it’s the time of the season
First, I want to say thank you for everyone who helped make Wassail Weekend happen. This is a tremendous feat for our town and it’s an all-hands-on-deck exercise. From the road crews removing snow starting at midnight on Friday, to our public safety personnel making sure the parade-goers stay out of harm’s (and horses’ way), from our public works folks staying on top of trash, to the many volunteers who organized, coordinated, and produced lovely and cheerful events.
Catching up
Since I last wrote the Selectboard has voted to:
pause currently EDC grant programs. This means that those already awarded grants will be funded but we are no longer accepting applications for previously advertised housing, storefront, or other grants. This will give a chance for the fund to regenerate while Economic Development Director establishes how she would like to recommend the fund be used.
adopt new sewer abatement guidelines. They can be found here.
allocate 10% of staff time within the budget to the new water department. Right now, staff allocate their time across 4 functions: Town, Village, Sewer. The addition of the water utility brings us to a new allocation of Town: 55%, Village: 25%, Sewer Dept: 10%, Water Dept: 10%.
appoint Nori Pepe and Aimee Bartlett to the Marketing Committee. The committee is advisory and supports the work of our Marketing Coordinator, Jess Kirby.
Looking forward
We have discussed and are likely to vote on the following in the next few meetings:
a policy for plaques and memorials on town property
a penalty for filing homestead declaration late. Currently, full-time residents are required to file a homestead declaration each year along with income taxes. This ensures they are charged the correct tax rate. Towns are able to charge a penalty of up to 8% of your education tax bill if you do not file on time. Other towns like Barnard are already enforcing this policy.
a possible spend of local options tax funding on way finding signage that will allow visitors to more easily navigate the Village.
Fun at the Vail Field Rink
Budget FY27
Budget season is upon us. The Selectboard has heard from department heads and now has the municipal manager’s recommended budget. This year’s theme: still course-correcting and building reserves.
The largest budgetary change from last year’s budget for the town is the Fire Department’s request to add more personnel to to enable staffing 4 full time shifts. Our current shift schedule/short staffing is leading to burnout and increased costs due to overtime.
We will be meeting again in early January to continue our discussions about the budget.
You can view the WIP budgets for Town, Village, water, and sewer here.
Affordability while we recover from years of underinvestment is a lofty goal, but one the joint boards are committed to.
On accountability
Last week, the joint boards received a letter from town hall staff asking us to direct immediate attention to “establish clear expectations for public conduct,” and review “safety and security measures” to keep them from ongoing situations in which they feel vulnerable and unsafe. The letter was read into the record and representatives of the board are planning to meet with staff after the holiday to come up with an action plan.
There is much that makes our small town charming. But often, I find in Woodstock, too much is an open secret—ignored or minimized so no one has to confront it. Those who harass and terrorize our town staff are empowered by the silence of our small town, by the power self-preservation and avoidance have on many of us. I am grateful to those few who have spoken out against bullying and harassment and have publicly voiced support for our town staff. I hope our community (including our boards) can do more to hold accountable those who disregard the safety and wellbeing of others.
