The Brattleboro Selectboard held a long meeting Tuesday, discussing union contracts, BMAC, selectboard goals, and more.
The big conversation, though, was about the creation of a $200,000 fund for alternatives to policing. The board was pretty happy with it, but the public wasn’t sure they could be trusted.
The Brattleboro Selectboard will be approving a range of new contracts for police officers, firefighters, and other unionized employees at their next regular meeting.
Union Station will be handed over to the BMAC, the board will hear a sustainability update, they’ll review their goals, Selectboard meetings will be moved to Central Fire Station, and more. You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participations.
The Brattleboro Selectboard will take up Community Safety Review recommendations at their next regular meeting, which happens to fall on Town Meeting day. Town staff has provided the board with a path for adopting recommendations, if they so choose.
The board will also pick up on their conversation about Cow Power, get grant money for the new train station parking lot, and some possible money for eligible households impacted by COVID. You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
Tuesday’s special meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard was mostly about money, but also a bit about scheduling. These was also a good summary of how the sustainability coordinator position has evolved in year one.
Tired of long Brattleboro Selectboard meetings? You aren’t alone. At their next special meeting the board will consider using a “consent agenda” as a way to potentially speed things up on a trial basis for the next few months.
The board will also take up a few other matters that slipped through the cracks recently due to… long meetings. They’ll hear about a plan for sustainability, financial reports, the revised Long Term Financial Plan, and will et a schedule to hammer of the FY22 budget. You can bring up other itmes not on the agenda during public participation.
The Brattleboro Selectboard held a first reading of a proposed ordinance to limit upfront rental costs, but decided not to move ahead with a second reading. Instead, more research, new ideas, and data will be explored.
Groundworks got a big grant which enables the completion of their project on South Main Street, and the marketing initiative to promote Brattleboro was discussed.
The Brattleboro Selectboard will have a first reading of an ordinance to limit upfront rental costs at their next regular meeting, which will be held on 10-20-2020. (And probably end at 10:20.)
Police cars will be purchased, health insurance will be renewed, leases will be extended, grants will be applied for, and the skatepark committee will be disbanded now that their work is through. You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
The Brattleboro Selectboard contemplated strange things at their regular Tuesday meeting. Shall we plant $16,000 worth of carbon-capturing trees? Could we do without paved roads? Should we bring the trolley back along RT. 9? None of these were agenda items per se, but they were intriguing side thoughts to scheduled conversations.
A municipal broadband survey is coming your way, the sustainability coordinator is on the job, and most liquor licenses will be renewed without incident.
Stephen Dotson will be the first Sustainability Coordinator for the Town of Brattleboro. Town Manager Peter Elwell announced the appointment at the Brattleboro Selectboard meeting on Tuesday evening. Dotson’s first day in his new position will be February 3.
During more than a decade of providing services to a wide variety of sustainability and social action projects and programs (sometimes as an employee and often as a consultant or contractor), Dotson has most often served in communications roles but also has led or materially assisted in analytical and management work that has been essential to the success of those efforts.
The Brattleboro Selectboard had an extended discussion of the appropriateness of giving the new sustainability coordinator $10,000 for community programs and outreach. Was this what Representative Town Meeting intended? Will the line item grow out of control?
Brattleboro is joining with other Vermont municipalities and VLCT to request some time, some authority, and some money when and if commercial cannabis operations are legalized. It is expected in the coming legislative session. The board continued discussions of FY21 and signed on for some training.
This proposal was sent our way with a request for criticisms. What say ye? (I kinda like the age-based escrow account idea….)
“Proposal: Direct Public Vote Of a Municipality Data Currency Matrix
Agenda: Developing software program codes as an alternative currency of equal international exchange value for fair trade economies
The Brattleboro Selectboard listened to a large crowd of concerned citizens before deciding by a split vote to create a new Sustainability Coordinator position for the Town. The length of this agenda item pushed back most other agenda items, which led to rushed discussions and decision making later in the evening.
A climate emergency declaration, sustainability issues, and the celebration of the police are all on the next agenda of the Brattleboro Selectboard.
There will be a discussion of a Charter Review commission being re-formed, business loans, and talk of public art proposals. Continuing the focus on police, the board will approve a police carport, new fingerprint scanners, and new police vehicles. You can, as always, bring up other items not on the agenda during Public Participation.
The Brattleboro Selectboard held their only meeting of July. Despite objections from many landlords, the board approved a new rental housing inspection program, and despite numerous statements of support they put off deciding on how best to deal with issues of sustainability.
New tax rates for FY20 were set, a 3-month day work pilot program was funded, Groundworks received $100,000 for housing, and more.
The Brattleboro Energy Committee will meet on Monday, May 13, 2019, at 5:00pm in the Community Room at the Brattleboro Food Co-Op, located at 2 Main Street.
NOTE: The Traffic Safety Committee meeting previously scheduled on May 16 has been CANCELLED. The next Traffic Safety Committee meeting will take place on Thursday, June 20 at 8:00am in the Municipal Building.
