Town of Shelburne, Vermont
CHARTERED 1763
P.O. BOX 88 5420 SHELBURNE ROAD SHELBURNE, VT 05482
Clerk/Treasurer
(802) 985-5116
Town Manager
(802) 985-5111
Zoning & Planning
(802) 985-5118
Assessor
(802) 985-5115
Recreation
(802) 985-5110
FAX Number
(802) 985-9550
Memorandum
To:
From:
Date:
Re:
Selectboard, All Staff, Public
Joe Colangelo, Town Manager
January 9, 2015
Weekly Manager’s Report
____________________
In the spirit of encouraging teamwork, transparency, and fostering open lines of communication within
Shelburne’s municipal government, this memorandum will summarize the weekly activities of the Town
Manager’s Office. Contact me directly if you have any questions. Please note that the report may not be
comprehensive and I may have inadvertently left out important (or inconsequential) details. Confidential
and/or sensitive information will never be shared in the Weekly Manager’s Report.
Selectboard Packet for January 13 th – Information for the January 13th Selectboard packet is available
online on the town webpage. Simply click on each individual agenda item to view the appropriate
information: http://www.shelburnevt.org/html/SBAgenda1132015.pdf
FY2016 Town and School Budget Presentations and Public Hearing – A Public Hearing is scheduled for
Tuesday, January 13th for the presentations of the proposed Fiscal Year 2016 Shelburne Town and
Shelburne Community School budgets. The Town Manager’s budget submitted to the Selectboard on
December 31, 2014, was approved as presented by the Selectboard on January 6, 2015. The proposed
Shelburne town budget is balanced at $7,484,000, a $24,000 decrease from the FY2015 budget. In order
to support the proposed FY2016 budget Shelburne’s municipal tax rate would need to increase by 1₵, a
2.9% increase over the current year. In Shelburne, the education portion of the property tax bill is 80% of
the total, while the municipal portion is 20% of the total. You can review the proposed Town of Shelburne
budget on our website: http://www.shelburnevt.org/html/BudgetFY2016.pdf
FY2016 UPWP Application Approval – The Selectboard will be asked on Tuesday to approve applications
to the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission’s (CCRPC) Unified Planning Work Plan
(UPWP) for FY2016 before the January 23rd deadline. The UPWP is the mechanism to achieve the vision,
mission and goals for our region outlined in the ECOS Plan (www.ecosproject.com) and also helps
municipalities fulfill their local plans. To fund UPWP projects, a 20% cash match is required. Staff’s
recommendation to the Selectboard will be to apply for four projects: 1) Comprehensive Update to the
2000 Village Transportation Study; 2) Pedestrian Safety and Mobility Study for Rte 7 South of Bostwick;
3) Pedestrian/Bicycle Pedestrian Study for Bay Road; 4) Infrastructure/Utility Easement Mapping.
www.shelburnevt.org
Ethics & Conflict of Interest Ordinance – At the Selectboard meeting on January 6th, the Selectboard held
a Public Hearing on the proposed amendments to Shelburne’s Ethics & Conflict of Interest Ordinance.
Upon conclusion of the Public Hearing, the Selectboard voted to adopt the amendments as presented and
place the ordinance on the Town Meeting Warning to be voted, via floor vote, at Town Meeting on
Monday, March 2, 2015. Because there are differences of opinion as to whether Selectboard action alone
is sufficient for this ordinances universal application or if voter approval is required, we’ve decided to use
both approaches.
The ordinance can be reviewed at the Town Manager’s Office and on-line:
http://www.shelburnevt.org/html/EthicsOrdinance2014.pdf
Library Building Steering Committee – The Library Building Steering Committee met again this week
and reviewed the preferred alternative developed by the architects for the committee. Last month, the
architects developed four (4) new alternatives for the committee’s consideration. After much discussion
and debate, the committee honed in on an option to construct a new library building at the same location
as the current library building. The committee is now preparing a presentation of its work to date and
favored alternative to the Selectboard (on February 10th) and Library Board of Trustees (on February
19th).
