News & Information

News and information sections, from near to far

Brattleboro Selectboard Meeting Agenda and Notes – May 2, 2025

by cgrotke | Town News

It has been a while, but the Brattleboro Selectboard will again hold a regular meeting to discuss items other than the FY26 budget. Instead they will examine more changes to the parking system, new murals and events, get an update on the Housing Plan,  and hire a financial services company for a year to help ill in for the Finance Director.

The board will also have a discussion about the old bridges sitting in the Connecticut River and come up with a list of requests for the state of New Hampshire to consider. You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – Chair Encourages Civility For Herself; Loses It Over Rescue Comment; Budget Passes

by cgrotke | Town News
selectboard may 1 2025

The Brattleboro Selectboard held a May Day meeting to discuss and pass their new budget, which takes the overall municipal tax increase down from 12.1% to 10.8%, shaving 1.3% from the budget rejected by Representative Town Meeting.

The public, those allowed to speak, weren’t very impressed.

Chair McLoughlin began by apologizing for being rude to young people at the previous board meeting. Later on, she shut down the meeting with gavel banging and demands for an adult to stop speaking about something she said could not be tolerated-  a discussion of Rescue Inc correcting the record. 

Brattleboro Planning Commission: May 5, 2025 Meeting Agenda

by planning | Town Plan

7:00 – 7:30 Town Plan 2026
• Town Plan Survey – Review responses collected.
• Community Conversations – Identify targeted demographics we want represented in discussions. Identify potential organizations to reach out and arrange conversation with.
• Community workshop – Discuss community land use workshop, agree on a potential date, and discuss the need for any additional workshops

Brattleboro Selectboard Special Meeting Agenda May 1, 2025

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will meet on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room and over Zoom. The agenda includes information on how to access the meeting remotely. Either ASL interpreters of closed captioning will be available in the meeting for deaf and hard of hearing community members. The backup materials for this meeting will be available on the website early next week. 

Brattleboro Winter Parking Ban Lifted

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Town of Brattleboro’s winter parking ban has been lifted. Overnight parking is allowed on all streets EXCEPT in the downtown area.
The streets listed below are not permitted for overnight parking:

Main Street
High Street

Selectboard Special Meeting Notes – Board Reacts To Revised FY26 Budget Up By $420,000

by cgrotke | Town News
selectboard solid waste april 24 2025

The Brattleboro Selectboard held another in their month of many meetings to focus on decisions around solid waste and to hear the results of their budget decisions thus far.  Those results were not good. They also warned a special Representative Town meeting to vote on the revised FY26 budget, which will face further revision.

As with last week, I’m watching this second meeting of the week but not typing up every word. I’ll summarize again. 

Selectboard Meeting Notes – Fire Department Suggests Hiring More Staff To Lower Costs; No Major Changes To Safety Budgets

by cgrotke | Town News
selectboard breakdown april 22 2025

The Brattleboro Selectboard continued their month of many meetings with a discussion of potential service reductions in public safety.

It was a long meeting, mostly because the police and fire departments were given hours to speak of the value they provide to the town. After that, the public spoke about how much they valued the police and fire departments.   In the end, no changes will happen and the town may end up hiring more fire department staff. To save money.  

Thanks to everyone who has sent a donation to support coverage!

Millennial News: Cheeky Cocktails

by hwachtel | Business

South Newfane Vermonter turned entrepreneur, April Wachtel, was featured on NPR’s April 10th, 2025 episode of How I Built This: Advice Line with Guy Raz and Peter Rahal (founder of RXBAR and David). Her interview begins at 27:17. April grew up listening to NPR. A 2004 graduate of Boston University, she spent her college and post graduate years in Boston in hospitality and the spirits industry – bartending, learning and teaching others how to make craft cocktails.  She previously appeared on the Grey Goose Entertainment- Sundance Channel on November 1, 2010: “Beyond the Bar – April Wachtel”, a You-Tube commercial for Grey Goose Vodka.

April is the founder and CEO of Cheeky, a manufacturer of craft cocktail/mock-tail mixers in Brooklyn, New York.

Brattleboro Selectboard Special Meeting Agenda – April 24, 2025

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Thursday, April 24, 2025 at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room and over Zoom. Information on how to log onto the Zoom meeting can be found in the agenda. ASL interpreters will be in the meeting for the deaf and hard of hearing. The materials for this meeting will be available on the town website later this week.

Brattleboro Selectboard Special Meeting Agenda and Notes – April 22, 2025

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room and over Zoom. Instructions on how to access the meeting remotely can be found in the agenda. ASL interpreters will be in the meeting for deaf and hard of hearing members of the public. The materials for this meeting will be posted on the town’s website by the end of the day.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – FY26 Revenues and Reductions

by cgrotke | Town News

I won’t be doing the usual transcription-style tonight. It’s too many meetings to type that much. But I will watch and give you highlights. And I’ll make a rare pitch – if you’d like to make a donation to help underwrite all of this, it does help. On to the show.

….

First off, they instituted a new sign up per topic list for those in the room, adding another level of confusion/intimidation for members of the public who must now anticipate what will be said and if they might like to respond.

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 Water Department’s 2024 Consumer Confidence Report / Water Quality Report Available

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Town of Brattleboro Water Department’s annual Consumer Confidence Report / Water Quality Report for 2024 is now available. This report can be viewed online at www.Brattleboro.gov under Water Supply.  Printed copies are available at the Department of Public Works, Tri-Park CO-OP Office, Guilford Country Store, Town Clerk’s Office and Treasurer’s office (both located in the Brattleboro Municipal Center) and at the I-91 Welcome Center in Guilford. 

Vermont Delegation Statement on Mahdawi Arrest in Colchester

by cgrotke | State News

Senators Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch and representative Becca Balint issued a statement on the arrest of a green card holder going for a naturalization interview. Mohsen Mahdawi was in Colchester when detained by ICE agents.

“BURLINGTON, Vt., April 14 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Rep. Becca Balint (Vt.-AL) today released the following statement on the illegal detention of Mohsen Mahdawi by the Trump Administration:

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.