The Citizen - 2-8-24

Prosecutor charged

In musing

Attorney seeks to move case against teen

Thank your sweethearts for perfect imperfections

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February 8, 2024

Weekly news coverage for Charlotte and Hinesburg

Selectboard issues apology for curbing public comment

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Town manager conversation heats up LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

The Charlotte Selectboard issued an apology Monday after it attempted to limit public comment from certain residents at a public hearing last week regarding a Town Meeting Day ballot item to switch to a town manager form of government.

Those who were stifled from

public comment were members of the group responsible for a resident-led petition to switch to a town manager form of government — a move the selectboard has strenuously opposed. The board took a straw poll vote against the idea at a meeting in August.

“I’d like to give an apology for See APOLOGY on page 11

Public safety plan released in Hinesburg COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

Hinesburg’s public safety strategic plan, released to the selectboard last month, offers a litany of recommendations to strengthen and support Hinesburg’s police and fire services, but notes that both “are meeting the current level of needs for the community.”

After turbulence in the police department in 2022, the town selectboard in December of that year moved to hire a consultant, the Center for Governmental Research based in Rochester, N.Y., to conduct an overview of the town’s public safety services and understand what the options are for the future.

The consultant interviewed selectboard members, town staff, police and fire staff and leadership, and conducted interviews and focus groups with community members. They analyzed the types of incidents that the two police

departments were responding to, as well as their volume of calls and other data points, and compared that to the bandwidth of the departments’ staff.

The report provided a long list of recommendations for how to boost these agencies but said that there are “relatively few requests for services each day (about five for the police department and one-anda-half for the fire department).”

The desire for an ambulance service in town is “still prevalent” among residents, the report reads, but it added the town would “require a significant subsidy to operate.” Residents in November 2020 voted 1,911 to 1,030 to start and operate its own EMS service, after St. Michaels College Rescue stopped its service effective July 2021. The town later determined it would not be able to operate its own service “due to a lack of suffiPHOTO BY AL FREY

See PLAN on page 12

Senior Tucker Tharpe had 21 points for the Redhawks against Essex on Thursday, beating the Hornets 62-46. More sports on page 10.

Page 2 • February 8, 2024 • The Citizen

Case transfer for teen charged with murder sought Prosecutor, accused of DUI, criticized for keeping victim’s family in dark ALAN J. KEAYS VTDIGGER

An attorney for a 14-year-old boy charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a peer has filed a motion to transfer the case from adult court to juvenile court, drawing objections from the victim’s family.

Deputy Defender General Marshall Pahl, who is representing the teen, alerted Judge David Fenster to the motion during a status hearing in the case in Addison County Superior criminal court in Middlebury on Monday.

Speaking outside the courtroom after the brief hearing, relatives of 14-year-old Shelburne resident Madden Gouveia, who was killed in the shooting in Bristol last October, said moving the case out of adult court would not serve justice.

“I feel like it’s just being pushed under the rug,” Kelly Gouveia, Madden’s mother, told reporters through tears.

Should the case be moved to family court, the defendant would be treated as a juvenile and the proceedings would be closed to the public. Second-degree murder carries a penalty of 20 years to life in prison.

VTDigger generally does not identify juvenile defendants and is not doing so in this case at this time.

Gouveia’s family members on Monday also expressed concern about the lead prosecutor in the case, Addison County State’s Attorney Eva Vekos, who was charged

Jan. 25 with drunken driving.

“I hope it doesn’t hurt my case,” Kelly Gouveia said. “I pray (to) the Lord because it seems like everything is going against it.”

Vekos left the courtroom without responding to questions from reporters on her arrest Thursday night or the defense’s attempt to move the murder case to juvenile court. Vekos walked briskly away from members of the press and into her office on the same floor of the courtroom.

Asked if she had any comment on her recent arrest, she replied, “I don’t,” without turning around.

The Shelburne community, and broader Champlain Valley community, has been in mourning since Madden’s death.

The Champlain Valley School District has employed trained professionals, counseling staff and support from the Howard Center to assist students and staff.

Madden’s sister, Nicole Worthen, started a GoFundMe page to help Gouveia’s father and stepmother bury the teen and said the family was completely lost and heartbroken, especially since the family was still grieving the loss of its oldest brother, Russell Worthen, who died in an accident in 2020.

“Madden was so full of life, so fearless, smart and had a heart of gold,” his sister wrote on the fundraising site in October. “We lost our oldest brother in 2020 in an accident, so this is our parent’s second son they have had to bury.”

Vekos was arrested Jan. 25 after police said she showed up at the

POOL PHOTO BY DEREK BROUWER/SEVEN DAYS

Addison County State’s Attorney Eva Vekos.

scene of a suspicious death investigation in Bridport smelling of alcohol and appearing impaired.

Police said Vekos refused to undergo sobriety tests and was arrested for drunken driving, refusal.

Vekos is set to be arraigned in that case next month.

Pahl’s motion to transfer the murder case to Addison County Superior family court in Middlebury, which hears juvenile cases, is one page and calls for a hearing on the matter.

However, during the brief court proceeding Monday, the defense attorney told Fenster that he was still awaiting an expert’s evaluation of his client.

Vekos told the judge that she wanted to find out the results of that evaluation before deciding whether a contested hearing would be needed or if she would agree to

the juvenile court transfer.

Speaking after a hearing in early November, Vekos called the adult murder charge a “starting point.”

“Being charged as an adult doesn’t mean he’s necessarily going to be convicted as an adult, but it’s a starting point,” Vekos said at that time.

“This was a loaded weapon,” she said then, “and the behavior as far as we’re concerned was so, you know, reckless to an extreme where somebody’s dead because of it.”

The 14-year-old defendant is accused of fatally shooting his peer on the night of Oct. 30 when a gun discharged as the defendant was waving it around in a car, according to charging documents.

Vekos’ decision to file the adult murder charge against the

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14-year-old boy, who is Black, as an adult drew opposition from civil rights and social justice advocates, including the Rutland-area branch of the NAACP. Monday’s hearing lasted less than 10 minutes. The defendant and his attorney appeared by video.

Gouveia’s family walked into the courtroom near the end of the proceeding.

Kelly Gouveia said she didn’t even know that a hearing had been scheduled in the case until Friday — and only then because she had called a victim’s advocate. She also said that Vekos, the prosecutor, hasn’t spoken to her about the case since it was filed in late October.

“This is more hurtful than a lot of things,” Gouveia said. “It’s like nobody cares.”

Gouveia also decried the lack of a secure juvenile facility in Vermont to house youth charged with violent offenses, a situation that has led to the defendant being free on conditions.

Initially, Vekos had sought to have the teen held in custody, but after learning in testimony shortly after the shooting that he would be held in an adult prison due to the lack of a secure juvenile facility, she dropped the request.

Kelly Gouveia and other family members wore T-shirts to the court hearing Monday with an image of Madden Gouveia on them.

She described her son as a bright teen who was quick with a smile. She said he “fell in with the wrong crowd,” ultimately resulting in his death.

“He deserves justice, he really does,” Kelly Gouveia said.

She added of the teen charged with killing her son, “I just want him to take responsibility.”

