Select board accepts draft wastewater ordinance for attorney review; committee urges owner outreach

The select board on March 17 acknowledged receipt of a draft wastewater ordinance from the village wastewater committee and authorized the town attorney to review it before any adoption.

Gary, speaking for the village wastewater committee, said the 73‑page draft — originally presented in September 2024 — is largely complete and should remain a draft until design, permitting and construction details solidify. "It's in draft format, but I think it's 95% complete," he said. Matt, who assisted the committee, described the ordinance structure and the project timeline, noting that Dufresne Group is finishing 90% design plans and that the project will require state permitting before bidding.

Matt flagged several provisions for the board's attention, including whether the select board will serve as the sewer commission or appoint a separate body, how the town may set aside reserved capacity for specific projects (including housing), and the need for easements from property owners to maintain tanks and collection components on private land. "Before we can submit the final design plans, we need to know definitively who's gonna be connecting to the system for state permitting reasons," he said.

The committee also presented three fee scenarios illustrating different shares of debt service supported by the grand list (0%, 50%, 100%) and accompanying monthly user‑fee estimates to help the board assess the fiscal impact on property owners. The board voted to receive the draft and to authorize submission to the town attorney for review so the ordinance can move forward on the project's timeline.

The next procedural steps identified were attorney review (the committee suggested roughly a month), refining fee structure and communications materials, then returning a revised draft for possible adoption after permitting and final design work are better defined.