 to go first is to elect a town moderator is there any nominations thank you in light of that possible conflict I would turn the proceedings over to your chair are there any other nominations if there's no other nominations motion to close nominations all in favor all for Paul for nom for moderator any nays motion carries Paul's your moderator thank you now you know every time I always say I'm not gonna be here forever you're gonna have to think about succession so I will help anyone would like to take on this job and I can tell you it's the best job in Berlin because I'll be working about two hours and I'll get listed first in the town report and after I leave here my duties done unless you call a special meeting so what's the pay it's within your heart article 28 is to hear the reports of the town officers and for that we have traditionally gone through the report and since we've talked about a lot of things today you this will be your opportunity to ask some questions that you haven't had an opportunity to shoot for but let's start on the highway department page 13 and they get the dedication so congratulations and then also Diane Isabel the next page I'm gonna go through this unless you stop me to call right out there's the annual report of the town clerk's office at 19 and the births and deaths records which frankly worried me and that looks like a lot more of us are coming here I checked 22 23 the and no 22 is the board of civil authority the folks responsible for the checklist and the tax appeals the budget is the next half a dozen pages yes ma'am normally we would have a an audit report is that still still pending yeah it's coming 29 is the list of the link and taxes assessors used to be listers 30 highway department 31 zoning 32 recreate I'm gonna go recreation committee 35 I'm not sure I think it would take an assessor probably to total those up it's an excellent question and I would be interested in learning more thank you volunteer department fire department report 38 39 40 41 42 and then after that it all goes to private nonprofit and I you should read these but we wouldn't expect them to be called on unless they were in the previous pre-town meeting situation so any other questions about the town report I'm sure our people yes apparently there's nobody to do the reports because it has been a while and we have been talking about the assessments etc it hasn't been scheduled at this point in time it's a good point and tour can speak to that as well how it will affect Berlin but I did read the article to when we've seen the drop and concerned yeah we have all seen the big drop in our COA this year down to about 72% see we are gonna be mandated by the state to do the town like reappraisal I know in the past couple years this like board has looked at it but it's not engaged with the appraisal as far as I know so we will have to start that process and like I said probably looking a couple years out correct and there's you know couple RFPs out by other towns right now for reappraisal services so we'll just be further down on that list with very few companies to do that it is a shock and it's been 16 years now last time I was in 2008 I'm level of appraisal right common level of appraisal 29 this is the longest article we have and you're gonna have to listen to me read it twice so the way this works is that I'll read it and then I'll ask if someone will move it and then it's someone will second it and then we can discuss it and after we're done discussing it I'll read it again and we'll vote on so bear with me shall the town collect its real and personal property taxes to defray the expenses of the town from the period July 1st 2024 through June 30th 2025 in installments 1 4th of the taxes to be due by delivery or by US Postal Service postmark no private postal meter postmarks on or before August 15th 2024 1 4th of taxes due on or before November 15th 2024 1 4th of the taxes due on or before February 15th 2025 and 1 4th due on or before May 15th 2025 with an 8% penalty and 1% interest per month or portion thereof to be charged for a late payment of any installment will someone have the courage to bring this article before the assembly Bob and Pat is second is it would like to discuss this in any way anybody have an opinion about it sir question is does it have to be the 8% you are in franchise today to change it by an amendment if the majority of you agree this issues come up many times in the last 10 years at least any interest in moving to amend 8% to some other percentage an amendment sir well the 8% is is is something that the statute requires state statute but the towns have the capacity to change it to a lesser amount or I wouldn't recommend going above it but I would hope that would be in somewhere in the town report under delinquent tax collection or perhaps a treasure Rachel can you tell us where we would find that under revenues to be received would it be under penalties probably merged in with a lot of other late things well we'll put someone on that find the answer who can also find the answer the difference between businesses paying taxes and something else sir do you have a number in mind so you are amending article 29 to change 8% in the next the last line to 2% is that correct a 1% I'm sorry is there anyone who would second that article at that moment there's a second discussion would you like to just address it sir thank