OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Weathersfield Select Board Special Meeting – September 1, 2026

Selectboard — Tuesday, September 1, 2026
BodyWeathersfield, Vermont
SessionSelectboard
DateTuesday, September 1, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

The Welcome to the August 31st 2026 Select Board meeting.

0:11

If you would uh come and join me for the uh Pledge of Allegiance, actually, before we start, I'd like to remind everybody because I've been again seeing comments.

0:21

I'd like to remind everyone that the state of Vermont is uh specifically does not require uh the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:32

It is a personal prerogative.

0:34

Um that may irk some of you, but it is in fact the law.

0:41

And so I I hope that conversation uh dies down.

0:47

Anyway, the evening.

0:55

Zach, would you like to leave it to me?

0:57

Sure.

0:58

I pledge allegiance to the five of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God with liberty and justice for all.

1:10

Thank you.

1:13

So our first item is the agenda review.

1:18

Uh does anyone have any additions or changes to the order of the agenda?

1:25

Um, Ms.

1:26

Chair?

1:26

Yes.

1:27

I just noticed on here, and I think it's more of a clerical thing uh that this is listed as a regular meeting.

1:33

However, our regular meetings are the second and fourth Monday of the month, and this is our special.

1:40

So just uh note that this is a special meeting of the select board, not a regular meeting.

1:45

Thank you very much.

1:46

Good.

1:46

And then I also notice that underneath the minutes we're missing August 4th.

1:52

Okay.

1:53

Well, we'll get to that when we get to minutes.

1:56

Um back to agenda review.

1:59

Uh does anyone have any additions or changes to the sequence?

2:04

Uh if not, then we'll accept the I guess we just uh can accept the agenda as it is.

2:14

Um let's open the floor for comments from the select board and members of the public on topics not on tonight's agendas.

2:25

Would members of the select board like to go first?

2:30

I know there was a budget that was going to be discussed, but I learned that it's going to be pushed to the 14th, so the award in that budget conversation on the 14th.

2:37

Yes.

2:38

Yes, indeed.

2:40

Anybody else have anything?

2:42

Umce we have two new members on the select board.

2:46

This seems like the appropriate time to review our town policy on conduct of meetings and hearings.

2:54

Um I'm not sure whether our town policies have been posted on the website yet.

3:00

I know that's uh certainly on if it's not there already, it is planned that they will be up there.

3:07

But uh because it's not on the agenda for this meeting, uh we won't get any into any discussion about it, but I would like to remember remind both board members and residents of a few points this evening.

3:22

Um so I'm gonna read a few particular key points from our policy manual before uh before we actually leap into the uh the meat of the evening here.

3:38

So, and this is please understand this is no criticism of anybody, this is just sort of making sure we're all on the same page.

3:47

So this is section 3 uh G of our town policy for conduct of meetings and hearings.

3:55

No party representative of a party witness or speaker shall be permitted to make personal attacks on another speaker, a member of the board, or any person whatsoever.

4:07

No person shall be permitted to interrogate another speaker or any person present at the hearing without permission of the board given in advance of any such question.

4:19

Uh item uh I of the same section says the presiding officer at any hearing may make such rulings or orders or give such instructions as may be necessary to preserve the order, decorum, and dignity of the proceedings.

4:36

This authority shall include the power to exclude from the meeting or expel any person or group or person who is at who uh who is or are attempting to disrupt the proceedings or who we refuse to abide by and carry out the lawful instructions of the presiding officers.

5:00

Um I also discovered that uh the Vermont uh League of Cities and Towns has a um like a draft uh or model pledge of uh conduct and they'll just read it to you.

5:17

It's again, it's not something we're gonna discuss tonight.

5:20

It's not on the agenda, but I'm hoping to get this into the board's packet for our next meeting so that we can discuss that.

5:30

The pledge reads, as a member of the Weathersfield, I'm inserting Weathersfield uh select board, I pledge to act fairly, objectively, and in the public interest in all matters that come before the board.

5:46

To treat my fellow selectors and all who come before us with kindness, respect, and dignity, even when we disagree, to manage my conflicts of interest according to our governing policy, to preserve public confidence in the select board's decisions and actions.

6:06

Uh, to remember that the authority of the select board is vested in the public body and not in any individual member, to respect the independence of other elected town officers and to work cooperatively with them in the best interest of the town, to encourage transparency in all our town government operations to the practical extent possible, to set a tone and culture for civic engagement and local government, to remember that my behavior as an individual member impacts the reputation of the entire select board as well as that of the community we serve, and to uphold my oath to faithfully execute the duties of my office to the best of my judgment and ability according to the law.

