Town Of Middlebury Annual Town Meeting Results

TOWN of MIDDLEBURY, VERMONT
Annual Town Meeting Results
March 5, 2012

Voters of the Town of Middlebury met on Monday, March 5, 2012 to act on the following Articles:

Article 1: Accepted the reports of the Town Officers as submitted by the Auditors.

Article 2: Adopted the proposed budget for the Fiscal Year 2013 (July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013) in the amount of $8,420,920 with a portion thereof in the amount of $5,819,322 to be raised by taxes.

Article 3: Authorized the Board of Selectmen, pursuant to 24 V.S.A. §1786a(b), to replace one police cruiser, 1 tandem plow truck and one stake bed truck by borrowing funds in a total amount not to exceed $251,000 over a term not to exceed five (5) years.

Article 4: Voted to collect taxes on real and personal property for fiscal year 2012/2013 in three equal installments due and payable on the 15th day of August 2012, the 15th day of November 2012 and the 15th day of March 2013 with only USPS postmark accepted as proof of payment date.

Article 5: Established a Middlebury Business Development Fund pursuant to the provisions of 24 VSA § 2804, said fund to be expended for economic and business development, and other related expenses, including, but not limited to, hiring a Middlebury Director of Business Development to complement existing business recruitment and growth initiatives, by paper ballot, with 125 yes and 64 no votes.

Article 6: Voted to annually add one cent on the tax rate for a period of five years for the Business Development Fund created in Article 5 above by a voice vote. This Article was amended to include a requirement for a written report to the Town from the Business Development Fund oversight board at least annually.

Article 7: Designated the Town of Middlebury as a Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) District under 24 VSA 3261, et seq., and authorize the Selectboard to enter into an agreement with Efficiency Vermont under which Efficiency Vermont will be authorized to (a) administer the PACE home energy improvements program on behalf of the Town, and (b) arrange for the provision of financing to participating property owners through the PACE program, provided that such financing does not require any indebtedness to be incurred by the Town.

Article 8: In other business, voters heard information about ballot items scheduled for voting Australian ballot on Tuesday, March 6, 2012, polls open in the Municipal Gym, 94 Main Street, from 7:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M.

Ballot items are as follows:

Article 9: Shall the voters of the Town of Middlebury vote to exempt the real and personal property of the Middlebury Volunteer Ambulance Association from taxation for a period of five (5) years, commencing April 1, 2012? (Editor's note: this is a five-year renewal of the exemption, which has been in place for many years).

Article 10: Shall the general obligation bonds of the Town of Middlebury in an amount not to exceed Four Million Six Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($4,625,000) be issued for the purpose of financing construction and land acquisition costs for the expansion and renovation of Fire Station #1 on Seymour Street and the construction of a new fire station to replace the existing Fire Station #2 on King's Row in East Middlebury? The estimated cost of the construction project is Four Million Six Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($4,625,000).

Article 11: To elect officers as required by the Middlebury Town Charter.