Charlotte votes to advocate for continuing support for Ukraine

Among other things that were passed at Saturday’s in-person town meeting was a resolution urging the United States to continue providing military and financial aid to Ukraine.

In his advisory motion for a town resolution, former state representative Mike Yantachka noted that “the support of the United States for Ukraine is under serious reconsideration” after that country has fought for three years against Russia’s violent invasion. The motion also asked for copies of the resolution to be sent to Vermont’s Congressional delegation and the president.

The voice vote on Yantachka’s resolution passed overwhelmingly. The vote sounded like there was only one voice opposed.

Shelburne also passed this resolution 60-8.

Articles 7 and 8, which would have switched Charlotte to doing all its voting by Australian ballot, were the only articles defeated. This defeat will continue the tradition of voice voting for the budget and some other issues.

Among the other articles passed were a town budget for fiscal year 2026 with expenses of $4,265,990 with more than $2.5 million in revenue to pay for this spending coming from taxes and more than $1.7 million coming from other money the town collects.

Voters also approved $62,000 to be delegated to the town trails fund, $5,000 to trails maintenance and $40,000 to pay for a study of a project for the recreation department to renovate or build a bathhouse at the town beach.

At the end of the town meeting, representative Chea Waters Evans was given the opportunity to tell residents about how things are going in Montpelier.

Evans said she had new appreciation for the usually slow and frustratingly deliberate process of state government when legislators were given a 149-page bill close to the end of the legislative session, a bill “that’s going to change everything about how we fund education.” She said it’s not enough time to figure out what is proposed in this lengthy and significant education bill.

Evans also said that her support for funding school lunches will never waver because for too many students, some even from Charlotte, school lunch may be their only meal of the day.