6:55

So does anybody from the uh amongst the residents want have any comments about issues not on the agenda?

7:06

Yes, sir.

7:09

And please myself, yes.

7:12

Good.

7:12

Thank you.

7:13

My name is Charles Horton, and I have a complaint, suggestion, whatever you want to call it.

7:18

Yes, that he owes up the town transfer station.

7:21

People are coming into that transfer station without stickers.

7:24

Tyler does his best to try to catch them.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Personnel Matters███████████████████████████████████████████43%
Public Engagement██████████10%
Public Safety████████8%
Procedural███████7%
Education██████6%
Budget Equity Analysis██████6%
Municipal Management█████5%
Land Use Planning████4%
Liquor Licenses███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Weathersfield Select Board Special Meeting – September 1, 2026

This special meeting of the Weathersfield Select Board covered a wide range of topics including public comments on town operations, routine approvals of liquor licenses and errors and omissions, a detailed police department update, a school district consolidation update, and the primary focus: the town manager search process led by consultant Gary Evans. The board set a salary range of $90,000–$105,000 for the new town manager and outlined a timeline aiming for a start date by January 1, 2027.

Agenda Review & Opening

  • The meeting was called a special meeting, not a regular meeting, and the minutes from August 4 were noted missing from the packet. The agenda was accepted.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Charles Horton expressed frustration about out-of-town residents using the transfer station without required stickers, urging stricter enforcement and on-site fines.
  • Stephen Dauphin raised concerns about Flock ALPR cameras, citing a website showing cameras on Reservoir Road and at Route 106/10 intersection. He asked if the town had a contract with Flock. Chief Wattras later clarified: the town has no contract and no Flock cameras; the devices on Reservoir Road are access communication surveillance cameras, not ALPRs.
  • Michael Creighton commented on the Flock camera discussion, expressing disappointment that local law enforcement was unaware of the cameras.
  • Lisa (unidentified) confirmed September meeting dates and promoted an online town manager survey, noting paper copies were available.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes: A motion to table the minutes from meetings on July 21, July 23, July 27, and August 24 (with corrections to be included) was approved unanimously.

Liquor Licenses (Board of Liquor Control)

  • The board temporarily reconvened as the Liquor Control Board to consider three applications for the Inn at Weathersfield: a first class license, a third class license, and an outdoor consumption permit. All were approved unanimously after Chief Wattras confirmed no issues.

Errors & Omissions

  • The board accepted an error and omission report for Vermont Electric Power Company, correcting a state valuation error that reduced the grand list by approximately $207,000. The motion passed unanimously.

Police Department Update (Chief Wattras)

  • Staffing: 2 full-time (including Chief), 5 part-time officers. No cap on part-timers; budget line of $40k.
  • Coverage: 130 hours of active patrol per week; off-hours covered by on-call (6 nights/week) with state police backup.
  • Calls for Service: 438 since June 1, 2026 (compared to 385 Jan–June 2025).
  • Proactive policing: 16 arrests, 6 narcotic search warrants, 11 traffic stops since June 1.
  • Traffic Crashes: 25 crashes since June 1 (Springfield had 42 with triple the population); attributed to speed and distracted driving.
  • Highway Safety Grant: Awarded for October 1; could fund up to 20 hours/week of highway safety patrol at no cost to town.
  • Town contracts to provide 13 hours/week of coverage to Reading (additional, not replacing town coverage).
  • The building project (police station) is awaiting an updated site plan; the Reading contract will cover building costs this year.
  • Budget status: Part-time labor on track; department is within budget.

School Update (John Harrison, Board Liaison)

  • Reported on Act 170 (replacing Act 73), which makes school consolidation voluntary but may be financially forced via a revised foundation formula.
  • A regional committee representing districts from Killington to Weathersfield will be formed; Weathersfield must designate a representative by September 15, 2026.
  • Public meetings on consolidation will be held in the coming year; a town vote on any proposed merger is scheduled for Town Meeting Day 2028.
  • School choice: Weathersfield currently sends over half its students to Windsor at a cost of $1.2 million with no representation on Windsor's board. Act 129 may preserve some choice.
  • The Weathersfield School building bond will be paid off in one year, making the school a valuable asset.
  • PTO fundraiser (Crop Drop) on September 18 at the school.

PA System Transfer to Library

  • A portable PA system owned by the town, purchased for the veterans memorial dedication, will be transferred to the library for public loan (available for private and town events). Motion approved unanimously.

