Annual Town & School Meeting
March 6, 2006
6:00 P.M.
Robert Guyer called the meeting to order on March 6, 2006 at 6:00 P.M. with a Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
Robert Guyer acting a temporary Moderator explained the proceeding of the meeting of the Roberts Rule of Order.
Article #1. Shall the Town of vote to elect a moderator for the Town of Morgan for the ensuing year? Charles Woods was nominated and seconded. Clerk cast one ballot for Charles Woods.
Article #2. Shall the Town vote to elect a moderator for the Town School District for the ensuing year? Charles Woods was nominated and seconded. Clerk cast one ballot for Charles Woods.
Article #3. To hear and dispose of the reports of the Town Officers as required by law. Motion was made & seconded to except the reports as written. Motion was moved and seconded.
Article #4. To elect all Town Officers as required by law.
Selectman 3-year term: Brian Gray was nominated and seconded. Motion ceased and seconded. Clerk cast 1 ballot for Brian Gray.
North Country School Director 3 year term: TammyLaCourse resigned. Diane Moore was nominated, and she declined the nomination. There were no other nominations nor was there any volunteering for the position.
E. Taylor Hatton School Board member 3-year term: Penelope Thomas was nominated and seconded. Motion ceased and Clerk cast 1 ballot for Penelope Thomas.
Lister 3-year term: Jim Judd was nominated and seconded. Motion ceased and Clerk cast 1 ballot for Jim Judd.
Auditor 3-year term: William Gottermyer was nominated and seconded. Motion ceased and Clerk cast 1 ballot for William Gottermyer.
First Constable 1 year term: Bob Cain was nominated and seconded. Motion ceased and clerk cast 1 ballot for Bob Cain.
Second Constable: 1 year term: Greg Wood was nominated and seconded. Motion ceased and seconded. Clerk cast 1 ballot for Greg Wood.
Delinquent Tax Collector 1-year term: TammyLee Morin was nominated and seconded. Jim Judd was also nominated and seconded. A paper ballot vote was asked with a show of at least 7 hands. Each nominee spoke on his/her behalf and then a paper ballot vote was in motion. Results of paper ballot vote were: TammyLee Morin 24 votes and Jim Judd 47 votes. Clerk cast 1 ballot for Jim Judd.
First Grand Juror 1-year term: Cyrus Benson was nominated and seconded. Motion Ceased and seconded. Clerk cast 1 ballot for Cyrus Benson.
Second Grand Juror 1-year term: Jane Hall Malgeri was nominated and seconded. Motion ceased and seconded. Clerk cast 1 ballot for Jane Hall Malgeri.
Town Agent 1-year term: Jane Hall Malgeri was nominated and seconded. Motion ceased and seconded. Clerk cast 1 ballot for Jane Hall Malgeri.
Cemetery Commissioner 5 year term: William Gottermyer was nominated and seconded. Motion moved and seconded. Clerk cast 1 ballot for William Gottermyer.
Community House Committee: Motion made and seconded to move as a slate. Removed from the slate were Roger & Ruth Whitcomb and Susan Lefevre. Added to the slate were Rose Mary Miller and MaryAnn Beaupre. Motion ceased and seconded. Clerk cast 1 ballot for Community House written as slate.
Article # 5,6,7 & 8. To be voted on from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on March 7th 2006 at the E. Taylor Hatton School.
Article #9. Shall the Town Authorize the Select Board to borrow money for the current expenses in anticipation of the taxes? Motion moved and seconded. So voted.
Article #10. Shall the Town of Morgan vote a budget to meet the expenses and liabilities of the Town and authorize the Selectmen to set a tax rate sufficient to provide the same? Motion moved and seconded. So voted.
Article #11. Shall the voters of the Morgan School District appropriate the sum of $ 524,600.00 necessary for the support of its school for the year beginning July 1, 2006? Motion moved and seconded. So voted.
Article #12. Shall the voters of the Town of Morgan School District authorize and empower the Board of School Directors to borrow money in anticipation of revenues for the purpose of paying current expenses?
There was discussion about the septic system and the School Board said there was no change and that it was still working. Motion moved and seconded. So voted.
Article #13. Shall the voters of the Town of Morgan vote to approve an additional expense to the Town Officers for the purpose of adding $ 5,200.00 to cover medical insurance for the Town Clerk & Treasurer? Motion made & seconded.
There was some discussion before a paper ballot vote. Results of the vote were 35 yes & 43 No.
Article #13 was voted down.
Article #14. Shall the voters of the Town of Morgan vote to approve the sum of $ 10,000.00 for paving and graveling Class #2 roads within the Town of Morgan? Motion moved and seconded. So voted.
Article #15. Shall the voters of the Town of Morgan vote in favor of the Town of Morgan retaining ownership of ancient roads, as trails for recreational purposes such as; walking, skiing, snow shoeing, & horseback riding? Motion made and seconded.
