---
title: "Stamford Select Board — August 6, 2026"
date: 2026-08-06
session: regular
speaker_labels: 1 cluster(s) named from the roll call and that meeting's chair in the minutes, 0 named from roster attendance, 6 of 7 clusters unnamed
voice_ids: {"SPEAKER_00":109,"SPEAKER_01":6,"SPEAKER_02":2,"SPEAKER_03":5,"SPEAKER_06":1,"SPEAKER_07":17,"SPEAKER_08":26}
duration_min: 54
audio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Cnmv-p9wkFp6TXemzK4cqyMmam-d7ocM/view?usp=sharing
audio_source: town drive
minutes: https://townofstamfordvermont.org/mediaItems/Sbd%20Minutes%208-6-26.pdf
minutes_pending: false
present: [Nancy L. Bushika, Kurt Gamari, Jedidiah Gramlin, John Dunn]
absent: [Michael G. Denault]
transcribed: 2026-09-04 (faster-whisper large-v3, CUDA; names corrected per data/name_fixes.json)
diarization: pyannote/speaker-diarization-3.1 (automated; cluster labels may over-split a single voice; unattributed paragraphs have no reliable speaker)
---

# Stamford Select Board — August 6, 2026

**Session:** Regular · **Duration:** 54 min · [Audio](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Cnmv-p9wkFp6TXemzK4cqyMmam-d7ocM/view?usp=sharing) · [Minutes](https://townofstamfordvermont.org/mediaItems/Sbd%20Minutes%208-6-26.pdf)

**Present:** Nancy L. Bushika, Kurt Gamari, Jedidiah Gramlin, John Dunn
**Absent:** Michael G. Denault

---
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Welcome to a meeting of the Stamford Select Board. If you have anything to discuss that is not included on the agenda, you may do so by addressing the chairperson and stating your name and address. You will notice that all our meetings are recorded and this is to aid with the summarization of the minutes. Visitors are welcome and we allow five minutes of comments per visitor and 15 minutes per topic. Discussions will be held in a calm and civilized manner and respectful of

**Speaker 1:** others. Select board members present are Nancy Bushika, Jed Gramlin, John Dunn, Will there be any adding

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** of items or removing items from tonight's agenda? Any, yeah, Laurie's shaking her head so maybe there is, maybe there's not.

**Speaker 2:** Well the only thing I can ask would be if you guys were notified about the excavators going

up 264 and closing off that bridge work. Bridge work, yes. I don't believe the camera

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Will there be any adjustments to the agenda such as changing the order of items? Jed is recording tonight's meeting for his YouTube video. Hearing of visitors, Cindy? We're here first. Oh, okay. Yep, go ahead then. For me? Yeah. No, I don't have anything. You don't have anything? No. Okay, well then I can take up some of that. Okay.

**Speaker 3:** I'm going to apply it one more time, okay, only because I promise.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Well, I got a list.

**Speaker 4:** I got a list. I don't like a list. Very quick, very quick. So I did make a notation for, to take back to my board meeting at the end of the month of a group meeting of the select board, the library, the school board sometime in October, correct? Right. Okay, good. Very good. I will do that and I will get back to you as soon as I can on that, Nancy.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Probably an off selectman's meeting. We wouldn't want it on the same night. Of course. Yeah.

**Speaker 4:** Yeah. Okay. Of course. The school board is also asking if November 3rd, 2026, the select board would be hiring a sheriff for voting day. They're not closing the school? We would prefer not to. And so would share that expense is something to think about because it is for November and I know it's not on your agenda so you can't make a decision per se tonight or anything. We've done that in the past. And we have. Very agreeable. So thank you. If you would consider that, it would be wonderful. This slide, you want to deal with it? You can't put it in the backyard, but we told you that. Yeah. Why? What happened? Why? So every couple, three years, the school has to, under, you know, you can't put it in the backyard, but we told you that. Yeah. Why? What happened? Why? So every couple, three years, the school has to, under, you know, you can't put it in the backyard, but we told you that. And so this would be the most effective solution for you. Yeah. So the idea is that we would undergo insurance audit, Yeah. which includes someone from the Vermont School Board Insurance Trust coming down and looking at our playground. Mm-hmm. And gymnasium and the check out different things while they're here. That slide was found in violation years ago because that surface gets hot. Yeah. So that's why it was moved from the backyard. Okay. Okay, well that was like eight or ten years ago that was moved from the backyard up front. And as long as it wasn't in the fenced in area, that was okay, that was cool. But now they're looking at it and there's a gap in it from the platform to where the slide starts. There's a small, I should have brought the drawing, there's a small gap and they bought that closed. And there was maybe one other thing wrong with it, but that gap was the biggest thing. And so we certainly cannot put it in the backyard. And I don't know why you were thinking, I can't remember what you said, why it was in the way or was it mowing issue?

