Representative Town Meeting

Town Charter Revision Commission & Open Town Meeting

by RobertOeser | Town News

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.”

God of Democracy Where Art Thou?

by spoon | Op/Ed

The Charter Revision Commission is making its public debut on Monday, the 30th, in the Library at 6 pm. And online too.  After two and a quarter years it is introducing itself by asking the public what to do about one particular question: should Representative Town Meeting vote itself out of existence and revert Town Meeting to the former and more common open meeting style.  

I have not seen any of the evidence it has gathered pro and con but perhaps they will share that at the meeting itself though at that point perhaps not as useful as it might be.  Presumably they have gathered evidence inasmuch as that is what Charter Revision Commissions are appointed to do.  

Jane Wheeler – Running for Representative Town Meeting for District 8

by Janew | Politics

My name is Jane Wheeler and I am running for RTM in District 8. I was born, grew up and worked in Brattleboro.  Outside of about 8 years when I lived in close by towns I have always lived in Brattleboro.  I have had many lived experiences in Brattleboro- school kid, factory worker, drunk, recovering alcoholic, renter and now a property owner, addictions counselor, houseparent at Kurn Hattin,  co-founder of the VT Counsel on Problem Gambling, case manger for Senior Solutions, resource advocate at Grace Cottage Hospital, caregiver for aging family members, and now as a retired older person.  I have a master’s degree with the focus in counseling psychology. Informal education includes matriarchal studies and plant medicine.

Representative Town Meeting Candidates – Introduce Yourself!

by cgrotke | Politics

Hey, candidates for the 2025 Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting. There are a lot of you this year. It is exciting. People want to know who you are and what distinguishes you from the others running. We’ve gotten emails asking for information about you.

You are, as always, invited to use this site to announce your candidacy and to introduce yourselves. It could be close, and every vote is important.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – We’ll See Your $80k, and Raise You $80k

by cgrotke | Town News
selectoard jan 16 2024

The Brattleboro Selectboard heard a request from two organizations for an $80,000 a year part time position (and some data collection) and decided to double it. They gave them $160,000 and two years for a “proof of concept” showing that this investment attracts new businesses to Brattleboro.

The board went on to discuss their ARPA plans and FY25 budgets.

Brattleboro Selectboard Meeting Agenda and Notes – January 16, 2024

by cgrotke | Town News

At their next regular meeting , the Brattleboro Selectboard will approve budgets for FY25 to send along to Representative Town Meeting, including their plans to use what remains of ARPA funds.

The board will also hear from the Downtown Alliance and Chamber of Commerce  (two of several organizations that foster economic growth, attract new business, and enhance the overall economic well-being of the community) for new funding to pay for someone to “foster economic growth, attract new business, and enhance the overall economic well-being of the community.”

You can bring up other items not on the agenda, if the Chair allows, during Public Participation.

Brattleboro Selectboard Special Meeting Agenda & Notes

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, January 17, 2023 at 5:30pm and is expected to enter immediately into executive session to discuss contracts and labor relations agreements with employees. The Selectboard will reconvene the business part of the meeting at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room at the Brattleboro Municipal Center at 230 Main Street. The public may also participate in the meeting 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.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – In-Person Representative Town Meeting, Alcohol Rules Relaxed

by cgrotke | Town News
selectboard jan 3 2023

The Brattleboro Selectboard held their first regular meeting of the new year, and new Town Manager John Potter was on hand to answer questions and advise the board.

They discussed changes to the liquor license application requirements, backing off a previous BAPC suggestion that hasn’t had the desired results. They also had an extended discussion about the type of Representative Town meeting to hold this year, and heard from the public about homeless people and cold weather.

Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – January 3, 2023

by cgrotke | Town News

The format for the next Representative Town Meeting – in-person, online, or hybrid – will be up for discussion at the Brattleoro Selectboard’s first regular meeting of 2023.  They will also revise the liquor license process and review flagged items on their FY24 General Fund budget list.

You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation throughout the New Year!

Brattleboro District 3 Forum

by fidel | Activism

In an effort to promote citizen involvement and help RTM members better represent their constituents, there will be a public forum for District 3 residents at 3 pm on Sunday March 13 in the social hall at Trinity Lutheran Church, 161 Western Avenue. This citizens’ forum is intended to allow people who live in District 3 to express their concerns and to ask questions about Town issues in advance of the RTM meeting on March 19.

