Waterbury voters approve budget, elect leaders & keep Town Meeting format – for now
March 6, 2025 | By Lisa Scagliotti and Sandy Yusen
Elections official Bob Butler enjoys interacting with voters as they cast their ballots on Town Meeting Day. Photo by Gordon Miller
Waterbury voters approved the town’s $6.35 million budget, decided a four-way race for select board, and opted to continue the tradition of in-person town meetings during Town Meeting Day on Tuesday, March 4.
Brookside Primary School was the venue for both the in-person meeting and the daylong elections from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters had just one contest to decide with three select board candidates on the ballot – a fourth running a write-in campaign – all vying for two one-year terms on the board.
When the returns were tallied, former Harwood school board member Tori Taravella claimed the most votes, 650, and incumbent Mike Bard won 522, to fill those seats, according to Town Clerk Karen Petrovic. Newcomer Evan Karl Hoffman had 323 votes and write-in Sandy Sabin collected 238 in her first bid for office, Petrovic noted.
In addition to the board’s two one-year seats, one of the board’s three-year terms is on the ballot each year. Incumbent Kane Sweeney ran unopposed, winning election with 877 votes, according to Petrovic. Sweeney has served two consecutive one-year terms to date. Sabin also garnered 88 of 97 write-in votes cast for that office, the town clerk noted.
Turnout for the election was 25% with 1,158 of Waterbury’s 4,567 registered voters casting ballots, Petrovic said.
From the candidates
Ending a three-year term on the Harwood school board, Tori Taravella (left), won a one-year seat on the Waterbury Select Board. Photo by Gordon Miller
For the past three years, Taravella has been one of the four Waterbury representatives on the Harwood Unified Union School District School Board and she chose to seek election to the town board this year. Bard has served two three-year select board terms and opted to run for a single-year seat vacated by Ian Shea who served for the past year.
Taravella said she was pleasantly surprised at her first-place finish in the race. “Thank you to all who supported and advocated for me,” she said. “I am honored and humbled by your belief in me.”
Currently a co-president of the Waterbury Rotary Club, Taravella, an attorney, said she is looking forward to serving on a new board. “I expect to learn a lot and hope that the residents of our town will feel comfortable enough to reach out with any of their concerns while I serve on Select Board,” she said.
Waterbury Select Board member Mike Bard (center) won re-election to a one year term. Photo by Gordon Miller
Bard, the veteran in the race who has served as chair, offered his congratulations to all of the candidates. “It was a competitive race,” he said. “To Evan and Sandy, both first-time candidates, I encourage both of you to stay engaged in the running of town government. Service to your community is one of the most rewarding endeavors one can give of themselves.”
Placing third, Hoffman said he viewed the four-way race as a challenge. Following this experience, he said he will consider opportunities to serve on a volunteer town board or committee in the future. “I definitely want to stay involved,” he said.
Sandy Sabin
Sabin, who has been a regular attendee at board meetings over the past year, decided late to enter the race past the deadline to get her name printed on the ballot. In a letter to the community following the election, she thanked voters for writing her name in and congratulated her fellow candidates. “I have no doubt that Mike Bard and Tori Taravella will work hard for our entire community on the select board,” she said. Acknowledging Hoffman’s showing at the polls, she offered words of encouragement: “I would love to see you be more active at the select board meetings, and you should try again next year,” she said.
Select board candidate Evan Hoffman. Photo by Gordon Miller
Bard also acknowledged the positive nature of the short campaign before Town Meeting Day. “In this time of divisiveness, all candidates ran on issues and not attacking each other,” he said.
“I look forward to working with our newest member, Tori. You will be a great addition to the Team… We have a wonderful community and together we can improve the lives of all who live and work in Waterbury.”
Sweeney, who didn’t have an opponent in the race, took that as a signal of support. He also noticed a common theme among the candidates and the discussion leading up to the election. “It’s clear to me that our policies are working,” he said. “Housing, affordability, and flood resilience are what are important to voters and they told us so on Town Meeting Day.”
