Selectboard accepts draft wastewater ordinance and sends it for attorney review

The Selectboard on March 17 acknowledged receipt of a draft Village Wastewater Ordinance from the Village Wastewater Committee and unanimously authorized sending the draft to the Town Attorney for legal review.

Gary Hedman, chair of the Village Wastewater Committee, reported that the committee submitted a draft ordinance last week and noted the committee had addressed an earlier open-meeting violation by uploading the last meeting agenda. Matt Bachler of the Windham Regional Commission said the draft is roughly "95% complete," recommended keeping it in draft until construction begins, and suggested the Selectboard could serve as the Sewer Commission under Vermont statute.

Bachler emphasized that wastewater system reserve capacity is currently oversubscribed in both the North and South Villages and that a Phase 2 expansion plan for South Village is under development but needs additional funding. The board voted to acknowledge receipt of the draft and to authorize submittal to the Town Attorney for review (motion by James Ameden; seconded by Taylor Prouty; passed unanimously). The board also discussed next steps including attorney review, setting an initial fee schedule for subscribers based on operating cost estimates, and outreach to adjacent property owners and easement holders as design work continues this summer.

The board and presenters framed the motion as an administrative step to enable legal review and future design work; no fee schedule or final approvals were adopted at the meeting.