Questions for the Selectboard for its Saturday Town Meeting Informational Meeting

The Selectboard will be holding two bonus information sessions on the municipal issues related to Town Meeting. These are Zoom only meetings. Scheduled dates are:  Feb 5th, 2022 at 11AM and Feb 14th, 2022 at 6:30 PM. I don’t know what it says for the state of romance in Norwich that the Selectboard scheduled a meeting for Valentine’s Day evening.

Kudos to the Selectboard for scheduling these extra sessions!

Here are some questions I hope are addressed at the first meeting.

General

1. When does early and/or absentee voting begin?
2. When will the Town Report be available to the public?

Budget

This budget is advertised as a “level-service” operating budget. However, I am having a bit of difficulty with that characterization based on the number of new initiatives in the budget and increases in designated fund funding.

1. Where can the public view the budget, in advance of the publication of the Town Report?
2. What was the COLA used for wages and salary in this budget?
3. By what percentage have health insurance premiums increased in 2022, compared to 2021?
4. What new initiatives are in the budget? [My review reveals at least five new initiatives in the budget. These include: a Regional Energy Coordinator (previously a separate article), adding a part-time Zoning Administrator, funding for police body cameras, funding for a police vehicle, and a new line item named “Legal” funded at $90,000. Are there other new or expanded expenditures in the budget?]
5. What accounts for the jump in the line item for Telephone in the Finance Department, Recreation Department and Planning Department?
6. Last year, the Town had a $300,000 budget surplus. How are last year’s under spent line items addressed in this budget?

Article 7

Article 7 creates and funds an “Unanticipated Expenses and Emergency Reserve Fund”. The Town will use $750,000 in accumulated budget surpluses to fund it. Future budget surpluses also automatically go to this Fund. The purpose statement for this Fund will appear in the Town Report.

The accounting name for the accumulated surplus is the “unrestricted fund balance.” Use of the unrestricted fund balance typically requires voter approval, unless voters give the Selectboard control over all or part of the money under 24 V.S.A. § 2804. Note, however, to my knowledge, the Town did not access the unrestricted fund balance during the emergencies related to Hurricane Irene or the July 1, 2017 Storm Event.

1. Where can the public view the purpose statement for Article 7, in advance of the publication of the Town Report?
2. Why is Article 7 needed? What circumstances caused the Selectboard to ask voters to change existing practice that required case-by-case voter approval?
3. What constitutes an unanticipated expense? Isn’t that term overly broad?
4. What other towns in Vermont give the Selectboard total control over the unrestricted fund balance?

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I also have questions related to Articles 8, 9, 10 and 11. But they need to wait for another day.