Wilton Select Board Approves Police Truck, Watershed Grant, Election Day Office Closure

[0:00] Speaker A (unidentified): I'm going to say three things on the screen. [0:01] Alan (watershed grant presenter): How are you, sir? Good. [0:04] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): I'm well. I see you. [0:08] Speaker D (unidentified): I've even seen you. This is my first time here. Oh, yeah. [0:12] Speaker A (unidentified): I know. Just you. I'm going to ask. Here we go. [0:17] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): Not too hot. I'm going to start coming in. We've got lots of colorful trees. [0:23] Select Board member: Holy is this great. Come on, people. [0:25] Police Chief (cruiser purchase recommendation): I guess we could have barbed cord. [2:33] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): We can rise for the Pledge of Allegiance, please. [2:39] Speaker D (unidentified): I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America [2:44] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): and to the republic for which it stands, [2:47] Speaker D (unidentified): one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. [2:54] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): Thank you and welcome to the Whitman Select Board of October 6. Next up, minutes of the September 15th meeting. [3:06] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): I move to approve the minutes of the September 15th, 26th meeting as written. [3:11] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): Second. And moved and second. Questions, concerns, errors, omissions? Nathan. [3:17] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): I have many amendments to propose, and I can pass out a colored chart if anyone would like to follow along in the things that I am proposing. If they don't want it, is anyone interested? If you could pass it down. So the first one is on the very last line in the minutes as written, it says, Tiffany states that oftentimes ordinances are sent to legals. Having that line at the very end after the final vote doesn't seem like the right place for it. So I move to move the line, Tiffany states, up to where it says references the first page of the ordinance, which is like three or four paragraphs up. That way the discussion about ordinances being sent to legal is in the same place as the other discussion about ordinances being sent to legal. Does anyone follow along or? The final line in the minutes says, Tiffany states that oftentimes ordinances are sent to legal. If you go up one, two, three paragraphs, the end of that paragraph ends with the phrase first page of the ordinance. Would [4:37] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): you like me to pull up the minutes? I mean, this is pretty lengthy. I'm not sure if that would be helpful. I'm happy to do that. [4:58] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): The very last line in the one that we were given is Tiffany states that oftentimes, which is after the final vote. Or did I get a different version? [5:13] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): No, I mean, so I'm just trying to locate where you're at, so. The very final line. The final line of that item. Right. Okay, understood. States that oftentimes ordinances are sent legal. [5:25] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): And having that written after the final vote doesn't seem like the most logical place for someone who's reading it later and wants to get the whole story. So if you go four paragraphs above, you'll see one that ends with the line references the first page of the ordinance. That, those two sentences would be, it would logically follow as the story to put that one line up there. [5:51] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): That's my motion, so you're not looking to change the context of the minutes, no. [5:57] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): No, just this motion is to move that one line. Instead of being at the end, it'll be at the end of this upper paragraph. So the very last line should start with Tiffany States, the very last on the minute, the draft in the minutes that [6:15] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): was presented to us. It's right above item number seven. It's on the second [6:20] Speaker I (unidentified): page. Got it, got it, okay, thank you. Following, I think it fits. That is there something? Yeah. [6:35] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): If it's a discussion, it's under the final vote, but once we finally vote voted, [6:45] Select Board member: it's over, that item's over. Are you sticking with motion to discuss? [6:50] Speaker I (unidentified): No, I'm just clarifying, Phil. [7:05] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): You did second. Did I? Okay. Sorry. No second? [7:14] Select Board member: I've been too, I did second, apparently. I've been so caught up in looking at it, the closure, that I forget I already did. [7:20] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): I mean, for me it's, if we're not changing the context, it's indifferent. [7:27] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): I'm happy to do something else if there's no second. [7:31] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): No, there's a second. [7:36] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): It's just for readability, it's just for someone reading it afterwards, all the information that is correlated together will be [7:44] Select Board member: in one place. I guess my only concern is it in the order it was stated in? [7:51] Speaker I (unidentified): That's the question. Can you believe it is there? [7:56] Select Board member: You believe the minutes are already accurate in the order [7:59] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): they were set in? I do. Okay. All those in favor of the motion to amend? It's one. Opposed? Fails? Nathan? [8:18] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): Okay, so another motion which is the same nature of the third to last paragraph. It's eight lines, and it begins with David C's clarification. Those eight lines relate to the discussion about a town meeting or a special ballot. Ballot, they are placed under the previous paragraph we were