Town leaders say ‘yes’ to nearly $540K from federal COVID-19 stimulus
July 9, 2021 | By Lisa Scagliotti As the nation looks to recover economically from the COVID-19 pandemic, federal funds are teed up to go to cities and towns across the country where local officials are willing to accept them.
At its meeting July 6, the Waterbury Select Board officially said it would take the town’s share of the federal stimulus windfall contained in the American Rescue Plan Act passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden in March. The move will add approximately $100 per capita totaling $539,665 to the town coffers.
The funds are expected to be paid in two installments of about $269,883 each, according to Municipal Manager Bill Shepeluk. One would come in about 60 days and another likely in early 2022.
The funds may be used in a variety of ways, Shepeluk said, and they come with some reporting requirements, but nothing that would preclude the town from accepting its share of the federal COVID-19 stimulus package.
Town officials will have three years to spend the money. Shepeluk recommended that it be used in upcoming town budgeting to replace funds lost during the pandemic such as delinquent taxes and lower recreation fees. “We can appropriate it through the normal budgeting process,” he said.
The board voted unanimously 3-0 to accept the funds. Members Chris Viens and Dani Kehlmann were absent.
Tax rate set slightly lower than expected
On the topic of town finances, the select board this week set the municipal tax rate at 1 cent lower than what voters approved on Town Meeting Day.
Shepeluk recommended the board approve a rate of 52 cents per $100 assessed property value rather than the 53 cents approved in March for several reasons. There was a slight increase in the value of the grand list of property values, a key part of the tax calculation, he said. Moreover, two categories of payments from the state to the town will be higher than the conservative estimates town officials built into the budget at the start of the year. Current use payments for agricultural lands will total approximately $105,000 versus the $35,000 budgeted. State payments in lieu of property taxes for state-owned property such as the State Office Complex and state parks and forest land will be about $351,000, Shepeluk said, nearly double the $180,000 anticipated in the budget voters approved.
Waterbury Select Board hybrid meetings allow for remote access while the board meets at the municipal offices. Left to right: Municipal Manager Bill Shepeluk, Select Board member Katie Martin, Town Clerk Carla Lawrence. Screenshot ORCA Media.
The 52-cent rate represents an increase of just under 2 percent from last year’s municipal tax rate. By comparison, the school tax for Waterbury residential taxpayers will total just under $1.80 per $100 of assessed property value, an increase of a little more than 6 cents over 2020’s rate.
Shepeluk suggested that perhaps the town tax rate coming in slightly less than expected “helps take a little bit of the sting out of the 3.5% [increase] on the school side.”
Planning and zoning reorganization
Friday was Zoning Administrator Dina Bookmyer-Baker’s last day on the job as she has retired. Anticipating her departure, town officials have revised the job descriptions for the Zoning and Planning office. The select board approved the new arrangement which will allow for a director and assistant administrator. Unlike the previous arrangement that assigned all zoning responsibilities to the zoning administrator, the new organization will allow both staff members to work on zoning matters.
Town Planner Steve Lotspeich explained the update as “more of a team approach” that should be more efficient as both staffers could work on a wider variety of details associated with development review applications and long-term planning.
The town is now looking to hire an assistant planning and zoning administrator.
Equity training and a school board recommendation
Looking ahead to its next meeting this month, the board agreed to schedule a follow up training session with Mary Gannon, an educator, facilitator and consultant in social and racial justice education and organizational equity and diversity. The board held its first meeting with Gannon in June and acknowledged that there was more to cover than the board got to in one meeting.
Members Katie Martin and Mike Bard both said they thought the training was worthwhile and supported having another session. “I do like the idea that it was a bit free-wheeling,” Bard commented.
The group agreed to schedule that for July 19 with a short business meeting prior. The training sessions are not held as public meetings.
At the July 19 public meeting, Shepeluk said, the board would be able to consider offering input into appointing a replacement to a seat representing Waterbury on the Harwood Unified Union School District School Board. Michael Frank recently resigned after being elected to a 3-year term in March and the school board is looking to fill that vacancy this month.
Frank’s successor would serve until Town Meeting Day 2022, at which point voters would elect someone to serve the remaining two years. The process allows for the select board to review applicants and make a recommendation to the school board regarding the appointment, a process Shepeluk criticized as flawed.
“I think it’s bad law, personally,” he said. “Because you’re going to have the Harwood board with members from … the five towns other than Waterbury who get the right to choose who Waterbury’s representative is. I don’t think that’s fair, but that’s what the law is.”
School Board Chair Torrey Smith had been in contact saying she would forward letters from applicants for the select board to review and potentially interview candidates before making a recommendation, Shepeluk said. “They have received one” so far, he added.
Other business
The board’s agenda included several other topics including:
Approving a letter of support for an application by the information technology company MTX Group that’s applying for state economic development incentives to potentially locate an office with 100 employees in Waterbury. Read more about that here.
An update on work of the Conservation Commission from Chair Allan Thompson. He discussed at some length the importance of conservation efforts along Rt. 100 near the town line with Stowe – known as Shutesville Hill – in order to preserve wildlife habitat and corridors that wildlife use for travel. A draft update to town zoning in this area will address this priority, he said. Thompson also noted that the commission has been receiving an increased number of requests from landowners for information on how to enact conservation measures on their properties.
The town’s recent decision to join CVFiber, the 20-town Central Vermont communications union district formed to tackle poor internet service. Waterbury still needs a delegate and an alternate to serve on this new board. An announcement with more details can be found here.
The Stowe Street bridge near the intersection with Rt. 100 which is “functionally obsolete,” according to the town manager. Shepeluk told the board it’s on a list for replacement in the future. The board agreed to schedule a presentation at its Aug. 2 meeting from staff at the Vermont Agency of Transportation to review options on how to proceed.
The board also approved several requests related to upcoming events including: an entertainment permit for a variety show event at Murphy’s Barn in Waterbury Center the evening of Aug. 7; closing Rotarian Way in front of the Waterbury Train Station, 9:15-10:45 a.m. on July 19 for a celebration of Amtrak’s passenger train service returning to the state after the pandemic; closing the lower portion of Stowe Street from 4-8 p.m. on Aug. 27 for a celebration commemorating the 10th anniversary of Tropical Storm Irene and the end of Main Street road and water-sewer utility construction.
Waterbury Select Board meetings are recorded and are available to view online at orcamedia.net