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It's the season for pumpkin spice lattes or apple pie with a slice of cheddar – as well as a time to look at what's happened this year and what's still to come. In this issue of the VLCT Journal we take a look back at Town Fair, congratulate award winners, and welcome a new employee. We also remind you that your VLCT PACIF renewal is due tomorrow and announce that the 2025-2026 Municipal Policy was adopted at the Annual Meeting, so don't forget to take a look.
Follow our Facebook page for more news, updates, and announcements: facebook.com/VTLeague.
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Report from Town Fair 2024
Over 500 people were at the Killington Grand for Town Fair 2024! They attended trainings, spoke with exhibitors, and got to hear from The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore about the effects of extreme weather events. Read more about it.
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Congratulations 2024 VLCT Award Winners & Nominees
VLCT Board President Bill Fraser announced the winners of this year's VLCT awards earlier this month at Town Fair. The 2024 Legislative Service Award went to Vermont Senator Jane Kitchel of Danville. The 2024 VLCT Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Killington Town Clerk and Treasurer Lucrecia Wonsor. Two 2024 Municipal Service Awards were presented: one to all Vermont municipal road crews and the other to former Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger. Read more about their accomplishments.
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Municipal Authority to Maintain Legal Trails Challenged
In a case with widespread municipal importance, two Tunbridge landowners are seeking a declaratory judgment in the Orange County Superior Court that they, rather than the town, hold the legal authority to determine whether and how to build, maintain, and repair the legal municipal trail located on their property. This case could reduce recreational opportunities precisely as municipalities are trying to increase them.
Learn the ramifications.
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PACIF Distinctions
The Property and Casualty Intermunicipal Fund, aka PACIF, is a member-owned risk-sharing pool that exists for the sole benefit of Vermont municipal entities. PACIF's unique benefits and programs are specifically designed for and in response to member needs. The Vermont-based staff are here to assist you with claims, safety, human resources concerns, and more.
Find out how PACIF benefits you.
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Municipal Legislative Policy Approved
Attendees at VLCT's Annual Meeting on October 1 approved the Municipal Policy for the 2025-2026 biennium. These policies will be condensed into Legislative Priorities by the VLCT board next month, and both documents will guide VLCT's activity in the Vermont General Assembly (legislature) when it convenes at the start of the new year. We encourage you to contact us, and your legislators, about the issues that concern you most.
Read the policy.
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Does a Budget Committee Have Any Legal Authority?
The role of citizens in the budget preparation process varies from town to town. To increase citizen participation in the budget preparation process, some towns have formed budget committees. While its influence may be significant, such a committee is only advisory. This lack of final statutory decision-making authority means that these committees most likely qualify as “advisory bodies” under Vermont’s Open Meeting Law.
Discover the details.
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Marguerite Ladd Joins VLCT
A former town administrator and deputy manager, Marguerite joins the new Municipal Operations Assistance team. She will help towns with financial management, from budget challenges to grants and financial policies. She shares, "A fun fact about me: I have a master’s degree in music! Yep, I used to spend my days immersed in staff paper, and now I’m all about t-accounts and municipal finance. It turns out there's a surprising amount of math, rhythm, and structure in both – just don’t ask me to play piano at a budget meeting!"
Meet Marguerite.
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Take a Look at Town Fair
VLCT's annual conference, Town Fair, took place earlier this month. See if you can spot yourself in any of our event photos, upload your own photos from the day, or get a visual impression of what Town Fair is all about if you've never attended. Stay tuned: more information on the date and location for next year's event will be announced soon.
See what it's all about.
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Is Your Child Thinking About Work in Municipal Government?
Town Fair attendees raised $1,500 for VLCT's Municipal Service Scholarship via the extremely popular Grand Raffle, which, in addition to the $6,000 raised earlier this year at VLCT's golf tournament, means that we can support more students thinking about a career in local government. If your child, municipal pool lifeguard, or other employee or elected official is attending college in Vermont and thinking about pursuing a career in local government, please encourage them to apply. Learn more about the scholarship.
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Thank You to the Businesses and Organizations that Support VLCT
A sincere thank you goes out to all of the 2024-2025 Business Alliance Program Members and Town Fair Sponsors. Their contributions allow VLCT to continue to host Town Fair, bring in high quality speakers, and keep the registration fees reasonable. If you couldn't attend this year, please take a moment to learn more about the organizations that support VLCT. Check out the sponsors.
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Highlights from Compensation and Benefits Data
A record 189 Vermont cities, towns, and villages took this summer's survey to provide data for the 2024 Vermont Municipal Compensation and Benefits Report. The report provides hard-to-find contextual and comparison data that helps you budget. This year nearly 63 percent of responding municipalities have populations under 2,000, making the report a valuable tool for large and small municipalities alike. Look into the preview.
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About VLCT Journal
Find all issues of the VLCT Journal at vlct.org/journal.
As always, be sure to follow us on social media and regularly check the updated home page of our website for breaking news and announcements.
Please contact us at vlctnews@vlct.org with any comments or suggestions for upcoming content.
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* POP QUIZ ANSWERS
Values Collection is a term for the data collected during the renewals process. Renewals are due Friday, 10/18. Learn more.
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