The Brattleboro Selectboard will return to the discussion of what to do about the FY15 budget at their next regular Tuesday meeting at the Municipal Center. You can attend in person or watch on BCTV.
The board will also take first steps toward a state-mandated Pay As You Throw system, the Planning Department will receive grant money for a rewrite of the zoning regulations, there will be discussion and approval of a Parking budget, the Heifers will get a parade permit, and more. You can also bring up other items not on the agenda during Public Participation.
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The Brattleboro Selectboard will meet on Tuesday, May 6, 2014 in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center. It is anticipated that the Board will enter into executive session at 6:00pm to discuss a contract matter. The regular business meeting will begin at 6:15pm.
ASL interpreters will be available for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community members.
Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100
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BRATTLEBORO SELECTBOARD
TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2014
EXECUTIVE SESSION – 6:00PM
REGULAR MEETING – 6:15PM
AGENDA
1. CONVENE REGULAR MEETING
2. APPROVE MINUTES – April 15, April 22, April 29
3. CHAIR’S REMARKS
4. MANAGER’S COMMENTS
5. SELECTBOARD COMMENTS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS
6. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
7. LIQUOR COMMISSIONERS
A. Outside Consumption Permit – Northside Subs and More
8. WATER AND SEWER COMMISSIONERS – None
9. UNFINISHED BUSINESS – None
10. NEW BUSINESS
A. Approve Parade Permit – Strolling of the Heifers, Saturday, June 7
B. FY15 Budget
C. 2013 Bridge Inspection Summary Report
D. Parking Budget – Town Manager
E. Award Bid – Zoning Regulations Re-Write, PlaceSense, Planning Services
F. Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) – Town Manager
G. Committee and Board Vacancies – Announce Vacancies
11. CORRESPONDENCE/FYI
A. Warrants
12. MEETINGS
See enclosed Town Calendar
13. ADJOURNMENT
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TO: Selectboard May 1, 2014
FROM: Patrick Moreland, Interim Town Manager
SUBJECT: Administrative Report
The following will summarize the proposed motions for those items on the Agenda for the Tuesday, May 6, 2014 Selectboard Meeting. It is anticipated that the Board will meet in executive session beginning at 6:00pm to discuss a contract matter; the regular meeting will begin at 6:15pm.
7. LIQUOR COMMISSIONERS
A. Outside Consumption Permit – Northside Subs and More. The Board is asked to consider an outside consumption permit for Dorothy Pond, for Northside Subs and More. The proposed location is adjacent to the building and would be contained by a fence, the building and a roped barrier. The activity proposed would not constitute a change of use in terms of zoning. Brattleboro Fire has no concerns about the application, however Brattleboro Police is concerned about effective monitoring of behavior in the space. Gene Wrinn has a memo outlining his concerns.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TO APPROVE AN OUTSIDE CONSUMPTION PERMIT FOR DOROTHY POND FOR NORTHSIDE SUBS AND MORE, LOCATED AT 686 PUTNEY ROAD.
8. WATER AND SEWER COMMISSIONERS – None
9. UNFINISHED BUSINESS – None
10. NEW BUSINESS
A. Approve Parade Permit – Strolling of the Heifers. This is the 13th annual Strolling of the Heifers parade, to be held on June 7, 2014. Event organizers Orly Munzing and Julie Potter will be present to discuss the parade and other activities with the Board. The event organizers remunerate the Town for the coordination and support they receive from Brattleboro Fire and Brattleboro Police. The parade will begin at 10:00am and is expected to continue to 11:30am.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TO APPROVE A PARADE PERMIT FOR STROLLING OF THE HEIFERS FOR SATURDAY, JUNE 7 2014.
B. FY15 Budget – Discussion
C. 2013 Bridge Inspection Summary Report – Department of Public Works. Each year the Vermont Agency of Transportation conducts an inspection of bridge conditions, for bridges with a length greater than 20 feet. Over the course of 24 months, each bridge undergoes this inspection. The Board is asked to verify that the inspection report has been received and reviewed by the Town. Public Works Director Steve Barrett will be present to discuss bridge repair and maintenance work resulting from the inspection.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TO ACCEPT AND CONFIRM RECEIPT OF THE 2013 BRIDGE INSPECTION REPORT FROM THE VERMONT AGENCY OF TRANSPORTATION.
