Holly Jarvis

Conservation Commission Minutes – May 22, 2019

 Conservation Commission Minutes
Jun 112019
 

Unapproved Minutes

Present:  Tom Cooch, Linda Morse, Joan Richmond–Hall, Paul Shriver, Sandy Stephen,

Mr. Cooch called the meeting to order at 7:05.

No Public comments

The minutes for the March 27, 2019, meeting were approved as written.

Election of Secretary

Ms. Morse had agreed at the March meeting to continue on as Secretary, but decided shortly afterwards that she did not want to continue in this position. Ms. Richmond-Hall, who had been Secretary prior to Ms. Morse, said she was willing to take on the job again.

Work Party Dates

The date for a work party and picnic at the Thayer Brook Natural Area (TBNA) was set for Friday, May 31, with the following Monday as a rain date.  We will meet at 9 a.m. at TBNA. Mr. Cooch and Mr. Shriver are borrowing a truck and will pick up a picnic table that has been donated by Abel Mountain Campground.

A second project previously discussed is a work party to begin pulling the Wild (Poison) Parsnip that is growing along Route 12 between the Ayers Brook Goat Farm and Peth Road. This plant begins to blossom around the middle of June.

The BCC would like to have the Randolph and Brookfield Conservation Commissions collaborate in this effort. The originally proposed date of Saturday, June 22, conflicts with a bird watching event planned by the RCC. Sunday, June 23, was therefore chosen. Participants will meet at 9 a.m. at the junction of Peth Road and Route 12.

Vernal Pool Mapping

Mr. Cooch said he had tried to verify the existence of a vernal pool thought by the State to be located on property owned by Philip Stolzfus between Thresher Brook and Riford Brook Roads. His GPS was not functioning properly, however, and he was unsuccessful.

There are two other suspected sites that the commission might verify. If he has a time slot to do this, he will notify other commission members to see if they are interested in joining him.

Wildlife Corridors

Ms. Richmond-Hall reported on a meeting that the Planning Commission had held with a Vermont expert on wildlife corridors. There are relatively few places that animals can use to cross roads separating two large blocks of forest.

It was recommended that Braintree try to encourage property owners not to develop such crossing sites, especially in the southern part of Town. The entire area might be rezoned or a flexible approach might be adopted, in which a property owner might be offered exemption from a particular zoning restriction in exchange for a conservation iien on a crossing site.

The BCC might seek out crossing corridors along Thayer Brook Road. Ms. Richmond-Hall said she would look at existing maps and try to identify owners of parcels with potential corridors.

I

Newsletter

The May newsletter has been previewed by commission members and is ready to go out. It features an article by Braintree resident Katrina Hajagos on monarch butterflies, milkweed plants, and the trade-offs of preserving milkweed while eliminating wild chervil.

A possible article for the June newsletter would focus on the importance of wildlife corridors. Ms. Richmond-Hall said she thought she could write this. Another article might details the events of the collaboration between the three towns on poison parsnip removal.

Next Meeting Date

Our June meeting will be on the 26th.

Meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Tom Cooch

Reappraisal starting July 2019

 News
Jun 102019
 

Attention all Braintree Property Owners: A reappraisal of ALL BRAINTREE PROPERTY is starting in July 2019

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO? Nothing yet! You will be contacted in the coming weeks by the Braintree Board of Listers with more information on the reappraisal. Eventually the listers will contact you in order to schedule a time to visit your property and reappraise its value.

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? It has been over 10 years since our last town wide reappraisal. In that time, the real estate market has changed. This reappraisal will insure that all property is being assessed as its current fair market value, as required by Vermont State Law.

WHEN IS IT HAPPENING? Most reappraisal work will be conducted over the summer and fall of 2019 with new values assessed for the 2020 Grand List.

How do I get more information? Contact the listers during their regular office hours, Tuesday mornings 8 – noon at the Braintree Town Office, either in person or by phone 728-9787. You can also email the listers at braintreelisters@gmail.com. The town website will have additional information as we get closer to the start of the reappraisal: www.braintreevt.com

Thank you, 
Braintree Board of Listers 
Jackson Evans 
Derek O’Toole 
Heather Fernandes

Selectboard Minutes – June 4, 2019

 Selectboard Minutes
Jun 072019
 

Unapproved Minutes

Braintree Selectboard Meeting

June 4, 2019

Present:

Megan O’Toole, Selectboard Chair Paul Kendall, Re: LaRocque Road

Charlie McMeekin, Selectboard Member Jessie Brassard, Treasurer

Daniel Burson, Selectboard Member Holly Jarvis, Admin. Assistant

Loren Bent, Selectboard Member Jeff Masterson, Road Commissioner

Keegan Haupt, Selectboard Member

Ms. O’Toole called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm.

