WVTK Local & State News March 3, 2010

Towns across Vermont took up the issue of Vermont Yankee during Town Meeting Day. Even though it was a non-binding vote, residents said they don’t want to see the nuclear power plant re-licensed for another 20-years. 16 towns passed the resolution this Town Meeting Day. 3 voted no. And 4 voted to table the measure.

Gov. Jim Douglas is stepping down as governor this year, but not as moderator of Middlebury’s town meeting. Douglas, who has presided over Middlebury’s town meeting for 23 years, was elected to the post for another year at town meeting Tuesday. It wasn’t close: He received 531 votes and was unopposed. Elsewhere, turnout was down around Addison County, but communities mostly supported passage of town and school budgets. In a nod to economic hard times, Vergennes voters agreed to allow residents a 15-day grace period for paying sewer and property taxes by a 295-49 margin. The grace period means those who pay their tax or sewer bill less than 15 days after the due date will avoid the 1 percent late fee they otherwise would have had to pay. Ferrisburgh voters agreed to put $62,000 left over from revenue collected by the town in the last year in a reserve fund for a new town garage the community hopes to build in two or three years.

Middlebury:

• Proposed town budget: $5,571,874 (to be raised in taxes), up 2.7 percent, passed.

• Selectboard: Two candidates for three, three-year terms: Nick Artim (574), Janelle Ashley (557), incumbents, and Travis Forbes (89) elected to three-year terms, defeating Brian Bauer (86).

• Items: Voters agreed, 532-223 to phase out the business personal property tax over six years, rejected adding $5,000 to budget for Humane Society; agreed to add $1,500 to budget for Addison County Readers, a program to encourage reading by younger children.

Vergennes voted in favor of district consolidation with neighbors. Vergennes school budget passed.

Ferrisburgh also voted in favor of school district consolidation, joining Vergennes. Ferrisburgh passed the school budget as well.

The Charlotte Central School budget was defeated.

Voters approved the municipal budget of by voice vote after passing an amendment.

Ripton school budget passed on a voice vote.

Shelburne school budget passes 890-791. 

Shelburne also OK'd money for new school bus.

Town budget passed.

Bond for fire truck also was approved.

Shoreham approved school budget 69-38. 



The Champlain Valley Union High School budget passed, 3,084-2,144.

The Clinton County Sheriff's Department says someone has been making phone calls asking for money. The caller identifies himself as "Ryan," and he asks for donations for an annual fundraiser for the Clinton County Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff’s Department says they are not currently doing any fundraising. They also remind people to keep their personal information private.

IRV or Instant Run-Off Voting has been repealed by the voters of Burlington. This means the mayor in Burlington will go back to being elected under the old system in which a candidate only needs 40 percent of the votes to win. The measure to repeal IRV passed by only 303 votes.

Olympians from Vermont were honored in Washington, D.C. Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders took time yesterday, on the Senate floor, to congratulate more than a dozen people from the Green Mountain State who participated in the Vancouver games. Leahy said, "They’ve been great ambassadors for the United States.”

The Tupper Lake Central School District may have to cut nearly 3 dozen positions. That's about a quarter of the district's instructors. School officials say the layoffs are necessary to avoid a 33 percent increase in the tax levy. The cuts would save a half million dollars and would be divided amongst all of the district's schools.

In Stowe, voters agreed with the town auditors. The town's three auditors had recommended that their positions be eliminated. They say the work they've been doing can be done by the Select Board staff and the town's external auditors. Voters in Stowe agreed. The three positions were eliminated, a move that will save the town money.

New York State Police Superintendent Harry Corbitt is abruptly retiring effective Wednesday amid a domestic violence scandal threatening Governor David Paterson. Corbitt announced his retirement yesterday and says intense media scrutiny played a role in his decision. He is the second law enforcement official claimed by the scandal.