News
Organizational Selectboard Meeting Minutes – March 6, 2025
| Organizational Selectboard Meeting Minutes |
| March 6th, 2025 6:30 pm Chelsea Town Hall |
| Call to Order |
| Kevin Marshia called the meeting to order at 6:34 pm. SELECTBOARD Carrie Caouette-De Lallo (Present) Gregg Herrin (Present) Curtis Chase (Present) Kevin Marshia (Present) Paul Libby (Present, Virtual) TOWN EMPLOYEES Tierney Farago (Town Administrator) Rick Ackerman (Road Foreman) |
| Additions to the Agenda |
| The Town Administrator added the approval of orders to the agenda. |
| Conflict of Interest Disclosure: none |
| Public Comments |
| Tom Caffery attended the meeting virtually to express his interest in being appointed to the vacant Town Constable position and possibly the Health Officer and Animal Control Officer. He recounted his professional background in law enforcement, firefighting, animal control, and more. Kevin Marshia mentioned that they had spoken previously and would like to discuss Tom’s interest in more detail during the next regular Selectboard meeting on March 18th. |
| Approve Minutes from February 21st |
| Approval of minutes was tabled until the next meeting to allow the new Selectboard ample time to review. |
| Agenda Items |
| A. Appointments for any Elected Vacancies |
| No candidates were appointed to any vacant positions at this time. |
| B. Select Chair and Vice Chair |
| The Selectboard discussed and agreed that having the two most senior members of the Selectboard as the Chair and Vice-Chair would be the best course of action. Kevin Marshia made a motion to appoint Gregg Herrin to the Selectboard Chair position; Paul Libby seconded the motion. Motion passed. Carrie Caouette-De Lallo made a motion to appoint Kevin Marshia to the Selectboard Vice-Chair position; Curtis Chase seconded the motion. Motion passed. |
| C. Determine Meeting Rules of Procedure |
| Kevin Marshia made a motion to continue using Robert’s Rules of Order as a template for rules of procedure; Paul Libby seconded the motion. Motion passed. |
| D. Designate Meeting Dates, Times, and Location for Regular Meetings |
| The Selectboard discussed possibly moving the Selectboard meetings to every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month, however, there would likely be conflicts with other meetings including the Library meetings. Kevin Marshia originally made a motion to accept the new meeting days, but withdrew the motion due to the conflict. They decided continuing with the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, eliminating the 5th Tuesday meetings, would be sufficient. Kevin Marshia made a motion to hold the Selectboard meetings on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month at 6:30 pm in the Town Hall Library or Town Hall when applicable; Carrie Caouette-De Lallo seconded the motion. Motion passed. |
| E. Designate Locations for Meeting Notices |
| The Selectboard found no reason to change the current posting locations for the agenda (post office bulletin board, Town Hall bulletin board, Will’s Store bulletin board, and online). Kevin Marshia made a motion to continue posting meeting notices to those locations; Carrie Caouette-De Lallo seconded the motion. Motion passed. |
| F. Determine Process for Calling Special and Emergency Meetings |
| The Selectboard briefly discussed the current process of following the VLCT protocols for calling special and emergency meetings. Carrie Caouette-De Lallo made a motion to continue adhering to these protocols; Curtis Chase seconded the motion. Motion passed. |
| G. Select Newspaper of Record for Public Notice |
| Kevin Marshia made a motion to continue using The Herald as the newspaper of record.; Carrie Caouette-De Lallo seconded the motion. Motion passed. |
