Trustees Meeting 8/24/26

Web version

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, August 24, 2026

6:00 PM

PRESENT: David Winchester; Village President; Suzie Kelleher, Trustee; Neal Speer, Trustee; Damon Broderick, Trustee; William “Bill” Sheets, Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; Matthew Sullivan, Chief of Police; Ann St. Francis, Robert & Phoebe Kittell and Ch. 16. Via Teams: Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Michael Miller, CB, and Stacey Raine.

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 it is available. Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried, unanimously.

1. Call to Order:

David Winchester, Village President, 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:

Suzanne Washburn and Mark Rocheleau won’t be able to attend tonight's meeting so Item #8 will be removed from the Agenda until further notice. Bill Sheets, Village Manager, stated he would like to move Item #9 to #6a. Suzie Kelleher stated she needed an executive session for personnel.

4. Public Comment:

None.

5. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, August 10, 2026, as presented:

Damon Broderick made the motion to approve the Minutes from Monday, August 10, 2026 as presented. Neal Speer seconded the motion. Motion carried.

6. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Thursday, August 20, 2026:

Suzie Kelleher made the motion to approve Village Warrants through Thursday, August 20, 2026, as presented. Damon Broderick seconded the motion. Discussion: None.  Motion carried.

      6 a. Discuss Chicken Conditional Use Permit Issued in Swanton Village:

Robert and Phoebe Kittell introduced themselves to the Board and said Ann St. Francis is Phoebe’s mother, and they are here on her behalf. Robert began this discussion by discussing what had taken place at the Trustee’s meeting on June 8, 2026. He said Stacey said her property was .77 acres but according to the lister’s property card, she only owns .30 acres. He said that would result in a maximum of 18 chickens rather than the 42. He said he would like clarification on the actual size of her property and also wants clarification on whether her coops being used meet the ordinance’s definition of “a fully enclosed structure designed to house poultry, providing protection from weather and predators. Must include solid walls, roof and secure access.” He said from what they can see her structures appear to consist primarily of tarped structures. He also mentioned her runs and wanted clarification as to whether her current run complies with the requirement that the poultry remain “protected.”

Robert read the Definition of Nuisance section in the ordinance “Any condition arising from animal keeping that causes odor, noise, or disruption detectable across property lines or interferes with the peaceful enjoyment of neighboring properties.” He said Ann was unable to open the windows of her house because of the strong odor coming from the animal keeping operation and would like clarification as to how the Village interprets and enforces these nuisance standards when animal related odors are detectable across a property line and affect a neighboring resident’s ability to enjoy their home. Robert then went on to mention the Town of Swanton’s VT Public Health & Safety Ordinance Section 3
Definitions; Category F. Hazardous Conditions paragraph 2. The creation of an unsanitary condition likely to attract or harbor mosquitoes, rodents, vermin or disease carrying pests. He said during a conversation with Suzie on August 17^th they learned that a large rat nest was disturbed during a construction project at the Dollar General and Suzie said that the displaced rats moved to Ms. Raine’s property and established a nest there. At this point Suzie interrupted Robert and said this would need to be discussed at a Town Selectboard meeting where she is the Health Officer. She said the Board of Trustees don’t oversee the Health Officer, so that would need to be discussed at the Town.

Stacey Raine joined the discussion through Teams and talked about where she bought her chickens and the square footage needed on the property for each bird. Stacey said her coops are Amish built coops that house 15 to 20 birds each so feels there is more than enough space for them. Stacey also mentioned being grandfathered in and Suzie said no that’s not the case, she said they are waiting to hear back from their attorney on that. They discussed her feeders and how they’re designed to keep rodents out and to also prevent the chickens from kicking the food all over the ground. Stacey said when her bags of food are delivered they put it in the metal bins the same day. Suzie invited Robert, Phoebe and Stacey to the October 6^th Town Selectboard meeting where she’ll have a health officer update. Suzie also said she would stop by Stacey’s residence and confirm her lot size, check out the coops and the run to make sure they’re in compliance.

