Brattleboro Select Board Meeting Summary - October 16, 2025
Brattleboro Select Board Meeting Summary - October 16, 2025
The Brattleboro Select Board convened on October 16, 2025, to approve minutes from previous sessions, discuss routine consent agenda items, and address major topics including public safety funding updates, infrastructure projects, and administrative ordinance revisions. The board voted unanimously on all motions presented, with significant focus on community engagement through the Festival of Miniatures and the rigorous Human Services funding allocation process.
Consent Calendar
- Approved minutes from September 24 and October 1, 2025.
- Approved a $48,300 change order for the William Street retaining wall project to deepen anchor rods.
- Committed $12,000 from the Global Warming Solutions Fund for solar street lighting on Elliott Street.
- Approved parade permits for the "Horribles" Halloween parade and the "No Kings Day" event (October 18).
- Ratified FY26 fuel oil bids from Discount Oil and Keen Oil at $2.495 per gallon.
- Renewed a third-class liquor license for Echo Restaurant and Lounge and first/second-class licenses for Hools Wine.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Elisa Arroyo (RTM): Expressed gratitude for the Western Avenue pavement project, specifically praising the new bike lane and sidewalk work by VTrans, Brattleboro DPW, and the community, while thanking the workers for their professionalism.
- Star Latronica (Library Director): Promoted the 24th annual Brattleboro Literary Festival, noting it starts October 17, features 44 authors, and is free for the public.
- Dick DeGray: Requested updates on the railroad easement for a proposed sidewalk and raised safety concerns regarding illegal parking on Canal Street near the Co-op which forces drivers into oncoming traffic; he also later expressed strong opposition to the current Human Services funding process, calling it "forced giving" and arguing that the town is unfairly rejecting vital organizations like The Mover while funding services the town could provide directly. He also expressed concern over rising police and fire overtime costs despite full staffing.
- Amanda (Board Member): Clarified that tax dollars are collective decisions and that funding organizations one might not personally choose is a necessary aspect of public society.
Discussion Items
- Brattleboro Festival of Miniatures: Melanie Kahn and Kate Trask introduced the event, an economic development initiative involving over 100 downtown merchants, nonprofits, and 12 schools. The project aims to create whimsical window displays and events to attract visitors in December. Board members expressed excitement, noting the potential for nostalgia, community connection, and economic boost.
- Human Services Committee Update (David Minor, Sarah Turbo, Robin Morgan, Avery Thompson): The committee reviewed FY25 funding, noting a 51% allocation to health/safety/housing and a 250% increase in service users relative to the town population. They detailed the rigorous scoring and deliberation process for FY26 applications. Committee members discussed the lack of caps on requests, the financial viability of organizations, and the board's concern that the program's scope has expanded beyond its original intent of municipal support into major financial contributions for nonprofits.
- Bittersweet Lane Adoption: Staff and Sir Sasimo Lumber representatives requested the board to reconsider a previous denial and initiate the process to convert the private Bittersweet Lane (500ft dead-end) into a public Class 3 town highway. The road was built to town standards in 2007 and is now fully developed with five occupied homes. The board agreed to hold a site visit and public hearing on November 18, 2025.
- Wyndham Windsor Housing Trust Grant: Bruce Whitney requested authorization to submit a $540,000 VCDP Scattered Site Grant application. The funds will support a revolving loan program for home repairs and housing counseling. Board members clarified that the majority of the grant covers staffing (approx. $425,000) and administration ($18,000), with only $123,000 added to the loan capital pool.
- Black Mountain Road Discontinuance: Staff presented a proposal to study the discontinuance of a flood-prone segment of Black Mountain Road to restore the natural floodplain and replace undersized culverts. Project goals include reducing sediment in the brook and improving water quality. The board approved a bid from MSK Engineers for the scoping study, with the expectation that state grants will cover 80% of future costs.
- Parking Ordinance Revision: Second reading approved amendments to Chapter 16, including adding "Bratt" team members to the police officer definition, updating the appeals process to three levels with an online option, and adding free parking days during the holiday season.
