budget

Selectboard Meeting Notes – Long Term Planning To Return, EMS Numbers Reported

by cgrotke | Town News
selectboard april 15 2025

The Brattleboro Selectboard, meeting for some regular business and a discussion of the evolving FY26 budget, were able to agree on a few structural budget issues – to have a long term financial plan once again and to have a capital equipment and a capital infrastructure plans as well. 

The new fire chief praised his amazing staff, and all town departments. He also gave the first accounting of what EMS services were costing the taxpayers. Solid waste and mural discussions were postponed. And the 12% tax increase was really just 6% if you average it with some other numbers.

Brattleboro Selectboard Special Meeting Agenda April 17 – FY26 Budget Revenues and Reductions

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room at the Municipal Center (230 Main Street, Rm. 212) and over Zoom. The attached agenda contains information on how to access the meeting remotely, including the required “passcode.”  ASL interpreters will be available for deaf and hard-of-hearing community members. The backup materials for this meeting will be available on the town Website Brattleboro.gov/Selectboard as soon as possible.

Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda & Notes – April 15, 2025

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard continues their month of many meetings with a regular meeting on Tuesday where they will approve of some paving grants, approve a new mural, discuss tax stabilization for a farm, and get financial and fire updates. 

The big item should be the budget discussion about solid waste options.

You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.

Brattleboro Selectboard Meeting Agendas – April 8 and 10

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard begins the double-meeting stretch, with meetings on both Tuesdays and Thursday for most of April as they try to compress an enormous amount of work into a short time frame.  First up – a listening session on Tuesday. Go tell the board your thoughts on the budget for the coming year. They are redoing it and want to know how you would like it redone. It would be very helpful for RTM members to attend, too.

Thursday the board will review what was heard, and figure out how to turn that into a series of useful meetings that results in a budget that will pass Representative Town Meeting.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – New Board Thinks About New Budget

by cgrotke | Town News
sb swearing in fire chief april 1 2025

The newest version of the Brattleboro Selectboard had their first regular meeting, and it was quite something. Chair Liz McLoughlin kept things under control but things weren’t going her way most of the evening. The public was riled, the new members had “ideas,” and her suggestions weren’t always easily agreed upon by others. It was a long meeting.

The primary focus of the night was what to do about the rejected FY26 budget and how to go about doing it. It’s not 100% determined, but generally there will be lots of meetings in April (most Tuesdays and Thursdays), including a listing session to hear why the budget was rejected, a meeting to discuss what was heard at the listening session, and more meetings to discuss whatever then needs to be discussed. There will also be one or two special Representative Town Meetings to vote on whatever gets presented.

And, our new Fire Chief was sworn-in. There was much rejoicing.

Town of Brattleboro Budget-Cutting Scenarios Win Award for Short Fiction

by cgrotke | Op/Ed

I was going to do an April Fools’ story, but the Town of Brattleboro beat me to it. : )

The Town Manager has provided the Brattleboro Selectboard with an extensive overview of current town operations. Along with it, he provided a number of dramatic scenarios that could unfold if the new selectboard dared to make any cuts to the town budget.

These doomsday scenarios are really something.  Department heads were asked to provide examples of what could happen if some unspecified cuts were undertaken. These were then tossed in the “make scary” machine.

Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – April 1, 2025

by cgrotke | Town News

The newest iteration of the Brattleboro Selectboard will ease into their work year at their first regular meeting with an approval of an outdoor consumption permit for Snow Republic, then will take assignments for signing warrants and committee assignments and adopt rules of conduct. 

The Town Manager will review the budget re-development process with the board and supply his list of proposed cuts – to services.

The final item will be approval of a plan to re-paint bike lanes on Western Avenue in a new single-side-of-the-road pattern from Green Street to Exit 2 when the road is paved later this year.  You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation, and the board is free to engage with you on those items but not take any action.

Brattleboro Needs Responsible Budgeting—Not a More-than-12% Tax Hike and Deferred Maintenance

by IsaacEF | Politics

The Selectboard’s proposed budget raises property taxes by more than 12% and defers expenses—setting residents up for even higher taxes down the road. And over the past several months the Selectboard has chosen to deplete Town funds to hire new positions and cover new expenses. Brattleboro’s Representative Town Meeting (RTM) Finance Committee recently issued a clear warning: The Selectboard must take a more responsible approach to budgeting. I agree. We need longer term financial planning and political courage for responsible budgeting, and the Selectboard and Representative Town Meeting can help us get there.

