By STEVEN JUPITER
PITTSFORD—Pittsford held its 2025 Town Meeting in the gymnasium at Lothrop Elementary School on Monday evening. Though scores of residents attended, there remained numerous empty seats in the room.
The meeting began with an explanation of the procedures of the meeting by Moderator Rob Spensley. Unlike Brandon, which votes on its budget and other articles by Australian ballot the day after Town Meeting, Pittsford asks its residents to approve or reject the proposed budget and other articles at its Town Meeting. Residents vote for town officials (Selectboard members, for example) by Australian ballot on the Tuesday after Town Meeting.
Mr. Spensley noted the dedication of the 2023-2024 Town Report to Joseph Jerome Keith, Jr., better known to Pittsford residents as Mike or Chico. Mr. Keith ran Keith’s Trading Post and passed away at the end of 2024.
The first article on the agenda was to hear the reports of the Town Officers. Selectboard Chair Alicia Malay (who is also Pittsford’s representative in Montpelier) remarked that the Board had worked hard to prepare a budget that kept increases to a minimum while continuing to provide the services the town counts on. She stated that the proposed budget for FY26 saw only a 1.4% increase over the current year’s budget.
Ms. Malay also noted that longtime Selectboard member Joe Gagnon had stepped down from the Board the previous year and had been replaced by Dan Adams. She also encouraged residents to reach out to Interim Town Manager Ann Reed to place items on the agenda at the Selectboard’s meetings if they had concerns they wished the Board to address.
Selectboard Vice-Chair David Mills discussed the work of the town highway crew over the previous year. He noted that Pittsford had avoided much of the flooding that had plagued the rest of the state because of mitigation infrastructure like culverts that the highway crew had installed. He also noted that the heavy snow this winter had pushed the town over budget on road salt.
Voters then approved all the spending proposed on the warning with nary an opposing vote.
Article 2 proposed general-fund expenditures of $1,827,883, with $1,404,123 to be raised by property taxes and $423,760 to be raised by non-tax revenues (e.g., permit fees, speeding tickets, grants, etc.). It was passed unanimously.
Article 2 also provided one of the few moments of confusion in an otherwise smooth meeting: the figures on the official warning did not match the figures printed in the Town Report. It was determined after on-the-spot discussion that the figures on the warning were correct. Interim Town Manager Ann Reed stated in a later e-mail to The Reporter that the incorrect figures in the Town Report were an erroneous reprint of the previous year’s numbers.
Article 3 proposed highway expenditures of $1,213,555, with $1,065,205 to be raised by taxes and $142,350 to be raised by non-tax revenues. Again, the figures on the official warning did not match the figures in the Town Report. It was determined that the figures on the warning were correct. Article 3 passed unanimously.
Voters unanimously approved $17,000 for the Village District, which covers expenses, such as streetlights, specifically in Pittsford’s downtown area.
Voters unanimously approved August 15, September 15, and November 17, 2025 as the dates on which property taxes would be due to the town. In previous years, this condensed payment timeline had been criticized by voters at Town Meeting but was not challenged on Monday.
Voters approved the following appropriations:
- $2,500 to the Wonderfeet Kids’ Museum in Rutland. The Museum’s Family Liaison Jen Rose Brittenham was on hand to encourage voters to support the organization.
- $7,500 for the Pittsford Historical Society
- $5,000 for “The Bus” run by the Marble Valley Regional Transportation District
- $1,000 for the Pittsford Cemetery Association
- $1,500 for the Bowen-Walker Fund, which is administered by members of local churches and assists local residents experiencing hardship. This was the only appropriation that was not passed unanimously, with a single nay vote against it.
- $2,000 for the Pittsford Food Shelf
- $11,964 for the Regional Ambulance Service
- $3,600 for the Rutland County Restorative Justice Center
- $4,931 for the Visiting Nurses Association and Hospice of the Southwest Region
- $125,000 for the Maclure Library
- $1,400 for ARC Rutland Area
- $427 for RSVP/VC
- $1,100 for the Southern Vermont Council on Aging
- $200 for Green-Up Day
- $1,000 for the Rutland County Humane Society
These appropriations will be added to the total to be raised by property tax that was approved in Article 2.
After the raft of appropriations had been considered, the meeting turned to “other non-binding business,” which gives town residents an opportunity to address town management, the Selectboard, and their neighbors.
A representative of the Pittsford Village Farm alerted residents to construction beginning at the site in the coming weeks and reiterated that the Farm’s mission is to enrich the town. She also let residents know that the Farm’s board of directors meets at the Maclure Library on the 2nd Tuesday of every month.
A resident noted that the Vermont Historical Society is encouraging Vermonters to begin preparing for the United States’ 250th anniversary in 2026. He asked that residents let the Selectboard know how they would like to celebrate the milestone.
Selectboard member Mark Winslow thanked the town’s employees, committee members, and Fire Department for the “tremendous job” they’d done over the previous year.
An attendee asked Ms. Malay about Governor Scott’s education proposals, as Ms. Malay is also Pittsford’s representative in Montpelier. Malay said not much progress had been made on the proposal and that it had been a “slow session.”
Several attendees commended the town’s highway department for its efforts keeping the town’s roads clear during a very snowy winter.
An attendee praised the Pittsford Police Department for its efforts in slowing down traffic on Route 7 through the town. He even joked that Pittsford might become as notorious for its speed enforcement as Bridgewater, where travelers on Route 4 were regularly pulled over in that town.
A resident expressed dismay that the meeting had not been attended by more people, given the importance of the matters up for floor votes. He wondered what could be done to improve turnout.
A resident who had recently moved to Pittsford asked what could be done about the homestead tax credit, which provides property-tax discounts to residents with incomes below a certain threshold. The resident said that her household income had barely risen above the threshold when her taxes had suddenly skyrocketed to the full amount based on assessed property value. Alicia Malay responded that not much could be done at the local level, since the program is run by the state government. Malay did note, as well, that the issue is being discussed at the Statehouse.
The meeting was recessed until Tuesday, March 4 at 7 a.m., when residents would vote at the Pittsford Town Office for 2 seats on the Selectboard, as well as for a Town Moderator and a Trustee of Public Funds. Ms. Malay and Mr. Mills were running unopposed to retain their seats.