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Mowing or why was it out of the fence anyway? That's why it's out of the fence. And I think we saw that a couple years ago when the safety audit came down, something about some of the playground equipment there.

**Speaker 5:** Can it just go away altogether?

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yeah. I'll ask.

**Speaker 5:** I know someone mentioned something about it. Historical. I don't know if that was the context of it's actually historical or it's just old.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** It's just, it's just, you slid on it.

**Speaker 4:** You know what I mean? Everybody's adult. It got burned on it.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** It got burned on it.

**Speaker 4:** Well, if you think about it, the kids really aren't here in the hot, hot weather, so the service getting hot.

That was probably the safest equipment we had. Probably, yeah. The calmest and safest.

**Speaker 5:** It was probably the only piece of equipment other than the swings back in the day. We had it all the time. It was probably the only piece of equipment that used to rattle around.

**Speaker 4:** So we have issues with it that I'll ask if they, if they, if that is a possibility for it to go away, is that something that can be scrapped? Is it?

**Speaker 6:** I mean, personally, I'm fine with it there or gone away.

**Speaker 7:** I don't really care personally about it.

**Speaker 4:** I mean, when you say mowing, I know it's been there eight or ten years, so how can it not be a problem with mowing? Nobody changed it.

**Speaker 3:** I mean, it seems like. I think it also got brought up through the. I think it was brought up by Pam about it doesn't really need to be there or school versus chipping and that kind of stuff.

**Speaker 4:** The slide's got to be as long as it is. Exactly. Yeah.

**Speaker 1:** I don't know if it can be used and it's damaged.

**Speaker 8:** It isn't damaged per se, but they're saying that gas.

**Speaker 4:** Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yep.

**Speaker 9:** And it would cover all of the stuff and the playground. Yeah, I used that to inspect them for .

**Speaker 4:** There's something back there that looks firetruckish and it has some rust spots on it. And you would have to tend to that. Yeah.

**Speaker 9:** so what are the options with the slide like we either can close the gap and it can stay there or if the gaps not close it's to come down was what do you guys think

**Speaker 4:** I guess that's why I'm saying it's outside of the fence it's it's failed in years past for other reasons the surface getting hot that's why it was moved out of the fenced in area and so now there's a second so the school can't use it

**Speaker 10:** and it's a liability issue so I mean if it's it's document so we want to take it

**Speaker 4:** down I'm gonna go back and just verify with the board that and if that's a possibility how do we approach that do is that something we can I think we're

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** agreeable to take it down if it's a safety hazard whether it's in the

**Speaker 9:** schoolyard out there yeah make sure there's no thank you

**Speaker 11:** sticking up afterwards still agreeable to help us remove it sure it's steel can

**Speaker 4:** go in the dumpster well can't that be scrapped yeah yeah yeah that's steel one yeah and then then lastly was the the memorial itself and the committee was going to be formed for its upkeep mm-hmm okay so is that something that you would like a school board member on that committee

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** well I did we say we wanted the committee now but I understood the committee was formed or going to be formed when the memorial went in back in 2006 that was on that too yeah yeah so doesn't matter it just it's overgrown

**Speaker 8:** some of the weeds are coming through we did an excellent job last year and the

**Speaker 4:** Our principal did say after you left her, and I can't, there was a reason she couldn't get the eighth graders organized to do what she wanted them to do. She initiated the cleanup last year, the principal. And Julie thought that in coming years, the eighth grade as part of a community project could maintain. But, of course, you have to wait so late to get in there, and maybe that's what it was. April was very rainy, as I remember, so it could have been the weather just wasn't right. But then you can't take the chance that it never gets done. So if that's something you, I'm available to work on it with you. Not necessarily as a school board member, but just as a community member.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Well, see if she wants to have the kids do that for the community project.

**Speaker 4:** In the springtime, and then maybe as a committee, people could check it again, like in July or August, and just give it a look, one more spurs they would do.

**Speaker 5:** I think maybe if it comes. Put a shout out in the spring and see if there's any volunteers. I mean, we're reaching a hundred different people now on the YouTube channel.

**Speaker 4:** Yeah, the little bit of a Facebook post I did last year really came through pretty well.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** The mulch area was a lot larger when it first went in. But it looks fine like it is now, and just mowing up to it.

