Selectboard Adopts $2,504,141 General Fund Budget
by Nancy Wood
1/28/2010, page 5

A final appeal for improved maintenance of the Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge convinced the Selectboard to increase its proposed town budget for 2010-2011 to just over $2.5 million, a 2.9% increase over the current year. At its January 25 meeting Jack Pilla, Jesse Bradley and Larry Hamilton described the struggle to work within the same budget of the last two years, which they said was inadequate to deal with invasive species, renew gravel on trails, brush hog and keep the view corridor open. “We have so little money to work with – $10,400 is not a lot for a 300-acre park,” Pilla stated. He added, “The key thing is this [maintenance] is required in the agreement with Demeter.” The Demeter funds that covered the costs of development and initial maintenance of the park are now gone, and responsibility rests with the town.
Bradley pointed out the need to maintain existing trails, at the same time that the town is considering raising money to create new ones. “We have this trail system,” she said. “We have to take care of it.” Pilla said that records show that 35% more visitors used the park this year than last year.
Selectboard member Ed Stone asked if the $17,000 being requested would be enough to do the needed work and suggested that $25,000 might be more appropriate. Selectboard member Jenny Cole offered a compromise of $15,000, including $4,000 for reopening the view at the overlook, which the board accepted.
Other significant increases in the general fund budget over last year include $12,181 for Fire & Rescue Services, $11,500 for maintenance of the town cemeteries, $7,000 for the library, $2,500 for purification of the well water at the Town Beach, and $35,000 for the Town Hall split between computer equipment and necessary painting and repairs.
The Selectboard had asked all departments to come in with zero increases in their budgets, and most programs will see significant belt tightening. There is no increase proposed for the highway fund, which at $901,250 is the largest part of the town budget.
The budget was passed on a vote of 4 – 1, with Frank Thornton opposing.
Fire & Rescue, Affordable Housing, Land Conservation and Trails
add $390,000.
The Selectboard unanimously approved articles for the Warning for Town Meeting that will continue the funding of equipment purchases for Fire & Rescue Services and affordable housing, and create a new Charlotte Trails Fund.
• The Fire and Rescue Capital Reserve Fund is used for major purchases such as fire trucks and ambulances. The amount requested is 1.5 cents on the tax rate, which will generate about $139,000. This is the second year at that rate, down from 2 cents in FY2009.
• The Charlotte Housing Trust Fund was created three years ago to encourage the creation of affordable apartments and homes. Projects are just beginning to take shape, and the Selectboard decided to ask the voters to continue funding for another five years at $40,000 per year.
• The Conservation Reserve Fund annual allocation of 2 cents will generate about $185,000. No vote is required as we are in the fourth year of the town’s second ten-year commitment to land conservation efforts. There is currently $678,000 in the fund.
• Trails Committee Co-Chair John Limanek met with the Selectboard in October and November to outline its request for funds to design and build the Town Rec Path. The initial request was for the creation of a reserve fund to be funded over ten years at $35,000 per year. The Selectboard decided to ask the voters for $25,000 per year for three years.
The Trails Committee also requested an operating budget for web design, brochures and maps, trail markers, grant writing, and grant matching funds, of which only a portion is included in the Selectboard’s budget.
The committee has obtained quotes for building the Cohousing portion of the Rec Path that extends from Route 7 in the area of the Charlotte Berry Farm through the Champlain Valley Cohousing property. They have also written a $20,000 grant proposal to Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation to leverage town funds for this project.
At the January 11 meeting the Selectboard approved $5,000 from unanticipated funds as a match for this grant.

Should the town investigate a Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) drop-off center in Charlotte? Voters will have a chance to weigh in on this advisory motion at Town Meeting. The drop-off center would accept household trash, recyclables and re-usables and would be closed to commercial haulers. CSWD is making two public presentations in February about the proposal. The first is at the February 4 meeting of the Planning Commission, and the second is before the Selectboard on February 8. Both meetings will be in the Town Hall.
The Selectboard could approve additional articles for the warning before the end of this week. Check The Charlotte News website for updates.