Stamford Select Board — 2025-10-02 (Regular)
- Call of the roll; agenda changes (hearing of visitors moved to end of agenda, after new business)
- Hearing of visitors: Callie Fishburn, Bennington County Regional Commission (ACD municipal planning grant for town plan update)
- Hearing of visitors: resident at 61 Boulder Road (road runoff into basement, foundation damage)
- Reading and approval of records and orders (Sept 11 all-board minutes; Sept 18 select board minutes)
- Highway update (2019 Freightliner in repair, truck maintenance/cleaning, town garage facility location, paving fund discussion)
- Recycling (dumpster supply issues; substitute recycling attendant job posting)
- Correspondence (errors and omissions certificate; employee policy handbook correction)
- Halloween (setting hours; asking fire department to be out for safety)
- 9-1-1 numbering update (buildings missing 9-1-1 numbers)
- Emergency management (Vermont Emergency Management Exercise, Oct 22, at the EOC/firehouse)
- Town sign update (flowers removed by Pam; holes to be dug, concrete blocks removed)
- Dog registration (one dog left; website registration discussed)
- Sidewalk (Greenbush; state returned responsibility to town)
- Planning commission (alternate roles/responsibilities; building permit 'no permit needed' process; bylaws rewrite engagement)
- New business (Sally Wohl resigning as assessor clerk; last day Nov 7)
- Executive session (personnel matter; pending or probable civil litigation)
Motions (7, 5 passed)
Approval of the all-board meeting minutes of September 11 unattributed (Speaker 1)passed
Approval of the select board minutes of September 18 unattributed (Speaker 26)passed
Adopt the resolution authorizing application for the ACD municipal planning grant (town plan update; BCRC as grant administrator, with a municipal authorizing official, an alternate, and Callie Fishburn as grant administrator) mover not statedseconded: Kurt (per garbled text 'motion make Kurt second'; likely Kurt Gamari)no-formal-vote
Sign the errors and omissions certificate combining two grand list entries / tax bills for contiguous parcels (residents asked the town to combine them; resulted in a small reduction) Nancy L. Bushika (Chair)passed
Set the Halloween hours (7:30, same as last year) unattributed (Speaker 46)passed
Accept Dave's resignation from the planning commission, appoint Natalie O'Neil to the open seat, and make Dave the alternate unattributed (Speaker 7)seconded: unattributed (Speaker 52)passed
Go into executive session (personnel matter and pending or probable civil litigation) Nancy L. Bushika (Chair)no-formal-vote
Other decisions
| Agenda change: move hearing of visitors to the end | A board member suggested moving visitors to the end of the agenda, right after new business, so they can stay; the chair agreed ('Yeah. Vocali's going on first anyway.'). |
| Municipal planning grant application to proceed | The town will apply for the ACD municipal planning grant with BCRC preparing the application at no additional cost; the planning commission chair had already signed the resolution form, and selectboard members filled out and signed the form at the meeting, identifying the municipal authorizing official, an alternate, and the grant administrator. |
| Firewood for the town garage | Dave (roads) may cut and split firewood from the tree clearing for the town garage if he has time; state law gives abutting property owners first choice of the wood; the board said to use his best discretion (a prior board had felt it was not something to be done). |
| Building permit 'no permit needed' process | Board discussed documenting 'no permit needed' determinations (a checked box on the permit form, notes filed with the AO) and creating a checklist/informational guide (possibly on the website) of what does and does not require a permit; general consensus the current process is not working, but no decision was made and the topic was left to be revisited. |
| Planning commission work sessions and open meetings | Board discussed whether off-site bylaws work sessions (e.g., 'me and Lisa and Marvin') violate open meetings law; consensus was that informal work sessions with no quorum and no decisions are not violations, that the public cannot be excluded if they learn of a gathering, and that an 'exploratory committee' is a recognized option; the planning commission may form a work group of at least four to restart the bylaws with notice and no quorum. |
| Sally Wohl's resignation as assessor clerk | Lori received a resignation (Sally Wohl) effective with a last day of November 7; the town needs to advertise the position, note in the minutes that anyone interested should come forward, and write a thank-you letter for her long service. |
Who owes what (12)
| Action | Owner | By when | Note | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prepare and submit the municipal planning grant application with the planning commission (BCRC preparing it at no cost to the town) | Callie Fishburn / Bennington County Regional Commission, with the planning commission | 2025-11-03 (applications due) | Awards expected December 2025, possibly into the new year; project work would likely start ~February. | overdue the minutes set 2025-11-03 and it has passed |
| Fill out and sign the grant resolution form (municipal authorizing official, alternate, grant administrator) | selectboard members | 2025-10-02 (done at the meeting) | Planning commission chair (Peter) had already signed his part. | overdue the minutes set 2025-10-02 and it has passed |
