The Brandon Selectboard gathered for a long meeting on Monday night, tackling wastewater fees, a Green Fleet presentation, zoning fee revisions, and the problem of e-bikes.

In the town manager's report, Seth Hopkins restated the results of the July 1 special meeting, at which Brandon set its tax rates.

Given estimates late last year from the state Tax Department of rising education costs, it was not surprising that the statewide education property tax went up, with homesteads rising from $1.6824 to $1.7123, and non-residential property up from $1.8224 to $1.8668.

However, the rate for the town's municipal tax went down, from $1.0017 to $0.9982.

Doug Bailey remarked on this reduction as notable. The selectboard thanked the people who contributed their time and effort to productive budget meetings.

The selectboard introduced David Wolk, independent candidate for Vermont Senate. Wolk has been president of Castleton University, assistant judge in Rutland County, and 38 years ago was Rutland County State Senator. Wolk is visiting towns and boards around Vermont.

"I want to be beholden to the voters," he said. He asked the selectboard what they would want him to work on if he were elected, and what state policies should change.

Selectboard Chair Cecil Reniche-Smith stated that the chief concern of the board was the town budget, regardless of who was elected or to which party they belonged. Several members said that healthcare costs of town employees had been an unforeseen increase in the last budget. Bailey, Hopkins, and Bill Moore all mentioned education taxes and education reform. Ralph Ethier raised the issue of affordability in Vermont. Jeff Haylon said he believed the state should take less "off the top" of the local option tax.

Bailey also brought up e-bikes in response to Wolk's question. The topic returned several times during the meeting.

"We have worked recently to get them off our sidewalks because they've been coming right down through the center of town on the sidewalks," said Bailey.

Trying to change state requirements for e-bikes and other electric two-wheeled devices, possibly to include licensing, was raised more than once.

"Walk Your Bike" signs have recently been added to several locations downtown, which Reniche-Smith said are appreciated, adding, "It's been much more pleasant walking downtown lately."

The board also introduced the newest member of the town staff, Jill Brooks, who received applause. Brooks replaces longtime town employee Elaine Smith, who retired earlier this year.

Hopkins reported that paving projects using VTrans grants will proceed in the next couple of weeks for Rydon Acres, Stone Mill Dam Road, Union Street south of Maple Street, McConnell Road south of Wood Lane, and Wheeler Road.

Hopkins told the selectboard that the town is sunsetting its older emergency text alert system in favor of the notifications available on the Brandon town website. Notification settings are available here; look for "Emergency Alerts" in the list. Hopkins said that he wanted to get as many people onto the newer system as possible before determining the shut-off date for the older platform.

Because of a new law, fire chiefs in Vermont will also serve as town forest fire wardens, and so the selectboard announced that Fire Chief Tom Kilpeck has been appointed fire warden and Jon Wyman is deputy fire warden. The board also announced a new statewide definition of campfires, which do not require a burn permit.

The selectboard voted that candidates for Justice of the Peace will be included on the general election ballot, printed at the state's expense.

Brandon resident and frequent energy committee attendee Tim Guiles delivered his annual Green Fleet report. Brandon has nearly met the 2025 goal of a 26% reduction in the town government's carbon footprint. The target for 2030 is 40%.

Given advances in energy technology, electric vehicles and tools should be considered whenever the selectboard considers replacing equipment, Guiles recommended, not simply for cost savings but for long-term energy planning that benefits the town.

While there were many places Brandon’s energy use decreased with a continued shift to cleaner energy, he said, there were a few surprising increases, such as heating Town Hall and the highway garage.

Guiles said that using heat pumps and better thermostat policies would increase clean energy benefits. He described the Town Offices as being very efficient. The older highway garage, he pointed out, is difficult to heat. Haylon suggested that there could be some immediate short-term and low-cost improvements to insulate the garage.

The latest Green Fleet report is here.

A revised zoning fee schedule was presented over the previous three selectboard meetings. In those meetings, there was general agreement that the proposal is structured clearly.

At this meeting, Ethier brought up an example of a shed near a boundary line requiring a review by the Development Review Board and the subsequent fees, which he believed were disproportionate. Hopkins and Reniche-Smith stressed that if a review is required, a fee is justified by administrative work and clerk costs.

The board considered future amendments to the Bylaw for Land Use and Occupancy (BLUO) for certain cases. After this discussion, the selectboard voted unanimously to approve the zoning fee proposal as submitted.

Revisiting the wastewater rate considerations which began last meeting, Hopkins had prepared three additional rate options to review.

The first alternative increases the metered flow cost per thousand gallons but maintains the base fee at $120 a quarter. The second alternative removes the base fee and debt service entirely, and charges solely on metered flow. The last rate option is simply a flat fee. All of the alternatives, and the original proposal, place the typical unit increase at around $300 a year.

However, as expressed in the last meeting, the concern is the equity of rates across different property types and levels of usage. Reniche-Smith said that in the case of a more metered model, people unable to conserve, for whatever reason, would be penalized. The flat fee alternative, Haylon said, was advantageous because families could predictably budget. The fully metered rate, Hopkins reminded the board, was not recommended by the bond bank or state agencies because of variability.

The board members agreed that any billing based on documented capacity would require an impact study and community input.

In the end, the selectboard reached a compromise in favor of the first alternative, listed here as option B, which tries to balance a base fee with metered rates. The selectboard approved this option with a unanimous vote.

Concluding the meeting, Hopkin said the town manager of Fair Haven, Joe Gunter, had donated a Brandon Bank five-cent note from 1863, part of his Rutland County collection, which Hopkins presented for those at the meeting to examine. Suggestions for display include the Brandon Museum, town office, or town hall.

The included note says: "Civil War-Era Currency: 5-Cent Note From Brandon, Vermont, 1863. This small but remarkable note is a piece of Vermont's Civil War-era history. Issued in 1863, it reflects a time when coin shortages across the country forced towns and businesses to print their own currency often in denominations as small as one, three, or five cents."

Minutes from this meeting.