By STEVEN JUPITER
BRANDON—The Brandon Selectboard convened for its regular meeting on Monday evening.
Town Manager’s report
Town Manager Seth Hopkins presented his report to the Board. Highlights from the report included:
- A Brandon police officer was injured while responding to a car fire on Franklin Street. A car had crashed and was engulfed in flames. The officer was injured when one of the tires exploded. Mr. Hopkins stated that the officer received medical care and has been cleared to return to work.
- The union that represents Brandon police officers rejected the town’s request to switch health-insurance providers from Blue Cross/Blue Shield to MVP. The switch would have saved both the officers and the town money on contributions. Mr. Hopkins did not have an explanation for the decision, stating that the coverage offered by both plans was comparable.
- At 11/24ths through the fiscal year, the town is 49% through its FY25 budget, which is just slightly above the 46% that 11/24ths represents.
- The Selectboard will NOT meet on Monday, December 23, which would be its normal meeting date. Instead, it will hold a special meeting on Monday, December 30 at 6:30 to conduct essential business, such as paying the town’s bills.
Community Development report
Economic Development Officer and Rec Director Bill Moore presented his report to the Board. Highlights included:
- Registration for Brandon Idol is now open. The first try-out concert will take place on January 10. Subsequent, themed performances will be held on Feb. 14, March 14, April 11, and May 16. Registration is limited, so anyone interested should act quickly.
- Brandon Rec and the Brandon Free Public Library will be hosting Sunday quiz nights at the Brandon Inn beginning in January. The game begins at 6:30 and is free of charge.
- Adult Cornhole will be held on Tuesday evenings in the Town Hall starting on January 14th.
Boundary Line Adjustment
Mr. Moore explained to the Board that a .44-acre parcel of land on the old Training School campus that belonged to the town had been thought for 31 years to belong to an adjacent landowner, Ultravation. The landowner was now asking that the land be attached to their parcel, since they had used and maintained it for the last 31 years.
Mr. Moore stated that the parcel was of little or no use to the town and that Ultravation had been using it to store vehicles. He recommended that the town release the parcel to Ultravation.
Cecil Reniche-Smith, who was once on the Selectboard and was in attendance, asked whether Ultravation had a claim for adverse possession, which is triggered when someone openly uses land that doesn’t legally belong to them for a long enough period of time that the law recognizes a legal claim to it.
The Board considered whether it made more sense to ask for money in exchange for the parcel or to quitclaim it to Ultravation and avoid the legal fees of a land sale.
Mr. Moore made clear that the Board did not need to take action at the meeting and urged Board members to visit the site so that action could be taken in January.
Adjustments to the Grand List
The Board approved a set of adjustments to the town’s Grand List that decreased the List’s total value by $3,580. This adjustment is a yearly process by which the town notes commencements or expirations of tax exemptions and stabilizations, as well as the addition or loss of taxable property through construction or destruction, such as a house fire.
Transfer of 1% funds
The Board approved two transfers of funds from the 1% local option tax fund. The first transfer was in the amount of $73,294 and was applied toward the purchase of a replacement highway truck. The second transfer was in the amount of $39,521.34 and was applied toward FY25 paving projects. Both of these expenditures had been approved by the Board at previous meetings.
The town is in possession of the new truck, and it has already been put to use.
Presentation by Americans for a Clean Atmosphere
Lauren Tessaro of Leicester made a presentation to the Board on behalf of Americans for a Clean Atmosphere. Ms. Tessaro is seeking signatures on a petition to get an article on the ballot on Town Meeting. The article asks whether the people of Brandon would like the Brandon Selectboard to send a letter to the Governor and Legislator demanding a prohibition of climate-related geoengineering in Vermont.
Ms. Tessaro displayed photographs of the skies above this area, noting what she described as chemtrails created as part of a Congressionally mandated program designed to introduce various compounds into the atmosphere to counteract the effects of climate change. Ms. Tessaro asserted that these compounds could degrade our soils and prevent sunlight from reaching agricultural crops in our area.
Ms. Tessaro provided the Board with materials that she said substantiated her allegations. These materials can now be found on the town website along with the Selectboard packed for 12/09/24. The materials include the proposed article for the March ballot, a report from the World Meteorological Organization, and a report from the White House on Congressionally mandated research on solar radiation modification.
Board Chair Doug Bailey responded that the Board would not be able to send the letter without the approval of Brandon voters. Ms. Tessaro’s petition would need at least 165 signatures of registered Brandon voters in order to make it onto the March 2025 ballot. Mr. Bailey also said that Ms. Tessaro could hold a public meeting to garner support for her petition if she chose.
Warrant
The Board unanimously approved a warrant in the amount of $464,875.02 to cover the town’s obligations and expenses.
