Debate over Brattleboro-style conduct ordinance surfaces at Barre City forum

At a packed public forum, city officials described one potential policy option under consideration: a Brattleboro-style "acceptable public conduct" ordinance that defines prohibited behaviors in public spaces and creates enforceable buffer zones, such as a 50-foot prohibition on panhandling near ATMs. The moderator said the city has studied Brattleboro's approach as an example and invited community feedback on whether it would fit Barre City.

Supporters, including some business owners, said the ordinance would give officers a civil tool to move along individuals who intimidate customers when criminal statutes do not apply. "If they are engaging in threatening behavior or harassing this gentleman's customers, it gives our police officers who right now don't have those tools the ability to move somebody along," the moderator said. Opponents and civil-society speakers warned the proposed classes of violations (class A/B/C) are broad or redundant with existing criminal law, and cautioned about vague language allowing disproportionate enforcement against unhoused people and communities of color.

Questions raised at the forum included: how the ordinance would be enforced, whether fines would deter people who cannot pay, how repeat incidents would be tracked and escalated, and whether the city would use an equity impact assessment before adoption. Online commenter Danielle asked for clearer problem statements and measurable success metrics, and urged outreach to communities likely to be affected. City staff said an ordinance would require two council readings and four votes to pass and emphasized that it would not replace arrests for violent crimes.