Economic Development/Business Mapping Project – Thanks to Planning Commissioner Ann Hogan and
Shelburne resident and CCRPC Planner Pam Brangan, the 643 individual businesses in Shelburne
identified by Ann have been GIS mapped by Pam. This map will be made available on the Town
webpage. The map is interactive; you can click on each individual business location to find out more
information. As expected, business activity is concentrated along the Route 7 corridor, but a surprising
amount of activity takes place all over the town of Shelburne. The mapping project reveals that
significant economic activity takes place in the residential and rural districts. There is a “below the
radar” world of individuals, couples, and families working from their homes, barns, garages, gardens,
sugar shacks, boats and trucks to keep the town’s economy, including charities and other non-profits, up
and running. The larger purpose behind all this inventorying and mapping is the Town’s interest in
learning what it can do to help and support the local business and non-profit community. The first step in
this process is identifying who they are and where they are located. The next step will be to survey every
one of these hardy contributors to the local economy to find out what the Town can do to help and support
them. Ann Hogan is currently preparing a press release and more information on how to access this map
will be made available shortly.
Sidewalk from Town Offices to Shelburne Museum –By the end of the day Friday or early next week, a
Request for Proposal (RFP) for engineering services for the construction of a sidewalk from the Town
Offices to Shelburne Museum along the western side of Rte 7 will be made public. Proposals will be due
to the Town Manager by January 30 th. Once proposals are received, the Town Manager will work with
project manager, Bryan Davis of CCRPC, and Vermont Agency of Transportation Project Manager,
Kristin Driscoll, to pick an engineer firm. This sidewalk project is being paid for by a state grant with a
10% local match; that 10% local match is included with the FY2016 budget. Construction date still to be
determined.
Water Commission Update/Rate Increase from Champlain Water District – Jim Fay, Executive Director
of the Champlain Water District (CWD) and Tom Bessette, CWD Chairman and Shelburne representative
to the Board, attended the Water Commission’s meeting on Monday evening to explain their proposed
rate hike for FY2016. The Town of Shelburne purchases water at CWD’s wholesale rate and then sells
that water to Shelburne customers at our retail rate, set by the Water Commission each year. The rate
increase from CWD equates to roughly a $4.62 increase to the average family over a fiscal year. CWD’s
rate is just one component of Shelburne’s water rates.
www.shelburnevt.org
Public Hearing for Zoning Bylaw Amendments set for February 10 th – The Selectboard passed a motion
on January 6th to hold a Public Hearing for proposed zoning bylaw amendments changes. The Planning
Commission recently completed work on a series of proposed changes to the Town’s zoning regulations.
These changes have been proposed to increase the building height maximum applicable to certain
structures located in the Residential Zoning District, when such structures are located within Planned
Unit Developments and, further, when the Development Review Board explicitly finds such structures
comply with a series of standards related to fire protection, location and height of exterior windows,
emergency vehicle access, and compatibility with the surrounding area. These proposed changes were
initiated by a request from Wake Robin, as they contemplate moving forward with another phase of
development. Currently, Shelburne’s zoning regulations establish a height limit of 35 feet in the majority
of the Town for all structures except farm structures. Wake Robin is contemplating structures between
40 – 48 feet.
Appropriate materials are available for review: http://www.shelburnevt.org/html/SBAgenda91062015.pdf
Sewer Service Area Study Update – This week the contract for the Sewer Service Area Study was signed
by both Michael Crane of Crane and Associates and the Chittenden County Regional Planning
Commission (CCRPC); therefore, work will commence immediately. A public meeting will be scheduled
for early March so those interested in the project can get an idea of work completed to date and have an
opportunity to weigh in on the project.
Dredging in Shelburne Bay – Town staff, including the Town Manager, Planning and Zoning Director,
and Water Quality Supervisor, along with the Shelburne Harbormaster, met with local officials and
interested parties on Monday to discuss the possible need for dredging Shelburne Bay at the mouth of the
LaPlatte River. Impetus for the meeting came as a result of inquiries made by members of the Shelburne
Bay Boat Club (SBBC). SBBC suggested the need for dredging to state representative Kate Webb, who
has made contact with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (which has jurisdiction over dredging in
Shelburne Bay) and state environmental officials. Rep. Webb will be meeting with the Commissioners of
Fish and Wildlife and Environmental Conservation in coming weeks to pursue the matter further. Other
participants in the meeting included representatives of the Shelburne Natural Resources and
Conservation Committee (a Town Committee) and the Lewis Creek Association (a local watershed and
water quality organization). The Natural Resources and Conservation Committee will be discussing the
topic at its January 14 meeting.
Form Based Zoning – On Thursday evening the Planning Commission resumed work on what is
commonly known as the Form Based Zoning project. The project seeks to develop an alternative approach
to regulating land development—one focused on building and site design more than uses—in the Route 7
corridor north of Shelburne village. Commissioners are reviewing a third draft of the proposed
regulations and exploring issues such as stormwater, potential additions to the proposed regulations, and
timing of implementation.
