Town Meeting 2024

Bethel votes to eliminate town lister position, switching to professional assessor

BETHEL — Voters at the floor portion of Town Meeting on Tuesday went to paper ballots to determine that the town would eliminate the office of the town lister and replace it with a professionally qualified assessor.The paper ballot vote was 80...

Barnard voters approve funding to expand road crew

BARNARD — At Town Meeting on Tuesday, voters added $120,000 to the town budget for a fourth road crew member.The motion to amend the budget was made by James Lancaster and seconded by Ed Jodice, according to minutes from the meeting.The addition...

Local option sales tax passes in Woodstock

WOODSTOCK — In ballot voting Tuesday, voters supported a 1% local option sales tax with proceeds to be allocated toward infrastructure costs, by a vote of 997 to 308. In elections, Laura Powell won a one-year seat on the Selectboard with 761 votes to...

Norwich sticks with incumbent for Selectboard seat

NORWICH — Incumbent Mary Layton defeated two challengers for a three-year seat on the Selectboard.Layton received 549 votes. Challengers Douglas Wilberding received 407 votes and Chuck Tufankjian received 201 votes. Neil Odell won uncontested...

Incumbents reelected to Windsor Selectboard

WINDSOR — Incumbents Tera Howard and Ryan Palmer were reelected to the Selectboard by Australian ballot Tuesday. Howard defeated challenger Eric Saltonstall for a two-year term on the board, 442 to 107, and Palmer won an uncontested race for a...

Hanover voters elect three to School Board

HANOVER — Incumbents Deborah Bacon Nelson and Kelly McConnell were reelected to the Hanover School Board.They will be joined by newcomer Marcela Di Blasi. Nelson received 479 votes, McConnell received 475 votes and Di Blasi received 426 votes. They...

Hartland voters approve town budget

HARTLAND — Voters approved all articles at Hartland’s Town Meeting on Tuesday, including town general fund and highway budgets totaling $3.68 million, with $2.97 million to come from taxes.  They also approved a $92,000 appropriation for the volunteer...

Chamberlin is elected to Pomfret Selectboard

POMFRET — At the polls on Tuesday, voters elected Steve Chamberlin to a three-year term on the Selectboard.Chamberlin earned 267 votes to Frank Perron Jr.’s 132.In an uncontested race, Meg Emmons was elected to a two-year seat on the board.Voters also...

Pippy and Duncklee elected in contested Strafford Selectboard races

STRAFFORD — At the polls on Tuesday, Strafford voters chose Toni M. Pippy over John Freitag, 288-184, for a three-year term on the Selectboard.They also chose Andrew Duncklee for a two-year term on the board, with 188 votes, over Kelly Harman, with...

Voters reject $99 million bond for new Woodstock high school

By CHRISTINA DOLAN

WOODSTOCK — A $99 million bond proposal for the construction of a new middle and high school building in Woodstock failed by 340 votes in Town Meeting Day balloting in the supervisory union’s seven towns.Voters rejected the school building bond...

Grantham school budget passes

GRANTHAM — Voters at Grantham’s school meeting on Tuesday night approved a $11.57 million budget as proposed.There were fewer than 100 people present for the unanimous vote, according to Brenda Molloy, executive assistant for Grantham SAU #75.Ballot...

Dresden voters approve budget and new teachers contract

NORWICH — Voters approved a new collective bargaining agreement between the Hanover Education Association and the Dresden School Board during Tuesday Town Meeting ballot voting.The cost of the new contract in the first year, 2024-25, is $792,000.They...

Fairlee voters approve all articles as warned

FAIRLEE — Voters approved all articles during Tuesday morning’s Town Meeting.Town Clerk Georgette Wolf-Ludwig said the 83 voters present made quick work of the warning, approving all articles — including a $1.37 million general fund budget, $331,000...

Town Meeting results: Forbes elected to Thetford Selectboard

THETFORD — In a contested races for a one-year term to complete a three-year term on the Selectboard, voters elected David Forbes.Forbes received 484 votes to John Piecuch’s 262 in ballot voting on Tuesday.In uncontested races, they elected Li Shen to...

Tunbridge votes to expand policing

By JOHN LIPPMAN

TUNBRIDGE — Voters added $40,000 to the budget to pay for expanded policing and gave the Selectboard the green light to draw up a noise ordinance and adopt a “declaration of inclusion” affirming the town welcomes everyone regardless of their race or...

Sharon votes to keep in-person Town Meeting format

By LIZ SAUCHELLI

SHARON — Residents overwhelmingly voted against switching all town business to Australian ballot voting during Tuesday’s traditional Town Meeting.Just under 100 people turned out to Sharon Elementary School Tuesday morning to debate town business...

Newbury’s Royston ends 27-year run on Selectboard

By FRANCES MIZE

NEWBURY, Vt. — After being regaled with stories of its former owner, a Finnish farmer, and the old ski tow that once tugged residents up a slope on the land, voters at Town Meeting directed the Selectboard not to sell a 24-acre parcel of town property...

Sharon reduces school budget and sticks with three-member board

By CHRISTINA DOLAN

SHARON — The approximately 90 residents gathered in Sharon Elementary School’s gymnasium Monday night voted to reduce the school budget and rejected a petition to increase the size of the School Board.Voters also reelected Will Davis to his second...

Town Meeting results: Town budget, all articles pass in Bridgewater

BRIDGEWATER — Voters at Bridgewater’s Town Meeting on Tuesday approved all articles as warned.Of the town’s 702 registered voters, 134 checked in for the meeting, Town Clerk Nancy Robinson said in a Tuesday email.Among the articles voters approved...