talking about, legal reviews and referencing the ordinance, and the discussion about being placed on a special ballot occurred earlier in the discussion. It didn't occur after we were already talking about legally reviewing the ordinance. Ordinance, so I would like move to change these to move these eight lines and place them earlier where it says Nathan explains he is requesting a special ballot to take those eight lines and move them under that so that all the discussion about special ballot is in the minutes where they were dis word were discussed. But I think we stopped discussing the special ballot after that vote was passed. Now I think we returned to discuss in this special ballot later in the in the discussion. Do we have a second Donnelly's for lack of a second Nathan the not the last paragraph but right above it begins with Tiffany suggests we adopt the ordinance. Now that paragraph contains a couple of sentences that I like to talk to talk about the second the second to last sentence in that paragraph says Nathan states that the town has voted on roads slash routes in the past. I feel confident that I did not say that. I would they like to someone to bring me to where I said that. It is the inverse of my viewpoint and I move to strike that sentence from the minutes because I'm confident that I didn't say it. I'll [10:31] Select Board member: second for discussion question. Go ahead. Did you, are you basing that on your memory or on a video? The review of the video. Okay. [10:42] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): If someone, I'm happy to, we could table these minutes and have someone find a clip of me saying that to disprove what I'm saying. I'd be happy to do that. I'm very, I don't know, I don't think I said that the town has voted. [10:55] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): And I'm fine with accepting that you didn't say it. It's not going to change the context of the minutes. [11:03] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): My motion is to remove that sentence from the draft minutes. Right. Any other [11:11] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): discussion? All those in favor of the amendment? [11:18] Speaker D (unidentified): Channels will be stricken. Okay. One more. Nathan. [11:24] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): This is the purple one at the very beginning. As in the cases of the language that we just reviewed, our minutes typically contain a brief description of what was discussed rather than a lengthy explanation. That's fine the discussion that we had last time under item 6 altering vehicle access route ordinance was one of extra significance and there is one important piece which is 150 words long that I would like to see included verbatim in the in the minutes and I'll give you a copy of this motion later to make sure that it's correct. I move To amend to place the following language just after quote reviewed on the TV screen and so just above the purple. The previous sentence ends with reviewed on the TV screen, so that's where we are, and I want to amend to insert this language, which is taken verbatim. Tiffany suggested edits to the draft ordinance. The edits that were shown on screen and read verbally included a rewrite of section 2d, now renamed to 2f, access routes waiver, the text of which read as follows, quote, an ATV may be operated off a designated ATV access route only to travel by the most direct route between the operator's residence and the nearest ATV access route, and only when that residence is located 500 yards of the route, measured along the way it's traveled. A Wilson resident whose residence is located more than 500 yards from a designated ATV access route may apply to the chief of police for a waiver of this limitation. The chief of police may grant or deny a waiver on a case-by-case basis considering the distance and route of travel, the safety and condition of the ways to be traveled, in any relevant complaint or enforcement history, end quote. That's the motion, and if anyone doubts the words, the clip is available to play. It's clip one, so motioning to include verb verbatim what was read verbally to the meeting and shown on screen, which was that addition to the draft ordinance, and i can give you a copy of the motion i just read to make sure that all the words are there, and you guys have it in the purple too. Yep, Aaron has a copy of that. Okay, sorry, so i think that language is very important. It's going to be important in the future that those words were added to the ordinance that day. Discussion all [14:13] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): those in favor? Unanimous. Now to vote on the minutes as amended. No, we need a motion so [14:32] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): move second. Questions? All those in favor? So point of order, I started by a motion to move the minutes as written, and then the amendment passed, so we added that amendment to it, and now we're back on the main motion, which was made by me, right? Okay, that's [14:49] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): right, but as amended, we passed your amendments individually. Now we're back on passing the main [14:59] Speaker D (unidentified): motion as amended, which was originally made by me. Yes, okay, yeah, i don't think we need my motion, right? Yeah, that's that's cool, that's what i said. All those in favor? It's unanimous. Public [15:17] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): comment, mr. Saviel is not going to be with us tonight. Review of the in approval of the vine and pond grant, Alan, you want to give us some background? I [15:37] Speaker A (unidentified): believe that Alan is here to do that we've been looking for a grant for [15:43] Alan (watershed grant presenter): vine and pond for the watershed and we just got open we just got awarded a ninety five hundred dollar bond grant for the main drinking water program and I just want you guys to approve it and accept it because we can accept that we can go on with the workers it's for watershed testing anything to do with that water without water at bottom pond water so for clarity it's nine thousand [16:11] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): six hundred and eighteen dollars is what is what the town was