Petition OK’d After Deadline

Vermont Standard

2/16/17 

By Curt Peterson

Standard Correspondent

Killington – The  Killington Select Board held an Emergency Meeting on Feb. 3 to approve acceptance of a petition filed after the Jan. 24 official deadline.

“M. B.” Neisner, who is running unopposed for Town Moderator, filed the petition, which asks voters to consider returning from the current Australian ballot system that was adopted in 2011 to the traditional voice-vote method of voting at Town Meeting. The Select Board voted unanimously to include the question as Article 7 on the Town Warning.

After the meeting Select Board chair Patty McGrath said the number of voted counted were about 350 using the Australian ballots, whereas about 200 residents attended the Town Meeting to exercise hand votes, drawing the conclusion that the current system provides more participation.

She noted, for instance, that a fire alarm call during Town Meeting can instantly reduce the number of voters as firemen leave to respond, and that, because many people have to work on Town Meeting day, the hand-vote system favors retired people who may have a different point of view on tax and budget issues than those who are working.

In an email to this reporter, Neisner claimed the select board has misled voters in the past about the budget, and he said a floor vote provides the chance to make changes to the budget at the meeting.

“A floor vote allows changes in the budget (along with other questions) as opposed to an up or down vote,” Neisner wrote. “In addition, most voters are uninformed as to what is being done in our town and just vote assuming that the selectboard and town manager have thoroughly reviewed and understand the budgets, especially those voters who actually pay property taxes.”

Kate Wanner, Project Manager for The Trust for Public Land, and Chris Mattrick, ranger for the Green Mountain National Forest, requested a “letter of approval” from the Select Board referencing the TPL’s purchase of 230.53 acres of land in Killington to add to the GMNF property. The Killington purchase would be part of a 2,800 tract, referred to as “Rolston Rest,” that TPL has contracted to buy from at least three owners. Almost all the land is heavily forested, but there are also wetlands and headwater streams.

Besides the Long Trail, the tract contains part of the Catamount Trail and buffers the Appalachian Trail, all popular hiking routes. Green Mountain National Forest is within a day’s drive of 80 million people.

The State of Vermont had purchased 57.7 acres of the land to protect the Long Trail, and is now ready to sell it for addition to the GMNF.

According to Wanner TPL is purchasing all the timber rights on the land, which will also be turned over to GMNF, who will apply ecologically sound harvesting strategies to the forests.

“Rolston Rest … supports breeding bear habitat, a high density of moose, and a deer wintering area,” says a TPL brochure. “Threatened long-eared bat, turkey, grouse and other species also thrive in the area.”

Wanner said TPL won’t purchase land in towns that object, so the Select Board’s letter of approval is an important part of the process. Selectmen unanimously approved a motion to provide the letter.

The Rolston Rest tract transaction is being funded in part by the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, but TPL needs to raise an additional $400,000 in private money to complete the purchase.

Town Manager Deb Schwartz announced the town has signed a contract to purchase the new Pierce Fire Truck in time to affect a 3 percent, or approximately $30,000, savings prior to a scheduled price increase.

During a recent visit to Killington U. S. Congressman Peter Welch offered to look for federal funds that might help the Killington Volunteer Fire Department with the fire truck purchase. Although his visit was scheduled for a half-hour, Welch spent over 60 minutes with town officials reviewing Tropical Storm Irene FEMA support and other infrastructure issues.

Deb Schwartz reported the town was paying off a $400,000 tax anticipation note on Feb. 08, saving taxpayers about $300 in interest charges by retiring the debt early.