Feb 162021
Janice Russell
Feb 122021
Feb 112021
The Braintree Town Office will be closed on Monday, February 15th, for Presidents Day! The Office will reopen on it Tuesday, February 16th, at the normal hours of 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Feb 052021
Minutes
Braintree Selectboard Meeting
February 2, 2021 at 6:00pm
“In accordance with the recent amendments to Vermont’s open meeting law, and in light of the ongoing public health crisis, this meeting will be held via conference call. You can access the meeting at the scheduled time by calling 802-210-4472.”
Present via Remote Conference Calling:
Daniel Burson, Selectboard Vice Chair Keegan Haupt, Selectboard Member
Jessica Brassard, Town Clerk and Treasurer Dylan Pratt, Road Foreman
Jackson Evans, ECFiber Representative Tim Caulfield, Emergency Management Director
Janice Thresher, Town of Braintree Citizen Kris Haupt, Town of Braintree Citizen
Present at the Town Office:
Megan O’Toole, Selectboard Chairperson Loren Bent, Selectboard Member
Charlie McMeekin, Selectboard Member Janice Russell, Administrative Assistant
Ms. O’Toole called the meeting to order at 6:00pm. A roll call was done to confirm what members and citizens were in attendance via teleconferencing.
The Board reviewed the agenda with Ms. O’Toole adding under New Business the Changing of the March 2nd, 2021 Selectboard Meeting as it conflicts with Town Meeting Day.
On motion of Mr. Bent, seconded by Mr. McMeekin, the Board approved the minutes from the Regular Selectboard Meeting on January 19, 2021 and the minutes from the Special Selectboard Meeting on January 26, 2021 with one abstention from Mr. Haupt.
Citizen’s comments limited to 3 minutes per person with a 15 minute maximum – A citizen comment was moved to the Town Meeting Day discussion.
- Mr. Haupt questioned the budget amount listed to purchase four new chainsaws for the Highway Crew and why the Town owns two chippers. Messrs. Bent and Pratt explained that the Town’s current chainsaws are old and no longer have the power for removing larger trees or branches that fall into the road. Mr. Haupt stated he would be interested in purchasing one of the old chainsaws when the replacement occurs. Mr. Pratt stated that the Town uses the large chipper often and the little chipper is handy for smaller projects where having to turn around the larger chipper becomes a problem.
- Ms. Thresher led a discussion that followed up on a list of written questions she had provided earlier in the day via e-mail about steps taken by the Town Clerk and Selectboard regarding the Town Meeting and General Election, the lack of a Board of Civil Authority Meeting, the signing of Payment Orders and the purchase of the new Town of Braintree Sign in front of the Town Office. Mss. O’Toole and Brassard responded that as the law related to holding Town Meeting changed this year due to COVID-19, there was a short time frame to get Requirements for Candidates and Absentee Ballots Information out to voters and to save the Town money only one postcard was sent to the addresses with 05060 or 05669 zip codes from the Grand List and not the Voter Checklist but unfortunately some households/property owners may have received more than one postcard. Ms. O’Toole also pointed out that The Legislative Act 1(H.48) and Act 162, both signed by Governor Scott, gave the Selectboard the authority to make temporary changes during 2021 to the Town Meeting Voting Style, Place and Time of said Voting without the requirement of a town wide vote or approval from the Board of Civil Authority. The Selectboard did warn through Meeting Minutes that these changes were being discussed. The whole board must always vote to approve the Payment Orders, but not all Board members need to sign the orders. The installation of the new Town of Braintree sign has been in the works for many years, was approved by the board, and is in the budget for Town Office improvements.
Reports
- Highway Report – The report was reviewed with no concerns from the Selectboard. Ms. O’Toole informed the Selectboard that a letter from Ken Manning, owner of Abel Mountain Campground, had been received concerning the snow pile blocking the entrance to the campground. A brief discussion ensued about the reasons for the snow pile being at its present location. Mr. Burson will send a Response Letter to Mr. Manning.
ECFiber Representative Report – Jackson Evans – reported that as the Town of Braintree has been built out there is not a lot of information pertaining to Braintree. ECFiber spent a lot of time, energy and resources to bury conduits around mobile home parks in the Towns they serve to make it easier for a park resident to hook-up to ECFiber. Once Randolph is completely built-out the Town of Braintree’s coverage will come in from several different directions so that if a power outage occurs in one town Braintree should still get their system from the other direction.
Old Business
- RAMAN update from Tim Caulfield – the levels of Covid in Orange County have dropped off from the peaks that were seen in November and December. Randolph is still the highest in cases but the area is down to 13. RAMAN is still working on getting out the message to stay safe and follow the CDC recommendations.
