For stories pertaining to the town of Brattleboro at large and its government.
The first installment of the 2018 Real Estate and Personal Property Taxeswill be due onAugust 15th, 2018. Payments made after August 15th, 2018 will have an additional 1% interest added to the unpaid balance.
The utility billing is also due on August 15th, 2018. Payments made after August 15th, 2018 will have an additional 1% interest, as well as an 8% penalty added to the unpaid balance.
Because it is summer, and hot, and we’re all tired, this week’s selectboard meeting notes will be provided to you in traditional 5-7-5 haiku form. Same news, just barely any details! Your overview:
Brattleboro board
Hot summer night in August
Nickels and dimes ya
All Brattleboro Town Offices, EXCEPT THE TOWN CLERK’S OFFICE, will be closed on Friday, August 10, 2018, from 11:30am to 1:00pm for the annual employees’ picnic.
The Town Clerk’s Office will be open on Friday from 8:30am to 5:00pm for early voters and voters’ registration. The office will also be open on Saturday, August 11, 2018 from 9:00am to 12:00noon.
The Brattleboro Board of Listers will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, August 7, 2018 at 9:00am in the Assessors’ Office at the Municipal Center.
Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
230 Main Street, Suite 208
Brattleboro, VT 05301
(802) 251-8100
The Brattleboro Energy Committee will meet on Monday, August 6, 2018 at 5:00pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room at the Municipal Center.
The Brattleboro ADA Advisory Committee will meet on Friday, August 10, 2018 at 9:00am in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room at the Municipal Center.
The Brattleboro Selectboard will be altering the parking system at their next regular meeting at the Municipal Center. Rates are going to go up to help cover the costs of credit card service fees. Parking changes comes after a parking survey that gave them feedback on parking-related issues, and special requests by the downtown organization.
The board will also consider licensing of transportation network companies, requiring app-based ride services to comply with modified local taxi regulations.
Brattleboro will also buy a bunch of trucks, protect us all from the evils of liquor, buy heating oil, and replace Rod Francis on various boards and commissions.
You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
BASIC would like to thank the Brattleboro community along with our skatepark supporters near and far for the outstanding support of our project. We are proud to state that BASIC has raised $239,412.00…surpassing our fundraising goal of $230,000!!!!
NOW…Skate fans, MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!! We are now proceeding with DESIGN MEETINGS which will take place on Wednesday, Aug 22nd from 6:30 – 8:00 pm and Thursday, September 20th from 6:30 – 8:00 pm.
The Brattleboro Citizen Police Communications Committee (CPCC) will meet on Monday, July 23, 2018 at 5:30pm in the Meeting Room at the Brooks Memorial Library.
Attached are 3 agendas for upcoming meetings:
– Board for Abatement of Taxes
– Board of Civil Authority – Property Tax Assessment Appeal Hearings
– Board of Civil Authority – Pre-Election meeting
The Brattleboro Selectboard began discussing a repeal of a 2011 Town Charter change to stop counting local write-in votes unless the write-in candidate had declared an intention to serve.
The board heard a semi-annual update from the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance, approved of paving, police cars, body cameras for police officiers, and disc golf improvements. Snow sports at Living Memorial Park will continue, we have a new road in town, and new members were appointed to committees.
At the next meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard, the police will ask for approval of a contract for body worn cameras. Axon, of Scottsdale, AZ is the proposed vendor.
The board will buy some police cruisers, hear a semi-annual report from the designated downtown organization, approve of grants for disc golf improvements and paving, review goals, and name a road. They will also begin a discussion election write-in procedures, and more.
As always, you can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
The Brattleboro Arts Committee will meet on Tuesday, July 17, 2018 at 1:00pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room at the Municipal Center.
The taxpayers of the Town of Brattleboro are hereby notified and warned that Real Estate and Personal Property Taxes assessed upon the Grand List of 2018 are now due and payable to the Town Treasurer at the Treasurer’s Office in the Brattleboro Municipal Center, 230 Main Street, Suite 111, Brattleboro, Vermont, in four equal installments as follows:
1stInstallment due August 15, 2018
Brattleboro’s bus service, operated by The Current (formerly Connecticut River Transit, formerly the BeeLine), is seeking input on their proposed bus schedules here in Brattleboro. This is the second round of input – you may recall that The Current surveyed the public this time last year in round one of schedule planning.
The Brattleboro Tree Advisory Committee will meet on Tuesday, July 10, 2018 at 6:30pm in the Mezzanine Conference Room at Brooks Memorial Library.
The Brattleboro ADA Advisory Committee will meet on Friday, July 13, 2018 at 9:00am in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room at the Municipal Center.
With Sue Fillion’s appointment to become Planning Director, I got to thinking about just how many women are in key postions of Town government. I took a look. The majority of town offices in Brattleboro now have women heading them.
Town Assessor – Jenepher Burnell
Library – Starr Latronica
Sue Fillion will succeed Rod Francis as Planning Director for the Town of Brattleboro. The transition will take place on Friday, July 6, as Francis completes his service to the Town of Brattleboro after more than 10 years as Planning Director. Francis will hold a comparable position in the Town of Norwich, Vermont, beginning on Monday, July 9.
Why Are We Picketing?
We are staff at the Brattleboro Retreat and we are here to let the community know what is happening. In a time of crisis the administration has consistently chosen to make life for the direct patient care staff more difficult. According to the administration there is a staffing crisis at the Retreat which has led to a financial crisis. Staff have been leaving, and hiring has been challenging. There is a shortage of nurses, mental health workers, social workers and doctors.
Time for another “Noticed Around Brattleboro,” where little things about the town are noticed and recorded for posterity. This edition starts off with some special nature-loving observations:
– Nude man walking. On Tuesday afternoon I was on my way to the train station to pick up a visitor. Coming down Canal Street I caught sight of a naked man walking up the hill. He was probably in his late 60’s, had a beard, and was walking happily, confidently, and totally naked.
Taxes are going up, as they always seem to do. The Brattleboro Selectboard adopted the FY19 tax rates for property owners that were approved by Representative Town Meeting representatives earlier this year. The $14.8 million budget includes both the essential items suggested by the Selectboard as well as some optional extras added in by the representatives.
There’s also a new community collaboration that you can be a part of. Project Care is a new effort in Brattleboro to help addicts recover and do well.
And, in case you are curious, setting the tax rate during a heat wave calls for casual attire.