Other offices in the election
The select board race was the main election decision Waterbury voters made given that none of the other offices on the ballot were contested. The town clerk shared vote totals for the other positions that were filled:
Alec Tuscany, three-year term for lister, 955 votes
Jill Chase, four-year term for library commissioner, 970 votes
Erin Mooney, five-year term for library commissioner, 961 votes
Robert Dostis, 150 write-in votes for a five-year library commission position
Voters cast ballots in the gym as town meeting takes place. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
The ballot also had four seats to fill to represent Waterbury on the Harwood school board, but just two candidates stepped up to run. Corey Hackett, who was appointed last April to serve until this Town Meeting Day, ran to serve for the two years remaining on one of the terms; he received 918 votes. Newcomer Robert Dabrowski was unopposed for a full three-year seat and won 907 votes, Petrovic said.
All school board terms are three years, but due to resignations and one-year appointments, some of the Waterbury seats carried shorter terms on the ballot. Still open are a one-year seat and a two-year seat.
The school district is actively seeking applicants for those openings along with one for Duxbury. After an election, boards fill openings by appointment that last until Town Meeting Day the following year. Harwood Superintendent Mike Leichliter last week shared a letter seeking applicants for the vacant seats by March 28. The appointment process involves the town select boards that interview candidates first and then make a recommendation to the school board. Leichliter said the school board hopes to have new members to appoint by its April 16 meeting. So far, it looks like there are at least two contenders with experience interested in the positions.
Late last week, Dan Roscioli told the Waterbury Roundabout that he intends to submit an application for an appointment. Like Hackett, Roscioli has served on the school board after being appointed last April. “Unfortunately, the timing of a family emergency prevented [me from] turning in signatures,” he said. “I hope to represent Waterbury for another year.”
Elizabeth Brown, a third Waterbury appointee to the school board in 2024, also told the Roundabout that she is considering applying to serve another year given that the election did not generate new interest. “I have not drafted the letter yet, but intend to in the next few days,” she said.
The meeting debates the meeting
The marathon six-hour-plus town meeting kicked off at 9 a.m. in the school gym with just under 150 people at the start. The crowd grew to more than 200 by the time a lengthy paper-ballot process took place to vote on the town meeting format question – an irony not lost on voters when they waited their turn three hours into the event, with most of them marking their ballots to oppose more paper-ballot voting.
People filled the folding-chair seats on the gym floor and bleachers while voting took place on the opposite end of the room.
As expected, the topic that attracted the widest discussion was Article 8 on the Town Meeting warning, which asked whether voters should approve town budget questions by Australian ballot instead of doing so in a traditional in-person floor vote.
“I think it’s fair to say that not all of us are of the same mind on this issue,” said Select Board member and former chair Roger Clapp as he introduced the item. “Many of us feel that town meeting is an important part of our duty to pursue the state lotto of ‘Freedom and Unity’ – freedom to come here every first Tuesday of March at 9 o’clock and address how the town will be run for the following year, and the unity to abide by the will of people as voted in this meeting,” he said.
Moderator Rebecca Ellis, Select Board Chair Alyssa Johnson, Town Manager Tom Leitz and board Vice Chair Kane Sweeney. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
“On the other hand, there are some of us that feel that not everything that is set in the original charter of the town is absolutely perfect,” Clapp said. “For example, 262 years ago, slavery was the law of the land, and it took another 157 years for us to recognize the ability for people of a certain gender to vote, and that represents half the population of the town.”
