Trustees Meeting 3/27/23

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SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, March 27, 2023

7:00 PM

PRESENT: Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Chris Leach, Trustee; Adam Paxman; Trustee; William “Bill” Sheets, Village Manager; Reginald Beliveau Jr., Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; Matthew Sullivan; Chief of Police; Suzanne Washburn, Mark Rochleau, and Ch. 16.

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

1. Call to Order:

Chris Leach, Village Trustee, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

2. Pledge of Allegiance:

Everyone stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.

3. Agenda Review:

None.

4. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, March 13, 2023 as presented:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve the Minutes from Monday, March 13, 2023 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

5. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Thursday, March 23, 2023:

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants #26-#30 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

6. Appoint Representative to Northwest Communications Union District Legislative Body:

Adam Paxman made the motion to appoint Larry King as the Swanton Village representative for the Northwest Communications Union District Legislative Body. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

7. Swanton Village Police Department Update:

Chief Matthew Sullivan presented the Board with his January 2023 and February 2023 monthly reports. He said in the month of January the Village Police Department responded to 84 incidents in the Village with the top ten calls being 10 traffic stops, 8 motor vehicle complaints, 7 search warrants, 6 fraud, 6 welfare/suicide checks, 5 careless & negligent, 4 information reports, 4 citizen assists, 4 threatening and 13 suspicious person/circumstances. He said they had 13 traffic stops and issued 3 tickets and 12 warnings. Chief Sullivan said they had 10 arrests for traffic and 19 arrests. He showed for the month of February they responded to 89 incidents with the top ten calls being 11 citizen assists, 9 community outreach, 9 traffic stops, 6 service abuse prevention orders, 5 directed patrol, 5 citizen dispute, 5 welfare/suicide checks, 5 motor vehicle complaints, 4 property/home watch, and 11 suspicious person/circumstances. He said they did 10 traffic stops and issued 4 tickets and 6 warnings. He said they had 34 arrests for the month of February. Chief Sullivan said the department has been very busy with search warrants the end of 2022 and early 2023. He said they recovered 235 grams of crack cocaine, 73 bags of heroin and 10 guns. He said his officers have done a tremendous job because it takes a long time to get probable cause. He said they’ve had excellent results and have worked with other agencies on these search warrants. He said they’ve been exchanging information and are aware of four different crime organizations in the area that distribute narcotics. Chris Leach asked if these are local residents. Chief Sullivan said they are from New York, Massachusetts and the New Jersey area known as the Burr Street Gang. He said they also had two known Blood Gang members in the area and said there is a lot of drug activity happening. He said these search warrants take time but they are having fantastic results. Chris asked about the Nashville school shooting that just happened. Chief Sullivan said it’s hard to predict underlying mental health issues. He said this is unfortunate but thankfully they haven’t had to deal with this in Vermont and said they need more robust social services here. Bill Sheets, Village Manager, said the drug dealers are here because there is a drug market. He said he thinks the State Police aren’t doing as many search warrants as Swanton is and said they need this enforcement. Bill said the accolades are pouring in and our department is fully staffed due to Chief Sullivan’s leadership. Bill showed the Board a letter he received praising Chief Sullivan and his department from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration program. Chief Sullivan said they work hard trying to get individuals help so they get well rather than get arrested. He said they try to get them wrap around services to help with all their issues. Adam Paxman said he applauds his efforts. Chris Leach said he’s heard numerous positive comments regarding the police department. Mark Rocheleau asked if these search warrants were just here in Swanton. Chief Sullivan said some were but also in the surrounding area not just the Village. The Board thanked Chief Sullivan for his report.

8. Credit Card Resolution:

Dianne Day, Village Clerk, said that Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, would like to switch from Bank of America to M&T Bank for the Village corporate credit cards. Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and authorize Dianne Day, Village Clerk, to sign the Businesscard Resolution Form for the Village of Swanton and M&T Bank for corporate credit cards for authorized employees. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

9. Report on Electric, Water and Sewer Lien Process:

Dianne Day, Village Clerk, provided the Trustees with a report detailing all the electric, water and sewer liens that have been paid over the last seven years. They had asked her to research this to see what demographic of individuals were impacted the most financially when it came to paying off liens. Her report is as follows:

In 2009 the Village of Swanton presented a Charter change to the VT Legislature which would allow the Village to impose property liens on all unpaid electric accounts. They approved this change and then it was brought to the Village voters who also approved the Charter changes.

