Waterbury town meeting: All that’s left is voting
February 25, 2021 | By Lisa Scagliotti Town Meeting Day will be less social this year without an in-person gathering but that doesn’t mean it’s less interesting.
The annual Town Report is posted on the town website, waterburyvt.com, and copies are available around town at many locations: the Municipal Center lobby, Waterbury Public Library, Maplewood's Convenience Store, Northfield Savings Bank, Vermont State Employees Credit Union, Community National Bank, People’s United Bank, Waterbury True Value and Billings Mobil. Photo courtesy Almy Landauer
The ballots are full with candidates running for local office, budget details to keep local government running for the next year, and requests for taxpayers to support the agencies and organizations that address many important needs in the region.
Town Clerk Carla Lawrence this week said she was inundated with requests for early ballots that she sent to voters by mail. She and election workers are thankful to those who chose to vote at home to cut down on traffic through the polling place on Tuesday, March 2.
If you have a ballot, you can drop it off at the Municipal Center in the secure dropbox near the main entry door anytime through Monday, March 1. On March 2, you can swing by Thatcher Brook Primary School between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. to drop it off as well.
In-person voting will be happening on Tuesday following COVID-19 protocols such as wearing masks, keeping distance, and sanitizing hands. There are limits on capacity at the polls, too, so there may be a wait outside the school gym. The ballot is long with all of the usual fare along with the questions that usually are decided at the in-person floor meeting.
Still need information? There are many details in the annual Town Report which is posted on the town website waterburyvt.com and copies are available around town at many locations: the Municipal Center lobby and Waterbury Public Library, Maplewood's Convenience Store, Northfield Savings Bank, Vermont State Employees Credit Union, Community National Bank, People’s United Bank, Waterbury True Value and Billings Mobil.
On Tuesday, Feb. 23, the Waterbury Select Board held a special informational meeting with discussion of the proposed town budget in detail as well as the articles on the town ballot. The recording of that meeting will be posted on the town website, waterburyvt.com.
The proposed town budget of $5,203,775 is actually down by just over $309,000 or 5.6% from what voters approved in 2020. That’s because town officials slashed spending in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposed tax rate of $0.53 per $100 of assessed property value is 2 cents lower than what voters approved last year, and 2 cents more than what taxpayers paid in November. Town officials painstakingly tweaked the budget drafts to land on an amount that was within that range intentionally being mindful of the pandemic and financial impacts it has had on many homeowners and businesses.
Six candidates are running for three seats on the town select board. Incumbents Mark Frier and Katie Martin are running for re-election along with Noah Fishman and Brock Coderre. All four are on the ballot for two one-year terms. Newcomers Scott Culver and Dani Kehlmann are vying for the single three-year seat that’s open.
A special question asks voters to weigh in on the move to establish a commercial market for legal cannabis in Vermont. The new state law passed in 2020 asks each town to vote on whether to opt in to allowing local residents to obtain licenses to cultivate, process or sell cannabis products. As the regulations get put in place, that activity is likely to begin in 2022.
The Harwood Unified Union School District is holding its school board elections and budget vote on Town Meeting Day. Other annual business will be done at a meeting later this spring. On the ballot is the proposed $40.39 million budget for fiscal year 2021-22, which calls for spending that’s 1.6% higher than the current fiscal year. Voters also are asked to approve allocating some of the $2.2 million surplus from 2020. The proposed budget uses $600,000 as revenue. Voters are asked to approve putting $1 million into the maintenance reserve fund and set aside the remaining $615,456 as a “rainy day fund” for either operations or maintenance. Details on the school proposals are online at HUUSD.org.
School officials plan an online informational meeting Monday, March 1, at 6 p.m. Details on how to join or just watch are on the school website, HUUSD.org. An earlier budget presentation and Q and A session was held Feb. 3 and the recording is online on the district’s YouTube channel and on Mad River TV.
Three of Waterbury’s four seats on the Harwood school board are also on the ballot this election. Incumbent and Chair Caitlin Hollister is running unopposed for a one-year unexpired term. And there are three candidates for two three-year seats: Incumbent Michael Frank, Scott Culver (also running for select board) and Marlena Tucker-Fishman.