Clapp gave a nod to current select board Chair Alyssa Johnson seated to his right and Moderator Rebecca Ellis at the podium running the meeting, acknowledging having women in leadership roles. “So I do think that reviewing how we run our business is important. Here we are, 25 years into the 21st century, and still I don't think we've achieved perfection in the way that we run our democracy at the community, state, federal or international level,” he said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Waterbury along with communities around Vermont called off in-person town meetings, voting in 2021 and 2022 by paper ballot on all town elections, budget questions, etc. Prior to that and resuming in 2023, Waterbury has relied on a hybrid tradition where elections are by paper ballot but budget items and all other questions are debated and voted in person with only those attending being able to participate. When the pandemic years saw a jump in voters taking part, discussions the past two years at town meeting raised the question of how to change the process to include more townspeople while keeping the tradition of holding a community discussion of town affairs.
Many other communities have done the same and have since voted to use Australian ballot more widely. “The reason that we’re here today is because of an example just across the river in our neighboring town of Duxbury, with whom we share a school district, and they came up with a different way of running their town meetings. And we looked at what they were doing and decided that it was worth bringing that to a vote,” he said.
Duxbury in 2023 shifted all of their March Town Meeting Day voting to the paper ballot and they kept their pandemic-experiment of drive-through voting as well. To preserve their in-person meeting, Duxbury now holds an early January “Citizens Have Your Say Day” meeting to review the town budget, ask questions and offer feedback before their selectboard finalizes it for the ballot. Attendees also bring pies to share at the get-together in a nod to the previous tradition of having a potluck lunch. On Town Meeting Day this year, for example, Duxbury had the highest voter turnout in the Harwood school district with 32% of its voters casting ballots.
Clapp noted that Waterbury held two “Have Your Say” meetings in early January, too, where the budget was reviewed and discussed. Together, the two meetings attracted about 50 people. “Some people thought it was great. Other people thought that was a pretty poor showing,” Clapp said. “I'm sure that there are other opinions on this issue, and I look forward to the vote.”
The ensuing discussion drew about 30 attendees to the microphone to share their views. Many told of difficulties they have to attend town meeting such as local innkeeper Christa Bowdish who runs the Stagecoach Inn. “There are a lot of jobs you can’t take a day off, and those people deserve a vote,” she said, noting this was the first town meeting she’s ever attended.
Kathi Grace said she’s attended Waterbury’s Town Meeting since she was 16 years old. She recalled serving on the school board when the former Harwood school district that oversaw the high school shifted from a floor school meeting to Australian ballot in 1993. Ultimately, she said, it didn’t increase voter participation or involvement. Speakers advocating for better involvement pointed out that the roughly 200 people in the school gym at that moment amounted to less than 5% of the town’s 4,567 registered voters.
Yet many also spoke eloquently about the importance of a community gathering, having a discussion, and collectively making decisions.
“I’m a fan of Town Meeting,” said Michael Frank. “Magical things happen on this floor.” He said he’s attended town meetings where the debate has changed his mind on an issue and he ended by urging his neighbors to “vote against this” possible move to Australian ballot.
Senior Center chef Donna Barr with volunteers Gale Badeau and Lindsey Bolger serve up lunch in the cafeteria. Photo by Sandy Yusen.
Angela Wells called town meeting “the check and balance” where young people get to learn the process from elders and mentors. “Is it hard to get here? Yes, but sometimes, life is hard and you have to make important decisions. It allows me to connect with my neighbors. It allows me to look people in the eye, ask questions,” she said. Looking out at Waterbury’s former longtime town manager in the audience, she added, “I learn something from Mr. Shepeluk every time I come here.”
Harrison Stark called it a “false choice” to imagine having to choose between community dialogue and broader representation in the votes. He suggested there could be alternatives that would “deepen the democratic tradition in ways that include more voices.”
Elections official and Board of Civil Authority Chair Liz Schlegel asked the select board if it had looked at a system of representative town meeting used in Brattleboro where neighborhoods elect people to attend town meeting. Clapp said no.
“There are other options that we can pursue. We’re not the only large town that has this problem,” Schlegel said. “I’m a huge believer in democracy … The most important thing is that everybody votes — on paper or in person and that your vote really matters.”
