Otter Creek CUD authorizes chair to finalize administrative agreement with Rutland Regional Planning Commission

Otter Creek Communication Union District members on a March meeting authorized the board chair to finalize a memorandum of agreement with the Rutland Regional Planning Commission to provide administrative, financial and logistical services.

The measure, moved by Leslie Cadwell and seconded by Larry Corsell, passed with no opposition after a discussion of the agreement’s scope. The agreement would have Rutland Regional host the CUD’s physical meeting location, post meeting agendas, host the board’s Teams meeting and post recordings to the contractor’s YouTube channel. The planning commission staff would also assume the CUD treasurer duties required by statute; a Rutland Regional staff member would be named and appointed by the Otter Creek board to that role.

The chair, Laura Black, described the draft as largely final but said a few technical details remained. "They will need to follow the, all of the terms of our grant agreement," Black said while reviewing the draft. She said Rutland Regional’s financial manager, Mary Kay Skanza, had met with the CUD’s treasurer and consultant to work out accounting details such as whether the CUD would use a cash or accrual system.

Board members discussed operational mechanics: Rutland Regional staff would prepare warrants and checks, while VantagePoint consultant Caleb Boone would continue submitting warrants for VCBB reimbursement until the parties agreed on an alternate workflow. Black noted the draft includes required contract provisions for state and federal grant-funded work and stressed that the CUD would remain an independent entity making its own final decisions.

The board discussed checks and signature authority: Devon Neary, Rutland Regional’s executive director (hosting the meeting), would be one of two signers on warrants and the other would be Vice Chair Larry Corsell, mirroring existing practice at the planning commission. The CUD will continue to maintain its purchase order box in Rutland while Rutland Regional provides bookkeeping and administrative assistance.

Board members also asked that language be clarified in a few places (for example, to reflect that the CUD has volunteers and associates rather than employees). Black said she would finalize the contract language, attach required grant documents, and return the revised memorandum for distribution before signing.

The motion recorded in the meeting minutes authorized the chair to finalize and sign the memorandum "provided that the final agreement is substantially similar to what was shared with us tonight." The board voted in favor; no board member voiced opposition.

The board expects the final agreement to be executed after Rutland Regional and CUD staff complete the remaining bookkeeping and contract attachments.