Town Council Meeting

Town Council Meeting March 13, 2025 7:00 PM Meeting minutes Opening Ceremonies Present at Meeting: Mayor Bruce Rowley. Council Members Belle Brough, Rachel Goates, Ray Evans, Chris Chipping Meeting Recorders: Chantal Rowley, Treasurer, Elaina Jenson, Deputy Clerk, Christine Carrigan, Clerk Also Present: Carol Bennett Welcome Mayor Bruce Rowley opened the regular Town Council meeting for Thursday, March 13, 2025 at 7:00 pm and welcomed everyone in attendance. Invocation Rachel Goates offered an invocation Pledge of Allegiance Chris Chipping led the Pledge of Allegiance. Discussion Items/Action Items Youth Council Leader Vacancy Mayor Rowley opened discussion on the Youth Council leader vacancy, noting that Taryn Brooks had resigned from being in charge of the youth council. He mentioned previous discussions about how to move forward and invited Rachel, who oversees this area, to lead the discussion. Rachel explained that they had found the policies and charter for the youth council program in the meeting packet. She noted that the program likely hadn't been run exactly as outlined and suggested they needed to decide whether to continue it and how to run it properly. Council members discussed various aspects of the youth council: ● Participation had been low, with only one or two meetings held recently despite initial interest. ● The charter calls for about 20 kids to be involved. ● Council members expressed interest in making the program more substantive, suggesting it should be like a leadership training program or "baby internship" to prepare youth for future civic involvement. ● Ideas were proposed such as requiring youth council members to attend some town council meetings, help with town events, and have more civic education components. ● The current $2,500 budget for the youth council was discussed. ● Council members debated whether local youth have enough time for the program given other school and extracurricular commitments. The council discussed next steps:  ● Reviewing and potentially revising the youth council charter ● Finding a new adult leader to oversee the program ● Surveying local youth to gauge interest ● Including information about the youth council in the upcoming town newsletter ● Potentially lowering the number of youths required from 20 to 8 No formal decisions were made, but the council agreed to continue discussing how to revitalize the youth council program. 24th Celebration Update Chantal Rowley provided an update on planning for the July 24th town celebration. She shared a detailed plan from Mckenzie Stowell, who is organizing the event. Key points included: ● Most responsibilities have been delegated out ● A new emcee, Michael Price, has been found ● The Lion's Club will likely handle the breakfast ● Dinner options are still being explored, including potential catering ● Online payment options are being investigated to streamline ticket sales ● Donation request letters will go out by April 1st to help fund the event ● Activities like a movie in the park and raffles are being considered ● T-shirt sales logistics are still being determined The council discussed various aspects of the event planning: ● Payment logistics, including the use of Square readers for credit card payments ● Potentially creating a dedicated Facebook page for the event ● Streamlining the ticket sales process ● Vendor policies and participation ● The event budget, which is set at $10,000 The council expressed appreciation for Mckenzie's work in organizing the celebration. They agreed to provide any needed support and to revisit some details as the event gets closer. Mayor/Councilmember/Department/Committee Reports Mayor/Council Member Reports Ray Evans reported that Alan retired from managing the dump. Nicholas Painter, who was already working there, was promoted to the management position. They are now hiring another person to work at the dump. Mayor Rowley provided an update on discussions with the gas company about defining where their gas lines end and the town's begin. He noted there are still some details to work out in the contract language. Rachel reported that there was no Planning Commission meeting this month. Chris shared that he attended a fire training meeting where 8-9 firefighters were recertified in CPR. He noted it was a good meeting with engaged participants. Office Issued Permits Report: Christine reported on building permits: ● A reroof permit for C. Carrigan was issued ● Two permits for placing new trailers at the trailer park are pending payment ● A fence permit for Lowe's is still pending Planning Commission Report There was no Planning Commission report as they did not meet this month. Committee Reports There were no additional committee reports. Other Reports Christine provided several office updates: ● The town is tentatively approved for a grant for the pickleball court, pending state approval ● Work is ongoing to prepare a grant request for baseball field renovations ● Jason, the town's utility manager, was selected for the nationwide Larry Hobart 7 Hats Award, a prestigious recognition for utility managers in small towns Council Business Approval of Minutes for February 13th, 2025, Regular Meeting Ray Evans made a motion to approve the minutes for the February 13th, 2025 regular meeting. Chris Chipping seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Approval of Claims (2-1-2025 to 2-28-2025) Approval of Payroll Comparison Report (1-1-2025 to 2-28-2025) Approval of Final Cash Receipts Report (1-1-2025 to 1-31-2025) Rachel Goates made a motion to approve the claims from 2-1-2025 to 2-28-2025, the payroll comparison report from 1-1-2025 to 2-28-2025, and the final cash receipts report from 1-1-2025 to 1-31-2025. Ray Evans seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Review Tentative Cash Receipts Report (2-1-2025 to 2-28-2025) Review Budget Report (7-1-2024 to 2-28-2025) Public Comments There were no public comments. Convene into Executive Session There was no executive session. Adjourn Belle Brough made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Ray Evans seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 8:01 pm. Christine Carrigan, Clerk