Trustees Meeting 3/9/26

Web version

 SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, March 9, 2026

6:00 PM

PRESENT: David Winchester, Village President; Neal Speer, Trustee; Suzie Kelleher, Trustee; Damon Broderick, Trustee; William “Bill” Sheets, Village Manager; Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; Adam Paxman and Ch. 16. Via Teams: Michael, lin.

To watch this meeting in its entirety, go to Northwest Access TV on YouTube. The video will also be posted on the Village’s website once available. Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried, unanimously.

1. Call to Order:

Neal Speer, Village Trustee, called the Village Board of Trustees meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.

2. Pledge of Allegiance:

Everyone in attendance stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.

3. Agenda Review:

None.

4. Public Comment:

Adam Paxman said he wanted to remind people about the Memorial Day Parade being held on May 26^th at 2 p.m. He said if anyone is interested to contact him or Joel Clark. Adam also asked if there was an update on the stormwater issue for Jones Court. Bill Sheets, Village Manager, said nothing yet. Bill asked when the flags for Veterans are going up in the Village Green. Adam said they are going up on May 24^th at 8:30 a.m.

5. Swear in elected officials for 2026: David Winchester, Village President (one-year term); Damon Broderick, Village Trustee (three-year term); Dianne Day, Village Clerk (one-year term) and Betty Cheney, Delinquent Tax Collector (one-year term) were sworn in on March 4, 2026 to perform duties.

Village Clerk Dianne Day swore in David Winchester as Village President for a one-year term and Damon Broderick as Village Trustee for a three-year term. Dianne Day and Betty Cheney were sworn in on March 4, 2026.

6. Appoint a Treasurer for the Village of Swanton for 2026 and swear in:

Suzie Kelleher made the motion to appoint Dianne Day as Village Treasurer for a one-year term. Neal Speer seconded. Motion carried. David Winchester, Village President, swore her in.

7. Appoint new Trustee Broderick as Police and Fire Commissioner:

Neal Speer made a motion to appoint Trustee Broderick as the Police and Fire Commissioner. Suzie Kelleher seconded. Motion carried.

8. Motion that the Swanton Village Board of Trustees Adopt VLCT’s Rules of Order for the rules of procedure for Village Trustees for the upcoming year through March 2027:

Suzie Kelleher made the motion to adopt VLCT’s Rules of Order for the rules of procedure for Village Trustees in the upcoming year through March 2027. Neal Speer seconded the motion. Motion carried.

9. Review and Discuss 2026 Official Voting Results:

David Winchester, Village President, read aloud the following voting results:

Official Return of Voting Results

OFFICIAL RETURN OF VOTES

ANNUAL SWANTON VILLAGE MEETING ELECTION OF VILLAGE OFFICERS

MARCH 3, 2026

BALLOT ACCOUNTABILITY

Number of Voters on Checklist                                                 1671                                       

Number of Ballots Counted (including absentees)                       370                                         

Number of Absentee Ballots Counted                                        60                              

I, Dianne Day, Swanton Village Clerk, hereby certify that the results of the ELECTION OF OFFICERS by AUSTRALIAN BALLOT at the ANNUAL SWANTON VILLAGE MEETING held in the Swanton Village Complex in the County of Franklin and State of Vermont on the 3^RD day of March A.D. 2026 were as follows:

VILLAGE PRESIDENT, for one-year

DAVID WINCHESTER                                                                       297                                         

Write In                                                                                                26                               

Overvotes                                                                                            0

Undervotes                                                                                          47                                           

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED                                                            370

VILLAGE CLERK, for one-year

DIANNE DAY                                                                                     343                                         

Write In                                                                                                1

Overvotes                                                                                            0

Undervotes                                                                                          26

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED                                                            370

COLLECTOR OF DELINQUENT TAXES, for one-year

BETTY CHENEY                                                                                343

Write In                                                                                                3

Overvotes                                                                                            0

Undervotes                                                                                          24

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED                                                            370

VILLAGE TRUSTEE, for three years

DAMON BRODERICK                                                                        309     

Write In                                                                                                3

Overvotes                                                                                            0

Undervotes                                                                                          58

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED                                                            370

Attest: Dianne Day

Swanton Village Clerk

Official Return of Voting Results

OFFICIAL RETURN OF VOTES

ANNUAL SWANTON VILLAGE MEETING BUDGET VOTE

MARCH 3, 2026

BALLOT ACCOUNTABILITY

Number of Voters on Checklist                                                 1671