Corey McDonald and Liberty Darr contributed to this report.

The Citizen • February 8, 2024 • Page 3

New selectboard candidate jumps into local government Two seats up for grabs, three candidates LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

Three Charlotte candidates, including newcomer Natalie Kanner, are vying for two open selectboard seats on Town Meeting Day this year.

Running against Kanner for the two-year seat is incumbent Louise McCarren. Frank Tenney is running uncontested for re-election to the three-year seat.

Charlie Russell, chair of the development review board, who had previously submitted a petition for candidacy, later withdrew his petition after meeting Kanner, who would have been his opponent.

“She clearly is interested in serving on the selectboard and is committed to showing up prepared and doing the tough work of the selectboard,” he said. “I can go back to working on development review board applications.”

Kanner, a graduate of the University of Vermont with a degree in psychology and environmental studies, is a recent resident of Charlotte. She and her

Natalie Kanner

family moved back to Vermont in 2015, eventually making their way to town in 2020.

Although she currently works as a private practice mental health counselor, she aspires now to also make a difference within her community by running for local office.

“After moving to Charlotte and enrolling our kids at the Charlotte Central School, I wanted to find a way to serve and integrate into our new community, so I volunteered to be on the board

of the Charlotte Central School’s parent-teacher organization, later serving as the vice president,” she said.

Both her personal work and that of the parent-teacher organization are oriented around building community through events and fundraising and finding ways to bridge the gap between “what we have and what we need,” she said. “Through this work, I came to better understand our town, its history and hopes for the future,” she said.

Kanner said running for the selectboard is her first opportunity to get involved in town government, and she has chosen to run for selectboard this year because she feels she has the capacity to take on work with “organized, energetic and thoughtful participation.”

“Having had the opportunity to listen to and speak with others in Charlotte, I heard the call for more varied representation on the selectboard,” she said. “I believe See KANNER on page 13

VTrans scribes craft puns New federal regulations could end the fun COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

Rachel Noyes often laughs at her own jokes, but in her defense, it’s hard not to laugh when you’re driving along I-89 and the traffic sign is telling you to “Camp in the woods / Not in the left lane.”

Plenty of signs like that have popped up on Vermont’s interstates in recent years — “If you hate tickets / Raise your right foot,” for example, or “Visiting in laws? / Slow down, be late” — that gently remind you not to drive like a maniac but are also objectively hilarious. Noyes ought to know, she wrote them.

“The thing that’s so great about this is I submit a lot of these and when I’m on the highway and I see these, I laugh,” Noyes said. “I think they’re so great.”

The outreach manager with the state highway safety office, Noyes is one half of a writer’s room in the Vermont Agency of Transpor-

tation. Together with Ryan Knapp, the agency’s Intelligent Transportation System chief, they’re tasked with coming up with messages to flash to drivers as they’re motoring along the interstate. The two have been crafting the puns since at least 2020.

The paramount purpose of the message boards is to enhance highway safety in real time, Knapp says. That means alerting drivers that there’s a crash ahead, or that there may be black ice on the road, or that there’s snow on the ground and you don’t want to have to call a wrecker to pull your car out of a ditch.

They pair with national safety campaigns put forth by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has an annual calendar of enforcement campaigns specifically for occupant protection, or impaired driving, for example. They work with local and state law enforcement as well.

But over the years, the pair has written their own puns and jokes to time with the holidays, cultural events or the changing seasons, and they’ve become immensely popular. A Reddit thread posted last year showcased some of people’s favorites: • “No Valentine? / Your seat belt will hold you.”

• “You may sparkle / But don’t drive lit.”

• “90 is the temperature / Not the speed limit.”

The agency in 2021 put on a contest to solicit feedback and ask for public submissions, and Knapp and Noyes said they were flooded with one-liners — which quickly became a lot to manage.

“We got a lot of submissions,” Noyes said. “People got really excited about it.”

They must work within certain boundaries, of course.

See VTRANS on page 13

Page 4 • February 8, 2024 • The Citizen

CRIME & COURTS Hinesburg Police Blotter: Jan. 24 - Feb. 4 Total incidents: 60 Arrests: 1 Jan. 24 at 6:58 p.m., officers investigated a vehicle that went off Pond Brook Road.

Jan. 26 at 8 a.m., a citizen on Waltz Way was assisted with an animal issue.

Jan. 26 at 6:15 p.m., officers assisted first responders with a medical emergency on Old Route 116.

Jan. 27 at 12:07 p.m., police investigated suspicious activity on North Road.

Jan. 28 at 1:15 p.m., found property was turned into police.

Jan. 30 at 7:36 a.m., an officer investigated damage to a motor vehicle on Walts Way. Jan. 30 at 7:57 a.m., police investigated a motor vehicle complaint on Texas Hill Road.

Jan. 30 at 3:07 p.m., officers investigated a burglary on North Road.

Jan. 30 at 5:32 p.m., officers responded to a citizen dispute on Farmall Drive.

Jan. 30 at 8:25 p.m., officers responded to a medical emergency on Shadow Lane. Jana Avram, 54, of Hinesburg, was pronounced dead at the scene

of suspected natural causes.

Jan. 31 at 2:01 p.m., officers responded to CVU to assist staff with a juvenile issue.

Jan. 31 at 8:37 p.m., officers responded to a domestic dispute on Thunder Drive.

Stan Christman, 81, of Hinesburg, was arrested for domestic assault and interference with access to emergency services.

Feb. 1 at 7:37 a.m., police conducted a welfare check on Jourdan Street.

Feb. 1 at 8:20 p.m., an alarm activation on Friendship Lane was investigated.

Feb. 2 at 8:52 a.m., police investigated the theft of property on Catchapaw Road.

Feb. 2 at 1:11 p.m., an officer responded to Commerce Street to investigate the report of a stolen credit card that was used to make retail purchases.

Feb. 3 at 4:24 p.m., police conducted a welfare check on Silver Street.

Feb. 4 at 11:54 a.m., an officer responded to a citizen dispute on Walts Way. Feb. 4 at 1:50 p.m., police investigated a motor vehicle complaint on Route 116.

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Private security guard jailed for impersonating federal agent MIKE DONOGHUE CORRESPONDENT

A private security guard who authorities say falsely claimed he was both a federal agent and former Marine was ordered jailed Monday after appearing in federal court on fraudulent impersonation charges.

Brandon Anderson, 34, of Williston, had been providing armed protection through a private security firm for a Williston building leased by the Federal Emergency Management Agency until he was fired last Friday, officials said.

South Burlington Police confirmed this week that it had an incident with Anderson claiming to be a federal agent during an incident at the University Mall three months ago, court records note.

The latest case unfolded when the Chittenden County Sheriff’s Department received a call from the FedEx office in Williston on Wednesday, Jan. 31, about a man dressed in full tactical gear and a wearing a holstered gun, U.S. Homeland Security Investiga-

tions said in court records, which vest and a black tactical uniform also noted he was attempting to with black body armor with no ship numerous firearms to New patches except for a small insigYork. nia on the vest, records show.

