NEWFANE — Backing a request from the Board of Listers, the Selectboard on Aug. 21 joined a reported dozen other Vermont municipalities in waiving penalties for residents hit with state penalties over late homestead rebate forms.
Calling for the change were Doris Knechtel and Town Treasurer Maureen Albert-Piascik, who said they had proof of state errors “left and right” that saw some residents tagged with 3 percent penalties for missing the April 15 filing deadline.
Knechtel said elderly residents in particular were losing sleep over notices from the state to the effect they'd filed their homestead rebate applications too late and would be assessed the fee.
“They really should be dealing with the state but they come to the town beause it's our tax bill and it makes the town look like they're the ones that are responsible for all of this,” Knechtel said.
“Sometimes the state will say it's a glitch in the system, but it just puts a bad taste in the mouth of people who are assessed a penalty. And it's a penalty on top of what [taxpayers] already consider a high tax bill,” she said.
Though the state assesses the penalty, the town collects it and is allowed to waive it, she explained to Board Chair Gary Katz.
The town has collected some $1,200 in penalties, of which $800 “should never have been assessed,” Albert-Piascik added.
Albert-Piascik said her research showed selectboards at 12 other Vermont municipalities had waived their towns' penalties for late rebate filers in the interest of fairness and sparing all concerned needless aggravation.
“People are told you're supposed to call the state [to correct the record]. Well, you know if you've ever tried to call the state you don't necessarily get a response. Just 'press one for this, press two for that.' For anybody, especially the elderly… it just upsets them all the more,” Knechtel said.
The Selectboard did not debate the issue, but rather approved the motion swiftly.
“Thank you both for explaining all that and setting it up,” board member Gloria Cristelli told the listers.
Two apply for animal control officer; other positions open
The Selectboard said it was pleased two people had applied to serve as town animal control officer. Board Chair Gary Katz read the applicants' cover letters into the record Aug. 21 and the board agreed to invite the candidates in for interviews after the election.
In a related note, Katz said a representative of the Windham County Humane Society was scheduled to meet the board at its Sept. 4 meeting to discuss its contract.
Newfane also is seeking residents to serve on the Conservation Committee, on the Development Review Board (alternate), as grand juror, on the Planning Commission, as town agent, and as the town's alternate representative at the Windham Solid Waste Management District.
Anyone interested in one of these posts should call Shannon Meckle, the Selectboard's administrative assistant, at 802-365-7772, ext. 14.
Allard Lumber offers town bridge protection
The Selectboard liked what it heard in a proposal from Allard Lumber that would have the company lay down material to protect the decking of old Hunter Brook Bridge as its logging trucks traverse the span this winter.
And the town can keep the material, which will prevent further damage to the bridge's damaged surface.
Dick Holden from Allard Lumber presented the idea at the board's Aug. 21 meeting in hopes of using the bridge, technically Bridge 45, in the company's winter logging work.
The proposal cleared the Selectboard unanimously and moves on to the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) for review.
Meanwhile, according to Selectboard Chair Gary Katz, VTrans is working on a revised weight limit for the bridge, whose beams might not support a fully-laden log truck.
The material Holden proposed - a durable mesh and timbers - would only protect the decking from additional damage; it would not significatly distribute load wieght. It would also easily allow emergency vehicles to cross the span, he said.
Holden said the town could keep the protective layer or his company would be happy to cart it off when its winter logging operations wrap up, he said.
He described the bridge as “12 feet wide and not very long at all.” A resident at the meeting began to ask about the potential for the work to disturb nearby lawns, and she was told that this Hunter Brook Bridge is not the town's newly rebuilt Hunter Brook Bridge, but rather an older, smaller span further along the way.
Town declines to endorse Solarize Windham
The Selectboard agreed a robust dialogue on solar energy is needed here but elected to neither endorse nor formally acknowledge two solar companies looking for the board's blessing in appealing to prospective customers.
Tad Montgomery, principal of Home Energy Advocates, appeared before the Selectboard Aug. 21 to sell the board on backing Solarize Windham, an initiative committed to rolling out bulk purchasing on solar panels for homes and signing up stakes in an envisioned community solar farm.
Montgomery, who serves on Brattleboro's Energy Committee, has been touting his program and the services of installer-contractor partner Real Good Solar (RGS Energy) countywide.
He most recently made this pitch to Townshend's selectboard, which declined to endorse him but acknowledged that he is doing business in town. Before that, he said, he lined up an acknowledgment from Westminster.
Solarize Windham says support of Selectboards, energy committees, and other official bodies gives the for-profit venture needed momentum and will help solidify a working group of residents committed to solar issues and solutions.
He said he needs such seals of approval because Vermont, unlike some neighboring states, lacks a Solarize-facilitating body.
Time is of the essence, Montgomery said, as a $2,500 state solar rebate for such installations expires Dec. 31 - and the more homeowners who sign up by then will help push the cost lower for all.
Donn Priem, the town's energy coordinator, said at the meeting that he studied Montgomery's proposal and agreed it was work in the right direction for Newfane residents. That said, he also agreed with objections on the board to do with the appearance of supporting one entrepreneur over unseen, unvetted competitors.
“I certainly understand the board's point about if we endorse this, what are we endorsing and why do we need to? My question is, What does the town have to do with it?” Priem said.
He added that he looked forward to participating in a Sept. 22 Brattleboro solar roundtable to review community solar options.
“This is a great jumping off point. If we can go into this with our eyes more wide open all the better,” Priem said.
Board Chair Gary Katz described Montgomery's proposal as having “almost a cart before the horse kind of feel.”
The notion of official endorsement would be great, he said, if it were the result of competition and were brought forward by townspeople who had done their homework.
“If the program we were being asked to do anything about was one that we knew was the best deal for the people in town, I might look at it differently. But we know nothing. All we have is one firm's suggestion. It sounds like a neat program but I don't knnw that it's the best one,” he said.
Board member Chris Druke said the conversation, broadcast on Brattleboro Community Television, amounts to an acknowledgment of Solarize Windham, and the board left it at that.
“Thank you for sharing the information with us,” Druke told Montgomery.
Solarize says on its website, www.solarizewindham.com, that Putney was the first town in Southern Vermont to launch a Solarize campaign. Energy companies involved include RGS Energy for solar photovoltaics, Sunward Systems for solar hot water, and Home Energy Advocates for energy conservation retrofits, heating systems, “and helping people to take a holistic approach to their home energy usage.”
What's next for education tax and funding reform?
Also Aug. 21, the Selectboard heard a report from Board Chair Gary Katz on the recent Vermont League of Cities and Towns-sponsored conference on education property tax and funding reform.
One hundred sixty-two school and municipal officials statewide convened at South Burlington High School on Aug. 14 for presentations, workshops, and discussion. The goal was to brainstorm ideas for towns to consider heading into another election season and the 2015 legislative session.
VLCT notes that many attendees said the materials distributed by the presenters would be of interest to persons concerned about education property tax.
Speaking were Stephen Dale, executive director of the Vermont School Boards Association; Steve Jeffrey, executive director of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns; and Lisa Ventriss, president of Vermont Business Roundtable.
The Vermont Department of Education submitted Vermont's Education Funding System, which explains Acts 60 and 68.
For more information, including video links of the conference, visit bit.ly/1sSNEde.