**Speaker 4:** Yes, it's what we had to work with. So we thought eight bags of mulch, and that was... Doesn't go far. No. So one of the volunteers that was working with us actually had mulch in the backyard and trucked down 35 additional bags. So that is 43 bags of mulch. But it was after, you know, severe neglect, you know, so it had to be done, had to be put down like that. It just wasn't enough to do a bigger area. Okay. All right. Well, if that goes anywhere further, if there's more of an update from the principal, I can certainly let you know.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Nate, you have something to add to this? Yeah.

**Speaker 12:** I didn't know if you could still use regular mulch. Aren't you supposed to use that plastic mulch now?

**Speaker 6:** No. I'm not sure. But it's... It's probably like all-natural cedar mulch that you would have to use.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Not what they're chipping on the side of the roads.

**Speaker 6:** No plastic.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I know there was talk about removing the bushes in the front of the school, but I saw they did some work there. They cut an area between the school and the back of the bushes so somebody could run right through there now.

**Speaker 6:** Where is this?

**Speaker 13:** Right out front of the school.

**Speaker 4:** I noticed too late, and of course it wasn't pouring, but it was raining when I came in. Because I saw some debris, and I was like, oh, somebody's been messing with that. But it was supposed to be...

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I thought they were going to remove all the bushes in front there.

**Speaker 4:** Because that was the inspection from the state police that said the visual, it was blocking the visual.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** So, and I wouldn't be opposed to having the bushes behind the assistant's desk disappear too at the same time. Many years ago, the snow did a lot of damage to them, and they're looking a little ragged, but that's my opinion. I wouldn't mind seeing them gone. Maybe the board would, but... And I know you hired a janitor. Yes. I could see the difference the second day he was here with the bathrooms and...

**Speaker 4:** He's quite handy, and not afraid to do anything. I mean, he's painted for Julie. He's a... Repaired a couple lockers. I mean, he just really seems eager and responsible.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yeah. Yeah.

**Speaker 4:** Yeah, but we've been very happy. It's definitely a huge improvement. Oh, thank you. And the new admin assistant will probably...

**Speaker 9:** Hey, do you want to chime in here? We wanted to talk about the janitor, about particularly winter duties.

**Speaker 12:** I can't say. But it's local. Yeah. I mean, last winter, I shoveled almost all...

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I think you talked to him, though, or when you first came, and, yeah.

**Speaker 12:** I did. The last guy, when he was doing it, I was calling him in the mornings, and I felt rich, had it down.

**Speaker 4:** Exactly. And, you know, when you've got someone that really takes responsibility like that and cares, it's hard to replace that. Yeah. Very hard. But we're hoping that we've got a really sound employee with this person, so I won't mention

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** that. Yeah. He... Yeah. He's very nice, cooperative with anything you ask him, and, yeah, helps us.

**Speaker 12:** The snow blower, I don't know what the status of it is now, but I know when the last guy

was using it, it was a meme like it doesn't really throw the snow all that well, and it shuts off because it smells awful like gas. It's very old. Yeah. I know that it was rehab, at least that's what I was told, but it may be time just to

**Speaker 12:** replace it.

**Speaker 4:** Right. So, yeah, we'll bring that up, too.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Lori, you weren't here when Cindy asked about hiring the sheriff for November 3rd voting. We'll discuss it at the next meeting, but maybe if you call now and reserve them because we don't have a contract with them, so we'll see if we can get them or...

**Speaker 14:** I think last time they would not come in. They just said if we have an officer available. We'll send them. We didn't know if someone was coming until he came.

Are we still pushing it?

**Speaker 9:** Will we still need the police officer if we held, if we're able to hold it in here?

No.

**Speaker 9:** Is that a possibility?

Maybe someone...

**Speaker 14:** In and out.

**Speaker 9:** Well, it's only like the August one.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** In and out and no chatting.

**Speaker 10:** In and right out.

**Speaker 4:** Well, it's not presidential. That's why they don't...

**Speaker 9:** It would save us some money and...

**Speaker 11:** It's necessary to close school.

**Speaker 9:** Headache with the school. Is that real? We'll do that. I mean...

**Speaker 14:** Maybe if we had some voting bills here and rearranged it and people came in and went

out the back door. It might be...

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** It would be tight.

