The Brattleboro Selectboard were, until Tuesday night, the last keepers in the United States of something called an Urban Development Action Grant (UDAG) Program grant. Before them was $2.3 million that has matured, and the board voted to transfer all of it away from UDAG into the Town’s Revolving Loan Fund.
The board was also pleased with their progress on a number of issues, and happy to hear the monthly fire department report.
The Brattleboro Selectboard kicks off the new year with another error. The paving project was under-estimated by 3211 tons of asphalt. Oops, and $32,000.
The Fire Department will read their monthly report – for November of last year, the board will revisit their retreat and goal-setting, and the Town Manager will request a transfer of over $2 million to the Revolving Loan Fund. You can attempt to bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation if the Chair deems you worthy.
The results of the Brattleboro Selectboard board retreat will be discussed at their next Tuesday meeting. Hint: they have established their five top goals of the year to be good transportation center parking, the town pool, the community safety plan, safety zones, and housing.
Tax rates and utility rates will be set, housing and land use will be discussed, and you can bring up any other items not on the agenda if the Chair allows under Public Participation.
New Brattleboro Selectboard members Peter Case and Franz Reichsman attended their first regular meeting since swearing-in. They were treated to discussions of rules and goals, the Windham Regional Commission, Representative Town Meeting, hazard mitigation, and more.
Town Manager John Potter suggested the board have a retreat to discuss short-term and longer-term goals and budgets, to which the board readily agreed.
Chair Ian Goodnow had an unusally rough night. He was 40 minutes past his usual 8 pm break time as he explained to the board his new goals for keeping the meeting on schedule. This included his new desire to limit public comments to just two minutes per person, per agenda item.
The first regular meeting of the new Brattleboro Selectboard will feature discussions of possible opioid lawsuit settlements, tax increment financing, loose ends from Representative Town meeting, and more. You can bring up other items not on the agenda during Public Participation.
The Brattleboro Selectboard will award a contract to a web developer for the redesign of the Town website at their next regular meeting. They’ll also approve of a contract for an EMS feasibility study.
You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
Members of the public scolded the Brattleboro Selectboard again for poor communication regarding their recent EMS decision. After, the board discussed removing some mentions of transparency and openness from their goals while patting themselves on the back for already having an open and transparent process.
They discussed other goals, then heard presentations about some exciting, possibly large housing projects going through the planning process. They also discussed improving the parklet program.
The Brattleboro Selectboard, under new management of Chair Ian Goodnow, had their first regular meeting of April and their first long discussion. It was about goals and what they want to do in the coming year. They also had their first meeting in the Municipal Center in quite a long time, sitting closely without masks and wondering where members of the public might be.
The board approved of a catering license, loaned some more money for new housing, allowed short term rental in the parking garage, and more.
A rather routine agenda awaits the “new” Brattleboro Selectboard at their first regular meeting of April 2022. A liquor license, lease agreements, board goals and assignments, and loans. The board will also discuss raising the fee for recycling.
You can bring up other items not on this agenda during public participation.
The Brattleboro Selectboard kicked off their FY23 budget season with an overview of the proposed town budget by Town Manager Peter Elwell. Questions were limited at this meeting, allowing the board and the public to take in a broad overview. Deep dive questions begin next week.
One of the lengthier passages in this meeting was a discussion of prepaid assigned funds compared to unassigned funds and how they both are accounted for legally and financially.
Budget season begins with an overview of the proposed budget by the Town Manager to the Selectboard, and this starts at the next regular meeting of the board.
They’ll also approve more repairs for the skating rink, increase the deductible on health insurance for town employees, review their goals, and more. You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
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.
It was the first April meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard, the first meeting with Elizabeth McLoughlin as Chair, the first time Congressman Peter Welch has told Brattleboro about $3.3 million on the way, and the first time we learn of Town Manager Peter Elwell’s planned retirement at the end of the year.
Much discussion, though, was about goals for the coming year.
The FY21 proposed budget inched closer to becoming the FY21 official budget at the first meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard for 2020. The board ran through a list of final loose ends, heard from the human resources committee and police department, talked loans and grants, discussed public toilets, and were offered both CBD joints and liquor.
A citizen stood up for war crime whistleblowers, select board goals were reviewed, and more. A few budget meetings remain in January, but the board skipped the review of their upcoming meetings schedule so any meetings are theoretical at this juncture.
For their first meeting of the Roaring Twenties, the Brattleboro Selectboard will take up unfinished business related to the FY21 Proposed Budget. The Human Services Committee will come answer questions, a body-worn camera contract will be questioned, yearly goals will be reviewed and more.
Duo Restaurant has a new owner applying for loans and licenses, a new neighborhood designation area will be presented, and you can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
A climate emergency declaration, sustainability issues, and the celebration of the police are all on the next agenda of the Brattleboro Selectboard.
There will be a discussion of a Charter Review commission being re-formed, business loans, and talk of public art proposals. Continuing the focus on police, the board will approve a police carport, new fingerprint scanners, and new police vehicles. You can, as always, bring up other items not on the agenda during Public Participation.
The Brattleboro Selectboard held their only meeting of July. Despite objections from many landlords, the board approved a new rental housing inspection program, and despite numerous statements of support they put off deciding on how best to deal with issues of sustainability.
New tax rates for FY20 were set, a 3-month day work pilot program was funded, Groundworks received $100,000 for housing, and more.
The Brattleboro Selectboard held their first meeting of June, spending most of the time discussing goals, but also approving Utility and Parking budgets for FY20.
Firefighters, administrators and office staff of Local 98 all got raises, and a new downtown design process will be getting underway.
Vice Chair Tim Wessel led the board through the second regular meeting in May. It was a night of numbers, with Water & Sewer, Parking, and Solid Waste FY20 budgets being discussed in detail. One member compared the evening to math class, but budgets can be revealing, and many new town projects and plans were listed. The projects have timelines and costs, hence their inclusion in budget talks.