I was instructed at our last meeting to research all liens paid to see who was being impacted the most because this procedure is upsetting to local landlords. I researched 2016 through 2022 and have found the following:

In 2016 a total of 57 electric liens were paid totaling $19,672.36. Twenty eight (28) of these liens were paid by tenants and homeowners; 20 were paid by mortgage companies, banks or churches and 9 were paid by landlords. We paid $1108.82 to National Recovery. Also in 2016 15 electric, water and sewer liens were paid totaling $12,821.20. Seven of these liens were paid by homeowners and 8 were paid by banks or at the sale of the home. We sent $410.04 to National Recovery. The Village also had 5 water and sewer liens paid in 2016, totaling $3293.09. Two were paid at tax sale, 1 paid by a bank and 2 paid by owners. There were a total of 77 liens paid with the majority coming from tenants and homeowners (37), banks, mortgage companies and other agencies paid 31 of the liens and 9 were paid by landlords. The Village collected $35,786.65 in liens in 2016.

In 2017 a total of 37 electric liens were paid totaling $23,969.99. Twenty of these liens were paid by tenants or homeowners; 6 paid by mortgage companies or at closings and 11 were paid by landlords. The Village paid $682.52 to National Recovery. There were 10 electric, water and sewer liens paid totaling $12,167.47. Four were paid by owners; 4 were paid by mortgage companies and two were paid by landlords. We paid National Recovery $457.36. The Village also collected 3 water and sewer liens totaling $3,296.04. One was paid at closing and two were paid by owners. There were a total of 50 liens paid with the majority coming from tenants and homeowners (26); 11 banks, mortgage companies and other agencies paid and 13 were paid by landlords. In total, the Village collected $39,433.50 in unpaid utilities in 2017.

In 2018 a total of 37 electric liens were paid totaling $11,005.75. 20 were paid by tenants and owners; 6 were paid by mortgage companies or at closings and 11 were paid by landlords. We paid National Recovery $1,023.98. We had a total of 13 electric, water and sewer liens paid totaling $9,413.28. Seven were paid by property owners; 5 were paid by mortgage companies and one tenant paid. We paid National Recovery $38.15. The Village also collected 1 water and sewer lien totaling $607.45 which was paid at closing. There was a total of 51 liens paid with the majority coming from tenants and homeowners (28); 12 were paid by mortgage companies or at closings and 11 were paid by landlords. In total, the Village collected $21,026.48 in 2018.

In 2019 a total of 78 electric liens were paid totaling $30,478.41. Eighteen of these liens were paid by tenants or owners; four were written off by the Village; six were paid by mortgage companies or at closings and 50 were paid by landlords. We paid National Recovery $3,452.34. There were a total of 7 electric, water and sewer liens paid totaling $6,145.38. Four of these liens were paid by property owners, one by a mortgage company and one paid by a tenant. There were two water and sewer liens paid totaling $2,388.30 with one being paid by the owner and one by an estate attorney. It looks like landlords were impacted the most in 2019 by paying 50 out of the 87 liens that were paid. Twenty four were paid by owners or tenants and 9 were paid by mortgage companies or at closings and 4 were written off by the Village. We collected a total of $39,012.09.

In 2020 a total of 40 electric liens were paid totaling $31,043.54. We paid National Recovery $1,302.19. Eleven were paid by tenants or owners; 1 was written off by the Village and 28 landlords paid off liens left by tenants. There were 11 electric, water and sewer liens paid in 2020 totaling $10,335.99. We paid National Recovery $271.73 in 2020. Seven liens were paid by owners; 2 were paid by mortgage companies and 2 were paid by tenants. There were two water and sewer liens paid totaling $801.20 with one being paid by the owner and one by a bank. There were a total of 53 liens paid with 28 being paid by landlords, 20 were paid by tenants and/or owners; and 5 were paid by banks or at closings. The Village collected a total of $42,180.73 in liens in 2020.

In 2021 there were 51 electric liens paid totaling $31,761.80. Thirty five of these liens were paid by tenants or owners; two were written off by the  Village and 14 were paid by landlords. We paid National Recovery $1,114.92. There were 21 electric, water and sewer liens paid totaling $26,925.31. Seventeen of these liens were paid by property owners and 4 were paid by banks or at closings. There were 11 water and sewer liens paid in 2021 totaling $13,576.87. Two were paid by tenants and 9 were paid by property owners. There were a total of 83 liens paid in 2020. Sixty-three of these liens were paid by tenants or owners; 14 were paid by landlords and 6 were paid by banks or at closings. The Village collected $72,263.98 in liens in 2021.

In 2022 the Village collected 37 electric liens totaling $27,419.44. We paid National Recovery $452.09. Twenty one of these liens were paid by tenants or owners; 9 were paid by landlords; the Village was court ordered to remove 4 liens and wrote them off (abandoned mobile homes) and 3 were paid by mortgage companies or at closings. There were 8 electric, water and sewer liens paid totaling $9,718.21. Four were paid by property owners; 3 paid by mortgage companies and 1 paid by a landlord. There were two water and sewer liens totaling $1,995.13. One was paid by a tenant and one by a landlord. Overall in 2022, the Village collected 47 liens. Twenty-six were paid by tenants or owners; 11 were paid by landlords; 6 were paid by mortgage companies; and 4 were written off. We collected a total of $39,132.78.