- Regional Assessing Districts: Assessor Jennifer Burnell provided an update on state legislation (Act 68 and Act 73) requiring town-wide reappraisals every six years starting in 2029. She discussed the move toward a single CAMA system, mandatory professional training for assessors/listers, and the potential formation of regional assessing districts aligned with new school district boundaries.
- August Financial Report: The Finance Office presented the monthly report, noting a general fund surplus of ~$15.7M. Key concerns raised included rising utility costs, significant overtime increases in fire and police departments (exceeding budget despite new hiring), and the complex accounting of EMS reimbursements which include rollovers from FY25 claims. Dick DeGray strongly criticized the overtime numbers as a "budget buster" and suggested contracting third-party ambulance services.
Key Outcomes
- Unanimous Approval (5-0): Minutes from Sept 24 and Oct 1.
- Unanimous Approval (5-0): Consent Agenda (7 items).
- Unanimous Approval (5-0): Motion to authorize site visit and public hearing to lay out Bittersweet Lane as a Class 3 town highway.
- Unanimous Approval (5-0): Resolution to submit the $540,000 Wyndham and Windsor Housing Trust grant application.
- Unanimous Approval (5-0): Bid award to MSK Engineers for the Black Mountain Road discontinuance scoping study (80% state funded).
- Unanimous Approval (5-0): Final reading and adoption of Chapter 16 Traffic Ordinance amendments.
- Unanimous Approval (5-0): Acceptance of the August 2025 Financial Report.
- Next Steps: Site visit and public hearing for Bittersweet Lane scheduled for Nov 18, 2025; Black Mountain Road study to proceed; Human Services applications due Oct 22, 2025.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. I'm gonna call the Brattleboro Select Board meeting for Tuesday, October 6. Oh, it's Thursday, October 16th, 2025, to order. We had an executive session at 5 o'clock. And no decisions were made. And we're beginning our regular meeting. And I believe at 5 o'clock, Oscar probably asked John if the meeting was properly warned. And John said The meeting was properly warned. Great. And does anyone know of any adjustments that are needed to the agenda? All right. So first order of business is to approve the minutes from September 24th and October 1st. Do I have a motion? Yes, Isaac. I'd like to move that we approve the minutes from September 24th and October 1st of 2025. Great. Isaac has made a motion to approve the minutes from October September 24th and October 1st. All select board members who agree, please raise your hand and say aye. Aye. And there we are, 5-0. Thank you very much. I don't have any significant remarks to make other than the fact that it gets dark early now, and every year I remind people that if you're walking your dog in the dark with your black jacket on, you can't be seen. John, do you have any comments? You'd like to write? Yeah, I have a few. So let's see. Um first of all, I wanted to remind everyone that there will be no town leaf collection this fall due to budget cuts. But communications coordinator Seth Thomas has been working with staff to put together a brief video with options for dealing with your leaves this year. And that will be going out soon. We're going to hear later on in this meeting from the Human Services Committee, but I wanted to just remind everyone that applications for the FY26 human services funding can be found on the town's website, Brattleboro.gov. All applications are due on Wednesday, October 22nd by 5 p.m. and should not include protected files that cannot be merged into a packet for the committee members. Interested applicants can send their applications to Jessica Stickler at J Stickler at Brattleboro.gov or they can be bring people can bring them in uh right to the town manager's office here at 230 Main Street and please email Jessica if you have any questions. And then finally, I think there was a question at your last meeting about the Amtrak project, and town staff attended the uh Amtrak's train station project management meeting last week and inquired about the schedule and we learned that the surplus soils down there will be removed by late October or early November. We learned that the parking lot will be available for public parking again by late December as as they finish up some final site work, do the paving and striping. And then the overall project is still expected to be completed by the end of February. That's all I have. Great, John, thank you very much. Are there select board members who have yes? Oscar, why don't you begin? Thank you. Hi everyone. I just wanted to give a brief update on the bridges situation. We had a meeting in person for the second time with New Hampshire Department of Transportation and Hinsdale probably yesterday, if I had to guess. And if anyone would like more info on details, please reach out. I'm happy to discuss it any time. Thank you. Anyone else? Sure. Yes.
openpublica.com