Tax time is upon us! With the November 1st due date looming, the Town Treasurer’s office will have the following temporary hours from October 21st-November 1st:
Monday-Wednesday: 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Thursday-Friday: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Please note that taxes are only taken in by the Treasurer or the Treasurer’s assistant.
| Selectboard Meeting Agenda |
| October 15th, 2024 6:30 pm Chelsea Town Hall |
| Call to Order |
| Additions to the Agenda |
| Conflict of Interest Disclosure |
| Public Comments |
| Approve Minutes from October 1st 2024 |
| Current Events and Updates |
| A. Draft Town Plan/Regional Plan |
| B. Pedestrian Bridge |
| C. Lister: Reappraisal |
| D. Highway Update |
| E. Town Administrator Update |
| F. Myers/Casella Trash Prices |
| Action Items |
| A. Approve Orders |
| Executive Session If Necessary |
| Adjournment |
| Links to join the Selectboard Meeting: https://meet.google.com/fwf-ayyb-acq https://www.youtube.com/@ChelseaVTSelectboardOfficial/streams |
if you would like to join please click on https://www.chelseavt.org/.
| Selectboard Meeting Agenda |
| October 1st, 2024 6:30 pm Chelsea Town Hall |
| Call to Order |
| Kevin Marshia called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm. SELECTBOARD Kevin Marshia (Present) Kelly Lyford (Present) Gregg Herrin (Present) Leyna Hoyt (Present) Jesse Kay (Present) TOWN EMPLOYEES Tierney Farago (Town Administrator) Rick Ackerman (Highway Supervisor) |
| Additions to the Agenda |
| The Town Administrator added final signatures for a previously approved loan agreement for the Wastewater Plant upgrade project. The Selectboard had questions regarding the loan and what part of the earmarked funds would be used for the loan. The Town Administrator will follow up with the engineering firm to confirm. |
| Conflict of Interest Disclosure: None |
| Public Comments |
| Frank Keene and Tim Courts attended the meeting to express their frustrations with the ongoing process of attempting to rebuild the pedestrian bridge. Mr. Keene obtained a petition from numerous residents to allow work to be conducted to rebuild the bridge. The Selectboard heard these concerns and are working diligently along with the Town Administrator to find the means to properly rebuild the bridge by following all rules and regulations required. |
| Approve Minutes from September 17th 2024 |
| Gregg Herrin made a motion to approve the minutes from September 17th; Leyna Hoyt seconded the motion. Motion passed with 5 votes in favor. |
| Current Events and Updates |
| A. Town Administrator Update |
| The Town Administrator updated the Selectboard on the first meeting regarding the engineering study for the wastewater plant upgrade. FEMA meetings are still occurring to wrap up the projects for emergency work done last year. There have also been ongoing talks with ANR regarding the pedestrian bridge replacement. Further clarification is needed. |
| B. Highway Update |
| Rick Ackerman gave an update on the Grants in Aid projects that were completed for several areas around town. All projects went smoothly. He will be working on gravel and sand for future road work. There have been no additional applications for the open road worker position. |
| C. Transfer Station |
| The Selectboard discussed revenue and expenditure numbers provided by the Treasurer regarding the transfer station data of trash and recyclables received. Based on past year totals, the transfer station is currently breaking even rather than being over-budget. It appears that implementing tickets and recycle stickers have been helping alleviate costs accrued for the transfer station. |
| D. Quarterly Library Update |
| Kezia Frayjo presented a quarterly update on the happenings of the library. Currently their budget is healthy and they recently received a $20,000 grant to help upgrade the library/Town Hall to be more ADA accessible. They have had great success with after school programs, summer programs, the book sale, and certifications for the librarian. Their challenges include space needs and shared resources currently. Kezia requested a motion to remove 50% of the balcony chairs in Town Hall so the remaining chairs can be refurbished and the balcony can be cleared for more storage for books. The Selectboard agreed to add the item to a future agenda to have proper warning for the public. Kezia will work with the Town Administrator to reach out to the fire inspectors about the plans and ensure it is acceptable from a fire safety perspective. |
| E. Community Nursing Forum |
| Several community members and a representative from First Branch Ambulance attended to show support for acquiring a community nurse for the town. Jodi Hoyt, community nurse for Tunbridge, gave a summary of the program for those that may not have been looped in during previous Selectboard meetings. The Selectboard discussed the possibility of cost-sharing with the Chelsea Health Center in order to be able to fund the position. The Health Center will internally discuss what they may be able to offer financially. The Selectboard also heard some comments from residents who are concerned about tax raises to pay for the nurse position. Kelly Lyford mentioned that a contract position rather than a Town employee model would be the best fit for the Town if it moving forward with acquiring a community nurse. This item will be added to the October 15th meeting agenda to discuss further. |