**Speaker 9:** Think about it. Yeah. We've got an hour until the next meeting to decide on the police officer and...

**Speaker 4:** Well, it wouldn't be up to us to hire the police. It would be up to us.

**Speaker 9:** Mike's not here. He's on the... I don't know if that matters.

**Speaker 4:** Anything else? That's all I have. Thank you very much for listening. Thank you. I appreciate it. Okay.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Thank you, Kurt. You must have went to the school board and... I did, yeah. He did. Good guy. All right. Easy. Good.

**Speaker 6:** They let me talk right away, so...

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Good.

**Speaker 6:** In and out.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Okay. Anybody else? No? Okay. Reading and approval of records and orders, July 16th. Can I have a motion to accept them as written?

**Speaker 3:** Motion. Second.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** All in favor?

**Speaker 3:** Aye. Aye. Aye.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Highway update. Review. And sign two highway grant agreements.

**Speaker 14:** So, we have the 2027 grant in aid. Dave's already done the 2026 project, right? So, this is for next year, and Jim Henderson will get together with you to pick it out. You have ideas?

**Speaker 12:** Yeah. We've already discussed these one.

**Speaker 14:** They're giving an $8,000 grant with a $2,000 match.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** So, do you want me to sign this grant agreement? And we don't have to accept it if Dave doesn't like it, but $8,000, we'll get something done.

**Speaker 12:** You have to do it.

You can't take the money. Okay.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Can I have a motion to sign?

**Speaker 9:** Motion to sign. Second.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** All in favor?

**Speaker 9:** Aye. All right.

**Speaker 14:** And the other one is the Better Back Roads project for the Sportsman Road Suzanne Drive Culver. They're giving us $16,200 with a $4,000 match.

**Speaker 9:** What was that, like a three-year in-the-making project? Yeah, that's how these things work.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** And when will that be for next year?

**Speaker 12:** We may get it done this fall. Can I have a motion to accept this?

**Speaker 14:** So, I'll get it done.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** All in favor?

**Speaker 9:** Aye.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** What else do you have for highway, Dave?

**Speaker 12:** The chip ceiling date changed a few times. As of now, it's for Friday, August 14th, the next drive.

**Speaker 9:** Is that what's all dumped up at the old state garage there? Yeah. Why were the state police all around it one night? There was a truck. There were four cruisers there.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** There was a truck behind there that they were looking at.

**Speaker 9:** Oh. I thought maybe somebody was stealing the chip ceiling. No.

**Speaker 12:** No, but somebody has been stealing some of the road signs in town. Lots of road signs. I don't know.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** There's one on my way. There's one in my garage, but it's an old one, so I didn't steal it. I didn't steal it.

**Speaker 15:** The old county road sign got stolen.

The patron road sign got stolen. That one gets stolen almost. All the time. I welded it on. They cut it off. Go on. Can you do my GPS? How are they on there? Are they on there pretty good? I've been welding that one. The post is welded. The top's welded. The zip is right on.

**Speaker 12:** The zip is right on.

The zip is right on. The zip is right on.

**Speaker 6:** The zip is right on.

The zip is right on. The zip is right on. The zip is right on. I put some power to it. Why would you want the nature road sign if you're not in the nature? I don't know. Do you have one? I've got one. I've got one. I've got one. I want one. I want to go to a fair. Yeah. We've been doing the shoulder work on caps and then probably next week continue up on the sure road. Hopefully we'll get that finished up. Yeah, it looks good up there. I've been through there a few times. Yeah. It just looks really good. It just looks good. It just looks really good. Yeah.

**Speaker 12:** I think it's going to be a good fit. I think it's going to be a good fit.

**Speaker 16:** get that finished up yeah it looks good up there i've been through there a few times

**Speaker 9:** everybody slowed down on jeff sender's uh a few things so yeah i understand coming down off the

**Speaker 12:** hill yeah you don't want to ride your brakes it drives fast no matter where you ever get that

**Speaker 9:** yeah come sit in my couch yeah i will say like it's great having those uh guys putting those holes in because it's definitely held everybody up in town i had a guy today pass me right in front of the school on a double line

**Speaker 12:** there's no comment what the heck didn't get them and they all know it yes now that jeff's road is almost all taken care of are we gonna actually are you guys gonna grade uh well we've graded it a couple times this year it's actually on the list for monday if the weather breaks

for us but yeah i know it's hard because all the trucks are going to throw out that

**Speaker 12:** chug around that corner there's certainly no way to stop it except for paving it so hopefully in five years once this project's paid i mean that's the next thing we had talked about so

they're going to look forward to that hopefully i think you can put more guardrails up dave or no what's that if they paid that are you going to put more card girls or no no that's not really any stipulation because as far as paving you go it certainly could be done yeah i mean no you know it's a good moment to do something it'd be a lot easier for you to answer your first concept oh yeah almost as much or more than the payment it's crazy how much that costs yeah caution people

