Council discusses committee appointments, agritourism recommendations and ULDC timeline

Council members reviewed the town’s revised committee appointment process and discussed how several advisory groups, including the agritourism ad hoc committee and the ULDC, will move outstanding recommendations forward.

At the start of the meeting staff asked to add nominations for town boards and committees to the agenda; the council voted to add the item. Town attorney Jeffrey Torcivia and Town Manager Francine Romagna explained the new process enacted by ordinance last summer: nominees submit an application form that staff vets for code violations and required qualifications, and confirmed nominees will be brought back as a resolution for formal appointment at the April 1 meeting.

The agritourism ad hoc committee was a central topic. Council members said the group had completed recommendations addressing traffic impacts, event standards, noise and other ULDC provisions and that those recommendations now need to go to the ULDC committee for code edits before returning to council for final action. Council members debated whether to keep the agritourism group “sunsetted but available” so it can be reactivated if follow-up work is needed. Council directed staff to return with suggested timelines and to include committee assignments and schedules when the ordinance setting committees returns for council review.

Councilors also discussed committee performance and reporting. Several members said groups have not always reported back consistently; the council asked staff to provide each committee’s current workload and estimates of how long items will take so council can prioritize work for ULDC, REDGAC and RecGAC.

Sign code and ULDC timing: staff said the sign-code rewrite is underway and that the town attorney and planners are drafting a new code modeled on peer municipalities. Staff and the mayor indicated the sign code and a package of ULDC “part 1” fixes (including height, vested-rights and historical-legacy clarifications) could be ready for ULDC review and council discussion in April and for first reading in May, depending on legal review.

Nominations and process: Romagna said the clerk will send nominees the application form and vetting will be complete before the April 1 confirmation resolution. The council agreed that ad hoc committees may have different qualification rules (for example, not all ad hoc members must be town residents). Council also requested clearer mission statements and date-certain work plans for committees before they begin substantive work.

Ending: Council asked staff to return with a committee ordinance and a prioritized task list for ULDC and related committees, plus suggested timelines for agritourism recommendations to reach ULDC and then council.