awarded testing of [16:19] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): the watershed yep does that include on the temple side also yes both sides so [16:25] Speaker I (unidentified): by testing you're gonna go test the water is there any other in the pond is [16:30] Alan (watershed grant presenter): there any other place you're gonna test it just for them just run on for the [16:33] Speaker I (unidentified): drinking water okay so none of the streams that come in no okay just [16:37] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): check any other questions all those in favor it is unanimous thank you very [16:45] Alan (watershed grant presenter): much appreciate it thank you next [16:49] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): up review of the canvas license renewal for [16:53] Police Chief (cruiser purchase recommendation): the marriage a woman building [16:58] Speaker D (unidentified): discussion dancing [17:07] Speaker I (unidentified): so it looks like in the application it says that it's a location is three Bryant Road and that doesn't [17:14] Speaker A (unidentified): seem right across from character supply any other questions seeing [17:27] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): none all those in favor it is unanimous next up review of junkyard permit for Collins [17:37] Speaker A (unidentified): enterprise junk [17:45] Speaker D (unidentified): ad permit for Collins enterprise thank you second questions [17:54] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): Mason so this is a question it applies to all three people equally the way the permit is written it said we having a public hearing today there's a difference between a public hearing versus something being on a regular agenda item the law only requires a public hearing when a new junkyard is open it's after that it's optional every year and Wilson chooses not to do it every year just for the sake of clarity for anyone who might be reading later or maybe a I was reading this in years my I would comment to say could we read write the permit so that it just distinguishes between saying that we're having a public hearing versus saying they were having you know a review or a public meeting just anything because you know it says public hearing but we're not we're not having one that's that's all the only discussion I would have on [18:35] Select Board member (junkyard/police vehicle discussion): This Mr. Parker has Collins met all the Planning Board requirements and zoning requirements for the junkyard as far as fencing is concerned? Yes, it's not only fencing, it's blocking the view. So last year it was approved by the select board for the tractor-trailer beds to be considered and approved by the town. [19:10] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): You're welcome. Anybody else have any questions? No. Seeing none, all those in favor? It is unanimous. Review of the junkyard permit, the Hagen Enterprises. So moved. So moved to approve. [19:28] Select Board member (junkyard/police vehicle discussion): I'll second. Discussion? Discussion? I think it's spelled wrong. It's two Gs. You're right. You are correct. [19:40] Select Board member: Wrong permit, too, or just on the agenda? On the agenda. Okay. [19:45] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): Not worth it. All those in favor? Anonymous. Review of junk ad permit for Michael Stickney. Move to approve. I'll second it. [20:02] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): There is an end that one's called all those [20:07] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): in favor it's unanimous next up review the police department RFP for a police cruiser Chief Kai so we [20:27] Police Chief (cruiser purchase recommendation): did an RFP for a new cruiser we did one for outfitting a Ford F-150, a Ford Police Interceptor. Hopefully everyone got the layout that we provided. My recommendation is to purchase a 2027 Ford F-150 from Auto Fair and have it outfitted by ICS. The reason why I'm recommending the truck is for training purposes. So when we go to the range, we have equipment that we want to bring to the range typically we don't can't fit them in cruisers so also if we have off-road use if we want to tow something we're getting a speed trailer sign at the end of November and we need a hitch for that the interceptors do now come with hitches but if we wanted to tow something heavier than that we would need a truck that disaster response, evidence, transport, and overall resale value of a truck is a lot higher than [21:36] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): a cruiser. So can I have a motion on the RFP to accept the Chief's recommendation? So moved. Do we have a second? [21:50] Speaker I (unidentified): I'll second. But I'm looking at this going, why are we paying more than the otherwise? Discussion? [21:59] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): Nathan? So, back on June 23rd, there was a police department quarterly update, and during that update, we heard the current model years and mileages of all the vehicles that were in the fleet at the time, and I found that information to be very useful. The police vehicles was one of the topics that I hear from the public about, and on this, I've written down the numbers that were given on that day, which was the model years and the mileages. Of course, the mileages are different today than they were then. But my question about this replacement is, which of these vehicles here is being replaced in this transaction? The third one down, so the 2017 that had 127,000 miles on June 22nd? Yep. And what I know, that there's seven vehicles for seven officers, that's the positions that are Oh are allotted. What function was this particular vehicle do? Was it a regular patrol car? Did one to a particular [22:57] Police Chief (cruiser purchase recommendation): officer, like how was it? Correct, that is the last of the fleet that we kept when we had three vehicles. And what we do for rotation is the patrol would get the brand new vehicle, they run it for two years, they would put a ton of miles on it, then go the sergeant for two years, get a little less mileage, then you go to the chief for the remainder of its life. And usually by that five to six year period, the cruiser is absolutely jump that