OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Brattleboro Select Board Meeting Summary – September 25, 2025

Selectboard — Thursday, September 25, 2025
BodyBrattleboro, Vermont
SessionSelectboard
DateThursday, September 25, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:00:14

Transcript — Verbatim
0:08

Great.

0:12

I'm going to call the select board meeting to order for Wednesday, September 24th, 2025.

0:19

Of course, the meeting was called to order an hour ago by Oscar, and I thank him.

0:25

And at that time he asked John if the meeting had been properly warned.

0:29

And it was.

0:30

It was, yes.

0:32

And so I uh invite you all to our regular meeting.

0:37

And um do we have any adjustments to the agenda?

0:43

Nothing that I'm aware of.

0:45

All righty.

0:46

And um let's approve the minutes of September 9th.

0:52

Do we have a motion?

0:54

I move to approve the minutes from our last meeting.

0:58

Great.

0:59

Uh Amanda has moved to approve the minutes of September 9th, 2025.

1:04

All select board members in favor, please raise your hand and say aye.

1:08

Aye.

1:09

Aye.

1:09

That's 5-0.

1:12

Uh now, Chair's remarks.

1:15

First, um, I understand that it is Rosh Hashanah, and we tried to schedule this meeting uh to avoid it, but I think we're still on the cusp of it.

1:30

And I just um wanted to um wish um our fellow citizens well.

1:40

And rec Rebecca Ballant posted something that says, Shana Tova, happy new year to all who celebrate.

1:48

And I I wish the same to all our citizens.

1:54

And um we tried to avoid scheduling the meeting um, but we on this holiday, um, but we encroached a little bit onto the holiday, and I apologize for that.

2:07

And I want to say that we have in the meantime heard from um the congregation that we now have their holiday schedule and will make sure that um any further encroachments don't occur.

2:26

And I have another note, and that is that um the select board was invited to witness the clearing of an abandoned encampment, and I did uh uh last Thursday.

2:43

And it was no a week ago Thursday.

2:47

And it was the police, the health department uh, well, the health officers, public works, and groundworks collect collaborative, and they cleaned up an abandoned uh encampment at the high grove lot, and there were approximately 300 needles and associated trash was removed and uh from town property.

3:12

And I wanted to thank all those involved.

3:17

And it reminded me of a line from Tequil Mockingbird where they said some people are born to do our dirty jobs for us.

3:32

And I want to thank them again because it was a hard job, and um they did it in a good spirit uh for the betterment of our town.

3:41

So I thank you.

3:43

Yeah, I have a few announcements tonight.

3:45

The state has issued a burn ban and the fire department can't issue any burn permits until the state lifts that ban, so don't ask them.

3:56

Uh I wanted to announce that the October 9th meeting on the Western Ave intersection study will be held at 6 p.m.

4:04

on Zoom.

4:06

If people don't have access to Zoom, they can attend in the planning department here at 230 Main Street.

4:12

The consultant will be presenting remotely.

4:16

Uh applications for the FY26 human services funding can now be found on the town's website.

4:25

The committee, the human services committee will hold a question and answer session with interested applicants on Wednesday, October 8th at 4.30 p.m.

4:34

in the municipal center.

4:36

All applications are due on Wednesday, October 22nd at 5 p.m.

4:41

Interested applicants can send their applications to Jessica Stickler at J Stickler at Brattleboro.gov, or they can bring them in or have them sent to the town manager's office.

4:52

Please email Jessica if you have any questions about that.

5:00

Finally, there's still time to sign up for a library card during library card sign up month.

5:04

And that is free to all residents and property owners.

5:08

That's all I have.

5:09

Great, John.

5:10

Thank you.

5:11

Are there select board members who would like to comment?

5:18

Well, I just wanted to thank everybody who participated in the listening session that we held recently.

5:24

Yeah, and I want to um express gratitude for rain and um a uh a calming down of um the dust and uh fire danger, though um I hear that loud and clear.

5:40

There is a burn ban, so don't even think about burning anything.

5:48

It's already burnt.

5:49

So um let's see.

5:54

Public participation.

5:55

Are there people members of the public who would like to speak at our select board meeting about an item that is not on tonight's agenda?

6:07

Lisa.