**Speaker 3:** yeah a couple rounds a couple of times that's it

**Speaker 2:** is that guy who's got the excavator up and down the road is he gonna help gravel our road is obviously he's not helping it yeah who's up and down the road

national forest yeah they give us some money back but i mean i haven't seen any major damage any more than anybody else that went off over a machine or what on a gravel road and i went

**Speaker 12:** up there i was concerned about i went up there and drafted already kind of packed it back in so i don't see where it was are they going it was irritating but i certainly don't like it

people wrecking the work that i do but there's kind of a you kind of accept the fact that people

**Speaker 9:** have to lower them some minor i haven't been up in the road in a while but for the most part our town roads are in pretty good shape i've been in other towns in the area and they're all washed forward bad the driveway that brings that on you can't you can't really grade it out tonight

thank you thank you yeah

**Speaker 12:** have your rain take some of the climes off and it gets worse.

**Speaker 9:** Where was our climb? The climb, I think, was a little bad

**Speaker 12:** when you go up that hill. Yeah, that usually lasts about a week or two after injury. The people that, you know, have seen

**Speaker 9:** I mean, it matches the rest of the road all the way down to, you know.

**Speaker 5:** The last four roads in Vermont are better than the blacktop roads out in the back.

**Speaker 9:** Yeah, the blacktop roads are better.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Dave, are they, is National Forest going to go out to the power lines? I wonder if they're going to re-plank that bridge or anything. Well, they're working on the bridge. The one that's out by the power line? They're doing two bridges. Which one is the other one? The first one? Nope.

**Speaker 2:** The second one's being worked on now. They put it back together because they dropped the bridge in the ditch. So they had to get two excavators out there because they messed that up. And they're going to be doing another one after that. I'm not sure. Now the two bridges

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** are after the intersection of Climb Hill. Are they going to be going out to Bondyke and County, heading out that way? You said two bridges. No, we're on 264. Oh, going up. We're on Warrenbrook. Oh, okay. So going out to the power lines out through County, they're not going to be doing anything on that bridge?

**Speaker 9:** No. Where are they? In the watershed area?

**Speaker 2:** So, you know, over time, right after Highbridge, right after Old County Road where I live, take that right, Steamboat Bridge, going up Warrenbrook towards Stamford Pond. Okay, yeah.

**Speaker 5:** First wooden bridge is still there. The second one is the one they dropped.

**Speaker 2:** Oh, okay. The cement stanchions.

**Speaker 9:** Is that due to the logging that they had done over the winter?

**Speaker 2:** Well, I understand. Yeah. Something to do with that. So now they're redoing it, but they ended up putting steel beams under there and stanchions, cement stanchions and they dropped it and it broke.

**Speaker 9:** Okay. And in the state, they can drop stuff in the brook, right? Yeah. What else do you need?

I think those got put in up there. Which hurricane was it? Katrina? Irene?

**Speaker 12:** Was it Anderson that put those in?

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yes. Anything else, Dave?

**Speaker 9:** What else can we burden you with?

**Speaker 2:** Can we look at the water being diverted away from our driveway because it's putting a rope where they pull into the driveway?

**Speaker 12:** Yeah, I can show you a picture of the water running right down that driveway. That's just causing that. I'm going to add a little gravel to try to make to try to make it a little more, like your approach, a little less harsh. Yeah. But there's no way, without pavement roads, you know, gravel roads are just constantly moving. You know, it's nobody's fault. You know, you get a lot of traffic up there going around the turn, they create a low spot, and then it rains hard and water follows the low spot. You could create these roads

if you could do it, you know, works in. Some of the other problems, they're going to do some work on the road in this situation. Okay. But a lot of the water problem that's causing

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** that issue is water coming down that road.

**Speaker 12:** Fireways in there? No, it's just that the, you know, heavy rain, the ditches, you know, so things get so there's nobody's fault. It just, the rain's hard, it washes the fines, and things start to silt, and the water's in the wrong direction. If you're not right there to do something about it in the moment, every time it's pouring rain, you're going to have an issue. It's just, there's no way around it.

**Speaker 14:** Where does it come from, the Stamford Pond Road, right on the edge?

**Speaker 12:** No, it, some of it comes around the wheel track. I mean, there's a ditch there, and the water sheets off, but a big part of the water comes down the left-hand side of Old County Road, and then it runs across the end of the road, causing it to cut out. Wow. You know, and that's what happens in high rain. It's a river. Yeah. Sometimes it's a private

road, sometimes it's a private river. Can we get it back?

