Around Town With The Colchester Town Manager #37
September 3, 2011 by Al · Leave a Comment
As Town Manager, I receive many “observations” about the Town’s tax rate and its taxes. So as one item for this week’s column I thought I would share how some of that tax money was spent this past weekend in response to Hurricane Irene. Most of the column will be devoted to last week’s Selectboard [...]
Around Town with the Town Manager #8
August 9, 2010 by Al · Leave a Comment
On Tuesday, July 27, 2010, a milestone occurred for the development of a new police facility. The Select Board and the School Board met in a joint meeting. As a result of the meeting, the School Board voted to grant the Town use of eight acres of land for a new police facility. Four of [...]
Around Town with the Town Manager #7
July 22, 2010 by Al · Leave a Comment
This is the final in a series of three columns on Tax Incremental Financing, known and referred to a TIF. This column is devoted exclusively to questions about the financing or paying for the infrastructure improvements to Severance Corners, of course, with your approval as voters. The ball is in your hands – if you [...]
Around Town with the Town Manager #6
July 17, 2010 by Al · Leave a Comment
Remember last week’s exciting column on Tax Increment Financing? As a result of that column we have some questions. Kimberly and I will do our best to answer these questions. But don’t hesitate to call or write us if you have additional questions or don’t understand our answers to these questions. The Select Board does [...]
Around Town with the Town Manager #5
July 10, 2010 by Al · Leave a Comment
As promised in my last column, this column will be the first of many on “TIF’s” – Tax Increment Financing. Co-writing this column is Kimberly Murray, the Town’s Director of Economic and Community Development. She is the Town’s expert on Tax Increment Financing. I could not write this column on this subject without her help. [...]
Around Town with the Town Manager #4
July 5, 2010 by Al · Leave a Comment
The Evergreen Report cost the taxpayers $28,000 and is a central theme of my thoughts and actions as Town Manager. The full report including its recommendations can be found at http://www.colchestervt.gov/misc/EvergreenFinalReport.pdf. People need to become familiar with it. Today, I am going to give an update on several of the report’s recommendations – specifically numbers [...]
Around Town with the Town Manager #3
June 20, 2010 by Al · Leave a Comment
As noted in my first column, I think of my primary job as being “guardian of the future.” Nothing is more worrisome than the fact that we live in a society that is “governed” by past decisions. Since we are not omniscient, our decisions today have a tendency to “limit our freedom of choices” in [...]
Around Town with the Town Manager #2
June 13, 2010 by Al · Leave a Comment
This week, May 17-21, has been one of worry and reflection. For the first two days, worry whether the voters would pass or reject the request to re-authorize the Capital Transportation Program. On Election Day, close to 8:00 p.m., we learned from Karen Richard, Town Clerk that the re-authorization request passed by 300+ votes. That [...]
Around Town with the Town Manager #1
June 6, 2010 by Al · Leave a Comment
A number of people have suggested that I write a weekly column to report my thoughts on happenings in the town of Colchester so residents will understand what municipal government is doing. There is one problem: I’m not a writer and I’m a private person. With that caveat, over the course of the next several [...]
Your Chance To Be Heard! School Budget Survey
March 22, 2010 by John Abry · Leave a Comment
The following was recently posted on Front Porch Forum: HAVE YOU TAKEN OUR SCHOOL BUDGET SURVEY? By Cathy Ward, Office Manager – Colchester School District, Laker Ln, CSDWEBMASTER@csdvt.org Fri, 19 March 2010 Have you taken a few minutes to complete our School Budget Survey? Your responses will help the School Board and school administrators to [...]