OLSBA Fall Meeting Minutes_09/09/2023

OLSBA 2023 Fall Meeting Saturday

09/09/2023
Old Lyme Middle School Auditorium

53 Lyme Street
Old Lyme, CT

Board of Governors and Association officers in attendance: Bryan Even (BE), Joanne Gilland (JG), MaryKate Reynolds (MKR), Al Roy (AR), John Mandracchia (JM), Norm Yester(NY), Kathi Stickley (KS), Lou Ricelli (LR)
Absent: Tom Annulli

Member Guests: Approx. 75 including board (55 households signed in)

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Meeting Call to Order: 10:07 AM

1. Welcome -BE

2. Approval of Minutes-
Motion was made/seconded and passed to approve minutes 06/17/23- LR/JM

3. Nomination Committee-Vote needed to synch up governors with their
term expiration dates.
Motion was made/seconded to call for a vote by the assembly for a
3-year term for Al Roy as Governor for the period which began July 1, 2023 and which will continue through June 30,2026. -JM/MKRAssociation voted and passed unanimously.
Motion was made/seconded to call for a vote by the assembly for a 3-year term for John Mandracchia as Governor for the period which began July 1, 2023 and which will continue through June 30,2026. -KS/LR
Association voted and passed unanimously.

Association member Anne Conway asked to nominate Paul Yellen to fill empty position on the Board of Governors; BE said the process must be go through nomination committee which is headed by TA and 2 other individuals.  Association member Paul Graml believed the vote for the suggested person could happen today.
Association member Jay Moynihan commented that committee had the
opportunity to fill it at the annual meeting.

4. Financials NY- presented Balance Sheet as of June 30,2023, Budget vs Actuals, Balance Sheet as of September 7, 2023 and the Proposed Budget for 2024 with the Mill Rate.Commented on income and expenses including expenses for QuickBooks which previously had been paid for by association member John Cunningham. Commented on proposed budget with mill rate- (voted already and overwhelmingly passed at the
Spring 2023 meeting). Explained budget was up 33 percent. Did not have the mill rate at the Spring meeting because calculating the mill rate required revenue and assessment from town which was received on the Wednesday prior to the Saturday meeting.
Motion was made/seconded to call for a vote by the assembly for a mill rate 2.305/1000 for the Fiscal year 2023-2024 which is based on the budget approved by the association on June 17, 2023 and the tax roll as provided by the Town of Old Lyme on June 15, 2023-LR/JM

Discussion:
Association member- questioned voting on the budget without the mill rate being set was even possible according to the charter.
Association member made a motion to table the vote on the mill rate
so that the association can process /seconded by another member.
[Members did not identify themselves or their OLS address.]
BE said the budget had been passed and the motion was made to adopt the mill rate. Association member Diane Duhaime stated the motion that was made and seconded by association member must be discussed and a vote must be made on it according to Robert’s Rules of Order.
NY- had never seen a mill rate posted in his six years of service with the association; Association member Paul Yellen- appreciated Norm and his company’s help in presentation of budget but believed OLS had the tax base available well in advance of our meetings because the town needs it before mid-June.
Association member- said the mill rate increase was not stated in the minutes of the Spring meeting.
Association member Maura Graml, 33 Brightwater, Old Lyme reevaluates property values every 5 years and that membership did not receive the numbers until 4 o’clock the afternoon before the meeting. Charter states that it should be sent out ten days before the start of the
meeting.
Association member Diane Duhaime wants to follow rules in by laws and charter wants mill rate vote tabled until next meeting or until ten days after announcement of mill rate and budget.
NY- questioned if sending out tax bills with disclosure of mill rate established ten days’ notice.

Vote was taken on setting the mill rate and association voted
Yes 24 No 32
Motion did not pass to approve setting the mill rate. BOG will meet and discuss the next steps.
Association member Paul Graml- believes next step should include a proposed decrease in mill rate.

5. Beach George Finley- overall condition of beach is good. Discussed the impact of the major summer storm which caused removal of tree debris totaling 3-30-yard dumpsters.Thankful for the many people who assisted in the cleaning of the beach and removal of the debris.There were no reported issues with blockage of Sheffield Brook possibly due to the rain that pushed out the sand blockage. Raft and lines have been removed for the year.
The Harbor Commission of Old Lyme is addressing the issue of sound pollution from the guest boats at Soundview all summer long.Racks will be taken apart, repaired and stored over the winter months. Thankful to Bud Smart and Lou Ricelli for their work with this project. OLS is not charged for removal of sand from the winter months but does incur costs associated with the grading.

6. Gate and Beach Attendants JM- guards are now called gate and beach attendants. Recognition given for Chris Bird, Head Attendant, for his leadership.Fewer security issues this summer except for the July 4th evening incident (300 people on beach area due to social media invitations). Discussing ideas for next year’s security measures in anticipation for similar situations.