The reminder of Harwood’s lesson and the potential for other hybrid solutions resonated with Sue Minter. She acknowledged that this was the first time in a long time that she wasn’t working and was able to attend town meeting. “We do have a problem of privilege right here in this room,” she said. But the former state legislator said she didn’t think the debate was settled. “I don’t feel we are ready for this dramatic change as a town,” she said, “although I want us to continue the conversation.”
Mary Koen also urged caution with the decision at hand, suggesting it might be harder to get the in-person meeting back if voters chose to end it. “I don’t think we’re ready,” she said, quoting Joni Michell’s famous song, “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”
Voting by paper ballot ultimately decided not to move to more paper-ballot voting in the future. Photo by Gordon Miller
Ultimately the vote was called along with a request that paper ballots be used to tally rather than a voice vote or show of hands. Elections officials came prepared for that possibility and they quickly set up a check-in station in front of the stage. Voters were called alphabetically by last name to check in and mark a paper ballot on the Article 8 question. That break came at lunchtime and gave people in the gym a chance to visit the cafeteria where Waterbury Area Senior Center staff had prepared lasagna, salad and brownies for lunch — complete with takeout containers so diners didn’t have to miss the meeting.
Liz Schlegel (top) and Amanda McKay count the paper ballots for the Article 8 vote. Photo by Gordon Miller
Once all in the room who wanted to vote had cast a ballot, Schlegel and fellow Justice of the Peace Amanda McKay took the ballot box to a quiet corridor just outside the gym to count. Moderator Ellis skipped ahead on the warning, having voters consider and vote on several articles listing charitable contributions for the town to include in its 2025 budget. Just before 1:15 p.m., Ellis was given the vote tally which she announced: 144 no votes to 64 in favor of moving financial questions to Australian ballot. “The ‘nos’ have it. It did not meet the 50% threshold and you have not passed Article 8,” she told the crowd.
Discussion followed on Article 9, a sister article to number 8, which asked voters to decide future public questions by Australian ballot rather than by a floor vote. That discussion was shorter, ending with attendees satisfied with a decisively negative voice vote.
Town Clerk Karen Petrovic counts raised hands during a vote on a motion to amend a town meeting article. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
The budget, of course
Unlike most years, budget matters took a back seat to the future-of-town-meeting discussion. Early in the meeting, former Town Manager Bill Shepeluk proposed juggling the order of business so the budget debate and vote came before the existential discussion, but it failed on a show of hands to get support from two-thirds of those in the room.
Some budget discussion came up soon after the meeting opened during when voters were asked to accept the reports of town officers. Sandy Sabin, a close follower of the select board and a candidate for office questioned a select board decision to allocate $7,000 to the Waterbury Area Trails Association for work on the Perry Hill bike trails located on state land. She and several others suggested that item should have been included as its own donation request on the town meeting warning.
The appropriation came from local option tax revenue generated in 2024 and not budgeted because the new taxes on sales, rooms, meals and alcohol were expected not to go into effect until the start of 2025. The new taxes began July 1 and generated over $455,000 in unbudgeted income. “It is rare to receive unbudgeted funds of this magnitude,” Town Manager Tom Leitz wrote in the town report.
Chris Viens asks the select board a question. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
Select board members explained their rationale: they had the authority to spend the money, and the popular trails are a source of welcome economic activity for the community in line with one goal for the new funds to be used for economic development. Alex Showerman, trails director for WATA, addressed the meeting explaining how the contribution was part of a $30,000 restoration project after the trails suffered damage from severe storms. Showerman also confirmed that data collected show the trails have between 15,000 and 20,000 users annually.
Former select board Chair Chris Viens praised the current board and manager for implementing the new taxes but he urged them to resist the temptation to view the new revenue source as a way to be “all things to all people.”
“Local option tax money is probably the best golden goose egg that the town of Waterbury’s received since I could remember to help us manage our fiscal responsibilities here in the town,” Viens said. “What I worry about… is too many hands in the cookie jar.” The new source of funds could help buoy the town budget and hold off property tax increases for 10-20 years, Viens said. “But we have to temper ourselves.”
