Brattleboro Select Board Meeting of December 2, 2025

The Brattleboro Select Board convened a regular meeting to address a wide range of town business, including the approval of a new liquor license, presentations on departmental budgets for FY27, and a pivotal vote to place a question on the March 2026 ballot regarding the discontinuance of the Representative Town Meeting. The meeting also featured significant public testimony and board deliberation concerning the permitting process for social assistance organizations, ultimately resulting in the convening of a public hearing for an interim zoning bylaw.

Consent Calendar

• Approvals: The Select Board unanimously approved meeting minutes from November 4, 12, and 18 (5-0).
• Item Removal: Item B (Liquor and Tobacco License for JK Grocery Store LLC) was pulled from the consent agenda by a 4-1 vote at the request of Board Member Amanda to allow for further discussion before the regular business vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Trash Bag Fee Criticism: Eric Karen expressed strong opposition to the board's previous motion to implement a fee on trash bags to fund free bags for eligible residents. He characterized the approach as "town government overstepping its mandate" and "financially irresponsible" during a town financial crisis.
• RTM Utilization: Kurt Gimes (Brattleboro Common Sense) warned of a potential budget referendum and argued that the Select Board is overworked because it does not sufficiently utilize the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) as a source of ideas and commentary as mandated by the town charter.
• Social Assistance Concerns: Marta expressed confusion over the haste of the zoning discussion, stating that complaints regarding 69A were mostly unverified word-of-mouth and that the organization provides legitimate art and social services. She opposed moving to zoning changes without concrete, substantiated investigations.
• Downtown Safety & NIMBYism: Isaac and Peter discussed the necessity of zoning controls to protect public safety and downtown business interests against perceived issues at social service locations, with Peter emphasizing the need for "better neighbors" and risk management.
• Emergent Situation Debate: Ivan Hennessey argued that there was no emergent situation justifying the interim zoning bylaw and suggested the underlying concern was the visibility of poverty in downtown. Bob Ozer questioned the definition of "emergency" and suggested private dialogue over emergency declarations.

Discussion Items

• Liquor & Tobacco License (JK Grocery Store LLC): The board discussed an application for a second-class liquor and tobacco license. Board Member Amanda expressed concern about the impact of liquor and tobacco sales on downtown atmosphere and high poverty areas, questioning the board's authority to deny the license based on policy rather than statutory grounds. Town Clerk Hilary Francis clarified that the board could not attach conditions to this specific license but could theoretically pass an ordinance to restrict such sales in the future. The board voted to approve the license (5-0) after confirming statutory compliance.
• Brattleboro Department of Public Works Budget: The Department presented an FY27 proposal highlighting significant cost increases due to benefits reallocation and the new compost collection program. Key discussions focused on the capital program cuts; staff noted that $870,000 in requested capital projects (sidewalks, retaining walls, bicycle infrastructure) had been removed from the current budget. Oscar and Kate O'Connor advocated for finding the funds to include these items in the general budget now rather than deferring them, arguing that delay increases costs and risks infrastructure failure. Isaac sought clarification on the discrepancy between the operational budget increase (25%) and the overall department increase (57.8%) cited in other materials, which was attributed to the inclusion of transferred benefit costs.
• Recreation and Parks Budget: Director Carol Lalott presented an FY27 budget showing a 40% increase, largely driven by benefits reallocation ($330,554) and a request for one new full-time park maintenance position to address increased responsibilities. Isaac and Oscar raised concerns about the leaking pool infrastructure, suggesting the conversation regarding its replacement should not be delayed until the following December, while Peter noted the difficulty of replacing aging vehicles versus the risk of maintenance costs. Amanda and Oscar commended the department's ability to maintain affordability and low fees despite rising costs.
• Library Budget: Star Latronica presented the FY27 library budget, noting a request for $25,000 to hire as-needed substitute staff to ensure safety compliance and open hours when full-time staff are absent. She detailed the library's role in community connection, economic development, and public safety. Board members appreciated the library's high operational hours and digital services but sought to understand the specific impact of reducing the substitute budget.

Key Outcomes

• Budget Assessment Tax: Moved to place an item on the 2026 Representative Town Meeting warning to authorize the collection of a $80,000 assessment on downtown properties to fund the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance (5-0).
• Health Insurance Switch: Approved the town's switch of medical plan provider from Blue Cross Blue Shield to Cigna for calendar year 2026. This change is projected to result in a cost savings of approximately $434,000 compared to the BCBS renewal (5-0).
• RTM Discontinuance Vote: Moved to direct staff to prepare an article for the March 3, 2026, annual town meeting ballot asking voters if they would discontinue the Representative Town Meeting. The board agreed that if the vote passes, the town will transition to an Open Town Meeting in April (5-0).
• Interim Zoning Bylaw Hearing: Moved to convene a public hearing on December 22, 2025, to discuss an interim zoning bylaw that would change "social assistance and charitable service" uses from permitted to conditional uses. This motion passed by a 3-2 vote.
• Budget Status: The FY28 month-to-date budget report confirmed a general fund surplus of $12.3M and a utilities fund surplus of $622k as of October, though the board noted rising utility costs and overtime expenses in public safety.

Adjournment

• The meeting was adjourned at approximately 11:00 PM after all agenda items were addressed. The board scheduled a follow-up meeting for the following Tuesday to continue budget deliberations.