 I'm going to go ahead and call this meeting to order at 532. Is there any adjustments to the agenda? No, great. OK, discussion, the annual school district warning. Here we are. OK. So I had a question about the warning, Tara. And in Article 8, we're requesting the sum of $217,000 to go into the Rochester Stockbridge Capital Improvements Fund. Is that correct? No, you're requesting $40,000. OK. $217,048 is the fund balance. OK. Fund balance, $400,000, not to exceed $400,000. $40,000, sorry. $40,000. The Rochester Stockbridge Capital Improvement and Maintenance and Facilities Fund. Good. OK, thank you. That's what I thought we were doing. And I guess I read that a little differently and was confused. Great. Is there any questions about the warning for any discussion? I would only say that that article might be worded a little differently, because it immediately causes some confusion. I had to read it twice earlier to fully understand it. Right. And I had to just ask Tara, because I was confused as well. So is there other wording that we can use? This was the wording that was provided by council. It's the same wording that was in your warning last year. So I think we're just going to have to explain it when we present it, is what that means. This much is going towards our budget for next year from the surplus. And this much is what you're voting on to go into the surplus. Just all, we're going to have to break it down. OK. Yes, I agree. If we can make sure in the report that we are very clear about that as well, that this amount, you'll see this on article eight, this is the amount of our fund balance. And we're requesting, we're putting, giving back to the voters a portion. And we're requesting a 40,000 to go into the capital improvements. OK. Well, just we're in the education business. So we should be able to figure it out and be able to explain it. So that's cool. Are you ready to move? I can't read the whole thing. And I haven't had a chance to read it. And I didn't, I can't find that it was sent to read ahead. I emailed it to the board this morning. OK. So it should be in your board email. OK. All right. Sorry about that. I guess I wasn't looking at something from you. So we're voting Australian ballot. We're going to do Australian ballot. OK. Only for your officers. Everything else is from the floor. Right. So we are going to vote on all of these articles one through eight on the floor. And then if you scroll down, is there articles, I guess, through Article 10. And then Article 11 will be voted on by Australian ballot, which is specifically the directors, the officers. And as you can see, there are Rochester votes to elect. And it shows that there's, if you keep scrolling down, suggest I can see eight. Right. So this is what will be voted on by Australian ballot. The next on Tuesday, May 2, the same day that our annual meeting is going to be, the voters are going to need to go to the town clerks of their respected towns to vote for the officers by Australian ballot. So that is another thing that we just need to make sure we lay out to the voters. Confusing the way that part is laid out because I instantly read that at the end and think I have all day Tuesday to vote on these, but you know, I don't know. All day Tuesday to vote on the entire ballot, which you're saying. And also, and you came up with the paragraph. OK. So if you read the very opening to consider and act upon the following articles one through 10 and to discuss the article to be voted upon by Australian ballot, Article 11 only. So it does specify in the opening paragraph that they are only and their ballots will be because they can request an absentee ballot. Yeah, I know. Available 30 days. I see that. It's just the directors. I see that. So it's just, yeah, you know, I'm just trying to make sure if, you know, all we get a good audience. You know, people are clear. They're being called to do this. This night and this is the next day. So OK. No, it's the same day. The ballots are the polls are open from 10 to 7 on Tuesday, May 2nd in your floor meeting is Tuesday night, May 2nd at 7. OK. So it's all the same day in this instance. In other towns, yes, that's how it has been historically is the floor vote is the night before and then the ballots the next day. So that's how some of it has happened. But this is truly right now all on the same day. OK. All right. Good. No, I'm just wrapping my head around it all. Thank you. Yes. And so when somebody asks you, you are able to answer them. OK, well, I'll entertain a motion to accept the annual meeting morning as presented. Is there specific language to go around that, Tara? Second. OK, it's been. Motions were made and seconded by Robert. Is there any further discussion? Seeing no discussion, all in favor. So you know if I by saying aye. Aye. All opposed? I assume the ayes have it. So moved. All right. Wendy, do you have the printed copy there? Do. So I just want to go for the 20th day of March in Stockbridge, Vermont. And then have them start signing. I wouldn't date it until everyone has signed. Right. I'll let Patrick date it at the end. After everybody's signed, he'll have to sign it again as the clerk. OK, I'm just going to pass that around. Yeah, and Patrick, you get both duties. So after the entire board has signed, you will then sign again as the clerk of the district. And then once you've done that, then a copy needs to come back to me to pass for all of it to go in the mailer. And