At their first regular meetiing in July, the Brattleboro Selectboard will hear from the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance, (formerly the Downtown Alliance, formerly Building a Better Brattleboro,) about their plans for a proposed park in Harmony Lot.
The board will also set the tax rate for FY16 property taxes, appoint the Our Town phase III screening committee, get an update on Pay As You Throw, have a discussion about “Entergy money,” and more. You can attend in person or watch on BCTV. You can also bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
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The Brattleboro Selectboard will meet on Tuesday, July 7, 2015 in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center. The Board will convene at 5:15pm and conduct interviews of committee applicants. It is anticipated that the Board will enter into executive session immediately following the interviews to discuss contracts, confidential attorney-client communications made for the purpose of providing professional legal services to the body, and the negotiating or securing of real estate purchase or lease options. The Board will reconvene the regular business meeting at 6:15pm.
ASL interpreters will be available for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community members.
Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100
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BRATTLEBORO SELECTBOARD
TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2015
COMMITTEE INTERVIEWS – 5:15PM
EXECUTIVE SESSION – 5:30PM
REGULAR MEETING – 6:15PM
AGENDA
1. CONVENE REGULAR MEETING
2. APPROVE MINUTES, June 16
3. CHAIR’S REMARKS
4. MANAGER’S COMMENTS
5. SELECTBOARD COMMENTS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS
6. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
7. LIQUOR COMMISSIONERS – None
8. WATER AND SEWER COMMISSIONERS – None
9. UNFINISHED BUSINESS – None
10. NEW BUSINESS
A. Set Tax Rate – FY16 Property Taxes
B. Pay-As-You-Throw – Program Update
C. Exit 1 Industrial Park – Potential Agreement with Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) re: G.S. Precision Expansion
D. Town Participation in WCEDP Advisory Committee — For distribution of “Entergy Money”
E. Downtown Brattleboro Alliance (f/k/a Downtown Alliance and Building A Better Brattleboro) i. Update on 2014-2015 Accomplishments and 2015-2016 Work Plan ii. Potential Partnership between Downtown Brattleboro Alliance and Brooks House Developers – Discussion
F. Traffic Safety Engagement with Local Motion – Memorandum of Understanding
G. Name Private Drive – Magnolia Drive
H. Award Bid – Financing for Purchase of Grader, Dump Truck and Police Cruisers
I. National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Our Town Grant – Appoint Screening Committee
J. Committee Appointments
11. CORRESPONDENCE/FYI
A. Warrants
12. MEETINGS
See enclosed Town Calendar
13. ADJOURNMENT
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MEMORANDUM
To: Selectboard
From: Peter B. Elwell, Town Manager
Re: Administrative Report
Date: July 1, 2015
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The following will summarize the proposed motions for the Selectboard meeting on Tuesday, July 7, 2015. The Board will conduct interviews of committee applicants at 5:15pm in the Selectboard meeting room after which it will meet in executive session at 5:30pm to discuss contracts, confidential attorney-client communications made for the purpose of providing professional legal services to the body, and the negotiating or securing of real estate purchase or lease options. The Board will reconvene the regular business meeting at 6:15pm.
10. NEW BUSINESS
A. Set Tax Rate – FY16 Property Taxes. The Board is asked to set the Property Tax Rates for Fiscal Year 2016 in accordance with the memo dated June 30, 2015, from Finance Director John O’Connor. Mr. O’Connor will be present to discuss the tax rates.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TO APPROVE A MUNICIPAL TAX RATE OF $1.1607 PER $100.00 OF ASSESSED VALUATION FOR GENERAL FUND OPERATIONS, AN ADDITIONAL $0.1356 PER $100.00 OF ASSESSED VALUATION FOR THE DOWNTOWN IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, AN ADDITIONAL $6.7206 PER $100.00 OF ASSESSED VALUATION FOR THE TRI-PARK SPECIAL ASSESSMENT, AND TO RATIFY THE STATE MANDATED EDUCATION RATES AT $1.6769 PER $100.00 OF ASSESSED VALUATION FOR HOMESTEAD PROPERTIES AND $1.5048 PER $100.00 OF ASSESSED VALUATION FOR NON-RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES.
B. Pay-As-You-Throw – Program Update. Assistant Town Manager Patrick Moreland and Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) Coordinator Moss Kahler will be present to provide information on results of the first week of the PAYT solid waste program.
NO ACTION IS REQUIRED ON THIS ITEM.
C. Exit 1 Industrial Park – Potential Agreement with Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) re: G.S. Precision Expansion. The Board is asked to authorize the Town Manager to execute a development agreement between the Town and the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation for the purpose of developing two additional serviced lots at the Exit One Industrial Park. This is related to the potential expansion of G.S. Precision facilities at the Exit One Industrial Park. The proposed development agreement and a staff memorandum more completely describing the circumstances are both included in the Selectboard’s notebooks.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TO AUTHORIZE THE TOWN MANAGER TO EXECUTE A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE TOWN OF BRATTLEBORO AND THE BRATTLEBORO DEVELOPMENT CREDIT CORPORATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEVELOPING TWO ADDITIONAL SERVICED LOTS AT THE EXIT ONE INDUSTRIAL PARK.