cruiser that we're talking about, 16,000 engine hours. The next closest vehicle we have is 6,000 engine hours, so [23:30] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): what function is it's currently serving? Patrol. It's in the patrol location in the Ford F-150 that you want, we'll be able to serve the same fun, the same [23:38] Police Chief (cruiser purchase recommendation): correct, we'll be moving to a different, it'll go to the officer that is assigned [23:45] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): to that cruiser. Okay, so the other question I had was, you're talking about other new functions that a truck could perform that the current cruiser can't, right? And so presumably those needs exist right now. Are those functions being performed a different way now? Yes, [24:04] Police Chief (cruiser purchase recommendation): so like when we go to training, firearm training, we will take a personal truck that someone owns and put the equipment in it and drive it to the range. I'm happy to vote for [24:17] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): this. Any other questions? My question, I do actually have a question. So it's going to be regular patrol rotation, so your officer arrests somebody, you put them in the back, correct? Yep, they'll have [24:37] Police Chief (cruiser purchase recommendation): a cage in it, yeah, it's gonna be set up, yeah, all of our other ones, it's gonna be same setup. Okay. [24:44] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): Okay. Mr. Parker. [24:46] Select Board member (junkyard/police vehicle discussion): There was a question, is it to a four-door, and thus will we be able to take somebody into custody, so it's going to be a four-door? Yes. My other question is, what is this color? This is a strange question, but it used to be that we could tell our police cars in Wilton. Right now, I think we're sort of playing ice highway patrol with these black on black, and you can't even tell that they're a police car. Now, I mean, as a public citizen, and I just think we should be able to tell which what our police cars are versus, and I can understand the need to have some cars that are black when you're using them for observation and you know keeping them hidden for something, but has this been brought up before to the [25:30] Police Chief (cruiser purchase recommendation): select board? Two-part answer to that. We held off on doing decals until we found out what happened with Jay. We didn't want to put Wilton in the police department if we were going to merge with Jang. Part two to that is we got a quote from Sign Works and there were six to eight weeks out. That was six to eight weeks ago, and then we got a price from Adam Industries who did a quote for this, and per to do one cruiser was thirteen hundred dollars to letter it, and that's not with having to drive it down drop it off, come back, so you have two officers going back and forth. But yes, we have full intentions to letter them, all of them besides probably the gold one that you see and my maroon one that I draw. But the issue is availability of someone to do the details. [26:23] Select Board member (junkyard/police vehicle discussion): But it's not going to be black on black lettering, it's going to be, we're going to be able to read Wilton. [26:27] Police Chief (cruiser purchase recommendation): It will be subdued. I can show you. It could be subdued with a little bit of gray and white, which is going to be when the light hits it, 's going to reflect. It's the design currently. [26:43] Select Board member (junkyard/police vehicle discussion): Is it going to be legible, though, like you're sitting in, like... [26:47] Police Chief (cruiser purchase recommendation): It's going to be, I mean, I don't know. It's going to be... Farmington's, the counties, they're all kind of the same subdued lettering. When light hits it, reflects. [26:56] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): All right, thank you. [26:58] Select Board member: Phil. As someone who has a lead foot, I wholeheartedly agree. I want to see it come on my board. That's all. [27:04] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): Any other questions? All those in favor of approval? It's unanimous. Next up, to set a public hearing for general assistance moved for October 20th at 6 p.m. [27:24] Select Board member: That's a motion. You always make motions. I know. Second. [27:29] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): Any questions? All those in favor? It's unanimous. We missed it, we missed the part last meeting, that's why we're doing this meeting. Next up, Woodland Wonder Snowmobile Club snowmobile [27:44] Speaker D (unidentified): grant, Marie. Yes, thank you, that [27:52] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): helps me, so we need to approve the snowmobile club to be able to submit reimbursement from the state, so it's an annual thing. Questions? I was not in the road, I was just checking to see if Eric Brown was here. Eric is not [28:14] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): Unavailable, and that's what he had mentioned in his email, but he did send an email explaining everything and the project description. I was on the real [28:26] Speaker I (unidentified): True, on Saturday it is really pitted, and I don't know if they're doing that to keep the snowmobiles. [28:37] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): I was, I was actually on it today with the state parks and bureau. Might have run into your, not literally, but met your husband. Yeah, reviewing that because my back can't take much more. It's the state, so there's a whole process. Okay, so I've seen them graded before, but this been many years. Okay, yeah, nope, actually was working with the state this afternoon. [29:06] Speaker I (unidentified): My back greatly appreciates it. [29:10] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): So the motion is to approve this would be a club to apply for the grant and allow, if I may, allow the town manager to [29:21] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): Tim and I, Eric Grant, or Eric Brown, and myself to sign. Sign. [29:25] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): Yes. All those in favor? Unanimous. I'll give you a second. Do you second? I second. She