 I think that since we have a clock on the wall in the office and we're meeting the office, that we could go by the clock on the wall and the internet needs to catch up with us. Recording in progress. All right, so it's 6.15 by the town office clock. And I welcome to the December 27th select board meeting in the town of Rochester. And I'd like to first start by confirming that we posted the agenda in three places and on the website and emailed to interested parties. So we can go ahead with this meeting and we will have a space for public comment at the end of the meeting, which will limit to five minutes per speaker on topic. And starting with the minutes from the prior meeting. And I scan them and did not see any changes I thought to make. Did you guys, what do you think? We read them. You read them. So I'd move to approve. A second. All in favor. All right. Okay. Got those. And right on to the new business. We've got the letter to sign responding to the auditor's findings. Do you want to speak to anything in particular that they, they recommended for us this year? Pretty basic. Pretty basic. Just more and more details. It's just like four items. Yeah. Yep. And, you know, like recommending that we establish a formal capital asset policy. Which is something we've been talking about anyway. So we're kind of in the same tune with them. Also recommending that we consult with an attorney to clarify the legally permitted uses of the funds made tamed by the trustees of public funds. Assets that may be used for the benefit of the, benefit of the town should be recorded separately from those funds whose use is restricted to specific individuals, specific organizations or other governmental units. So that makes sense. And I believe the trustees have. Created like a draft copy. So it's something that we might be able to build off. Also something that was in the works. Yep. And also I'm recommending that we expand our procurement policy to include the use of purchase orders. And I guess we would need to. Set the threshold, which we were talking in the office about that the other day, thinking. 5,000. Yeah, I wrote a letter to Nathan to ask at what point. At what monetary amount does. An item become an asset because I think it kind of goes with the next finding. Which. Finding the physical inventory of assets. Which we have done occasionally in the past that the, he recommends at the time periodically complete a physical inventory of its equipment. So I guess I would move to. I know we get a pretty thorough one when we close the constables office to. To be sure of what we had and didn't have them. All right. So. I guess I would move to. I'm sign this letter recognizing and responding to the auditor's requests. We will take every item under consideration is basically what our department is doing. All right. All right. All right. Okay. You're signing that on. Do we have Joan online tonight? No. We do. Welcome, Joan. What have you got for us? I don't really have anything to report today. Yep. Well, thank you for showing up to report that. I guess it's not too hard when you set to walk in the other room and turn on the computer. Yeah. All right. We're still awaiting the monies coming back from FEMA. And I guess it's pretty understandable that no action has been happening this last week or so for that. Did you get in touch with. What? Today. Yes. We had a long phone conversation and she's emailed me a couple of more times with some more questions. So I'll be continuing to work with her tomorrow. Okay. And just so you know, with regards to FEMA, I'm still working on paperwork for them because they've come back to me with a bunch of questions about what I've worked. Right. So that goes on. Yep. But the, um, the monies that we are expecting from them, you believe that we'd expect that before the beginning of the next budget year and July 1st. You're on mute. John. Yes. No, maybe so. She's still on mute. Have her audio on. Oh, sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Did you hear that? Did you hear that question? Yeah, I heard the question. I don't. Offer. I just don't know. The whole thing has been so unpredictable. We're not really there. And, and depending upon who I'm talking to at the state, some people say, Oh, you know, this should happen really fast. Now we've got all of your information, et cetera. So I say. And then I hear from in somebody else. Oh no. This still has to go back to FEMA. And that could be months. So I'm sorry. I just, I don't know. I don't have any reliable information. All right. Okay. Thank you for dealing with that. Persistent. Pressure. Yeah. All right. Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. And happy. Birthday to us. Tony. Thanks for coming out on an icy night. What's up with the library? I'm sorry. I just, I don't know. I don't have any reliable information. All right. Yep. Okay. Thank you for dealing with that. Persistent. And now we have some questions with the library. Well, let's see. We're gonna have a sibling sports pick up. And browsing inside by appointment. If you want to call. The library. They'll let you in. You were doing. And once again, I'd say that the best thing to do is to check the heralds. Does that give you. Updates that you can see. Remember. I have some other comments, shall I wait till the end of this or do it now? Well, are they related to the library? Yeah. Yeah, then it's up to us. Okay. The library trustees need to schedule a meeting with you to discuss and resolve some issues between the select board and the library trustees. We hope to avoid surprises like the petition for our budget. We all have better things to do than collect unnecessary signatures. In short, the five newly elected trustees believe that the votes that the voters expect us to preserve and maintain a working library, which includes budgeting for it. There are other issues to clarify as well. Maybe we can do this at one of your regularly worn meetings, or especially me, if you prefer. Let's set it up soon. I'll be glad to work on this and I will send you maybe some information to do this. All right. Yeah. That'd be good to know what the questions are before the meeting, so I think about it. Right. We've discussed some of them already, but I think they need to be really addressed. Put it on the next agenda. Do we have, we got to affirm the budget next agenda, I think, right? Right. I shouldn't take too much. All this discussion would not have any impact on that. Wouldn't. Yeah, shouldn't. No, it shouldn't have any. Yeah. We've got to do for that. It's okay. Yeah, would they be willing to join us in the next elect board meeting? I've certainly tried to get most of them here. Why don't we start with that? That is when? January 10. January 10. Oh, yeah. I know I'm going to. Okay. Thank you. Yeah, there just shouldn't be things like this with petition. We should have known about this way before if it was even there. It's like an appropriation. It's a rule. That's a policy that. It's new. So it was a, it came into. In 2019. Yeah, we were certainly never told. That's why I, that's why I sent a letter to Kelly so that you weren't surprised at the last minute when everything would have to come back in time. But this thing here, we can discuss this later. I don't think it's kind of like this social service appropriation policy. Complete book that has nothing to do with the library. We are not a social service. Outfit. We are part of the town. Well, and when it was put into an appropriation, so people could consider it specifically instead of just having it be blurred in there. So people, that's, that's when it fell under that guys of a, of a, you know, an appropriation. Because the select board doesn't have any say in it. Is that part of the reason for that? I think possibly. The budget process. Yeah. Because it's not part of our process. It's not anything that we have any jurisdiction over. Is that correct? It's, it's supposed to go to the voter. The voters are the ones that determine whether they. Want to pass the budget, whether it be. The appropriation of the library or the appropriate. Of any of the other appropriations that we have out. I think that we've had requests for. So if they've increased. The voters need to know. Somehow that it hasn't. Maybe just a little or whatever, but it'd have to go to the voters to be decided. Sure. Happen with how important really, but. Yeah. We had the same situation with the white river ambulance service. For many years too. Making them an appropriation so that people could see that alongside of the normal budget. And take it all into consideration. When we did pull it out of the regular budget. And have it as an appropriation. That was our last. In person town meeting. There was overwhelming support for the library. So the, the. What we had done supported the library. And brought recognition to the library. And told us that the voters did want to support the library. So. That was to the library's advantage at that. At that time. And things may change. I mean, the legislature goes. To make the decision on the fifth, I think of January. To talk about what the new, you know, what we're going to be following and what. Regulations will be for town meeting. The consent forms appropriate. The consent forms. We may not need the signatures either. So we're just going to have to wait till. That comes for. Yeah. Well, we'll discuss it again. Thank you. Yeah. Welcome. In terms of the highway department. Thank you guys for working on Christmas. Christmas Eve and Christmas night. Christmas. Yeah. Yeah. So. The job. Yep. And as far as the utilities, we don't have Terry here tonight, but my toilet work the last time I tried it. Okay. Do we have Jeff here speaking on that? Nope. I think everybody's kind of taking it a little easy. I'm over the Christmas. Basically that brings us down to the opportunity for any other public comment on the meeting. If there's anyone that has something they would like to say. Dave. Yeah. Well, you know, this does. Snow removal. You know, I don't have much room in front of the hardware, but I've been inheriting snow from my neighbors, which is a basically it. Count and contractor. Guy doing it. So, you know, I, I can't, we'll take care of my own snow or even other people, but