A Chittenden deputy sheriff, FedEx said it would not ship who is an actual retired federal the guns that Anderson wanted agent himself, spoke to Anderson to send to his employer, Strateover the phone and asked several gic Security Corp. of Smithtown, questions, but soon became suspi- N.Y., records show. cious. Anderson claimed he was Anderson appeared briefly in a “DHS agent” federal court (U.S. Department Monday and The government of Homeland the prosecuSecurity) and was tion asked for a said it considered trying to ship the three-day delay guns to a private in the detention Brandon Anderson company, court hearing to allow both a danger records show. it to further When asked if he investigate to the community was a sworn law the defendant, enforcement offiwho authoriand a risk to flee. cer — somebody ties believe to who carries a be from Greenfirearm, badge and has full arrest wood, Ind. powers — the suspect responded Magistrate Judge Kevin Doyle yes, records show. agreed to continue the hearing The deputy sheriff and Home- until Thursday after ruling there land Security Investigations was initial evidence Anderson agents responded to the FedEx might be a risk to flee or for office on Marshall Avenue and non-appearance. The government observed Anderson in full gear with a personal identity verificaSee ANDERSON on page 13 tion card on the right side of his

PRICES SLASHED! STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD!

The Citizen • February 8, 2024 • Page 5

OPINION Process for citizens to lodge ethics commission considered From the House Rep. Chea Waters Evans Like many people in town, I felt frustrated and disappointed after watching last week’s informational meeting regarding the debate on a town administrator or town manager. I was frustrated at the selectboard’s lack of preparation to answer questions and disappointed at the way they attempted to silence public voices.

I’m grateful for Rep. Chea Waters Evans their apology at this week’s second meeting, although I’m still a little disgruntled about what I perceive to be purposefully obtuse behavior, and I’m glad we had so many people involved in the discussion.

Interestingly, I’m working on three bills in my committee right now that concern ethics and accountability. One deals specifically with municipal ethics and would do two things: Require municipal officers to take and adhere to a statewide uniform code of ethics oath and require them to complete ethics training once they are elected.

Another bill has a lot of components but the relevant one here is establishing a process by which people can register complaints with the State Ethics Commission regarding their municipal officials, and those complaints could be tracked and investigated; it also establishes a process for resolving these issues.

Serving on a municipal board, committee or commission is essentially a volunteer position that is time-consuming, complicated and generally thankless. I appreciate our local government so much, and even in the challenging times, I don’t perceive anyone’s actions as malicious or ill-intentioned. Others might feel differently, though, which is why I think it’s a terrific idea to have an impartial body to listen to these complaints, offer advice to people on how to proceed if they do think an ethical violation has occurred and offer a path to resolution.

The State Ethics Commission would be charged with hearing these matters, offering advice and helping community members figure out if there’s an actual violation happening, or if they’re just mad or upset.

This helps in lots of ways, but most important, it gives a level of protection and a layer of clarity to municipal governing bodies, and it gives community members a

way to express and resolve their concerns.

It’s not intended to set up a gotcha system for municipal volunteers, nor is it meant to be a Fesitvus-style airing-of-grievances situation. It also provides whistleblower protection for folks who have complaints to alleviate the fear of retaliation.

I really enjoy coming up with philosophical soundbites and then repeating them ad nauseam, which my children love dearly and so do my friends and family. I think this one applies to governing, educating, coaching, parenting and managing people in any capacity: Set clear expectations, specifically define what the consequences are should those expectations not be met, and then consistently follow through with those consequences if need be.

To trust government, from the most local offices to the president, we need to have confidence in the way in which it operates and the standards to which it holds itself and to which we can hold it.

Conversely, if we want to keep talented, smart and passionate people invested in the management of our communities, they need to know that they can be safe to make choices on our behalf, and that if they do misstep, it’s not the end of the world, but an opportunity for all of us to learn and make better choices.

I’m going to put this part at the end in the hopes that everyone stopped reading earlier: The property tax issue is at the top of my mind, believe me. To be perfectly honest, I don’t have a lot of information for you about how this is all going to pan out, but I’ll admit fully that earlier in the year when I told you that our property taxes weren’t going to go up that much, I unintentionally misled you.

I was repeating information that I was given, and now after the fact I’m realizing I should have said what I’m going to say now.

Our property taxes will rise, possibly significantly. If you pay your property taxes based on your income, it will still only have an impact if your income changes. Our school budget will also probably have to be re-done. I’m writing this on Tuesday afternoon and as of this morning, they were still working on drafting some legislation to remedy the issue, which, when it’s done, will move pretty quickly through the Statehouse. I will do my best to keep you all apprised of the situation in as timely a manner as I can.

Please be in touch any time at 917-8878231 or cevans@leg.state.vt.us.

Chea Waters Evans, a Democrat, represents Charlotte and Hinesburg in the Chittenden-5 House district.

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Page 6 • February 8, 2024 • The Citizen

Thank your sweethearts for their perfect imperfections beloved’s irksome behavior — celebrate it now. Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to acknowledge their ridiculousness and how Carole Vasta Folley empty your life would be without it. To help, here are some examples you can write As another Valentine’s Day approachin your Valentine’s Day card. es, let’s ignore the commercialism of the Thank you for snoring and keeping me holiday and instead tell our sweetheart that up all night even though I kicked we love them. In writing. There’s you at 3 a.m. repeatedly because no better way to let them know the buzz-sawing was interminable they matter. as I imagined moving to another Let’s face it, some days it’s room, house or continent for my more challenging to write a love sanity. I love you. letter than others. But I submit Thank you for dismantling that even our grievances toward every storyline of the murder our partner are worth appreciatmysteries we watch, wringing ing. I’ve long believed that our out all the joy of the show as you significant other’s bothersome cleverly point out character defibehaviors might be what we’d Carole Vasta Folley ciencies and implausible plots. I miss most if they were gone. It’d love you. be their idiosyncrasies, peccaThank you for watering our plants dillos and annoying habits we’d long for, relentlessly and stalwartly believing you reminisce about, and deeply miss. have a green thumb even though the ficus So, don’t wait to appreciate your

In Musing

wilts at the very sight of you. I love you.

Thank you for taking outrageously long showers that make our bathroom a rainforest as you strip all natural oils from your body so your skin is dry and itchy. An extra hug for not using the bath mat so all the water puddles on the floor. I love you.

Thank you for always opening the new milk, never-minding there’s a three-quarters-full carton right next to it. I love you.

Thank you for making dinner once every six months. Watching you cook in such delightful slow motion, the speed of which would make a sloth look sprightly, brightens my world. I’m sure if I stayed up ‘til midnight, it’d be delicious. I love you.

Thank you for getting the last teeny-tiny morsel of peanut butter out of the jar. The way your knife clangs away incessantly, scraping the glass like fingernails on a chalkboard, no words can describe such joy. I love you.

Thank you for storing your clean laun-

Don’t destroy Act 127 because it needs a fix Guest Perspective Marc B. Schauber Act 127 of 2022, the law that corrected 25 years of injustice in our education funding system, is a good law.

It allows all children in Vermont to receive an excellent education regardless of their background or zip code, all while supporting local control and decision making.

The bill that led to Act 127, S.287, passed almost every committee review unanimously, then passed both the House and the Senate with unanimous voice votes, and the governor signed it. Hundreds of Vermont school officials, teachers, school board members, members of education associations, and citizens spoke in favor of the legislation. It was among the most important tri-partisan pieces of legislation to be passed in years.