Public Hearing on Zoning Changes – Also on Thursday, the Planning Commission conducted a brief
public hearing on proposed changes to the Town’s zoning regulations. As mentioned in earlier reports
from staff and the Commission, the changes under consideration would add a definition of “Mobile Home”
to the main definition section of the bylaw and, separately, clarify parking requirements for restaurants
and similar establishments. The Planning Commission voted to close the hearing and forward the
package of changes to the Selectboard for consideration.
Solar Energy Presentation – One other topic discussed at the Planning Commission’s January 8 meeting
was solar energy. Mike McCarthy of SunCommon, a solar energy development company, gave an
overview of “Community Solar” electricity production. Community Solar Arrays (CSA) provide an option
for utility customers who do not have space or desire to install solar panels on their own property to buy
shares in solar installations sited in other locations. McCarthy described the characteristics required to
establish CSA sites and answered numerous questions about solar energy panels and related technology.
www.shelburnevt.org
Meeting with VELCO – Planning and Zoning Director Dean Pierce joined Planning Commission Chair
Kate Lalley in a meeting with VELCO officials on Wednesday. The meeting was held as part of the
Planning Commission’s study of telecommunication tower siting issues, which was prompted by a nowwithdrawn proposal to erect a tower south of Bishop Road and approved tower proposal for a location
near Air Park Road. VELCO officials expressed willingness to provide the Town with information about
possible “co-location” sites in Shelburne and the surrounding area. Use of such sites might help reduce
the need for construction of new towers. VELCO officials also pointed out some of the technical issues
that could make use of such sites challenging.
Budget Updates – We are slightly more than one half (50%) of the way through the 2014-15 Fiscal year.
These are some of the highlights of our financial position in the Town, Water and Wastewater/Sewer
budgets.
GENERAL FUND BUDGET
Town Property taxes billed to date are $5,495,000 or 99% of budget. Two tax
appeals were heard by the Board of Civil Authority resulting in a reduction of $1,100
in municipal tax revenue. Most revenue categories are on track for the year to date.
The town discontinued providing police services to Charlotte and St. George
resulting in a loss of $32,000 in revenue that was budgeted.
Year to date expenditures are also mostly on track for the year. Computer
expenditures will exceed budget due to revamping the town web site and
maintenance work performed on the Town office computer network. Heating and
utility costs are on budget so far and will be dependent on weather conditions for the
rest of the winter. There have been several vacancies in the Police department
resulting in increased overtime filling shifts. However base salaries have been less
than budget due to the vacancies. One of the Fire Dept. trucks required substantial
repairs due to a waterline failure. A water heater leaked in the Shelburne Rescue
building resulting in ceiling and carpet damage, which will be covered by insurance.
The highway department budget is on track to date, however winter maintenance
costs will be impacted by road salt prices, which have increased by 22% from last
year. Benefit costs will be monitored closely for the rest of the year. Due to a
substantial increase in our health insurance premiums, the town changed to a
higher deductible plan with employees reimbursed for all but $20 of each claim. The
year-end result of this will depend on utilization. Our health insurance costs to date
are at 65% of budget.
WASTEWATER DEPARTMENT
Total Wastewater user fees billed for the first 2 quarters of the fiscal year are
$863,345 or 54% of the annual budget. Other revenues in the department are on
track for the year to date.
A maintenance project involving the plant digester exceeded budget due to extra
work required. The department anticipates this will be offset by reduced costs in
other operating areas. A major piece of treatment plant equipment used to dewater
sludge failed in the early part of the fiscal year. This has resulted in additional
expense transporting sludge to another facility to be processed. In addition, the
department has been working with a contractor to do the dewatering via a mobile
on-site facility. Other interim solutions are being sought.
www.shelburnevt.org
WATER DEPARTMENT
Total water user fees billed for the first 2 quarters of the fiscal year are $492,800 or
58% of budget. Most of the other revenue categories are on track at midyear. Major
expense categories are on track year to date. A major variable in the budget will be
the number of water breaks that occur. As of the end of December, the department
has spent 40% of the annual budget for line repairs. The department has been
reimbursed for some of this work where damage was caused by outside contractors.
***
It’s a pleasure to serve Shelburne as Town Manager. My job is to assist this community and the people
who live here to the very best of my ability. Please never hesitate to contact me.
Contact Information for the Town Manager:
Joe Colangelo
Town Manager
Town of Shelburne
P.O. Box 88
5420 Shelburne Road
Shelburne, VT 05482
Office: 802-985-5111
Mobile: 802-355-6848
Email: jcolangelo@shelburnevt.org
Web: shelburnevt.org
www.shelburnevt.org