**Speaker 12:** You don't see so much coming off the town road as you do there. That's why I take pictures and things. What do you,

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** what's going on with the new truck? I haven't heard much about it.

**Speaker 12:** I believe it's still this fall. I haven't really had the time just to call. They're usually pretty good about their timelines. You know, probably next month I'll start thinking about calling them, and

I certainly don't want to push them, because I don't know if we even have the money.

**Speaker 14:** Well, I think the rates are going to change. Our quotes are so early, so I'm waiting until it's closer when we need it.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** But you did get the money for the chip seal, or the shim coat, right? Part of the

**Speaker 17:** paving. Right. Yeah, there's paperwork for you to sign,

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** and more to be signed. That's it on roads, Dave? How about anything on recycling?

I did notice it looked like they charged us for some tires. I don't remember

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** tires getting through. Usually Carol is pretty good with...

**Speaker 12:** They charged us for something else that I thought was odd, too. Can you check it out? Shingles. I think it said shingles. Which, shingles are part of, like, C&D, so it's a C&D dumpster. Can you check it out and call them? Because I've never noticed where they charge us, like an overcharge for shingles. Is that all

**Speaker 9:** locked up after hours, and nobody can get in?

**Speaker 16:** Unfortunately, that one gate we can't shop.

**Speaker 12:** It's just that fence that needs a bunch of work. If somebody wants to throw something away, they're gonna. But, I mean, as far as Carol's charging people, it's not that somebody's dumping it illegally, it's just that Cassell is charging us for things that

they weren't charging us for. The shingles in particular, I've never noticed an upcharge for shingles before.

**Speaker 12:** Once it's dumped? Yeah, because typically that's what goes in there.

**Speaker 18:** It's construction. And who's answer would sell it?

**Speaker 12:** But the tires, I didn't see any. I've never seen tires in a dump.

**Speaker 9:** So that seems a little... Were they charged for a tire?

I can't remember. I mean, it's not super cheap. I'd have to look at the paper. But it definitely stood out. But it wasn't just Ron, I think it was a couple. Can you grab me the...

**Speaker 12:** They're pretty good up there.

**Speaker 6:** I haven't seen any tires

in a dump. I'm wondering if somebody just picked them up on the side of the road. They didn't bring any down. The tires were put kind of over behind the recycler dumpster.

**Speaker 3:** And other people come and pick them up. Could it be one of those cases where they were there, then when they came to pick it up, they just grabbed them

**Speaker 12:** and chucked them in there? I don't know. I feel like they dumped the dumpster in a drill car. The tires dumped and the driver must have thought they were in there.

Could have been. That's possible. Yeah. Because I've never seen tires in there. And I know the people running the rice recycling center would

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** have done that. No. Yeah. Paid shingles. $125.

**Speaker 19:** $347. That's a demolition.

**Speaker 20:** Well, that's the whole thing.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Carol and...they're very good at watching

**Speaker 15:** what people are throwing in there. This has nothing to do with the operators.

**Speaker 12:** Yeah.

I'm charging certain stuff that I know that I'm charging. Do we have a contracted rate with them? Like that certain stuff

**Speaker 12:** that they gave us a call on in the beginning? No. No. So we can change it any time? We have done that in the past, but we've also called around to see what other prices were. And it sells a lot cheaper.

Everyone dumps their stuff through the store. Yeah.

**Speaker 9:** We separated it out. I'll probably go right along the hole.

**Speaker 5:** Yep.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I noticed that somebody's been working around it that the recycling center, cleaning the weeds and trying to straighten up there, it's looking a little bit better than it...

**Speaker 12:** Not as ragged as it was. Yeah. Some of it's just mangled in the fence. Yeah.

**Speaker 21:** Well, it's noticeable, so it looks a little better.

**Speaker 12:** We try to do it with diesel fuel.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** So if you want to check with Casella and see what they're saying about that... Because why are we charging the customer if Casella was taking it for free?

**Speaker 12:** They weren't taking it for free, but they weren't... Usually they just mark it as C&D and they charge us on all fees.

**Speaker 18:** Okay. Okay. They got added fees in there that they weren't...

**Speaker 9:** Yeah, they're sneaking in stuff on in. That's true.

**Speaker 12:** We're not making any money on them, thump as it is. We don't need them to sneak in. If that's the case, we may have to start charging more for the shingles. Right. I don't believe it was tires. I didn't answer the question if it was tires.

