WSESD Finance and Independent Budget Review Agendas
The Windham Southeast School District Finance Committee Meeting will take place Tuesday January 14, 2025at 5:00pm at the Academy School, 860 Western Avenue, Brattleboro, and remotely via Zoom.
FY26
Selectboard Meeting Notes Redux- Board Approves 12% Property Tax Increase; Won’t Tax Cats
The Brattleboro Selectboard approved their revised FY26 budget with a 12% property tax increase without further changes, ignoring a great deal of feedback from the Finance Committee and members of the public that there were other items to consider and concerns that root problems were being put off for future years.
The board agreed that no cuts to staff will be considered. Staff positions in Brattleboro are seemingly guaranteed forever.
The board also asked that the community be more respectful when taking about municipal affairs, and laughed at Liz’s serious suggestion to tax cats.
Selectboard Meeting Notes – January 7, 2025
The first regular meeting of the new year for the Brattleboro Selectboard…. and I’m not really sure what happened beyond the first few minutes. Gophers were nibbling on the internet tubes or something.
Brattleboro Selectboard Meeting – Agenda and Notes January 7, 2025
The Brattleboro Selectboard will be taking another look at the FY26 budget at the first regular meeting of 2025. They made some cuts to services at their last meeting and will review the impact of their decisions thus far. Will they do more?
The board will hold a second reading of changes to the ordinance governing the Downtown Improvement District. If everyone likes it, it will be approved as well. You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
Selectboard Meeting Notes – Deep Budget Cuts To Everything Except Personnel, Roads, Police…etc.
T’was the week before Christmas and all through the town, not a creature was stirring except for the Brattleboro Selectboard discussing FY26.
The board used Town staff suggestions and assumptions as a starting point. They boldy saved items from being cut but also agreed on cuts worth close to $2 million. Police will get new uniforms, for example, but snow cleanup, arts, and human services will see cuts. Members of the public cautioned that these were superficial, one-time, unsustainable cuts and told the board they pushing taxpayers over a cliff in years to come.
Windham Southeast School District Finance Committee Meeting Minutes
Martha Noyes, Brattleboro Resident, asked that the committee to keep in mind the public and engage them as you work through this process. Ms. Noyes encouraged finding ways to offer meeting times to allow the public to be involved considering location to make it more accessible to all. Also Ms. Noyes asked for the budget information be presented in a user friendly format for the public consumption. She feels that all of these efforts could assist in the adoption of the budget when presented at the Annual Meeting
Selectboard Meeting Notes – Contract With Casella Adds Costs- Staff Told To Cut Costs
After much discussion, the Brattleboro Selectboard chose the only serious solid waste option presented to them: to have a 5 year contract with Casella to haul trash, recycling and compost for the Town. This decision added a significant amount to the budget and to Brattleboro property taxes.
The board told Town staff that the budget was too large now that the costs of their decisions this year have been factored in and asked to see a version reduced by 10%. This punted any significant FY26 decision-making away from the board until mid December.
Just about everyone had complaints for the Windham and Windsor Housing Trust and their planned “Chalet” development of affordable housing units.
Windham Southeast School District Finance Committee Meeting
The Budget Planning Timeline is a document used to help guide the building of the budgets. Previously, the document held the timeline for the three entities (WSESU, WSESD and VSD), but has been changed to outline the budget timeline for each entity independently. Dates are outlined, but are able to be changed as needed.
The Budget timeline gets developed starting with the Annual Meeting date (3/18/25). Dates are populated by working backwards from that date. Mr. Rucker reviewed the timeline, explaining how dates were determined for each of the steps along this process.
Windham Southeast Supervisory Union Board Meeting Agendas
The Windham Southeast School District Independent Budget Review Committee will meet Tuesday, November 19, 2024 at 5:00PM at the BUHS Cusick Conference Room.
Brattleboro Selectboard Meeting Agenda and Notes – November 19, 2024
At their Tuesday evening regular meeting, Brattleboro Selectboard will make a solid waste decision. The board will choose the number 2 option, suggested by Town staff, and the costs associated will be officially dumped into the FY26 budget under review.
Review of FY26 budget open house feedback and budget alternatives will discussed. The board will also hear about the West Brattleboro (Dalem’s) Chalet Project from the Windham & Windsor Housing Trust, will announce committee vacancies. You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
Windham Southeast School District Finance Committee Meeting Agenda
Agenda
1. Approval of Minutes
2. FY26 Budget Planning Timeline Discussion
Selectboard Meeting Notes – What Services Would You Like To Cut?
The Brattleboro Selectboard discussed the “base budget” – a budget with no changes to services from current levels – at Tuesday’s Election Night meeting. As is, they said, it would be a 22% increase. Board members agreed it was a difficult budget, but none had any big ideas for getting the increase to a more manageable level.
Citizens attending had ideas – eliminate raises, cut Municipal Center hours to 32 hours a week for most employees, cut positions, and throw it all out and build up from what is truly necessary were suggested. Personnel costs, they noted, were the big numbers.
In a flashback to the era of Barb Sondag we heard the Town Manager ask the board to simply tell him what services they’d like to cut from the people of Brattleboro…
Brattleboro Property Tax – Proposed Increase of 14%, Plus Maybe 5-8% More for Solid Waste
Here are some excerpts from the Town Manager’s memo to the Brattleboro Selectboard regarding their enormous FY’26 budget. I’ve left out some of the tables mentioned to make it easier for me to format. Go view the full document to see them.
At the start, they anticipate a 14% increase in property taxes, but this does not yet include any solid waste disposal costs, which staff say may add another 5-8%.
Get yourself a drink so you can spit it out in amazement as you read the details.
Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – November 5, 2024
While the rest of the world is concerned with election day and results, the Brattleboro Selectboard will be presenting the an overview of the draft budget for the FY26. They will also continue with their approval of liquor and entertainment licenses for a new business in the former River Garden public space. You can bring up other items not on the agenda, during public participation.
Selectboard Meeting Notes – Safety and Spending
The Brattleboro Selectboard is easing into budget season while wrestling with the safety of retuning to in-person meetings. They got an update on the Water Treatment Plant upgrade, paid for some emergency repairs, gave out a liquor license, and discussed Town Manager Elwell’s final Long Term Financial Plan.
There was more – there will be new stop signs coming to some corners, a discussion of ARPA fund possibilities was quick, and a discussion of blinking crosswalks took quite a while.
Brattleboro Selectboard Meeting Agenda and Notes – September 14, 2021
The Brattleboro Selectboard willl take up a number of water treatment plant issues at their next regular meeting. This includes emergency replacement of a blower and other emergency repairs for wells, a project update, and a loan application. The board will continue discussion of adjusting COVID rules, hear an update on ARPA funding, consider some traffic safety measures, and contemplate Town Manager Elwell’s final Long Term Financial Plan, FY23-27.
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