Sadly, with immense and complex economic upward pressures on FY2025 school budgets, many are mistakenly and unfairly blaming the equitable funding law for the sharp rise in property tax rates.

There are many economic and political pressures on FY2025 school budgets that seem to be creating a perfect economic storm. Act 127 is not one of those pressures.

Let’s consider the upward pressures on school budgets, many of which existed long before Act 127: inflation, double digit increases for health insurance for the past several years, and the common level of appraisal, just to name a few. Other pressures have been ratcheted up for a variety of complex reasons.

Let’s take special education. The recent implementation of Act 173 of 2018 changed how the state pays for special education services from a model of partially reimbursing costs incurred to a flat “Census Block Grant” dollar amount.

Many districts are seeing a substantial reduction in funding from the state for

these services, putting a larger and larger portion of these costs on local taxpayers.

Mental health is another example. In recent years, we’ve seen a major shift in how our schools provide the mental health support that more and more Vermont students require to be able to learn. In the past, most of that support was provided through the designated and special services agencies, the county or regional organizations that are contracted by our schools.

Those funds come from the state’s general fund. For many reasons, the designated agencies are unable to provide our schools and children with all the necessary services they need, forcing schools to either hire staff themselves or contract privately with other providers. This has shifted the cost burden from the general fund to the education fund and, thus, local taxpayer supported budgets.

Finally, some school districts are facing a fiscal cliff with the federal COVID19 relief funds coming to an end. Many districts used these funds to hire staff.

Many of those hires were for positions that our schools sorely needed and are now seen as invaluable for the education of our children. In many cases, the costs for those positions are now shifting from federal funds to our local taxpayer supported budgets.

Many of these pressures have existed for years. Indeed, for the last two years one-time funds were used to artificially lower tax rates. While the relief was welcome, it now causes what appears to be an even larger tax increase now that one-time funds are no longer available.

Mistakenly blaming Act 127 for the impacts of all these upward pressures on school budgets is inaccurate and does a disservice to students and taxpayers.

Act 127 is largely expense and revenue neutral. It creates a more accurate allocation of education fund resources to improve equity in our statewide school funding system. With one exception, a multi-year transition provision, no more

and no less money needs to be raised for the education fund due to Act 127. During this five-year transition period, Act 127 limits the increase in a school district’s “equalized” tax rate to 5 percent per year, as long as the school district’s spending per pupil does not increase by more than 10 percent. Important note: this cap is applied before the common level of appraisal.

The idea is to protect schools from experiencing an unmanageable, one-year See SCHAUBER on page 7

dry in the dryer. And for not replacing toilet paper rolls because they magically reappear themselves. I love you.

Thank you for thinking President Joe Biden is texting you. Directly. I love you.

Thank you for managing to hit my bike every time you park in the garage even though I put that block of wood on the floor that tells you when to stop. I love you.

Thank you for continuing to buy clothes that will in no way fit in your closet, while you wake up every morning thinking you have nothing to wear. I love you.

Thank you for spending the entire evening cuddling with the dog while I sit on the couch alone. I love you. Thank you for always hiding a box of Cap’n Crunch in the cupboard even though you never eat it — thank goodness or else you wouldn’t have the roof of your mouth. Let me know when we can throw away the three unopened cartons of eggnog in the fridge. I love you.

Thank you for telling me how it went in the bathroom. I love you.

Thank you for never walking the dog and letting me have all the fresh air and exercise, especially on those frigid mornings when I’m wearing two coats while I pick up dog poop. I love you.

Thank you for playing a million games on your phone while we spend quality time together. I love you.

I hope these sentiments have been helpful. I’m sure you have some of your own.

A final tip? Make sure to also write about the things you truly admire and appreciate about your sweetheart. If not, I recommend you get your credit card out to pay for some flowers, candy, or maybe a legal retainer.

Carole Vasta Folley is an award-winning columnist and playwright. Visit carolevf.com for more info.

Letters to the Editor Hinesburg town budget needs new tax revenues To the Editor: This letter is not about the large tax increase that is proposed for the Champlain Valley School District. The reasons for that increase are far more complicated than what I will be writing about here.

The CVSD budget will probably go down like Hindenburg, whether you like it or not. To me that will be unfortunate because I think that creating smarter people, along with reducing poverty, is our only way out of so many problems.

This letter is about the smallest part of the town budget, that which concerns running the town, not funding education.

The Citizen summarized things last week (“Hinesburg approves $5.4 million in spending,” Feb. 1). Disregard your position on these four issues, in which committees requested budget increases (in parentheses): affordable Housing ($10,000); trails ($5,000); diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging ($3,000); and conservation ($30,000 for land preservation), for a total of $48,000.

Hinesburg is in big financial trouble if

$48,000 is such a big deal. The question is, what’s the matter with Hinesburg? Why don’t we have enough revenue to fund necessary expenditures? Does anyone think things are going to get better over the upcoming years?

Do you think that denying the effects of inflation, continuing to delay essential infrastructure projects, and voting against the town budget are going to solve our problems?

I believe that Hinesburg’s fundamental revenue problem is a lack of meaningful business development and the corresponding tax revenues. We need to get more business tax revenue. And to do that, we need to develop real businesses which will create real, good-paying jobs.

As I have written before, I will oppose any obstructions to business development after all government reviews and approvals of projects. This includes obstructions from the left-wing and the developers.

And this particularly applies to the large developments proposed for downtown Hinesburg. Even if these projects were to See LETTERS on page 7

The Citizen • February 8, 2024 • Page 7

LETTERS

DIRECT CREMATION SERVICESSERVICES DIRECT CREMATION SERVICES DIRECT CREMATION

continued from page 6 proceed as fast and smoothly as possible, it would be too late to solve our present taxation problems.

And I believe we are going to lose our town manager. He has suggested several times that we need to get real about the budget and not spend from reserves. He is between a rock and a hard place. He seems to have a solid reality base. Going down with the S.S. Hinesburg will not be a career-enhancer for him.

Charles Kogge Hinesburg

Act 127 changes may mean changes to school budget To the Editor: At its Jan. 23 board meeting, the Champlain Valley School District’s board of directors approved the proposed 20242025 budget to be presented to voters on Town Meeting Day ballots. The proposed budget is now a warned article on the ballot.

However, the Vermont Legislature is currently considering changes to Act 127, the new education funding law. That review may require us to modify our proposed school district budget and, possibly, when we vote on the upcoming school year’s ballot articles.

We wanted to let all of our community members know that we are aware of this and will do our best to keep you informed as we learn more. We will reschedule community presentations about the proposed budget and will update associated materials when we have clarity.

Rene Sanchez, superintendent, Champlain Valley School District

Unions urge Legislature to pass family leave The following letter was sent to Vermont lawmakers.

To the Editor: We represent thousands of union members across Vermont industries and towns and write in support of strong paid family and medical leave legislation.

We are experiencing a caregiving crisis: Many people in Vermont can’t afford to be with their families in the moments that matter most. At some point in our lives, nearly all of us will need to take time away from work to recover from a serious illness, welcome a new child or care for or grieve the loss of a close loved one.