The Board reviewed the agenda. They added a discussion about who might want to serve on the Fire Advisory Board. An executive session to discuss personnel evaluations was also added to the agenda.

On motion of Mr. McMeekin, seconded by Mr. Burson, the Board unanimously approved the minutes of May 21, 2019.

Citizen’s comments – none.

Reports

  • Highway report:
    • Update on Morse Road: the class 3 road can have an unlocked gate on it with written permission of the Selectboard. Mr. Burson will write up a draft.
    • The road work on Braintree Hill Road was mentioned.
    • The Board reviewed the paving quote [the paving projects when out to bid twice with no bidders, so this bid is a direct bid]. With just the paving projects that were budgeted the bid came in at $51,964.25. There was $77,465.40 allotted for the projects. So the Board considered paving a section of the Town Office parking lot. They also considered an apron to wash the truck on, at the Garage to reduce the amount of mud being brought into the Garage by the trucks which will in turn reduce the amount of dust which must be swept back out. This is important because the silica in airborne dust is a health hazard. With both of those items added the paving estimate is $71,641.00. On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Burson, the Board unanimously approved Woodchuck Property Improvement’s doing the various paving projects that were previously planned along with the paving around the Town Office and the Garage for about $71,640.  
  • Update on LaRocque Road: the Board reviewed the land survey fee schedule for Paul Hannan. He is recommended by our Town Attorney. Mr. Hannan thought it would cost two to three thousand to do the work. Ms. O’Toole also talked to a surveyor that Mr. Burson suggested, but he is retiring. On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Burson, the Board unanimously approved hiring Paul Hannan to survey legal trail #10, using the sole source provision of the purchasing policy.
  • Update on Jackson Road: Randolph intends to reclassify the road. Mr. Bailon has not responded to Ms. O’Toole’s latest request to continue discussing concerns about the road.

Old business

  • Old Truck(s): Mr. Burson, Mr. Haupt and Mr. Masterson met to discuss the trucks. Mr. Burson will write up the thoughts of the group.
  • Mr. Bent and Mr. Burson have looked at the oil tank at Town Hall. It looks fine to them. The Board saw no reason to be concerned about the tank at this time.
  • Tannenburg bridge contract was discussed. There is a little more rewriting to do.

New business

  • The ATV ordinance was reviewed and tabled until the next meeting. The board invited anyone with comments about the ordinance to attend the next meeting to provide comments. People may also provide comments in writing to the board before the next meeting.
  • NRCS participation letter. On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Burson, the Board agreed to participate in the program, if any residents wish to participate in the program.
  • Vehicle warranties were discussed.
  • There was no information available yet about a possible contract with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. It was tabled until the next meeting.
  • On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Haupt, the Board unanimously approved Sullivan, Powers’ scope of services.
  • Who might serve as Braintree Fire Advisory Board representative was discussed. Mr. Bent agreed to attend the next meeting.

On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded Mr. Burson, the Board unanimously approved the payment orders.

On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Burson, the Board unanimously approved going into executive session to discuss annual personnel reviews under the exemption in 1 V.S.A. § 313(A) (3).

The Board came out of executive session at 7:20 pm. No decisions were made.

On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Haupt, the Board unanimously adjourned the meeting at 7:20 pm.  

Respectfully submitted,

Holly Jarvis

Administrative Assistant

Braintree Hill Road – Update

 Highway News, News
Jun 052019
 

Thursday, June 6 from 6am-5pm Braintree Hill Road will be closed between 1020 and 1197 Braintree Hill Road.

