BRATTLEBORO — Diversity, equity, and inclusion in municipal governance and in the community garnered the most discussion as Town Manager Peter B. Elwell offered the Selectboard a quarterly update about his office's progress on the board's goals.
Most of the items on the list have seen some movement, but there were no surprises or major announcements at the Oct. 16 regular meeting.
The effort to diversify the municipal workforce “continues to be a significant focus of our work, both in its own right and how it relates to all aspects of town government, and I believe we've made some progress on that,” said Elwell.
Selectboard member David Schoales said he will present a report on diversity in the workforce next month.
In the meantime, Schoales said, the town had a table at recent job fairs at the University of Vermont and the College of St. Joseph in Rutland. He's also the contact person for the career coordinator of the University at Albany, State University of New York.
Schoales raised the issue of how housing challenges affect the town's sustainability and economic development, a topic he'd like to discuss at Selectboard meetings and beyond.
Schoales reported hearing from a variety of constituents - young people, retirees, people who are homeless, physicians and entrepreneurs looking to move to the area, and social service workers - that not enough housing is available in the area, and what is available is too expensive.
“It's this endless series of anecdotes,” he said, but nobody has been able to tell him why.
“It's just, like, this mystery, this really vague and fragmented information,” said Schoales.
It could be the Selectboard's role, he said, to sponsor a forum and include people who have information on housing, what's needed, and how to deliver it, to “see if the seed grows into a flower instead of a weed.”
Selectboard members Shanta Lee Gander and Tim Wessel offered their support for the idea. Gander noted that she has heard similar stories from people about housing challenges.
Wessel said a good next step would be for the Selectboard to work on collecting data, which is more reliable than anecdotes.
Brattleboro as 'hub town'
For the last few years, some board members and municipal staff, including Elwell, have tried to create a regional and statewide coalition to address the challenges Brattleboro has as a “regional economic hub.”
Elwell admitted it's not been easy.
“We've struggled to get out of the gate and create some momentum” for this, he said.
In June, the town convened a meeting to discuss the matter. Elwell described the few people who attended as “very interested” and said the conversation resulted in better outreach ideas, including bringing the subject to a session at Vermont League of Cities and Towns's annual town fair last month.
Elwell reported that idea as “really successful.”
The regional economic hub topic will be on the agenda at the statewide Town Manager meeting, which takes place in Brattleboro at the end of October, said Elwell.
“We are moving forward,” he said, and “it'll create the agenda” for the Selectboard's work on the hub in the coming year.
Toward a 'sustainable and realistic' capital-improvement plan
It's almost time for budget season, and the Selectboard will address the town's capital improvement plan - a hot topic for Elwell and the board members, who have tried to institute a more proactive approach through careful planning and scheduling, rather than only addressing the town's equipment and infrastructure when broken.
The goal, said Elwell, is to develop a “financially sustainable and realistic plan.”
In the next few weeks, he will present to the board the portion of the plan that covers the town's equipment and vehicles.
This project, said Elwell, will take a long-term view, “not just five years' worth,” to keep town assets “in good working order” and schedule replacements on a regular and intentional basis.
Although ideally the Selectboard could plan a similar long-term and intentional structure with larger projects, like town-owned buildings, Elwell said it's harder to do so because such properties are “more of a moving target. They don't have a defined, useful life as a vehicle or a piece of equipment does.”
This aspect of planning for capital maintenance and improvements “will always be a struggle,” said Elwell, especially because of the age of much of the town's infrastructure.
Elwell and his staff will continue to work with the Selectboard on this goal, he said, and that includes giving advice and taking direction.
Other board priorities
• PILOT program: Elwell said further conversation is needed on the PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) program - especially because the state places restrictions on how towns can collect them - and, he said, some of that conversation can happen during meetings to discuss the town's role as regional economic hub.
One restriction Elwell mentioned was that PILOTs are “purely voluntary,” but two tax-exempt entities volunteered to pay these fees to the town in the last two years, bringing extra revenue to the town.
• Renting former police space: Town officials hoped to bring in revenue by renting a large portion of the Municipal Center, but little has progressed on that goal.
After the Police Department moved its headquarters to Black Mountain Road, the town was left with vacant space, and the state was interested in filling some of it on a long-term basis.
But in August, Elwell told the Selectboard that the deal between the town and the state fell through because the parties could not reach an agreement on renovations and lease terms.
“We're still working on alternatives,” said Elwell.
• Energy efficiency: Elwell reported that his staff is also working on energy efficiency and sustainability. He said that the Selectboard will have an opportunity to address that topic more fully during budget season.
The board has discussed adding a sustainability officer to its municipal staff. Elwell advised against doing so immediately, deeming it not cost-effective.
But he noted there is some public interest in hiring someone in that role, and, he said, in the coming months the board could work on creating that position.