6:12

Hi everyone.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Voting Systems████████████████████████████████████36%
Transportation Safety████████████████16%
Technology and Innovation██████████████14%
Procedural████████████12%
Public Engagement███████7%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████6%
Public Safety███3%
Economic Development██2%
Homelessness█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Brattleboro Select Board Meeting Summary – September 25, 2025

The Brattleboro Select Board held a regular meeting on September 25, 2025, addressing a range of topics including a public hearing for a bridge replacement grant, parking ordinance revisions, and the town charter petition process. Key outcomes included approval of a $1,833,475 grant application for the Detman Drive bridge, a first reading of parking ordinance changes, and a decision to place all charter-related questions on the March 2026 ballot.

Consent Calendar

  • The board approved the minutes from the September 9, 2025 meeting (5-0).
  • The local emergency management plan was pulled from the consent agenda and tabled to a future meeting.
  • Approved the consent agenda as modified (5-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Lisa Ford (Board Chair, Boys & Girls Club) thanked the town and partners for supporting two teen block parties on Flat Street, noting positive changes in the area.
  • Susan (member of the public) highlighted Police Department statistics: 1,337 calls in August 2025, a 14.5% increase year-over-year (243 calls per day). She emphasized that the emergency is not over and praised town departments for cleanup efforts.
  • Alyssa requested signage for the changed traffic pattern from Western Ave onto Green Street, reporting dangerous driving. John (Town Manager) noted the lines are temporary and will be finalized after paving, possibly with curbing next spring. Alyssa suggested cones as an interim measure.
  • Gary thanked DPW and the Brattleboro Town Team for street cleaning and inquired about an Amtrak completion date.
  • Heidi Fisher (District 7) shared frustration with the parking app, unable to pay for a short stop on Grove Street. Assistant Chief Evans offered a tutorial.
  • Nell (District 8) reported app issues leading to tickets.
  • Dick (public) suggested allowing zone-to-zone time transfers in parking.
  • Bill Harvey (District 8) proposed gated parking garages with single pay-on-exit to avoid parking interruptions.
  • Millicent Cooley (District 9) spoke on the charter process, expressing confusion and noting the value of having all options on one ballot.
  • John Lightfoot (District 9) asked clarifying questions about the legal path to Australian ballot.
  • David Lovemok (District 9) noted that the Australian ballot petition already contains a clause to rescind RTM, questioning the need for a separate select board article.

Discussion Items

  • Detman Drive Bridge Grant Public Hearing: Planner Sue Phillian presented an application for a Vermont Community Development Program Disaster Recovery Implementation Grant of $1,833,475 for design and construction of a replacement bridge on Detman Drive, which serves Mountain Home Mobile Home Park (about 8-9% of town population). The bridge would be designed to convey a 100-year flood and include stream bank restoration. The grant requires no town match. Board members thanked the department and supported the application. Dick inquired about administrative costs; the motion was amended to include allowable administrative costs. The public hearing was closed and the motion passed 5-0.
  • Parking Ordinance Revisions (First Reading): Assistant Chief Darren Evans and Highway Superintendent Jeremy presented proposed changes to Chapter 16 of the Traffic Ordinance. Key updates include:
    • Adding Brat Resource Officers to the definition of “police officer” for parking enforcement.
    • Revising the citation appeal process: Step 1 – appeal to parking enforcement; Step 2 – written appeal to police chief; Step 3 – hearing with town manager. Appeals can be submitted online, by mail, or in person.
    • Designating 12 free parking days during the holiday season: the first and second weekends in December (Saturday-Sunday) and the seven days leading up to Christmas Day.
    • Transitioning citation and permit systems to IPS, enabling an online customer portal for payments and appeals, with photos attached to citations. The system is expected to be fully operational by mid-November.
    • No fee changes were included; board members discussed potential future adjustments to specific lot rates.
    • The board discussed the online portal and app challenges. Several residents voiced difficulties, including app glitches and confusing zone transfers. The board noted that kiosks are being added (two operational soon, two more planned).
    • No motion was required; a second reading will be scheduled for a future meeting.
  • Town Charter Process and Warning Plan: John (Town Manager) presented a schedule for the charter petition warning plan, triggered by two certified petitions: one for Australian ballot and one for open town meeting. The town attorney (Bob) and Hannah outlined options:
    • Option A: Hold a November 4, 2025 special election on whether to discontinue Representative Town Meeting (RTM). If passed, RTM is discontinued immediately; if not, the petitioned articles proceed to March.
    • Option B: Put all questions on the March 3, 2026 Town Meeting Day ballot, including a select board-sponsored article to rescind RTM (which would take effect immediately if passed) plus the two petitioned charter amendments (which require legislative approval).
    • After extensive debate, board members expressed split views. Peter strongly advocated for a November vote for clarity; Oscar and Isaac preferred March for higher voter turnout and simplicity. Amanda’s needle moved toward November but noted logistical challenges.
    • The board voted 3-2 (Isaac’s motion) to direct staff to implement the charter petition warning plan as presented, effectively proceeding with the March timeline. The town attorney noted the board can revisit the article to rescind RTM before the January 27 warning deadline.
  • Finance Committee Update: Removed from the agenda at the request of committee members; tabled to the next available meeting (5-0).
  • FY25 Committee Vacancies: Two uncontested appointments were approved (5-0): Amy Thornton Baylin to the Arts Committee and Tim Kipp as Fence Viewer. A third position with two applicants will be interviewed at a future meeting.