I really don't have the room there. And it's not fair to put the snow in front of my store when their store is clean. Yeah. So. Yes. I wonder what we can do. It's been an ongoing issue. I've been kind of doing it myself. It was first on the end of the town. I got pictures, but don't really need to know what you're talking about. Yeah. You know, it's done with a loader, a tractor of some sort, but it's not a plow. So, you know, it's not me doing it. Cause I just, I try to keep up with it now because the hardware, the longer that is, the parking is really necessary to know when your time is more and more and more all the time. Plus there's a storm grain right there. Yeah. Visible. Yeah. But basically my stall is only a fraction of what I get. When my neighbors, they go three times when I do. Yeah. So I just wonder if we can maybe give him a little word. Absolutely. Yeah. That's all. I took care of it this time. I did it last year too. But I don't have any room. That's all. Sounds like a job. Yeah. They don't. Do they have anybody plowing their snow? The other places there, the bookstore. I think. I think it doesn't sell. Oh, Larry does. Yeah. It's got a plow. Yeah. I don't. This is not him putting that snow. No. Okay. It's a tractor. Yeah. All right. I didn't have to see it. It's a tractor. Yeah. I have. I have a comment on the plowing. All stuff. Yeah. That tractor that he's using is totally inappropriate. He's got a bucket on the front. That is destroying the front. Of our house. And he's got some kind of a sweeper thing with a blade on it in the back. So he's pushing with a bucket and pulling with a blade. I mean, it's an absolute mess out front of our house. Yeah. A bunch of places. And I'm, I don't know who's going to be responsible other than us for cleaning it up. But I frankly don't, I would rather have him not even plow it. If he can't have appropriate equipment. I think we checked on the status of the new equipment. He said it was. Yeah, because that was part of why he wanted to get the commitment for the next contracts. We could afford to buy a better piece of equipment. So. More adequate piece of equipment. Today he came through with his pickup truck. And the Sander or Salter or something. Driving all the way around the park. It may be okay down on route 100. But I don't, and he's certainly got a wide enough swath now around the park that he can drive his pickup, but it's not really appropriate. That's not the job. Yeah. It's not the tool for him. So we need to talk with them. Yeah. We'll do. And as a matter of record, since we're on the subject, we say it about a year that the snow that falls out of the sky and lands on your property belongs to you. You're not supposed to be pushing the snow across the road and give it to your neighbors. So. That is enforceable. It's in our ordinances. So anybody watching if you're pushing it across the street, just to get rid of it. That's a no, no. Maybe we should take that same approach with the sidewalks that. If it goes body or property, you're responsible for it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. All right. Anybody else? I'm going to speak up tonight. This is Robert. How are you? All right. Welcome. Hey, I was delivering Christmas presents up on Hawk Mountain on Christmas day. And I don't know whether it's the town or someone else standing up there, but whoever it is, whether it's the town or, or a private contractor, they're doing an excellent job. It was a dangerous day. And then secondly, I want to just compliment the road crew of Rochester. I think they're doing a great job. I know people have issues with the plowing and so on, but generally they're doing a, what I think is a pretty incredible. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So with that said, I have two questions and a recommendation. I'd like to ask the two questions. Okay. The first question is to. A select board member. Patty Harvey. Regarding her email account. Which. Reflects onto the town. Yeah. Yeah. I'm going to kind of explain the reasons why she. Made an exclusive. Email account. Being a select board member. And specific to town business. So the question is, could Patty explain why she made that decision. I don't necessarily see why I need to. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know all email accounts. And in my simple mind, it was easier to have a separate account made. Okay. So. All. Elected officials appointed officials and. Employed officials do know that. All digital devices. Are under question. If they don't have a succinct email. The email and contact. I'm hoping that Martha. Takes note of it. That it's very important. That at any moment. Whether it's your business computer. Your text, your cell phone. Or your personal laptop. If there's. Town business on that. Device. It's public knowledge. So I want to do the second question. And since that question wasn't really answered. I'm going to go. I need to ask a question to the town clerk. And the question is. Can you please describe. The process of. Producing the minutes of each meeting. Whether there's digital content. Digital devices. And who approves. What