| H. Determine Selectboard Organizational Processes for the Following 1. Designate member or members to sign orders/warrant on off-weeks: After some discussion on availability, Carrie volunteered to be the primary contact to sign orders, while Curtis will be secondary in the event that she is unable to sign. Kevin made a motion to have Carrie as the primary and Curtis as the secondary contact for orders; Paul Libby seconded the motion. Motion passed. 2. Determine agenda content and coordination: Kevin made a motion to continue the current process of having Tierney collect agenda items and minutes and send to the Selectboard for review; Carrie Caouette-De Lallo seconded the motion. Motion passed. 3. Approval of Village Greens Requests: Kevin Marshia made a motion to continue the current process of approving Village Greens requests; Paul Libby seconded the motion. Motion passed. 4. Approval of Roberts Gould Field Requests: Kevin Marshia made a motion to continue the current process of approving Roberts Gould Field requests; Curtis Chase seconded the motion. Motion passed. 5. Designate whether Selectboard members want to have liaison appointments for Town Departments: Gregg Herrin proposed new streamlined liaison categories to help cut down on confusion and redundancy in the previous liaison appointments. After discussing what each category entailed, the Selectboard agreed on the primary and secondary liaisons for each field. Liaisons are as follows: -Executive & Admin: 1st Gregg Herrin, 2nd Kevin Marshia -Planning & Zoning: 1st Carrie Caouette-De Lallo, 2nd Gregg Herrin -Health & Safety: 1st Carrie Caouette-De Lallo, 2nd Kevin Marshia -Public Lands & Facilities: 1st Curtis Chase, 2nd Paul Libby -Highway: 1st Paul Libby, 2nd Curtis Chase -Transfer Station: 1st Paul Libby, 2nd Curtis Chase -Water & Wastewater: 1st Kevin Marshia, 2nd Gregg Herrin No motion required. |
| I. Approve Orders |
| Carrie Caouette-De Lallo made a motion to approve the orders; Curtis Chase seconded the motion. Motion passed. |
| Adjournment |
| Carrie Caouette-De Lallo made a motion to adjourn the meeting; Paul Libby seconded the motion. Motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 8:24 pm. |
2025 Town Meeting Election Results
Congratulations to Chelsea’s 2025 elected officials!
Town Clerk: Jen Chase
Selectboard 1 year of 3 year term: Carrie Caouette-De Lallo
Selectboard 2 year term: Paul Libby
Selectboard 3 year term: Curtis Chase
Treasurer and Deliquent Tax Collector: Gayle Durkee
Lister: Phyllis Hayward
Moderator: Emily Marshia
Trustee of the Public Money: David Bradshaw
Trustee of Public Library: None (not enough votes)
Cemetery Commissioner: None (not enough votes)
Thank you to everyone who voted and those who were able to make it to the Town Meeting!
Agendas | News | Selectboard
Organizational Selectboard Meeting – March 6, 2025
| Organizational Selectboard Meeting Agenda |
| March 6th, 2025 6:30 pm Chelsea Town Hall |
| Call to order |
| Additions to the Agenda |
| Conflict of Interest Disclosure |
| Public Comments |
| Approve Minutes from February 25th |
| Agenda Items |
| A. Appointments for any Elected Vacancies |
| B. Select Chair and Vice Chair |
| C. Determine Meeting Rules of Procedure |
| D. Designate Meeting Dates, Times, and Location for Regular Meetings |
| E. Designate Locations for Meeting Notices |
| F. Determine Process for Calling Special and Emergency Meetings |
| G. Select Newspaper of Record for Public Notice |
| 1. Determine Selectboard Organizational Processes for the Following 2. Designate member or members to sign orders/warrant on off-weeks 3. Determine agenda content and coordination 4. Approval of Village Greens Requests 5. Approval of Roberts Gould Field Requests 6. Designate whether Selectboard members want to have liaison appointments for Town Departments |
| Adjournment |
| Links to join the Meeting: https://meet.google.com/fwf-ayyb-acq https://www.youtube.com/@chelseavtselectboardofficial/streams |
Agenda
Forest and Parks Commission 3/3/25
Informational Meeting Minutes – February 21, 2025
To view the recorded meeting, click HERE.