did. Next up, Appointment of Comprehensive Plan Committee Members, Eve Henslow and Keith Sweat. [29:46] Select Board member (junkyard/police vehicle discussion): I move to approve both of them. I second. Nason. [29:53] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): Last meeting, the Slap Board made a motion to set the number of members of this committee at nine. At the last committee meeting, they discussed the current members and the count. And by the count that I heard at that meeting, and there is a recording if anyone wants to see it, the number of people, there's eight members who have attended at least one of the last four meetings. Nick, Christian, Glenn, Charlie, Gary, Nancy, Jay, and Courtney. Is eight, they've been at one of the last four meetings. Does anyone have a different information than me about the membership and the numbers, Nick? [30:30] Speaker I (unidentified): Was here. No one's here because [30:37] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): Yeah, yes, I believe you're correct of the current members. Okay, well then I make a move. I see only [30:44] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): One open spot on the committee based on the information I have, so I moved to amend the motion to appoint only Heath Sweat the comprehensive planning committee and not even Ends Low because I don't think we can. Second that, Bill, is for discussion is [30:58] Select Board member: That your understanding as well? Can [31:03] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): You name them again? Nick, Christian, Gwen, Charlie, Gary, Nancy, Jay, and Courtney. And I should ask that we heard earlier a few months ago about support staff members qualifying as voting members of committees, which we didn't previously think was the case, but now we are understand that it is to be the case as of, you right? I think it was with that understanding chain making Gary count as a voting member well [31:35] Speaker D (unidentified): No offense to you, but it's no Keith. Well, they'd be allowed to have an alternate, [31:42] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): like we do on the planet, like on the playing board. I don't know if they can [31:45] Select Board member (junkyard/police vehicle discussion): have alternates if they don't form or whatever. Mr. Parker, same question, same [31:50] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): answer. Mason, as I remember our discussion last time, and I don't have decided from the minutes directly, we did discuss the possibility of appointing alternate to this committee and decided not to do it last time. So could we do it again at an alternate now? Yes, but we didn't do it last time. I [32:07] Speaker I (unidentified): know as a member of this committee they were going to ask another one of the individuals who's only been there once if they were still interested. That was not my assignment, so I don't know where that's been, and it was supposed to be done two months in a row and it hasn't been [32:22] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): done so i don't know what the next i don't believe that 's been done i don't think it's been done. [32:27] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): So there would be an open position, maybe an alternate, so they can understand the flow of those meetings? [32:34] Select Board member (junkyard/police vehicle discussion): It would be a good idea, possibly. [32:36] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): So they can always attend as a member of the public? [32:39] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): So the motion is, to amend the nominations to allow Keith Swett to be the single appointee. [32:49] Speaker I (unidentified): Yes. And allow Eve to be the alternate? [32:52] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): No, that's not the motion. Motion all those in favor of the amendment unanimous. Now we'll go on to voting on the motion as amended to appoint Keith sweat to the comprehensive playing committee all those in favor unanimous. Yeah, make a motion to add Eve [33:21] Speaker I (unidentified): as a alternative? It's a non-agenda item. Okay, got it. Thank you. Thank you. Discussion on the [33:29] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): town office closure for November 3rd. Madam Manager. [33:42] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): So my recommendation, and I stand beside Erin and don't mean to speak on her behalf, but I believe that you and I are on the same page, to respectfully request the Select Board's consideration to close the town office on November 3rd and all following election days. Say that again please, and all of the following election days, so here in perpetuity. Yeah, just quick, so this recommendation would affect normal office operations for one day. Understood, and you can, you can decide to consider for just November 3rd primary person's purpose is to ensure that election day is staffed, it's organized, and it's we're providing the best service to the voters. Registrar will utilize two office staff members. Actually, you will utilize three. You have confirmation that because I am not a resident of the county, I am still authorized to. So we were waiting on that confirmation. So she will be able to utilize three office staff members during the day from 7 45 to 5 p.m. In addition to, we used only two ballot clerks, so in addition to two ballot clerks during the day, in the evening we will have four ballot clerks to support the polling activities through closing and the ballot processing. Due to our current staffing levels and vacancies, we have fewer personnel available, and closing the office would allow us to make the best use of available staff. The tax payments are due on November 2nd. We are aware of that, which is Monday, the day before election. The closure would not interfere with the tax due date. Code enforcement office would continue to operate its normal schedule. He is still able to meet with people upstairs. He is still able to go to inspections. Other municipalities that we had reached out to, there are other municipalities that close and have office staff that assist with election day duties. Again, I respectfully request that you consider [35:59] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): closing