then also we'll need to be posted. And we can't post within 30, but no more than 45 days of the meeting just so everyone's aware of what the posting requirement is for the warning. Yes, Robert. How do we handle the fact that I'm in Florida? When do you come back, Robert? We only need a majority of the board to sign. So if we're minus your signature. I'm not back till the first week in April. Yeah, and then I would, I mean, I wouldn't stress over it. That's OK. Your signatures won't be on it. But it is OK. We just need to have a majority of the board to sign it. Yeah. OK. OK. Is there any further? Are you guys going to? There was also in Jamie's email about an informational meeting. Are you going to wait for that to be an agenda item at the beginning of April? Or it sounded like there were some conflicts. Like I know personally I'm not available, except for that Saturday of April break. Yeah, it wasn't on the agenda. So I didn't look into that at all. I'm not sure. There was two dates that he was looking at for an informational meeting, right? April 22nd and April 24th. And a couple people have already responded that the 22nd won't work for them. I'm not available on the 24th. And I believe it's not available on the 24th? You would have to do it without Lindy. If you guys decide that you want to do a separate informational meeting. OK. Yeah, the 22nd is a Saturday. That's an interesting proposal. OK. I think we need to get with Jamie again and see what other dates we can do those. I personally, I really feel I'd like to have Lindy at. Well, this is the informational meeting. Here's just you're talking about this is not the end. The the budget meeting is right. This is just one. Yeah, but the informational meeting that we did last year, Amy at Rochester. Right. I mean, it's the same information you're going to be presenting if you use the same presentation that we did last year. It's a Google presentation. So if you present that, the informational meeting, you would then in turn be presenting that again on the night of the actual meeting. So some people may see the presentation twice where others, you know, that. Right. I think we rolled around that we could do a informational meeting in Stockbridge and then the annual meeting in Rochester, just so on you have to have a balance there of reaching all of our residents. Because they can't vote on the rest of the articles, obviously, by Australian ballot. So that some back that did cause some confusion because people were used to Australian ballots the last couple of years having the informational meeting. So we did just to give you the heads up. We did have to make sure that was really clear because several people thought that they could vote on all articles again by Australian ballot. So just be aware and carbon of that. I'm sure that that is going to be confusing again this year and we need to lay it out fairly clearly. Having an informational meeting gives us a good opportunity to really reach people and say, go tell your friends to vote on this budget. You have to come to the meeting next Monday. So I do see the value in having an informational meeting. So Lindy's not available on the 24th and many of our board members are not available on the 22nd, which is a Saturday, which might be, I don't know, is that better or worse for families to come to? Well, JC is one of the ones I think that she said wasn't available on the 22nd. And if it's in Stockbridge, it might be good if she could make it. Absolutely. I'm wondering, we had talked earlier, I thought, about what we just warned for our budget hearing, excuse me, not the hearing, but our meeting and votes on the budget would be on Tuesday, May 2nd. But I thought we had also explored the idea of having our informational meeting on that Monday right before on May 1st. And I'm wondering whether that just, we have a few people here, whether that'd be viable with, would people be available for that alternative? That worked for me too. And I do remember us bringing that up. And maybe that's why I had Monday stuck in my mind for the annual meeting. Jamie's email today says he'll be returning from Ohio on Monday, May 1st. Ah, okay. But that's the informational meeting. He'll be there. He said he would make it to the annual meeting. And Linda, are you available on May 1st? Yeah, I'm back. I'm just, I can't chance that my flight will be on time on that Monday to be virtual for a meeting. I don't trust. On May 1st or your time of the 24th? Oh, I'm back on May 1st. There's kids. Cannot be here when kids are here. Okay, you'll be here on May 1st. I'll be here on May. I meant on the 24th. I don't trust they're okay to be on time. Okay. So our regular meeting is on the 1st, right? And that can be also our informational meeting. I would like to talk to Jamie about that, but I would probably recommend that we don't have a regular meeting and a informational meeting at the same time. I think we should stick to informational meeting only just to get everybody up to speed and ready for the budget vote and not other details of our work. We might need to reschedule that or which was what we would have to do if we have the informational meeting May 1st. Okay. I didn't get a chance to read Jamie's email today. I was at VTC all day. So I guess I would like to bring this to Jamie and just get back and email back a train with everybody of thoughts. Yes, Pat. I was just thinking about the pros and cons of doing it the night