Windham Solid Waste Management District (WSWMD)
Brattleboro, Vermont
Board of Supervisors Meeting
Via Zoom and In-person
Draft Minutes of November 9, 2023
Members Present: (In-person & Zoom)
Chair: Michelle Cherrier, Dummerston; Vice Chair: Patrick Moreland, Brattleboro; Dan Towler, Brookline; Kevin Stine, Dover (alternate); Stephan Chait, Halifax (alternate); Doris Knechtel, Newfane; Dan Toomey, Putney; Irvin Stowell, Townshend; Merrill Mundell, Wilmington
Members Absent:
Michael Becker, Guilford; Jessica Pollack, Jamaica; Stillman Vonderhorst, Marlboro; Bob Matte, Readsboro; Rickey Harrington, Somerset; Sandra Rulewich, Vernon; Kevin Hughes, Westminster; Kent Young, Stratton; Wardsboro: Vacant
WSWMD Staff Present: John Fay, Programs Manager; Vicki Hayes, Finance Manager & HR Administrator; Anita Grant, Office Manager & Operations Liaison/District Clerk.
WSWMD Staff Absent: Bob Spencer, Executive Director (on vacation)
As a quorum was present, Michelle called the meeting to order at 7:04 PM. Anita then performed a roll call of members present.
- Changes and/or Additions to the Agenda: Dan pointed out that John’s report should be titled “Programs Manager’s Report” and not “Program Manager” as he oversees many programs. Anita agreed to make the changes moving forward.
- Approval of Minutes from October 2023:
Stephan Chait asked if he appeared as the alternate for a meeting, did that mean that the permanent representative should be omitted from the “Members Absent” (as it was). It was determined that this was the case, and that consistent reporting of members would continue in the same fashion so if an alternate is representing a town, then the permanent representative would not be listed as absent as that town has been represented.
Irv made a motion to approve the minutes from October 2023, seconded by Doris, and the motion was carried.
- Approval of Check Register for October 2023:
Merrill informed the Board that the Casella checks were discussed in the Finance Committee meeting, allowing the board members to understand that WSWMD’s costs with Casella are just a continuation of the Triple T contract and have not increased.
Dan Toomey asked if all the legal fees were paid in full for the CFE, Vicki responded that the bills were current, and she was not positive if all the bills had been submitted for payment. There was no further discussion on the check register.
Merrill a motion to accept the October 2023 check register, Dan Toomey seconded, and the motion was carried.
- Approval of Financial Statements for October 2023:
Vicki reported that October finished with a surplus of $26,100. She attributed the surplus to the renewable energy credits of $22,000 (1st quarter FY 24), a $5,000 grant received from BDCC, strong access sticker sales, and compost sales. The $5,000 grant was awarded to compensate Steve Horton Consulting for the preparation of the Request for Bids for the CFE work. Revenues finished 6.3% over budget, and expenses were a bit over by 3%. She explained the expenses were up a bit as there was some unexpected maintenance on the Sterling truck and an HHW Depot cleanout for over $4,000. She also reported that hauling was just under $3,000 and was being watched closely.
Vicki also reported that a sea container and the skid steer were sold (fixed assets), and that the sewer lift pumps were completed for $16,200. She indicated that the District is entering the winter season, and the surpluses would possibly slow down.
Merrill made a motion to accept the Financial Statements for October 2023, Doris seconded, and the motion was carried.
- Consider FY 25 Budget, Capital Plan, and Assessment:
A very brief discussion about the FY 25 Budget took place, the members of the board who worked on the budget with the Finance Committee (Merrill, Michelle, and Patrick) let the board know that a lot of time and effort was put into the budget but was able to be agreed upon quickly. Patrick also thanked the WSWMD staff for all their work on the budget. The FC members were proud to report that the proposed assessment increase of 19% was whittled down to 4%. Vicki reported that the budget would be available to the towns following the public hearing and then ratification at the December meeting and that due to the budget hearing, there would not be a Finance Committee meeting in December.
Merrill made a motion to approve the FY 25 Budget and Capital Plan with Revenues of $1,205,737.00, Expenses of $1,416,168.00, and Assessments totaling $265,431.00 pending the Public Hearing. Doris seconded, and the motion was carried unanimously.
- Programs Manager’s Report:
- John presented the award that WSWMD had received from BCTV (Brattleboro Community Television) for Alex Lacy’s videos. WSWMD was given the “Municipal Partner” Award for the recycling & composting videos she created through the USDA grant. John and Alex attended the Awards show on Wednesday, November 8.
- John showed a report of the past three years showing both the Event bin reservations, saying that 2023 was a great year for the bins being lent out as the pandemic ended and WSWMD had new event bins that were very well-received. He reminded the board members that the bins could be lent out for any kind of event, and not necessarily just for town-sponsored events.
- He also reported that the HHW Depot closed on October 28, 2023, for the season servicing 377 households. John and Anita worked the last weekend in October and serviced about 80 households in the two days combined. He also informed the Board that a winter collection might be ad-hoc as needed and residents can call and request a drop-off and WSWMD will open one or two days in the winter to satisfy those requests. A log is being kept of residents calling in so they can be contacted once a day is chosen.
- CFE: The request for bids has been sent out to over 20 contractors and published in various newspapers. John gave the board an outline of the upcoming timeline that the contractor walk-through was scheduled for Monday, November 13th, and that all bids were due by November 30, 2023. He also indicated that another bid session could take place if there was not a satisfactory bid from the first round.
- John reported that the organics and OCC loads have been increasing in contamination and that Bob had drafted a letter reminding the haulers about the special handling fee that will be charged for contaminated loads. He assured the board that any charge would be backed up by photographic evidence and that the charge is necessary for the extra handling for removing the contamination.
- A new temporary part-time employee, Peter Hoag, was hired to do heavy equipment work moving piles of compost to prepare for the CFE to break ground in the spring. He told the board about the new compost bunker that was built across from Rich Earth to accommodate losing space in the compost field and being able to store newly screened product for Spring sales.
- Executive Session (if needed): None
- Other Business: None
- Next Meeting: Thursday, December 14, 2023 @ 7:00 PM following the public hearing scheduled at 6:30 PM
- Adjournment:
Patrick made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Merrill seconded, and the meeting adjourned at 7:39 PM.
Minutes prepared by,
Anita Grant
Office Manager & Operations Liaison/District Clerk