Selectboard May Settle on One Cent for Conservation
by Nancy Wood,
December 16, 2010, page 4.....

The room was filled at the December 13 Selectboard meeting, mostly with people interested in hearing the discussion about Town Treasurer Mary Mead’s memo about the Conservation Fund. Mary Lou Kete said that “Mary raises serious concerns,” and urged the Board to improve the approach used to measure the town’s return on investment in conservation.

Kate Lampton, speaking for the Charlotte Land Trust (CLT), said that valid questions had been raised, some that have been answered through the new guidelines developed last summer. She offered to develop an education effort in advance of Town Meeting to help voters understand how properties are chosen for conservation and to explain the appraisal process.

Lampton also indicated that a project that could have required $350,000 of funding is no longer likely in the near future, and that the CLT Board was not opposed to a less-than-2-cent appropriation to the fund in 2011. CLT Board President, Frances Foster, added that the board would be comfortable with 1 cent. The current fund balance, including the 2010 contribution of $185,000, is $849,000. Of that, $125,000 is committed to the conservation of the Bean Farm on Hinesburg Road.

The Selectboard did not make a final decision, but seemed inclined to recommend a 1-cent level of funding (approximately $92,000) to the voters at Town Meeting. Selectboard Chair Charles Russell proposed that items such as the Conservation Fund, Affordable Housing Trust Fund and Fire and Rescue Capital Fund be included as line items in the general fund budget in the Town Report so that they can be debated during Town Meeting.

In other business, the Selectboard continued to review department budgets, in each case requesting that the budgets be level funded. Russell said to the Library trustees, “We got beat up at Town Meeting last year, so we are trying to flat-line all of the budgets this year.” Ed Stone said that if the Library had to reduce hours in order to meet the budget target, the voters would have an opportunity to reconsider at Town Meeting.

Members of the Charlotte Fire and Rescue Services said that they would level fund their budget, with continuing hopes for more volunteers. There continues to be discussion about the cost of rescue services and why other towns in our district contribute less than Charlotte.