MINUTES
ARLINGTON SECECTBOARD
February 10, 2020
Members Present: Keith Squires, Cynthia Browning, Daniel Harvey, Tim Williams, Matthew Bykowski
Also Present: Jack McDonough-GNAT-TV, Randy Novotny, Nicholas Nahodil, Michael King, Jamie Paustian-Fire Protection Inc. Members
The meeting was called to order at 7:03pm by Chairman, Keith Squires
Minutes of the Meeting of January 27, 2020 and Feb. 3, 2020: Mr. Harvey made a motion to accept as presented, the minutes of the meeting of January 27, 2020. Mr. Bykowski seconded. Motion passed. Mr. Harvey made a motion to accept as presented, the minutes of the meeting of February 3, 2020. Ms. Browning seconded. Motion passed.
Public Comments: Letter of Support for Fire Protection Study: Members of the Fire Protection Inc., were at the meeting to see how the Board feels about the proposal for the Town to take over ownerships of the firehouses, and to discuss the need for a letter of support for the Municipal Resources, Inc. study that will address the possibility of the Fire Protection turning over building ownership to the Town, as well as other issues being faced by the Fire Protection Inc., such as recruiting and maintaining members. The study will provide an unbiased opinion of how to best move forward and continue to serve the community in the future. The Board members agreed that the study is an important component in making a final decision of whether to take over ownership of the Fire Protection properties, and could provide valuable information and guidance for the future of the Fire Protection Inc. Mr. Squires also asked for copies of utility bills to help determine the overhead involved in owning the properties, and the Board will also work on a list of questions or concerns which the Fire Protection group will address at a later date. Mr. Harvey made a motion to approve a memorandum to satisfy Section 1 of the Professional Services Agreement with Municipal Resources, Inc. Ms. Browning seconded. Motion passed.
Nuisance Incident Calls: The firefighters and the Board also discussed the high number of “nuisance incident” calls they have had in 2019, which put a strain on their manpower. To have repetitive calls to the same locations for the same issues is a violation of the Town ordinance. It was discussed that the Board is responsible for enforcing the ordinance, and that there are three locations with multiple incidents that could benefit from a letter explaining the ordinance and the possible fees they could face if it continues. It was also discussed that in the future, business and residents could be asked to apply for permits in order to have their alarm systems.
New Business: Town Building Repairs: Mr. Squires said he would like to start a priority list of needed repairs to Town Hall. Extending the roof line at the back door is needed to protect from snow falling off the roof onto anyone entering or exiting the building. He said there are three windows that need replacing, the front door of Town Hall is in need of repairs, as well as ceiling panels in the big, upstairs meeting room needing to be replaced and insulation added, which would all help with energy efficiency issues. It was discussed that Mr. Squires will place an ad in the newspaper looking for a carpenter/handyman to do the repairs, and that the Town would be open to being flexible as to when the jobs were completed to allow the person to fit the jobs into their schedule. It was discussed that this would be a good start towards achieving the list of projects needed for Town Hall.
Liquor Licenses: Mr. Harvey made a motion to approve a 3rd Class Hotel License to sell spirituous liquors, a 1st Class license to sell malt and vinous beverages, and an Outside Consumption license to West Mountain Inn. Ms. Browning seconded. Motion passed.
Mr. Harvey made a motion to approve a 2nd class malt and vinous beverages license to Stewarts in Arlington Vt, with headquarters in Saratoga NY. Ms. Browning seconded. Motion passed.
Old Business: Town Administrator: Mr. Squires asked the Board to discuss the wages for the full time Town Administrator position. It was discussed that the salary will be $60,000 with an 80/20 health insurance benefit, bringing the total to approximately $78,000. It was discussed that there is already $50,000 in the 2020 Budget, which is more than enough for a half year of the salary, with the full amount being in next year’s budget. Mr. Bykowski said he has the edited version of the job description which will now be listed as full time, and he will email the committee with this information, and that this time the ads will be placed in more local and targeted publications.
Highways: Mr. Squires said the crew worked long hours cleaning up after the recent storms. He said he will start working on grant applications for bridges, roads and culvert projects, and that he has reached out to three companies for blacktop bids and will have the figures soon.
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Water Department: Mr. Harvey made a motion to approve Warrant WD#3, from the Operating Account, in the amount of $1,149.85. Ms. Browning seconded. Motion passed.
Warrants and Orders: Mr. Harvey made a motion to approve Warrant # CRF 1, in the amount of $855.12 for replacement of the Town Clerk’s computer. Mr. Bykowski seconded. Motion passed.
Mr. Harvey made a motion to approve Warrant # R-2, in the amount of $5,200.00, to NEMRC for their reappraisal services. Ms. Browning seconded. Motion passed.
Mr. Harvey made a motion to approve Warrant #3, in the amount of $30,504.89, from the General Operation Account. Ms. Browning seconded. Motion passed.
All Other Business: Auditors: Mr. Squires explained that by having Town Auditors, we are not required to have an outside audit, and that the Town now has a new auditor that is a CPA, as well as the two other auditors, so can consider saving the $45,000 cost of having an outside audit every three years. The newest auditor is willing to meet with the Board in the near future.
Executive Session: Mr. Williams requested the Board enter into Executive Session. Mr. Harvey made a motion that premature discussion of a personnel issue would cause the municipality to suffer substantial disadvantage. Seconded by Ms. Browning. Mr. Harvey made a motion to enter into Executive session for discussion of a personnel issue. Ms. Browning seconded.
The Board came out of Executive Session and adjourned at 9:36PM
Respectfully submitted,
Janet Barry, Recording Secretary
Meeting videotaped
Cc: files, Town Clerk