News

Annual Town Meeting roundup, round two

More news and notes from Town Meeting Day from around Windham County

Here are some other results that did not make it into our Town Meeting Roundup in the March 8 edition:

• After a lengthy debate, Rockingham voters approved spending $6,000 for a part-time contract with the Windham County Sheriff's Department to patrol Bartonsville and other rural sections of the town.

• Voters in Jamaica and Londonderry both approved 1% local option taxes, while Halifax opted to pass on making a decision.

According to the Department of Taxes, 49 Vermont municipalities have imposed a 1% local-option tax on meals and alcohol, rooms, or sales. In fiscal year 2022, the 44 municipalities that had such taxes raised $39.91 million from them.

Brattleboro and Wilmington assess the 1% tax on rooms, meals, alcohol, and retail sales, excluding shoes and clothing. Towns with a local option tax keep 70% of the revenue, while the state gets the remainder.

In Jamaica, voters chose by a floor vote to impose 1% taxes on rooms, meals and alcohol. Selectboard Chair Greg Meulemans estimated that the new taxes would raise about $25,000 a year. Despite an estimate that a 1% general sales tax would have raised an additional $30,000, voters turned down that option by 47-23 vote.

• In Londonderry, voters, by a floor vote in the old Town Hall, chose to impose a 1% local tax on rooms. Voters also approved an initiative to join Winhall, Landgrove, Weston, and Peru in sharing the $95,386 cost for the salary and benefits of a Mountain Towns Recreation Director. The participating towns agreed to pay assessments proportional to their respective populations.

• In Putney, Nate Snell defeated Bryce Hodson, 233-70, for a two-year seat on the Selectboard. Snell replaces Josh Laughlin, who stepped down after 17 years on the board.

Peg Alden was unopposed for a three-year seat on the board; she received 290 votes.

• Voters in the Bellows Falls Union High School towns of Athens, Grafton, Rockingham, and Westminster all approved a $7.6 million budget for the 2023-24 school year, and OK'ed two special bond issues totaling $4 million.

• Newfane passed its budgets and re-elected incumbent Selectboard members Jeff Chevalier and Katy Johnson-Aplin.

• Townshend voters gave pay raises to Town Hall assistants but declined to raise the salary of the town treasurer.

• Vernon approved a $2,214,819 town budget and elected Jean Carr and Brandon Bucossi to the Selectboard.

• Darcie Sprague was the winner of the write-in vote for Grafton's representative on the BFUHS board. It was the only contest on the ballot.

Grafton's voters will be reconvening for a Special Town Meeting on April 3 at 5:30 p.m. at the Town Hall to discuss tax exemption status for parcels of land belonging to the Grafton Museum of Natural History and Grafton Firefighters Association.

• In Dummerston, Alex Wilson defeated Mark Kracum, 329-82, for a two-year seat on the Selectboard.

Incumbent Maria Glabach was unopposed for the three-year seat.

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