Selectboard adopts new Eden Youth Sports policy after Open Meeting Law complaint; summer camp approved

The Eden Selectboard adopted a new Eden Youth Sports Committee policy and approved a proposed summer soccer camp after a resident raised concerns that committee governance and financial decisions were handled improperly.

Resident Erin Niles told the board she has "continuing concerns related to the Eden Youth Sports Committee" and said she is filing a formal complaint alleging a violation of the Open Meeting Law; the board has 10 days to respond. Selectboard chair Tim Bullard said the committee had been operating under committee-written bylaws rather than the town's policy structure and that the rewritten policy corrects those governance gaps.

Katelyn Locke, introduced to the board by committee member Kristina Brown, proposed a Lamoille County summer soccer camp in July to be held at the Eden ball fields — one week for grades 3–4 and a second week for grades 5–6 — to raise funds to cover program costs. Chair Tim Bullard moved to allow Locke to run the camp "under the umbrella of the Eden Youth Sports Committee" once the committee's five members are officially appointed; Ricky Morin seconded and the motion passed.

The Selectboard reviewed and adopted the new Eden Youth Sports Committee policy (motion by Ricky Morin; second by Clayton Whittemore). Under the adopted policy, the Selectboard will approve all financial decisions for the youth sports program going forward. The minutes note that any future Facebook page for the committee, if allowed, will be informational only and that the Selectboard will draft a social media policy to define acceptable use.

The board said interviews for committee seats will be scheduled for applicants who were not available at the meeting. The new policy and the conditional authorization for the camp are intended to bring the committee's practices into compliance with the town's legal and financial oversight.