the office. Mason. I make a motion to close the office on November 3rd 2026. I second. Mason. As I recall, the office was not closed on the November election last year. I know that this year we're electing a county treasurer. I'm not sure if there's any other big stuff that's happening this year that would cause it to be a big election, governor. I hadn't researched this very well, so I guess I won't be okay with closing. I do like your [36:33] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): motion just for this year, nothing forever. [36:46] Speaker I (unidentified): I think we see how it goes and then make that decision in 2027. [36:54] Select Board member: Phil? I was just going to say that I was considering granting an edge for doing a follow-up because we could just easily do a roll-up and see how it goes and roll it back if we want to. So either way is fine with me. Any other discussion? [37:04] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): All those in favor of closing November 22nd, November 3rd, November 3rd, 2026, unanimous. Thank you. My next meeting October 20th, and I will say while we're under upcoming meetings, we're closing the town office then. We will not have a select board meeting on November 30 either, because that would be our first meeting. If the town manager is going to be tied up with election, we can't have her in two places at once. She is good, but everybody has their limits. Pick an [37:52] Speaker D (unidentified): election booth and pull the needle. We're gonna do it at public safety. Yeah, but I [37:59] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): think it's cleaner that we do not hold a meeting room unless an emergency comes up. So, our next meeting will October 20th and then whatever in November. [38:27] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): Nathan. I've been stockpiling my others waiting for a meeting that we like, because we had some not so light meetings, so I'll have a handful of them tonight. The September 15th agenda shows an executive session called discussion of duties. Prior to that day, an employee made comments that led me to prepare for a discussion on a particular topic. The day after, I was informed that the topic I had prepared for was not and will not be intended for this discussion. Now that I have more information with which to prepare, I move that the October 20th agenda include an executive session called discussion of duties so that I am able to participate [39:16] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): discussion. Well, we have workshop on the 13th, that's next week, on the duties at [39:38] Speaker I (unidentified): four o'clock, right? My [39:43] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): opinion, we've got a motion on the floor. All those in favor, opposed [39:55] Speaker D (unidentified): fails. Next, Nathan, you said you had several. Yep, so the select board has the [39:59] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): role and responsibilities document. The planning board has a similar documents called establishment of Wilton playing for from 1997. Employees have job descriptions. The type of town official that does not have a document to outline the structure of their duties is that of town committee members. I've found other towns that have a document to fill this gap. Livermore Falls has one called bylaws for board then committees, if anyone wants to look at it. Questions around committee duties have surfaced at different meetings, including at the committee meetings themselves. Creating a founding document for town committees would be would be an opportunity to clarify the goals and responsibilities of the members. I realize that creating one will be a long process, which is why the sooner we start, the more likely it is to be ready in time to preempt any potential conflict that may arise. To this end, I make a motion to put an item on the October 20th 2026 agenda entitled quote discussion of creating a document to outline the structure of town [41:06] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): committees. Yes ma'am, a very recent select board meeting, it didn't you bring that up and it was there was an agreement that you and I were going to work on a document relating to the committees, is that correct? I might [41:28] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): remember it differently. Then I'm sorry. Okay, I correct me correct me if I'm [41:32] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): wrong, but that was my understanding was that was that was something that you and I were going to work on because I have it on my to-do list. That's what I [41:43] Speaker I (unidentified): thought in a discussion about we needed some kind of protocol and things like [41:48] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): that, and I don't remember that we had all those in favor of the motion opposed Failed. Nathan, you have more? [42:03] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): On September 23, board members got an email saying, quote, the warrants will be available downstairs for your signature. This will go into effect with this week's warrants, end quote. A comment had been made to me by a staff member prior that voiced a possible security concern about this procedure. It could be a simple understanding on my part. The safest approach is to have a discussion about the concern in the open and documented for future reference. Therefore, I make a motion to place on the October 20th 2026 agenda an item titled Discussion of Modified Select Board Warrant Review Procedures. [42:47] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): Fails for lack of a second. I would say, Nathan, that we can have that discussion when we have our workshop next week about roles and responsibilities. That would be a good opportunity to discuss it. Ultimately, when it comes to the warrants, the town manager dictates her process. We're just here to follow it, but we can discuss it on the 13th. I think it's a perfect opportunity when we have all members available. Nathan Melville [43:28] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): TV typically does not show up for our workshops, but they were there for a workshop that the county commissioners held on June 23rd. So it's not