Number of Ballots Counted (including absentees)                       370                             

Number of Absentee Ballots Counted                                        60                                           

I, Dianne Day, Swanton Village Clerk, hereby certify that the results of the BUDGET VOTE by AUSTRALIAN BALLOT at the ANNUAL SWANTON VILLAGE MEETING held in the Swanton Village Complex in the County of Franklin and State of Vermont on the 3^rd day of March A.D. 2026 were as follows:

ARTICLE II, General Fund, $180.220                                                  

Yes Votes                                                        281                                                     

No Votes                                                          88                                                       

Undervote                                                        1                                 

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED                        370

ARTICLE III, Highway Fund, $751,290                                               

Yes Votes                                                        289                                                                 

No Votes                                                          80                               

Undervote                                                        1                                 

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED                        370

ARTICLE IV, Fire Department, $92,388                                               

Yes Votes                                                        304                                                     

No Votes                                                          66

Undervote                                                        0                     

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED                        370

ARTICLE V, Police Department, $1,139,658                                        

Yes Votes                                                        217                                         

No Votes                                                          151

Overvote                                                          1                                 

Undervote                                                        1                                 

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED                        370

ARTICLE VI, Taxes Due on Oct 15^th

Yes Votes                                                        272                                         

No Votes                                                          97

Undervote                                                        1                                 

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED                        370                             

Attest: Dianne Day

Swanton Village Clerk

The Trustees thanked everyone for coming out to vote and said the turnout was nearly 24%.

10. Approve and accept Minutes from Monday, February 9, 2026 and Minutes from the Informational Meeting held Monday, February 23, 2026:

Suzie Kelleher made the motion to approve the minutes from February 9, 2026 and February 23, 2026 as presented. Neal Speer seconded the motion. Motion carried.

11. Approve and accept Village Warrants through Thursday, March 5, 2026:

Neal Speer made the motion to approve Village Warrants through Thursday, March 5, 2026 as presented. Suzie Kelleher seconded the motion. Motion carried.

12. Review and Sign Vermont Bond Bank Loan Documents for 124 First Street Electric Facility:

Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, stated she is applying for a loan with 4.345% interest rate and said the principle payment of $249,000 will be due annually. Suzie Kelleher made the motion to authorize the Village Trustees, President and Clerk to sign all VT Bond Bank Loan Documents as necessary for the new Electric Facility to be located at 124 First Street. Neal Speer seconded the motion. Motion carried.

13. Electric Rate Case Discussion:

Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, informed the Board that she would like approval to file for a rate case on behalf of Swanton Village. She said the net income loss is the driving factor in this rate case and said that is because of the rubber dam failing and the Village having to purchase power. She said she is requesting a 30.80% rate increase. Lynn said she would like to start charging Swanton Village customers a surcharge on their electric bill and if the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) denies their case, the Village will have to refund their customers. Lynn said the Village has done this before and although it’s difficult to do, she feels they need to start collecting these funds sooner rather than later. More discussion took place regarding the Hydro plant, the rubber bag and purchase power. Neal Speer made the motion to authorize Assistant Village Manager Lynn Paradis to file a rate case on behalf of Swanton Village not to exceed 31%. Damon Broderick seconded the motion. Motion carried.

14. Approve and Adopt TA 60 Annual Town Financial Plan; Certify Compliance for Town Road and Bridge Standards and Network Inventory:

Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, stated this is an annual form that needs board approval certifying the Village spent adequate funding dedicated to road care and that roads standards are in State compliance. Damon Broderick made the motion to certify that funds raised by municipal taxes are equivalent to or greater than a sum of at least $300 per mile for each mile of Class 1, 2 and 3 Town Highway in the municipality and to approve and adopt the Town Road and Bridge Standards and Network Inventory as presented. Suzie Kelleher seconded. Motion carried.

15. Orman E. Croft Hydroelectric Generating Facility Dam Repair Update:

Reminder: As we enter our high-water season, I want to reinforce the engineering study we commissioned last year which verified that there is no difference in downstream flood impact either with or without the rubber dam.

The Request for Qualification (RFQ) for the alternatives analysis assessment was issued on January 9th. We had several interested engineering firms who specialize in Hydro who came and completed site visits. Numerous firms submitted proposals and on March 2^nd we selected the top three firms and are requesting that they submit additional proposal documentation beyond concept and include approximate costs.

Those concepts and cost estimates will be part of a package to present to the Trustees for consideration. On April 13^th, our owner Representative, Celeste Fay from Velergy, will be here to present to the Trustees.