**Speaker 9:** How you're in a black trash bag? You just throw it in there, or what? How does that work out? You don't ask questions like that.

**Speaker 1:** I don't think they want to check what's in the black bags.

**Speaker 9:** Just put a big asbestos sticker right on it, and no one will want to open it up.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Okay. That's it on recycling. Leo with your Memorial Garden and outside maintenance. I think we covered that. Yep. Thank you, Kurt. Yeah, no problem. Review tax bill insert. Lori's getting ready to send tax bills out. We had a chance to look it over. She sent it to us beginning of the week. The only thing I noticed was the dates to update. I didn't see any changes. I think last year we did a couple changes.

**Speaker 14:** Yeah, we did revise a lot of it last year.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I mean, if people read it... Yep. Put their 911 numbers up and register their dogs, because that's next on the list. Yes, go with that. Tax bill insert. I think we're good. On motion?

**Speaker 5:** Move on. Motion to accept the tax bill.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Second. Okay. Okay. Review and sign errors in the missions form. We haven't received it yet from the assessor. There was an error in the grand list, and at this point there's a form you have to sign to change the grand list. And I don't have it, and I will check at the end of the meeting to see if it came through. Lori keeps checking her email. Anything else on correspondence, Lori?

**Speaker 14:** I do have some things here. I am working with Adams Community Bank for the paving loan, and they sent me some initial forms that need to be signed, and there will be more. So I'm hoping that you'll agree to sign these preliminary forms tonight, and then maybe authorize Nancy to sign the rest of them so that if they can pull it together, we won't have to wait two weeks. Okay. So I'm hoping that you'll agree to sign these preliminary forms tonight, and then maybe authorize Nancy to sign the rest of them so that if they can pull it together, we won't have to wait two weeks. To sign the papers and get the loan moving. I received a bill yesterday for the work that they've done so far, so I know they're going to want to get paid.

So there's the one there.

**Speaker 14:** And then on the back, this is looking for two signatures. And then on the back, this is looking for two signatures. And then on the back, this is looking for two signatures.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Do I have a motion to sign this for the paving loan? Do I have a motion to sign this for the paving loan? Motion. Second. All in favor?

**Speaker 2:** Aye.

Okay. I'll be right there with you. All right.

**Speaker 3:** Do you need to do the motion so that she can sign it?

**Speaker 14:** If you would. That way I don't have to wait two weeks for your next meeting.

**Speaker 3:** Motion to let Nancy sign when the paperwork comes in? Motion to let Nancy sign when the paperwork comes in?

**Speaker 22:** Yep.

**Speaker 3:** All in favor?

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Approved.

**Speaker 14:** What else do you have, Lori?

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I just have a dog update.

**Speaker 14:** Okay. Contacted the people and sent out his fines, and people have begun to come in. And people have begun to come in. At this point, you're down to 12. At this point, you're down to 12.

**Speaker 23:** 12 dogs or your people?

**Speaker 14:** 12 people and nineteen dogs.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Do you want to take a look? Have any of them contacted you that they are Dave McKays on the app? Dave McKays on the app? Hi.

**Speaker 6:** Luc!

**Speaker 14:** I think he had trouble getting an appointment.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Okay. All right, if you see anybody on there, neighbors, friends, relatives. Relatives.

Nice. Regular.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** They're regulars.

Yeah, regular buyers.

**Speaker 14:** Regular buyers, that's right.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Okay, any other things, Laura, you have?

**Speaker 14:** Yes. Next Tuesday is the primary election, and you guys, along with the justices of the peace, make up the board of civil authority who count the ballots afterward. It should be, it's usually a very low turnout, but the state has changed how the counting is going to be done and how the write-ins are going to be recognized, so I'd like to have you all. So the polls close at 7. It'll probably take the girls 5, 10 minutes to tally up, and then we'll start counting in here.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Anything else? Good. Okay. Under new business, reappraisal, there is a law, and I'm not sure if it's passed, but they're really talking about it, that every four to six years, towns have to reappraise. So... We would not have to reappraise until probably 2030, but our assessor, Nemrit, and our reappraisal firm, one and the same, they suggested that we do a request for proposal from them to get right on their list, and then we could get in on the 2031 reappraisal. They could lock us in now because we are with them right now. Also, talking... In the state, there might be regional assessing districts that Stamford will be in with, who knows, and who knows how they're going to reappraise. If we did get into Nemrit for the 2031, we'd be locked in for another four to six years without this regional assessing district. So it's kind of like up in the air, who knows which way to go. But we do know that we will be required to reappraise four to six years.

