Charlotte Volunteer Fire and Rescue Services is a private, not-for-profit corporation whose mission is to provide fire and safety protection and emergency medical services to the town of Charlotte.
An appropriations increase requested by CVFRS for fiscal year 2022 was the hotly debated topic at the Special Selectboard Meeting on January 17 with the final decision to be made by town voters in March.
CVFRS is required by its MOA agreement with the Town of Charlotte to provide basic and paramedic level rescue services, and to do so with reasonable and appropriate expenditures.
Proposed bond includes $4.7 million in renovations for Charlotte Central School
Charlotter’s write in about support for selectboard candidacy, school district’s proposed budget and energy change.
The Vermont House has worked productively in the last two weeks. We approved the annual Budget Adjustment bill (H.138), a mid-year technical adjustment to keep the state’s Fiscal Year 2021 budget in balance.
With three meetings in eight days, the Selectboard is just about on track for time spent getting the budget and ballot items ready for Charlotters. With Land Use Regulation amendments on track to make it to a vote this spring, and around $70,00 that needs to be shaved off the budget, there’s a lot to talk about.
Selectboad and all other town board and committee meetings will be held on Zoom indefinitely due to the Vermont state directive that persons from different households not gather together in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The Champlain Valley School District School Board is beginning the budget process for the 2021–2022 school year. This budget will be presented to voters before and on Town Meeting Day, March 2, 2021. The board is providing virtual opportunities for community members to give input regarding next year’s budget.
The Legislature moved closer to final adjournment last week with the passage by the House of the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) budget. Since all money bills, both taxation and spending, must originate in the House, the next step is for the Senate to weigh in.
How much is Charlotte spending on policing? The simple answer: not a lot, but police services are a very small piece of the greater emergency services pie.
A meeting of the Finance Committee of the CVSD Board met on June 3 to discuss the current and future financial picture of the Champlain Valley School District. Jeanne Jensen reviewed the FY 20 financials. The added expenditure of providing food service was balanced by the fact that special education tuition services and professional development were reduced.
At the Champlain Valley School District school board meeting on January 21, the board weighed educational goals, equity concerns, and various budget constraints to approve a budget that will be put in front of the voters on March 2 and 3. Among the educational needs and goals were the immediate needs for a guidance counselor and administrative support at CVU, and the imperative to ensure equity among all schools in their educational offerings and support services. In addition there is an effort to provide more intensive services within the district for students with emotional and behavioral problems. These requests were met by reshuffling of personnel, creatively using grants, and requesting additional personnel.
Members at Monday’s Selectboard meeting passed the FY2021 proposed budget and articles for Town Meeting. The proposed budget was further trimmed by the Selectboard with suggestions from Town Treasurer Mary Mead, Assistant Town Clerk Christina Booher, and from the public. There were more attendees at this meeting than in several months, each there for varying topics, but the budget took center stage.
The Dec. 17 CVSD School Board meeting focused on the operations budget, the part of the budget that deals with maintenance, food service, transportation and technology services. This side of the budget also includes the management of the capital-needs budget.
The board of directors was significantly reshaped this year. Rick Detwiler, Patrice Machavern and Louisa Schibli (see below) left the board, and John Quinney, Lane Morrison, Ted LeBlanc, Claudia Marshall, Jack Fairweather and Christina Asquith joined it. The board also elected John Hammer as our first-ever emeritus trustee in recognition of his long, distinguished and continuing service to the paper as a board member and officer, financial supporter and voluntary Selectboard reporter. We’re now at full strength as a board and looking forward to a productive 2020 and beyond.
The December 3 CVSD Board meeting focused on a discussion of the FY 2021 general instructional budget and the difficulties of aligning board goals and vision with budget realities. Superintendent Elaine Pinckney guided the board through the process of how the budget is developed through planning meetings with principals and building staff.
The Nov. 25 Selectboard meeting featured a shorter agenda, with members Carrie Spear and Fritz Tegatz absent. The remaining three members heard from various town committees on budget requests, solar RFPs and appointments.
The Champlain Valley School District, which is comprised of six schools in four towns, has one big budget that covers the needs of every school in the district. This is the second year after local schools merged to form one district and the school budget went from being a town-based issue to a district-wide vote.
The Champlain Valley School District Board meeting on Monday, Jan. 22, was brief with no adjustments to the agenda and little discussion from the board prior to voting to adopt the final budget for FY20.