PLYMOUTH, Vt. – At the July 15 meeting, the Plymouth Selectboard accepted a resignation letter from Treasurer Elaine Pauley, who worked for the town for eight years. “To no surprise,” it was time for Pauley to retire. Pauley said in her letter, “I am grateful to you and all the town employees for your support…Working here was one of the most fulfilling jobs I’ve ever had.”
The board accepted Pauley’s resignation, and moved to appoint Cherry Nicoll as treasurer. Chair Jay Kullman thanked Nicoll, and added, “Cherry has done amazing work as our FEMA administrator.”
The town held a retirement party for Pauley on Friday, July 12. “We are grateful for her service, she really got the town’s finances in order,” Kullman reported to the Vermont Journal. “I’ll miss her dearly.”
Kullman added, “I have the highest level of confidence in Cherry Nicoll as our new treasurer.” He acknowledged that town clerk Angela Kissell is “solid in her role with general oversight, I don’t think the town could be in any better shape.”
The board moved to set the municipal tax rate. The total taxes to be raised were $1,388,744, with a grand list of $2,448,408. The tax rate was set at $0.6621 per $100 of assessed value. There was some concern from citizens that taxes continue to increase. Kullman explained it’s out of the board’s control.
Kullman then discussed the RIVERS Project and FEMA funding possibilities. He said he’d like to look at Tyson Bridge, which was approved for dredging. Engineers also thought that a larger bridge might make sense for the area. The board plans to make a list of projects that can benefit from the program, and to submit for possible funding.
Kullman transitioned to the town’s technology securities, saying he’d like to “look into some of our holes in our IT.” Kullman wants to start by researching companies that can help improve the security of the town’s server, website, antivirus, and other technical support they may benefit from, noting, “Smaller towns can be bigger targets.” Kullman plans to proceed with the research and submit a proposal of recommendations from his findings.
The next Plymouth Selectboard meeting will be held on Monday, Aug. 19, at 6 p.m.