you yeah so I have some numbers from last fiscal year total of $44,000 $45,000 that were was brought in by the delinquent rates keep in mind that reducing this interest rate does not reduce the amount of the town budget so any money we do not make up to this way we'll have to make up through property taxes so they could go and tell them their problem because I'm thinking this year with everything that's happened there's probably a lot of people in that situation I personally don't know if the 1% is good maybe maybe something else are you prepared to offer an amendment to the amendment I don't know if 8% is right it's 8% in the article as this gentleman has suggested 1% sorry it's a 4% alright the amendment has been proposed to be amended if there's someone who will offer a 2% and is there a second sorry it fails for lack of a second I'm sorry alright now this is this is this is good for a moderator because it's been pretty boring now we have an amendment we have a main article for this for I'm sorry so anyway we've got main main article which is article 29 and that says 8% and this gentleman has suggested 1% and that has suggested 4% and the way it works is that we go then in reverse order so we'll be voting on whether to adopt the second amendment the effect of the second amendment will be to amend the first amendment we'll take a vote on that and then just to be sure we know what we're doing we'll have a third vote and by the way I'll have to read this whole article every time we do this but that's alright so first thing I'm going to ask are you ready for the question any more discussion we're going to be voting on 4% and the article is now to read I'm sorry I can't see everybody yes sir I I think so okay correct any other discussion yes sir return for people that were always paying to take it. The reason that they put the 8% level of threshold just like the man was just saying, 1% is just a drop in the bucket, it doesn't deserve some doing it. If they pay late, it's the money in the bank, they get the interest, we don't. So therefore, it was more of a return than to put somebody in the hardship. I would believe changing it is going to change anything, other than given the option of not paying, I would just believe it. Okay, anybody else? I would like to do the problem, but if I remember that conversation- Oh, I don't know. I don't know, I think that your amendment has been proposed, and it's been seconded, and it doesn't belong to you anymore. It belongs to all of us. So, yes, sir. How does percentage applies, is it per month? No, the penalty is a one-time fee. If you look at the article, there's an interest fee that comes every month. But if you're late, that's it, you're 8%. It does say 8% per month, doesn't it? No, it's a- No, it really doesn't. You've got to put the per month with the interest, yeah. Okay, so, we have, up here first. Yeah, pullover is absolutely correct. I moved here nine years ago from the town that did our taxes twice a year. I wasn't familiar with this four-time-a-year thing. I missed by one day, and I paid that 8% and whatever interest was for one day. I have not missed, since the money, I will not miss. It's a little pricey, you know, it's enough money to make me pay on time. Okay, we've got something. Are you ready to vote on the second amendment? That's not the second amendment at the Vermont Constitution. That's the second amendment, the article 29. But if you don't want to, I suppose, if there was a unanimous vote to withdraw it in support of the mover and the seconder, that would work. I don't know, you're on the edge of my facility at this point. Would you agree that we could just put it up to a vote to see how it goes? Therefore, the second amendment would read, shall the town collect its real and personal property taxes to defray the expenses of the town for the period of July 1st, 2024 through June 30th, 2025 in installments. One fourth of this tax is to be done by delivery or by U.S. Postal Service Postmark, no private postal meter postmarks. Honor before August 15th, 2024, one fourth of the taxes due on, or before November 15th, 2004, one fourth of the taxes due to honor before February 15th, 2025, and one fourth due honor before May 15th, 2025 with a, and this would be the amended 4% penalty and 1% interest per month or a portion thereof to be charged for late payment of any installment. All in favor of the amendment, which would change 8% to 4%? Say aye. Aye. Those opposed, no. No. The moderator is uncertain. That means that the next step should be, you're also comfortable with raising your hands. So all those in favor of accepting the amendment, raise your hand. And I'd ask the select board to do accounting here, so I'm out of there. Raise your hand? Well, I guess that's one, two, three, four, five, okay? And those opposed? The amendment fails. Now we're in the first amendment, the primary amendment, as they say. And this is the way it would read what we're voting on. Shall the town collect its real and personal property taxes to defray the expenses of the town for the period July 1st, 2024 through June 30th, 2025 in installments, one fourth of the taxes to be due by delivery or by U.S. Postal Service postmark, no private postal meter postmarks. Honor before August 15th, 2024, one fourth of the taxes due, or honor before November 15th, 2004, one fourth of the taxes due, honor before February 15th, 