Public Informational Meeting for Town Meeting on 2/8
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Saturday,
February 8, 2025
10AM – noon
Minutes
Approved on: Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Minutes
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Web version
Town of Richmond
Special Selectboard Meeting
Public Informational Meeting
Minutes of February 8, 2025
Members Present: Bard Hill, David Sander, Jay Furr, Lisa Miller
Absent: Adam Wood
Staff Present: Town ManagerJosh Arneson;Assistant to the Town ManagerDuncan Wardwell; Administrative Assistant Linn Caroleo; Town Clerk Linda Parent; Finance Director Connie Bona; Fire Department Chief Dennis Gile; Highway Department Chief Pete Gosselin; Library Director Suzanne Krohn.
Others Present: MMCTV Erin Wagg, Fran Thomas Round Church, Suzanne Parent OCCC, Rebecca Connell Planning Commission, John Michael Longworth COTS, Judy Rosovsky Chair of Conservation Commission, Kathy Templin.
MMCTV Video: Recorded by MMCTV by Erin Wagg
https://youtu.be/fgjDDb1KtYQ?si=ITUu-NRlOzgj30nb
Call to Order: 10:00 am
Welcome by: Sander
Public Comment: Sander thanked Furr for bringing donuts.
Additions or Deletions to Agenda: None
Items for Presentation or Discussion with those present
Budget presentation for the FY26
Timestamp: 0:01
https://www.richmondvt.gov/fileadmin/files/Selectboard/Meetings/2025/01/2a3_Budget_Notes_FINAL.pdf
People who participated in the discussion: Arneson, Hill, Sander, Furr, Bona, Thomas, Miller, Parent, Connell, Longworth
Arneson presented the following slideshow as an overview of the budget. He explained that this year the budget will be voted on by Australian Ballot.
Because of the $2 million in flood expenses from the July 2024 floods Arneson explained that coming to a consensus regarding this year’s budget has been a challenge. There will be a tax increase this year that is impossible to offset. There are 9 allocations for social services to be voted on by Australian ballot. Hill clarified that some of the Water allocation is for water that is used for fire protection. Sander added that the Town does the bonding, but the water/sewer users pay back that bond and that burden has never been shifted to the taxpayers, which he feels is a common misconception. Bona also added that there is a Bond Bank loan which covers 40% of the water tank, and there was also a gap loan for 48% that has been paid off. Thomas wanted to know if there was any acrimony between Richmond and Hinesburg over sharing the Police Chief, to which Hill replied that by sharing the Chief it strengthens the relationship between the Towns. Arneson stated that Chief Cambridge will officially start work for Richmond on Feb. 18th, 2025. Furr stated that Richmond now has one officer and a canine.
Miller asked about the one part-time employee listed under Town Admin positions, which Bona clarified was the assistant to the Town Clerk who works 12 hours per week. Thomas wanted to know if education of the new Town Clerk was included in the salary for the incoming Town Clerk, to which Arneson replied that this would be considered an educational bonus, which has been done before in other departments and was a clever idea. Miller continued that the results of the recent Audit should be included in the Town report and she wondered if the 15% reserve should be explained more clearly on slide 36. Thomas asked about the new fire truck purchase, which Hill and Furr stated has been discussed at other budget meetings and has in fact been on the budget since 2023.
Hill mentioned the state of the Town Center building, which has a water leak in the ceiling and caused several ceiling tiles to fall down this week. Bona explained that the Capital Plan will be discussed at the next meeting, and she wishes more people from the public would attend these meetings. Furr pointed out that there have so far been 7 Special Selectboard meetings discussing the budget and very few people attend, regardless of if there is pie or donuts on offer. Thomas feels a postcard in the mail would be better to inform residents about planned budget meetings, not everyone is tech savvy. Parent said they provide child-care and a dinner at the OCCC annual meeting to get more people to attend. Connell concurred that offering childcare so young parents could attend Selectboard or budget meetings would be useful; she continued by asking how social services allocations will be listed on the ballot, which Arneson answered by showing a sample ballot. He also demonstrated where the Town report is posted on the Town’s website and explained how much the tax increase is affected by passing or not passing distinct items. Each social service allocation submitted a request, and each request is linked to an explanatory letter under the Town report. Bona pointed out that the Conservation Reserve Fund is a separate fund that would raise the municipal tax rate (Article 8) and is a value that can be difficult to understand. Longworth pointed out that his organization helps people who have difficulty finding housing in 17 different municipalities across northern Vermont, including Richmond.