| Inspect drainage at 61 Boulder Road with the homeowner present | Dave (roads supervisor) and selectboard members | 2025-10-03, 8:00 a.m. | Set in response to the resident's complaint about basement flooding; options discussed include a roadside ditch plus driveway culvert. | overdue the minutes set 2025-10-03 and it has passed ¶ ¶126 |
| Follow up on the last unregistered dog; ticket the owner if he does not appear | Lori (town office) | 2025-10-03, 8:00 a.m. | Owner said he would be in by 8 a.m. tomorrow to register; website/remote registration discussed but not adopted. | overdue the minutes set 2025-10-03 and it has passed |
| Contact Dave Tatro about the Vermont Emergency Management Exercise and coordinate board attendance | Nancy L. Bushika (Chair) | 2025-10-22 (exercise; EOC at the firehouse; transcript also mentions the town garage) | Chair cannot be there on the 22nd; asked other selectboard members to attend; tabletop exercise (scenario includes an overturned oil tanker blocking the road). | overdue the minutes set 2025-10-22 and it has passed |
| Ask the fire department to be out on Halloween for safety | trustee (unattributed speaker) | before 2025-10-31 | Chair: 'Would you ask them? Your trustee?' | overdue the minutes set 2025-10-31 and it has passed |
| Advertise the assessor clerk position and note in minutes that interested parties should come forward | selectboard / Nancy L. Bushika | — | Sally Wohl's last day is November 7; also write a thank-you letter. | open no date in the minutes |
| Town sign: dig the holes, spread the dirt, remove the two concrete blocks from the old sign; consider pots on either side of the sign | board / unattributed (Speaker 8) | 2025-10-03 (crews expected to come up the next day to dig) | Pam already removed the flowers; Nancy emailed Pam back that it is not a good time to plant now — revisit in spring. | overdue the minutes set 2025-10-03 and it has passed ¶ ¶291 |
| Collect missing 9-1-1 numbers for buildings (emergency management to go around); follow up on compliance | emergency management group | — | Many buildings lack 9-1-1 numbers; town cannot send letters without them; fines for non-compliance were discussed. | open no date in the minutes ¶ ¶278 |
| Develop an informational guide/checklist of what requires a building permit (with the planning commission and Deb, the AO), possibly for the website | — | — | Suggested during the permit-process discussion; an earlier rough draft with costs was deemed too complicated. | open no date in the minutes |
| Look up the open meetings law on work sessions / exploratory committees | Nancy L. Bushika (Chair) / Lisa (planning commission) | — | Chair addressed Lisa in the discussion; assignment is garbled. | open no date in the minutes |
| Bring a paving fund (set-aside, like the fire department fund) up at budget time | unattributed (Speaker 3) | — | Paving quote of $600,000 for two miles was discussed as 'a steal.' | open no date in the minutes |
scripts/action_status.py --done "a phrase".Money (3)
| ACD municipal planning grant (town plan update)¶ ¶12 | 10% local match requirement; $30,000 per town maximum; application due Nov 3, 2025; BCRC's work on the application carries no additional expense to the town (covered by regional planning dues). | $30,000 (maximum funding request) |
| Paving two miles of road (fund set-aside discussion) | Board member said he will bring up a paving fund at budget time, modeled on the fire department fund. | $600,000 (quote discussed) |
| Possible purchase of property for a new town garage/facility | Current town garage site is in the flood corridor with river encroachment; board discussed looking for a property when one comes up. | $100,000-$200,000 (figures discussed and rejected as too expensive) |
Public comment (2)
| Callie Fishburn (Bennington County Regional Commission; invited visitor, not a public comment in the usual sense) | ACD municipal planning grant program for updating Stamford's town plan (expires June 2027): max request $30,000, 10% local match, $30k-per-town cap; rural towns (under 2,500 residents) can have BCRC prepare the application and perform the plan update without an RFP, at no additional cost to the town (covered by town dues); application due Monday, Nov 3; awards expected December, possibly into the new year; plan update would likely start ~February and target adoption before June 2027 expiry; planning commission leads the effort; if the plan lapses, zoning regulation changes are barred during the lapse but there is no financial penalty |
| unattributed (resident of 61 Boulder Road; self-identifies in garbled text as 'Jeffney Huck' and is referred to as 'Chuck' by a board member; diarization split his speech across Speaker 8 and Speaker 19) | Water runoff from the Boulder/Leisure Road intersection is flowing into his basement and damaging the foundation; he had previously dug a ~600-foot ditch; he cannot dig on the road side (liability); asks the town to look at it; the board (with the roads supervisor, Dave) discussed a roadside ditch plus driveway culvert (~15-inch, 3-foot-deep ditch), and a site visit was set for 8 a.m. the next day with the homeowner present |
Follow-ups named in the minutes
- Grant award decisions expected December 2025 (may slip into the new year); if awarded, plan update work would start ~February 2026, targeting adoption of the updated plan before the current plan expires in June 2027.
