Bennington Town Office Table of Contents EMPLOYEE MISSION STATEMENT PREAMBLE .......................................................................................................... 3 SELECT BOARD ......................................................................................................................................................................... 4 BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS .............................................................................................................................................. 5 MANAGER’S MESSAGE ........................................................................................................................................................... 8 POLICE ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 11 FIRE ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 13 PUBLIC WORKS: HIGHWAY ................................................................................................................................................................... 14 WATER ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….… 14 SEWER ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….15 BENNINGTON COUNTY SOLID WASTE ALLIANCE ……………….………………………………………………….….16 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT .......................................................................................................................................... 17 BENNINGTON COUNTY REGIONAL COMMISSION……………………………………………….………………………19 HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ................................................................................................................... 20 BETTER BENNINGTON CORPORATION ....................................................................................................................... 21 RECREATION: PARKS ......................................................................................................................................................................... 22 SENIOR CENTER………………………………….……………………………………………………………………………….….… 22 The YMCA…….………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……23 SOLLWAN AND MARY ALEXANDER SLEEMAN MEMORIAL FUND .................................................................. 23 PERMITTING, PLANNING & CODE ENFORCEMENT ............................................................................................... 25 HEALTH OFFICER .................................................................................................................................................................. 26 PLANNING ................................................................................................................................................................................ 27 BOARD OF LISTERS .............................................................................................................................................................. 28 TOWN CLERK .......................................................................................................................................................................... 28 TREASURER ............................................................................................................................................................................. 30 AGENCIES ................................................................................................................................................................................. 32 MINUTES - 2020 BENNINGTON FLOOR MEETING ................................................................................................. 33 TOWN MEETING ELECTION RESULTS ......................................................................................................................... 39 2021 WARNING ...................................................................................................................................................................... 42 PRIMARY ELECTION 2020…………………………………………………………………………………………………………47 GENERAL ELECTION 2020………………………………………………………………………………………………………....51 FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET PROPOSAL ..................................................................................................................... 55 APPENDIX - AUDIT ............................................................................................................................................................... 56 2 EMPLOYEE MISSION STATEMENT PREAMBLE The role of government is to serve and protect its people; to provide a quality of life which is environmentally safe, community oriented, and visionary. Furthermore, government can help to make its citizens' lives rich in educational, cultural and social opportunities. In the Town of Bennington that role extends to administrative and iscal services, police, ire, water, sewer and highway maintenance and construction, recreation, health, housing, planning and community development. Our mission is to provide the necessary municipal services in an atmosphere that is helpful and caring, yet professional and eficient. We must have a commitment to excellence, take pride in our work, have a desire to succeed, have a sense of community, and a belief that a responsive government is the foundation for success. ©2021TownofBennington Town of Bennington 205 South Street Bennington, VT 05201 (802) 442-1037 www.benningtonvt.org 3 Select Board Donald Campbell, Select Board Chair 2020 is a year we are unlikely to forget. It will igure signiicantly into future literature, medical texts, political science classes, and many of us will be questioned about it by upcoming generations. You probably have had a very dificult year. To those of you who have experienced especially tragic loss, hardship, or frustration, please know that your pain is felt in this community. Covid-19 is stress-testing us, compounding income disparities, racial inequities, health and housing shortcomings, and other weaknesses in our society. Perhaps the closest thing to a silver lining is a new shared commitment to doing better for people, all people, and doubling down on creating a more perfect union. Thank you for the immense personal effort you have made to push through the worst pandemic in 102 years and hold Bennington together. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to our irst responders, our healthcare system, our educators, and many, many other frontline workers who have served us so well under extremely dificult conditions. To this list I add Bennington town staff who have consistently gone the extra mile, pulled the extra shift, made the necessary adaptation, and fought to keep us moving forward with creativity and hard work. Amidst the dificulty of the pandemic, town staff managed to inish three lovely parks at minimal cost to the town. Flourishing partnerships with UCS and the YMCA are vastly expanding recreation programs and much- needed childcare, bringing millions of federal dollars to upgrade our facilities. Besides keeping us safe, the police department has embraced new community policing concepts and with robust community involvement is making signiicant policy changes. Miles of roads and walkways have been improved, the completed sewer plant will last us for decades, and the new salt shed saved us almost $25,000 in material not washed away. PFOA and lead service lines are being eliminated from our water system at no cost to residents. And along with many other achievements, elections were fairly administered, despite massive logistical challenges. Many other partners stepped up, too. Libraries adapted to offer new services, Southwestern Vermont Health Care acquired the former Southern Vermont College, and social service agencies have kicked into high gear to provide food, medical assistance, mental health services, and housing to those most in need. And almost without notice, after a Herculean redevelopment effort, the irst new residents moved into the Putnam Block. So many people doing so much for Bennington. Thank you all for your hard work, sacriice, and compassion. It has been an honor to serve this wonderful community. And finally, we note with sadness the passing of Select Board member Bill Scully after a courageous battle with cancer. Throughout his fight, he stayed engaged and in touch with the Board to the extent he could. An entrepreneur, a quality chef, a loving father and husband, Bill is missed by all who knew him. 4 Boards and Commissions The following list of the Town of Bennington Boards and Commissions includes a brief description of the duties of each ofice and those positions that will be available in March and May 2021. SELECT BOARD MEMBERS - An elected position with a salary currently set at $1,400. per year with terms of three years. Meetings are held on the second and fourth Mondays of each month plus the Annual Town meeting each year, and any special meetings which may be required. Select Board Members are empowered by statute and charter to determine policy, inances, ordinances and general direction of Town business, appoint the Town Manager and members of Boards and Commissions. (elected 3-year term) Donald A. Campbell 3/2021 Jim Carroll 3/2021 Position Open 3/2022 Jeanne Connor 3/2022 Jeannette Jenkins 3/2022 Bruce C. Lee-Clark 3/2023 Sarah Perrin 3/2023 DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD - The Development Review Board hears and decides