| Informational Town Meeting Agenda |
| February 21st, 2025 6:30 pm Chelsea Town Hall |
| Call to Order |
| Gregg Herrin called the meeting to order at 6:34 pm. SELECTBOARD Kelly Lyford (Present) Gregg Herrin (Present) Leyna Hoyt (Absent) William Lyon (Present) Kevin Marshia (Present, Virtual) TOWN EMPLOYEES Tierney Farago (Town Administrator) Gayle Durkee (Town Treasurer) Rick Ackerman (Road Foreman) |
| Additions to the Agenda: None |
| Conflict of Interest Disclosure: None |
| Agenda Items |
| A. Budget Presentation by the Chelsea Selectboard |
| Gregg Herrin presented a slideshow of the budget highlights, including comparisons to last year’s budget and the expected changes for 2025. He also reviewed some of the ongoing projects around Town, including the Wastewater Plant upgrade and open hiring of several town employee positions. You can view the full presentation HERE. |
| B. Discuss Articles 1 and 2 |
| Article 1 of the Town Warning includes the open seats for Town Office: a. Town Moderator – one (1) year term; b. Town Clerk – three (3) year term; c. Treasurer – three (3) year term; d. Delinquent Tax Collector – one (1) year term; e. Selectboard – three (3) year term; f. Selectboard – two (2) year term; g. Selectboard – one (1) year of three (3) year term; h. Lister –three (3) year term; i. Trustees of the Public Library – one (1) year of a three (3) year term; j. Trustee of Public Funds – three (3) year term; k. Cemetery Commissioner – five (5) year term Nyla Whipple presented information regarding the Chelsea Health Center’s request for tax exemption, which is Article 2 on the Town Warning. She discussed the services that the Health Center regularly provides to both residents and non-residents, and how they give back to the community in general. |
| C. Introduction to Candidates |
| Several candidates were in attendance to introduce themselves to the public: Jen Chase (Town Clerk candidate) Katie Golden (Town Clerk candidate) Paul Libby (2 year Selectboard term candidate) Carrie Caouette-De Lallo (1 year of 3 year Selectboard term write-in candidate) The candidates briefly gave their history in Chelsea and why they would like to serve in public office. The candidates fielded a few questions from other attendees regarding experience and what they enjoy about Chelsea. |
| Public Comments |
| The public had several questions, mainly pertaining to the process of voting and how they are meant to nominate write-in candidates; the Selectboard advised them that the Board of Civil Authority reviews and counts votes based on what is written on the ballot. It is acceptable if there is a spelling mistake on the name, as long as the voter’s intent is clear. Voters are advised to write as clearly as possible to ensure their vote is accepted. Other questions included why the Town uses both Australian ballot and a floor vote, and how that can be petitioned and changed in the future is the residents so choose. |
| Adjournment |
| William Lyon made a motion to adjourn the meeting; Kelly Lyford seconded the motion. motion passed. The meeting adjourned at 7:27 pm. |
Selectboard Meeting Minutes – February 18, 2025
| Selectboard Meeting Agenda |
| February 18th, 2025 6:30 pm Chelsea Town Hall Library |
| Call to Order |
| Kevin Marshia called the meeting to order at 6:32 pm. SELECTBOARD Kelly Lyford (Present) Gregg Herrin (Present) Leyna Hoyt (Present) William Lyon (Present) Kevin Marshia (Present) TOWN EMPLOYEES Tierney Farago (Town Administrator) Gayle Durkee (Town Treasurer) Rick Ackerman (Road Foreman) |
| Additions to the Agenda |
| The Town Administrator included an item related to a possible reimbursement for water/sewer for a resident. Their water was turned off mid-December but they were charged for the remainder of the month. The Selectboard discussed that if the water was turned off and the Town wasn’t notified, it would be the owner’s responsibility to pay the fees. If the water was turned off by the Town, however, it would make sense to reimburse them. Gayle will reach out to Mike Whipple to see if the Town shut off the water for the owner, and if he did, then their bill can be reimbursed. |
| Conflict of Interest Disclosure: None |
| Public Comments: None |
| Approve Minutes from February 4, 2025 |
| Kelly Lyford made a motion to approve the minutes from February 4th; Leyna Hoyt seconded the motion. Motion passed. |
| Current Events and Updates |
| A. Highway Update |
| Rick Ackerman gave an update on the highway department; sand is a little lower than he would like, but they’ve had to use significantly more sand due to the unseasonable winter weather. They’ve used quite a bit more than they have in recent years with the amount of snow and ice Chelsea has been experiencing. Larry Pickett will also scale back his work, so the Town Administrator will post the road crew position again to hopefully get additional help. The Selectboard also discussed the possibility of hiring if the candidate will be willing to train for the CDL license if they do not already have one. |