The Family and Medical Leave Act has proven to be a successful workplace protection in which workers have access to unpaid job-protected leave.

FMLA is not without shortcomings.

Many small employers are exempt, and taking time off without getting paid simply isn’t an option for most people.

H.66, a House-passed paid family and medical leave bill, is the unfinished business of FMLA. No one should have to choose between their paycheck or being with their families during the times that matter most. We must do better.

Our members work tirelessly within workplaces and our unions to ensure economic stability for workers and their families. By passing paid leave, Vermont will make a tectonic shift to support a more equitable future where workers can prosper and lead healthier and happier lives. It raises standards for all workers, including workers with disabilities, workers of color and women, union members or not.

To support working people, who are the backbone of our state, we must pass a strong paid family and medical leave program. Please join us in calling for passage of H.66 this legislative session.

AFSCME 1343 American Federation of Teachers, Vermont Brattleboro Federation of Nurses Committee on Residents and Interns Community Health United Hunger Mountain Coop Local 255 United Electrical Workers of America Planned Parenthood United Professional Firefighters of Vermont Vermont NEA Vermont State Employees Association Vermont State Labor Council AFL-CIO United Academics United Nurses and Allied Professionals Local 5109

SCHAUBER

continued from page 6 jump in equalized tax rates as the new funding mechanism is implemented. A laudable idea.

However, that provision is proving to be problematic as it also creates a gap in revenue. How will that gap be filled and where will the additional funds come from? In Vermont’s statewide education funding system, one school’s shortfall will be made up with higher taxes being borne by other school districts taxpayers.

Moreover, many of the districts that might bear that added tax burden from higher spending elsewhere are likely among those schools that Act 127 was originally intended to help.

The transition provision is problematic, and the Legislature should look at potential solutions to address it. But make no mistake, doing so will not solve our education spending challenges. Until we address major societal issues like health care costs and mental health care, we will have an ever more expensive education system on our hands. Let’s fix this one provision in Act 127 but let’s not destroy a good law in the process and take our eyes off the real drivers of education spending.

Marc B. Schauber, of Dover, is the executive director of the Coalition for Vermont Student Equity.

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Page 8 • February 8, 2024 • The Citizen

COMMUNITY Community Notes School, museum partner for arts education program

Leslie, who died of ovarian cancer in 2019.

“Olivia and Leslie taught all those around them the creative power of art to inspire, teach, and invoke our deepest humanity,” Kuenne said. “Our goal is to foster creativity among young students.

Our longer-term goal is to catalyze changes in the way we all think about art and its role in developing creative problem-solving in our next generation.”

The foundation’s mission stems from Olivia’s love of drawing and painting. At the funeral reception for Olivia, Kuenne said “hundreds of pieces of her art were displayed.

After the reception, all the moms and dads went home and dug through basements and closets to retrieve and celebrate their own kids’ artwork.”

Leslie Kuenne was a genetic counselor, a gifted painter, sketch artist, and award-winning gardener and nature photographer.

The Olivia & Leslie Foundation, in partnership with Shelburne Museum, has launched a visual arts education program at the Hinesburg Community School aimed at teaching kindergarten and first grade students critical thinking and cognitive skills while developing their social and emotional core.

The Olivia and Leslie Arts + Math Program integrates mathematical concepts such as spatial relationships, geometry, and symmetry into a carefully designed arts program that enables young children to build creative confidence. It kicked off last month and will be offered after school twice a week.

Artwork from Shelburne Museum’s collection features prominently in the curriculum, and the program will culminate with a student art exhibition at Shelburne Museum in May. “It gives children an opportunity to use their imaginations to Charlotte Grange hosts explore different mediums. The candidate Q&A session program is hands-on, and I like that The Charlotte Grange is hostour young students will experience seeing the skills and concepts they ing a forum to meet the folks are learning in math and art applied running for local elections, with an across curriculums,” Suzan Locke, opportunity to ask questions and PK-4 Co-Principal at Hinesburg share concerns with the candidates on this year’s ballot.

Community School, said.

Learn more about each candiThe driving force behind the theirbeauty priorities,ofreasons for initiative is Chris Kuenne, aDiscover Shel- date,the running and points of view. The burne Museum Trustee.

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COURTESY PHOTO

Children create art through the Olivia & Leslie Foundation program at Hinesburg Community School.

Zoom, at tinyurl.com/4sefs85b.

Questions for the candidates can be emailed to Tai Dinnan at charlottegrangevt@gmail.com or posed during the event.

All candidates on the ballot have been invited to participate.

Howard Center board elects new officers The Howard Center’s board of trustees has elected Kelly Deforge as its new president and Yves Bradley as vice president.

Deforge is both a parent and advocate for accessible mental

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health services. A long-time member of the board, she is also chair of Howard Center’s Family Advisory Council, a member of the agency’s executive committee, and co-chair of the development and communications committee.

Deforge is a mortgage loan officer with Union Bank.

Bradley is a partner at V/T Commercial and has been a commercial real estate broker since 2004. Bradley is a member of the Burlington Planning Commission, a board member of the Chittenden Commercial Real Estate Association and is the past government

relations chair for the Vermont International Council of Shopping Centers. Yves is a graduate of the Leadership Champlain Class of 2008, and of the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce and Champlain College Excellence in Executive Leadership program in 2010.

George Philibert continues as treasurer, and Cyndee Sturtevant will remain as secretary.

Trustees Heather Blackman, Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux, See COMMUNITY NOTES on page 9

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The Other Paper • Shelburne News • The Citizen • Stowe Reporter • News & Citizen

The Citizen • February 8, 2024 • Page 9

COMMUNITY NOTES

Family planning

continued from page 8

Thato Ratsebe, and Gail Stevenson will remain on the board for an additional three-year term. Kerrick Johnson rotated off the board at the end of his term.

Asylum seeker network seeks artists for fundraiser After fleeing life-threatening situations in their country of origin, asylum seekers face a yearslong legal process. While they wait, these new neighbors often know no one here, are not eligible for most benefits, and not immediately allowed to work. Since 2019 the Chittenden Asylum Seekers Assistance Network has stepped in to fill these gaps, providing assistance according to each family or individual’s situation.

Artists can help by sharing their creations and creative process through CASAN’s Arts for Asylum Seekers fundraiser Last year, creatives from Vermont, other states, and across the globe helped the organization raise $9,000 for its transportation fund while brightening April with their art, music, photos, poetry and other creative work shared by email and social media.

An informational meeting on Zoom is Feb. 22. Sign up at sites. google.com/view/casan-vermont/ arts-for-asylum-seekers.

Artists and other “creatives” — broadly defined to include visual artists, sculptors, potters, poets, writers, musicians, photographers, dancers, gardeners, etc. — will produce and share virtually their work, daily or once a week, for the full month of April.

All ages and skill levels, amateur or professional, may participate. A participant does not need to produce a final product each day, but can share steps of a

longer-term project, such as progress in painting a portrait, another line written for a poem, or a few more stitches sewn.

Funds available to help farmers paint their barns The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, in partnership with the A. Pizzagalli Family Farm Fund, announces the opening of the Vermont Barn Painting Project to new applicants for the 2024 painting season.

