Greensboro hires Josh Karp as town administrator

The Greensboro Selectboard voted June 10 to hire Josh Karp as town administrator, starting July 1 at $30 an hour. Board members said Karp was the strongest of three candidates interviewed; two others declined interviews.

Resident Gary Circosta told the board it had been 17 days since he submitted a second allegation of Open Meeting Law violations, and that state law requires a public response within 10 days. Board Chair MacNeil said no decisions were made outside a warned meeting, and board member Tim Brennan said agenda items can be discussed by email without violating the law.

Resident Janet Long asked how public discussion could be ensured on whether to authorize the Greensboro Conservation Commission to use glyphosate. MacNeil said the board is not currently considering action and suggested she submit an agenda item request.

The board accepted a $17,860 roadside mowing bid from Jeff Masure Excavating of Wheelock, with a $19,840 bid from Patenaude Bush Hogging as backup. Members agreed to generally delay action after bid openings to allow more review time.

The board waived its purchasing policy for grant-funded work on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail trailhead in the Bend, which must be completed by June 30.

Other actions included amending the Caspian Lake Dam Committee charter to five members, approving a banner for Caspian Arts over Craftsbury Road, tabling a dispatch contract with the Lamoille County Sheriff's Department, and scheduling a public hearing on flood hazard area regulations for June 24.

NEK will be looking into whether the Open Meeting Law dispute leads to any formal complaint and what the public records show about the board's email discussions.

Photo: Pub. by Riverside Paper Co., Burlington, Vt. "Tichnor Quality Views", Reg,U.S.Pat.Off., Made Only by Tichnor Bros., Inc., Boston, Mass. (Wikimedia Commons, Public domain). Photo is illustrative and not from the scene.