For stories pertaining to the town of Brattleboro at large and its government.
Snow and ice will be removed from the uncovered parking lots in Brattleboro’s downtown area starting around 12 a.m. on Dec. 5, 2025.
Vehicles parked in the downtown lots must be removed or they may be towed at the owner’s expense.
Despite the weather conditions, the Brattleboro Selectboard went forth with their first meeting of December. Being a very long meeting, I decided to jump in somewhere around the time of the discussion of health care changes and voting on RTM, which appeared on the agenda for roughly 8:15, which was actually more like 9pm.
The board covered the DPW, Rec & Parks, Library and DID budget requests. Interestingly, they decided to hold public hearing to gather important feedback from the public about declaring an emergency and making it more difficult for social service and charitable use organizations to exist. This will be at a special meeting of the selectboard to be held December 22nd, overseen by Mr. Potter.
The Brattleboro Selectboard will continue work on the FY27 budget at their first regular meeting in December. From the way it is scheduled, this could be a VERY long meeting. The agenda-setters have the final item beginning AFTER 10 PM, and we all know how good they are at estimating agenda starting times.
In addition to hearing from Rec & Parks, the Library, the downtown organization, and Public Works about their budgets for FY27, the board will take up the bigger items of a change of health care providers, a discussion of options for voting to end Representative Town meeting, a new potential zoning change to start controlling “social assistance or charitable services” through conditional use permits, a monthly budget update, and anything else the public wants to bring up during public participation.
Now that the Brattleboro Selectboard has begun budget development for the next fiscal year, it’s time for a District 9 forum. Bob Oeser and David Levenbach are organizing this opportunity for district residents to come together to share information, ask questions about the budget and other Town affairs, and express preferences and concerns. We’ll meet at 6:30 pm on Monday 1 December in the third floor Community Room of the Brooks Memorial Library. For more information, contact fideladelphia@gmail.com, phone 413.559.1533.
Now that the Brattleboro Selectboard has begun budget development for the next fiscal year, it’s time for a District 9 forum. Bob Oeser and David Levenbach are organizing this opportunity for district residents to come together to share information, ask questions about the budget and other Town affairs, and express preferences and concerns. We’ll meet at 6:30 pm on Monday 1 December in the third floor Community Room of the Brooks Memorial Library. For more information, contact fideladelphia@gmail.com, phone 413.559.1533.
The Brattleboro Human Services Committee will meet on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at 6:30pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room.
The Brattleboro Tree Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, December 4, 2025, at 4:15pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room.
Brattleboro NH PC 25(6) and Brattleboro-Putney STP PS 25(11)
Work is finishing up throughout the project limits for the season and crews will be accessing the shoulders of all project routes as well as approach routes during day time hours Monday through Friday next week.
The annual All Souls Unitarian Universalist Holiday Bazaar will take place on Saturday, December 6, from 9 am to 3 pm, at the West Village Meeting House in West Brattleboro.
The Bazaar will feature beautiful artisan wreaths and ornaments, handmade and decorated, as well as traditional holiday baked goods, including gluten-free, and other edibles, such as jams, jellies, chocolates, and baking mixes. Also planned are a gift emporium featuring handcrafted items and a raffle of gift baskets. A silent auction includes a hand-crafted cherry table by woodworker Bruce Berg and a weekend getaway in Maine. A holiday brunch of quiche, fruit, and pastries will also be available.
In Observance of Thanksgiving all Town Offices will be closed on Thursday, November 27, 2025, and Friday, November 28, 2025, with the exception of
emergency services.
Brooks Memorial Library will be closed on Thursday, November 27, 2025 and open on Friday, November 28, 2025 from 10:00am to 6:00pm.
Trash and recycling WILL NOT be picked up on Thursday, November 27, 2025. All trash and recycling pick-up will be delayed by one day all week.
Work is finishing up on U.S. 5 (Putney Road) from the intersection with Vermont Avenue to Noah’s Lane. Nighttime single-lane closures will be in place as needed Monday and Tuesday nights from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. with flaggers present to direct one-way alternating traffic through the work zone.
Daytime single-lane closures are scheduled to continue next week on U.S. 5 in Dummerston progressing south Monday through Wednesday. Flaggers will direct alternating traffic patterns through the work zones.
The Brattleboro Finance Committee will meet on Monday, November 24th at 6:00pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room.
The Brattleboro Arts Committee will meet on Tuesday, November 25, 2025 at 5:00pm in the Brooks Memorial Library Community Meeting Room.
The Brattleboro Finance Department will be closed on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, and will reopen on Monday, Dec. 1, at 8:30 a.m. Beginning Dec. 1, the Finance Department will be closed every day from 12 to 1 p.m. until further notice.
Come join us in December to explore this universal topic: whatever we may celebrate, losing or missing a loved one at holidays (or birthdays & other milestones) can certainly compound our grief. How do we hold space for that added emotion, as well as honor the lives of those we’ve lost?
Many people have questions and are concerned about the scheduled property reappraisal of Brattleboro homes. FYI, there is a presentation at 6:15 pm in the Selectboard Room on Thursday, 20 November. The session will not be Zoomable but a recording, presumably by BCTV, will be available thereafter.
The Brattleboro Selectboard was focused on budget and finance issues for most of their meeting. Near the beginning of the long meeting, they adopted a new solid waste plan, agreed to a contract with Casella for three years, and decided to add additional fees to the already-increased PAYT bag costs in an effort to help keep expenses down for some people in a program TBD.
Fireworks are expensive, but drones are even more expensive so Brattleboro will continue to pay for the joyful explosions upsetting pets and people with PTSD.
In the budget presentations, the police department made accusations against a selectboard member that they said accused the police department when asking questions at a recent meeting. And the fire department really wants a 42 hour work week and four platoons instead of the 56 hour week and three platoons they currently suffer under.
The Brattleboro Human Services Committee will meet on Wednesday, November 19, 2025 at 6:30pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room (230 Main Street, Rm. 211).
The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a Special Meeting on Thursday, November 20, 2025 at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room. Please note that there will be no Zoom component to this meeting.
The Brattleboro Selectboard will be working on the budget at their next regular meeting. The Police and Fire departments are scheduled to present their FY27 requests. The Town will also adopt a new solid waste contract and program, raising your PAYT bag prices and having DPW expand to pick up compost.
The board will also discuss trespass warnings and fireworks, and you can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
The Town of Brattleboro’s annual winter parking ban will go into effect on Saturday, November 15, 2025, and will remain in effect through April 15, 2026. The ban is in place regardless of weather conditions.
Nighttime single-lane closures controlled by flaggers will be present intermittently from Monday night through Saturday morning, 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Work is finishing up on Vermont Route 9 (Western Avenue and High Street), U.S. Route 5 (Main and Canal Street), and Vermont Route 30 (Linden Street).