1020 Braintree Hill Road and below can be accessed from Braintree Hill Road. 1197 Braintree Hill Road and above can be accessed from Flint Road and Bent Hill Road

Minutes for Special Meeting of the Braintree Board of Listers

 News
Jun 042019
 

To Hear Grievances for the 2019-2020 Tax Year

Braintree Town Office

932 Route 12A

Braintree, VT 05060

Saturday June 1, 2019

8am – 1pm

  1. Call to order – 8:05am. Heather Fernandes, Derek O’Toole and Jackson Evans present.
  1. Scheduled Hearing for Brittany Ciampi – North Road – 8:06am. Ms Ciampi did not appear for the scheduled hearing (as she indicated she may not) nor did she submit objections in writing. Therefore the listers took no action regarding her parcel.
  1. Public Comment / To hear other unscheduled Grievances – none.
  1. Scheduled Hearing for Robert and Tay Simpson – Peth Road – 9:45am. Mr Simpson appeared before the board and offered his objections in writing. He also furnished the board with a bank appraisal of his property as well as a list of changes made to the property since that appraisal was completed. He contends that the town’s assessment of his property is too high and would like a reassessment. Following Mr Simpson’s hearing the listers entered a deliberative session to discuss his case.  
  1. Adjournment 1:00pm – no other property owners appeared before the listers during the scheduled grievance time and the meeting was adjourned by a motion of Ms Fernandes and a second by Mr O’Toole.

Respectfully submitted,

Jackson Evans

Auditor Minutes – May 28, 2019

 Auditor Minutes
May 302019
 

Town of Braintree

Draft Auditors Meeting Minutes

May 28, 2019

Attendees:  Tom Cooch, Stephanie Barrett, Lin Brown

1. Mr. Cooch called the meeting to order at 8:55 a.m.

2. No changes were made to the agenda.

3. The minutes of the March 25, 2019 meeting were approved.

4. Review tasks needing completion for FY19.

– State Payments: Complete through FY19-Q2. Mr. Brown will do the next one for FY19-Q3&Q4.

– General Journal: Complete through FY19-Q3. Mr. Cooch will do the FY19-Q4 audit.

– Accounts Payable: Done through FY19-Q2. Ms. Barrett will complete the FY19-Q3 and Q4 audit.

– Payroll: Complete through FY19-Q2. Mr. Brown will do the FY19-Q3 and Q4 audit.

– General and Reserve Funds: Complete through FY19-Q3. Mr. Cooch will do the FY19-Q4 audit.

– Cash Receipts and Taxes: In progress.  See discussion in section 6 below.

5. Assign jobs for FY20.

Individual audit assignments for FY20 will remain the same as in FY19.

6. Audit Procedure Manuals.

a. Cash Receipts

Continued discussion about identifying the most effective procedures for auditing cash receipts. We decided to try to develop a trial procedure that would reconcile all cash transactions over $200 and a random sample of five (5) less than $200. Mr. Cooch will prepare a draft procedure for discussion at our next meeting.

b. Taxes

Mr. Brown reported no progress on a procedure for checking that tax bills are generated correctly and that tax receipts are properly recorded and deposited. Mr. Brown will prepare a draft procedure for discussion at our next meeting.

c. Tax Rate Calculation

Mr. Brown reported that the procedure for verifying the process by which the tax rate is set is nearly complete, lacking only a few written details on the sources of information for estimated income. Mr. Brown will prepare a draft procedure for discussion at our next meeting.

d. General Fund Reconciliation

Mr. Cooch reported that small changes are necessary to the procedure manual for General Fund Reconciliation to bring it up-to-date with the new format for data received from Mascoma Bank.

7. Other business.  There was none.

8. Our next meeting will be scheduled at a convenient time in October 2019.

9. The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Linfield C. Brown

Selectboard Minutes – May 21, 2019

 News
May 242019
 

Approved Minutes

Braintree Selectboard Meeting

May 21, 2019

Present:

Megan O’Toole, Selectboard Chair Kris Haupt, Cemetery Commission Chair

Charlie McMeekin, Selectboard Member Julia Haupt, Resident

Keegan Haupt, Selectboard Member Aaron LaRocque, Re: LaRocque Road

Daniel Burson, Selectboard Member Kevin LaRocque, Re: LaRocque Road

Loren Bent, Selectboard Member Jeff Masterson, Road Commissioner

Holly Jarvis, Admin. Assistant

Jessie Brassard, Treasurer

Ms. O’Toole called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm.

The Board reviewed the agenda,, adding an executive session at the end of the meeting.

On motion of Mr. Haupt, seconded by Mr. McMeekin, the Board unanimously approved the regular meeting minutes of May 5, 2019, and the hearing minutes of May 5, 2019.

Citizen’s comments:

  • The status of LaRocque Road was discussed. The Board is looking into the facts surrounding the legal trail and discussing them with the Town’s attorney. Ms. O’Toole plans to sit down and talk with the parties involved individually to get a better understanding of their concerns. The next step may be to hire a surveyor.
  • A concerned citizen asked about the Town contracting with the Orange County Sheriff to stop speeders and occasionally check on a few of the party spots in town.  The Board will look into it.

