Barre Town Board meetings, in pandemic era, need to be more public friendly

Posted 19 April 2020 at 8:52 am

Editor:

Greetings to Sean Pogue, Town of Barre Supervisor, the Town Board of Barre and residents of Barre. I’m asking that you please put an agenda on the Town of Barre website for the phone meetings as per Pages 36 & 37 in the Town Law Manual (The Association of Towns of the State of New York).

The residents need an agenda to be properly advised of what the board will be discussing. As usual, the Town of Barre Meeting was taped and will be placed on The Town of Barre’s website.

I felt that Lance Mark, the town attorney, did a good job explaining the law on the moratorium during the April 8 meeting.

Why the phones were not open for questions, leaving no choice but email or text you? Texting and email are not an option for some people. Texting often runs up fees, and some people, particularly the elderly, do not use computers.

I feel it necessary to bring something to your attention. The Better Barre Committee (of which I am a member) does nice things for the community, but so does many other communities within the Town of Barre that you rarely mention. Are you pushing the Better Barre Committee, so the members stay in the limelight for a political office in the future? Many residents feel you did this with the bicentennial event.

Most of the members of the Better Barre Committee are landowners with wind turbine leases, including the president and vice president. We have church groups, Vet group, Clear Skies Over Barre, Barre Rural Home Owner, Citizens for a Better Barre within The Town of Barre. These organizations do excellent work and deserve recognition. Please review some of the great things these committees do for the town and give credit where it is do.

Furthermore, you fought to allow the town to permit the Better Barre Committee to have an insurance rider on the town’s insurance policy. There should be a written statement that all committees have the same right in the referendum.

If the town is going to allow the rider to committees on a per committee request, then guidelines must be created and made public that allows the rider and so state what is disallowed.

Kerri Richardson, a member of the Town Board, is a true credit to our community who thinks out the pros and cons of situations. I must say Mrs. Swan, Mr. Hill, and Mr. McCabe you did right by standing with Kerri and taking a look at the bigger picture and not being bullied into doing something that may not be in the best interest for all the community.

The Town Supervisor is planning to conduct a workshop meeting on April 22 at 6 p.m. This meeting is to discuss the UB report on Wind turbines and the Barre Wind Laws.

There is a call out to the Attorney General’s Office to see if this is considered a necessary meeting to run the Town of Barre.

Respectfully,

Robin Nacca

Barre