Select Board meeting regular Monday April 28, 2025

TOWN OF CLARENDON BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING REGULAR

Monday April 28, 2025

Clarendon Town Hall @ 6:00PM

Minutes

Guests

Mike Klopchin, Chair

George Ambrose, Clerk

Robert Congdon

Don Pratt

William – PEGTV

Kimberly Young

Kevin Peck

Brownson Spencer

Matt Jakubowski

Cindy Davis

Bob Bixby

Jimmy Austin

Sarah Kumm

Ed Baker

Call to Order

Chairman Klopchin called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM

Agenda additions/deletions

Approval of Meeting Minutes

-Regular Meeting Monday April 14,2025

Clerk George Ambrose motioned to approve the minutes from the last selectboard meeting. Selectman Robert Congdon provided the second. All board members approve the motion.

Highway

-Road Commissioner’s Report (No report at this time)

Approval of Select Board Warrants

Select Board warrants are approved and signed.

Guests

Public Comments

New Business

–Maggie O’Brien, the Emergency Management Planner from the Rutland Regional Planning Commission, will have a brief presentation on the new Emergency Management initiative currently being worked on for the region.

Maggie O’Brien is presenting on Emergency Preparedness on the behalf of Craig Knapp, a Town of Clarendon Representative on the Emergency Management Committee. This committee is working on a new emergency management initiative for the region. Maggie opens the meeting by posing two questions: after the floods of 2023 – 2024 what is our preparedness level if another crisis like this arises and when was the last time our town’s emergency management site was opened? The answer was Irene. She suggests that our Select Board and Emergency Management contacts go over what steps would be necessary in opening an emergency management site in the case of a crisis. She is attending select board meetings across the region to bring attention to the Commission’s initiative to aid municipalities for future preparedness. The initiative has just begun and will be fully outlined to Clarendon in 2026. There is discussion of shared municipal services which prompts selectman Robert Congdon to state that the Town of Clarendon will not lend it’s equipment in an emergency, but is certainly interested in hearing more of what is proposed for 2026. Maggie O’Brien outlines the importance of fostering good relationships with neighboring towns in the region in addition to getting to know potential groups in our area that would aid in assistance of a crisis.-Officially appoint town officials to the expired committee term seats. Previous committee members all interested in continuing their memberships.

Community Center Committee – 1 yr term: Robert Bixby’s (expired 3/25)

Emergency Management Director – 1 yr term: Matt Jakubowski (expired 3/25)

E911 Coordinator – 1 yr term Primary Contact: Kimberly Young Secondary Contact: Matt Jakubowski (expired 3/25)

Planning Commission -4 yr term staggered: Heidi Eccleston (expired 4/25)

Zoning Administrator – 3 yr term: Kevin Dougherty (expired 3/25)

Zoning Board of Adjustment – 2 yr term staggered: Brownson Spencer, John Colvin and Heidi Eccleston (expired 3/25)

Airport Committee – 1 yr term: Regular Mike Klopchin, (expired 3/25) Alternant (vacant)Kim Young interested

Cemeteries Fact Finding Committee – 1 yr term: Bob Underhill and Kevin Peck (expired 3/25)

Rutland County Sheriff’s Department – 1 yr term: Select Board Liaison George Ambrose (expired 3/25)

Selectman Robert Congdon makes a motion to re-appoint all the above openings collectively as outlined above and newly appoint Administrative Assistant Kimberly Young to Alternate on the Airport Committee. George Ambrose seconds this motion and it is approved by all board members.

-Rutland Regional Planning Commission (RRPC) Appointments: 1 Regular Seat and 1 Alternate Seat.

Chair Mike Klopchin opens discussion or comments on the topic of the two opening seats for the RRPC. Selectman Congdon states that he had become aware of a discussion earlier in the day at the town office between the two interested candidates; Brownson Spencer and Sarah Kumm. The candidates confirm an agreement that Brownson Spencer would stay on as a Regular Seat member and Sarah Kumm would become newly appointed as Alternate. Congdon officially motions to re-appoint Brownson Spencer as Regular Seat member and Sarah Kumm as Alternate to the RRPC. George Ambrose provides the second. The motion is approved by all.

Old Business

Town Officer’s & Committee Member Report

Select Board Member Concerns

Selectman Don Pratt states that he is willing to step down from the Planning Committee if it decided that his membership here, along with his Select Board seat proposes a conflict of interest. Selectman Congdon says that there is no statute stating that this would be a conflict. Chair Klopchin states that the Administrative Assistant could research the legalities of this concern. Discussion ensues and ends with the consensus that holding a seat on both the town’s Planning Committee and Select Board is not conflicting of interest, but it is noted that Mr. Pratt is willing to step down from the Planning Committee in the future if deemed necessary.

Selectman Robert Congdon states his disappointment in the Mill River Union School Board’s disregard of the Town of Clarendon’s Select Board voted in recommendations of candidates to the two open seats. He personally finds it extremely concerning that the other towns; namely Wallingford, Tinmouth and Shrewsbury felt that they knew better than the Clarendon Select Board who should represent Clarendon on the school board. Clerk George Ambrose adds that a statute from the State of Vermont needs to be clarified, clearly stating that Municipal Select Boards recommendations should be honored. General elections could essentially overturn the school board’s decision but they are expensive. Ambrose proposes that a letter should be drafted to the State regarding the concern. He suggests it could be sent to a State Representative directly. Selectman Congdon mentions Dave Weeks our VT Senator on the Education Committee. This issue will be revisited at our next Select Board meeting May 12, 2025.

Preceding the evenings Executive Session, Selectman George Ambrose discusses the need for research on personnel business procedures particularly with broad employee performance reviews. Ambrose suggests the Administrative Assistant Kimberly Young look in to the matter. Selectman Congdon suggests pulling of a write up on these types of procedures written for the town approximately 6 years ago.

Executive Session

–Discussion of personnel issues

Chair George Ambrose motions to enter Executive Session at 6:29PM with the invite of the Chair to the Recreation Committee and the Chair to the Community Center Committee. Selectman Robert Congdon seconds the motion. It is approved by all.

Executive Session ends at 7:22PM with the Motion of exiting the session by Congdon and the seconding of the motion by Ambrose. Approval by all board members.

Selectman Congdon provides an update that the session was a follow up of an earlier personnel issue from a previous meeting. No further actions are being taken at this time.

Adjournment

Selectman Robert Congdon motions to adjourn the meeting at 7:22PM. Selectman Don Pratt seconds the motion and it is approved by all.

TOWN OF CLARENDON BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING REGULAR

Monday April 28, 2025

Clarendon Town Hall @ 6:00PM

AGENDA

Call to Order

Agenda additions/deletions

Approval of Meeting Minutes

-Regular Meeting Monday April 14,2025

Highway

-Road Commissioner’s Report

Approval of Select Board Warrants

Guests

Public Comments

New Business

–Maggie O-Brien, the Emergency Management Planner from the Rutland Regional Planning Commission, will have a brief presentation on the new Emergency Management initiative currently being worked on for the region.

-Officially appoint town officials to the expired committee term seats. Previous committee members all interested in continuing their memberships.