By STEVEN JUPITER
BRANDON—The Brandon Selectboard convened for its regular meeting on Monday evening.
At its previous meeting on July 14, the Board decided going forward to consolidate the agendas for the Selectboard, the Board of Liquor Control Commissioners, the Board of Sewer Commissioners, and the Board of Cannabis Control Commissioners.
This change will streamline meetings and allow the Board to avoid having to adjourn and reconvene under each of its several guises. It will also allow citizens to access minutes for all of the various Boards in one file rather than in separate files for all the individual Boards.
Town Manager report
Town Manager Seth Hopkins delivered his report, the full text of which is reprinted in this issue.
Mr. Hopkins drew attention to the following updates to his published report:
- Brandon will ask the town of Sudbury for permission to erect signage in that town warning trucks approaching from Burr Pond Road that clearance is low on the Sanderson Covered Bridge in order to give them enough time to turn around before getting stuck and damaging the bridge.
- Brandon Police Chief David Kachajian has interviewed a candidate for a lieutenant position with the Brandon Police Department.
- In emergencies, Brandon will use Front Porch Forum, the town’s website, the town’s opt-in text alert system, and VT-ALERT as the means to communicate with Brandon residents.
- Town Treasurer Sue Gage has successfully managed the town’s bank accounts to earn $61,262 in interest during FY25. This is equivalent to 2% of the town’s entire operating budget.
- The town will realize an FY25 surplus of $121,818 after the receipt of delinquent taxes anticipated in August. Mr. Hopkins had earlier projected that the surplus would be $52,534.
Community Development report
Deputy Town Manager Bill Moore delivered his Community Development report, the full text of which is reprinted in this issue.
Highlights from the report included:
- The town has approached multiple paving companies for a third quote for the resurfacing of the tennis courts at Estabrook Park. The courts will be converted from tennis to multi-use.
- Water fountains will be installed at the dog park and playground on Seminary Hill. The fountains will have a hose connection to allow watering of trees at the site.
- Youthworks volunteers will continue working around town, helping with painting and removing July 4th decorations.
Planning Commission report
The Brandon Planning Commission submitted a midyear update that was not read or discussed at the meeting. The text of the report is available in the Selectboard packet for 7/28/25 on the town website.
Swamp land
The Board unanimously agreed to provide a letter of support for the sale of a parcel of privately-owned swamp land to the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife (DFW) for permanent conservation.
The 16-acre parcel is owned by Brandon resident Chad Ringey and abuts the Brandon Swamp Wildlife Management Area near the border between Brandon and Sudbury along Otter Creek and Route 73. The parcel is currently forested wetlands and will remain open to hunters and fishers after the transfer to the DFW.
The parcel will remain on Brandon’s tax rolls, with the state making Payment in Lieu of Taxes in the same amount as the parcel’s usual municipal tax.
Board member Brian Coolidge said that Brandon had had “good luck” with these purchases in the past, a point with which Town Manager Seth Hopkins agreed.
Board Vice-chair Cecil Reniche-Smith noted that the transfer would conserve the land for future generations.
A map of the parcel is available in the Selectboard packet for 7/28/25 on the town website.
At the Selectboard meeting on July 14, the Board had agreed in executive session to refund $750 to Barry and Julie Delphia for their 2019 purchase of a swamp lot whose title turned out to be defective. The legal owner of the lot is currently unknown.
Town Hall roof
The Board unanimously agreed to use the 1% local option tax fund to cover the cost of the new roof on the Town Hall. The work on the roof has been completed.
The total cost of the project was $415,070. The Board had allotted $345,849.57 for the project. Of that amount, $266,345.38 came from the town’s ARPA grant, $55,676.60 from the ARPA funds returned after the failure of the bond vote for a town solar array, and $23,837.59 from the insurance settlement for the damage to the roof during the wind storm of summer 2023.
The difference between the total cost and the allotted funds was $69,210, which Town Manager Seth Hopkins proposed be drawn from the 1% fund, which had a balance of $307,145. Mr. Hopkins also anticipated that the August payment into the 1% would essentially cover the expenditure on the roof.
An attendee asked why the money would be drawn from the 1% fund rather than from the General Fund. Mr. Hopkins replied that the 1% fund was specifically intended for capital expenses, such as the roof, and that the General Fund was already at the low end of the town’s target range.
Town ordinance review process
The Board explained the process by which the town’s ordinances and policies would be reviewed. At the July 14 meeting, the Board had begun the review process by repealing a 1950s ordinance that had regulated pool halls and bowling alleys, of which there are neither in Brandon now.
Board Vice-chair Cecil Reniche-Smith explained that she would be undertaking a page-by-page review of the binder containing the town’s ordinances and policies. She would be evaluating the continued usefulness or necessity of each, recommending some for retention, some for revision, and some for repeal.
Any ordinance or policy flagged for revision or repeal would be brought to the full Board for open discussion during a regularly scheduled Selectboard meeting.
“It’s an ongoing process; it won’t happen overnight,” she said.
An attendee asked Ms. Reniche-Smith what qualified her to undertake this review. Ms. Reniche-Smith enumerated her experience as a lawyer in both private practice and government service, particularly as the Senior Assistant Attorney General for the State of Oregon.
The attendee also questioned whether the process would be public. Board Chair Doug Bailey reiterated that Ms. Reniche-Smith would bring flagged ordinances and policies to the Board for public discussion and that in the event of repeal, the public would have weeks to file an objection before the repeal took effect.
“There’s tons of safety for the public in the process,” he said. He added that the town was in a good position to undertake this review because it was “in good shape” otherwise.
Other attendees praised Ms. Reniche-Smith’s qualifications and the level of public engagement in the process.
Warrants
The Board unanimously approved two warrants in the amounts of $36,492.27 and $203,111.92 to cover the town’s obligations and expenses.
