Welcome to Leicester, VT

MARCH 12, 2007

SPECIAL SELECTBOARD MEETING
Unapproved - See subsequent minutes for any changes

Present:  J. McDonough, R. Oliver, M. Stacey, T. Barker, D. Benware Others:  Donna Pidgeon, Arlan Pidgeon, John Hughes, Mary Hughes

Chair took minutes, as Betty is out of town on a personal matter.

Meeting called to order at 7:03 p.m. by the Chair.  Flag salute recited and agenda reviewed.  Regular agenda was suspended to allow for re-organization of the Board and
related matters.

Re-organization of the Board and related matters:

Tom made the motion to nominate Diane Benware as Chair, second by Bob and Mark.
Motion passed unanimously.

Bob made the motion to nominate Tom Baker as Vice Chair.  Mr. Barker declined and the motion failed due to the lack of a second.  Tom made the motion to nominate Mark Stacey as Vice Chair, second by John,  Motion passed unanimously.

John made the motion to adopt Robert's Rules of Order as the process to follow in process of meetings.  Bob made the second, motion passed unanimously. 

John made the motion to continue to use the Addison Independent and the 2 Brandon papers for advertising, Bob made the second.  Motion passed unanimously.

Mark made the motion, Bob the second to continue to use the Rules of Conduct for Regular and Special Meetings.  Motion passed unanimously.  The Chair noted that in the future, if a Board member thinks an individual has taken more than a reasonable amount of time or has spoken numerous times, to please speak up and remind those present of the rules we are attempting to follow.

APPOINTMENTS:
Road Commissioners:  Tom expressed the opinion that he felt that 2 were not necessary, as the commissioner is a liaison between the Board and the foreman and has no power, per se.  John agreed that the position of commissioner is a liaison, but felt that 2 heads were better than one.  John made the motion to continue with 2
commissioners, Mark made the second and the motion passed unanimously.   Nominations:  Mark made the motion to have John and Bob serve as commissioners, Bob made the second and the motion passed unanimously.

Fence Viewers:  Tom made the motion to name the Selectboard to the position of Fence Viewers, which was seconded by Mark.  Upon further discussion, the Board agreed with John's point that we might be in a conflict of interest in the future, so Tom and Mark agreed to rescind the motion.   John made the motion to name Mark Stacey, following Donna’s suggestion to  name one person and leave the other positions vacant.  Bob seconded the motion which passed unanimously.

Cemetery Sexton:  John made the motion, Bob the second to name John Quelch the sexton.  Motion passed unanimously. 

Inspector of Lumber:  Bob made the motion, John the second, to name Dave Todd Inspector of Lumber.  Motion passed unanimously

Tree Warden:  Mark made the motion to name Donna Pidgeon Tree Warden, which was seconded by Bob.  In the midst of the discussion of the powers of the tree warden John made the motion to name Arlan Pidgeon as tree warden.  The discussion was closed and the Chair called for a vote on the first motion to name Donna as tree warden.  The vote was four yea (Barker, Stacey, Oliver, Benware) and one nay (McDonough).

Energy Coordinator:  Tom made the motion, Bob the second to name Ray Lalumiere as Energy Coordinator.  Motion passed unanimously.

Other:  Chair indicated she will contact Richard Reed (appointed to Solid Waste Commission), Kathy Eastwood (appointed as Town Services Manager) and Ray Lalumiere (appointed as Emergency Management Coordinator) to see if they are interested in continuing in the above named capacities.


Minutes of Feb. 19, 2007
One correction was noted:  Page one, delete Tom Roberts property and replace with Ferson Road culvert project.  Motion by Tom to approve the minutes as amended, second by Bob.  Motion passed unanimously.

Minutes of March 1, 2007
Motion by Tom to approve, second by Bob.  Motion passed unanimously.

Bills were reviewed and signed:  Mark questioned why Herbie Hanfield had a 6.5 hour bill for payment.  John had called Herb to get the grader started before it was picked up to be taken to Rutland.  Herbie arrived several hours before and apparently stayed with it until it was loaded and taken away.  It is still in Rutland.

Other:
Chair read a response from Tom Roberts to the letter she wrote on behalf of the Road Commissioners giving further detail about our request for increased funds for the Ferson Road project.  Mr. Roberts indicated he is forwarding our request to Montpelier as it appears the scope of the project did change and we are eligible for the funds.

REPORTS:
Arlan sought and was granted authorization to replace the gate on the salt shed, in a motion by Bob, second by Tom.  Motion passed unanimously.  Arlan to check at Blue Seal and Tractor Supply.  Arlan indicated he hopes to keep the current sander going and will be shopping around for a replacement at the end of the season.

Donna informed the Board that minutes of Town Meeting had been forwarded to Jeff Wallin for his approval.  In speaking of Town Meeting, John Hughes suggested that a short description of each elected and/or appointed position be prepared so that folks that might be interested in a position would know exactly was the position entailed.

John Hughes indicated that he believes that the appraisal will be completed on time.  He added that in one home he inspected there was no battery in the smoke detector, and he wanted us to know that in the future if he saw such a case he would say something to the property owner.  The Board agreed that he should.  Mark asked that if/when the housing market crashed, would properties be over-appraised? Donna responded that the appraisers must take into account the recent sales and sales of properties on the lake have been going for 3 times the appraised value, properties off the lake for 2 times their appraised value.

The flag on the green needs new hooks.  Tom and/or Diane will see to it.

WEIGHT PERMITS were signed by the Road Commissioners, after being reviewed
by Arlan.

The question of whether to replace jake brake signs on Leicester Whiting Road was considered.  The theft is being investigated by the Sheriff's Dept.  Mark made the motion to not replace the signs, unless they are found.  Motion seconded by Bob, passed unanimously.

OLD BUSINESS:
Honor Roll:  Chair sent a photo to Winning Images of the Salisbury Honor Roll which seems to have been made in the same style and lettering as the Leicester one.  She asked Winning Images to prepare a quote for the March 19 meeting, for the cost of the eagle and vertical striping.

Salisbury Ordinance written by Jack Beasly:  Apparently a petition was presented with 44 signatures calling for the repeal of said ordinance.  It must now go before a public town meeting for community input.  Chair had spoken with Town Counsel about the ordinance and is prepared to speak further about it on March 19.  The feeling of the petitioners in Salisbury is that the ordinance is discriminatory and creates unnecessary paperwork for the Church and other town organizations.   The Leicester Selectboard is in agreement that the ordinance can't prevent Commissioner Sleeper from taking action.
Mark did note that the Commissioner has yet to address the liability issue.  The Board is taking a wait and see approach regarding the ordinance.  Tom asked if the town had accepted a donation from VT Sun.  Leicester has not.

No Public comment was shared.
The next meeting of the Board is Mon. March 19.

Motion to adjourn made by Bob, second by Tom, and meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.


Respectfully submitted:

Diane Benware (recorder)