| Action Items |
| A. North Common Landscaping |
| The Town Administrator brought up the topic of landscaping updates for the north and south commons from the previous meeting. There are funds in the budget to pay for services to infill areas, aerate, fertilize, and otherwise tidy up the commons. It was also confirmed that the expected monetary threshold is low enough to proceed with accepting services from the current mowing contractor. Work would be done on the commons on days that do not interrupt any scheduled events. Due to the expected pricing of the services (approx. $2,400), the Selectboard did not need to make a motion and agreed to let the Town Administrator proceed with executing the contract. |
| B. Town Forest Management Plan |
| David Paganelli, Orange County Forester, attended virtually but was unable to stay to discuss the Forest Management Plan. Kate Willard stepped in to elaborate on the plan for the Selectboard. The Management Plan includes timber sales and a path to both preserve and prune the forest as recommended by the foresters. Jesse Kay made a motion to adopt the Town Forest Management Plan from 2023; Leyna Hoyt seconded the motion. Motion passed with 5 votes in favor. The Town Administrator will follow up with the County Forrester to begin plans for following forest management. |
| C. Approve Orders |
| Leyna Hoyt made a motion to approve the orders; Gregg Herrin seconded the motion. Motion passed with 5 votes in favor. |
| Executive Session If Necessary: None |
| Adjournment |
| Leyna Hoyt made a motion to adjourn the meeting; Gregg Herrin seconded the motion. Motion passed with 5 votes in favor. The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 pm. |
| Selectboard Meeting Agenda |
| October 1st, 2024 6:30 pm Chelsea Town Hall |
| Call to Order |
| Additions to the Agenda |
| Conflict of Interest Disclosure |
| Public Comments |
| Approve Minutes from September 17th 2024 |
| Current Events and Updates |
| A. Town Administrator Update |
| B. Highway Update |
| C. Transfer Station |
| D. Quarterly Library Update |
| E. Community Nursing Forum |
| Action Items |
| A. North Common Landscaping |
| B. Town Forest Management Plan |
| C. Approve Orders |
| Executive Session If Necessary |
| Adjournment |
| Links to join the Selectboard Meeting: https://meet.google.com/fwf-ayyb-acq https://www.youtube.com/@ChelseaVTSelectboardOfficial/streams |
| Selectboard Meeting Agenda |
| September 17th, 2024 6:30 pm Chelsea Town Hall |
| Call to Order |
| Kelly Lyford called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm. SELECTBOARD Kevin Marshia (Absent) Kelly Lyford (Present) Gregg Herrin (Present) Leyna Hoyt (Present) Jesse Kay (Present) TOWN EMPLOYEES Tierney Farago (Town Administrator) Rick Ackerman (Highway Supervisor) |
| Additions to the Agenda |
| A request to use the Village Greens on October 31st from 4pm-7pm was received. The Selectboard only had a concern that if they move forward with landscaping in the North Common, the closure of the common may affect the event. The Selectboard asked to let the applicant, Chelsea Parker, know that this might be the case and the South Common may have to be used for the event. Leyna Hoyt made a motion to approve the event, but to notify the applicant that the event may need to be held on the South Common; Jesse Kay seconded the motion. Motion passed with 4 votes in favor. |
| Conflict of Interest Disclosure: None |
| Public Comments |
| Resident Frank Keene attended to receive an update on the cemetery pedestrian bridge. The Town Administrator provided information regarding the liability issues of possibly rebuilding the bridge with private funds and allowing work to be done without a bidding process; this option was advised against by the legal team at the Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT). The Town will continue to look for alternative options for rebuilding/replacing the bridge. |
| Approve Minutes from September 3rd 2024 |
| Leyna Hoyt made a motion to approve the minutes from September 3rd; Jesse Kay seconded the motion. Motion passed with 3 votes in favor. Gregg Herrin abstained due to absence. |
| Current Events and Updates |
| A. Town Administrator Update |
| The Town Administrator gave a status update on the integration of Microsoft Teams for the Selectboard and town employees to use; login information has been sent out and the Selectboard will work with the Town Administrator to organize and access files as needed. Kelly Lyford also asked about the status of FEMA projects; FEMA continues to review projects and has upcoming meetings to discuss remaining items and closeout of a few cases. |
| B. Transfer Station |