before. I'm wondering if that, if we're relying on people going to the informational meeting and then hopefully telling friends, family, whatever, how important it is to show up 24 hours isn't a lot of time to do that. And typically people that show up to meetings are there to complain. So it would be good to get as much support as we can. And I feel like a day to do that isn't really enough time if that makes any sense. That makes sense to me. Oh, did we lose Amy? I get what you're saying too, asking people to come out twice. Or changing somebody's mind here at the informational meeting for them to then digest that and play a role in supporting the budget. It's just not a lot of time. I mean, to me, the informational meeting should be at least a week before. Sorry, I froze up there, had to get off and jump back on. I heard the tail end what you're saying, Pat. And I do kind of agree with you if we are trying to get information out there and then have people talk to each other and say, you know, to vote, we really need to come to the meeting. So maybe the 24th, I'll meet. Unfortunately, Lindy won't be able to be there, but she will be there strong for our annual meeting. That's all. Yeah. Isn't that also the town, the Rochester Select Board meeting? The 24th? Yes. Okay. Question, when is, do we expect the our annual school report to hit the mailboxes? I hear what Patrick's just saying is it doesn't give people much time. But if they get the annual school report that, you know, on 33 pages whenever it shows all the documentation in graphs and in numbers and in text, then for those that have questions based on the annual report, they have the second by the Apple, which is to go to our informational meeting. And those that don't just need to show up and vote. And my sense is those people that have questions, though the ones are going to be tuned in to the informational meeting, those that say, gee, this seems okay, they're going to go and vote. I think our big job is to be able to explain to those that have questions. And the other thing is to get out to both, both Australian ballot for the candidates and for the meeting. So, and I think it's really important for our principal to be at the informational meeting, just like it is for Jamie. It's just, Lindy knows what's going on, far more into the details of everything. So if I just urge, hopefully Amy, we can come up with a way that has Amy there, gives enough time and Jamie get the job done. Well, I guess I'd recommend that I'd reach out to Jamie about later in the week of that, the week of the 24th. If we could do it on the 26th or 27th. So it's vacation for us. That's why we're not in town that week. That's why. Oh, 24th through what? April vacation. Yeah, that whole week. So I'm not sure even if you held it, you would get that Mary turn out either. The last, the whole last week of April, yeah. Okay, the last week of April is April vacation. Okay, got it. So the option is almost the 20th, the week before that. And I don't even know if our books, I mean, people will be just getting our books and stuff by then. Interesting dilemma. Okay. I hear all the, I hear all that you guys are, everybody's saying, I think I think I've all reached out to Jamie and tried to come up with a solution. And I guess I think would be the best at this point to see if they're what we can make work. Cause I agree. I don't think doing it during vacation is going to be very helpful. On the other hand, there is a lot of taxpayers that don't have vacation that week too. But is it all, it's all of the supervisory union has the 24th through the, everybody is off. Okay. Okay. So we'll take this up on our next regular meeting on the third, is that for any reason? Yeah. I think we can solidify it on the third. I'll send emails around to see availability and try to come up with a plan. Okay. Does that make sense? I presume there's no legal problem in warning the informational meeting that after the third. I don't believe so, Tara, an informational meeting doesn't have any specific time restraint requirements for posting a agenda or a warning. Is that correct? My recollection, I don't have the statute here at the house with me is that the only requirement is that it's within five days. And that's because of an Australian ballot vote, but I don't recall the posting requirements. I'd have to check the statute and email you. Okay. But thank you, Robert, for bringing that up so that we are conscious of that timeframe as well. Okay. A story just for going way back in time, I was working in Wellesley, Massachusetts and we had annual town meetings and there weren't representatives. So everybody came and devoted. And just so happened, they always started on Monday on the final floor. Finals. And, you know, oh, we'd stand up and people would moan and groan and throw piss forks and tomatoes, everything else, but no tradition, overruled sport. What do you want to call it? Extravaganza, so. The best time of the year. I think we can do better than the town of Wellesley. Well, I think we will be able to come up with some kind of compromise. It will not be perfect, but I think we can make it work. Yeah. Okay, great. Well, I will reach out to Jamie and I will get back to, you know, some feelers out or we'll just decide on the set our next meeting. Great. Is there any other discussion items? Great. Entertainment motion to adjourn. Excellent. Okay. Seconded by Jess. Excellent. Everybody have a good night.