American Legion commander asks Seymour to buy veterans' flags, seek higher stipend for volunteers

Chair Richard opened the meeting and added a late agenda item to invite a veterans group representative to speak, a motion that was seconded and carried.

“I’m the commander of American Legion Post 10 in Seymour,” the speaker said, identifying himself for the record and describing the post’s volunteer flag program. He said volunteers placed about 1,200 flags last year across nine Seymour cemeteries and that the post supplies flags to families when burials occur out of town.

The presenter described how flag-staff diameters and quality changed when the post switched vendors and outlined vendor price quotes: he said typical retail offers ranged from roughly $1.25 to $1.97 per flag but that Action Flag in Georgia quoted about $0.94–$0.96 per flag if the post could buy two years’ supply (about 2,880 flags). He said a smaller order would raise the unit price, and he noted additional handling (pointing the staff tips) would be required before use.

The commander also asked the board to reconsider a line-item described in budget documents as a $500 “salary” for the volunteers who place flags. He said volunteers can spend many hours in a single cemetery — “if I go in a cemetery and spend 8 hours… do you think $25 is a fair stipend?” — and described a routine in which participants earning $25 for a 10-hour outing was not adequate compensation for time and travel.

Board members asked follow-up questions about procurement and volunteer alternatives. Jason from the finance office confirmed the supplies line and salary line locations in the budget (miscellaneous town contributions, supplies on page 7, line item 53011) and said a town purchase order would be required to make a vendor "preferred." Several selectpersons encouraged the commander to provide a concrete dollar request to help the board during deliberations.

The record contains a naming discrepancy: a board motion to add the speaker to the agenda referenced “Mike Kearney,” while the speaker who addressed the board identified himself in the record as “Mike Ernie, commander of American Legion Post 10 in Seymour.” The board did not resolve the name inconsistency during the meeting; the item was referred for further deliberation.

The board agreed to discuss the flag purchase and stipend during its scheduled budget deliberations, with final consideration expected at the next deliberation meeting.

The motion to add the commander to the agenda was seconded and carried; specific roll-call votes beyond several members saying “Aye” and the chair voting “Aye” were not recorded in the transcript.

What happens next: the board asked the commander to supply a concrete stipend request and will review procurement and budget impacts at its deliberation meeting.