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 the Local Minutes website. “In a time when technology often erodes people’s connections to local community, we hope to use this technology for public benefit.”
The site uses information from publicly available documents. Current coverage includes 179 of 247 municipalities in Vermont.
Local Minutes
www.localminutes.org
Questions About Your Town? Try This AI-Powered Chatbot
https://www.sevendaysvt.com/news/questions-about-your-town-try-this-ai-powered-chatbot-43065675/
After the break is its response to my query about Norwich addressing the Emerald Ash Borer. I thought it was a solid response. Of course, your experience may be different than mine. I have no affiliation with the service. One of the nice features of the response is that it includes links to the public meeting minutes cited. Very handy to verify the results as AI makes mistakes
Perhaps the Town could add a Local Minutes search box to its website.
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Query: How is Norwich addressing the Emerald Ash Borer?
Local Minutes Response (Without Citations)
Based on the documents I’ve reviewed, the Town of Norwich is addressing the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) infestation through a multi-pronged strategy involving specialized governance, systematic inventorying, targeted tree removal and treatment, and dedicated public funding.
Governance and Planning
The town established the Emerald Ash Borer Management Subcommittee (EABMS) under the Conservation Commission to advise the Selectboard and Town Manager. Its charge includes proposing a management plan, inventorying public lands and roadside ash, and leading community outreach. The subcommittee works closely with state agencies like the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program (UCFP) to follow best practices.
Inventory and Risk Assessment
Norwich has conducted extensive mapping to identify at-risk trees:
Mapping: Volunteers have used ArcGIS tools to inventory over 600 roadside ash trees.
Risk Classification: Trees are marked with paint to indicate priority. A single red stripe indicates a high-risk tree for removal, while a red stripe with a blue stripe above it indicates an “extreme-risk” tree requiring immediate action.
Scope: By early 2026, the subcommittee identified over 500 trees along 14 miles of the town’s busiest roads that require removal.Management Strategies
The town employs three primary methods for managing the infestation:
Preemptive Removal: This is the primary strategy for trees in the town right-of-way (ROW) that pose a safety hazard to roads, utility lines, or pedestrians. For example, a badly infested tree at 17 Elm Street was identified as a high priority due to its proximity to the Marion Cross School and was removed in early 2025.
Inoculation (Chemical Treatment): High-value trees are treated with emamectin benzoate, which provides protection for approximately two years. Candidates for treatment include prominent trees on the Town Green, at Huntley Meadows, Foley Park, and the Transfer Station.
Inaction: In areas where dying trees do not pose a public safety risk, they may be left to die naturally.Funding and Budgeting
Norwich has created a dedicated Emerald Ash Borer Response Fund (#52) to finance these efforts:
2025 Appropriation: In March 2025, voters approved using $100,000 of the town surplus to fund the EAB Response Fund.
2026 Petition: For the March 2026 Town Meeting, a citizen petition was filed to appropriate an additional $60,000 to the fund for continued removals.
Private Contributions: The town has also utilized private donations and challenge grants to cover the costs of inoculating high-value trees on public property.Landowner Coordination and Outreach
The town coordinates with residents regarding trees located in the town right-of-way. In early 2026, the subcommittee finalized consent forms to be mailed to landowners, offering options for wood disposal (such as keeping the wood for firewood) or potentially postponing cutting. Public education is maintained through listserv posts, articles in the Norwich Times, and public informational meetings.
I focused on documents from August 1, 2025, onwards in Norwich, Vermont, though some earlier documents were included to provide necessary context on the establishment of the EAB funds and plans. Keep in mind that I may have missed some details, as I have to be selective about what documents I review and cannot review every document at once. If you would like me to expand the search to include more specific dates or different committees, please let me know.
Local Minutes can make mistakes. Please verify all information using the original documents.
A shorter version of this blog post appeared earlier on the Norwich listserv.
Thanks for reading! Contact me at norwichobserver[at]gmail.com