D. Parking Budget – Town Manager. The Parking Fund is separate from the General Fund and operates differently in several ways. The Parking Fund is an enterprise fund and is not supported by tax revenue. It is entirely self-sufficient, meaning that revenue from parking meters and citations is used to fund operations and maintenance of parking assets. The list of parking assets includes four short term lots: Harmony Lot; Preston Lot; Municipal Center Lot; and Depot Street Lot. In addition, a total of five long term lots are supported, including: Harris Lot; Spring Street Lot; Elm Street Lot; High Grove Lot; and the Brattleboro Transportation Center. The assets also include several hundred on-street parking meters, pay boxes, change machines and other infrastructure. The revenue is also sufficient to support the full cost of the Parking Enforcement Division. Since construction of the Brattleboro Transportation Center, the fund has generally been operating at or near budget. As a result, equipment and facilities maintenance has been underfunded, in order to maintain an adequate cash balance to insure that the fund does not come to burden the General Fund. Bond payments on the facility will expire in eight years, at which time the Parking Fund is expected to yield an annual surplus. There are only slight modifications from the FY14 budget, with revenues and expenses totaling $834,000. In addition, we are recommending the purchase of four new pay boxes, to replace aging machines.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TO APPROVE THE FY15 PARKING FUND BUDGET WITH REVENUE AND EXPENSES TOTALING $834,200.
E. Award Bid – Zoning Regulations Re-Write, PlaceSense, Planning Services On February 28 the Planning Services Department issued a request for consulting services to facilitate the first comprehensive revision of Brattleboro’s Zoning Ordinance since the original version, written in !988. Over the intervening years the ordinance has had numerous minor edits, resulting in document that lacks a coherent structure, resulting in numerous inconsistencies in the regulations. A total of three responses were received and Planning Services Director Rod Francis will be present to discuss his recommendation with the Board.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TO AWARD A CONTRACT IN THE AMOUNT OF $36,000 TO PLACESENSE FOR CONSULTING SERVICES TO REWRITE THE BRATTLEBORO ZONING ORDINANCE.
F. Pay As You Throw (PAYT) – Town Manager. All municipalities are required by 7-1-15 to come into compliance with Act 148 of the Vermont legislature. The act, requires municipalities to adopt a system of paying for the removal of solid waste based on weight or volume. Currently, Brattleboro has plan for residential solid waste collection that is funded through property taxes with expenses including roughly $250,000 in tipping fees and $500,000 in collection fees. A number of issues must be resolved in order to fully develop an effective approach for compliance with the new law. I have attached a brief memo exploring some of the issues impacting the design of the system, and I am seeking either support for the formation of an ad hoc committee, or support to hire a consultant to design, publicize and implement a variable weight pricing system.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TBD
G. Committee and Board Vacancies – Announce Vacancies. The Board is asked to announce annual vacancies on various committees and to set a deadline to submit applications. The expiration of terms on each committee is staggered and the 2014 terms expire on June 30. Traditionally the Board appoints new members at its meetings in June.
I'm glad to see that an ASL
I’m glad to see that an ASL interpreter will be at the meeting. There should be one at every public town meeting. I wonder if there is actually a budget for interpreters or they are able to find someone who will donate their services?
where have I been?
When did a state-mandated PAYT system come to pass? Who did this?
Act 148
“(d) By no later than July 1, 2015, a municipality shall implement a variable
rate pricing system that charges for the collection of municipal solid waste
from a residential customer for disposal based on the volume or weight of the
waste collected.”
So the town could sell bags for 25 cents each and meet the minimum requirement of the law as well as the spirit of the last several PAYT votes. My guess is that they’ll take the opportunity to do what they’ve been itching to do for the last several years.
There are big changes in solid waste management under Act 148, and most of them are good changes that, I think, will reduce the overall impact and cost of waste disposal in Vermont.
PAYT
Act 148 was passed by the Vermont State legislature in June of 2012. Here is a link to an Agency of Natural Resources document that explains the provisions clearly:
http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/wastediv/solid/documents/HaulerLetterFinal_Act148.pdf
Currently the only operating landfill in the state of Vermont is in Coventry up near Canada, two and a half hours north of Brattleboro. Act 148 restricts valuable recyclables from entering a landfill. Compostables and recyclables will all be banned from entering landfills.
Every town in the state must have a “variable pricing” (aka PAYT) in place by July 2015… next year! This will provide a direct cash incentive for all of us to reduce our waste.
Brattleboro is ahead of the curve with weekly curbside organic compost pick up. Thanks to Moss Kahler, Triple-T and others – this program is up and running. It is time to start making purchasing decisions based upon the level of packaging. We will soon be paying for the privilege to throw things ‘away’. Just where is ‘away’ anyhow?