A Simple Ask After Town Meeting: Adopt and Post Annual Goals (Update)

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This is an update to my February 20 post. Selectboard goals are on the agenda for the March 25 meeting. Here are four Town priorities I suggested in an email that is at page 202 of the meeting packet. Project Plan for DPW Garage. The DPW garage may be in greater need of repair and improvement than Tracy Hall. There has also been longstanding discussion about the need for additional covered storage so that DPW equipment is no longer left Continue reading A Simple Ask After Town Meeting: Adopt and Post Annual Goals (Update)→

Norwich sued by former assistant town clerk; Town still not saying much in public

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A former Assistant Town Clerk has sued the Town of Norwich, alleging workplace harassment, disability discrimination and whistleblower retaliation after she was fired last summer. Judy Trussell, who says she worked for Norwich for about 30 years, including 15 years as Assistant Town Clerk, filed the lawsuit on Dec. 23, 2025. In her complaint, she alleges that after Lily Trajman became Town Clerk in 2023, Trussell repeatedly raised concerns about land records containing Social Security numbers, mishandling of confidential documents, Continue reading Norwich sued by former assistant town clerk; Town still not saying much in public→

Selectboard Candidate Responses: Finance Committee & Town Manager Goals

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March 3 is Town Meeting. With that in mind, I asked the announced Selectboard candidates two questions on the listserv, one about the Finance Committee and the other about Town Manager goals. Here are the questions and their verbatim listserv responses. QUESTION. In April 2025, the Selectboard amended the Finance Committee’s charge, removing its role to provide ‘independent advice’ to the Selectboard on the annual Town budget and eliminating the requirement to provide budget information to voters. The revised charge Continue reading Selectboard Candidate Responses: Finance Committee & Town Manager Goals→

A Simple Ask After Town Meeting: Adopt and Post Annual Goals

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Here’s a governance oversight that the Selectboard and Town Manager should address promptly after Town Meeting. Norwich’s Town Manager employment agreement includes a basic but powerful practice. Every year, in September, the Selectboard and Town Manager are supposed to set written goals and performance objectives (Section VI.A). Those goals guide priorities, provide a clear basis for evaluation, and help the public understand what Town leadership is trying to accomplish. Through a public records request, I learned that there is no Continue reading A Simple Ask After Town Meeting: Adopt and Post Annual Goals→

‘Local Minutes’ enables AI-powered search of meeting minutes

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There is a wonderful database of meeting minutes of Vermont municipalities that is accessible through an AI-powered search engine. It’s called Local Minutes. “Ask a question and Local Minutes can generate a response referencing meeting minutes and other public documents.” There was a write-up about it in Seven Days about a year ago. Links below. “Local Minutes utilizes large language model (LLM) technology to make it easier for people to stay informed about what’s happening in their local government,” says Continue reading ‘Local Minutes’ enables AI-powered search of meeting minutes→

Spending More, Getting Less: Vermont’s Education Problem in Two Graphs

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Sometimes a picture (or in this case, a graph) really is worth a thousand words. Two simple graphs tell you everything you need to know about an overlooked problem in Vermont’s education system. We are spending more but students are getting less. The Cost Crisis Over the past 20 years, Vermont’s education property taxes have increased by $924 million while the system educates 15,650 fewer students. Think about that: we’re spending a whole lot more to teach dramatically fewer (16% Continue reading Spending More, Getting Less: Vermont’s Education Problem in Two Graphs→

Town Meeting 2026: Open Positions

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Do you want to run for office in Norwich? A number of important positions – thirteen — are up for election at Town Meeting in March, and the filing deadline is late next month.  The Town Clerk recently provided the Selectboard with the chart below of open positions. At least one Selectboard seat will be wide open as Priscilla Vincent is not running for re-election. The Treasurer’s job may also become vacant, as Cheryl Lindberg is considering retirement after 30 Continue reading Town Meeting 2026: Open Positions→

A Proposed Town Budget Without Real Numbers

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The Selectboard began review of the Town Manager’s proposed budget last Wednesday and will continue this Wednesday. Although the budget process is arduous and tedious, the Town budget is probably the most important policy document the Selectboard reviews each year. In reviewing this year’s budget materials, I noticed something troubling: there is no information about what we actually spent last year. I don’t know how the Selectboard can intelligently participate in the planned presentations from Department Heads without knowing how much the Continue reading A Proposed Town Budget Without Real Numbers→

Town budget includes funding for electronic message sign

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At Town Meeting in 2020, voters soundly defeated ballot Article 6 to spend $11,000 on two flashing pedestrian crossing signs, known as RRFBs or Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons. Given that defeat, I was surprised that the Selectboard was not more inquisitive about the line item in the Town Manager’s proposed budget to purchase a variable message sign. The cost is $25,000. Not much detail was provided. Here is the transcript from the YouTube video of the Selectboard meeting of November Continue reading Town budget includes funding for electronic message sign→

Grange Kitchen Design Process Offers Lessons for Tracy Hall Renovation

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Sometimes great examples of effective project design happen right in our backyard. The Norwich Grange’s kitchen renovation process offers lessons for Town officials to consider as they ponder early steps in renovating Tracy Hall. Here’s how the Norwich Community Collaborative described the process, in a recent mailing: The Norwich Grange Kitchen committee has been working over the past year to bring the vision of the Community Kitchen to life. The committee has been working to assist with design and development Continue reading Grange Kitchen Design Process Offers Lessons for Tracy Hall Renovation→