There will be a Special Town Meeting, Wednesday, Dec. 15 at 6 p.m. at the Athens Elementary School. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss and vote on how our “regular” town meetings will be held in the future.
Some of the residents in Athens would like to see a change that would encourage more voters to get the vote out on Town Meeting Day. We are suggesting a change to Australian ballot for elected officials and a “regular” Town Meeting to discuss and vote on the articles. This would give those people unable to take a day off for town meeting to at least have some say in our local government.
Last year with Covid mandates in place, all the voting was by Australian ballot, and Athens had its highest voter turnout ever!
I don't want to lose Town Meeting Day, and I don't want to lose the connection that it promotes in the community, but is it fair for 50 or 60 voters out of more than 225 (more or less) to make all the important decisions?...
I endorse Janet Perry for Selectboard in Athens. I have held elected office in Athens for over 20 years as lister; I am the assistant town clerk and previously have served on the school board. I have also spent many years as a volunteer for various endeavors in our...
What is normal? I keep hearing that word by those rushing to open up our country during this pandemic. They keep saying, “Let's get back to normal,” and I find myself wondering what normal is because it doesn't seem to have worked. Is your normal like my normal? Or...
A town plan is a vision for the town for the next five, 10, or 20 years. Once again, the people have spoken, and I really wonder if those 44 who just decided the town plan's fate have any idea what they really voted against. I would say most them did not even read the town plan, although it was readily available in hard copy and electronically. Seem most think “town plan” is equivalent to “zoning,” which it is not.
What is spring to me? It's not a date on a calendar, nor is it something a rodent of questionable psychic talent can predict. It is a feeling, a palpitation of the heart, a moment when your senses suddenly kick into high gear. You can smell the earth in all its sensuous glory, preparing to awe us with colors, sounds, smell, and wondrous touch. For me, March is the month that would prefer to roll over and go back to...
I read this story, and the first thing I did was check the Vermont Assessors and Listers Association website to see if I had missed something. Then I went to the Property Valuation and Review (PVR) website to see if there was important information from the state concerning a four-day seminar, and I checked Vermont League of Cities and Towns. I found a two-day “town fair” that alternates between Essex and Killington. It is not mandatory to attend and is...
As a lister for Athens since 1999, I congratulate the town of Brookline for staying the course in defense of its grand list and for upholding the work that its listers did. Being a lister is not an easy job, nor is it a high-paying job. It is for the most part a thankless job. I have found over the years that listers are a unique kind of individual. They care about their community. They try to be fair to...
“Tax lister” is an incorrect term for the designated person elected by the townspeople to list their properties. Adding the word “tax” implies that we somehow set the tax on a property. We list the property and its buildings and outbuildings. The following is the explanation from the website of the state Department of Taxes Division of Property Valuation and Review: “Programs that are primarily administered by municipal governments are supported by the Division of Property Valuation and Review. We...