The Vermont Barn Painting Project reimburses active farm owners for barn painting projects they undertake, up to $8,000.

Despite the difficult weather, the 2023 painting season was successful as a trial run of this model, with four barns painted.

The application portal for the 2024 barn painting season closes March 31. Funding is limited, so apply early.

Angelo Pizzagalli has led the effort to restore barns to their former glory, through minor repairs and a fresh coat of paint. Pizzagalli recognized that many generational farm families who care for these historic barns may not be able to keep up with the care these large structures often need.

In collaboration with several different entities since 2010, many barns have been brightened and restored. Now, the program has evolved into the current microgrant format.

“Our family is pleased to be a part of the effort to keep our important working farms viable and preserved as an integral part of our beautiful landscape for Vermonters and visitors alike to enjoy,” Lisa Pizzagalli of the farm fund said.

To fill out an application, visit agriculture.vermont.gov/paintbarn.

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Page 10 • February 8, 2024 • The Citizen

SPORTS

PHOTOS BY AL FREY

Above: Kyle Eaton drives the ball down court in CVU’s win over the Essex Hornets on Thursday.

Left: CVU’s Alexandra Montgomery makes a bucket from the lane during the Redhawks’ 52-51 loss to the St. Johnsbury Hilltoppers on Friday in Hinesburg.

Redhawks’ hoopsters notch big win, close loss LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT

Boys’ basketball Champlain Valley 72, BFA-St. Albans 37: Champlain Valley came out of the locker room at halftime and went on a 15-0 run to pull away from BFA-St. Albans for a win on Saturday.

Tucker Tharpe had 18 points to pace the Redhawks (14-2), while Jack St. Peter also hit double-digits with 10 points.

Champlain Valley also got a win on Thursday, beating Essex 62-46 behind a near double-double from Tharpe.

Tharpe had 21 points and nine rebounds for CVU, while Kyle Eaton added 13 points and Colby Morehouse chipped in with 11 points.

Girls’ basketball St. Johnsbury 52, Champlain Valley 51: The Champlain Valley girls’ basketball team lost its first game of the season to an in-state opponent, falling to St. Johnsbury 52-51 on Friday in a rematch of last year’s Division I title game.

Zoey McNabb paced all scorers with 15 points for the Redhawks

(11-1), while Merrill Jacobs added 13 points. Elise Berger chipped in with eight points.

St. Johnsbury’s Hayden Wilkins hit the go-ahead shot with 21 seconds left to get her team the win.

Boys hockey Rice 4, Champlain Valley 2: After going to down 2-0 after the first period, Champlain Valley could not come up with a comeback in a loss to Rice on Saturday.

Alex Zuchowski (1 assist) and Nick Menard each had a goal for the Redhawks, who moved to 5-7-3.

Zavier Barnes and Jack Brian each added an assist, while Tommy Barnes made 23 saves in goal.

Gymnastics Champlain Valley 133.5, South Burlington 124.05: An all-around team effort gave the Champlain Valley gymnastics team the win over South Burlington on Friday.

Warner Barbic came first in the bars, Ruby Opton was first on the beam, second on the floor exercise and second in the all-around competition and McKenna Lesage came in second on the vault and the

beam for CVU. Jasmine Dye rounded out the top CVU performers with a secondplace finish on the uneven bars.

Girls’ hockey Kingdom Blades 4, Champlain Valley/Mount Mansfield 2: The Champlain Valley-Mount Mansfield girls’ hockey team surrendered two shorthanded goals in a 4-2 loss to the Kingdom Blades on Saturday.

Sophie Brien had a goal for the CougarHawks (3-10-1), while Ella Gilbert stopped 27 shots in goal.

Alpine skiing The Champlain Valley boys’ alpine ski team placed three skiers in the top 10 and earned a secondplace finish in the Rice Slopeside Cup on Thursday at Cochran’s Ski Area.

Marcel Nelson was the top finisher for the Redhawks, coming in fifth place in the slalom race.

Sam Moore followed in sixth place and Quinn Bagnato came in ninth place.

On the girls’ side, Kelsea Doyle was the top CVU finisher, coming in seventh place. The Redhawks came in third place in the girls’ team competition.

The Citizen • February 8, 2024 • Page 11

APOLOGY

continued from page 1 the way (the meeting) ran last time,” said added a few moments later when another board chair Jim Faulkner, a turnabout from petitioner, Charlie Russell, attempted to initial comments made at the Jan. 30 meet- explain that petitioners should be allowed ing. “Hopefully we’ll learn from that going to speak just like anyone else. forward. In our last informational meeting, “This is not a meeting to take public not all members of the public were able to comment on the petition. The petition’s express themselves fully. already on the ballot,” This was regrettable and Devine said.

“There could have been an inadvertent mistake.

The selectboard We really do apologize.” finally allowed petisome preparation and The reason for curtailtioners to speak after ing public comments, nearly 10 minutes of anticipation of what board member Kelly dissuasion, but not Devine said, was that without Faulkner first questions people would responses by petitioners urging Morrison to could be perceived as “make it quick.” have about it.” biased.

Although the peti“We’re not technicaltion has been stirring — Rep. Chea Waters Evans since last year — the ly here to have a debate,” she said, noting that the selectboard spent meeting was meant only for the public to $2,500 for an in-depth report by former pose questions to the selectboard.

Shelburne town manager studying the pros Tensions started early in the meeting and cons of the switch —board members when Lane Morrison, a resident spear- who actively participated in the meeting heading the petition, attempted to correct — Faulkner, Devine and Frank Tenney — a statement made by Devine regarding the appeared unprepared to give responses and town manager charter that is up for adop- more than once responded with uncertaintion on the ballot. ty when questioned by residents.

“Lane, I think we just talked about who Board members Louise McCarren and can speak and who can’t speak,” Faulkner Lewis Mudge were present via Zoom at the said. “The way this is set up is questions meeting but offered little feedback. are supposed to be asked to the selectboard.

Tensions stirred again when Russell All of sudden right off the bat, we’re devi- passed a copy of a public document that ating, and you want to make comments.” petitioners had given to the selectboard “It’s also not a public forum,” Devine at a previous meeting to another resident

sitting next to him, prompting Devine to say, “I don’t think you can hand out materials in favor of the petition,” adding that the state has strict laws around “electioneering.”

“That is baloney!” Russell said. “It’s a First Amendment right to hand something to somebody. I cannot believe you harassed me about handing a document across the room,” he said before packing his things and leaving the meeting.

In a phone conversation, Charlotte Rep. Chea Waters Evans (Chittenden-5), a member of the House Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs, explained that while informational meetings technically serve a different purpose than a regular selectboard meeting, that does not make them exempt from open meeting law.

“All meetings that are held by a public body are subject to open meeting law,” she said, noting that the only meetings exempt from the law are executive sessions and certain quasi-judicial meetings, like with a Development Review Board. “In fact, it explicitly permits people in the public to participate in the meeting if it’s a publicly held meeting. You can call it a hearing, you can call it whatever you want, but if it doesn’t fall within those exemptions to open meeting law, then it’s not exempt.”

