The Brandon selectboard gathered for its regular Monday evening meeting, with Chair Cecil Reniche-Smith joining remotely. Town Manager Seth Hopkins was on vacation.

The commission had a vacancy after Sarah Stevens completed her term. The selectboard filled the position by appointing Erin Kilpeck in executive session. In her application, Kilpeck wrote, "I value community involvement and believe that serving on the Planning Commission would be a meaningful way to be engaged in local decision-making."

Doug Bailey presented Hopkins' town manager report in his absence.

Hopkins provided the selectboard with a list of the bridges in town, including each bridge’s overall condition, last inspection date, and year built. All of the bridges have been inspected within the last two years. Of the thirteen bridges, eight are listed as being in "good" condition, and five as "fair." There are no Brandon bridges listed in "poor" condition.

Heat pumps at the police station are working well, Bailey stated, and solar panels are being installed. The charging stations in Conant Square for electric vehicles brought in $2,516 for the first four months of 2026 and incurred expenses of $1,975, resulting in a profit of $541.

Regarding public works, the highway crew installed more pedestrian signage and repainted crosswalks, stop bars, and other markers. The crew graded roads, including Lower Carver Street, which again drew more illegal trash dumping. The Crescent Park fountain requires some repairs and concrete work.

The Wastewater Treatment Facility reported a discharge of effluent on May 28 due to the early-hours failure of a chlorine pump. A backup pump was installed. When asked about possible fines, Bailey said he believed there would be no fines as long as there continues to be prompt reporting and compliance.

The selectboard agreed that they would have a special meeting Wednesday, July 1, at 5 p.m., with the sole agenda item being to set the tax rate.

Included in this week's agenda was a substantial first draft of recommendations for zoning fee adjustments, prepared by Zoning Administrator Gabe McGuigan and Hopkins. Brandon's zoning fees have not been adjusted since 2021. Bailey said that McGuigan talked to nearby Vermont towns about their policies while preparing the proposal.

Bailey noted that no action was required on the zoning fee proposal until everyone had a chance to examine it more closely, Bailey said. He reported that he had read it and currently had no comments. Bill Moore added that he had worked with Gabe on the draft and believed it would make the fee structure more coherent.

Bailey reported that the town is funding tax delinquency in several cases where property ownership is unknown. He pointed out that Hopkins' report included a summary of these taxes, some of which go back over twenty years. "An attorney will probably need to be hired to clear these out," Bailey said, "even though they're not big items. You know, one of the first ones from 2002 is $1,435 a year, but we still have to pay the school portion of that tax bill, which would be double that for a property that nobody has paid taxes on in 22 years."

Mr. Moore reported that Vermont Roadworks is working on the new multi-use court that will replace the tennis court at Estabrook Park.

The refurbished court is being converted this week from a double tennis court to a flat asphalt surface. Moore said the space will accommodate pickleball with movable nets and can also be used with portable skatepark features.

Someone asked Moore if people would need to sign up to use the court, and Moore responded that reservation through the town wasn’t currently required, but that they would monitor the use of the court and consider changes in the future if necessary.

Although the PTO Kindness and Safety Day was canceled due to rain, Moore said free helmets are available for fitting and pickup at the town office; email [email protected]. Moore stressed the importance of both parents and children wearing helmets.

Moore said a new offering for adults is Monday Madness Soccer, held at 6 p.m. Mondays at Estabrook Park. First-time players will need to register here.

A request to put police logs on the town website was repeated this week. In Hopkins' report, he wrote that he spoke with Chief Kachajian about this and reviewed the practices of other Vermont towns. He concluded that because the logs are already published in print by The Lakeside Press and online by The Neshobe Current, posting them on the town website was not necessary.

One commenter advocated for better promotion of information about the town of Brandon, citing inconsistent online search results and suggesting that "brandonvermont.gov" be displayed prominently on doors,windows, and other places clearly visible to visitors.

Minutes from the meeting.

Video forthcoming.