Ready for Town Meeting?

Over the next week we'll be taking a closer look at the Articles that will be acted upon at the annual Representative Town Meeting coming up on March 21. We'll work our way through them and let you give each a thorough examination and discussion.

The first fifteen articles could be considered the warm up round for the day. They take care of the basic operation of the schools and town. Debate usually comes later on, but one never knows and anything is open for discussion.

This year, the first three are about running of our schools, specifically paying for things. If all goes as planned, school board members get paid, school directors are authorized to borrow money, and schools are allowed to take grants and aid from the state and federal government.

"ARTICLE 1. To see what salaries the Town School District will pay its school board members.

ARTICLE 2: To see if the Town School District will authorize its Town School Directors to borrow money in anticipation of taxes.

ARTICLE 3: To see if the Town School District will authorize the District to accept and expend categorical grants and aid received from the State of Vermont and the United States Government."


The next is also for the schools, but asks specifically if people want to pay for some improvements the schools are requesting this year. This is the freezer and walk-in cooler, but also paving and erosion control. When there are specifics like this and extra borrowing, there can be a bit more discussion. This may be one of the first questions of the day testing the charitable feelings in the room.

"ARTICLE 4: To see if the Town School District will authorize the following capital improvements and purchases for the Brattleboro Town School District: Trees and Erosion Control, Paving (Academy School and Oak Grove School), the purchase of a freezer and walk-in cooler (Academy School) at an estimated cost not to exceed $275,000, and will authorize the issuance of notes in the aggregate principal amount not to exceed $275,000 at a rate of interest not to exceed 5% per annum and for a term not to exceed five (5)) years, in order to pay to the extent the cost of said school capital improvements."


The last bit of school business here is to approve the amount of money people are willing to pay for educating kids.

"ARTICLE 5: To see how much money the Town School District will raise and appropriate to defray, its expenses and liabilities."


Representatives are starting to get their workout. The questions come pretty quickly, and the tendency is to just go along. Do we accept the audit? Who gets nominated to the boards? Will we use a Certified Public Accountant? Do we approve of the appointments of Town Clerk, Treasurer, and Town Attorney? How much will we pay the Selectboard?

ARTICLE 6: To act on the Auditor's report.

ARTICLE 7: To elect three trustees for the Brooks Memorial Library, to serve three years (trustees will be announced at the meeting).

ARTICLE 8: To elect two representatives to the Capital Grant Review Board for a term of one year from March 21, 2009, (Two members will be nominated from the floor.)

ARTICLE 9: To see if the Town and Town School District will authorize its Selectboard and School Directors to employ a certified public accountant or public accountants.

ARTICLE 10; To see if the Town will ratify, approve and confirm the Selectboard's appointment of a Town Clerk and Town School District Clerk for a term of one year.

ARTICLE 11: To see if the Town will ratify, approve and confirm the Selectboard's appointment of a Town and Town School District Treasurer for a term of one year.

ARTICLE 12: To see if the Town will ratify, approve and confirm the Selectboard's appointment of a Town Attorney for a term of one year.

ARTICLE 13: To see what salaries the Town will pay its officers for the year 2009-2010."


The final bit of business in the "first fifteen" is how much representatives decide it will cost to run the town, and if the town can borrow what it expects to collect later. There will be some adding and subtracting possible later in the meeting as projects get added or taken out, but this sets up the starting point for everyone.

"ARTICLE 14: To see how much money the Town will raise, appropriate and expend to defray its expenses and liabilities.

ARTICLE 15: To see if the Town will authorize its to borrow money on its notes in anticipation of taxes and grants."

....

Join us for our next installment, when we look at special requests for funding.