There are specific election-related laws around campaigning where polling is taking place and an “improper influence”

clause states neither the warning, notice, official voter information cards, or the ballot itself should include any opinion on any matter being voted on.

But since this was not an election in any way, those “electioneering” laws are inapplicable, Evans, a former news reporter and editor, said.

“I expected a little more from them,” Evans said, speaking about the selectboard’s perceived lack of understanding around the role of a town manager. “I know that they knew about it, at least in September of last year, and I’m pretty sure they knew about it much earlier. There could have been some preparation and anticipation of what questions people would have about it.”

Morrison later echoed similar comments, saying he was extremely disappointed in how the selectboard handled the first meeting.

“They didn’t have answers and frankly, that’s OK, but allow other people to speak,” he said. “I mean, there are biases, but so what? We’re all going to vote. Individuals can make the decision. They’ve expressed their bias, and then the public wasn’t allowed to express an opinion.”

Following the apology on Monday night, the second informational meeting ran much differently, with all members of the public able to freely ask questions and make statements for nearly two and a half hours.

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Page 12 • February 8, 2024 • The Citizen

PLAN

continued from page 1

ILLUSTRATION BY ADELAIDE MURPHY TYROL

Canada yew is native evergreen The Outside Story Susan Shea For thousands of years, people have decorated their homes with evergreen boughs, a symbol of eternal life, during the darkest time of the year — around the winter solstice and Christmas. In addition to common species such as spruce and fir, I’ve noticed another evergreen in my neighborhood: a low, sprawling shrub growing on the slope of the ravine above a stream.

This evergreen is located in a cool, shady spot under hemlocks, where the snow and ice always melt last in springtime. The shrub’s flat, dark green needles are one-half-inch to 1 inch long, with sharply pointed tips and two faint while lines on the underside. This is Canada yew (Taxus canadensis), also called American yew.

Canada yews can easily be mistaken for small balsam fir trees that have been browsed by deer.

The needles of balsam fir, however have rounded tips and strong white lines underneath. In contrast to fir, the bases of yew needles run down the stem. Yew branches often trail 6 to 8 feet along the ground, and upright branches are usually less than 3 feet tall. The bark is thin and reddish.

This native yew occurs from southeastern Canada, throughout the Northeast, and as far south as North Carolina and Tennessee, where it grows in the mountains.

Canada yew grows in coniferous, northern hardwood and mixed forests, and occasionally in bogs or swamps. An understory shrub of old-growth and late successional forests, it is tolerant of deep shade and typically grows on cool, moist banks beneath larger conifers.

Yew is often found near other understory trees and shrubs such as mountain maple, striped maple, hobblebush and alternate-leaved dogwood. Where it is abundant, yew forms a dense ground cover.

As mature forests with good habitat for yew have become limited, the plant has become less common.

Logging, fire, or heavy browsing can eliminate yew from an area.

In spring, tiny cone-like flowers develop, with male and female flowers on different branches of the same plant. Pollen from the male flowers travels by the wind onto female flowers, both on the same shrub and different shrubs.

After fertilization, each female flower develops a single seed surrounded by a soft, red covering — called an aril — which is open at one end. Yew is the only conifer to produce seeds with a fleshy structure, rather than a hard cone.

Canada yew may also reproduce asexually by layering, whereby creeping stems develop roots while still attached to the parent plant. Eventually the connections between plant sections rot, creating spreading clones.

In late summer and fall, ruffed grouse, cedar waxwings, robins

and other birds consume the arils and subsequently disperse the seeds in their droppings. Moose and deer eat the foliage of Canada yew year-round. In places undisturbed by these browsers, such as some islands in the Great Lakes, yew may grow as tall as 10 feet.

All parts of the yew except the fruit pulp are mildly toxic to humans. However, traditional uses include brewing yew needles into a tea for treating rheumatism, fever, colds and other ailments. In recent decades, scientists have found that Canada yew is a good source of the cancer-fighting chemical paclitaxel, originally discovered in the Pacific yew. It also contains two other taxanes that can be used to synthesize paclitaxel. In eastern Canada, farmers grow yew in plantations for use in cancer treatments.

Sustainable harvesting from the wild according to regulations is also permitted there.

In the Northeast, Canada yew is relatively scarce, and so is not a good choice for holiday decorating.

But its evergreen foliage and red, berry-like fruits are something to admire on woodland walks.

Susan Shea is a naturalist, writer, and conservationist based in Vermont. Illustration by Adelaide Murphy Tyrol. The Outside Story is assigned and edited by Northern Woodlands magazine and sponsored by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, nhcf.org.

cient staff.”

“In summary, while meeting the public safety needs of a community is always a high priority, there is competition for the scarce financial resources in the town,” the report reads, but the town is approaching the development of a public safety plan “from a position of strength.”

“While there are concerns from the community and ideas for improving the services, the departments are meeting the needs of the community and an overwhelming number of the residents indicate that they feel safe in Hinesburg,” the report said. “The town has made key investments in staffing that enable it to respond to the essential needs of the community.”

The selectboard was expected to hold public hearing on the report during its Feb. 7 meeting, after press deadline.

The public safety overview is the town’s first of its kind since 2008. Following that tumultuous year in 2022, the town sought to create a broad public safety plan, as some 400 new housing units are expected to be built in the coming years and add to Hinesburg’s growing population.

Voters in 2022 rejected the police department’s $815,483 budget and, subsequently, three of the department’s six officers left for neighboring departments.

Things have stabilized since, and the department now has five fulltime officers and a part-time officer.

The department has a contract with the beleaguered Richmond Police Department to provide patrol and administrative services — the town is expected to see $240,000 in revenue from that contract in fiscal year 2025 — and are still in discussions to merge the two department into one entity.

Meanwhile, since efforts to stand up its own EMS service faltered, the town has contracted with Richmond Rescue for those services.

While both the fire and police departments effectively respond to the town’s needs, the report says, “both the police and fire department have gaps in service because of insufficient staffing to provide full time service.”

When compared to similar communities, Hinesburg’s department has fewer police officers per capita.

“In the Northeast, for communities of 10,000 or fewer residents, there are an average of 2.8 officers per 1,000 residents. Hinesburg alone is less than half that ratio at 1.3 for just its residents,” the report said. “For the combined population with Richmond, it is down to 0.7.”

Traffic incidents remain the primary demand for police — Route 116 is an area of concern — while medical responses are by and

large the driver of fire department responses, according to the report.

The fire department’s full-time staff cover 40 hours a week consistently, but gaps on weekends and overnights with part-time staff create gaps, where about one in six EMS calls did not have a first response to in 2022, the report said.

The Hinesburg fire department was unable to respond to 6 percent of its calls in 2021, and about 16 percent of its calls in 2022 and 2023, according to the report. Fifty five percent of the non-responses occur on the weekends “when there are not full-time paid staff on duty.”

In the police department, there is a “substantial burden” on police Chief Anthony Cambridge “to ensure smooth operation of the department, including being on call at virtually all times and regularly needing to respond to incidents while off duty.”

The dispatch arrangement with Shelburne, however, provides good service and value to the community, while the contract with Richmond Rescue for ambulance services provides “a consistent, timely paramedic response for a minimal cost for the town.”

