Town priorities, budgeting, leadership decisions’ true cost

I appreciate the ongoing discussion about the town budget and priorities, as these decisions directly impact our community. In a recent opinion piece and Front Porch Forum posts, selectboard member Kelly Devine stated, “The budget not only determines how much your local tax rate will be, it also sets the priorities for the town.”

While I respect this perspective, I take a fundamentally different approach.

The budget should not dictate the town’s priorities. Rather, the selectboard, working in consultation with committees, boards, town staff and residents, should first establish clear priorities and then develop a budget that supports them while maintaining a reasonable tax rate. This collaborative, balanced approach is essential to responsible governance, as I emphasized during Candidates’ Night.

I was struck by the claim that the 114-percent increase in legal expenses (from $35,000 to $75,000) is due to increased “challenges to development review decisions.” This implication is misleading, particularly given my experience on the development review board. To my knowledge, this reasoning was never discussed in selectboard budget meetings, and I encourage Devine to provide factual support for this assertion.

In reality, there has been only one legal challenge to a development review board decision since the board’s formation three years ago. Moreover, the development review board has rarely issued outright denials. I believe four in total. Instead, we worked collaboratively with applicants and interested parties to craft conditions that balance landowners’ rights with the protection of Charlotte’s character and natural resources.

It is also important to note that planning and zoning has a separate legal budget, which covers development review board-related legal expenses. This year, the town budgeted $10,000 for planning and zoning legal costs, yet only about $3,500 has been spent to date for fiscal year 25. In fiscal year 24, just $4,260 of the originally budgeted $13,000 was used. These figures further undermine the claim that increased legal costs stem from development review board decisions.

The $40,000 increase in legal expenditures is, without a doubt, tied to union negotiations. While other factors, such as the Spear Street repairs, may have contributed, there is a clear link between these costs and the selectboard’s decision to cut $40,000 in employee benefits and compensation after the fiscal year 24 budget initially failed in March 2023.

Devine led this effort through the Employee Health Insurance and Compensation Working Group, insisting on these cuts even after alternative cost-saving measures were proposed. These reductions played a direct role in the town employees’ decision to unionize. Ironically, the $40,000 in promised savings has now been entirely offset by increased legal expenditures — both realized and anticipated.

Further underscoring the role of union negotiations in driving up legal costs, the selectboard’s decision to legally challenge whether library employees were town employees added to over-budget expenditures in both fiscal year 24 and 25. This dispute, which stretched from April 24 to Sept. 5, 2024, likely contributed to legal expenses that spanned both fiscal years. While the library is managed by an independent board, the employees’ salaries and benefits are paid directly by the town. Attempting to separate these employees from the collective bargaining agreement was not only legally questionable but also appears disingenuous and ill-advised.

I was also surprised by Devine’s assertion of strong support for the trails, energy and recreation committees’ efforts to secure grant funding. While she has acknowledged grants as a valuable revenue source, conversations with members of these committees suggest a lack of broader support beyond securing outside funding. While volunteers may be hesitant to speak publicly, I encourage residents to engage with these groups and form their own opinions on whether they feel adequately supported by Devine and the current selectboard.

I urge residents to consider these issues carefully, ask questions and participate in discussions about the future of our town. I look forward to continuing these conversations in the weeks ahead.

(JD Herlihy is a candidate for a two-year seat on the selectboard, running against incumbent Kelly Devine.)