Selectboard Draft Minutes 09.28.26

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GUILFORD SELECTBOARD MEETING

Monday, September 28, 6:30 pm, 236 School Road, Guilford, VT

SELECTBOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Kim Frost, Mike Szostak via zoom, Chip Carter via zoom, Tara Cheney via zoom, Sheila Morse, Chair

STAFF PRESENT: Erika Elder, Elly Majonen, Jim Freeman 

PRESENT IN PERSON:  Megan Arthur, Meg Staloff (BDCC), Dolores Clark, Taylor Franklin, Maeve Franklin

PRESENT VIA ZOOM: Amber Hunt, John Shaw: Ragan Beebe
 

Draft Minutes

  1. Call to Order by Sheila at 6:30pm
  1. Rules of Procedure reminder by Sheils
  1. Welcoming of Public; Community Comment Period
    Sheila: This has been a busy two weeks – Mike and Tara have Gazette articles about the regional HIghway crew initiative and the Regional Law Enforcement Governance Council. Regional HWY challenge meeting tomorrow, We are reviewing the FY26 Audit, Elly has been busy with Waterline & commission reports.
  1. Changes to Agenda Order (none)
  1. Updates & Reports
    1. Highway Foreman
      Fog lines and yellow lines on School Rd are done. Ditching on Carpenter Hill work is done. WRC will take photos and submit them to the state. Diesel pricing – HWY budget Workshop is Oct. 20. Diesel has increased 40%. 2025 Int’l is here. Doors have been lettered. Jim proposes selling the 2009 Int’l by putting it out to bid.

MOTION: Sheila authorizes Jim to solicit bids min15k, Kim seconds, Vote by roll call, all were in favor, no objections, no abstentions. Motion passed.
Discussion about highway salt and regional bidding. 

  1. Guilford Free Library Trustees
    Amber Hunt and John Shaw at the Library – Amber: Summer programs – Sandglass puppet show. School grant funding provided tote bags. Three weeks of summer camp funded by VT Humanities grant and staffing budget. The Summer Reading Challenge had terrific participation. Increased summer circulation is still strong, especially online. John – New trustee, Peter Hetzel. Working on strategic planning this year. The building subcommittee is tasked with coordinating maintenance issues. Recent inspections are generally positive. Four outdoor dance parties with Luke. Singing With Littles program Thursday mornings with Stephanie. Zumbini with Meghan coming in October.
  2. SeVEDS/BDCC
    Meg Staloff, BDCC: BDCC does economic development programs and municipal capacity building, municipal leaders workshops. Lots of Guilford attendees. Meg will participate in the HWY Recruitment meeting tomorrow. Part of their work is workforce development. Asked for funding from regional towns at $3.00 per capita. Previously petitioned for Social Services Appropriation unsuccessfully. Asked the Selectboard to consider budgeting this separately.
    Sheila thanks BDCC for help with Highway Recruitment initiative.
    Dolores asked about the $3.00 per person and asks if removing this from the Social Services Article  is taking control from voters.
  3. Regional Policing
    Tara: I Misspoke – Budget is not due in January – but in November! Bylaws are done. Last meeting Mark Anderson presented. 14 Towns contract with WCSO. Different Towns have more activity. Desired coverage will determine staffing needs. People have stopped calling 911 due to lack of services. Tara wrote a Gazette article. Sheila suggests printing copies of Tara’s article for the town office and posting it online. Dolores asked about staffing issues. Tara: 12 months to train a new hire. 
  4. Town Administrator 
  • Updated .gov registration; Attended an ACT250 site visit at Viking Village, that process will continue at the state level. Algiers scoping study Kickoff meeting this week with staff, community & Dubois & King. Next will be public meetings. Scheduled  second regional HWY recruitment meeting. RFP for winter sand will go out soon. Working on Town Report items & Budget, first workshop on 10/20.
  1. New Business
    1. Recreation Commission Membership
      Meghan, Taylor and Ragan on zoom. Meghan: Membership is 9 commissioners – have trouble meeting quorum. Hard to continue with few commissioners. Meghan: We did a community survey. Meetings are on the second Wednesday at 5:00. Sheila: Other Commissions have this problem as well. Suggested Gazette article. Meghan requested the Selectboard to reduce the commission membership. 

