Voting in Hartford: a multi-week informational process

Submitted

The town of Hartford has two public meetings leding up to Town Meeting Day, key to the events being voted upon.

HARTFORD—The town of Hartford, which is comprised of the unincorporated villages of White River Junction, Quechee, Wilder, West Hartford and Hartford, is a charter town with a unique take on Town Meeting. Most matters are decided by secret ballot on Vermont’s Town Meeting Day, occurring this year on Tuesday, March 1. However, instead of a single public meeting there are two: Monday, Feb. 22, and Saturday, Feb. 27. These two meetings are key events in the Hartford Town Meeting cycle, according to town officials.

This year, Budget & Candidates Night will start at 7 p.m. on Feb. 22, at the Hartford High School Auditorium with a presentation of the Hartford Town School District budget by Lori Dickerson, who chairs the School Board. Rebecca White, a member of the Select Board, will present the Hartford municipal budget. The 10 candidates for various seats will then have three minutes each to speak. A general Q&A session will follow.

On the following Saturday, Feb. 27, the town will convene at 10 a.m. in the Hartford High School gym for a series of public hearings. One will be on the second tax increment financing bond for infrastructure improvements in downtown White River Junction (the first was approved in 2014), and three will be on changes to the town charter: one to modify the procedure followed when a budget is voted down, the other two to implement a local sales tax on the sale of rooms, meals and alcoholic beverages, and then to dedicate those revenues to a capital expense fund. Town Moderator Michael Kainen will preside at both meetings.