**Speaker 14:** Did they tell us how much money we had to start setting aside for them?

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** No, that's what I wanted to look up, and I didn't. Do you remember how much the last appraisal was? $80,000? $80,000.

A good $20,000 a year.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I think we put some in.

I would try to put $100 away, and I think it's probably going to be more than $80. Maybe less. Maybe less. What's that? Everything.

**Speaker 14:** It's supposed to be really everything, yeah.

**Speaker 9:** I wonder if it's... It's easier for them. That was the first time we've used them, right? Right. I wonder if it's easier for them after going through all the chutes and ladders, to go around again. That's exactly what I'm saying.

Mm-hmm.

**Speaker 9:** And a lot of the support work has already been done,

so it should be easier this next go.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Mm-hmm.

**Speaker 9:** A lot of their expenses travel.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** The last one was, like, about 20 years ago. Yeah, right. That's what I mean. That's a lot of update. So, do we have $90,000 in a reappraisal fund?

**Speaker 14:** That would be nice.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yeah. What am I doing? Did we pay it off last year? Did we pay it last year? We're trying to close the account.

Account for a reappraisal fund. Are you looking at the rebook? $90,000. That's a lot. That sounds fine.

**Speaker 14:** But, you know, every year we do chip away and put in more and more. Maybe it's just built up. $25 appropriation.

Is that that much amount? Would we have to do it for a year?

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Well, it's all in one account anyway. It's all in, it's not separate.

**Speaker 12:** We don't really have that physical cash.

Paper money. Gold? No. It's just on paper. It's not paper. It's not paper. It's paper money. It's on paper that we have.

**Speaker 24:** Let's check that out.

**Speaker 9:** You have, like, old trucks, some farm equipment up there, whatever came in for recycling on Wednesday. Five-cent cans. Yeah, that's what you got in your name. GoFundMe. GoFundMe. You have a slide that we've got to take down.

**Speaker 1:** So, do you think we should send NIMRC a letter and say,

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** yes, we would like to hire you for our reappraisal?

**Speaker 9:** I think it's a good idea to lock them in, yeah.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Ask them what their fee would be. We don't have to, we can discuss it next meeting, but send it.

**Speaker 1:** Send it to them and get some numbers.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** And we also ask them if they'll be our appraiser for next year.

**Speaker 9:** And then I would double check and just make sure what you got in there, for sure.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yeah.

**Speaker 9:** And then it wouldn't hurt to keep on in there, because if you're going to do it every four or six years, it's going to take you a lot of money.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** The state kicks in about $6,000 or $7,000 a year.

**Speaker 3:** Wasn't NIMRC the only group that actually answered this? No. It's been a big process for us. Out of 70-some requests. I don't think it's going to get any easier.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yeah, but they all do their own thing. Yes. I know. One thing. Mm-hmm. Yep.

**Speaker 2:** Give it.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Okay.

It's true.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** All right, yes. And review 2025 audit. It has given us a copy. And if everyone, oh, let's have it back. I'll take it back and put it in Mike's box so he can follow suit with it, too. There's going to be a budgeting and borrowing webinar August 12, 10 to 11, I think it said. Is that a Wednesday? 1130. Is that the day after election? Yeah. 10 to 1130. And I think we can sign up at home if we have to, or here.

**Speaker 14:** I was going to say. I did sign up here for anybody who wants it, but it's free. So you could sign up and just watch it at home. And I think if you sign up, they'll send you a recording that you can watch at a later time. So if you sign up and then can't make it because it's in the middle of the day, middle of the morning, you can watch the recording later on at your leisure. But you won't get that if you don't sign up. So anybody who needs an email or a link, feel free to.

**Speaker 12:** All right.

**Speaker 14:** I think I have emailed it to you. Yes. But if you can't find it, let me know.

**Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Then Laurie did mention August 11, Vermont primary election wants us here for counting. And that's all I have on your new business. What do you guys have? Anything? This is what I mistakenly printed off because I read 15 pages. This is the Vermont election book. And I thought it said 15 pages. It was 115. And afterwards, going, what the heck did I do? Did I delete? Did I delete? Did I delete? Yeah. And you can see we are, I gave you last time the loans and bank loans and vehicles that we have that are pretty tight on money. So hopefully everybody will pay their taxes this year. And anything else?

**Speaker 25:** Motion to adjourn.

Motion to adjourn. All in favor? Aye. Good. Thank you very much.