MOTION: Sheila moved to reduce the number of commissioners from nine to five. Kim seconded. Vote by roll call, all were in favor, no objections, no abstentions. Motion passed.

  1. Old Business
    1. FY2026 Audit
      Sheila: We got the original Audit Report in August and did lots of reviewing and revisions. Revised audit received last week. MOTION: Sheila Moved to table discussion of audit to next meeting 10/14; Kim seconded. Vote by roll call, all were in favor, no objections, no abstentions. Motion passed. 
    2. Water Rates 

Sheila: Guilford has 10 water customers billed by the town. Brattleboro bills Guilford for usage. Elly provided lots of documentation and evaluated the rates for customers and Town. She also assessed the waterline maintenance fund. We have not raised water rates since 2014 and they are not in line with Brattleboro. The rates should agree with Brattleboro’s rates. Elly proposes going to FY26 Brattleboro rates in January 2027, then raising annually after that to eventually match Brattleboro.
Kim asked about future administration of billing. Elly described upcoming needs being creating an Ordinance, forming a Water Commission, creating an annual budget, adding to Guilford’s asset management program and funding Waterline Maintenance Fund.

MOTION- Kim moved to authorize Elly’s proposal to advise water system customers of a first time increase in the October 2026 water bill mailing to take effect January 2027. Sheila seconded. Vote by roll call, all were in favor, no objections, no abstentions. Motion passed. Sheila: discuss commission and possible program responsibilities at the next meeting. 

  1. Correspondence
    Invitation to Rescue Meeting 9.29
  2. Finance  ACTION: MOTION
    1. Budget Status:
      Sheila – 23% through the FY; Highway budget is at 15%.
    2. Warrants
Payroll – WE 09.20.26$8,424.08
Payroll – WE 09.27.26$8,377.38
Expense Warrant #2706$96,413.29
TOTAL$113,214.75 

MOTION: Tara moved to accept the warrants as written. and Sheila seconded. Vote by roll call, all were in favor, no objections, no abstentions. Motion passed.

  1. Approval of Minutes
    1. Minutes of the regular meeting of  09.14.26
      MOTION:  Sheila moved to approve the minutes of the 09.14.26 Meeting, seconded by Kim. Vote was by Roll Call, Sheila abstained due to missing the last third of the meeting. Chip, Tara, Mike Kim in favor. Motion Passed.
  1. Actions from Previous Meeting
    1. Approved minutes from Regional Highway Meeting
    2. Approved Adjusting Journal Entry #19
    3. Approved new hire  to road crew
    4. Approved bids for Carpenter Hill Ditching  from LeRock and Crack Sealing from VT Roadworks
    5. Approved Warrants & Payroll 
    6. Approved Minutes of 8.24.26
  1. Action Taken at this Meeting
    1. Authorized Recreation Commission reduction in size from 9 to 5 members
    2. Tabled FY26 Audit 
    3. Authorized Treasurer to advise Guilford water system customers of rate increase in the October 2026 water bill mailing to take effect January 2027.
    4. Authorized Hwy foreman to sell 2009 International Truck for sale for a minimum bid of $15k. 
    5. Approved Warrants
    6. Approved Minutes
  1. Actions to be Taken
  1. Adjournment

MOTION Sheila moved to adjourn. Tara seconded. Vote by roll call, all were in favor, no objections, no abstentions. Motion passed.  Meeting adjourned at 8:08 pm.

Next meeting Wednesday, Oct. 14

Meeting recording: https://www.brattleborotv.org/guilford-selectboard/guilford-selectboard-mtg-9-28-26/