LONDONDERRY, Vt. – At its July 20 regular meeting, the Londonderry Selectboard began with an executive session, which resulted in the board authorizing Town Administrator Aileen Tulloch, short-term rental (STR) administrator Andy Dahlstrom, and town attorney Bob Fisher to execute a lawsuit case for injunctive relief against Eric Delone, in order to enforce the town’s STR ordinance.
Tulloch then announced that surveillance cameras and a hard drive were purchased for $1,700, which was recommended by the town’s IT department as part of better securing the town office building. Additionally, there is a public hearing on Aug. 19 regarding a draft of the clean water and drinking water state revolving funds use plan. Tulloch reported that the South Londonderry Village wastewater project is on the top of that priority list.
An overview and update of Act 151 was provided to the board, and can be found on page 115 of the July 20 meeting packet on the town’s website, www.londonderryvt.gov. In summary, the Windham Regional Commission stated, “Act 152 fully repeals the Tier 3 area and ‘Road Rule’ jurisdiction included in the new Act 250 framework…With the passage of Act 152, the land use review board has now stopped their work related to Tier 3 and the Road Rule. The Tier 1A and Tier 1B exemption areas in the new Act 250 framework remain in place.”
Carol Lighthall, executive director of the Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce, spoke to the board regarding renewing its chamber membership. The chamber in turn provides coverage of area events and businesses on its website and in its magazine, as well as business discounts to members. “Having a chamber is like having a really good tool in your toolshed,” Lighthall expressed. The board agreed to become a member again this year after letting its membership lapse last year.
The board then heard from Richard and Diane Squires, owners of the building which previously housed the South Londonderry Post Office, and which is now in need of major repairs that “blindsided” them. Richard explained that the couple had purchased the historic building about 25 years ago, intrigued with its unique charm, but related that it is a big building with major upkeep. Over the years they’ve replaced the roof and siding, among other repairs and maintenance.
The Squires recently learned that the rafters under the floor of the post office itself are weakening, hence the closure of the post office. Richard expressed how time consuming and expensive this repair would be, and said that he has had significant difficulty over the years finding contractors and other service providers. Richard hoped that the building would qualify for a historical preservation grant for a fresh owner. The Squires were seeking any advice or guidance from the town, recommendations for lawn maintenance and pressure washing services to “keep the building looking decent” in the meantime. They also said they hoped the town or an interested party would purchase the building.
It was discussed that the Squires are on the list for Phase 1 connection to the wastewater system, and that the large building could house a few apartments with some work. The pair hope that the building can become something that is “viable for the community,” noting that the post office lease was put on hold with the uncertainty of the future of the building.
The board closed the regular meeting by adopting a resolution in support of the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital birthing center. The medical center trustees recently voted to close the birthing center in the next 6-9 months, as it is struggling financially. The Brattleboro Selectboard is now asking many towns and municipalities to sign the resolution in hopes of persuading the governor’s office to reallocate funds to the birthing center.
Tulloch noted that Brattleboro is one of the only birthing centers in the region, and stated, “It’s a vital service to the area…It’s also really scary because there’s no other [local] place [to go.]”
On July 22, the Town of Londonderry reconvened for a special town meeting, to again vote on allocation of funds for a general office manager position. Citizens originally postponed this vote at their annual Town Meeting, in hopes to get more concrete information and a breakdown of budgets for this position. At the continuation of Town Meeting on May 11, it was explained that the town would raise a sum not to exceed $81,000 in taxes to fund the position. This would replace the current part-time assistant town clerk position, which carries a salary of $32,295. This means the town would be raising an additional $48,705 for the new proposed full-time position over their current annual budget.
The new full-time position was voted down on May 11, and a petition for a revote was submitted shortly thereafter by a few residents.
During the July 22 continuation of Town Meeting, a motion was made to postpone the article indefinitely, meaning the selectboard would have to bring the article up again at next year’s Town Meeting if they wished to put this back before voters.
Melissa Brown stated, “I am the one who put together this petition…I think this is a real opportunity for us as a community to get together and be heard. And no matter how it flies in the end, at least we are all here and we had a say in it.”
Assistant Town Clerk George Mora expressed, “It would be regrettable…all the effort to make this meeting happen, to just ditch [the article]…I think we owe it to one another to have a discussion about this in a reasonable way.”
Other citizens felt their voice was already heard, and questioned how many times they would need to vote on the article.
Paper ballots were counted and the motion to postpone the article indefinitely passed 71-63, which rejected the general office manager position.
Following the town meeting on July 22, special meeting was held to set the tax rate for fiscal year 2026-2027. Treasurer Tina Labeau reported that the town had a $300,000 surplus last year, and an estimated $700,000 surplus this year, so she put $150,000 into the budget to lower the municipal tax rate. With a budget of $3.6 million and a grand list value of $4,410,071, the municipal tax rate was set at 70.28 cents. Including educational taxes, the homestead tax rate was set at $2.3973 per $100 of assessed value, and nonhomestead at $2.7279.
The Londonderry Selectboard meets the first and third Mondays of every month, at 6 p.m., at the town office and on Zoom.