Selectboard Draft Minutes 08.24.26

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GUILFORD SELECTBOARD MEETING

Monday, August 24, 6:30 pm, 236 School Road, Guilford, VT

SELECTBOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Sheila Morse, Chip Carter, Mike Szostak; Kim Frost

STAFF PRESENT: Jim Freeman, Elly Majonen, 

PRESENT IN PERSON: Steve Lembke, Kyle Parker, Dolores Clark

PRESENT VIA ZOOM: Tammy Sargent

Draft Minutes 

  1. Call to Order at 6:30 by Sheila
  1. Rules of Procedure (2 minutes)
  1. Welcoming of Public; Community Comment Period (10 minutes)

Steve Lembke, D2R2 marathon 1,000-1,600 people came out on Sat; 500 runners on Sunday for race and all went very smoothly.

Tammy Sargent, WRC wasn’t available via zoom and meeting did not happen/ no one showed up; Matt will reschedule; request for meeting to be posted on town website.

  1. Changes to Agenda Order (2 minutes)
  1. Updates & Reports
    1. Highway (5 minutes)
  • Lembkes and Jim had senior walk scheduled with Guilford Cares; Jim answered questions regarding what road crew does for Guilford with grading, trees etc… 
  • 8/12/26 a sink hole was repaired on Burkick Road that swallowed a 1 ton last spring. There was a spring in the middle of road producing 3 gallons of water a minute. 
  • Erika and Jim working Windham Regional Commission with cooperative salt purchasing; 
  • Culverts on Packers Corner Road finishing 2 weeks later than expected; 3 are done and one more on Tuesday 8/25; Ditching later but road will be open.
  • Met Wade Masure, VLCT Senior Control Program Dir; to work on Hazards Commission to work on Guilford Highway/ Insurance stipulations. 
  1. Town Administrator (5 Minutes)

Erika not here to report 

  1. Old Business
    1. Exploring Regional Highway Recruitment Project UPDATE (2 minutes)
  • Tomorrow morning Special SB meeting at town office and zoom at 9:00am to discuss; Other towns participating: Grafton, Rockingham, Putney, Halifax & Brattleboro.
  1. New Business
    1. 2026 Grand List Errors & Omissions Certificate MOTION (5 minutes)
  • Only 1 error this year; Attorney made error due to late submission no effect on list.

MOTION: Sheila moved that Selectboard approve the certificate to the correction to the 2026 grand list, Mike second, Vote by Voice all in favor, no abstentions, no objections. Motion passed.

  1. Algiers Scoping Study Consultant Recommendation MOTION (5 minutes)
  • Town rejected prior proposal; committee got a new bid from pre-approved bidder; Committee met last week and recommend the SB approve the proposal from Dubois & King

MOTION: Kim moved to approve the RFP response from Dubois & King for the  Algiers Village Traffic Calming Scoping Study with the cost not to exceed $50,000 and $10,000 of which will be covered by ARPA funds in the remaining price via grant, Chip seconded. Vote by voice, all were in favor, no abstensions, no objections. Motion passed.

  1. FYE26 Transfers and Adjusting Journal Entries to derive final FY2026 Audit figures and  authorize final entries MOTION (20 minutes) 

– This has been a challenge for the last year for the SB and have been working on this for a long time and came out pretty well and there will be a net 003 municipal operating surplus of $2,389.01, after we authorize the budgeted transfer of $225,000 to the 004 Asset Management fund. The surplus will be allocated to the 007 reserve fund, ($2,389.01); There will be a highway surplus of $292,360.69 to the highway operating cost to the 010 highway surplus fund to the purchase of a truck. 

MOTION: Sheila moved to authorize transferring out of the 003 operating fund the amount of $225,000 to our 004 asset management fund for FY26. Mike seconded. Discussion: Tammy asked about other transfers. Dolores & Tammy asked about prior Sheriff/budget from FY24. Sheila & Elly explained that money wasn’t spent by recommendation of the Law Enforcement Contract Committee and there wasn’t enough money from taxes. 

Vote by Voice, All in favor, no abstensions, no objections. 

      MOTION: Sheila moved to transfer from the 003 budget to the 007 reserve fund   $2,389.01 for FY26. Chip seconded. Discussion: Steve explains the how and why the funds have guard rails. Vote by Voice, All in favor, no abstensions, no objections. Motion passed.

    MOTION: Highway fund surplus: $292,360.69. Sheila moved to transfer from the 009 highway operating budget to the 010 highway surplus fund FY26. Mike seconded. Discussion: what are the funds for and explained is more generalizable; mostly for trucks & highway equipment; Highway funds vs Asset funds. Vote by Voice, All in favor, no abstensions, no objections. Motion passed.

               Discussion on journal pages entries; Elly explains there are 15 adjustments; 

1) post fund balances; 2) duplicate entry; 3) reclassify transfer for cemetery fund;  4) Current taxes carried forward   5) correct cash receipts from state of VT;  6) allocation total annual interests into several accounts; 7) corrected insurance for FY27 Q1 for law & fire; 8) accrual water billing vs paid vs due at the FY. 9) Adjusted deferred property tax; 10) Record payable CPWood trust fund interest; 11)      delinquent tax penalty to income account; 12) Accrued compensated absences. 13) Depreciation expense; 14) SB emergency fuel fund for BDCC fix; 15) Reclassification of a tax sale. MOTION: Sheila moved to accept adjusted journal entries. Kim seconded. Vote by Voice, all in favor, no abstensions, no objections. Motion passed.

  1. Correspondence: none
  1. Finance  ACTION: MOTION (5  minutes)
    1. Budget Status: 13% of year completed on 8/31/26 ; highway fund is 6.2% expended. 003 general fund is 6.9% expended. 
  1. Warrants (5  minutes)    
Payroll – WE 08.16.26$7,361.48
Payroll – WE 08.23.26$9,081.62
Expense Warrant #2704$270,895.96
Expense Warrant #2704$58.50
TOTAL$287,397.56  

MOTION: Sheila moved to accept the warrants. Kim seconded. Vote by voice, all in favor. No abstensions, no objections. Motion passed.        

  1. Approval of Minutes ACTION: MOTION (2 minutes)
    1. MOTION: Sheila moved to approve Minutes of the regular meeting of  08.10.26. Mike seconded the motion; Vote by Voice, all in favor. No abstensions, No objections. 
  1. Actions from Previous Meeting
    1. Approved Salt purchase from Cargill
    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. Action Taken
    1. Approved Grand list errors and certificate
    2. Approved Dubois & King for the Algiers Village Trafficking Scoping Study
    3. Approved to Accept adjusted journal entries 
    4. Approved Warrants
    5. Approved Minutes from 08.10.26
  1. Adjournment
    1. Sheila moved to adjourn. Chip seconded. Vote by Voice all in favor. No abstensions, no objections. Motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 7:33pm. 

Meeting recording: https://www.brattleborotv.org/guilford-selectboard/guilford-selectboard-mtg-8-24-26/