TownBites
by Ellie Russell,
June 3, 2010, page 4.....

In addition to the appointment of John Owen and discussion of the Charlotte Park and Wildlife management plan (See page 1), a wide range of town business was covered during the four-hour meeting of the Selectboard on May 24.

LeBoeuf property agreement terminated.
The Selectboard voted unanimously to terminate the sales contract with Richard LeBoeuf, acknowledging the denial by voters at Town Meeting and the lack of interest at present on the part of any other parties in joining the town in a joint investment. At the June 14 meeting the Selectboard will discuss how to manage the $20,000 that will be returned to the town by Leboeuf as a result of the termination of sales agreement.

Proposed Shelburne Police contract increased to 30 hours per week.
The existing contract with Shelburne for police services in Charlotte expires on June 30. The proposed renewal of the contract will be for up to 30 hours per week at $30 per hour plus the IRS mileage rate of $.56 cents per mile. The Selectboard deferred signing the agreement until the Shelburne police union contract is finalized, as it could affect the hourly rate.

Hinesburg Road considered “high risk.”
Based on the number of accidents, the Vermont Agency of Transportation has determined that Hinesburg Road is a high-risk road for its entire length between Hinesburg and Charlotte. The intersection at Spear Street is particularly dangerous. A high-risk designation triggers further evaluation of the road. The state will assemble a team of four to five individuals, including Town Road Commissioner Junior Lewis, to make recommendations for safety improvement such as signage, traffic lights and road striping for approval by the town. The suggestion was made that the team should also consider pedestrian and bicycle safety. The Selectboard approved moving ahead with this evaluation.

Revised budget
The Selectboard has been advised by Mary Mead, Town Clerk, that the Listers fund is carrying a balance of $56,000. This fund consists of money provided by the state for the purpose of helping cover the cost of appraisals. It is quite appropriate to pay the appraiser employed by the town out of this fund and remove the $27,500 line item designated for this purpose from next year’s budget. This reduces next year’s budget even further than the cuts that the Selectboard just made to bring the budget to level funding as compared to last year (a requirement made by voters at the last town meeting). The board voted to restore some of the budget cuts that had been made and add the remaining money to the unanticipated expenses line in the Selectboard budget. In this way the money would be available for emergencies and, if not needed, would be returned to the voters at the end of the 2011-2012 fiscal year through tax adjustments. The remainder of the $56,000 will be applied to appraisal expenses this fiscal year. Budgets that were partially restored include:
$100 for town officials’ seminars and training,
$2,000 for cemetery maintenance,
$600 for park maintenance,
$4,975 for the library (restores the library budget to the original request)
$100 for the Conservation Commission “Natural Resources Info CCS” line.

Selectboard workplan
In an effort to set priorities the Selectboard has been evaluating a “to do” list, part of which is taken from the Town Plan. Each item has a desired time frame for completion, the process to be used (such as formation of an interest group of volunteers), the current status of the project and the next action steps required. The items on the list, not in order of priority, are:
• Reconsideration of the procedure for decisions in regard to expenditures from the Conservation Fund
• Town Hall repairs and painting
• Updating the Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge Management Plan
• Traffic speeding and traffic hazards
• Thompson’s Point lake access – possibilities for public use
• Renewal of the license for parking spaces near the Old Lantern
• Pedestrian crossing and safety at the Ferry Road/Route 7 intersection
• Planning for the Burns wastewater capacity and at the same time considering the West Charlotte Village water and wastewater needs
• Placement of guardrails and pedestrian lanes where needed on town roads
• Policy for town fee waivers
• Improvements to the town website
• Pease Mountain management plan
• Completion of the co-housing segment of the recreation trail proposed to run from Mt. Philo to the Town Beach, which now runs from State Park Road to Route 7.

Other business
In other actions the Selectboard:
• approved a highway access for the Wygmans that moves their existing access on Greenbush Road to the south, just north of the Old Lantern
• approved the closure of Hinesburg and Mt. Philo Roads for the 8th annual Champ Run on Saturday, June 5, from 4:20 to 5:10 p.m.
• approved the request by Mark and Ann Dillenbeck for a waiver of fees for permits required for an affordable housing unit (accessory apartment) at 104 Oak Hill Road ($750),
• approved the request by Allan Jordan for a waiver of fees for a proposed subdivision amendment for affordable housing at 298 Spear St. ($1,200).