Jim Judd proposed an amendment of the article to read: rather then “such as” to read “for the purpose of” a motion was made and seconded. After more discussion, Selectman, Robert Guyer explained to his understanding, the state would like to get rid of this problem and that’s why we have this article in here, and that if we give up our rights to these ancient trails / what ever they want to call them, that is just one thing that the state is going to take from the Town’s responsibility, and he also quoted “granted that it could cause problems down the road” but there are many things that cause problems down the road and we have to look at and deal with as they come along. Right now he doesn’t believe that there is a real issue with it. Ken Jenness on behalf of this article, stating that “in Vermont it is against the Law to have a piece of property that you cannot get to, and that these ancient roads are how many people get back into there property and if we do away with these ancient roads the Town could find itself in a law suit many times and that he thought it was very important that we retain these roads. Jim Judd them made a motion to table the article for further discussion and put a committee together to investigate and find out as much as possible as to where these roads are. Motion moved and seconded. To table the article and the committee would report back 1 year from tonight. (March 6, 2007) So Voted.
Article #16. Shall the voters of the Town of Morgan instruct our State Representatives and Senators to oppose: 1. Any use of the State Education Fund for the purposes that are outside the Law’s original intent to make payments to school districts and supervisory unions for the support of education? 2. The shifting of existing state general Fund revenue support to the Education Fund? And 3. The reduction of any existing State General Fund revenue support to the Education Fund?
Motion moved and seconded. There was some discussion and noted that this article had come word for word from the Vermont League of Cities & Towns, explained Selectman Richard Miller and read a letter from the League of Cities and Towns explaining the article, and that it was being considered by a number of towns across the state. So voted.
Article #17. Shall the voters of the Town of Morgan appropriate the sum of $15,604.98 to be raised by taxes to the following organizations as shown: Motion made to vote as an entirety and seconded. Roger Stoddard proposed a motion to amend the article and vote the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department separately and split the article. Motion made and seconded. So voted.
Shall the Town of Morgan vote to appropriate the sum of $6,477.00 to the Orleans Sheriff’s Department? So moved and seconded. An amendment was proposed and seconded to change the amount from $6,477.00 to $5,000.00? Voice vote. Nay’s have it.
Shall the voters of the Town of Morgan vote to appropriate the sum of $6,477.00 to the Orlean’s Sheriff’s Department? Motion moved and seconded. So voted as amended.
Shall the voters of the Town of Morgan vote to appropriate the sum of $9,127.98 for bulk of the original article #16 excluding the Orleans Sheriff’s Department? “Ayes” have it. So voted as amended.
Article #18. Shall the Town vote to have all taxes paid into the Town treasury as provided by law, and if so, will the date be October 10, 2006? Motion made and seconded. SO voted.
Article #19. Shall the voters of the Town of Morgan vote to start it’s Annual Meeting on the Monday evening proceeding the 1st Tuesday of March at 6:00 p.m.? So moved and seconded. “Ayes” have it. So voted.
Article #20. To transact any other business that may legally come before said meeting. Diane Moore expressed her appreciation to Craig Lefevre for his work in the Town as Lister.
Laurie Cain asked if it were possible for the Town Clerk’s Office to be open a little later on one day of the week? Town Clerk TammyLee Morin explained she was opened by 7:00 a.m. in the morning 4 days a week.
Arthur Dennis expressed he would like to see the Select Board work with the Town Clerk & Treasurer about Health Insurance for her and that he would also like to see budgets voted on by Australian Ballot.
There was discussion from the previous year about a 213 +/- piece of Town property that has been a big subject each year for the past few years. Select man Robert Guyer, explained that a committee had been formed and went to the board with some ideas ranging from having a place for people to go and be able to tent such as a community camp ground, sell it, recreational use, and just to have the gate stay open so anyone from Town could get access to this property and many different things. They thought about all the ideas and also the issue of the camp on the Town property, and decided as a board did not want to make a decision on a piece of Town property. They didn’t want to mandate as to what to do with it or how it was going to be resolved.
The board spoke to the Curtis’s in regards tot he camp and explained to them what the Town was looking for if they were to go that route. The issue of leasing the portion of that property was brought up and agreed upon, the dollar amount has not been decided, and it would involve a 100’ square piece including what the camp sets on. Robby explained that he didn’t know a lot about leasing property, and that before they would even decided to go or not go with it he would like to have someone legally look at it and make sure that it is the right way to go, and would also like to make sure that it is something that the Town is interested in doing.
A motion was made and seconded that the Select Board through an Attorney comes up with an equal solution out of respect to the Curtis’s. “Ayes” have it. So voted.
Article #21. To swear in newly elected officers.
Article #22. Meeting adjourned at 8:50.
Morgan Select Board Morgan School Directors
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Richard A. Miller, Chairman Robert Cargill, Chairman
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Robert T. Guyer Penelope Thomas
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Brian Gray Kelly Paul