D. Town Participation in WCEDP Advisory Committee — For distribution of “Entergy Money”. The Board will hear a report of Town involvement in development of a regional Advisory Committee to assist the State of Vermont in decision making regarding distribution of Windham County Economic Development Program (WCEDP) funds, as well as an update from the Town Manager regarding the first meeting of the Advisory Committee. The Board also is asked to appoint Town Manager Peter Elwell (or someone else) to represent the Town on the newly formed Advisory Committee.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TO APPOINT ____________________ TO REPRESENT THE TOWN OF BRATTLEBORO ON THE WCEDP ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
E. Downtown Brattleboro Alliance (f/k/a Downtown Alliance and Building A Better Brattleboro) i. Update on 2014-2015 Accomplishments and 2015-2016 Work Plan ii. Potential Partnership between Downtown Brattleboro Alliance and Brooks House Developers – Discussion
Members from the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance (DBA) will provide the Board with information regarding DBA’s 2014-2015 accomplishments and 2015-2016 work plan, and will comment upon the potential of a DBA partnership with the Brook House Developers related to a proposed park in the Harmony Lot.
NO ACTION IS REQUIRED ON THIS ITEM.
F. Traffic Safety Engagement with Local Motion – Memorandum of Understanding. The Board is asked to approve a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Scope of Work (SOW) for revising and improving the Town’s Traffic Calming Plan in the collaboration with Local Motion of Burlington, Vermont. The MOU and SOW were discussed and approved by the Traffic Safety Committee at its June 23, 2015, meeting.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TO APPROVE THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING AND SCOPE OF WORK WITH LOCAL MOTION, AS PRESENTED.
G. Name Private Drive – Magnolia Drive. The Board is asked to approve the name of Magnolia Drive which is a private drive off of Buttonwood Drive in the Black Mountain Estates development.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TO APPROVE THE NAME OF MAGNOLIA DRIVE, A PRIVATE DRIVE OFF OF BUTTONWOOD DRIVE IN THE BLACK MOUNTAIN ESTATES DEVELOPMENT.
H. Award Bid – Financing for Purchase of Grader, Dump Truck and Police Cruisers. The Board is asked to award the bid to TD Bank for $632,000, with a four-year capital equipment note, at a fixed annual rate of 1.51% for financing the purchase of a grader and dump truck for the Department of Public Works, and two police cruisers for the Police Department. The purchases are part of the FY16 Capital Plan. Three bids were received and TD Bank submitted the lowest bid.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TO AWARD THE BID TO TD BANK FOR A FOUR-YEAR $632,000 CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NOTE, AT A FIXED ANNUAL RATE OF 1.51%, FOR THE PURCHASE OF A GRADER, DUMP TRUCK, AND TWO POLICE CRUISERS.
I. National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Our Town Grant – Appoint Screening Committee. The Board is asked to appoint a Screening Committee to review proposals submitted in response to the Call for Artists / Request for Proposals issued in connection with the NEA Our Town Grant. At the time of this writing, only one application has been received. Alternatives include assigning the Town Arts Committee to serve as the Screening Committee or postponing appointment of Screening Committee members until the July 21 Selectboard meeting.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TBD
J. Committee Appointments — The Board is asked to appoint members to various boards and committees for the year starting July 1, 2015. Interviews will be held immediately prior to the business meeting for any committee where more applications were received than seats are available.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TBD
"B. Pay-As-You-Throw – Program Update"
I’ve had many people tell me (insist!) that bags are not available yet. They say they’ve looked and don’t see them on the shelves (even though they’ve been there for weeks).
I’ve had to explain that they are usually hidden away near the cashier, and you have to ask for them the way you the kid in Summer of ’42 asked for condoms.
Little hand-written notes taped to shelves seem to be the “major” in-store displays. (Almost everyone I’ve spoken to said they were looking for the special displays they expected in the stores.)
At our end, I realize our estimation of needing a bag a week is going to be very far off the mark. It may be more like one every month. This worries me, in that if others are finding similar results, the PAYT estimates may be way off, and bag prices could rise in cost next time around. I’ll be curious to see if our bag usage changes.
I got my bags at Pricechopper
I got my bags at Pricechopper although they were out of the smaller size. Because I don’t currently have space to compost my trash output has stayed about the same – i was already recycling so not a lot of difference – about 1 of the large bags per week, I think. They only had a post it taped to the shelf where trash bags are kept telling people to get the bags from cashiers.
If the numbers were really off the mark and there is an additional cost increase I think – and hope – that people would protest loudly and visibly.
I’d be happy to lead that parade.