Present:
Gregg Herrin, Carrie Caouette-De Lallo, Charles Peel, Paul Libby, Gayle Durkee (Treasurer), Kasey Peterson (Interim Town Administrator), Rick Ackerman (Road Foreman)
Gregg Herrin called the meeting to order at 6:30PM.
Adjustments to the Agenda
Kasey Peterson noted that an update will be included in the Highway section related to traffic signage.
Gregg Herrin indicated that during the Treasurer’s section, he will provide some background information to restart discussions related to water and sewer rates.
Conflict of Interest Disclosure – None
Public Comments
Marianne McCann inquired about the schedule for advancing the topic of drainage related to Bobby Button’s Creamery property. Curtis Chase indicated that the current step is still with the surveyor engaged to understand exactly where property boundaries are, and it was agreed that the next meeting will include an agenda item to provide a more complete summary.
Frank Keane mentioned that beavers have been building a dam along Jail Brook.
Carrie Caouette-De Lallo moved to approve the July 21, 2026 Meeting Minutes. Charles Peel seconded. There was no further discussion. 5-0-0
United Church of Chelsea Wastewater Issue
Bob Aichler provided updated information about the most recent design for reconnecting the church to the Town sewer. The information presented indicates that the updated design would have sufficient slope to carry waste from the church to the system, which was not previously the case due to changes in vertical alignment for the pipes. The currently proposed design will be discussed with Mike Whipple to review any concerns he may have.
Public Grounds
Discussion of the Roberts-Gould Field included ongoing questions and discussion about the relationship between the Town and the activities done on that field. Since the Roberts-Gould fund is managed and coordinated separately from the Town, it was noted that activities like the Alumni Baseball Game are not automatically covered by the Town’s insurance, so in the future insurance information should be provided as part of any similar activities.
Curtis Chase brought up several questions related to the Recreation Committee and requirements for Committee Members to be appointed by the Selectboard. John Parker indicated that the committee has been running based on the belief that they could self-organize, including having their own communications to recruit people who are interested in serving, deciding on committee members, and so on. John Parker will be in contact with the current secretary to pass along current membership information as well as any information associated with the formation and rules of the committee.
Transfer Station/Solid Waste Discussion
Terry MacNeish provided a summary of research he has done into rates at nearby towns, indicating that Chelsea may be currently charged more than Royalton for trash disposal, but may also be paying less than other towns for recycling. He also suggested that the Town may be able to own containers rather than renting them, which could offer some savings over time. Snook Downing mentioned that the Town used to own a container, but its whereabouts have been unknown for several years. Gregg Herrin asked that various options be outlined for moving forward, to be evaluated based on a combination of fairness (charging more for those who use the service) and simplicity (for those using the service as well as for the Town to administer). Other ideas were suggested by various audience attendees ranging from “everyone pays equally through property taxes” to “abandon the transfer station altogether”. Future meetings will outline options and their pros and cons to help push towards a decision.
Treasurer Update
Gayle Durkee provided an overview of the tax rate calculations, which indicate a large increase this year – driven largely by the increases in school budget. Gregg Herrin offered to create an updated view of the pie chart used at the 2026 Town Meeting to provide a visual representation of where tax monies go. The Selectboard will review the updated calculations by the next meeting so that the Treasurer can begin to process property tax bills.
Gregg Herrin also presented an update on water and sewer rates, reminding everyone of the ongoing efforts to bring the revenues in alignment with expenses. The next meeting will include a more detailed look into the financial modeling, as well as opening the floor for more discussion about next steps.
Administrator Update
Kasey Peterson noted that any additional work to be funded by MERP grants would need to be under contract by the end of September. Curtis Chase provided an overview of remaining prioritized items which we are seeking proposals for.
Kasey Peterson noted that we are nearing the point of posting for the position of a permanent Town Administrator, and Gregg Herrin noted that to date they have been reconciling information from the prior Job Description used when Tierney Farago was hired, a partially update job description that was being worked on with Tierney, a prior description of duties from Kasey Peterson when she worked for the Town of Brookfield, and the experience over the past few months as Kasey has been temporarily filling the position. It is expected that over the next two weeks that information will be compiled into something that can quickly be turned into a realistic job description to redefine the scope of the role so we can begin recruiting.
Highway
Tom Vermette applied for an access permit along Densmore Road. Paul Libby made the motion to approve the permit. Curtis Chase seconded. There was no further discussion. 5-0-0.
Discussion of the VTRANS paving grant, as previously approved, included confirmation that the paving should be completed by October 1 per the advice of the Rick Ackerman.
Kasey Peterson brought to the attention of the Selectboard that some of the FEMA funding possibilities for Doyle Road and Edwards Road are at risk of being lost, due to running out of time according to the process requirements. There is some concern that the delays have been caused largely by possible mishandling and subsequent loss of our prior Town Administrator, but that may be unlikely to qualify as an unavoidable delay in the eyes of the State or FEMA. Curtis Chase mentioned that some of the delay is based on the concern that some of the preliminary engineering may be infeasible, and that reconsidering engineering options is not something that was foreseeable or preventable by the Town. Paul Libby will reach out to the State of Vermont representative (with Kasey if timing allows) to understand more clearly the timeline and options that exist for us.
Kasey Peterson presented information about Grants-in-Aid from the State of Vermont for FY2027 to do ditching work. Paul Libby made a motion to approve the $23,000 Grants-in-Aid package for 2027, including providing Town matching of $5,750 to do ditch work on roads to be determined at a later date. Charles Peel seconded. There was no further discussion. 5-0-0.
Approve Warrants – Charles Peel made a motion to approve the warrants. Paul Libby seconded. There was no further discussion. 5-0-0
Charles Peel made a motion to enter executive session to discuss personnel issues and a Robert Poor Fund request, inviting Kasey Peterson. Curtis Chase seconded. There was no further discussion. 5-0-0
Executive Session began at 9:16PM.
At 9:57PM Charles Peel made a motion to exit Executive Session. Paul Libby seconded. There was no further discussion. 5-0-0
Gregg Herrin noted that the executive session covered personnel issues and a Robert Poor Fund request. Other than the Roberts Poor Fund request, no actions were taken and no decisions were made.
Charles Peel made a motion to adjourn. Carrie Caouette-De Lallo seconded. There was no further discussion. 5-0-0.
The meeting adjourned at 9:57PM