2025, and one fourth due, honor before May 15th, 2025, with a 1% penalty and a 1% interest per month or portion thereof to be charged for late payment of installment. All those in favor of the primary amendment, say aye. And those opposed, say no. We are now back to the original article 29 as amended. Are there any other amendments? Is there any other questions or comments? No, as amended. I'll read it so you know what we're talking about. And do you have a point here? If amended just informationally, because Ken and I will feedback, it will just pass a house that would make it uniform around the state that the interest would be a half percent instead of 1%. So the monthly interest for late payments would be reduced from 1% to half a percent per month. So let us know what you think of that. Okay, focus on what we're doing. We're right in the middle of article 29, we've done it. Amendment to the amendment, it failed. We did amendment, it failed. Now we're back to the original article. This will be the 8%, but you've got to hear me say it again. Shell the town, collect its real and personal property taxes to defrate the expenses of the town for the period July 1st, 2024 through June 30th, 2025 in installments. One fourth of the taxes to be due by delivery or by U.S. Postal Service Postmark, no private postal meter postmark. Honor before August 15th, 2024. One fourth of the taxes due Honor before November 15th, 2024. One fourth of the taxes due Honor before February 15th, 2025. And one fourth due Honor before May 15th, 2005 with an 8% penalty and 1% interest per month or a portion thereof to be charged for late payment of any installment. All in favor of this article say aye. Aye. Those opposed, no. The article passes. Article 30 says Shell the builders of the town of Berlin call upon the United States Postal Service to establish a post office and zip code within the town to service its residents and businesses. Wait until I call for the vote. Anyone want to talk about that? Thank you. So here again there's a one-pager on the front table also on the website giving a little background on this. You know Berlin has been without a post office for 25, no, 35. Plus years at this point. And there's been several efforts over the past 20 plus years to reestablish a post office. I've given a brief summary of some of these efforts on this page. All of these letters and documents are on the town website to take a look at. In 2008 Pat and her committee did a major effort to our congressional delegation and everything including a lot of letters of support petitions and everything like that. And it's kind of languished a couple of times since then with the flooding in the Montpelier post office that occurred last summer took a bad situation and made it even worse. That whole continuity of government situation in the Montpelier post office is just totally unacceptable as a government organization. But it does in my mind provide us another opportunity here since they're looking at what to do with the Montpelier post office. I think it's good once again to reestablish our efforts here in Berlin. Let's work with the post office with the work they're doing in Montpelier and finally give us a post office that we need and a zip code that we deserve here in Berlin. I know the sister mentioned it earlier with the efforts with the online ordering and the options tax with the different zip codes. Pat, you mentioned before something about a refrigerator not getting delivered. We've all got stories to tell about how GPS doesn't work, businesses are misbranded. You mentioned something, the bowling alley I think was called themselves in Barry. I've seen car dealerships called themselves in Barry. They have big directions on their websites that you can't just put it in your GPS and get here. I think it's time and I said it the wrong way. I said the squeaky mouse gets the wheel but that's not right. The squeaky wheel gets the oil so I'm prepared to make another effort at this and see where we can go. Because I wrote this at the last minute. Does that count? Ace makes a waste. Let me get this back to the moderator. I haven't heard. I'm just inquiring. I'm not pushing it. I'm just asking if you want them amended. I'm going to step it on that. Alright, well we've talked about it a little hand. Who will move it? Who will second it? Alright, thank you. Now we're okay. How would you like to amend it? Alright, is there a second? Wait, don't discuss it until we get a second. Now you may discuss it. I just think it's really important for people to have that understanding that you did have one. There is a zip code out there that is still about us. Any other discussion? Why did they leave? Why did they stop doing it? I haven't been here that long, ten years. Somebody either died of wounds in the post office of silence since a lot of our mail went out to the court that we didn't need to continue on having one. That's the base of it. I mean, it's not the post office that's up square, but Riverton is for one. Okay, so here we are again. We have a primary amendment. The article, if you accept that primary amendment, would be, Shell the Voters of the Town of Berlin, call upon the United States Postal Service to add an R, re-establish a post office and zip code within the town to service its residents and businesses. And that's been a long day so far. Has it been moved and seconded? Yes. Yes, okay. Are