Shelburne is grappling with the arrival of a road salt storage facility at a rail spur near the LaPlatte River that many residents fear could damage the environment and create an unsafe intersection where salt trucks would enter Route 7.
The town is in litigation in federal court with Vermont Rail Systems to try to block the project.
Town Manager Joe Colangelo said a desire to be involved in that fight may have prompted some first-time candidates to seek office.
“This is an underlying issue in the town that could be driving some of the contested races,” he said.
Selectboard
The Selectboard vice chair, Dr. Colleen Parker, will face off against Don Stevens, chief of the Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe.
Parker is a physician and has lived in Shelburne for more than a decade. During a Feb. 16 candidate forum, Parker said she ran three years ago because she felt she could offer a measured approach to town governance and a commitment to compromise.
“I’m running again because I’ve spent the last three years acquiring a great deal of experience and knowledge about the issues Shelburne faces now and will face in the future,” she said.
Stevens, an Army veteran, has served on the Commission of Native American Affairs. He is the president of a nonprofit that creates education programs for minorities and is the information technology director at Counseling Services of Addison County.
“I’ve always served the people,” he said during the candidate forum. “If I ever see a need I try and meet it. I’m here to bring a fresh perspective to the board, fiscal responsibility, and my leadership.”
Incumbent John Kerr faces a challenge from Doris Sage, who has lived in Shelburne for 30 years and has a background in education. Kerr said he’s seeking re-election to continue his work helping the town negotiate union contracts, improve public safety and fix its bridges and other infrastructure.
“I will work as I have to represent all the folks in this town,” he said.
Sage is the president of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Vermont. She said she would approach her work on the Selectboard with a focus on helping people who are struggling.
“I will represent the people working two to three jobs just to keep up and have no time to make it to Selectboard meetings,” she said.
Town Clerk Diana Vachon is running her first campaign for that position after being hired as an interim last year when Colleen Haag retired. Haag had held the position for 34 years.
“I’ve had the honor of being your town clerk for the last six months,” Vachon said at the forum. “I’ve successfully made a seamless transition, and I’d love to continue to be in this position and serve my community well.”
Dorilee Gaudette LeBlanc is also running for town clerk. LeBlanc is a Shelburne native and works as a manager for an engineering firm, she said. Prior to that she ran her own small business, Vermont Nanny Connect.
Running unopposed for town moderator and school moderator is attorney Thomas Little, a former state representative, who holds those positions currently.
Town budget
Residents will vote on an $8 million budget for the coming fiscal year, with $5.8 million raised through taxes. That’s a roughly 4 percent increase, with a property tax increase of about 3 percent. That comes out to $12 more per $100,000 of assessed home value than last year, Colangelo said.
“There are no significant changes to the current level of services provided for in the proposed budget,” he said.
Residents will also decide whether to place $30,000 in the Shelburne Open Space Fund, which currently has just under $300,000. This is an item residents vote on annually. The money is used to buy land, pay for conservation easements and collaborate on preservation efforts with the Vermont Land Trust.
In 2016 approximately $100,000 from the fund was spent conserving agricultural land in Shelburne, and this year’s allocation is supported by the Conservation Commission.
Voters will also be asked to approve a bond of up to $970,000, “subject to the receipt of available state and federal grants-in-aid,” for the purchase of a firetruck.
School budget and board
Voters will approve or reject the 2017-18 Champlain Valley Union High School district budget of just over $75.14 million. This is approximately a 4.5 percent increase. According to Miranda MacDonald, director of finance for Chittenden South Supervisory Union, the increase includes but is not limited to salary and benefit adjustments for existing positions and an increase in special education costs.
The board is asking for voter approval to carry forward $1 million for next year’s school budget and keep $1.7 million as surplus. Residents will also be asked for authorization to borrow $288,000 for the purchase of three school buses.
Three school directors — Tim Williams, Katharine Stockman and Kim Schmitt — are up for re-election, but all three are running unopposed.
