News and information sections, from near to far
The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, at 6:15 p.m. in the Selectboard Meeting Room at the Brattleboro Municipal Center (230 Main Street, Room 212) and over Zoom.
The attached agenda contains information on how to access the meeting remotely, including the required passcode. Please note that the Zoom credentials have changed as of this meeting.
The first installment of the 2025 Brattleboro Real Estate and Personal Property Taxes will be due by 5 p.m. on August 15, 2025. Payments made after August 15, 2025, will have an additional 1% interest added to the unpaid balance.
The Town of Brattleboro utility bills are also due by 5 p.m. on August 15, 2025. Payments made after August 15, 2025, will have an additional 1% interest, as well as an 8% penalty added to the unpaid balance.
The next Charter Revision Commission [1] will meet Thursday, July 17, 2025 at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room and also on Zoom (the agenda [2] contains the Zoom link) Meetings are also being planned for August.
As you may be aware the Charter Revision Commission is recommending that the Brattleboro form of government be changed from Representative Town Meeting (RTM) to Open Town Meeting (OTM). A survey, the results of which are available online with percentages [3] show a preference for OTM [173 to 84].
At its June 4, 2025 meeting, the Commission voted 6-0 to approve a motion “that the Commission is committed to developing a plan to replace Representative Town Meeting with a system that would include an Open Town Meeting.”
Brookside Timber Harvesting will be treating Kikitta Ahki, the park located at 250 Birge Street in Brattleboro, for invasive plants on Monday, July 14, 2025. The park will be closed for 24 hours to allow the spray to dry. The rain date for this work is Tuesday, July 15.
Nighttime single-lane closures will be in place Monday, July 14th through Friday morning from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Work will begin on Vermont Route 142 (Vernon Street) and continue on U.S. Route 5 (Canal Street) toward the Exit 1 Interstate 91 interchange. Flaggers will be present to direct one-way alternating traffic through the work zone. Motorcycles should watch for grooved and uneven surfaces.
PARKING IMPACTS:
Street side parking will be unavailable on Canal Street from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Monday night through Friday morning. Please see the infographic below for locations on parking restrictions and alternative lots available. For more information regarding rates and hours visit https://brattleboro.gov/parking.
The Human Services Committee will meet on Tuesday, July 15, 2025 at 7:00pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room and over Zoom.
The Charter Revision Commission will meet on Thursday, July 17, 2025 at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room and over Zoom.
The Utilities Division will be continuing work replacing a sewer line on Church Street on Monday, July 14 and Tuesday, July 15. Church Street will be closed from 6:00am to 5:00pm for this replacement. There will be no parking on Church Street during this time and motorists should plan alternative routes .
“Life is always simpler with a torch in your hand” says JUSTIN TAYLOR, master craftsman, welder, designer, Airstream customizer and snow board champ. Now co-owner of Iron and Oak on Arch St. with his wife Kaila Cumings, they create beautiful magic with metal, wood and fire.
Please be advised. Property owners are responsible for trimming and maintaining vegetation on their property if it may interfere with the public right of way. Overgrown vegetation creates an unsafe situation for pedestrians who may have to walk in the roadway to get by. It also impacts the sight distance for vehicular traffic. Please inspect and trim your vegetation accordingly. The town ordinance reads as follows:
The Brattleboro Selectboard learned what the Brattleboro Charter Commission has been working on regarding the form of town governance and other possible changes to the Charter. The Commission has put over two years of work into this and the Chair seemed quite interested in being able to edit whatever they present, such as the form of town government, when it comes before the board again in September.
The next big discussion was about the old Hinsdale bridges. Hinsdale sent some semi-unanticipated reps to read Brattleboro the riot act. They seemed to take special glee in pointing out just how terrible Brattleboro’s problems are, and wanted to know if the town would agree that the bridges should be destroyed or sold. A split vote at the end of the discussion means Brattleboro does not surrender in the battle
The Brattleboro Selectboard starts July with a big meeting on the 8th. They’ll spend almost a half million dollars on DPW vehicles, authorize tax collectors going after local businesses, pay for a new $476k retaining wall, and that’s just in the consent agenda. (They’ll also retroactively consider a parade permit – if it fails, do the participants need to march backwards?)
Once the meeting gets going in full, the board will hear from the Charter Revision Commission, receive an update on the old Hinsdale bridges, set a property tax rate of $1.5835 per $100, hear about increases to water and sewer rates, spend over $500k on space for police and bathrooms downtown, and more.
You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
The Brattleboro Tree Advisory Board will meet on Thursday, July 10, 2025 in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room in the Municipal Center (230 Main Street, Rm. 211).
Jessica Sticklor (she/her/hers)
Executive Assistant
Town of Brattleboro
In observance of the Independence Day Holiday, crews will be off the road at Noon on Thursday, July 3rd and return to work Monday, July 7th.
TRAFFIC IMPACTS:
Motorists should watch for crews accessing the shoulders on Vermont Route 9, Vermont Route 30, U.S. Route 5, and Vermont Route 142 as well as all approach routes and side streets while they install construction signs.
The Utilities Division will be replacing a sewer line on Church Street beginning on Monday, July 7 through Friday, July 11. Church Street will be closed from 6:00am to 5:00pm for this replacement. There will be no parking on Church Street during this time and motorists should plan alternative routes .
If you have further questions, please contact the Department of Public Works at 802 254-4255 or email Chris Severance cseverance@brattleboro.gov.
In observance of the Independence Day Holiday, crews will be off the road at Noon on Thursday, July 3rd and return to work Monday, July 7th.
TRAFFIC IMPACTS:
Motorists should watch for crews accessing the shoulders along all approach routes and side streets to Vermont Route 9, Vermont Route 30, U.S. Route 5, and Vermont Route 142 while they install approach signs.
In observance of the July 4th holiday, all Town offices will be closed on Friday, July 4, 2025, with the exception of emergency services.
Parking is free at all metered spaces and in the pay-and-display lots on Friday, July 4, 2024. All other violations will be enforced.
6:00 Call to Order
6:00 – 6:10 Introductions of New Commissioners and Announcements
6:10-6:40 Organizational Meeting
• Elect Chair, Vice-Chair, and Clerk
• Review Bylaws. Vote on proposed amendments as necessary. Proposed amendments need to be submitted to staff by the Friday before the meeting.
NECCA’s Silver Circus is being featured on The Today Show! We were originally told it was last week, but we just got a text from the NBC producer (who was off last week getting married) that the show was moved to tomorrow – June 30 in the 9 am hour.
It’ll be on TV on the NBC station, and should be on their youtube channel after it airs.
A US Army helicopter was circling over Brattleboro today for what may have been an hour. Does anyone have more information as to why this happened. What were they concerned about?
The Brattleboro Finance Committee will meet on Monday, June 30, 2025 at 6:00pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room (230 Main Street, rm. 211).
The Brattleboro Charter Revision Commission will meet on Wednesday, July 2, 2025 at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room (230 Main Street, Rm. 212).