Over the last 7 years 448 property liens were paid. Two hundred twenty-four (224) came from tenants and homeowners and 136 came from landlords. The rest were paid by mortgage companies, tax sales, closings etc. which ultimately comes from the property owner. I think it’s fair to say that homeowners and tenants are impacted the most by this lien process. The Village has voided interest accumulated on landlords when they come in to pay their liens. As long as the bill amount, recording fees and fee to National Recovery is covered we void interest to help landlords out.

We work extremely hard for the landlord trying to make sure their tenants pay but also have to follow state rules when doing disconnections. We have a form in place asking tenants to sign to give their landlord access to their account. This will allow the landlord to receive a copy of their tenants disconnect notice so they will have an understanding of how their tenant is paying. They can call the Village at any time to check the status of their tenants account if this form has been signed.

ACTIVE ELECTRIC LIENS AS OF 3/27/23 = $47,577.98

ACTIVE ELECTRIC, WATER & SEWER AS OF 3/27/23 = $50,393.03

ACTIVE WATER & SEWER AS OF 3/27/23 = $4,740.28

Dianne said that the Village Auditor stated we are carrying too much debt with the active liens so we really need to start collecting those unpaid liens. She said she would have to start working with Betty Cheney to possibly tax sale some properties to get these liens paid. She said she would start with sending the landlords another letter with copies of their active liens and ask them to pay them off. The Board thanked her for her report.

10. Village Manager Update:

William “Bill” Sheets stated that the Riveria Hotel is on track to be torn down on Monday, April 17^th. He said they have talked with all the neighbors and landlords and will remain in touch with them until the job is complete.

He stated that they have three finalists lined up for the Scott Mueller Internship job and interviews will take place on April 19^th. He said this is a great opportunity for whoever they select and they might be able to hire a student for summer help in the Public Works department.

He said the Village has received some great applications for the Grant Specialist position and interviews will be held on April 3^rd  and April 6^th.

Bill said the website the Village and Town will share looks fantastic so far. He asked the Board about how many years worth of archived Minutes should be stored. The Board agreed that all the Minutes that are on our existing website should be brought over.

Bill said the Village will go before the Development Review Board on April 20^th regarding the Missisquoi Water Line job. He said because Webster Terrace is considered to be in a flood plan this requires some additional permitting. He said Aldrich & Elliott have sent the DRB everything they needed.

Bill said more MVU school tours will take place tomorrow. He said he’s received some great

Feedback and he enjoys seeing the genuine expressions of the students.

Bill informed the Board that the bandstand and fountain in the Village Green are in desperate need of repair. He said he’d like to do a field trip there and really look these over and come up with a plan on what to do. He said they have approximately $60,000 left in ARPA funds and said maybe they can use these funds for this. He asked the Board to come up with some ideas for a new bandstand or a repaired one. Suzanne Washburn asked if there were any grant funds available for this. Bill said the Village would definitely look into it. Mark Rocheleau also said the Lady Liberty statue needs to be professionally cleaned as well.

Bill said the new signs at the car charging stations are now up on behalf of the Paxman family.

11. Any Other Necessary Business:

Adam Paxman stated the Easter Egg Hunt will be held on Saturday, April 8^th at 9 a.m. in the park. He also said the veteran flags will be up in the Village Green again for Memorial Day. He said at this time they have 150 flags and there is a waiting list for people wanting more. He said it’s a lot of work for the few volunteers they have so it may be a while before more are sold. He said they will hold their Memorial Day parade on Monday, May 26^th and if anyone wants to volunteer to contact him. He also said the Chamber of Commerce would like permission to use the Village Green for their annual car show on Saturday, July 29^th. Eugene LaBombard made a motion to approve the Chamber of Commerce to use the Village Green for their Annual Car Show to be held on Saturday, July 29^th. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

Any Other Business: Eugene LaBombard said he wanted to thank the group of MVU high school students who stopped at his house the day of the snowstorm last week and helped shovel his driveway. He said this was a great gesture from the students and he appreciated it.

12. Executive Session to Discuss Real Estate:

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter Executive Session at 7:49 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

Adam Paxman made the motion to exit Executive Session at 8:57 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

ACTION TAKEN: None.

13. Adjournment:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to adjourn the Regular Meeting of the Board of the Trustees meeting at 8:57 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. There being no further business at hand, Chris Leach, Village Trustee, adjourned the meeting at 8:57 p.m. Motion carried.

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Neal Speer, Village President                            Date

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Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                Date