Brookfield Selectboard Meeting of November 9, 2015
Town Clerk’s Office on Ralph Road
Selectboard: John Benson (Chair), Cory Haggett, Jeff Kimmel
Public Attendees: (None)
- Call to Order:
Mr. Benson called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
- Adjustments to Agenda:
There were no adjustments to the Agenda.
- Old Business:
On motion of Mr. Haggett, seconded by Mr. Kimmel, the Board voted to approve the minutes of the October 26, 2015 meeting. Vote: 3-0-0
On motion of Mr. Benson, seconded by Mr. Haggett, the Board voted to approve the appointment of Starr Strong as Town Health Officer. Vote: 3-0-0
Mr. Kimmel noted that the annual renewal/subscription period for the Town Employees health care package (through Blue Cross/Blue Shield) was upon us. Mr. Kimmel will confirm that Administrative Assistant Kasey Peterson has received the updated BC/BS packet of information, and ask both her and Road Crew employees to review the material and make sure that personal information and plan selections are up-to-date. Brookfield has opted to offer employees the “Platinum” package, with 100% coverage for each employee and 75% coverage for family members.
5. Highway Report:
Mr. Haggett reported that the crew is focusing on clearing ditches and continued grading in preparation for Winter conditions. The resulting fill is being taken down to the Wheatley gravel pit for later landscaping efforts.
The Town received a quote for a potential new grader from Milton Cat. Their proposal was a base price of $281,500, a trade-in reduction of $35,000, resulting in a discounted quote total of $246,500. The model is a Caterpillar 120M2AWD, a possible replacement for our Deere 672CH. The Selectboard is considering the capital budget plans for the upcoming fiscal year, with initial inquiries before determining which items might be submitted for voter approval.
The Selectboard discussed changes to contractor insurance and paperwork requirements that were identified by the Vermont League of Cities and Towns. These additional mandates may lead to problems with contractors being able to purchase adequate coverage.
- Public Assemblage Ordinance
Mr. Kimmel reported that he had reviewed examples of public assemblage ordinances from various Vermont municipalities, with particular interest in the threshold number of people for an event that would trigger permit imposition. The numbers varied considerably: numbers covered the 10s, 100s, and into the 1,000s. After consideration of the traffic, parking, and services issues at stake, the Selectboard suggested that events of 100 or more persons would be an appropriate threshold for most of Brookfield, and a lower trigger of 50 persons could be applied to the Pond Village District. Mr. Kimmel will draft revisions to the proposed ordinance for subsequent Board review.
- Other Business:
Mr. Haggett reported that he attended a meeting of the Mountain Alliance district regarding pricing and fee structures for the landfill/transfer station. The discussion delved into approaches for apportioning costs among member towns and customers.
- Accounts Payable:
On motion by Mr. Haggett, seconded by Mr. Kimmel, the Board voted to pay the warrants in the amount of $62,736.51. This amount included a payment to S.D. Ireland for $35,610.00 (Old Cross Road box culvert, pending confirmation by Road Crew Foreman Ray Peck), to Stan Wheatley for $6,500.00 (Old Cross Road work), and to White River Valley Ambulance for $6,457.85. Vote 3-0-0
- Adjournment:
On motion by Mr. Haggett, seconded by Mr. Kimmel, the Board voted to adjourn at 8:45 p.m. until the next meeting on November 23, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. Vote 3-0-0
Respectfully submitted,
Jeff Kimmel