Key Outcomes

  • Detman Drive Bridge Grant Application: Approved (5-0) to submit application for $1,833,475, with allowable administrative costs, designating Brian Bannon as contact person and John Potter as authorizing official. Public hearing closed.
  • Parking Ordinance Revisions: First reading completed; no vote taken. Staff will incorporate feedback and return with a second reading.
  • Charter Process Direction: Approved (3-2) to implement the charter petition warning plan for the March 3, 2026 ballot, which will include the town-sponsored RTM rescission article (to be finalized by January) and the two petitioned charter amendments. Town staff will prepare the warning schedule with public hearings on January 29 and February 5, 2026.
  • Committee Appointments: Amy Thornton Baylin (Arts Committee) and Tim Kipp (Fence Viewer) appointed (5-0). The remaining vacancy will be filled after interviews.

Meeting Transcript

Great. I'm going to call the select board meeting to order for Wednesday, September 24th, 2025. Of course, the meeting was called to order an hour ago by Oscar, and I thank him. And at that time he asked John if the meeting had been properly warned. And it was. It was, yes. And so I uh invite you all to our regular meeting. And um do we have any adjustments to the agenda? Nothing that I'm aware of. All righty. And um let's approve the minutes of September 9th. Do we have a motion? I move to approve the minutes from our last meeting. Great. Uh Amanda has moved to approve the minutes of September 9th, 2025. All select board members in favor, please raise your hand and say aye. Aye. Aye. That's 5-0. Uh now, Chair's remarks. First, um, I understand that it is Rosh Hashanah, and we tried to schedule this meeting uh to avoid it, but I think we're still on the cusp of it. And I just um wanted to um wish um our fellow citizens well. And rec Rebecca Ballant posted something that says, Shana Tova, happy new year to all who celebrate. And I I wish the same to all our citizens. And um we tried to avoid scheduling the meeting um, but we on this holiday, um, but we encroached a little bit onto the holiday, and I apologize for that. And I want to say that we have in the meantime heard from um the congregation that we now have their holiday schedule and will make sure that um any further encroachments don't occur. And I have another note, and that is that um the select board was invited to witness the clearing of an abandoned encampment, and I did uh uh last Thursday. And it was no a week ago Thursday. And it was the police, the health department uh, well, the health officers, public works, and groundworks collect collaborative, and they cleaned up an abandoned uh encampment at the high grove lot, and there were approximately 300 needles and associated trash was removed and uh from town property. And I wanted to thank all those involved. And it reminded me of a line from Tequil Mockingbird where they said some people are born to do our dirty jobs for us. And I want to thank them again because it was a hard job, and um they did it in a good spirit uh for the betterment of our town. So I thank you. Yeah, I have a few announcements tonight. The state has issued a burn ban and the fire department can't issue any burn permits until the state lifts that ban, so don't ask them. Uh I wanted to announce that the October 9th meeting on the Western Ave intersection study will be held at 6 p.m. on Zoom. If people don't have access to Zoom, they can attend in the planning department here at 230 Main Street. The consultant will be presenting remotely. Uh applications for the FY26 human services funding can now be found on the town's website. The committee, the human services committee will hold a question and answer session with interested applicants on Wednesday, October 8th at 4.30 p.m. in the municipal center. All applications are due on Wednesday, October 22nd at 5 p.m. Interested applicants can send their applications to Jessica Stickler at J Stickler at Brattleboro.gov, or they can bring them in or have them sent to the town manager's office. Please email Jessica if you have any questions about that. Finally, there's still time to sign up for a library card during library card sign up month. And that is free to all residents and property owners. That's all I have. Great, John. Thank you.

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