you ready for the question? Yes. Okay. All in favor of the amendment to add, to change established, to re-establish, say I. I. And those opposed, no. Now we have to vote it again because all we did was amend the article as warned. So Shell the Voters of the Town of Berlin, call upon the United States Postal Service to re-establish a post office and zip code within the town to service its residents and businesses. All in favor say I. I. And those opposed, no. Article 31 to discuss other business that may legally come before the meeting cannot be used for binding action, but it may be used for a resolution or a sense of the town. And it's also traditionally used to thank people for their services. And before I forget, I think it's only appropriate that we give thanks to our select board and our ministers. And as long as it warms you up, how about the road crew? Does anyone, anything to add? Any announcements or opinions or whatever? Yes. Best tackle what you said, we owe a great deal of thanks to our road crew for the work they did during and immediately after the floods. They did a great job getting the roads reopened and a lot of work done. There's still work to do, as we all know, but we owe them a great deal of thanks. Also to our police and fire departments. They worked effortlessly during the floods, evacuating people to the police department. They were going door to door and hit deep water on foot, delivering medications to people who needed them. So we owe them a great deal of thanks. The town's representative to the Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District. And I am going to be stepping back from that to just be an alternate, as opposed to the primary representative on the district board. It is in our town report, and I was going to look that up before I turn it. I didn't do that. So there is a report to the town from the Solid Waste Management District in the town report. The board meets eight times a year. It's not a large burden to represent the town's interest, but it's an important group that serves to reduce waste and handle waste in a safe manner to take care of household hazardous waste and other toxic waste that exists in our community but needs to be appropriately managed. So if anyone is interested in serving in that way, I'd encourage you to get in touch with either me or with Tor. We'll try to find someone to continue being the town's voice on the support and municipal entity. Thank you. Anyone else? Joe? Yeah, there's a small group that doesn't necessarily get a lot of recognition. I'm going to call it out is the Emergency Management. Bruce Richardson, he kind of heads up a small group of people that play the what if game. Well, truly that what if comes along. Tour is actually also part of that group. They support the road crew, PD, the fire department and all of us. This is a very small group that really could use a hand. So they meet, I believe, on the second Thursday of every month there at the fire department. Secondly, on your way out, if anyone thinks they need a COVID test, grab a couple to go. I'm going to tell you March 23rd is a Saturday pie breakfast. It's going to be at the Berlin Fire Department. It's a great community of, you know, gathering. I don't necessarily care. This is all, I think there is probably a set price, but it's a fundraiser, but it's great to have communities come together. Also on May 4th, the Red Cross is going to be doing their sound soundly alarm. So there if there's anyone here in the community, I don't care if it's your home, your neighbors, your friends, whatever that is. Look on front porch forum. Look at the website. I believe the Red Cross website. We can sign up. We'll have people going out, putting in smoke detectors in one of these homes. And I just want to thank the Berlin Fire Department very much for your dedication. They are going to be serving lunch as a donation. If you don't want to stick around and eat and talk with your friends or whatnot, you want to grab something to go, they are able to do that for you as well. I would just like to speak on behalf of the conservation commission. One of my frustrations is that trees don't seem to have a voice and there are we need to take care of our land. And we could use some more people to help. Thank you. I think we have a lot of historical society which it wasn't as active as usual this year. I was one of the people who got flooded out. But we would love to have more people involved. We have been trying to do some stuff behind the scenes. You will see in the town report starting on page 46. There is a lot of information about prior floods. Not just the 1927 and 92 and 2011 that people think of, we would love to still be dug out. We would love to have more people join us especially if they are willing to work on some projects. And we would love to get to having some office hours manned whether it be during the day or in the evening or on the weekend even if it is just a couple of hours. So I hope you will consider that. And in the report it tells you how you can get hold of me. Last chance. Article 31 we are done with this article but there is something we need to do before we go which is dismiss the meeting. Would anyone bring a motion to end this meeting? Bob? And a second? Somebody? Yes, thank you. All in favor of ending this meeting? Say aye. Those opposed, no. Thank you. See you next year.