Town Manager Search Update (Gary Evans, Pracademic Partners)

  • Gary Evans presented the firm's background and the needs assessment results (17 responses so far). Key themes: fiscal stewardship, transparency/trust, municipal management/accountability, strategic planning, and community character.
  • The board discussed the search timeline and salary range at length.
  • Timeline: Applications close October 15, 2026; phone screening by Gary Evans and interim staff Oct 16–22; finalist interviews (including community meet-and-greet) by early November; offer before Thanksgiving; start date by January 1, 2027.
  • Salary Range: After debate, the board agreed to advertise $90,000–$105,000 (no additional perks such as travel stipend or relocation assistance). The range is below the budgeted $114,000 to avoid voter backlash and allow negotiation room.
  • Qualifications: Bachelor's degree preferred but not required; relevant experience and proven ability are prioritized.
  • Interview Process: Finalists will undergo a one-day blitz including a tour, board interview, department head meeting, and evening community meet-and-greet (no travel reimbursement offered).

Key Outcomes

  • Approved three liquor licenses for Inn at Weathersfield (first class, third class, outdoor consumption) unanimously.
  • Accepted errors and omissions for Vermont Electric Power Company reducing grand list by ~$207,000.
  • Transferred town PA system to library for public loan.
  • Set town manager salary range at $90,000–$105,000 with no additional perks; applications close October 15, 2026.
  • Vacancies on Planning Commission and DRB will be posted; applications accepted until next meeting (September 14, 2026) for appointment.

Meeting Transcript

The Welcome to the August 31st 2026 Select Board meeting. If you would uh come and join me for the uh Pledge of Allegiance, actually, before we start, I'd like to remind everybody because I've been again seeing comments. I'd like to remind everyone that the state of Vermont is uh specifically does not require uh the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. It is a personal prerogative. Um that may irk some of you, but it is in fact the law. And so I I hope that conversation uh dies down. Anyway, the evening. Zach, would you like to leave it to me? Sure. I pledge allegiance to the five of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. So our first item is the agenda review. Uh does anyone have any additions or changes to the order of the agenda? Um, Ms. Chair? Yes. I just noticed on here, and I think it's more of a clerical thing uh that this is listed as a regular meeting. However, our regular meetings are the second and fourth Monday of the month, and this is our special. So just uh note that this is a special meeting of the select board, not a regular meeting. Thank you very much. Good. And then I also notice that underneath the minutes we're missing August 4th. Okay. Well, we'll get to that when we get to minutes. Um back to agenda review. Uh does anyone have any additions or changes to the sequence? Uh if not, then we'll accept the I guess we just uh can accept the agenda as it is. Um let's open the floor for comments from the select board and members of the public on topics not on tonight's agendas. Would members of the select board like to go first? I know there was a budget that was going to be discussed, but I learned that it's going to be pushed to the 14th, so the award in that budget conversation on the 14th. Yes. Yes, indeed. Anybody else have anything? Umce we have two new members on the select board. This seems like the appropriate time to review our town policy on conduct of meetings and hearings. Um I'm not sure whether our town policies have been posted on the website yet. I know that's uh certainly on if it's not there already, it is planned that they will be up there. But uh because it's not on the agenda for this meeting, uh we won't get any into any discussion about it, but I would like to remember remind both board members and residents of a few points this evening. Um so I'm gonna read a few particular key points from our policy manual before uh before we actually leap into the uh the meat of the evening here. So, and this is please understand this is no criticism of anybody, this is just sort of making sure we're all on the same page. So this is section 3 uh G of our town policy for conduct of meetings and hearings. No party representative of a party witness or speaker shall be permitted to make personal attacks on another speaker, a member of the board, or any person whatsoever. No person shall be permitted to interrogate another speaker or any person present at the hearing without permission of the board given in advance of any such question. Uh item uh I of the same section says the presiding officer at any hearing may make such rulings or orders or give such instructions as may be necessary to preserve the order, decorum, and dignity of the proceedings. This authority shall include the power to exclude from the meeting or expel any person or group or person who is at who uh who is or are attempting to disrupt the proceedings or who we refuse to abide by and carry out the lawful instructions of the presiding officers. Um I also discovered that uh the Vermont uh League of Cities and Towns has a um like a draft uh or model pledge of uh conduct and they'll just read it to you. It's again, it's not something we're gonna discuss tonight. It's not on the agenda, but I'm hoping to get this into the board's packet for our next meeting so that we can discuss that. The pledge reads, as a member of the Weathersfield, I'm inserting Weathersfield uh select board, I pledge to act fairly, objectively, and in the public interest in all matters that come before the board. To treat my fellow selectors and all who come before us with kindness, respect, and dignity, even when we disagree, to manage my conflicts of interest according to our governing policy, to preserve public confidence in the select board's decisions and actions.

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