Goshen Board of Selectmen: R20 Debt Payment Schedule, Oil Tank Farm Concerns, Library Staffing Shortage

8/12/2025

Present:  Todd Carusillo, Scott Olson, Dexter Kinsella (Zoom, but couldn’t be heard due to sound issues)

The board continued the ongoing discussion of how to pay down Goshen’s share of the Region 20 debt, with a unanimous vote to push back a previously scheduled August 14th town meeting five days later.

The vote would have authorized a three-year repayment of Goshen’s roughly $560,000 burden – something Olson emphatically objected to. The Board of Finance already had adjusted the mill rate to cover the deficit, part of Olson’s contention. He took the position that it should be paid in a lump sum.

“The plan that Region 20 had to tackle this outstanding debt over a three-year period was to juggle finances and sort of rob Peter to pay Paul at the time being,” Olson said, “And to take the vendors that we all recognize that we owe money to currently and put them unvoluntarily on a three-year repayment plan. … I know that a lot of other people in town had concerns that if we were to do that, we would then be using those vendors as a bank to finance our own shortcomings.”

“I think we have an inherent obligation to make sure that – irrespective of what the other four towns do – Goshen needs to step up and say ‘We know that we owe this money. We've taken it from our taxpayers, we're not gonna sit on it”.

The fuel oil tank farm on School Hill Road also remained a subject of discussion. Michael and Sarah Leonard had sent correspondence regarding the potential hazards and the lack of communication they’ve received from the town on the matter.

Carusillo said he directed them to the land use officer and building official; however, he posited that staffing could be slowing things down.

“The building inspector only has coverage right now because he’s on vacation,” Carusillo said. “The guy that’s covering is from Burlington, so he probably doesn’t know anything about it.”

8/19/2025

Present:  Todd Carusillo, Scott Olson, Dexter Kinsella

The Region 20 deficit and the proposed Mitchell Oil tank farm on School Hill Road continued to be a source of discussion.

The town meeting on the deficit had been rescheduled for that night to vote on the Region 20 memorandum of understanding (MOU), which would allow the town to begin paying down the debt.

Upon town approval of the MOU, the decision would then become how to pay down that debt. The board all agreed that the town needed to fulfill its obligations to vendors, but how they would get there – be it a three-year or lump-sum payout – was to be determined.

The tank farm issue on School Hill Road then took center stage during public comment.

Sarah Leonard, who, along with her husband, Michael, lives on the road right beside the tank farm, spoke about the issue – something both she and Michael have raised in meetings repeatedly over the past several weeks.

“We had a spill at this property in 1985, which I'm learning all about recently. All these things can lead to soil, water contamination, air pollution, and pose health risks to communities, meaning my road and the people that live around me.”

“Yes, this information is scary and dramatic … ” Leonard later continued. “I want to know about the traffic, the increased volume, the wetlands, the neighboring farms and families that live here. And this is not a one truck back and forth a few times during the day like we saw with Goshen Oil. All will be affected in our community, it’s not just me.”

The board discussed whether they actually had any formal authority to block the tank farm expansion.

Olson asked his fellow selectmen: “My understanding would be that we just don't (have that ability), and almost as it should be – it's just a balance and separation of powers here… My understanding is that because it's pre-existing, nonconforming that zoning really doesn't have a whole lot to stand on if they wanted to deny it.”

“I'm learning now that there's a chance inland wetland may have a duty to take this up,” Olson continued. “This is just what I'm hearing, but that's all aside from the fact that, in my perspective, when we receive a letter from you saying that you want us to deny the permit, I don't think that there's a law that would allow us to do that even if we thought it was appropriate.”

8/26/2025

Present:  Todd Carusillo, Scott Olson, Dexter Kinsella

The Region 20 memorandum of understanding (MOU) had been approved by taxpayers the previous week, allowing the board to dive deeper into how they want to tackle their share of the deficit.

The board unanimously agreed to make a payment of $162,993.00. Upon doing that, the decision then became whether they would continue to pay installments or pay down the rest soon in a lump sum.

Carusillo took the position that the town should pay down the debt in three payments, saying the town would earn over $25,000 in interest that way over the course of the repayment.

“We were getting 4.25% interest if we paid off over three years,” Carusillo said. “The town and the townspeople, we will earn $25,293 in interest over the next three years. I was ready to make a motion to do it in three payments, so the town earns the interest.”

Olson had repeatedly insisted in previous weeks that the town had an obligation to pay down the deficit at once because the mill rate already had been raised, in part, for that very purpose. He remained steadfast in that position.

“The right thing to do is to pay it all off,” Kinsella said. “I mean, we owe this money, we're indebted for this, and we, the town, approved last year's budget with the understanding that this money was gonna be for paying off the debt.

“Having said that, I understand the other argument that people make that the town is strapped for cash, and $25,000 in interest is certainly beneficial for the bottom line fiscally,” Kinsella continued. “But my personal viewpoint is to pay the whole thing at once, and I know that's an unpopular view, so I would probably, I like Scott's idea of, of having to go to let the town decide which way we go.”

Olson had also objected to the idea that the board be able to make the decision on how the debt is paid as opposed to letting taxpayers voice their thoughts in a public forum. The MOU wasn’t actually to decide how the town should pay down the debt, so that pivotal detail remained open-ended.

9/2/2025
Present:  Todd Carusillo, Scott Olson, Dexter Kinsella (Zoom)

The town officially approved its first payment under the Region 20 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).  During the Approval of the Payroll and Warrant, a total warrant of $191,135.57 was approved, including payroll. The Region 20 payment was responsible for $162,993.00 of the warrant.

During correspondence, Carusillo rescinded the resignation of a library aide, Kate Malanca, who had previously resigned but later asked to return. The reappointment should help alleviate scheduling pressure as staffers near the 999-hour mark for their pension eligibility to kick in.

“You guys have been seeing the checks,” Carusillo said. “(Some staffers are) doing 35, 37 hours. … When it comes to 999, we can't give them any more hours, or they're going to be short-staffed in June.”

Public comment resulted in the airing of frustration some residents are having pinning down Enforcement Manager Spencer Musselman.

Michael Leonard, who has been a mainstay at meetings opposing the tank farm proposal on School Hill Road, was among those to speak.

“(Musselman) has not gotten back to us with the questions we’ve asked,” Leonard said. “I’ve even been here during his posted hours and he was not here.”

Another resident, Marianne Stilson, added the she and others also are having a tough time reaching Musselman.

“This is not the first I've heard from residents that Spencer is not returning phone calls, Stilson said. “Maybe this arrangement of not having him any longer and him being committed to other towns is not working for us. So, maybe we should revisit this, because it's not the first I've heard from people that have said that he isn't returning phone calls or he isn't getting back to them. I think it's something you guys really need to look into.”

Carusillo said he would follow up to see what’s happening.

“He is doing Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Mondays and Fridays are by appointment only. Wednesday, he's supposed to be in person here,” Carusillo said. “So, he was here, I believe, last week, and hopefully he's in this week and I'll have a chat with him.”