Windsor select board approves article to purchase firetruck

by The Town Line staff

By a vote of 3-1, with Ray Bates opposing (select board member Richard Gray Jr., was absent), the Windsor Select Board approved the purchase of a new E-One/Freightliner Tanker Truck including transaction costs and other expenses reasonably related for the sum of $354,000, with $54,000 being expended from the unassigned fund balance at the time of purchase, and with any shortfall or additional amount needed at the time of purchase in excess of $354,000, to be expended from the Fire Safety Capital Reserve Fund, and authorized the treasurer and the chairman of the select board to issue, at one time or from time to time, general obligation securities of the town, including temporary notes in anticipation of the sale, in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $300,000. Also delegated to the treasurer and chairman the authority and discretion to fix the date(s) maturity, denomination, interest rate, place of payment, call for redemption form and other details of securities, including execution and delivery of securities against payment, and to provide for the sale, and undertake such refunding as they may deem appropriate in the future.

By a vote of 4-0, the select board approved the draft Utility Scale Solar Facilities Moratoriam Ordinance and bring to the town for approval.

The board also unanimously approved to appropriate $22,500 from the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Funds – aka American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA Funds) – received by the town from the federal government to provide premium pay for employees performing essential work during the COVID-19 pandemic who meet ARPA eligibility requirements and who work in the administration office, public works department, transfer station department, animal control department, codes enforcement department and cemetery department. The premium pay will not exceed $13 per hour in addition to the regular wages or other renumeration the eligible employee receives and not to exceed $25,000 in total over the period of the performance.

In other business, certificate of appointments for election clerk/ballot clerk were approved. For the Democrats, approved were Allane Ball, Stephen Ball, Nancy Fish, Theresa Haskell, Kathryn Kellison, Carl Pease and Margaret Pease. Republicans are Debra French, Diana Gardner, Carolyn Greenwood, Deborah Gray, Thomas Reed and Moira Teekema.

Animal Control Officer Kim Bolduc-Bartlett told the board that 75 percent of the unregistered dogs list is complete and no issues resulted from the serving of the letters for unlicensed dogs.

With Juneteenth (June 19) now being a federal holiday, the select board voted to close the town office on Monday, June 20.

Near the end of the meeting, William Appel Jr. asked if Andrew Ballantyne would be running for re-election since his term will expire this year. Ballantyne gave no definite response.

The next meeting of the Windsor Select Board was held on April 12.