plate has cracked and is missing and is supposed to be replaced this week. Reg stated this is the expansion joint and it is perfectly safe to drive over until it gets repaired. Adam reminded people to slow down while driving.

  1. Swanton Village Ordinance Update:

Dianne Day, Village Clerk, gave the Board an update on the three new Ordinances to be adopted. Chris Leach stated he would like to see the speed limit reduced on all dead end streets in the Village. Adam Paxman stated he didn’t see anything mentioned about vehicles parking on the green spaces in the Village and thinks that should be added. Gordon Winters stated there should be an ordinance in place about people mowing their right of way (green space) in the Village. Dianne stated she would address all these concerns with Lt. Kachajian and would get back to them.

  1. Any Other Necessary Business:

Chris Leach asked about the COVID vaccine and Chief Stell stated NOTCH is working with the State to get a site here at the Complex. He said other towns will also be having vaccine sites set up as well. Adam Paxman asked if someone doesn’t have internet how can they register for the vaccine. Chief Stell suggested they call the VT Department of Health and they can get them registered. He said older folks can also find a family member or friend to help them get registered.

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman stated the date for the Car Show may change to July 31st instead of July 24th. He said they are working out some details and will let everyone know as soon as he hears.

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau said he has been in contact with Jim Cota from the Agency of Transportation regarding the bridge and he said someone will be here on Friday to assess the damage. He said repairs should begin on Monday. He said he also consulted with an engineer and with the Regional Planning office.

Any Other Business: Neal Speer stated there will be a meeting on Wednesday, January 27th at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom regarding the traffic and Downtown Scoping Study. He said they have been working on this for over a year and he encourages everyone to attend via zoom.

  1. Executive Session if Necessary:

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter into Executive Session at 7:45 p.m. to discuss personnel. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

Adam Paxman made the motion to exit Executive Session at 8:55 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

ACTION TAKEN: None.

13. Adjournment:

Adam Paxman made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 8:55 p.m.  Chris Leach seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:55 p.m. Motion carried.

_____________________________________             _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                            Date

__________________________________         ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                Date