Robert said in closing, they are not asking the Board to change the Village ordinances or impose any new requirements. He said they are simply asking that the existing requirements be reviewed and applied to this situation. He said they would leave the Board with two Orkin reports documenting the rat activity observed on Ann’s property and the control measures being taken. He said their concern is whether the number of chickens, the coop and run, and the conditions surrounding them comply with the ordinance and whether those conditions are contributing to odors, rats or other nuisance conditions affecting Ann’s property. He said Ann should be able to peacefully enjoy her home without concerns about odors, rats or sanitation. Robert said he respectfully asks the Board to review the information presented and determine whether the current conditions comply with the Village ordinances. He said they appreciate the Board taking the time to hear them and to consider their concerns. The Board thanked Robert and Phoebe for attending and Suzie Kelleher stated she would look into this further and would be in contact with them.

7. Swanton Village Police Department Update with Matthew Sullivan:

Chief Matt Sullivan was present for this discussion and showed that during the month of July 2026 the Department responded to 180 incidents in the Town of Swanton. He said the top ten calls for service were 103 traffic stop, 13 directed patrol, 9 agency assistance, 7 suspicious person/circumstance, 6 VIN number verification, 6 DUI alcohol or drugs, 4 motor vehicle complaint, 4 disorderly conduct, 3 crash, property damage, and 2 citizen assist. He said there were 103 traffic stops which resulted in 23 tickets and 95 warnings. Matt also said there were 9 arrests, 14 charges with 9 individuals. He said the Department worked an additional 21.5 service hours.

Chief Sullivan said during the month of July 2026 the Department responded to 188 incidents in the Village of Swanton. He said the top ten calls for service were 40 traffic stop, 24 suspicious person/circumstance, 11 agency assistance, 10 citizen assist, 10 motor vehicle complaint, 8 directed patrol, 7 community outreach, 6 crash, property damage, 6 threatening, and 5 alarm. Matt said there were 40 traffic stops which resulted in 5 tickets and 41 warnings. He said there were 12 arrests, 15 charges with 12 individuals.

Chief Sullivan said their radio repeater was recently replaced and that has helped with better communication in areas that had trouble in the past. He said he would like to start a capital fund in his department for radio replacements because they are very expensive. He also said his department has over 1,000 traffic stops so far this year and working the Governor’s Highway Safety Grant has been a force multiplier with this. He said Officer Saad has completed his DRE (Drug Recognition Expert) certification and is called by other departments to help them during suspected DUI stops. Bill Sheets, Village Manager, again mentioned the additional service hours being provided to the Town and said they really need to evaluate this contract because it is extremely unfair to the Village taxpayers at this time. He said they can’t continue to thrive without a collaboration with the Town on this. The Board thanked Chief Sullivan for his update.

8. Review and Discuss Swan Permitting 501C3:

Tabled until further notice.

9. Discuss Chicken Conditional Use Permit Issued in Swanton Village:

Moved to 6a.

10. Discuss and Approve Annual Road and Bridge Standards for Agency of Transportation:

Dianne Day, Village Clerk, explained to the Board that the Annual Road and Bridge Standards was ready to be adopted. This applies to the construction, repair and maintenance of town roads and bridges. Suzie Kelleher made the motion to adopt the 2026 Town Road and Bridge Standards which applies to the construction, repair and maintenance of town roads and bridges. Damon Broderick seconded the motion. Motion carried.

11. Sam Ruggiano Consulting, PLC, Request Water Allocation for 373 US Route 7 for a 3-Lot Subdivision:

Suzie Kelleher made the motion to enter Water Commissioner’s meeting at 7:05 p.m. Neal Speer seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Dianne Day, Village Clerk, explained that Samuel Ruggiano from Ruggiano Consulting PLC, is requesting a water allocation of 490 gallons per day (GPD) for his proposed 3-lot subdivision located at 373 US Route 7 in Highgate (the old Taylor Marine property). Suzie Kelleher made the motion to approve Samuel Ruggiano’s water allocation request for 490 GPD for his proposed 3-lot subdivision at 373 US Route 7 in Highgate. Neal Speer seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Suzie Kelleher made a motion to exit water commissioner’s meeting at 7:08 p.m. Damon Broderick seconded the motion. Motion carried.

12. Approve and Set 2026 Swanton Village Tax Rate:

Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, said the Village’s grand list grew a little bit this year and said her grand list total is $1,684,219. She said she is requesting a 2026 tax rate of $1.2847 and said her estimated tax rate in the Annual Report was $1.2858. Lynn showed that she needs to raise $2,163,556 in Village taxes. She also showed what the increase from last year would be on a home assessed at $200,000, $250,000 and $300,000. Suzie Kelleher made the motion to approve and set the 2026 Swanton Village Tax Rate at $1.2847. Damon Broderick seconded the motion. Motion carried.