- Town’s options for a potential location of sand needed to replenish the 2022-2023 Stockpile Follow-up – No update at this time. This topic was tabled until late spring 2021 and will be removed from the agenda until that time.
- Town Report Delivery Schedule – Due to COVID the procedure of knocking on doors to deliver the Town Report will not happen this year but instead will be left on each mailbox within a plastic bag. The reports should be arriving from the printer on February 12th-15th and need to be delivered by the end of the day on February 19th.
New Business –
- Review bids for Lemery Road Bridge Project – The Selectboard reviewed the bids received from Hebert Excavation Corporation and Hilltop Construction.
On motion of Mr. McMeekin, seconded by Ms. O’Toole, the Board approved awarding the Lemery Road Bridge Project to Hilltop Construction for the bid of $38,500.00 with Mr. Haupt abstaining.
- Review bids for Peth Road project – As the Selectboard had questions on the bids received from J.L. Smith and Hilltop Construction no action was taken at this time. Mr. Burson will reach out to the bidders for clarification on their bids.
- Creation of new Welcome to Town Committee – Ms. Brassard has been receiving many calls from the new residents who have moved into Braintree in the past year requesting information on basic things like where to shop, where to place trash, etc. she and Mr. Evans have suggested creating a “Welcome to Town Committee. Mr. Evans would like to inform the new residents about Town Government, the Zoning Requirements, Lister Information and who to contact to get said information. Messr. Jackson and McMeekin volunteered to help get the committee set up.
- Moving the first meeting in March to Wednesday, March 3rd. A brief discussion ensued on the Selectboard Members availability to meet on Wednesday, March 3rd.
On motion of Mr. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Bent, the Board unanimously approved moving the first meeting in March from Tuesday the 2nd to Wednesday, the 3rd at 6 p.m.
Payment orders – Mr. Bent and Ms. O’Toole reviewed the Payment Orders. Messrs. Burson or Haupt will come to the office on Wednesday, February 3rd to sign Timesheets.
On motion of Mr. Bent, seconded by Mr. McMeekin, the Board unanimously approved the payment orders.
Executive Session to discuss a personnel matter pursuant to 1 V.S.A. Section 313 (a)(3).
On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. McMeekin, the Board unanimously voted to enter into an Executive Session at 6:53 P.M. for a discussion on a personnel matter pursuant to 1 V.S.A. Section 313 (a)(3).
At 7:20 pm the board came out of the Executive Session with no decision being made.
Adjournment
On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. McMeekin, the Board unanimously adjourned the meeting at 7:20 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice R. Russell
Administrative Assistant
Feb 012021
Minutes
Special Selectboard Meeting
January 26 2021 at 6:00 pm
“In accordance with the recent amendments to Vermont’s open meeting law, and in light of the ongoing public health crisis, this meeting will be held via conference call. You can access the meeting at the scheduled time by calling 802-210-4472.”
Present via Remote Conference Calling:
Megan O’Toole, Selectboard Chairperson
Daniel Burson, Selectboard Vice Chair
Charlie McMeekin, Selectboard Member
Present at the Town Office:
Loren Bent, Selectboard Member
Jessica Brassard, Town Clerk and Treasurer
Janice Russell, Administrative Assistant
Dylan Pratt, Road Foreman
Mr. Keegan Haupt, Selectboard Member, was unable to attend the meeting.
Ms. O’Toole called the meeting to order at 6:00pm. A roll call was done to confirm what members and citizens were in attendance via teleconferencing.
The Board reviewed the agenda with Ms. O’Toole adding the FY ’22 Budget Approval to the agenda.
New business
- Approval of Town Meeting Day 2021 Warning– The Selectboard Reviewed and held a brief discussion of the Town Meeting Day 2021Warning.
On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Bent, the Board unanimously approved the Town Meeting Day 2021 Warning.
- Purchasing New Chainsaws for Highway Crew – Mr. Pratt described how the Town’s chainsaws are getting very old and not working up to the requirements needed of them. Purchasing four new chainsaws allows each highway crew member to have their own efficient piece of equipment. The cost of these chainsaws has been added to the budget numbers.
- Budget – A brief discussion and explanation of the budget numbers occurred. An employment line was added for a Highway Commissioner for 5 hours a week.
Adjournment
On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Burson, the Board unanimously adjourned the meeting at 6:20 p.m.
Jan 252021
THE COVID-19 VACCINATION WEBSITE IS NOW OPEN! THE TELEPHONE NUMBER WILL BEGIN TAKING CALLS AT NOON TODAY!
Starting at noon on Monday, you can also call 855-722-7878 to make an appointment. Going forward, the call center will be open Monday-Friday, 8:15 a.m.-5:30 p.m., and Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
When you make an appointment, you’ll be asked for your name, date of birth, a few medical questions like whether you’ve recently had another vaccine, and your insurance information, although insurance is not required.
