Selectboard funds legal defense line after increase in 'frivolous' motions; zoning enforcement cited for cleanup at Moose Ridge
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Officials reported a rise in litigation costs after 16 motions were filed against the town this year; zoning enforcement work led to long‑running Moose Ridge cleanups, and the board kept a legal budget line for likely continued costs.
Town officials warned the Selectboard about continuing costs for legal defense after a spate of recent filings the presenter called "frivolous."
An official told the board there have been 16 motions this year that required the town to answer and that the town has budgeted money in the legal line to respond. "This is just an example, where we there were 16 frivolous motions filed against the town, and we have to pay to answer every 1 of these things," the official said. The presenter added the town expects continued legal expense and planned to hold the legal line at a level to cover anticipated costs.
The board also reviewed recent zoning enforcement cases on Moose Ridge, saying two long‑running matters had been resolved after years of engagement and cleanup. "We just had 2 big cases over on Moose Ridge, 5 and 30 going on for decades. ... They actually cleaned them up," the presenter said.
No vote was taken; town staff said they would monitor legal expense through December and reassess the budget after year‑end.