Town News

 Brattleboro Citizens’ Breakfast                                                                          

May 16, 2014

Gibson-Aiken Center

The Strolling of the Heifers … and more

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Thursday, May 22, 2014 at 12:00 noon in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center. It is anticipated that the Board will enter into executive session at 12:00 noon to discuss a personnel matter.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

The Brattleboro Town Manager Search Citizen Committee will meet on Thursday, May 22, 2014 at 11:00am in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center. It is anticipated that the Committee will enter into executive session at 11:00am to discuss a personnel matter.

The revised FY15 budget was adopted by the Selectboard, clearing the way for Representative Town Meeting members to weigh in next on June 2. Whether to take funds out of the reserve to further reduce municipal taxes was the only issue the board discussed in any great additional detail, and the decision was a happy surprise for John Allen.

Brattleboro is nearing the selection of a new Town Manager, with a candidate to be selected within the next two or three weeks if all goes as planned, new electric vehicle charging stations will be installed, a PAYT committee was initiated, liquor licenses were approved, and more.

In observance of Memorial Day, all Brattleboro town offices will be closed on Monday, May 26, 2014, with the exception of emergency services.

Parking is free at all metered spaces and in the pay-and-display lots on Sunday, May 25 and Monday, May 26, 2014. All other violations, including extended parking, will be enforced.

The Brattleboro Town Manager Search Citizen Committee will meet on Wednesday, May 21, 2014 at 4:45pm in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center. It is anticipated that the Committee will enter into executive session at 5:00pm to discuss a personnel matter.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, May 21, 2014 at 6:00pm in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center. It is anticipated that the Board will enter into executive session at 6:00pm to discuss a personnel matter.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

The Brattleboro Selectboard hopes to vote on a final and revised $15,881,866 FY15 budget Tuesday night in preparation for the special June 2 Representative Town Meeting.

They will also take up the issue of a Pay As You Throw committee, liquor permits, grants, and a monthly financial report. If there’s something you’d like to bring up that isn’t on the agenda, you can do so doing Public participation.

The meeting is at the Municipal Center on Main Street, and you can watch it on BCTV and read about it here the next day.

The Brattleboro Citizen Police Communications Committee (CPCC) will meet on Tuesday, May 20, 2014 at 5:30pm in the community room at the Brooks Memorial Library. Note the date change for this meeting.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

LIONS CHARTER NEW CLUB IN BRATTLEBORO

A new Lions club has been established in Brattleboro! The Brattleboro Area Lions Club will meet on the first and third Mondays of every month at 6:30 P.M. at the Austine School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. For more information or to get involved, please contact Jim Zoller at 802-579-6899

Lions club members work together to identify needs in their community and address those needs. The new Lions Club will conduct fundraising events to support programs for deaf, hearing-impaired, blind, and sight-impaired individuals. There are plans to get involved with other charitable organizations and fundraising projects.

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold special meetings on May 15, 2014 at 12:00 noon and May 16, 2014 at 8:00am am in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center. It is anticipated that the Board will enter into executive session at both meetings to discuss personnel matters. The Town regrets that this warning is not made with the full time required under the statute.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

Two sets of budget numbers were prepared at the request of the Brattleboro Selectboard since their last FY15 budget meeting. One involves specific cuts the Selectboard was considering; the other takes a look at a 1% across-the-board cut for all departments.

At Tuesday’s somewhat heated meeting, the board considered and voted on which cuts to include in their revised budget for presentation to town meeting representatives on June 2, ending up with a combination of the two approaches. Members of the public also weighed in, sometimes with great passion. Accusations were thrown, apologies offered, and and ideas were suggested.

By the end, the board had a list of requests for the Interim Town Manager to include in a revised budget that they hope to adopt and have ready for representatives in June.

The Town of Brattleboro is looking for citizens to serve on the following committees and boards:

Agricultural Advisory Board
Arts Committee
BASIC (Brattleboro Area Skatepark Is Coming)
BCTV (Brattleboro Community Television)
Brattleboro Housing Authority
CPCC (Citizen Police Communications Committee)

The Clean Energy Development Board will be holding a public hearing to receive comments regarding the $2.6 million that the Clean Energy Development Fund (CEDF) received (see press release below) for clean energy development activities in or for the benefit of Windham County.  The public is also welcome to provide comment on the deployment of the $2.6 million to be spent state-wide by the CEDF and on the performance of the Clean Energy Development Fund Manager.  Here are the details of the public hearing:

When: Wednesday, May 14 2014 at 5:30 PM

Where: Brattleboro Union High School.  In the “multi-purpose” room

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, May 13, 2014 in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center. It is anticipated that the Board will enter into executive session at 5:45pm to discuss personnel and contractual matters, and reconvene the special meeting at 6:15pm.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

The Brattleboro Arts Committee will meet on Tuesday, May 13, 2014 at 4:00pm in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

The Brattleboro Police-Fire Facilities Building Committee will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, May 13, 2014 at 4:00pm in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

The Brattleboro Tree Advisory Committee will meet on Tuesday, May 13, 2014 at 7:00pm at 9 Southern Avenue (257-1164).   NOTE: new location for this meeting only.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

The fourth installment of the 2013 Real Estate and Personal Property Taxes will be due on May 15, 2014 by 5:00 PM. Payments made after May 15, 2014 will have an additional 1% interest, as well as an 8% penalty added to the unpaid balance.

The utility billing is also due on May 15, 2014 by 5:00 PM. Payments made after May 15, 2014 will have an additional 1% interest, as well as an 8% penalty added to the unpaid balance.

Friends of the West River Trail has re-routed the section of the trail between the southern trailhead near the Marina Restaurant and the I-91 bridge. The new section of trail passes under the interstate on the hill just below the bridge abutment, offering a great vantage point to watch the bridge construction.

From the southern trailhead, the trail extends for 3.5 miles north to Rice Farm Road in Dummerston and is open to the public for walking, bicycling, fishing, and nature study. Wildflowers are abundant, and now is a great time to enjoy the trail!