Some of the report’s recommendations include: Adding a full-time clerical staff person would help both departments improve their operations and tackle administrative tasks more efficiently. “Both the police chief and fire chief have identified that they struggle to remain current on essential paperwork and other administrative tasks in their respective departments,” the report reads.

Explore adding an emergency management position. Those duties currently fall on fire Chief Nick Baker.

Consider bringing on an animal control officer to tackle animal issues in town. That responsibly falls on the police department.

Develop an on-call process within the police department “involving other officers including the sergeant” to reduce the strain on Cambridge.

The full report can be read online at bit.ly/492lT9a.

While discussions about merging the Hinesburg and Richmond police department continue, the report recommended exploring the “regionalization” of the fire service as well and building a new fire station in five to 10 years. This, the report notes, would mean adding more staff for both agencies.

“If Hinesburg and Richmond develop a long-term relationship for sharing police coverage, it is likely that the department will need to expand the number of officers necessary to provide appropriate coverage in the community,” the report said.

The Citizen • February 8, 2024 • Page 13

VTRANS

continued from page 3

KANNER

continued from page 3 to first listen to constituents. As a working mother and newer resident, Kanner said she offers a unique, valuable perspective.

She noted a few of the big decisions coming down the pipeline for the town — managing tax increases, land development, climate resiliency and the development of the town plan — will have a major impact on how the town continues the develop. The decisions selectboard members make now, she said, will have a major longterm impact.

“My greatest skill is listening,” she said. “This is something I’ve honed in my work as a mental health counselor and believe will be an asset to the selectboard. I understand that my ability to listen to and learn from others will be critical to supporting important conversations that will have a posi-

tive impact on the future of our town.”

Another question up for voters to decide on Town Meeting Day this year is whether the town should switch to a town manager form of government.

She said that she will be casting a vote to stick with the current town administrator model, but should the community vote differently — and should residents vote her to the board — she would support it.

“There are significantly more community touch points with five people collaborating to make the best decisions for our town than there would be if more of that decision-making power were consolidated into the hands of one person,” she said.

Tenney and McCarren did not respond to interview requests.

Mall security asked the man, later identified as Anderson, what agency he worked for, the man claimed he was a “fed,” HSI said in court papers. The man later said he was with “DHS,” and he was working a “protection detail,” Homeland Security Investigations said, adding Anderson was with a 46-year-old woman, who was employed by FEMA. A FEMA security supervisor told Homeland Security Investigations last Thursday that his agency does not employ security officers to perform executive protection, and employees should never describe themselves as federal officers, HSI said.

South Burlington Police, which had been summoned, spoke with mall security personnel, who said they did not want him carrying a firearm in the mall unless he was on official duties.

Homeland Security Investigations said Anderson reported he supervised four employees and would sometimes wear his full tactical gear while off-duty, including shopping at Shaw’s supermarket.

Homeland Security Investigations resident agent in charge in South Burlington, Alex Zuchman, also confronted Anderson about his claims of having served in the U.S. Marines and listing it on his employment paperwork, court records show.

Anderson had claimed in the papers he had an honorable discharge after serving Oct. 8, 2007, to August 13, 2011, court records note.

Records from the Department of Veteran Affairs and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service showed he had no civilian or military service.

ANDERSON

continued from page 4 said it considered Anderson both a danger to the community and a risk to flee.

Anderson has been living at a Williston hotel and has been on the job since at least last July, but is now unemployed, Doyle said.

Anderson has no known ties to Vermont.

Homeland Security Investigations arrested Anderson at the FEMA office on Hurricane Lane in Williston around 2 p.m. last Friday, and eventually lodged him at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans Friday evening.

The investigation revealed Anderson was involved in a case three months ago in South Burlington. He was wearing a tactical vest and carrying a gun during an incident at the University Mall on Dorset Street on Nov. 10, 2023, according to South Burlington Police.

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The Town of Charlotte, in accordance with 24 V.S.A. 1682, is providing notice of the availability of the 2023 Annual Report and of the FY23 (July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023) Professional Annual Audit. Physical copies of the Reports will be available no later than February 24th, 2024. The Reports are currently available online (www.charlottevt.org), with physical copies to be available at the Town Offices (located at 159 Ferry Road).

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Journal and the Associated Press reporting on the federal government’s ban on fun.

But the agency later clarified that, no, the federal government has not declared that there Shall Be No Fun. Their recommendation is to avoid humorous messages “because it may confuse or distract drivers.”

Messages should “fulfill a need; command attention; convey a clear, simple message; command respect; and provide adequate time for proper response,” a spokesperson said.

Knapp and Noyes say the agency is convening a committee to consider all the changes that they will need to meet to comply with the new regulations. The new guidance gives a two-year window to make changes.

It’s unclear for now how they’ll proceed — Knapp said that the agency supports the funny messaging. But he added that they’ll work with their federal partners “to better understand what we need to do to stay in compliance and remain in compliance.”

For now, Knapp and Noyes said it’s their hope that they’ll continue writing their puns.

“There are so many contentious issues in this world and perceived outrage and everything else. This is a way for us to relate to the everyday road user,” Knapp said. “We’re not the big bad government, we’re people just like you, you know, we have families, we have kids, we have jobs, we drive on the roads and we want to get home safe, just like everyone else.”

TOWN OF CHARLOTTE NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY 2023 ANNUAL TOWN AND AUDITOR’S REPORTS

H

that Charlotters are looking for someone with energy, organization and listening skills to help facilitate a climate of civil discourse and public engagement.”

As the president of the parent-teacher organization, she recognizes a lot of the same needs in local government, specifically regarding budget discussions.

“We had to make difficult decisions about how best to use our limited human and financial resources to support programs and foster an improved sense of community,” she said, adding that as the town continues to move through big changes, her counseling background has prepared her to offer support to the community.

The first step in developing meaningful dialogue that produces change, she said, is

The messages get approved by agency leadership. And it’s much harder than it looks, given there’s a limited amount of space on the message boards.

But the mission remains the same — urge people to be safe and smart on the road. Theoretically, people will see the joke, will have a good laugh, remember the joke, and then, either consciously or subconsciously, take their foot off the pedal.

“People get numb if it’s just the same dry message over and over again, which I think is a great argument for the humorous and the pop culture messages, because just anecdotally speaking, it’s generating a lot of conversations,” Knapp said. “We hear co-workers talking about it. We hear family members talking about it. We see it all over social media. So, in my mind, the proof is in the pudding: We have people talking about highway safety.”

But the party might be over. In December, the Federal Highway Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation, released an updated 1,100-page manual that spells out how signs and other traffic control devices are regulated. In its regulations, the agency strongly recommended against overhead electronic signs intended to be funny.

Traffic signs, the federal government said, should be “simple, direct, brief, legible and clear.”

In the following weeks, dozens of news outlets across the country reported on the new guidelines, with outlets like the Wall Street

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The Citizen • February 8, 2024 • Page 15

Horoscope February 8, 2024

ANSWERS FROM THIS ISSUE

Weekly Puzzles © 2024 King Features Synd., Inc.

Page 16 • February 8, 2024 • The Citizen

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