Guests

  • Mr. Kris Haupt provided the Board the Semi-annual report of the Cemetery Commission. The Commissioners did their own spring cleanup and reset a number of stones. They plan to start discussing next year’s budget shortly.

Reports

  • The Highway report was reviewed. Mr. Masterson talked with the Board about starting the permanent work on the roads that were damaged by the April flooding [other than Braintree Hill Road, as that has already been worked on.] The Board agreed with Mr. Masterson that the Highway Department should not wait for FEMA’s review to complete the work. The work on Craig Hill road was also briefly discussed.

Old business

  • Old Truck(s): Mr. Burson will set up a meeting with Mr. Masterson to explain what he and Mr. Keegan Haupt have talked about.

New business

  • The heating fuel tank at the Town Hall was discussed. It will be looked into more.
  • Ms. Brassard talked to the Board about how a fuel assistance fund might work. The way she pictures it, is that we would work with a few of the local organizations that are qualified to determine financial need, and have the donated funds be a last resort option for residents who have exhausted all other options. Ms. Brassard will check to see if other towns have a model for such a fund.
  • On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Haupt, the Board unanimously accepted Randolph’s counter offer for fire service.  
  • Tannenburg bridge contract was reviewed and there are a few minor changes to make.
  • The Board considered participating in the NRCS grant. The letter indicating that the Town will participate in the program will be prepared for the next meeting.
  • The warranties on the newer town vehicles were discussed. We have some extended warranties on the loader, but not a comprehensive one. It is too late to get one. The extended warranty for the pickup truck was previously approved but not purchased yet. This will get done. The warranty for the Mack will be looked into further.
  • On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Haupt, the Board went into executive session under 1 V.S.A. § 313(a)(1)(E). On coming out of executive session, no decisions were made.
  • On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Bent, the Board unanimously approved the payment orders.

On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Haupt, the Board unanimously adjourned the meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

Holly Jarvis

MEETING OF THE BRAINTREE BOARD OF LISTERS

 Listers, News
May 212019
 

WARNING OF SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BRAINTREE BOARD OF LISTERS

TO LODGE THE GRAND LIST

Braintree Town Office – May15, 2019 6:30PM

MINUTES

  1. Call to Order – 6:30pm. Derek O’Toole and Jackson Evans present. Heather Fernandes, absent.
  • Public Comments – There were no public comments.
  • Lodging of Grand List – Listers signed certificates effectively lodging the grand list.

  • Adjournment – Meeting was adjourned at 7:05pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Jackson Evans

05/21/19

  • were no public comments.
  • Lodging of Grand List – Listers signed certificates effectively lodging the grand list.
  • Adjournment – Meeting was adjourned at 7:05pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Jackson Evans

05/21/19

NOTICE TO BRAINTREE TAXPAYERS

 News
May 172019
 

Pursuant to the provisions of Title 32, Section 4111 Vermont Statutes Annotated, notice is hereby given that the undersigned listers within and for the TOWN OF BRAINTREE have this day, Wednesday May 15 2019, completed the abstract of individual lists of persons, co-partnerships, associations, and corporations owning taxable property in said Town on the first day of April, 2019.

Title 32, Vermont Statutes Annotated, section 4111(g)

“A person who feels aggrieved by the action of the listers and desires to be heard by them, shall, on or before the day of the grievance meeting, file with them his objections in writing and may appear at such grievance meeting in person or by his agents or attorneys.  Upon the hearing of such grievance the parties thereto may submit such documentary or sworn evidence as shall be pertinent thereto.”

The Listers will meet at the Braintree Town Clerk’s office in said Town to hear grievances of persons, co-partnerships, associations or corporations aggrieved by their appraisals whose objections thereto in writing shall have been filed with them as prescribed by statute, and to make such corrections in said abstract as shall upon hearing or otherwise be determined by them; and that unless cause to the contrary be shown, the contents of said abstract will, for the year 2019, become the grand list of said town and of each person, co-partnership, association or corporation therein named.

Grievance Hearings will be held at the Town Offices, 932 Vermont Route 12A, Braintree, Vermont, by appointment on Saturday June 1, 2019 between the hours of 8:00AM and 1:00PM.  Appointments may be made by calling the Town Office at 802-728-9787 extension 5. Leave a message and you will be contact to schedule the hearing.

Listers of the TOWN OF BRAINTREE:

Jackson Evans                        

Derek O’Toole                                   

Heather Fernandes

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