13. Renew Wastewater Project Line of Credit for 2026:

Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, stated the Wastewater Treatment Plant project took a little longer than expected so she needs to renew the line of credit on that job. She said she reduced it to $300,000 because there are still some things left to do such as ordering siding and the Village still owes Kingsbury some money. Lynn said this bond anticipation note is through Union Bank with a 5.05% fixed rate. She said once the job is complete, she will close out the loan. She said she needs approval to do this and once the documents are prepared, they can be signed. Neal Speer made the motion to approve Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, to renew the Wastewater Project Line of Credit for 2026 for $300,000. Damon Broderick seconded the motion. Motion carried.

14. Swanton Village Manager Update:

General Updates: The Fire Department has two new cadets, and it is that time of year to remind MVU students that this opportunity is only a visit or phone call away if you are interested in joining the team.

Storm Response: Two weeks ago, right at the conclusion of our last Trustees meeting, we were hit by a powerful storm that caused severe damage to the area of Maquam Shore Rd. and Route 207. The Fire Department established Incident command and overall, they responded to fifteen different calls for service. To be clear, anything on Maquam Shore Rd. was treated as one call and there were dozens of overall calls for service. Our Fire Department is typically the agency providing mutual aid, but the night of the storm we received mutual aid from Highgate, Sheldon, St. Albans Town, and St. Armand Quebec Fire Departments. St. Armand came down to provide station coverage.

In addition, throughout this storm event it was all hands-on deck with Public Works, PD, Water, Wastewater, and maintenance all providing support over the first two days.

Our Electric Department worked tirelessly to restore power and work with other first responders, working approximately 25 hours straight in tough conditions. Special thanks for mutual aid from our VPPSA partners Enosburgh Water and Light who assisted us throughout the entire incident, as well as Morrisville Water and Light and Stowe Electric, who worked with us on Day 2 until we were nearly fully restored.

The storm was an expensive one, with five utility poles, three transformers, 9 crossbars and other material requiring replacement.

The Electric Department was out again this Saturday evening for yet another car/pole accident requiring another replacement.

HYDRO Operations: We remain in drought conditions but hope for rain in the next ten days. Last week we dewatered for wet end unit inspections by outside vendors and our team for two and half days. This work was covered by the grant we received and will help the prioritization of maintenance and replacement needs.

Outside experts praised the condition of our facility despite its overall age. With minor upgrades we should be able to maximize generation of the existing units in existing conditions.

With FERC’s concern over our interim solution proposal, we will likely proceed with preliminary engineering on our long-term solution. It essentially means that we will be required to replace power that we could previously produce, the same that we have been doing for the past 14 months. There are many options remaining that have yet to be designed, engineered and evaluated.

Our newest Hydro employee is one week away from being qualified to work shifts independently.

Building Update: The project is progressing nicely, with the roofing contractor installing the 30-year warranty rubber membrane roofing system. The contractors will complete steel erection, create overhead door openings, and prepare the slab under the shop area. Interior wall construction in the office area begins soon.

Public Works: Work continues on the Grand Avenue sidewalk, and the new Fire Hydrant was installed at the intersection of Liberty and Fourth Street.

15. Any Other Necessary Business:

Damon Broderick asked about what is going to happen with the Chamber of Commerce building now that they are closing. He was told it’s a privately owned building on privately owned property.

16. Proposed Executive Session to Discuss Personnel:

Suzie Kelleher made the motion, seconded by Damon Broderick, to go into Executive Session at 7:33 p.m. to discuss a confidential personnel matter, where premature general public knowledge of the subject matter would place the Village or person involved at a substantial disadvantage. Motion carried.

Suzie Kelleher made the motion to exit Executive Session at 8:04 p.m. Damon Broderick seconded. Motion carried.

ACTION TAKEN: None.

17. Adjournment:

Neal Speer made the motion to adjourn the Regular Meeting of the Board of the Trustees at 8:05 p.m. Damon Broderick seconded. There being no further business at hand, David Winchester, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:05 p.m. Motion carried.

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David Winchester, Village President                              Date

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Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                             Date