Leading the way in terms of attention has been the proposed merger of seven school districts, involving nine towns, in the Manchester-Dorset area.
Opponents have focused on the perceived loss of local control if a single regional board replaces boards for the current seven districts. Some say voters could get less attention from board members than they now enjoy with smaller districts and that decisions might not be based on a single town’s needs, but on what is better for the regional district.
Supporters say it would be an advantage to have a larger pre-kindergarten through eighth grade system in which resources can be more efficiently allocated and a wider range of programs can be offered. The proposed district would have close to 1,700 students.
In addition, the provisions in Act 46 that allow state education officials to impose mergers on districts that fail to consolidate will be hanging over the Northshire if the proposed merger is rejected. That also would mean the loss of tax break incentives for districts that enter into an approved merger plan.
The contests to fill up to 13 seats on a regional board for what would become the Taconic and Green Regional School District has conversely attracted only the minimum number of candidates and produced no races. If the merger is approved, the board would take over the new district July 1, 2018, although it would begin meeting July 1 of this year.
Bennington financial requests
A $3.2 million bonding request in Bennington to create a new public works facility in a former factory building has generated less comment than a request for $207,459 to support the Bennington Rescue Squad.
After more than the required 435 voter signatures were obtained to place the request on the ballot, there was talk of possibly withdrawing the question if the Selectboard were to place a lower amount in the town budget as a line item. The figure mentioned was about $33,000.
That is similar to what the Shaftsbury Selectboard had earlier done, placing $7,000 in the budget after receiving a request from the squad for $42,685.
However, the rescue squad ultimately decided to stick with the original request in Bennington, for which it had already secured a ballot spot. If approved by voters, the funding would mark the first time the town has supported the local nonprofit emergency response organization.
Squad officials said Bennington is one of only a few Vermont communities without direct town funding of an ambulance service. The local organization is the second-largest emergency medical services provider in the state by call volume.
The $3.2 million bond request in Bennington is a step back from what had once been discussed. The town had recently been considering spending more than $5 million on a new Department of Public Works facility before the former Plasan factory became available. The total cost of the purchase and renovation is significantly lower than to build a new facility.
More information on Bennington County town meeting issues and candidates is available here from the Bennington Banner.