impossible the camera introduces accountability to a discussion, which is why I'm very much in favor of it. I move that the four board members present tonight sign a letter and that the town manager send it to Mount Blue TV tomorrow. Dear Mount Blue TV, your station does not have any commitment, agreement, or obligation to cover functions for the town of Wilton on any particular schedule. The Board of Select Persons is thankful for Memble TV's presence whenever the resources allow for it. There is an upcoming workshop that will take place at the town office on October 13th from 4-5pm. The Wilton Board of Select Persons would like to communicate our desire to see Memble TV live stream this workshop on YouTube and Boxcast and upload them to the Vimeo archive. We understand that limited resources may prevent you from getting to these workshops. With that understanding, we hope to see you there. If Mount Bull TV were to record these workshops, it would fall outside of normal select board meeting coverage and would not set a precedent for Mount Bull TV to be required to cover meetings in the future. Signed, Wilton Board of Select Persons, Nathan Hiltz, David Levitt, Nancy Allen, Phil Hilton. That's the contents of the letter. My motion is for us to sign that letter tonight and for the time manager to send it tomorrow. I'll [44:59] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): second for discussion. Discussion. Nancy? [45:11] Speaker I (unidentified): Maria, have you contacted them about the meeting in itself? I have not. So we don't know if they're aware of it or not? No. Okay. [45:21] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): Nathan? A private citizen contacted Memble TV a few weeks ago and was assured that the time slot is open and the resources are available for that workshop. [45:28] Select Board member: shop well is the private citizen you yes thank you can say that then it's okay but I'm just aware that they're aware of our schedule they make their best effort to come here I'm not gonna tell them how to do their jobs I'm grateful for them to be here I'm sure they are when they can be I think it's [45:48] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): was I'm just an overreaching any other [45:54] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): discussion all those in favor of the motion opposed fails three to one nathan anything else this [46:05] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): Comment is related. Oh, at this past annual town meeting there were many articles of many resorting ordinance. Prior to that meeting every word and every piece of punctuation had been carefully proofread by town officials and by the lawyers. No new language was introduced at town meeting. That meeting was over three months ago. If you go to the town website today the only version available is the one for 2023 that does not include the edits that were adopted in June. I understand that it can sometimes take time to upload to update the website, but this is one of the most important documents in the town and three months is a fair amount of time. So who was responsible for uploading the current version to the web, the website, and how can property owners view the rules that they're currently operating under? Is that a motion? Yeah, it's not a motion, it's a question. It's a discussion. [46:52] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): It's other. We're in other. As a question, as a board as a whole, would you like me to answer that question? Yes ma'am. Okay, so I'm happy to update that. I will send it and get that up updated on the website. Does that answer your question? [47:08] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): Yes. Nathan, if, okay, if I request to cover to the office and view a public document such as the 2011 meeting minutes or last week's warrants, who makes that, is that who makes the decision whether the answer to my request is yes or no? If I requested you a public document such as the 2011 meeting minutes or the warrants from the previous week, who makes the decision whether the answer to my request is yes or no? Normally [47:49] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): under governance of a board questions go through the select board chair and the chair work with the town manager to get answers, just for smooth simple operations and everybody's on the same page. [48:05] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): Who makes the decision whether the answer is yes or no, whether or not may I, yes ma'am, whether or [48:11] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): not you can review those documents? Right, they're public documents, you have the right to review them. The timing, Nate, you and I have gone over this, it's the timing of when you're asking to review some of these documents. So [48:28] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): does that help you Nathan? No. So [48:32] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): I am, yes, I have the authority to give you those documents. You were in here last week, if I may, you were in here last week during the time slots that those warrants were available. You came in and you did not sign those warrants and now you are asking to review those warrants here in two days, correct, while I was relying on the board for those signatures so I can pay those bills in a timely manner, correct, Robert's. [49:06] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): Rules doesn't allow someone to make the same motion twice. I made a motion to have discussion of war and review procedures. Are we having that discussion? I'm answering your question. Okay, that question was, it was answered. Second question, if I email a request to the town manager to view past meeting minutes, will that request always be denied, or is the answer any scenario in which it might be granted? My [49:41] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): question to you is, did you CC the board chair along with the town manager? I personally don't meet with the town manager without a scheduled appointment, and I don't suspect anybody else just comes in and occupies time on a regular basis without an appointment. If it's [50:06] Speaker D (unidentified): going to be anything substantial, Nathan, if I email a request to