On a parallel track we are in the process of evaluating the prioritization of our powerhouse, utilizing the grant we secured. Working with Velergy (Celeste Fay) we will also provide proposed solutions for powerhouse upgrades.

Note: We are exploring all funding avenues for Hydro projects. We did apply for a Congressionally Directed Spending grant through Representative Becca Balint, but we did not make it out of the first round. At the same time, we are exploring Investment Tax Credits and/or Production Tax Credits for work in 2026/2027.

HYDRO Operations: We are dealing with several concurrent issues.

Unit 1 remains a workhorse and operates to standard.

Unit 2 is down due to a vibration at about the 60 percent mark. As part of the assessment, we were asked to start the unit, which was a reasonable request. In doing so the process went smoothly until we noticed that Unit 2 Exciter was smoking. We had to shut it down and evaluate the exciter, which was a known vulnerability (except the smoking part) for units 1 – 4 based upon the age of the exciters.

Unit 3 was fully back online until this weekend when it tripped off due to an electrical issue. As of 3 PM today that unit was back online and functioning.

Unit 4: The new high lift motor has been installed but there seems to be a yet to be determined electrical issue preventing this unit from tying in.

We have a contract in place with Fairbanks Mill to complete limited scope of work repairs on Unit 3 (Not to exceed 19,000) and Unit 4 (Not to exceed $70,000). Work on both units has progressed and both units are functionally viable apart from a new electric issue. This issue is covered through a time and material contract with our electrical contractor, Electrical Technology Solutions (ETS).

Unit 5 is back and available when conditions allow. The tail race is too high as we approach EAP, so Unit 5 is not operational based upon current water levels.

16. Village Manager Update:

Cyber Security: Within the next few weeks, we will be migrating to .gov email addresses and requiring everyone to follow a much stricter password requirement.

Swanton Lower Dam: The State of Vermont will be performing an inspection of the lower Swanton Dam on July 21, 2026. I would like to reach out to various groups who support the removal of the dam to come into one of our meetings to present. Dates would be May 26^th, or June 22^nd.

MVU Tours: We held tours for MVU classes today with presentations from both the Fire and Police Departments. We do another round here this Thursday and those classes also tour the Hydro facility. There were approximately 20 students between the two classes.

Fire Department: We have received payment for the sale of our old engine. The FD has been active with numerous calls recently and they continue to recruit new members and cadet members.

Police Department: We are now fully staffed. Tyler Cooper will be returning to us full-time next week and we added a part-time Officer, Jakob Kelleher, who started attending the part-time Police Academy today. We have a full-time opening in July that we anticipate filling as quickly as possible.

Electric: The team is working with the federal government on a quote for the scope of work that will be required for the new border station in Highgate. They are completing pole upgrades on Brosseau Road and a few other areas. We are working consistently with Connor Contracting on the progress of the new facility.

Public Works: They continue to work on meter pits as time allows, just completing one in the cemetery and one on Maquam Shore Road. They have several more in the queue to do as weather improves. The Street Sweeper has already seen action after a sizeable spill from the truck leaving SLC’s facility. That unit is ready to go as soon as weather permits. We anticipate additional issues with the roadways and water lines based upon the depth of the frost this year, we have seen it five feet deep in some areas.

Water: The Water team has completed interior winter maintenance, including painting. They continue to trouble shoot several chemical pump issues. For details on what was completed since January 1, 2026, please visit our website, https://www.swantonvt.gov/village/projects.

Wastewater: The project is in the final stages and there is a big push for the remaining work, primarily in the filter building, to be completed. It has been a busy site as all the contractors are working together to include the Blue Pro filter folks who are in the process of pre-commissioning.

17. Any Other Necessary Business:

Lynn Paradis informed the board that she received her go ahead to finalize the audit from Kittell, Branagan and Sargent. She said they will attend a future meeting to talk with the Trustees. Lynn said the audit went fine and they had no adjustments. Lynn also said VPPSA is working on a municipal assessment with each utility and there will be multiple pages of information to gather.

Any Other Business: Neal Speer said he wanted to give kudos to the downtown merchants and said the businesses on Canada Street have named themselves “Golden Row” because each business owner owns a golden retriever dog!

18. Proposed Executive Session if Necessary:

None

19. Adjournment:

Suzie Kelleher made the motion to adjourn the Regular Meeting of the Board of the Trustees at 7:04 p.m. Damon Broderick seconded. There being no further business at hand, David Winchester, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 7:04 p.m. Motion carried.

_____________________________________             _______________________________________

David Winchester, Village President                  Date

__________________________ ________         ____________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                Date