Selectboard Tackles Budgets, Rescue Service and Flea Market
by Nancy Wood,
December 2, 2010, page 4.....

On November 22, Road Commissioner Junior Lewis brought the Selectboard a budget proposal for fiscal year 2012 that is the same as for the current year and the prior year, at $901,250. He plans to continue upgrading gravel roads for another two years and is currently working on the dead end roads. There is a carryover balance of about $50,000 from last year available for that work as well as to use if needed in case of bad weather this winter and spring.

Discussion turned to the covered bridges. Lewis said he repairs the Holmes Bridge a half dozen times each year because of damage from oversize vehicles. Concern was also expressed about why the proposed rehabilitation of the Quinlan Bridge will not accommodate the weight of the snowplows.

The requested budget need for the Charlotte Volunteer Fire & Rescue Services (CVFRS), on the other hand, is expected to be higher than last year. Ray Curtis said that the costs of health insurance and workers compensation insurance are expected to rise, and finding volunteers for the rescue service has been disappointing. At Town Meeting, CVFRS board chair Josh Flore said they would forgo a $12,000 increase in the budget, but it meant more volunteers would be needed to step forward for the rescue service. This has not happened, which means a greater reliance on paid EMTs.

Ed Stone asked why Charlotte spends over $200,000 on rescue services, when Ferrisburgh contracts with Vergennes for just $4,000 per year. Hinesburg also does not fund its own ambulance, but rather relies on the service from St. Michael’s College. Charlotte provides back-up rescue service to both Ferrisburg and Hinesburg, receiving back-up fire service from both when needed.

There is a movement in the district toward utilizing paramedics, who receive a higher level of training than EMTs. Costs would increase more if Charlotte began to staff at that level. At a meeting earlier in the year, Ruth Uphold, M.D., who retired last year as an emergency room physician at FAHC, told the Selectboard that there isn’t much data to show that outcomes would be improved in Charlotte if paramedics were utilized. EMTs already have the ability to do time-sensitive interventions such as defibrillation and injections of glucose and adrenaline.

Alternatives to the current rescue service model were discussed, such as returning to a greater reliance on volunteers or combining forces with another town. Josh Flore said there aren’t enough volunteers willing to spend a semester taking classes to become EMTs. Ellie Russell pointed out that a feasibility study was conducted several years ago for a joint effort with Shelburne, but nothing came of it.

Should Charlotte residents be asked at Town Meeting what level of rescue service they want available in town, given the budget implications? There will be further discussion at the December 13 Selectboard meeting.

Ed Stone also raised the issue of the Flea Market, saying it is not a healthy environment. Lee Mayo of Colchester, a vendor of maple syrup and honey, spoke about how nice the Flea Market was years ago when run by Larry Lavelette. But he said it needs a good manager now to revitalize it, attract new vendors, tighten the rules and clean it up. The board is interested in exploring a change.