Discussion of Article 8 Conservation Reserve Fund
Timestamp: 1:39
People who participated in the discussion: Rosovsky, Hill
Rosovsky gave a presentation about what the Conservation Commission does and pointed out that every dollar given to the commission results in nearly $4 in conservation performed around Richmond. Hill wanted to know what percentage of land in Richmond is currently conserved, which Rosovsky thought was 21%.
Charitable Organizations Presentations
Timestamp: 1:47
People who participated in discussion: Sander, Arneson, Hill, Longworth, Furr, Parent
Sander announced that this relates to Articles 9 through 17 on the ballot. Arneson read each Article in turn. Hill mentioned that Age Well (Article 10) delivers Meals on Wheels and is funded by the Older Americans Act from the federal government. Article 12 deals with the Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS) and Longworth described that his organization thanks for past contributions and that they are instrumental in offering temporary housing to people in need and shelters for adults and children. Furr stated that homelessness and opioid addiction is a big problem in Vermont. Longworth emphasized that safety and minimizing risks to their residents is important. Article 13 relates to the Our Community Cares Camp to which Parent described that her organization supports 55 children in Richmond and that federal funding is constantly being cut which is why she is asking for funding from Richmond residents. No other organization was represented; additional information about the remaining social services organizations can be found on the Town’s website.
Adjourn
Furr moved to adjourn. Hill seconded.
Roll Call Vote: Hill, Furr, Miller, Sander in favor. Motion approved.
Meeting adjourned at: 10:17 am
Chat file from Zoom: None
Agenda
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Town of Richmond
PUBLIC INFORATIONAL MEETING
NOTICE and AGENDA
Saturday, February 8, 2025
The Selectboard for the Town of Richmond will hold a public informational meeting on Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 10:00am to discuss the Australian ballot articles on the 2025 Town Meeting Warning and the budget. The hearing will be held on the third floor of the Town Center located at 203 Bridge St. and will also be accessible remotely by electronic means.
Join Zoom Meeting Online:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89928083835?pwd=ATlpOwhcnJxWLj379xaIfxmGiG8dja.1
Join by Phone: +1 929 205 6099
Meeting ID: 899 2808 3835
Passcode: 613512
10:00 AM 1. Welcome and Public Comment
10:05 AM 2. Australian Ballot Information Hearing #
a) Review and discuss Article 7: Shall the voters of the Town of Richmond approve a budget of $4,870,565 to meet the expenses and liabilities of the Town of Richmond in Fiscal Year 2026? (45 min)
b) Review and discuss Article 8: Shall the Town of Richmond vote to approve funding the Conservation Reserve Fund by adding one cent to the municipal tax rate in the 2025-2026 fiscal year? (20 min)
c) Review and discuss Articles 9 - 17: Charitable Appropriations voted by Australian ballot (30 min)
11:40 AM 3. Adjourn
Time is available at each meeting for public comment. Documents related to this meeting are available at
www.richmondvt.gov/documents/selectboard-meeting-documents/
If you would like to schedule a time with the Board or need assistance to participate in the meeting, please call
Josh Arneson, Richmond Town Manager at 434-5170 or email jarneson@richmondvt.gov
Links to videos of Selectboard meetings can be found at mtmansfieldctv.org
*Denotes Action Item # Indicates documents in the packet