The bulk of the budget discussion came after the Article 8-9 debate in the final 90 minutes of the meeting after about a third of the attendees had filtered out.
The main budget article broke out the main spending categories for the year: general, highway, library and cemetery expenses. The select board and Leitz worked to keep the budget increase to just 1.3%. And with a slight increase in the town’s grand list of property values, the tax rate for 2025 will be unchanged from 2024 at 55 cents per $100 of assessed property value, they explained.
Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
Shepeluk proposed one adjustment to direct $15,000 from budget surplus funds to the long-term flood recovery group called CReW, which would not increase the tax rate. Voters in 2024 approved $30,000 for the group that the town expected would be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Administration, but that did not happen. The chair of the CReW board, Shepeluk said the group is still working to assist dozens of Waterbury property owners with remediation and resiliency efforts after floods in 2023 and 2024. The item was added to the budget on a voice vote.
Several other changes were suggested but failed to gain support during the discussion. The budget article that voters approved on a voice vote notes that of the $6.3 million budget for 2025, $4.46 million will be covered by property taxes.
Two additional financial articles passed on voice votes, approving two vehicle purchases: a replacement mini-pumper for the Fire Department ($380,000) that can access rural roads better than its full-sized trucks, and a 15-yard capacity tandem dump truck ($310,000) for the Public Works Department to enable workers to haul more road material in fewer trips. Payments for the vehicles would be covered by the town’s tax stabilization fund and repaid with local option taxes.
Voters also approved $520,000 in capital improvements which largely would go to paving projects. Rep. Wood twice asked town officials where capital projects are listed and Leitz said he would add a section showing that information in next year’s annual report.
At the microphone, Tom Gloor encourages others to tune into the budget process long before Town Meeting Day. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
Resident Tom Gloor shared his thanks to the select board and town manager for their work on the budget. “This budgeting process I think was very good this year,” he said. To the audience, he added, “I would encourage you to get engaged when they have it on the agenda —they spent over a month putting this together. Town meeting is one day, for 4-5 hours. Running this town is 365, 24/7.”
Other votes taken
Voters present for the meeting approved all of the other non-election questions on the town meeting warning. These included:
Article 5: Setting the compensation for town officers for the year at $1,450 each for the select board chair and vice chair; $1,200 for select board members; and $500 for listers.
Article 6: Setting the dates for property tax payments this year for Aug. 15 and Nov. 7.
Article 7: Extending the municipal office hours to 5:30 p.m. on the days tax payments are due. It also stipulates that interest and a late penalty of 8% be charged on overdue tax payments.
Articles 15 through 26 contained a list of appropriation requests from 25 nonprofit agencies and organizations. Voters approved all of them on voice votes. The appropriations totaled $42,633 which is included in the town budget. The largest single donation was $6,500 to the Waterbury Area Senior Center. That’s in addition to $32,500 for the senior center already contained in the town budget.
Other larger contributions approved were: The Children’s Room early education resource center for $4,000; Washington County Mental Health for $3,000; the American Legion, MakerSphere and Waterbury LEAP each for $2,500; another $2,382 for Green Mountain Transit bus service; $2,250 for the Central Vermont Council on Aging. The American Red Cross and Central Vermont Adult Education were approved for $2,000 each. Fourteen of the requests were for $1,500 or less such as $800 for the Waterbury Community Band and $1,000 for Friends of Waterbury Reservoir. The full list is included on the town meeting warning.
Legislators share highlights
State Reps. Theresa Wood and Tom Stevens address the crowd. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
Other town meeting business included short reports from the town’s two state Reps. Theresa Wood and Tom Stevens. The Waterbury Democrats also represent Bolton, Huntington and Buels Gore. They each spoke for several minutes about work in their committees – Stevens on House Appropriations and Wood chairing House Human Services. They spoke briefly about the state finances, the effort underway to restructure public PreK-through-grade-12 education and they shared concerns about the sweeping changes in federal government policies under the new administration that may have significant impacts on state budgets across the nation.
