Special election on town charter questions is Tuesday, Dec. 5
December 1, 2023 | By Lisa Scagliotti It’s not a typical time for an election in Vermont but Waterbury will have one on Tuesday, Dec. 5, to decide whether to adopt a municipal charter with the main purpose to create local option sales taxes.
Voting in a special election will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Steele Community Room at the municipal offices. Prior to that, voters may stop in at the town offices on Monday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to mark a ballot as well.
On the ballot are two questions that, if approved, would create a short municipal charter that would allow the town to add a 1% local option sales tax to current state sales taxes. The revenue generated would be used for town expenses in addition to local property taxes. Town officials estimate the new tax would generate in excess of $600,000 annually from retail sales, rooms and meals and alcoholic beverages.
The second question on the ballot would add charter language to clarify the hiring process for municipal staff positions to be under the purview of the municipal manager instead of involving volunteer committees.
The Waterbury Select Board held two public informational meetings with Municipal Manager Tom Leitz sharing a slide presentation to outline the proposals. Those meetings — Oct. 30 and Nov. 6 — were recorded by ORCA Media and videos of them are available online. In addition, slides that Leitz used are posted on the town website. The warning and a sample ballot are on the Town Clerk’s Voting and Elections webpage as well.
The process to adopt a town charter involves review and approval by the state Legislature and the governor. In order for Waterbury’s proposal to be acted upon in the 2024 legislative session, town officials decided to hold a special vote now. The legislature convenes in early January.
Anyone not registered to vote in Waterbury may also do so on Monday or Tuesday and cast a ballot.
Earlier posts are below.
Get upcoming charter vote details live Monday night or online
November 6, 2023 | By Lisa ScagliottiA second opportunity for people to learn about the upcoming vote to create a town charter happens Monday night at the Waterbury Select Board starting early at 6:30 p.m.
The board last week held an informational meeting with a presentation on the questions that will be on the ballot for the special election scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 5. The meeting was lightly attended with few questions posed to town officials.
Municipal Manager Tom Leitz shared a slide presentation that is posted on the town website’s home page. In addition, the meeting was recorded by ORCA Media and the video with the presentation is posted online at ORCAMedia.net.
Monday evening’s meeting agenda has a Zoom link to participate remotely. The charter informational session will precede a joint meeting of the Waterbury Select Board and the Edward Farrar Utility District Board of Commissioners.
Original post is below.
Two meetings will offer details ahead of Dec. 5 special charter vote
October 25, 2023 | By Lisa Scagliotti Waterbury voters will be asked to go to the polls for a special vote on Tuesday, Dec. 5, to decide whether to create a town charter.
Banners around the downtown promote Waterbury as a place to eat, shop, dine and drink. Photo by Gordon Miller
The Waterbury Select Board has scheduled two informational meetings in the next two weeks for local residents to learn more and ask questions.
The first is a special meeting of the Select Board on Monday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. in person at the Steele Community Room at the municipal offices. The second is Nov. 6, as part of the board’s regular meeting which will start at 6:30 p.m. to allow time for the charter discussion and regular business.
Both meetings will also be available via Zoom with links to join online on the meeting agendas.
Monday’s meeting is primarily focused on the informational session regarding the charter vote. It will have a short consent agenda and time for public comment on other matters.
The Dec. 5 ballot asks two questions. The first is whether voters support creating a charter that will allow the town to levy local option sales taxes. The second aims to clarify the role of the municipal manager regarding hiring and managing municipal staff members. Read the warning for the vote online here.
Municipal Manager Tom Leitz discussed the two proposals in an Aug. 31 column posted in the Opinion section of Waterbury Roundabout.
A local sales tax would add 1% onto retail sales as well as meals, alcohol and accommodations. Photo by Gordon Miller
The tax question, if approved would allow the town to add 1% to sales, rooms and meals, and alcohol taxes already collected by the state. A number of communities in Vermont have such taxes and most of the revenue generated returns to the municipality for it to spend.
Leitz estimates that had such local sales taxes been in place in 2022, they would have generated about $600,000 in revenue. He and select board members have said they support the measure as a way to generate income for the community beyond what is collected from property owners through annual property taxes.
“It’s the only opportunity we have to collect money from non-residents,” Leitz said at a presentation on the topic in August.
The second question regarding staff hiring seeks to clarify the process for all municipal staff to be hired by the manager. The current processes vary with some positions involving recruiting and screening of candidates by volunteer boards that recommend hires for jobs the manager supervises.
There will be presentations at the upcoming informational sessions with time for questions.
Voting on Dec. 5 will be at the municipal offices from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Early and absentee voting is now available at the town offices. Voters can also call or email Town Clerk Karen Petrovic to request an early ballot by mail. (802-244-8447 or karen@waterburyvt.com) A sample ballot is posted in the Town Clerk section of the town website.
Deciding this matter before the end of the year is important given that municipal charters are reviewed and adopted by the state Legislature. If a Waterbury charter is to go into effect in 2024, the Legislature would need to act on it during its session that starts in January. The legislation would then need the governor’s signature.
The meeting agenda for the Oct. 30 informational meeting is posted on the Select Board’s page of the town website with the Zoom link included.