The Brattleboro Selectboard held their final regular meeting of 2022, taking up issues of finance, cannabis, and EMS services. The AP Triton report gave the board four options of EMS services. The top recommendation of the consultants, though, was to get Brattleboro Fire Department up to national performance standards asap.
The board also heard a well argued critique of their recent police budget discussions.
The AP Triton EMS Feasibility Study and its (expected) four options for Brattleboro EMS services will be made available for the next regular meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard.
The board will also look at financial statements and audits, appoint members to the Charter Review Commission, and more. You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Thursday, July 15, 2021 at 7:00pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room at the Municipal Center. Please see the attached agenda.
Jessica Sticklor
Executive Assistant
Town of Brattleboro
The first “hybrid” meeting using a combination of in-person and zoom participants had no real technical issues to speak of, but many interesting details to discern.
Big news was the agreement being worked out with owners of the nearby Connecticut River dams. They will be changing their operations to create a more natural water flow, which is good news for the river banks, all sorts of critters, recreation, and even the company’s plans for the future.
New land use amendments were approved, as was a mural project. The board also heard of two new places in town to get drinks more easily – Retreat Farm and craft experiment at the River Garden.
At their first meeting in July, the Brattleboro Selectboard will make it easier to buy liquor downtown and at Retreat Farm with the granting of two new liquor licenses. They will also buy pick-up trucks, approve a new mural for a parking lot, contemplate repairs on the Elliot Street bridge, adopt new Land Use regulations, discuss their summer meeting schedule, review their goals, approve of dams, and more.
You can bring up other items not on the agenda during hybrid public participation.
The Brattleboro Selectboard held their final Zoom meeting Tuesday night. Their next meeting, July 6, will be in person (with a hybrid mix) at the Municipal Center in the Selectboard Meeting Room. The Governor says it must be so.
Water shutoff will resume, in November. The board also approved of a financing plan for the water treatment plant on quite favorable financial terms, Tri-Park finances were re-financed, a process for gathering information for a new town website was presented, and committee members were appointed.
The Brattleboro Selectboard will be discussing water and sewer finances, including paying for the new water treatment plant, at their next regular meeting. They’ll also consider reinstating water shutoffs for delinquent accounts and Tri-Park loan refinancing.
There will also be COVID matters, committee members, and a process for creating an RFP for a new town website. You can bring up other matters not on the agenda during public participation.
Brattleboro Utilities and Parking Budgets for FY22 were adopted by the selectboard Tuesday evening. They also had an extended discussion of dependent care and reimbursing selectboard members for costs incurred.
Some DPW purchases were approved, a new ski jump skier statue will be manufactured and given to the town for winter display, and more.
The Brattleboro Selectboard will continue to review FY22 proposed budgets for the Parking and Utilities Funds at their next regular meeting. Either or both may be adopted.
The board will also buy two new dump trucks, discuss placement of a ski jumper sculpture on Main Street during winter months, figure out details of dependent care reimbursement for themselves, and consider buying a summer sidewalk tractor. You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
The Brattleboro Selectboard heard the sad tale of the Parking Fund and its many losses over the previous, current, and probably future year at Tuesday’s meeting. Estimates for the coming year are just guesses. One of the hardest financial discussions ever, the Town Manager told the board.
Everything else, however, went smoothly. The Utilities Fund is pretty much as it was before. New paving projects have been approved. Winston-Prouty got a liquor license (for a single event for grown ups, ahem…), and more. No public participation, either. “A return to normal,” your reporter snarks snarkily.
At the next regular meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard they will discuss two proposed budgets – the FY22 Utilities Fund budget, the FY22 Parking Fund budget – approve emergency repairs for the Whetstone Pathway, review plans for summer paving, and more.
You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation. And of course, May the 4th be with you.
Due to COVID safety there will be no in person Windham Southeast School District Annual Meeting this year. You can vote on the school budget and for school board members by requesting a school ballot from your Town Clerk and voting absentee or by voting in person at each of the polling locations in Brattleboro, Dummerston, Guilford, and Putney on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2021. Due to COVID-19 and social distancing, voters are strongly encouraged to vote through absentee ballot.
A Virtual Public Information Meeting on the proposed FY ’22 School District Budget is scheduled for Tuesday, February 23 via Zoom at 6pm. The link to the Information Meeting agenda and how to call in, as well as budget documents can be found on the school district’s website listed below: https://www.wsesu.org/wsesd-budget-vote.html
AGENDA
I. CALL TO ORDER – 6:00 p.m. – David Schoales, Board Chair
II. INFORMATIONAL MEETING – PROPOSED FY ’22 BUDGET
Agenda
1. Call to Order
2. Approval of Minutes – December 2, 2020 and January 12, 2021
3. Preparation for FY22 WSESD Budget 2.23.21 Information Hearing
4. Academy School Addition project financing method and project timeline
5. FY21 Fiscal Year to Date Statement
A snowy evening, and a short meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard resulted in an approved budget for Representative Town Meeting members, an approved Town Meeting warnings.
At their next meeting, the Brattleboro Selectboard will wrap up their budget season by approving the final FY22 budget and sending it with warned articles to Representative Town Meeting representatives. They’ll also accept a COVID grant and make committee appointments. It could be their shortest meeting in quite some time. You can extend it by bringing up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
The Brattleboro Selectboard accepted the report of the Community Safety Review Committee with a unanimous 5-0 vote and sent the document to Town staff. Staff will annotate and organize the recommendations for the board, evaluating the legality and logistics for each recommendation.
The board also heard about plans for a new water treatment plant at a new estimated cost of $12.5 million. They approved of a charter change amendment to be put to voters on March 2. And they recommend to Town meeting representatives that the police training budget remain at $27,000 rather than be increased to $40,000.
The Brattleboro Selectboard is likely to add a Charter Amendment to the Town Meeting Warning that would eliminate the need for future Charter changes to approved by the state legislature.
The board will hear an update on the Water Treatment facility project, continue finalizing their FY22 budget for RTM consideration, and will continue their discussion of the Community Safety Review Committee’s recommendations. You can bring up other items not on the agenda during Public Participation.
The Brattleboro Selectboard approved of a few items for their FY22 budget recommendations, raising the amount for paving and agreeing to the increases for BCTV and Human Services. They also continued their discussion of the community safety report, and will continue to continue that discussion next week and in the future.
The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Finance Committee will meet on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 at 4:00pm using Zoom (with no physical location due to the ongoing social distancing requirements of COVID-19). The attached agenda contains information about how to access the meeting remotely, including the required “passcode.”
