CSJ water deal OK'd
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By STEPHANIE M. PETERS Herald Staff - Published: January 6, 2009
The Board of Aldermen on Monday laid to rest two issues that have long lingered in committee, but not before discussing at length technicalities of each.
In a 6 to 3 vote, the board passed a motion that establishes the language and conditions of a water and sewer agreement between the city and College of St. Joseph, which will allow three buildings on its campus to continue to receive the services without charge.
The three dissenting votes came from three board members, David Dress, Madeline Sherman and William Notte, the chairman of the Public Works Committee, out of which this issue arose, who have been vocally opposed to establishing the agreement.
Sherman, who was particularly vocal most of the night, came to the meeting with a prepared statement to read to "state how she reviewed the situation," she said.
"Alderman Davis made a telling statement when she said Rutland takes care of its own (at a previous meeting)," she said, adding that the city should not pick and choose to which organizations to grant this kind of benefit "no matter how convincing the argument."
Much of what she and Dress had to say, however, fell on ears that had long before made their decisions on the agreement. The votes mirrored those from the board's Dec. 1 meeting, when a motion that would have implemented plans to begin metering the buildings was defeated.
The new agreement does include language that would void the individual protection for each building if either any change is made in the footprint that results in an increase to the residential capacity, if the building were to be demolished and a new structure built in its place, or if any alterations are made to the existing buildings' interior that results in a change in current use.
Following that vote, Alderwoman Karen Bossi, chairwoman of the general committee, presented a draft of the Board of Aldermen's rules revised as of Dec. 31, after the committee met with former alderman and current law school student Charles Romeo, who undertook a revision of the rule manual as a law school project. Romeo's initial draft was amended to include additional recommendations that came out of that committee meeting, as well as the suggestions of Louras.
There were no major revisions made to the manual overall. Instead, it was condensed, reorganized and stripped of much of its legalese to make it more reader friendly, according to Bossi.
During the meeting, Sherman brought up several small points that she hoped to have clarified or revised before the manual was approved. Included in those the board eventually approved were requests to have the manual's preamble reference the charter and state that the board will act in compliance with Vermont state law.
One issue not on the agenda that Alderwoman Sharon Davis raised with Louras at the start of the meeting was the recent news that the Department of Corrections may increase the amount of housing in the city for prisoners. Davis said she would like to send the issue into committee so that the board had a means to stay abreast of Louras' discussions with DOC.
There was also some contention during the meeting over Treasurer Wendy Wilton's notice to the board that she had begun the process of notifying nonprofit organizations that request funding from the city that they will need to file a copy of their financial statements for the past three years with her office.
The issue did not require action of the board other than to place Wilton's note on file, which it did by a unanimous vote, however Davis stated that she grew curious of this decision and subsequently spoke with the chief financial officer of a local nonprofit who has been in that position since 1991 and has never received such a request before.
Davis said she believes the only information the board would need from a nonprofit is on the paperwork it already receives, and "if we're going to change policy or protocol it should be the board that does so."
Missing from the meeting was Alderman Christopher Robinson.
Contact Stephanie M. Peters at stephanie.peters@rutlandherald.com.
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