Town Warning
WARNING
TOWN OF WOODSTOCK, VERMONT
ANNUAL TOWN MEETING/INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS
February 26 and March 1, 2022
The legal voters of the Town of Woodstock, County of Windsor, State of Vermont are hereby notified and warned to meet on Zoom on February 26th at 10:00 am, for the Annual Meeting which will be in the form of an informational Zoom and in person meeting in Town Hall, and on Tuesday the 1st day of March 2022 between the hours of 7:00 am until 7:00 pm to act on the following:
The legal voters of the Town of Woodstock are further notified that voter qualifications, registration, and absentee voting relative to said meeting shall be as provided in Chapters 43, 51 and 55 of Title 17, Vermont Statutes Annotated. You must be registered to vote in the Town of Woodstock in order to vote.
The legal voters of the Town of Woodstock are further notified that the informational hearing that will be held is for the purpose of explaining the articles that will be voted on by Australian Ballot. No changes to the articles can be made during these meetings. Due to COVID-19, all articles will be voted on by Australian Ballot.
FEBRUARY 26th at 10:00 AM
PUBLIC INFORMATIONAL MEETING/ANNUAL MEETING
TUESDAY, MARCH 1st, 2022: AUSTRALIAN BALLOT – 7:00 AM TO 7:00 PM
ARTICLE 1: To see if the Town will receive and act upon reports submitted by the Town officers.
ARTICLE 2: To see if the Town will vote to collect the Town General, Highway, School Taxes and State Education Taxes on real property and all other taxes levied through the Treasurer under the provisions of Title 32 VSA Chapter 133 and fix the dates of payments as November 4, 2022 and May 5, 2023 and to require payment to be received by the Town Office by close of business on those dates.
ARTICLE 3: To see if the Town will vote to pay the Town Officers in accordance with Title 24 VSA, Section 932 as follows:
Town Treasurer $12,000 per year
Listers $26.53 per hour
Constable $25.76 per hour
Town Clerk $33.44 per hour
Moderator $100.00 each time serves
ARTICLE 4: To see if the Town will vote to make the office of Treasurer a three-year term starting in 2023 to coincide with the term of the Town Clerk.
ARTICLE 5: To see if the Town will authorize cannabis retailers in Town pursuant to 7 V.S.A. § 863.
ARTICLE 6: To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Treasurer, with the approval of the Select Board to borrow money, if necessary, in anticipation of taxes for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 to defray current expense and debts of the Town and Sewer Departments.
ARTICLE 7: To see if the Town will vote to appropriate the sum of seven million twenty five thousand eight hundred thirty two dollars and seven cents ($7,025,832.07) which includes the specified sums of money to operate each department; and to raise by taxation the amount of five million three hundred ninety eight thousand seven hundred sixty six dollars and seven cents ($5,398,766.07) which is the necessary sum to defray operating costs for FY 2022-2023.
Operating Costs:
Culture and Recreation $456,428
Town Hall Building $114,158
General Government $596,229.70
Planning and Zoning $107,249.85
Town Clerk $211,857.22
Highway Department $2,070,796.25
Maintaining Cemeteries $18,500
Sanitation – GUVSWMD $33,528
Welcome Center $79,701
Ambulance Department $1,267,133.55
Health Officer $4,040
Fire Department $614,083
Communications – Dispatch $408,017.50
Town Constable $10,850
Town Police $433,410
Select Board Contingency $270,250
Tropical Storm Irene Expense $59,600
Economic Development Commission $270,000
Total $7,025,832.07
ARTICLE 8: To see if the Town will vote to appropriate the sum of one million one hundred fifty thousand four hundred nineteen dollars and ten cents ($1,150,419.10), which includes one million one hundred thirty eight thousand four hundred nineteen dollars and ten cents ($1,138,419.10) from user fees and twelve thousand dollars ($12,000) from other revenues, to pay the current expenses and debt of the sewer department for FY 2022-2023.
ARTICLE 9: To see if the Town will vote to appropriate the sum of one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) for the purpose of having the Public Trust Funds audited and approve the expenditure of one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) from income of the Trust Funds to pay for the Annual Audit.
ARTICLE 10: To see if the Town will assess a one percent (1%) local option sales tax in accordance with 24 V.S.A. Section 138 with proceeds to be allocated to the capital budget.