| The Town Administrator presented some budgetary information and ticket numbers for the Town’s transfer station. Currently, the Town is breaking even on expenses to profit on the transfer station due to the punch cards and recycle stickers. The Selectboard requested more data from recent years to see if the amount of waste and recycle has increased or decreased at all due to the changes in process. The topic will be added to a future agenda to better understand the possible needs of the transfer station. |
| C. Town Plan Draft |
| Sydney Steinle with Two Rivers Ottaquechee Regional Commission attended the meeting to answer some retail zoning related questions that the Selectboard brought up in the last meeting. The Town Plan is adhering to all requirements of the state, but there are concerns about only having retail zoning in the village area, which is in a floodplain. Sydney suggesting speaking with her supervisors, as the regional mapping that is being drafted with Two Rivers may help alleviate those issues. The Town Administrator will reach out to Kevin Geiger and Peter Gregory with TRORC to discuss the regional mapping that may affect the Town Plan. The Selectboard will continue to review the draft Town Plan until they are satisfied with moving forward with the draft. |
| Action Items |
| A. North Common Landscaping |
| Jen Chase with the Forest and Parks Commission brought up landscaping maintenance in the North Common with the Selectboard. It was recommended to seed and fill in some divots in the North Common. The commission had gotten a preliminary quote from the current contract mowing company in order to present at the meeting. The Selectboard requested that the Town Administrator review what the current contract covers to ensure that it would be following the contract and the town purchasing policy. The item will be brought up at the next meeting for decision. No motion was made. |
| B. Town Forest Management Plan |
| The Selectboard discussed the Town Forest Management Plan previously sent by David Paganelli. Some of the plan still needs to be completed in order to fulfill the suggested plan. A timber sale was suggested by the Orange Country Forestry parks and forest department, which would also help the Town conduct the sale. Services would not be available until 2027, but the Town is encouraged to book for services soon. The Selectboard would like to discuss the topic further. No motion was made. |
| C. Town Hall Basement |
| The Town Administrator brought up the topic of mitigation work to be done on the Town Hall basement; Harry Falconer with the Two Rivers Ottaquechee Regional Commission needed to know what option the Town is leaning toward in order to submit the MERP grant application. After some discussion on the estimated pricing of the vapor barrier and concrete flooring with sump pump, the Selectboard agreed that it would be best to use the quote for the concrete basement flooring for the application. The Selectboard agreed that Mr. Falconer may proceed with the higher priced quote. No motion was made. |
| D. Signatures for Utility Agreement |
| VTrans suggested a utility agreement for future work on Vermont Route 110. This agreement allows VTrans to use their own contractors to perform adjustments to 9 manholes and 2 water valve boxes during their repaving project, with the Town paying for those adjustments. The Selectboard had some questions regarding the full scope of work and where the repaving will cover through the village. The Town Administrator will reach out to VTrans to discuss further before the Selectboard makes their decision. No motion was made. |
| E. Approve Orders |
| Leyna Hoyt made a motion to approve the orders; Gregg Herrin seconded the motion. Motion passed with 4 votes in favor. |
| Executive Session If Necessary: None |
| Adjournment |
| Leyna Hoyt made a motion to adjourn the meeting; Gregg Herrin seconded the motion. Motion passed with 4 votes in favor. The meeting was adjourned at 7:52 pm. |
| Selectboard Meeting Agenda |
| September 17th, 2024 6:30 pm Chelsea Town Hall |
| Call to Order |
| Additions to the Agenda |
| Conflict of Interest Disclosure |
| Public Comments |
| Approve Minutes from September 3rd 2024 |
| Current Events and Updates |
| A. Town Administrator Update |
| B. Transfer Station |
| C. Town Plan Draft |
| Action Items |
| A. North Common Landscaping |
| B. Town Forest Management Plan |
| C. Town Hall Basement |
| D. Signatures for Utility Agreement |
| E. Approve Orders |
| Executive Session If Necessary |
| Adjournment |
| Links to join the Selectboard Meeting: https://meet.google.com/fwf-ayyb-acq https://www.youtube.com/@ChelseaVTSelectboardOfficial/streams |
The Town of Chelsea is looking for a Town Health Officer. This position is mainly responsible for protecting the public from potential health hazards. Some of the other responsibilities are as listed:
This position reports to the Vermont Department of Health, with regular interaction with Town staff and the Town Administrator as needed. The Health Officer also receives a yearly stipend. If you are interested in this position, please reach out to the Town Administrator at 802-625-2023 or town.administrator@chelseavt.us
You can find the full scope of responsibilities and handbook on the state’s website here: https://www.healthvermont.gov/environment/town-health-officers