| B. Town Administrator Update |
| The Town Administrator gave updates on several items:1. Security Cameras: Green Mountain Security has been setting up security cameras at Town Hall and the Town Garage recently. They should be wrapped up within the next few weeks. Kevin suggested notifying the public of why the cameras are being set up while also making it clear that they will be recorded while on the premises. The Town Administrator will post on social media so the public is aware, and signs will also be posted on the property for transparency. 2. Several remaining FEMA cases have been obligated, and the Town is now just waiting for the state to draw those funds down to the accounts. The last cases that will stay open are tied to the engineering projects for Edwards Rd, Doyle Rd, and the Maple Ave bridge. |
| Action Items |
| A. Water and Sewer Rate Increase |
| Gregg Herrin gave an update on where he was at regarding the numbers for the water and sewer rate increase proposal. He has been working with Gayle to figure out some missing information and they are waiting to get some answers regarding funds in/out. Once they have the remaining information, they will be able to present accurate rate increase proposals for the Selectboard to deliberate. No motion was made. |
| B. Community Nurse Request for Proposal Opening |
| The Selectboard opened a sealed bid for the community nurse contract. The bid was from Jodi Hoyt proposing a year long contract for community nurse services for 12 hours weekly, totaling $30,576, not including mileage and supplies. The Selectboard had questions regarding how the mileage is calculated, what supplies would be required, and how much the community nurse grant might cover, among other questions. Further information from Jodi was needed for clarity before a decision is made, so the Town Administrator will reach out with the written questions and come back to the Selectboard with answers and further discussion. No motion was made. |
| C. Susan Knapp: Free Library Donation for Village Greens |
| Susan Knapp attended the meeting to pitch a free little library to the Selectboard. She would like to create and fund a little library to install at one of the village greens so that residents can take and leave books as they would like. The Selectboard has questions pertaining to what it would look like and who would maintain it; Susan said she would work with a handyman to build the structure, and she would maintain the library. The Selectboard wants to check with several other entities including the Forest and Parks commission, the Town library, and the zoning administrator to make sure that it would be possible to do. The Town Administrator will reach out to everyone and see if there are any possible issues with accepting this generous donation. No motion was made. |
| D. Approve Orders |
| Leyna Hoyt made a motion to approve the orders; William Lyon seconded the motion. Motion passed. |
| Executive Session If Necessary: None |
| Adjournment |
| Leyna Hoyt made a motion to adjourn the meeting; Gregg Herrin seconded the motion. Motion Passed. The meeting adjourned at 8:50 pm. |
Informational Meeting Prior to Town Meeting Day Agenda – February 21, 2025
| Informational Town Meeting Agenda |
| February 21st, 2025 6:30 pm Chelsea Town Hall |
| Call to order |
| Additions to the Agenda |
| Conflict of Interest Disclosure |
| Agenda Items |
| A. Budget Presentation by the Chelsea Selectboard |
| B. Discuss Articles 1 and 2 |
| C. Introduction to Candidates |
| Public Comments |
| Adjournment |
| Links to join the Meeting: https://meet.google.com/fwf-ayyb-acq https://www.youtube.com/@chelseavtselectboardofficial/streams |
WARNING: Town Meeting Day – March 4, 2025 9am-7pm
Annual Town Meeting: Tuesday, March 4, 2025 9 am-7pm
-Australian Ballots: 9 am-7 pm
-Floor Vote: 10 am-Adjournment
View the Town Meeting Warning HERE
Agendas | News | Selectboard
Selectboard Meeting Agenda – February 18, 2025
| Selectboard Meeting Agenda |
| February 18th, 2025 6:30 pm Chelsea Town Hall Library |
| Call to Order |
| Additions to the Agenda |
| Conflict of Interest Disclosure |
| Public Comments |
| Approve Minutes from February 4, 2025 |
| Current Events and Updates |
| A. Highway Update |
| B. Town Administrator Update |
| Action Items |
| A. Water and Sewer Rate Increase |
| B. Community Nurse Request for Proposal Opening |
| C. Susan Knapp: Free Library Donation for Village Greens |
| D. Approve Orders |
| Executive Session If Necessary |
| Adjournment |
| Links to join the Selectboard Meeting: https://meet.google.com/fwf-ayyb-acq https://www.youtube.com/@chelseavtselectboardofficial/streams |