I would encourage RTM members from District 3 to attend to hear from their neighbors.

Brattleboro Consent of Candidate Forms for March Elections Now Available

by Not Signed In | Politics

Consent of Candidate forms for Brattleboro Town Officers, Windham Southeast School District (WSESD) Board Members, and Town Meeting Members are now available at the Town Clerk’s office.  Please call or email our office to request the form. Due to the pandemic, petition requirements have been waived for candidates to have their names placed on the ballots for this election. Town elections will be Tuesday, March 2 at the American Legion, and the Annual Representative Town Meeting, Saturday, March 20, likely via Zoom. Consent of Candidate forms must be filed in the clerk’s office no later than 5:00 P.M. on Monday, January 25 in order to have their name placed on the ballot.

Brattleboro Selectboard Special Virtual Meeting Agenda – RTM

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, July 28, 2020, via GoToMeeting.   It is anticipated that the Board will enter into executive session at 5:30pm to discuss contracts and confidential attorney-client communications made for the purpose of providing professional legal services to the body.  The Board will reconvene the business meeting at 6:15pm.   In keeping with Governor Scott’s “Stay Home – Stay Safe” order, this meeting will be held with no physical location using GoToMeeting.  The attached agenda contains information about how to access the meeting remotely.  ASL interpreters will be available for deaf and hard-of-hearing community members.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – COVID-19, Skatepark To Be Built, RTM Postponed

by cgrotke | Town News
selectboard mar 17 2020

The Brattleboro Selectboard held their regular meeting, but it was anything but “regular” Tuesday. Board members were absent. Those attending sat apart from one another (not quite 6 feet…). COVID-19 was influencing almost every article on the agenda. And Brattleboro’s Skatepark was approved to begin construction. 

The COVID-19 update and discussion was the main item. Groundworks got an additional grant to begin construction on their new building, the town finance report looks good up until last week but may show deficits before the fiscal year is over, and Representative Town Meeting is postponed.

Should Brattleboro Hold Representative Town Meeting?

by cgrotke | Questions & Answers

With the flurry of cancellations and postponements in the area, would it be smart to postpone Brattleboro’s Representative Town Meeting?

On one hand, Brattleboro hasn’t had any confirmed cases. And there is a bit of time pressure on representatives to pass the budget before the fiscal year ends. Perhaps it would be best to get this out of the way early and hold it as scheduled.

Candidate’s Statement: Wendy M. Levy, District 1 Town Meeting Representative

by Wendy M. Levy | Politics

Greetings fellow Brattleboro voters, especially my District 1 neighbors. I am on the ballot this year to represent District 1 at our annual town meeting, and I seek a two-year term.

If elected, this will be my return to RTM (Representative Town Meeting), although last year I was not elected.

How did that happen? During the District 1 caucus at the RTM informational meeting, I was appointed along with a handful of others. Why didn’t I get myself on the ballot? When it was time to petition to get on the ballot, I was still a reporter with The Commons newspaper, and journalists are ethically precluded from holding public office. I couldn’t even be the Weigher of Coal or the Viewer of Fences!

Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting 2019

by cgrotke | Politics
Representative Town Meeting 2019

Brattleboro Representatives are holding their Representative Town Meeting. The crowd is slowly gathering at the gym, where those elected will be talking town and school business for most of the day. Will they approve an extra 1% local option tax? Will there be surprises, twists, and turns? We will find out.

The Town portion of business  comes first, and there are a number of preliminary formalities to endure before actual business begins.

Brattleboro Committee Meeting Agendas

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Finance Committee will meet on Monday, August 27, 2018 at 5:30pm in the Mezzanine Reading Room at Brooks Memorial Library.

The Citizen Police Communications Committee (CPCC) will meet on Monday, August 27, 2018 at 5:30pm in the Meeting Room (2ndfloor) at Brooks Memorial Library.

Representative Town Meeting in Brattleboro – Part 2: The Reaction and Repeal

by cgrotke | History

This is Part II of the story of Representative Town Meeting in Brattleboro. You can read Part I: Origins and Adoption here. Representative Town Meeting passed, but not everyone approved of the outcome. One of its critics was Edgar Lawton. Although we don’t hear much about Edgar Lawton today, his name is ever-present in the minutes and agendas of Selectboard and Town Meeting reports throughout the 1950s and 1960s.