At its Monday meeting, the Brandon Selectboard heard about e-bike regulations, approved putting the police department's Ford F-150 up for sale, considered timed parking spots downtown, and discussed the regulation of signage.

Jack Evans, "Complete Streets Specialist" from Local Motion, a non-profit organization promoting safety and accessibility for biking in Vermont, presented information about the differences between e-bikes and "e-motos." How and where these two kinds of vehicles are used has become a concern to many communities, Evans said. The topic of e-bike usage has been discussed in several Brandon Selectboard meetings.

E-bikes, he explained, are broken up into three classes. All of them require functional pedals and can have pedal assist. Class two e-bikes specifically have a throttle. The maximum speed for an e-bike is 28 mph (class 3), all with maximum power of 750 watts. These vehicles are treated as bicycles; they do not require any license, registration, or inspection.

"E-bikes are legally defined in Vermont state statute," Evans explained. "They are not motor vehicles. They are defined as bicycles, just with a little bit of power to assist them." Everything else electric with two wheels is an e-moto, he added, saying "There is no maximum speed for an e-moto."

One of the problems with e-motos, Evans said, is that they are often marketed and sold as e-bikes when they are actually motor vehicles, such as motorcycles. As well, Evans said, they are not sold by legitimate motor vehicle dealers, but "they're made cheaply in a factory and shipped online directly to the consumer because that's the fastest way to make money and with the least oversight."

Evans listed a variety of fines totaling almost $1,100 for operating unregistered, unlicensed e-motos on public roads or paths. However, Evans said that impounding could be more effective than fines because it creates a more productive conversation between an enforcement officer and owners of the vehicle, which might include parents.

Town Manager Seth Hopkins presented an idea regarding timed parking spots in the downtown Brandon area, responding to merchant concerns about accessibility for quick pickups and drop-offs. Hopkins proposed starting the discussion with half a dozen spots he highlighted in the agenda.

Local business owners Nate Reitman of Pine Grove Organics and Kenneth Lee of 22 Park Eatery described parking usage around the Brandon Inn, citing some difficulties with spots filled by long-term parking closest to their businesses. Both agreed creating a higher awareness of Brandon parking locations for residents and businesses would be constructive.

Advisory Budget Committee member Tricia Welch warned that allocating too many short-term parking spots might increase the perception of having trouble parking in Brandon, recommending, "if you're going to have some timed spots, start with a fewer number to begin with and see how it goes."

Hopkins reminded those present that "we're not going to enforce this with, like, an actual traffic parking enforcement officer. This is to encourage people who are inclined to follow rules to be courteous with parking."

The selectboard recommended future collaboration with the Brandon Area Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Brandon Alliance to refine any plan on timed parking spots.

Hopkins reported that two Brandon vehicles had been sold at auction. The town's older 2017 Mack truck, which has been replaced, was sold through Auctions International for $81,100 to a town in New York. Hopkins thanked selectboard member Ralph Ethier for making the town aware of the auction site. Hopkins also reported that an electric motorcycle the town owned had been sold on Municibid for $777.

Hopkins proposed that the police 2020 Ford F-150 pickup truck also be put up for sale. He said that Brandon Police Chief David Kachajian agreed with selling the vehicle, since it was both the least used of the four vehicles owned by the department and the least preferred by the force. The officers, Kachajian told Hopkins, prefer the Ford Explorer and the Dodge Charger. The police department, Hopkins said, currently has two officers on patrol on the road at any given time.

Hopkins and Welch pointed out that selling the truck sooner would bring a greater immediate return than waiting. If the town wanted to buy another cruiser in the future, money from that sale could be used for the new vehicle.

Selectboard members Brian Coolidge and Ethier did not think that the sale or rotation of police vehicles was necessary, noting that the truck was in good condition with low mileage. Both were against the suggestion that any cruiser purchased in the future should be electric.

A motion was made to divest the truck; the selectboard voted 3-2, Coolidge and Ethier opposed.

Brandon's staff voted to decertify their union, excluding police officers and the police administrative professional, who belong to a separate, distinct bargaining unit. Departments from the union include Finance, the Clerk's Department, the Zoning Department, the Recreation Department, the Highway Department, and the Wastewater Treatment Department.

Hopkins described the outcome as an "indication of a healthy relationship between the town's professional staff and management and the elected leadership."

Deputy Town Manager Bill Moore will receive the 2026 Vermont Community Leadership Award at Vermont Council on Rural Development’s annual Community Leadership Summit in Castleton on Oct. 6.

In public comments, Josh Collier, Artistic Director of the Barn Opera House, expressed concern about what he perceived as a double standard in town zoning enforcement.

Collier said that zoning regulations prevented them from placing the signage they wanted outside of Barn Opera. However, he noted, there was a van parked downtown for long periods of time with political signage, "with lettering significantly bigger than what we even intended."

Hopkins responded to the issue, saying, "The town has no ability or authority to regulate anything regarding motor vehicles, other than speed limits and parking." He said, "So if the state of Vermont says to a tradesperson, like a plumber, or a carpenter, or a house painter, you can put signs on your truck with your phone number, as long as it's okay and it's a legally registered vehicle, and it can ply the roads of Vermont, it can park in the parking spots of Vermont."

Collier said he was frustrated with what Hopkins described as a loophole.

Moore told Collier that the sign regulations had been updated in the Brandon Land Use Ordinance in 2024, and that he thought Barn Opera could find requirements for new signs that would work for them.

Before adjourning, Chair Cecil Reniche-Smith added, "This really does tie back into our parking discussion and just, you know, it's not a matter of who it is or what the message is. It's just a matter of common courtesy. If you are using what might be considered a valuable parking space in terms of its relationship to other parts of downtown, you should really think about the impact it is having on other people who need to be downtown if you use up that parking space all day long."

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