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Selectboard Minutes
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Rick Barrows
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Feb 29, 2004 21:11 PST
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I'd like to respond to Stephen Ingalls' comments about the Selectboard
and town personnel. I am speaking on my own and not on behalf of the
Board, but this is my understanding of the Board's intentions.
Yes, the Selectboard did request that the Town act as fiscal sponsor for
the Rice's Mills Community Association, and yes, Ms. Howard declined to
do so after contacting the VLCT. It was not the intention of the
Selectboard to circumvent the law in any way. The VLCT has informed me
that, should the town vote to authorize acting as fiscal sponsor, then
everything would be fine and there would be no question about the
propriety of such a proposal.
This has not been an issue for the Selectboard since that time. We do
not feel Ms. Howard acted inappropriately and her action was not the
cause of any negative comments in our minutes. Nor was our intention to
attack Ms. Howard's character, professionalism, or ability.
There are things, such as prompt payment of bills and production of
financial reports, for which we and other departments depend on the
Treasurer's office. These things have not always been done in a timely
manner in the past year. The point of our comments was to give the
public specific information about these occurences. We felt this was
necessary and appropriate because the Treasurer's office is not
answerable to the Selectboard, but to the public.
I apologize for any way in which our comments were inappropriate or
hurtful. As a member of the Selectboard, I pledge to work in good faith
with whomever is elected to fill the position of Treasurer.
Rick Barrows
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Date: Fri, 27 Feb 2004 19:24:44 EST
From: SFIng-@aol.com
Subject: Selectboard minutes
It was my suspicion of the way the Selectboard deals with town employees and
elected officials that prompted me to attend the Selectmen's meetings. During
the past several weeks, I have learned that the Selectboard uses their
minutes as a weapon against the Town's personnel who refuse to bow to demands that
they have no right making.
This past fall Martha Howard declined to act as "Fiscal Sponsor" for Rices
Mills Community Association fundraising because a lawyer from Vermont League of
Cities and Towns said it would be viewed as fraudulent and money laundering
due to the fact that the community association does not currently have federal
tax exempt status and funneling money through the town is illegal. Since then,
there has been a steady stream of false accusations against her in the
Selectmen's minutes.
I addressed my concerns to the board about their minutes and their need to
continuously close the doors to the public to hide their dealings. They assured
me that my concerns were unfounded and I have noticed that recent minutes
more closely reflect business conducted.
I am afraid however that some of the Town's people may have already been
misled into believing exactly what the Selectboard wants them to believe.
I encourage everyone in the town to come to the Selectboard meetings and see
first hand how they twist things around and how far the minutes come from the
truth. Do not trust what you read in the Selectmen's minutes unless you
attended the meeting.
Respectfully,
Stephen F. Ingalls
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