Building a Better Brattleboro will come before the Brattleboro Selectboard at their next Tuesday meeting to present the downtown organization’s new budget, sans River Garden for the first time.
The board will also take up decades-old Farmland and Agricultural Land issues, look at errors and omissions to the Grand List, consider more energy audits for town buildings, hear about downtown program strategies from a state agency, and more.
If there’s something you’d like to discuss that isn’t on the agenda, there’s time for that during Public Participation. You can attend in person, watch on BCTV, or get the highlights here the day after.
…..
The Brattleboro Selectboard will meet on Tuesday, December 3, 2013 in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center. It is expected that the Board will enter into executive session at 6:00pm to discuss a contractual matter and potential litigation. The Board will reconvene the regular business meeting at 6:15pm.
ASL interpreters will be available at the December 3rd meeting for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community members.
The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Thursday, December 5, 2013 at 7:30am in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center. The Board will continue discussions about the FY15 budget.
Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100
….
BRATTLEBORO SELECTBOARD
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013
REGULAR MEETING – 6:15PM
EXECUTIVE SESSION – 6:00PM
AGENDA
1. CONVENE REGULAR MEETING
2. APPROVE MINUTES
3. CHAIR’S REMARKS
4. MANAGER’S COMMENTS
5. SELECTBOARD COMMENTS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS
6. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
7. LIQUOR COMMISSIONERS – None
8. WATER AND SEWER COMMISSIONERS – None
9. UNFINISHED BUSINESS – None
10. NEW BUSINESS
A. Errors and Omissions to Grand List – Approval
B. Farmland Tax Stabilization Program – Town Manager’s Office
C. Agricultural Land Protection Fund – Town Manager’s Office
D. Town Meeting Article – Brattleboro Climate Protection
E. Energy Committee – Energy Use in Town Buildings and Operations
F. Announce Board Seat – Connecticut River Transit
G. Vermont Downtown Program – Leanne Tingay
H. Building a Better Brattleboro (BaBB) – Budget
11. CORRESPONDENCE/FYI
A. Warrants
12. MEETINGS
See enclosed Town Calendar
13. ADJOURNMENT
…
TO: Selectboard December 3, 2013
FROM: Patrick Moreland, Interim Town Manager
SUBJECT: Administrative Report
The following will summarize the proposed motions for those items on the Agenda for the Tuesday, December 3, 2013 Selectboard Meeting. It is anticipated that the Board will meet in executive session beginning at 6:00pm to discuss a contract matter and potential litigation, and the regular meeting will begin at 6:15pm.
7. LIQUOR COMMISSIONERS – NONE
8. WATER AND SEWER COMMISSIONERS – NONE
9. UNFINISHED BUSINESS – NONE
10. NEW BUSINESS
A. Errors and Omissions to Grand List – Approval, Assessor’s Office. Each year after the grand list is completed it is recorded in the Town Clerk’s Office and lodged with State in June. However that is only the beginning, as values are adjusted either through grievance or in the case of some mobile homes, the housing is permanently removed. As a result of changes that are applied after the initial grand list is published, the Town must similarly file Errors and Omissions. The Board is being asked to approve the Errors and Omissions Report and Municipal Assessor Russell Rice will be in attendance to answer any questions the Board may have.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TO APPROVE THE ERRORS AND OMISSIONS REPORT AS PROVIDED.
B. Farmland Tax Stabilization Program – Town Manager’s Office. In 1974 Representative Town Meeting authorized the Selectboard to enter into tax stabilization agreements in an effort to preserve farming activities in Brattleboro. The agreements, which last for 10 years, are conditioned on the successful participation by the applicant in the Farmland Tax Stabilization Program as outlined in the program guidelines. The property owner must, as an example, provide copies annually of their personal tax return to demonstrate that at least 2/3 of their personal income is derived from farming activity. We have recently discovered that the guidelines are not in agreement with the practice outlined in the tax stabilization agreements. I believe, if you examine the record from past Selectboard meetings, it will become clear that this is a simple oversight.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TO ADOPT THE CORRECTED GUIDELINES FOR THE FARMLAND TAX STABILIZATION PROGRAM BY ADJUSTING THE STABILIZATION TO 100% OF THE LAND, BUILDINGS, AND OWNER OCCUPIED DWELLINGS.