ARTICLE 11: The election of Town Officers for the ensuing year as required by law including:
Select Board (3-year term)
Select Board (2-year term)
Town Treasurer (1-year term)
Moderator (1-year term)
Lister (3-year term)
Auditor (1-year term)
Auditor (2-year term)
Auditor (3-year term)
Cemetery Commissioner (3-year term)
Trustee of Public Funds (3-year term)
Grand Juror (1-year term)
First Constable (1-year term)
Town Agent (1-year term)
ARTICLE 12: Shall the Town vote to appropriate and raise by property taxes, the sum of fifty-one thousand two hundred and fifty dollars ($51,250) for the Norman Williams Public Library to help support the operations and maintenance of the library. These funds are over and above the budgeted support that the Town provides to this library for Fiscal Year 2022-2023.
ARTICLE 13: Shall the Town of Woodstock appropriate the sum of thirty thousand dollars ($30,000) for the Ottauquechee Health Foundation (OHF). OHF is a nonprofit community resource that provides funding and support for individuals with limited financial means to help meet critical health and wellness needs such as medical and dental care, eyeglasses, hearing aids, dentures, prescription copayments and short-term caregiver services.
ARTICLE 14: Shall the Town of Woodstock vote to raise, appropriate and expend the sum of forty-two thousand dollars ($42,000) for the support of Pentangle Arts to provide services to the residents and students of the Town of Woodstock.
ARTICLE 15: Shall the Town raise and appropriate the sum of one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) for the support of Senior Solutions (formally Council on Aging for Southeastern Vermont) for help to support seniors and their families who are trying to remain at home and not be placed in a nursing home.
ARTICLE 16: Shall the Town appropriate the sum of one thousand two hundred fifty dollars ($1,250) to support programming of the Spectrum Teen Center. Our objective is to engage teens in healthy activities and make youth feel supported, welcomed, and included. There is no charge to attend our program.
ARTICLE 17: Shall the Town vote to raise and appropriate from the general fund the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) to help support the home health, maternal and child health, and hospice care provided in patients’ homes and in community settings by the Visiting Nurse and Hospice for VT and NH.
ARTICLE 18: Shall the Town of Woodstock appropriate the sum of two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) for Windsor County Mentors, for youth mentoring services provide to the children in Windsor County.
ARTICLE 19: Shall the Town raise and appropriate the sum of two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) to support the mission of WISE (Women’s Information Services, Inc.) in providing free crisis intervention and support services to victims of domestic and sexual violence and stalking.
ARTICLE 20: Shall the Town of Woodstock vote to appropriate the sum of forty thousand four hundred dollars ($40,400) as the Town’s share of service for the Woodstock Area Council on Aging to run the Thompson Senior Center. The Thompson Senior Center is an important community resource – providing daily meals, medical and area transportation, and an array of health, educational and social services that assist residents to age well.
ARTICLE 21: Shall the Town of Woodstock Appropriate the sum of $500 (five hundred dollars) to Green Mountain RSVP & Volunteer Center of Windsor County to develop opportunities for people age 55 and older to positively impact the quality of life in the community of Woodstock through volunteer service.
ARTICLE 22: Shall the Town of Woodstock vote to appropriate the sum of $8,000 for Woodstock’s WCTV Public Access Television to help support coverage of ongoing events within the Town of Woodstock.
ARTICLE 23: Shall bonds or notes of the Town of Woodstock in an amount not to exceed $660,200, subject to reduction from available state and federal grant-in-aid and loan forgiveness, be issued for the purpose of financing the cost of making greenhouse gas emission mitigation and abatement improvements to Town facilities, the cost thereof attributable to such improvements made to the Town’s wastewater treatment facility shall be paid from sewage charges.
Dated at Woodstock, County of Windsor, State of Vermont on this 28th day of January 2022.
By the Select Board members of the Town of Woodstock:
Mary Riley, Chair
Ray Bourgeois, Vice-Chair
John Doten
Keri Cole
Joe Swanson
Charles Degener, III
Town Clerk
These Meetings will be held on Zoom
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NOTICE TO VOTERS
Woodstock residents not on the voter checklist may register to vote at the Town Clerk’s office in the Town Hall.
Absentee ballots are available from the Town Clerk prior to 4:30 P.M. on February 25, 2022. A voter who expects to be an early or absentee voter may apply for an early voter absentee ballot until 4:30 P.M. at the Town Clerk’s office.