Selectboard Draft Minutes 08.10.26

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GUILFORD SELECTBOARD MEETING

Monday, August 10, 6:30 pm, 236 School Road, Guilford, VT 

SELECTBOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Sheila Morse, Tara Cheney; Mike Szostak; Kim Frost

STAFF PRESENT: Erika Elder, Jim Freeman, Elly Majonen, 

PRESENT IN PERSON: Steve Lembke, Kyle Parker, Tim Jones

PRESENT VIA ZOOM: Cindy Clark

Draft Minutes

  1. Call to Order at 6:30 by Sheila
  1. Rules of Procedure summarized by Sheila
  1. Welcoming of Public; Community Comment Period 
  1. Changes to Agenda Order (2 minutes)
  1. Updates & Reports
    1. Highway
      Jim: Cindy Clark concerned with centerline striping on roads. Deadline is Oct. 13. Fog lines company promised August. This is a state contract and they do the whole state. Jim attended a foreman’s meeting in Willington. Learned about trenching, lockout, and tagout procedures. 
    2. Town Administrator 
  1. Acknowledgement of the two RFP grants and timing; 
  2. Gov’t officials getting hacker emails; ESet the Antivirus software on all town computers. 
  3. Windham regional initiated salt bid discussion to combine with other regional towns
  4. Town of Vernon has a draft vocal hazard mitigation plan and encourages other towns to comment.
  5. Professional Auditor, Bonnie Dow coming next week; Adjustments and journal entries given to SB for review to approve.
  6. August Guilford Gazette is out and posted on website
  7. Primaries and voting tomorrow at Guilford Central School 10am-7pm
  8. Windham County Law Enforcement Governance Council
    Tara: 

Overview: This is an 8 year pilot established under S.255/Act 104 to let participating municipalities coordinate with the Windham County Sheriff’s Office on regional public safety services, budgeting, and scope. Act 104, which authorized the WCSO, in collaboration with municipalities, to develop a regional policing program for towns without a dedicated police department.

Participating Towns (9): Athens, Grafton, Guilford, Jamaica, Londonderry, Marlboro, Newfane, Putney, and Vernon. Municipal council members will define the program’s scope of service, administration, budget, and legislative reporting for how the Windham County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) provides policing in Windham County. Funding is through a special tax assessment on member municipalities, with the pilot’s budget funneled through the county’s tax system.

Council Chair: Katie Johnson Opland, Vice Chair: Tara Cheney

Weekly meetings every Wed at 4pm starting Sept 2nd, 2026 (9 weeks to create budget) to present on January 1, 2027.

  1. New Business
    1. FY27 Salt Purchase ACTION: MOTION
      Jim: Contacted three vendors, only Cargill responded.
      MOTION: Sheila moved to accept the Cargill bid at $106 per ton for estimated 500 tons of de-icing salt to be delivered. Mike seconded. Per ton price has gone up. Steve Lembke asked about minimum amounts. Vote was by voice. All were in favor. No objections, no abstentions. Motion passed.
  1. Old Business
    1. Update on Highway Recruitment, Training, and Retention Regional Challenges: DISCUSSION
      Sheila reached out to 23 regional town selectboards and organizations about regional cooperation. Institutions that would help with this are supportive. Jim talked about this at the Foreman’s meeting. Tara suggested HireAbility.
    2. TH Structures Grant BC2492 – Broad Brook Road ACTION: MOTION (5  minutes)
      This $45,000 grant with a 10% match is for shoulder/bank work on Broad Brook Road.
      Erika described the grant. Tara suggested a ‘not to exceed’ clause. Discussion about the condition of Broad Brook Rd, guard rails tipping, and the road is in bad shape. 
    3. MOTION: Tara moved to accept the grant. Kim seconded. Vote was by voice. All were in favor.
    4. Grants-In-Aid Municipal Mitigation Grant GA1266 FY27 ACTION: MOTION (5  minutes)
      This $29,500 grant with a 20% match ($7,375) is for work next year on hydrologically connected segments of Town road.
      MOTION: Sheila moved Mike seconded. Vote was by voice. All were in favor. No objections, no abstentions. Motion passed.
  1. New Business
    1. Town business credit card limits ACTION: MOTION (5  minutes)

Purchases subject to existing approval process.
Elly: Town has three credit cards. Town Gen Office at $3k for tech needs, HWY gas for wood splitter; Library card $1k for summer camp, couriered supplies, tech fees needs. Sheila asked if ACH is possible.
MOTION: Sheila moved to increase the limits of all town credit cards to $6,000 and Tara seconded. Vote was by voice. All were in favor. No objections, no abstentions. Motion passed.

  1. Correspondence
    1. Green Mountain RSVP program  has shut down, won’t be accepting the $485 from Guilford. They put in 13 weeks of volunteer work to our community in FY26.

  2. Finance  ACTION: MOTION (5  minutes)
    1. Budget Status
      Sheila re: FY26 final projections. Elly – update and discussion about tax revenue, payments made, and discussion about percentages of tax increase.
    2. Warrants (5  minutes)    
Payroll – WE 08.02.26$8,069.95
Payroll – WE 08.09.26$8,266.63
Expense Warrant #2703$39,345.64
Expense Warrant #2703F$33.00
Expense Warrant #2703A$2,319.32
TOTAL$ 58,034.54 

MOTION: Tara moved and Sheila seconded. Vote was by voice. All were in favor. No objections, no abstentions. Motion passed.

  1. Approval of Minutes ACTION: MOTION (2 minutes)
    1. Minutes of the regular meeting of  07.13.26
      MOTION: Sheila moved to approve the minutes of the 07.13.26 meeting, Mike seconded. Vote was by voice. Three were in favor. No objections, Kim abstained. Motion passed.
    2. Minutes of the regular meeting of  07.27.26
      MOTION: Sheila moved to approve the minutes of the 07.27.26 meeting, Mike seconded. Vote was by voice. Three were in favor. No objections, Tara abstained. Motion passed.
  1. Actions from Previous Meeting
    1. Approved Slate Rock culvert alternative
    2. Approved Stormwater Grant work 
    3. Accepted Judith Serkin’s Resignation from Library Trustees and Appointed Pete Hetzel to fill the position until the next election
    4. Approved Warrants
  1. Actions Taken
    1. Approved Salt purchase from Cargil
    2. Approved TH HWY Structures Grant BC2492 Broad Brook Rd
    3. Approved GIA Municipal Mitigation Grant 1266 FY27
    4. Approved Credit cards up to $6000
    5. Approved Warrants
    6. Approved Minutes from 7.13.26 and 7.27.26
  1. Adjournment
    MOTION:Sheila moved to adjourn. Kim seconded. Vote was by voice. All were in favor. No objections, no abstentions. Motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.

Meeting Video: https://www.brattleborotv.org/guilford-selectboard/guilford-selectboard-mtg-8-10-26/

Next meeting: 08.24.26 at 6:30 pm