By GEORGE FJELD
BRANDON–About 100 people attended Brandon’s annual Town Meeting in Brandon Town Hall on Monday night to hear the Selectboard present the budget, decide on a continued property-tax exemption for the Brandon Senior Citizens Center, and conduct any other business proper to be done when met. The mood was civil and the meeting hall comfortable. Bill Moore moderated and Town Manager Seth Hopkins and Town Clerk Sue Gage were available for questions. The Selectboard, consisting of Chair Doug Bailey, Vice-Chair Heather Nelson, Tim Guiles, Ralph Ethier, and Brian Coolidge was flanked by the Budget Advisory Committee, whose members this year were Tricia Welch, Barry Varian, Karen Rhodes, Gabe McGuigan, and Jan Coolidge.
Boy Scout Troop 110 members Lucia and John Carrara presented the American and Vermont flags and then led the assemblage in the Pledge of Allegiance. The meeting was called to order at just after 7 p.m. Bill Moore read the dedication of the Town Report, which was to all of Brandon’s volunteers who make this a better place to live. Heather Nelson outlined the budget-building process, which included 4 groups: the Selectboard, the Budget Advisory Committee, town management and department heads, and the public. They held biweekly meetings beginning in September. They initially defined the needs and goals and then reviewed the budget painstakingly line by line. The budget was reviewed publicly in a pre-Town Meeting presentation in January.
Nelson went on to define the difference between the operating budget and appropriations. The operating budget encompasses all the ongoing needs of the town, including road maintenance, recreation, police, and buildings and grounds, etc. Appropriations are the one-time funding requests made by the town or non-governmental organizations. The Board decided to start a capital fund as an appropriation this year to begin to save for major expenditures so as to reduce the need in the future for borrowing money to pay for such.
Chair Bailey presented the budget using two tools: percentages and actual dollars. He endeavored to relate the budget changes to the average home value in Brandon ($187,000). The town budget was up 2.5% but the bottom line, the additional taxes to be raised, was only up 1.4%. This increase amounts to $1.78 per month or $22 per year for the average Brandon home. The police budget is the highest ever in this town at $937,000. Some town departments, e.g., recreation and highway departments, receive revenue to reduce their impact on the budget. Recreation department revenues reduce their budget by about 50%.
Bailey went on to describe the non-budget funding of town activities which include ARPA funds, the 1% local option tax, and department revenue. All of our ARPA funds have been spent or committed to projects, including a new roof for the Town Hall. According to Guiles, the roof will be a legacy expenditure expected to last 20-30 years or more. The local option tax in Brandon goes 100% to capital improvements. The last quarter receipts were approximately $80,000 and average $250,000 per year. Paving projects this year will come from the 1% local options tax to reduce the stress on the budget.
Brandon’s unrestricted reserve fund is presently low, at just under 15% of the budget. State guidelines suggest that it be between 15% and 30%. For Brandon with a $3.3 million budget, this amounts to between $495,000 and $990,000. The selectboard expects that they will be in range next year given the presented budget.
A question-and-answer period followed. Devon Fuller asked about the impact of health insurance to the budget. This year’s increase will be 11% according to Hopkins. With only two insurers to choose from, it is difficult to control these increases. Fuller asked the taxpayers to lobby their representative in Montpelier to address this crisis. Cecil Reniche-Smith commented that the appropriation requests from groups including the Brandon Free Public Library and the Brandon Area Rescue Squad will not increase the taxes on the average home because they were in last year’s taxes also.
Next, the meeting addressed Article 2, the continuing tax exemption for the Brandon Senior Center. This was the only actionable article during the meeting. The Center has been receiving the exemption for as long as anyone can remember. The taxes would be about $2,000 if assessed. Local CPA Sharon Stearns strongly encouraged a positive vote. Bailey also spoke for the exemption. The measure passed with one nay vote.
Under other business, Stearns thanked the Board and the Budget Advisory Committee for their hard work this past year. Brandon’s state representative, Todd Nielsen, read a short statement. Nielsen is on the House Committee on Human Services, where they are reviewing H.91, a bill to replace the General Assistance Emergency Housing Program with the Emergency Temporary Shelter Program and H.46, to establish The Rare Disease Advisory Council. Also being examined is H.218 to appropriate funds from the Opioid Abatement Special Fund to be used in Fiscal Year 2025-2026. Bill H.13 was voted out of committee and passed the floor vote in the house. It requires the Secretary of Human Services to determine reasonable and adequate Medicaid payment rates for home and community base services. The committee is also listening to agency reports and discussing the 2026 budget. Nielsen did not elaborate on how he voted on these bills or whether he stood in support of or against each bill.
The meeting recessed at 8:08 p.m., to be continued on Tuesday, March 4 at the Brandon American Legion, where Brandon residents would vote on the budget and on three open seats on the Selectboard.
