Selectboard reviews Town Meeting Warning; adds Pingree Park allocation and weighs Housing Commission’s local option tax proposal

Town Administrator Shane O’Keefe reviewed a revised draft of the Town Meeting Warning at the Jan. 13, 2025 Selectboard special meeting, calling out several changes from the prior draft, including the addition of an election article to fill a lister vacancy and revisions to social service appropriation language recommended by the Town Attorney.

O’Keefe said the warning includes a $20,000 allocation to the Pingree Park Reserve Fund at the request of the Parks Board and that the article would be moved earlier in the warning to align with other reserve fund allocations.

The Board discussed a Housing Commission proposal to direct all or a portion of local option tax revenues to the Community Economic Improvement Reserve Fund. Housing Commission Chair Patty Eisenhaur told the board the Commission recommends allocating 100% of local option taxes to that reserve fund; resident Barry Randell argued that local option taxes should instead be used to lower property taxes. The Selectboard agreed to postpone deciding the percentage until its next meeting when a full board is likely to be present.

O’Keefe said he had surveyed other Vermont communities with local option taxes to see how those revenues are being spent and provided that information to the Housing Commission. No final vote on the warning language or the local option tax allocation was taken on Jan. 13.