Wood said she is “deeply concerned about the Medicaid program” and the impact on Vermonters should proposed federal cuts happen. Her committee also working on a bill to create a formal temporary homeless shelter program for the state, adding, “A special thank you to the citizens of Waterbury for being so welcoming to the folks who utilize the family shelter at the Waterbury armory. They have felt that.” She said the state is likely to continue to use that building as a shelter at least during winter months.
Wood also shared that there will be a bill to address the state transferring ownership of the cornfield property between Randall Street and the Winooski River, described as “Randall Meadow” so that the town could make changes to that land to create a larger floodway. That bill, H.471, was introduced last week.
Stevens encouraged local residents to learn more about the education reform proposal that came from the push to address education costs but now calls for a major restructuring of public education. “It’s a provocative plan. There’s a lot of hard changes being contemplated in that plan,” Stevens said. “We are having those very, very difficult conversations right now.”
Stevens agreed with Wood on the concern about the potential impacts of proposed major funding cuts in the federal government to programs such as Medicaid, Social Security, food stamps, and more. “Whether these things all come to fruition, they’re creating so much chaos,” he said. “The threat of that coming to fruition is enough to keep us all awake at night.” Lawmakers are working on a state budget for the next fiscal year, knowing that federal decisions may upend that plan. “We hear the train coming,” he said. “So much of our state budget is federal money…We don’t know the answers, but we will do our best to keep you informed.”
Both urged voters to learn more about the state education proposal, announcing that there will be a community discussion with legislators on March 24, 6-8 p.m., at Harwood Union High School. The pair shared copies of their written update that’s also posted in the Roundabout Opinion and Town Meeting sections.
Rosina Wallace (center) at town meeting where the annual community service award is given in memory of her father, Keith Wallace. Photo by Gordon Miller
Keith Wallace Award
Bill Woodruff (left) presents the Keith Wallace Award to Randy Guyette. Photo by Skip Flanders
P. Howard “Skip” Flanders, president of the Edward Farrar Utility District Board of Commissioners, along with Waterbury Public Works Director Bill Woodruff presented the 30th annual Keith Wallace Community Service Award. The award is named in honor of the town’s former 34-year town moderator, school board member, planning commissioner, state legislator and dairy farmer. Wallace died in 1995 and was given an award for his “lifetime of community service” when he stepped down as moderator in 1994.
The award this year went to town employee Randy Guyette for his nearly 40 years with Waterbury village and town highway departments and virtually all aspects of public works including water, wastewater and stormwater efforts, and rec facility projects. Woodruff said Guyette has not been a staff member in the limelight, but his dedication and “relentless work” have been exemplary having “plowed, sanded and repaired all of our roads.”
The town report cover features an illustration by Matt Metayer of Randy Guyette. Photo by Gordon Miller
Woodruff shared several anecdotes illustrating Guyette’s unflappable and good nature that suit him for his role. “Very few of you have been awake at 4 a.m. during an ice storm when Randy gets in his truck and heads up Blush Hill. Very few of you are awake at 4:01 a.m. when he comes down backwards,” he said to laughter throughout the gym.
The Town Annual Report for 2024 is dedicated to Guyette and his four decades of service “through rain and snow, sleet and mud.” It specifically mentions his work in rebuilding after Tropical Storm Irene and floods since then: “He embodies the heart of our community, keeping us safe, and ensuring that we could get to work and that our kids could get to school.”
See more coverage of Waterbury’s town meeting by Cam Smith at WCAX Channel 3 News and by Kyle Ambusk who included photos from Waterbury in Vermont Public’s Town Meeting Day slideshow. If you missed it, ORCA Media recorded all 6 hours and 17 minutes of the meeting. The video is posted in the Waterbury section of ORCA’s local government recordings.