- 2019 Freightliner is in Westminster for repair (unavailable backward parts for the front spindle; DEF light wiring/computer issues); town is waiting on parts and does not know when the truck will be back.
- Planning commission's next meeting (the following Monday) will consider recommending village center line changes per the BCRC recommendation, with the town garage possibly included in the village center.
- Sally Wohl's last day as assessor clerk is November 7, 2025; a replacement needs to be advertised.
- If the town plan lapses, the town cannot make changes to its zoning regulations during the lapse period (no financial or legal penalty); the board discussed this if the update is not finished by June 2027.
- The board discussed relocating the town garage (current site is at the river's edge in the flood corridor) as part of the plan/village center work — no decision made.
What the extraction was unsure about
- Front matter present list 'Kurt Gamari John Dunn' appears to be a missing-comma join of 'Kurt Gamari, John Dunn' (both are named at roll call); kept verbatim per instructions.
- The municipal planning grant resolution: the transcript references a motion and a second ('motion make Kurt second') but no formal vote is recorded; members filled out and signed the form. Outcome recorded as no-formal-vote rather than assumed passed.
- The 61 Boulder Road resident's name is garbled: he is introduced as 'Jeffney Huck' but later called 'Chuck' by a board member, and his speech is split across two diarization labels (Speaker 8 and Speaker 19); attribution left as unattributed with both names noted.
- Many turns are labeled 'Speaker N' (automated diarization, which the front matter warns may over-split a single voice); identities were not inferred except where the transcript itself names the speaker (e.g., Callie Fishburn, Dave, Dave Tatro, Sally Wohl, Natalie O'Neil, Peter/Pete Greenbush, Pam, Deb, Peter, Lisa, Marvin, Joanie).
- The 2019 Freightliner is said to be 'in Westminster' — presumably a repair shop in Westminster, VT; not verified.
- The executive session motion at the very end of part 1 has no recorded second or vote, and the transcript ends mid-exchange; part 2 of the meeting may cover the continuation and adjournment.
- Speaker 4 (Callie Fishburn) said 'the full planning grant period is a two-week period' — almost certainly a transcription error for 'two-year period'; the summary avoids restating a grant period duration.
- The Halloween hours vote is garbled ('All Four in favor?'); the board has five members present, so no vote count is reported.
- Several agenda names are garbled in the transcript (e.g., 'Bob Riggs', 'Bob Riggs is planning to participate in the Vermont Emergency Management Exercise'; 'Suzanne Drive'/'Alpenwald' area drainage issue; 'Colvin's standard' for the ditch/culvert) and were left as-is where used.
Transcript
Speaker 2 — the same voice as in 58 recordings (the archive does not name this person)
Speaker 3 — the same voice as in 2 recordings (the archive does not name this person)
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Speaker 6 — the same voice as in 40 recordings (the archive does not name this person)
Speaker 7 — the same voice as in 23 recordings (the archive does not name this person)
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Speaker 18 — heard only in this meeting
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Speaker 4: goes to buddington regional or it goes to the towns that receive it so uh yeah this bill comes from where when you say when you said it you got 20 000 where did it go yeah so uh so that's a i
Speaker 5: why maybe because we have a tough time yeah so if you as a rural town with this specific
Speaker 8: Yes.
Speaker 5: Just like Jim's saying, it took two years the last time.
Speaker 9: To make changes?
Speaker 10: That's the reason why they didn't come back and say, hey.
Speaker 11: board members.
Speaker 13: And that's not.
Speaker 14: We're going to.
Speaker 16: It's important to get the legal stuff out.
Speaker 4: time you didn't say yeah yeah you can fill out because in the back you'll all
Speaker 5: sign
Speaker 17: No, they don't mean individuals.
Speaker 19: There could be sinaو
Speaker 21: First house on the left.
Speaker 22: It'd have to be a 3-foot ditch.
