By Curt Peterson
Killington Select Board’s amendments resulted in an estimated municipal property tax rate of $.5569 per $100 of assessed value.
“This is an increase of about 1.8 cents over last year’s rate,” Town Manager Chet Hagenbarth said at the meeting on Jan. 4.
“But remember, the final tax rate isn’t decided until about June,” added Select Board Member Jim Haff.
The residents vote on a budget, not a tax rate, Haff explained. The budget is then divided by the total Grand List value to come up with an estimate.
The Select Board also discussed the Town Meeting informational session format. The 2021 meeting was held remotely due to the pandemic, but Haff said he hopes it can go back to being at the school this year, with Zoom access also provided. He said the state has relaxed some of the rules about school buildings, and more information is expected in about a week.
The board decided to wait for the new guidelines before making a decision, and to talk to school officials in the meantime.
Adding a ballot question about allowing cannabis sales in Killington will also wait, as advised by the town attorney, until the state regulations are announced.
The Killington Select Board also said it will publicize that its regular meeting schedule and venue have changed. There was very low attendance at their first 2022 meeting: five in-person and eight remote, including the town manager, the interim zoning administrator, the chief of police and one of the select board members.
Select Board member Jim Haff said the town needs to put the changes “out there.”
From now on the meetings will be held the second and fourth Monday of each month, still starting at 6:30 p.m. The next meeting will be on Jan. 24.
The venue has changed as well to the new public safety building on Killington Road. Meetings will be available both in-person (masks required) and virtually via Zoom. They are also recorded so people who miss a meeting can review them at their convenience.
In response to suggestions, Town Manager Chet Hagenbarth will be posting the Zoom link at the same time the meetings are warned. He said he had been waiting until a half hour before the meeting started because a meeting was hacked almost two years ago.
Board chair Steve Finneron said people were frustrated by looking for it at the last minute.
