Town Meeting 2022: Voting has begun, info meetings ahead
Feb. 11, 2022 | By Lisa ScagliottiWith just a little over two weeks to go until Town Meeting Day, voting has already begun around Vermont as ballots have arrived in many town offices and voters are able to stop in to vote in person or request ballots be sent to them by mail.
Town clerks in Waterbury and Duxbury say they’ve already had local residents casting ballots and calling and emailing with requests.
Sample ballots are posted on the town websites in the sections with election details. Meanwhile, town reports containing details on the proposed town budgets and reports from town officials and local organizations seeking taxpayer funding are expected to be available this coming week. Waterbury Town Clerk Carla Lawrence said she expects them to be available by Friday, Feb. 18. Paper copies will be available in various locations around town including inside the main entrance of the town offices. The electronic version will be posted on the town website as soon as possible, she said.
In Duxbury, the town report is usually posted online and available in a paper copy as well. Town Meeting details are on the town website in the Town Clerk section. Watch there for updates as more information is posted in the next week.
Early ballots
Those looking to vote before March 1 may just visit the town clerk’s office during regular business hours. Voters may also request ballots by emailing or calling their municipal clerk and they can ask that ballots be sent to all registered voters in a household. Voters will receive an envelope with both municipal and school-related ballots to be marked and returned together.
Completed ballots can be returned by mail as long as they arrive by March 1 or they can be dropped off at town offices. They also can be turned in on election day, March 1, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. at the polls.
In Waterbury, Brookside Primary School’s gym will be the polling place. Duxbury will set up its drive-through voting system in the parking lot outside the town highway garage and town offices allowing people to vote without leaving their vehicles.
Many Vermont towns that usually have an in-person town meeting to conduct some or all town business on Town Meeting Day will skip the gatherings for the scone year in a row due to public health concerns given the COVID-19 pandemic. The state Legislature and Gov. Phil Scott signed off on temporary provisions allowing municipalities to conduct all of their decision-making by paper ballots, commonly referred to as “Australian ballots.”
Informational meetings - mark your calendars
Those who would like more information before casting their ballots can attend informational meetings coming up to be held by local selectboards, the Harwood Unified Union School Board, and officials from the Central Vermont Career Center as each of these entities have ballots to put before voters.
Upcoming informational meetings will be held either online or in a hybrid format where the public can tune in via Zoom video conference or attend in person. The schedule is:
Tuesday, Feb. 15, at 6-7:30 p.m., the Central Vermont Career Center hosts a meeting to review details of the upcoming vote in 18 communities comprising the six school districts that send students to the center. Voters will be asked to approve a new governance plan that will create a new school district to run the center. Meeting details including the Zoom link are online on the district’s public Facebook page. The Duxbury Town Clerk’s website also has the career center school district formation plan and its sample ballot online.
Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m., the Waterbury Select Board holds its informational meeting with presentations on the proposed town budget and Town Meeting Day articles on the ballot. Information on how to attend and the agenda will be posted on the town website on the select board page and are printed on the Town Meeting warning.
Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 6 p.m., the Duxbury Selectboard holds its informational meeting using Zoom. Details on how to join are on the Town Meeting Warning.
Monday, Feb. 28, at 6 p.m. is the Harwood Union School Board’s scheduled annual meeting and budget presentation. Some housekeeping business will be conducted such as choosing a moderator, clerk and treasurer; setting board compensation; authorizing the district to borrow funds in anticipation of taxes. A presentation on the $42.6 million budget that voters will consider on the March 1 ballot will also be done. The warning with details on how to attend via Zoom along with the annual report are both available at the top of the school district website’s homepage at huusd.org.
Important contact information:
Waterbury Town Clerk Carla Lawrence: clawrence@waterburyvt.com or 802-244-8447.
Duxbury Town Clerk Maureen Harvey: Dux.townclerk@gmail.com or 802-244-6660.