Dear Editor,
I am writing today with some thoughts regarding Plymouth’s Selectboard meetings and agendas. First and most important we as a town are extremely grateful for all the work the current selectboard has done in addressing issues that may have not been addressed in the past in a timely fashion. I completely appreciate that the demands on the selectboard for their time and energy are extensive with little to no compensation. Nonetheless, I feel strongly that attention needs to be paid to the communication from the board regarding meetings, events, and issues.
By way of information, the Plymouth Selectboard is scheduled to meet twice a month on the first and third Monday of each month. In the last few months in particular there have been changes to that schedule (either cancellations or postponing’s) that were not well communicated, despite the efforts of many in the town. In particular a December meeting was cancelled, and another set up for a few days prior to the date that was cancelled, which we learned about after through the posted minutes (very grateful for those!). Another meeting was held in February regarding short-term rentals in which a select group was invited but no general notice was given to voters.
At the same time, it has also been difficult for some time now to be able to view the agenda for those meetings until sometimes very late on the day of the meeting, or in some cases there was no agenda for a meeting that was held. This has been brought to the attention of the selectboard by many residents, who have either tried to attend in person or participate by Zoom.
According to Vermont statutes, the selectboard agenda should be available five days before the meeting. I respectfully request that the Plymouth Selectboard provide the agenda for its meetings within that time frame.
Communication and transparency are central to participatory local governments. This communication has become even more important as the Plymouth town voters have handed over the responsibilities of hiring and managing the town clerk, treasurer, and delinquent tax collector to the selectboard. The town voters no longer have the right to elect those town officers and will have to rely on the selectboard to keep them apprised of developments, issues, and changes with regard to those town officials.
Finally, the Plymouth Selectboard will be making a decision this spring on how large a bond it will issue to cover the costs of the upcoming municipal building renovation. As noted here in the Vermont Journal, the voters of Plymouth have authorized the board to issue a bond in the amount of up to $800,000 (in addition to the funds on hand already authorized of $950,000).
In the time period since the original authorization of the renovation, the town has seen its cash position balloon from approximately $1.8 million at fiscal year end June 2022 to almost $3 million in January 2023. Just by way of comparison, the Town of Ludlow ended fiscal 2022 with about $2 million in cash and investments, compared to $1.9 in cash and investments for Plymouth. At the same time, Plymouth’s annual operating budget is well less than 30% of Ludlow’s annual budget.
There are a number of projects/items that those increased funds will be allocated to, but it is critical that the selectboard advise the town of its intentions for those substantial funds, and more importantly use at least some of those funds to reduce the final amount of the bond issue. Plymouth also has ARPA funds remaining that exceed $150,000, which do not seem to have a designated use. Perhaps those could be used toward the building renovation, but at a minimum, ideas should be discussed with voters on how those funds could be best spent. Going forward, the communication of the developments and progress in the renovation, particularly with regard to budgets, progress payments, and the finances of the town, is so very critical. The selectboard has designated a project manager who has been charged with that responsibility.
In this environment of increasing inflation, a pending multi-million dollar school bond issue, and other requirements of the town, in particular the fire department, it is extremely important that our representative government looks to manage its fiscal and budgetary responsibility with prudence and transparency.
I cannot reiterate enough again how grateful we are as a town for the efforts and hard work performed by the selectboard in the last few years. I only ask simply for better information flow and communication.
Thank you so very much.
Very best regards,
Carol Goodwin
Plymouth, Vt.