Cavendish Update 3/8/24: Election results/Vacancies/Don't Pitch in the Ditch
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SPRING FORWARD ON SUNDAY-Day light savings time returns. Set clocks ahead one hour and use this as an opportunity to check smoke and radon detectors.
Grafton Village Cheese opens at the old Black River Produce site on 103 tomorrow, Saturday March 9.
3/8/24
1.Town Meeting Results
2. Town Positions Open
3.Don’t Pitch in the Ditch
4.Cavendish Related News
5. Events
1.TOWN MEETING RESULTS: Of 1,082 registered Cavendish voters, 355 voted in the March 5 election, with 31 returning absentee ballots.
There was only one contested race, the one year position for Cavendish Selectboard, which will be filled by Shannon Devereux 251 votes and David Norton 211 votes. Stu Lindberg received 132 votes. Theresa McNamara received 18 write in votes for Town Grand Juror and Chris Saylor received 15 write in votes for Library Trustee.
For the Town Articles, results were as follows:
Article 2 (Tax collection ) 304 yes; 41 no; 17 blank
Article 3 (Town Budget) 281 yes; 69 no; 12 blank
Article 4 (Cannabis retailers) 182 yes; 168 no; 12 blank
Article 5 (Adoption of Australian budget for town budget) 234 Yes; 168 No; 16 blank
Article 6 (Adoption of Australian ballot for all future public questions) 225 yes; 114 no; 23 blank
Article 7 (Tax exemption of Black River Health Center) 235 Yes; 114 No; 9 blank
Article 8 (Tax exemption of Fletcher Farm Foundation) 245 Yes; 98 No; 19 blank
Article 9 (Tax exemption of Cavendish Fire Dept) 298 Yes; 46 No; 18 blank
Article 10 (Tax exemption of Proctorsville Fire Dept) 316 Yes; 28 No; 18 blank
Presidential Primary: Vermont voted for Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee and is the first state to nominate Nikki Haley for the Republican nominee. However, Haley has suspended her campaign.
GMUSD Budget: Note that all votes are counted and presented in the aggregate so it’s not known how Cavendish voted. The budget was defeated by a vote of 699 no to 620 Yes. Please note that the GMUSD budget will have little to no effect on the Common Level of Appraisal (CLA), which for Cavendish is $212.80 per $100,000 of assessed property.
In Vermont, a little over 30% of the school budgets failed including Ludlow Mt Holly Supervisory Union; Springfield and Woodstock. A lot of concern is being raised about the high increase of schools based on the CLA (common level of appraisal).
Yesterday Gov. Scott addressed the education issue by revealing that he had voted no on his town’s school budget and suggested that VT’s manner of funding education “might have reached its life expectancy.” With the average property tax increasing by 19% for education, and nearly 70% of taxes going to educating 17.7% of the population, VT has the highest education taxes in the country. Unfortunately the state’s academic performance is middle of the pack and often referred to as “lack luster.” Health care costs, construction, special education, disappearing federal money and increased salaries are all contributing significantly, according to state data. Scott has asked for reforms, such as staff-to-student ratios, adjusting the income-sensitized component of Vermont’s education property tax; and school consolidation For more on this topic, read Stripping back local control of school budgets? Phil Scott says it is on the table VT Digger Cascade of failed school budgets causes hand-wringing in Montpelier WCAX
2.TOWN POSITIONS OPEN: The Town of Cavendish has vacancies for the following positions: Auditor, Town Agent, Trustee of Public Funds, Planning Commission members (2 positions), Animal Control Officer, Budget Committee members Anyone interested in being appointed to any of these positions should contact the Town Office at 802.226.7292
3. DON’T PITCH IN THE DITCH: As we gear up for spring yard work, please be mindful of the ditches, culverts, and storm drains on and around your property. These are in place to convey water when it rains or when snow melts.
When these structures become clogged with dirt, leaves, trash, sticks, tree limbs, and overgrowth of vegetation, it can cause or increase the severity of flooding!!
So in partnership with several organizations in the area, Black River Action Team (B.R.A.T.) reminds everyone: "Don't Pitch In the Ditch" - this applies to everyone; if you hire out your yard work, please share with landscapers and lawn care service providers. You could prevent serious flooding!
* Never put leaves, branches, dirt, or any other organic matter into ditches or close to culverts. Just because it might be biodegradable, it will still clog the waterway and lead to flooding. Instead, compost the leaves and small sticks or bag & bring them to your local transfer station.
* Rake "clean" dirt/mud into grassy areas and work in to help grow the topsoil.
* Clear trash from these structures so they don't pose a flood risk.
* If you spot damage or obstruction to a culvert or drain, contact your town office to learn who is responsible.
* Work safely, don't enter water above your ankles if you can't see the bottom, and don't work during a storm.
* Only use hand tools (rake, shovel, broom) and never dig around or under a culvert or drain! You can cause more damage than you're trying to prevent.
* Call the town office or 9-1-1 if there is serious damage or potential harm to a road or other infrastructure.
Contact BRAT with questions or concerns: blackrivercleanup@gmail.com
4. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS
• Blue Jay Way Band at Ludlow Town Hall: The Blue Jay Way Band of Rutland will bring 50 years of rock ‘n’ roll music to Ludlow on March 16, in the Heald Auditorium at Ludlow Town Hall. he band has agreed to appear in Ludlow on Saturday, March 16, at 7 p.m., in the Heald Auditorium. At that time, Mark Huntley, of Cavendish, will join the Blue Jay Way as a special guest performer. The event is sponsored by Friends of Ludlow Auditorium (FOLA). FMI: 802-228-3238.
• Green Mountain Conservation Camp registration open: If you are 12-14 years old and want to learn about Vermont’s wildlife and gain outdoor skills, consider attending one of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s Green Mountain Conservation Camps (GMCC) this summer. If you are a GMCC alum 16 or younger, consider coming back for another summer. The one-week camp programs are held at Lake Bomoseen in Castleton, and Buck Lake in Woodbury. Campers participate in hands-on learning about fish and wildlife conservation, ecology, forestry, orienteering, safe firearm and archery techniques, swimming, canoeing, fishing. and more. Natural resource professionals come to the camp to share information on their programs and take campers out for field activities. Conservation Camps open June 16, and continue until Aug. 16. Tuition for the week includes food, lodging, and equipment. Financial assistance is available. Information and registration are available at www.vtfishandwildlife.com. For more information, contact FWGMCC@vermont.gov, or call 802-522-2925.
5. EVENTS
MARCH 9 (SATURDAY): Grafton Village Cheese opening at the former Black River Produce Building on route 103
MARCH 16 (SATURDAY): Blue Jay Way Band, featuring Cavendish’s Mark Huntley, at the Ludlow Town Hall Auditorium from 6-9 pm.
MARCH 17 (SUNDAY): Happy St. Patrick’s Day
MARCH 19 (TUESDAY): Solar eclipse talk by Claudio Veliz at the Cavendish Library, 573 Main St. in Proctorsville starting at 6 pm. Safe, solar-filtered glasses will be handed out to attendees, complete with instructions on their use during the eclipse. FMI: cavendishcommunityconservation@gmail.com.