The best way to make an appointment is through the Health Department’s website: healthvermont.gov/MyVaccine.
Jan 222021
Minutes
Braintree Selectboard Meeting
January 19, 2021 at 6:00pm
“In accordance with the recent amendments to Vermont’s open meeting law, and in light of the ongoing public health crisis, this meeting will be held via conference call. You can access the meeting at the scheduled time by calling 802-210-4472.”
Present via Remote Conference Calling:
Daniel Burson, Selectboard Vice Chair
Charlie McMeekin, Selectboard Member
Keegan Haupt, Selectboard Member
Tim Caulfield, Emergency Management Director
Present at the Town Office:
Megan O’Toole, Selectboard Chairperson
Loren Bent, Selectboard Member
Jessica Brassard, Town Clerk and Treasurer
Janice Russell, Administrative Assistant
Ms. O’Toole called the meeting to order at 6:00pm. A roll call was done to confirm what members and citizens were in attendance via teleconferencing.
The Board reviewed the agenda with no comments or additions being made. Ms. O’Toole added miscellaneous information regarding the Town Report and Mr. Bent added a vote for Road Commissioner to the agenda.
On motion of Mr. Haupt, seconded by Mr. Bent, the Board unanimously approved the minutes from the Regular Selectboard Meeting on January 5, 2021.
Citizen’s comments limited to 3 minutes per person with a 15 minute maximum – A citizen comment was moved to the Town Meeting Day discussion.
Reports
- Highway Report – The report was reviewed with no concerns from the Selectboard.
- Planning Commission – No report was submitted.
- Fire Advisory Representative – Mr. Bent stated that Braintree had 16 total fire calls and 196 hours of service in 2020.
Old Business
- COVID-19 Follow-up
- Restructuring Office For Safety – The office door is here but it needs to be sandblasted and sanded.
- RAMAN update from Tim Caulfield – The Communications Committee of RAMAN is still working on getting the message out to remember to wash your hands, social distance and stay safe. Orange County data has dropped off since the highs in November are now down to 5 cases per day on average. There are still cases in the Randolph Area so everyone still needs to be very vigilant of the safety protocols recommended by the CDC.
- Town’s options for a potential location of sand needed to replenish the 2022-2023 Stockpile Follow-up – No updates at this time.
- FY ’22 Budget Planning Follow-up – Mss. Brassard, O’Toole, and Russell have been working on and will continue adding budget amounts into the budget spreadsheet.
- Town Meeting Day Preparation, Notices and Warning – A Braintree Citizen has inquired about still having an in-person Town Meeting with limited space. The Selectboard reiterated that there will be no in-person Town Meeting and is encouraging people to join the February 27th Meeting remotely. All town voting will be conducted through Australian Ballot on Tuesday, March 2nd. A Town Meeting Day Warning will be completed and approved during a Special Selectboard Meeting during the week of January 24th – January 31st. An informational postcard regarding Town Meeting, Elections and Candidate Forms were sent to all Braintree Households with a local zip code.
New Business –
- Town Report information – The Town Report is currently being compiled and needs to be to the printer on January 29th and will be completed and returned on February 12th. The printer confirmed that the cost for the 2020 Report would be at the same or near the same as the 2019 Report printing cost.
- A very brief discussion occurred regarding the need to officially appoint a Road Commissioner.
On motion of Mr. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Bent, the Board unanimously appointed Daniel Burson as the Braintree Road Commissioner
Payment orders –
On motion of Mr. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. McMeekin, the Board unanimously approved the payment orders.
Adjournment
On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Bent, the Board unanimously adjourned the meeting at 6:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice R. Russell
Administrative Assistant
Jan 222021
Braintree Selectboard
Special Meeting Agenda
Tuesday, January 26 2021 at 6:00 pm
“In accordance with the recent amendments to Vermont’s open meeting law, and in light of the ongoing public health crisis, this meeting will be held via conference call. You can access the meeting at the scheduled time by calling 802-210-4472.”
- Call to order
- New business
- Approval of Town Meeting Day 2021 Warning
- Purchase New Chainsaws for Highway Crew
- Adjournment
Jan 222021
Braintree Selectboard
Special Meeting Agenda
Tuesday, January 26 2021 at 6:00 pm
“In accordance with the recent amendments to Vermont’s open meeting law, and in light of the ongoing public health crisis, this meeting will be held via conference call. You can access the meeting at the scheduled time by calling 802-210-4472.”
