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Selectboard Minutes - September 23, 2009
Selectboard Minutes September 23, 2009
Meeting called to order at 7:05 p.m.
Present - Selectboard members Vernal Stone (chair), Rita French and Marc
McKee. Gene Craft was also present and took notes.
Guests: Gary Goodrich
The meeting began with a discussion regarding the resignation of Paul
Betters as Vershire Road Foreman. Gene Craft reported that Paul had left a
message on the answering machine at the town office stating that he was
resigning his position and asking that his final paycheck be sent to his
mailing address. Syd Veysey had reported that Betters had left his keys and
other town property pertaining to his employment at the highway garage at
the end of last week. Rita French stated she had discussed the issue of the
resignation - i.e., no written resignation or formal explanation from
Betters - and the process of re-opening the search for a road foreman with
the Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT). They suggested the board
might ask Paul for something in writing (but that they did not have to do
this to move forward).
Seeing that the board was not offered this option by Mr. Betters, Marc
McKee moved that the board regretfully accept Paul Betters’ resignation and
move on. The motion to accept the resignation was seconded and a discussion
on a hiring strategy for (now) both open foreman and highway crew positions
ensued. Included in the discussion was the option of hiring a part-time,
whether to hire a crew member first or go back the original plan of hiring a
foreman first before hiring another crew member. Marc McKee volunteered to
place calls to a number of the road crew applicants who had applied in the
last round and to check references. The board asked Gene Craft to place new
ads for a road foreman in the Journal Opinion, the Valley News, and the
Times Argus.
Discussion regarding the town’s medical insurance policy came up next. The
board reviewed language in the Town of Vershire, Highway Department Employee
Handbook regarding highway crew insurance coverage and agreed the town
should institute an across the board 90/10 policy for covering eligible
employees. There was a motion to accept the following language change in
the handbook:
“The town covers 90 % of medical insurance coverage for its full-time
highway employees. The town provides health insurance coverage for its
employees through Cigna and the Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT)
Health Trust. The employee’s 10% share is paid through payroll deduction.”
The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.
Gary Goodrich asked the selectboard if they wanted him to submit his
five-year plan for the Town Center for budget purposes. He said the most
pressing need for the town center at this time is a new paint job. Selectboard
agreed he should submit his plan/estimates for needed repairs.
Gary Goodrich also explained to the board the upcoming deadlines and
requirements for the town in the Ancient Roads arena. The board asked for
recommendations and Gary reported that he is still in the information
gathering stage for some of the old roads in question. He also stated that
the State of Vermont, Department of Transportation has old road maps in
their archives showing how the roads have changed over time. Gary said he
wasn’t able to download them from the web but that we might be able to get
copies of them but that he will see if we can get them and present more
information at the next meeting.
Motion to adjourn was moved and seconded.
Meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m.
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