Resident and attorney urge outside investigation after alleged town fund reallocation

Peter Shoemaker of Woodstock used the meeting's public-comment period to press the newly constituted Select Board to investigate bookkeeping and a possible improper reallocation of town funds to pay village legal fees. "Susan did some legal work for my wife and I, so I wanna be transparent about that," Shoemaker said, noting he knew the involved parties and urging the board to bring in outside experts for an inquiry.

An attorney identified in the online comment stream as Sullivan echoed Shoemaker's concerns and called for a third-party probe. "I believe that this violates a criminal statute into municipal officer misconduct," Sullivan said, adding that she has Rutland Police Department documentation she offered to share about related conduct by a former official. Both speakers framed the request as a call for transparency and process review rather than a specific board action at the meeting.

Board members acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations and said staff and legal counsel would need time to review the materials and determine next steps. No formal action was taken during the meeting to launch an independent investigation; members asked staff to compile records and clarified that any criminal referral would involve law-enforcement channels. The board later held an executive session on separate real-estate matters but did not vote on an investigation at that time.