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Northfield public hearing: GMT confirms continued service; nonprofits outline local reach and funding requests
Summary
Green Mountain Transit told the board it expects no service reductions for Northfield before July 2026 and presented ridership numbers; several nonprofits — Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice, Capstone Community Action, Circle, Community Harvest — described services they provide and requested small municipal appropriations.
At a public hearing before the Selectboard, representatives from Green Mountain Transit and several local nonprofits described services that rely on municipal appropriations and answered board questions about reach and operations.
Monica White, representing Green Mountain Transit, summarized fixed-route and special-transportation service for Northfield: weekday commuter service to Montpelier, a weekly community shuttle to the Berlin Mall area, FY24 ridership of 3,146 for the commuter route and 474 for the shuttle, plus 929 special-transportation rides for medical and personal needs. She told the board that VTrans has directed a study about transferring rural services and that any transfer of Washington County service would be considered no sooner than July 2026; she said the town should expect no immediate service reductions. "There would ... be no service changes for the town of Northfield other than a different organization name on the side of the buses," she said.
Kelly Finnegan, representing Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice, described 2024 local activity: 179 Northfield patients, 3,343 visits, 219 admissions, and growth in palliative-care services (17 new patients since the program started). She said the organization remains committed to serving Northfield residents and thanked the board for ongoing municipal support.
Other presenters included Yvonne Lohrey of Capstone Community Action (advancement and communications manager), who said Capstone serves roughly 10,250 individuals across its region and 265 Northfield residents; Denise Sanders for Circle (domestic-violence services) requesting $1,000 and describing shelter, court advocacy and school education; and Nancy Peck for Community Harvest, which reported 68 Northfield volunteers and distribution of more than 5,000 pounds of food to town recipients.
Board members asked questions about ridership trends, eligibility and funding stability. One member noted GMT ridership has increased since the low levels seen during COVID. The public hearing closed after the board heard all presenters and no formal objections were recorded.
The nonprofit requests and transit funding are scheduled as articles on the warrant for voters to decide at next Tuesday’s vote.
What’s next: voters will consider the appropriations at the upcoming town meeting; staff will continue to coordinate communication from GMT should the legislature act on rural-service transfer proposals.