C. Agricultural Land Protection Fund Town Manager’s Office. In 1985 Representative Town Meeting voted to establish the Brattleboro Agricultural Land Protection Fund. The purpose was to provide a revolving loan fund that would serve as a lender of last resort to farmers seeking to protect local farmland from development. The fund has been used twice. A loan of $45,000 was made in 1988 and repaid in 1991, and a loan of $50,000 was made in 1998 and repaid in 1999. No other loan activity has occurred. The fund balance is $95,169. Given the lack of activity in this fund, the Board may wish to consider a recommendation to Representative Town Meeting that the funds be repurposed.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TBD
D. Town Meeting Article – Brattleboro Climate Protection. The Board is asked to approve an article for the Representative Town Meeting warning that will read as follows, “To see if the Town will raise and appropriate a sum not to exceed $10,000 to assist in funding Brattleboro Climate Protection for Fiscal Year 15 (July 1, 2014 – June 30,2015).”.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TO ADD THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE TO THE REPRESENTATIVE TOWN MEETING WARNING FOR 2014, “TO SEE IF THE TOWN WILL RAISE AND APPROPRIATE A SUM NOT TO EXCEED $10,000 TO ASSIST IN FUNDING BRATTLEBORO CLIMATE PROTECTION FOR FISCAL YEAR 15 (JULY 1, 2014 – JUNE 30, 2015).”
E. Energy Committee – Energy Use in Town Buildings and Operations. The Brattleboro Energy Committee has researched energy use in the municipal fleet and within municipal buildings. The committee will be in attendance to share their findings with the Selectboard. A request is made in the memo from Paul Cameron and Lester Humphreys for $3,400 to perform additional energy audits of municipal facilities.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TBD
F. Announce Board Seat – Connecticut River Transit. The Selectboard is asked to announce that a position is available on the Board of Directors for Connecticut River Transit, and that the Town is seeking letters of interest from citizens willing to serve. I recommend that we employ the standard procedure for filling committee positions.
POTENTIAL MOTION: NONE
G. Vermont Downtown Program – Leanne Tingay. Brattleboro has what is called a designated downtown as a result of our participation in a statewide downtown program. In order to participate, towns must identify a designated downtown organization, which for many years has been Building a Better Brattleboro (BaBB). In addition, towns must identify a reliable source of funding for that effort, and in Brattleboro that has been a special property tax assessment on properties in the Downtown Improvement District (DID). The benefits of Brattleboro’s continued participation in the program are clear, the Town clearly receives more investment in the downtown through the program than is collected in the DID special assessment. Leanne Tingay of the Vermont Downtown Program will join us to provide the Board with a brief overview of the strategies and objectives of the program.
POTENTIAL MOTION: NONE
H. Building a Better Brattleboro (BaBB) – Budget. The Board is in receipt of correspondence from BaBB Board Chair Donna Simons, which includes a FY15 Work Plan and Budget.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TO APPROVE THE ANNUAL WORKPLAN AND BUDGET OF BUILDING A BETTER BRATTLEBORO AS SUBMITTED AND TO ADD THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE TO THE REPRESENTATIVE TOWN MEETING WARNING FOR 2014, “TO SEE IF THE TOWN WILL VOTE TO RAISE AND APPROPRIATE THE SUM OF $78,000 THROUGH THE SPECIAL ASSESSMENT ON PROPERTIES WITHIN THE DOWNTOWN IMPRIOVEMENT DISTRICT (AS APPROVED BY TOWN MEETING MARCH 19, 2005 AND AS DELINEATED IN THE TOWN ORDINANCE ENTITLED MUNICIPAL ACT TO ESTABLISH AND REGULATE THE DOWNTOWN IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT) TO BE USED FOR THE CAPITAL AND OPERATING COSTS OF PROJECTS OF THE TOWN’S DULY DESIGNATED DOWNTOWN ORGANIZATION.”
…..
BRATTLEBORO SELECTBOARD
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013
SPECIAL MEETING – 7:30AM
HANNA COSMAN MEETING ROOM
AGENDA
1. CONVENE MEETING
2. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
3. NEW BUSINESS
A. FY15 Budget – Discussion
4. ADJOURNMENT
