Emily Rodin and Robert Gamache reported this story on assignment from the White River Valley Herald. The Community News Service is a program in which University of Vermont students work with professional editors to provide content for local news outlets at no cost.
The close-knit towns of Waitsfield, Fayston and Moretown gathered along the coursing Mad River on Town Meeting Day to vote on funding reserves, school budgets and town officials — not to mention a Fayston potluck gathering.
Waitsfield residents voted to approve two different articles that would establish reserve funds for the road crew and the town planning commission, according to the Town of Waitsfield.
“Having funding in reserves puts us in a position to capitalize on available grant opportunities,” Annie Decker-Dell’Isola, the Town Administrator, said. “To have that funding in our reserves puts us in a position to leverage state and federal funding that is out there that, otherwise, we might not qualify for.”
Town officials said in their floor meeting the reserves would strengthen local departments like the road crew and fire department. Town selectboard member Chach Curtis said the reserves would also allow for future initiatives like a wastewater treatment project to protect the Mad River and the community’s drinking water.
Decker-Dell’Isola praised Town Meeting Day engagement, calling it “a really unique opportunity to be involved in the democratic process.” She said the local departments play a crucial role in the town and many of the volunteers themselves showed up to vote.
But, she noted a smaller demographic at the polls: young people. “I think there’s a lot of younger people that don’t know what town meeting is,” she said. Dell’Isola underscored the importance of raising awareness to foster greater participation.
Josh Schwartz, a 46-year-old resident of Waitsfield who has lived there since 2008 and is the executive director of the Mad River Valley Planning District, said he was happy that all articles, including a $2.75 million town budget, were unanimously passed.
“I think the budget was crafted responsibly by the select board,” he said.
With a different Town Meeting Day approach, Fayston welcomed community members for its traditional potluck lunch, which came after their long floor vote.
Patricia Lorraine, whose children graduated from the Harwood Union School District, said she was frustrated with the increasing school budget, but acknowledged the need for good education resources.
After the floor vote, Rep. Dara Torre of Moretown, stopped in to answer questions from constituents. One such local, Jane Regan, a high school social studies teacher, asked Torre whether federal spending can be accessed for Vermont schools.
“I would be willing to be part of whatever kind of meetings or studies we want — to have some more money come from the federal level to educate the next generation of Americans,” she said.
Torre agreed investment in public infrastructure is important for the future, and suggested reaching out to Vermont’s federal delegation.
Paul Sipple, a resident and former Harwood Unified Union School District with a 10 year tenure, thinks the town should control the money, rather than federal delegates.
“The farther the money goes away from the students, the less it actually gets to the student,” Sipple said.
Moretown, which elected a town moderator and other town officials by floor vote, held the rest of its election via Australian ballot, a method that seems to yield more participation from young people than a traditional floor vote, according to resident Deb Sargent, and her husband, Bob, who used to be a middle school teacher.
“I want to hear the opinions of young people, and I’d like to have young people politically active,” said Bob Sargent.