The Selectboard placed an opinion poll on the March 4th ballot regarding the 2% of the Town budget allocated for human services. But there’s another 98% we need to consider. That’s where the biggest opportunities are for savings.The Selectboard should have taken the Finance Committee’s recommendations seriously. The committee exists to advise Representative Town Meeting members—the ultimate deciders on the budget. To increase the chances of the budget passing, the Selectboard should carefully consider the Finance Committee’s guidance.The Finance Committee expressed concern about the lack of a long-term financial plan and called on the Selectboard to direct the town manager to present a list of potential staff cuts for the coming budget and to identify cuts and deferrals that will likely reappear a year from now when we are considering the following year’s budget. The outgoing Selectboard chose not to implement any of these recommendations.

Representative Town Meeting Representatives Have An Opportunity

by cgrotke | Op/Ed

Representative Town Meeting Representatives could reject this year’s budget and the 12.1% increase in municipal property taxes.

Charter prohibitions prevent representatives from telling the Selectboard what specifically to cut, but they can tell them to cut the budget by any amount, and can strongly suggest what needs to be trimmed by the board.

Representatives are in a unique position this year, though. Voters rejected two incumbents that created this budget and replaced them, and the Chair that led this budget process stepped aside and was replaced.  If voters had had the chance, the remaining two Selectboard members might have been tossed, too. 

Brattleboro Selectboard Meeting – Agenda and Notes January 7, 2025

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will be taking another look at the FY26 budget at the first regular meeting of 2025. They made some cuts to services at their last meeting and will review the impact of their decisions thus far. Will they do more?

The board will hold a second reading of changes to the ordinance governing the Downtown Improvement District. If everyone likes it, it will be approved as well.  You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – What Services Would You Like To Cut?

by cgrotke | Town News
selectboard nov 5 2024

The Brattleboro Selectboard discussed the “base budget” – a budget with no changes to services from current levels – at Tuesday’s Election Night meeting. As is, they said, it would be a 22% increase. Board members agreed it was a difficult budget, but none had any big ideas for getting the increase to a more manageable level.

Citizens attending had ideas – eliminate raises, cut Municipal Center hours to 32 hours a week for most employees, cut positions, and throw it all out and build up from what is truly necessary were suggested.  Personnel costs, they noted, were the big numbers.

In a flashback to the era of Barb Sondag we heard the Town Manager ask the board to simply tell him what services they’d like to cut from the people of Brattleboro…

Brattleboro Property Tax – Proposed Increase of 14%, Plus Maybe 5-8% More for Solid Waste

by cgrotke | Town News

Here are some excerpts from the Town Manager’s memo to the Brattleboro Selectboard regarding their enormous FY’26 budget. I’ve left out some of the tables mentioned to make it easier for me to format. Go view the full document to see them.

At the start, they anticipate a 14% increase in property taxes, but this does not yet include any solid waste disposal costs, which staff say may add another 5-8%.

Get yourself a drink so you can spit it out in amazement as you read the details.

Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – November 5, 2024

by cgrotke | Town News

While the rest of the world is concerned with election day and results, the Brattleboro Selectboard will be presenting the an overview of the draft budget for the FY26. They will also continue with their approval of liquor and entertainment licenses for a new business in the former River Garden public space.  You can bring up other items not on the agenda, during public participation.

WSESD Independent Budget Review Committee Oct 9, 2024 Meeting Minutes

by Not Signed In | Education

1. Introduction of members. Members introduced themselves and their backgrounds.

2. Election of chair and secretary.

Maggie nominated Kristina for Chair, motion was seconded by Ellie. The vote was unanimous. On a motion by Ellie seconded Kristina, Maggie was unanimously elected secretary.

3. Training -committee discussed Training with Frank on the chart of accounts. The IBRC committee will plan a funding formula training in the upcoming weeks.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – Brattleboro Bike and Pedestrian Plan Adopted

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard approved bike and pedestrian plan that, when implemented, will create a network of sidewalks and bike lanes throughout the town. 

The board debated possible changes to budget meeting times, considering a return to the days when budgets would be held on off-days at odd times rather than regular Tuesday evenings. They also approved a one year extension for Golden Cross ambulance service.

Brattleboro Selectboard Meeting Agenda and Notes – April 18, 2023

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will approve a one year extension with Golden Cross for ambulance services at their next regular meeting, putting in place a new contract that extends well beyond the EMS service decision the board plans to make in less than six months.

They’ll approve rules of conduct, plan a board retreat, adopt new parking rules, endorse a bike and walking plan, and consider changing the way the budget is prepared. They will also most certainly crow about winning a major award.

WSESU Board Meeting Agenda and Minutes

by Not Signed In | Education

Discussion of Budget. Highlights:
a. “Budget season” is misnomer since budget development is year-long process and Board members always have a fiduciary responsibility with every decision made. Steps taken today are not set in stone. Goal is always what’s best for our students.

b. Review of same budget doc presented last week showing a $31,253,290 m budget for SU down 3.2% from last year