Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard took up issues of farming, energy audits, and downtown improvements at Tuesday’s regular meeting. 

The tax stabilization rate for farms was discussed and formalized, but a debate is now brewing over $95,000 in a little-used but popular loan fund for farms. The Selectboard has eyes on it as a way to reduce taxes.

A request to look for ways to save money was tabled, putting the issue of energy audits for municipal buildings on hold for the moment.

Vermont’s downtown program was described in detail, and the BaBB budget and workplan were approved for presentation at Representative Town Meeting.

On Thursday, December 12, 6:00-8:00 pm, the West Brattleboro Association (WBA) will host its annual Holiday Party at The New England House, 254 Marlboro Road. This is a time for people and businesses in West Brattleboro to get together socially and to celebrate the Association’s numerous accomplishments in this past year. The evening will feature a cash bar with hors d’oeuvres prepared by the restaurant. The WBA suggests a voluntary donation of $5 toward the food.

Building a Better Brattleboro will come before the Brattleboro Selectboard at their next Tuesday meeting to present the downtown organization’s new budget, sans River Garden for the first time.

The board will also take up decades-old Farmland and Agricultural Land issues, look at errors and omissions to the Grand List, consider more energy audits for town buildings, hear about downtown program strategies from a state agency, and more.

If there’s something you’d like to discuss that isn’t on the agenda, there’s time for that during Public Participation. You can attend in person, watch on BCTV, or get the highlights here the day after.

In the first of a planned series of “brown bag lunches” at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden, Strolling of the Heifers is presenting singer-songwriter Jim Knapp from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 4.

Knapp will be playing guitar on Wednesday, but he also plays banjo and mandolin.  He will be playing original Vermont songs as well as covers of country and folk songs.  He has played with the Town Hall Boys and the Bills Band and refers to himself as “the ol’ woodchuck”.

The event is free and open to the public. It is suggested that people bring their lunch to eat while they enjoy the music. Additional events in the series will be announced soon.

The Brattleboro Energy Committee will meet on Monday, December 2, 2013 at 5:00pm in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Human Services Review Committee will meet on Tuesday, December 3, 2013 at 6:30pm at 175 South Main Street.

The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Finance Committee will meet on Thursday, December 5, 2013 at 4:30pm in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, all Brattleboro Town offices will be closed on Thursday and Friday, November 28 and 29, 2013, with the exception of emergency services.

Brooks Memorial Library will close at 6:00pm on Wednesday, November 27, and will be closed on Thursday, November 28. It will be open for regular hours on Friday and Saturday, November 29 and 30.

Parking is free at all metered spaces and in the pay-and-display lots on Thursday and Friday, November 28 and 29. Parking will resume regular enforcement hours on Saturday, November 30.

All other violations, including extended parking, will be enforced.

The Brattleboro Energy Committee has received an award for its successful efforts to advance and implement clean energy measures around town.

The committee received the award from the Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network.

Specifically, the Brattleboro Energy Committee has helped advance energy efficiency goals by helping the Town convert streetlights to LED fixtures, working to establish a PACE district for residential energy financing, promoting weatherization of Town buildings and participating in the Vermont Home Energy Challenge.

The Brattleboro Traffic Safety Committee will meet on Tuesday, November 26, 2013 at 8:30am in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

The Brattleboro Citizen Police Communications Committee (CPCC) will meet on Monday, November 25, 2013 at 5:30pm at the Brooks Memorial Library in the community room.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Finance Committee will meet on Tuesday, November 26, 2013 at 4:30pm in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center.

The Brattleboro Human Services Review Committee will meet on Tuesday, November 26, 2013 at 6:30pm in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Monday, November 25, 2013 at 7:30am in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

To keep the town services the same as last year and pay our obligations, the property tax rate would need to go up by 16 cents. It’s a major problem that the Brattleboro Selectboard shared with the public at Tuesday night’s meeting as they pondered how much of a tax increase Brattleboro could handle, and discussed various options for cuts and revenue generation.

The town’s search for a new Town Manager was a bust, and the process will begin again in the near future.

The Plan for Red Clover Commons took a step forward with the board supporting Brattleboro Housing Authority’s need to formally “dispose” (an HUD term) of the Melrose property and buildings to enable the upcoming move to new developments.

Much of the rest of the meeting was dedicated to Brattleboro citizens who like to skate. The skating rink got the go-ahead for a series of improvements to improve the refrigeration and preserve the compressors. And now the Town of Brattleboro has an official skatepark site selection committee.

The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Capital Grants Review Board will meet on Wednesday, November 20, 2013 at 10:30am in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

The Brattleboro Police-Fire Facility Building Committee will meet on Tuesday, November 19, 2013 at 4:30pm in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Human Services Review Committee will meet on Tuesday, November 19, 2013 at 6:30pm at 175 South Main Street.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

The Brattleboro Housing Authority will make an appearance at the next regular meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard. They will be presenting plans for the Red Clover Common, one of two new developments planned to relocate residents of Melrose Terrace, and asking the board for support.

The Skating Rink Committee will offer up suggestions for the refrigeration system at the rink, we’ll get an update on the search for a new Town Manager, and the Selectboard will have an easily-watchable discussion of the town budget plan for the first time in many years. If there’s something not on the agenda, you can bring it up during public participation.

Attend in person or watch on BCTV, and check here for the recap.

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Thursday, November 14, 2013 at 7:00am in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center. It is anticipated that the Board will enter into executive session at 7:00am to discuss a personnel matter.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

The second installment of the 2013 Real Estate and Personal Property Taxes will be due on November 15th, 2013. Payments made after November 15th, 2013 will have an additional 1% interest added to the unpaid balance.

The utility billing is also due on November 15th, 2013. Payments made after November 15th, 2013 will have an additional 1% interest, as well as an 8% penalty added to the unpaid balance.

This just in from the Brattleboro Police Department]: The Brattleboro Police Department is trying to identify the suspect in the attached image.

He is a suspect associated in the theft of a backpack from a motor vehicle on Western Ave in Brattleboro. The theft of the backpack occurred on the afternoon of October 12, 2013.