Speaker 23: What's that now?
Speaker 24: I mean, I don't know when I can go up tomorrow, but I could probably go up tomorrow.
Speaker 22: Well, yeah, we're going to apply for a grant for that.
Speaker 26: Yeah.
Speaker 27: We all—
Speaker 27: we're going to bring this—
Speaker 28: I mean you can't just throw a culvert in a cannon.
Speaker 29: Herd grass.
Speaker 30: So there's a lot of stuff.
Speaker 30: No.
Speaker 31: I won't work on any of that stuff, and I'll wash the truck.
Speaker 22: Well, I know we got a third guy now. Maybe we could utilize him to do something like that.
Speaker 32: Well, I understand there's some dust up there, that's for sure.
Speaker 22: But, at the same time...
Speaker 31: See a new paint.
Speaker 33: You can walk up and down and have someone to walk with you.
Speaker 13: So, I don't know.
Speaker 16: We can regulate the lines right now.
Speaker 34: So, that's where my question was confused.
Speaker 35: We can make it different if we want to. We're doing that this month, though.
Speaker 36: money we're investing into that structure.
Speaker 37: Oh, I understand that.
Speaker 38: really work exactly if you start doing something right now you will find out
Speaker 35: what people don't want it right away so the village center lines are important
Speaker 30: Ashford only and that's the small give me the number give me the number tried and
Speaker 39: 30
Speaker 39: say, well, why is the notice still up? Well, we don't have to say we're not hiring. We can just say, okay,
Speaker 27: We have a history of having a problem finding people. We have a history of that.
Speaker 40: I've already sold a good...
Speaker 41: Oh, you hear that?
Speaker 42: Except Dirt and Deer Season.
Speaker 43: Dirt and Deer Season, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 44: So they were going around to find out.
Speaker 42: You asked Bob to identify them.
Speaker 45: There's a lot of buildings that don't have the 9-1-1 numbers on them.
Speaker 44: We can't send them a letter if we don't know.
Speaker 46: We don't know.
Speaker 47: Any other old business?
Speaker 43: The 22nd.
Speaker 47: Thank you.
Speaker 30: Thank you.
Speaker 45: It's going to be here before we know it. Will you send . . . 7.30 is last year and . . . All Four in favor?
Speaker 46: I imagine they will if they're asked.
Speaker 48: Old business.
Speaker 29: I had a...
Speaker 49: Thank you.
Speaker 28: it on the website?
Speaker 16: This is different than what I read.
Speaker 47: If it's a hearing, they can. Right. But not an average meeting.
Speaker 30: Okay.
Speaker 30: Are you choosing the intra Hudders?
Speaker 50: But the laws are all over the place.
Speaker 47: So how do we...
Speaker 39: Well, I don't know if we have to, but we've always had just to give it.
Speaker 39: Just be switching positions.
Speaker 47: I don't even think you have to post it.
Speaker 24: on the day it's gonna create it.
Speaker 35: Do you guys need it?
Speaker 51: Second.
Speaker 40: I'm a yes, if rule's here.
Speaker 52: Maybe.
Speaker 19: Yeah, I think we posted our work.
Speaker 48: I mean, you could write, but you're not making any motions or any decisions here.
Speaker 35: Yes, but why wouldn't they, but why wouldn't they want a fifth person if the fifth person wants to sit in?
Speaker 39: You know what?
Speaker 53: That's not where we're meeting again?
Speaker 54: There is a box there.
Speaker 54: Maybe the planning board is the right place to look at it, but I have a big problem with
Speaker 48: Well, Jesus.
Speaker 39: It is.
Speaker 46: You want to put it on the AO to document it. Well that's what we're trying to do.
Speaker 44: Then it should be just a form that...
Speaker 35: She's supposed to document every conversation and all that.
Speaker 48: We have a lot of building going on.
Speaker 53: But there's some things that when...
Speaker 42: For everything, all...
Speaker 55: Right.
Speaker 13: I can tell you my huge frustration
Speaker 48: I don't think there's...
Speaker 9: they'll show up.
Speaker 56: When you're going
Speaker 50: Exactly.
Speaker 33: to over-regulate it.
Speaker 57: That's what all
Speaker 57: Yep.
Speaker 48: Work on it
Speaker 39: How can we do this?
Speaker 48: How can we work on this?
Transcribed 2026-09-04 (faster-whisper large-v3, CUDA; names corrected per data/name_fixes.json). Names corrected against the minutes. Diarization is automated and over-splits one person into several labels. Raw model output with timestamps: SRT.