the town manager [50:13] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): to view past meeting minutes, will that request automatically be denied, or is there any scenario in which it might be great [50:24] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): Nathan's been reviewing like older minutes that are not okay, just check the website. Yes ma'am, I don't foresee why it would, unless you're asking for, give me a specific time, which I have requested of when you're going to be in the office, unless that, either the room is not available or it's just not a good time, and we can coordinate a better time. [50:49] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): So there is a scenario in which it might be granted. It's possible that if I email and make a request, it could be [50:54] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): granted? Absolutely, and it has in the past. Okay [50:59] Select Board member: Phil? These are public documents, right? Absolutely. So they're all FOIA-able? Yes. So even without occupying your time [51:06] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): someone to submit a FOIA request, which will go through the normal process. I am the Public Information Officer, though, so that does take up. [51:11] Select Board member: I understand that. But that has like a, there's a schedule around the FOIA request. Sure. [51:16] Speaker D (unidentified): You have X amount of time to respond. Five days to notify that you've received. Some time to actually fill it. [51:21] Select Board member: Therefore, it goes into a schedule and can be planned for. Is that correct? Yes. Okay, so no one has to email you directly or anyone directly after those things. They could send a normal request and just wait for the process to work out. [51:34] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): Yes, that's also a possibility. [51:37] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): Nathan? Specifically on the FOIA angle, which I hadn't considered before, my understanding is if someone were to FOIA say all minutes from 2011, that FOIA would be fulfilled by making copies of all the documents, not by having the raw binder given to them, right? Correct. Much more work on everyone to FOIA it than it would be to have just review it. And costly. Right, which I would probably avoid the FOIA route if at all possible. [52:06] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): I think the town manager clearly said yes you can get them, but it's not going to necessarily be on your time frame. That's what I heard, Nancy. [52:21] Speaker I (unidentified): Fire committee next meeting is the number night at 5 p.m. [52:36] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): At the fire, Erin, would you like to give your elections update? Sure. [52:43] Town Clerk (election tabulators): Okay, so in preparation for our elections in November, very exciting, we received two of our new tabulators, the DS300s, yesterday. We previously only had one. We have two now, so that's wonderful. We also got a new express vote machine. So I will be completing pre-election testing, and that will be done by the 16th on the new machines. Absentee ballots have arrived and are available as of October the 4th, so yesterday was the first day that we were having voting in the presence of the Clark Kitts town office, so absentee ballots are available. Absentee voting does close the end of business day on October the 29th. October 30 the special circumstances applications do begin for absentee voting. October 14th begins the closed period, which means voters may only register in person through election day, so they cannot register online and this year Wilton will be processing absentee ballots early for election. I have set that for October, Thursday October the 29th, and that will begin at 9 a.m. and we will use that second tabulator that we've received from the state as our absentee vote [54:00] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): docs will be removed during the week of October 12th, so please plan accordingly for the town cemetery rules. All decorations and plant container containers other than stones, permanent markers, and heavy urns must be removed by November 1st of each year. Any items left after the state will be discarded. The town office will be closed tomorrow, Wednesday, October 7th, to allow staff to attend the annual MMA municipal association convention and training sessions. Town office will be closed on monday October 12th, in observance of Indigenous People's Day, Select Board is holding a workshop, which we've already talked about, but it's Tuesday, October 13th, 2026, at 4 p.m. to discuss the roles and responsibilities of the Select Board. It's here at the town office. I also wanted to let everyone know that the Wilton Firefighters Benevolence Association is hosting their annual spaghetti dinner and pumpkin carving event. It's going to be held on Saturday, October 24th, 2026, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Wilton fire station. There's going to be a 50 raffle, pumpkin carving, and the spaghetti dinner. It's ten dollars per plate for adults and seven dollars per plate for the children. What time is that again? I'm from five to seven pm. [Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): October 24th.] Sorry, yes, October 24th, it's Saturday closure. [55:27] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): Down here on Main Street. [55:31] Town Clerk or recording secretary (minutes): Over 19th, yeah, it's October 19th. Ethan, do you have much information about that? [55:38] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): What part is being closed? You should be able to go through regardless, but it's going to be [55:43] Police Chief (cruiser purchase recommendation): right there on Sunset and Main Street, but you should be able to go around. Signs are big, yes. [55:51] Speaker A (unidentified): We've already had someone hit it. Well, watch where you're going. It wasn't a fire truck coming through. [56:01] Select Board member (motion to approve minutes): I make a motion we go into executive session under Peter 1, section 4056A, charges, complaints, or allegations against an individual public official. [56:12] Select Board chair (leads Pledge of Allegiance): Second. All those in favor?