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Resident petitions Weybridge to let voters decide on town investments; board to seek legal guidance
Summary
A Weybridge resident presented a petition asking voters to direct where town funds are invested and asked for an Australian-ballot vote; the board said it will seek clarification from counsel and asked the petitioner to continue gathering signatures.
Seppi Alavi told the Weybridge Selectboard she had collected 25 signatures toward a citizen petition asking the town to put a resolution on how town funds are invested. “I have 25 signatures out of 38,” Alavi said, and asked for the issue to appear on the Australian ballot rather than a floor vote.
Alavi said guidance the board shared from the Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT) did not cite the town charter and that VLCT guidance “is not actually substantiated in our town charter.” Board members responded that VLCT materials are a helpful resource but not a substitute for a legal opinion and asked Kelly Flynn and the town attorney to confirm whether a petition on spending or investments could be binding and whether it can appear on the Australian ballot. Flynn said she would follow up and that petitioners should continue gathering signatures before the upcoming deadline.
Board members raised practical questions about petition wording and signature validity if the ballot format changes. Selectboard members suggested petitioners use a generic phrase such as “decided by the voters on town meeting day” if they want to preserve signatures across possible ballot formats. The board did not take formal action at the meeting, instead assigning further review to Flynn and the town attorney and encouraging the petitioner to submit the signatures and language for formal review.
Why this matters: The petition would give Weybridge voters a direct say about where local funds are invested, potentially restricting municipal accounts from holding securities tied to companies some residents oppose. The board’s next steps are legal clarification and verification of petition language and signatures before town warning deadlines.