is put into the town record. For the future of the town. That would be. The next question is directed to. I believe Julie Smith. I just, I write up the minutes and. The select board approves it. We just approved them tonight from the last meeting. And I try to. The minutes that are. Let's, let's go back a little bit. The minutes that are on. The town website compared to the minutes recorded in town hall. I think we have a disparity. I think that the confusion is that. The minutes of the meeting basically is to cover. Decisions and topics. They're not a verbatim. Recollection of everything that was said during the meeting. It's basically to cover the high points and the decision process. To cover the high points and the decision process. So. I don't necessarily have to include. Every aspect of what happens in the meeting, which is. Is that what you're comparing it to? It's like the Orca media media recordings. Well, I would recommend that every select board planning and zoning board. What a civil authority members. Watch Orca media. I'm going to make a very serious recommendation. That. Regarding the November 12th board of civil authority meeting. All members of that would be, I believe, a name. Brenda Goopy. Becky Klein. Mike Harvey. Frank. Every. Dune Hendricks. All review. What has been recorded on Orca media. Very simple to do. You just go there and you'll, you'll find it. And then. Compare it to. The minutes that are recorded for the future of our town. In the town office of Rochester. You're going to see disparity. There are serious, serious things that were brought up by Frank. By Dune. That were deleted. So I, I don't, I'm getting very, I said, I had concerns during that meeting. And my concerns are even bigger because it's not about me. It's not about. Whatever. It's about what is, what will then be discovered by people that are researching. The minutes that should be recorded. That we're not. Does that make sense? I guess we'll take it under advisement. Well, it's, it's pretty serious because I believe that. I believe, and this is part of the recommendation. That all members of the board of civil authority names mentioned above. Should review. And take in. The open meeting laws of Vermont and reflect on to what the way that meeting was. Projected. The way the meeting was held. Um, it, it, it was. Pretty deplorable, to be honest. So I, I, I would think I would suggest that every board of the town of Rochester. Take serious note to open meeting laws. And etiquette and protocol. Very seriously. All right. Thank you for your, your recommendation. Well, it's, it's just, it's just, um, you know, kind of. Advice for people to understand, um, there, there are laws, open meeting laws. That you can find on the secretary. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that we're, we're aware of them. And that I'm pretty sure that we're, we've satisfied the requirements of those laws and, and this meeting and that meeting also. Like I said, the, um, the minute. So not a verbatim retelling. Meeting. Yeah. You have something specific that you're saying that there was a decision that was made that was not put in the minutes. Is there a specific example? There is. There are serious points that were made during the board of civil authority meeting on November 12th. That were deleted from. The minutes that have been recorded in town hall. I'm not going to go into what they are, but I think if you. Well, I think. Okay. You think. You said that quote. You just said, you think. You're following open meeting laws. Every member needs to know they're following. And, or KNOW, not. Think they're following. It's, it's a lie. If you'd like to pick every word that we say and pick it apart. So it's not surprising. What happens at the meetings, Robert? No, you continue to go back to, we know that minutes don't include verbatim. We know that minutes don't include verbatim. Discussion and conversation. That's a, that's a, that's obvious to the most casual citizen of. Of the town. Is there, is there a decision that was made that you think was deleted from the minutes? I would suggest that you watch Orca and then look at the minute. If you can specify what it is, Robert, it makes it hard to take you seriously, but we appreciate your attention and concern. And we'll, you know, take that under advisement. That would be great. All right. Thank you. Thank you. God bless. I would like to give a, a shout out. Thank you to Richard Harvey for all of his municipal service to our town. He was on the select board, the planning commission for many years. And his passing will be missed. Yeah, we had an obituary in the paper last week. Yeah. Well, yeah, thanks for bringing that up. Anybody else have anything to contribute tonight? If not, I'd make a motion to adjourn the meeting. A second. All in favor. All right. All right. Have a good evening, everybody. And happy birthday. Happy birthday. Thank you. Thank you. Go ahead and come back tomorrow. I'm just going to go ahead and throw my second. Yeah. Okay. All right. I have a good evening, everybody and happy birthday. Happy birthday, Patty and you tomorrow.