- Call to order
- New business
- Approval of Town Meeting Day 2021 Warning
- Adjournment
Jan 082021
Minutes
Braintree Selectboard Meeting
January 5, 2021 at 6:00pm
“In accordance with the recent amendments to Vermont’s open meeting law, and in light of the ongoing public health crisis, this meeting will be held via conference call. You can access the meeting at the scheduled time by calling 802-210-4472.”
Present via Remote Conference Calling:
Charlie McMeekin, Selectboard Member
Daniel Burson, Selectboard Vice Chair
Dylan Pratt, Road Foreman
Tim Caulfield, Emergency Management Director
Ronald Cadrette, Braintree Citizen
Present at the Town Office:
Megan O’Toole, Selectboard Chairperson
Loren Bent, Selectboard Member
Keegan Haupt, Selectboard Member
Jessica Brassard, Town Clerk and Treasurer
Janice Russell, Administrative Assistant
Ms. O’Toole called the meeting to order at 6:00pm. A roll call was done to confirm what members and citizens were in attendance via teleconferencing.
The Board reviewed the agenda with no comments or additions being made.
On motion of Mr. Haupt, seconded by Mr. Bent, the Board unanimously approved the minutes from the Regular Selectboard Meeting on December 15, 2020.
Citizens comments – 3 minutes.
- Ronald Cadrette requested an update on the Lemery Bridge RFP and was informed that three or four contractors have shown interest in the project with two scheduling appointments for viewing of the site. A final decision on a contractor will be made by the end of February with a completion date of September 2021. Mr. Pratt will reach out to the White River Valley Snowgoers regarding the plan to dismantle the current bridge.
Reports
- Highway Report: Mr. Pratt had previously submitted a highway report that was reviewed by the board. There were no questions or comments about the report.
- Emergency Management Director – Tim Caulfield – Gave a brief update on what the State has put out for information on COVID. RAMAN had a winter clothing supply for people who needed them.
- Fire Advisory Representative – Mr. Bent advised that the Fire Department will be getting their vaccines starting on January 15th with follow-up on February 12th. There are problems with communications and bandwidth, looking for another provider. The Fire Advisory members reviewed an application for a subdivision on Beanville Road.
Old Business
- COVID-19 follow up
- The door for the Town Clerk’s office space is being worked on.
- RAMAN update was presented in the Emergency Management Director’s presentation.
- Town’s options for a potential location of sand needed to replenish the 2022-2023 stockpile – no updates at this time.
- FY ’22 Budget Planning Follow-up – The Budget Committee met for the first time today and Ms. O’Toole explained what minor preliminary changes have been made to the budget.
- Town Meeting Day Webinar and Other Planning – A discussion ensued regarding the options available to get the Town Meeting Day, Notification for Filing as a Candidate and Australian Ballot Information, along with the Warning out to the Braintree Citizens. The notifications need to be clear that Town Meeting Day ballots are not being automatically mailed to all Braintree Citizens that a request for a mailed Ballot needs to be submitted to the Town Clerk.
New Business
- Town Hall Lighting – The lighting in the Hall section of the building needs to be updated and Ms. Brassard stated that there are funds still available from the Election Grant the Town received to cover a majority of the cost and there are funds in the Town Hall budget to cover the remaining cost.
- Approval of Town Meeting 2020 Minutes – The Selectboard reviewed the minutes.
On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. McMeekin, the Board voted unanimously to approve the Town Meeting 2020 Minutes.
- Retroactively Approve the Cat B FY 22 Better Roads Grant For Ditching on Hockman Hill Rd –
- On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Haupt, the Board voted unanimously to retroactively approve the Braintree Cat B FY22 Better Roads Grant for Ditching on Hockman Hill Road.
- Issues with HRA Setup with Further – Ms. Russell, with input from Ms. Brassard, explained the difficulties the Town of Braintree was experiencing in setting up an administration of the Town’s HRA Benefit with BC/BS of Vermont’s Further program. Both Ms. Russell and Ms. Brassard stated that it would be most practical for the Town to continue using HealthEquity for the administration of the Town’s HRA Benefit.
On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Bent, the Board voted unanimously to continue using HealthEquity to administer the Town’s HRA Benefit program.
Executive Session to discuss a personnel matter pursuant to 1 V.S.A. Section 313(a)(3).
On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Bent, the Board unanimously voted to enter into an Executive Session at 6:46 P.M. for a discussion on a personnel matter pursuant to 1 V.S.A. Section 313 (a)(3).
At 7:10 pm the board came out of executive session. A decision was made to amend the Road Foreman’s salary at the successful completion of his Probation Period.
Payment orders –
On motion of Mr. Bent, seconded by Ms. O’Toole, the Board unanimously approved the payment orders.
Adjournment
On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Bent, the Board unanimously adjourned the meeting at 7:11 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice R. Russell
Administrative Assistant