Should we do away with town auditors? And, coming up: Should we pave Skunk Hollow?

Our last meeting was a doozy, at least from my perspective. First, we had residents of Bolger Hill Road who came to detail the damage from the flash floods. They argued that poor town specs on culverts had prevented neighbors uphill from putting in proper drainage. And they lost their driveway. They were angered because of another resident's praise of the road crew for quick response on what they thought was a private driveway. More to come on this issue as we untangle the possible courses of action.

First, some background on how our town government is structured. (Please, forgive me, and skip this if you already know it all.)

Efficiency vs Transparency?

Most positions in the town are appointed by the three Selectboard members. These positions include the:

• members of the Planning Commission
• members of the Development Review Board
• members of the Mobbs Committee, and 
• members of the Conservation Commission. 

We also appoint these individual positions:

• animal control officer
• the health officer
• the town service officer
• the fire warden, and
• representatives to regional boards such as park districts and the CCMPO and CCRPC.

We hire the town manager and approve his/her hires for staff members such as:

• Listers (3)
• the planning and zoning staff
• the financial manager, and 
• the road commissioner/foreman.

Appointed by elections/public votes, are:

• Selectboard members
• Town Clerk
• Town Auditors

It seems to me that you, our trusting taxpayers, put a heck of a lot of trust in your Selectboard.

Should we do away with town auditors?

The big issue at our last meeting was whether or not we should eliminate the Town Auditors position altogether. To summarize: we have a professional audit performed annually by an outside contractor, thus the Town Auditors are unnecessary, redundant, and counter-productive. I just don't see the logic, given that we have qualified, polite, and willing volunteers to check our books a second time. Why would we turn that away?

Because no write-in name captured enough votes on town meeting day, the Selectboard was asked to appoint one. At our last meeting, we appointed Patrick McCarthy to the position, with 2 votes in favor and one member abstaining.

Should we pave Skunk Hollow Road?
At our next meeting, we'll review a report from the Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization that studied  the traffic volumes and the safety issues on the unpaved portion of Skunk Hollow. Also, an independent contractor conducted a cost analysis that makes a strong argument for paving the road. We'll discuss the reports at our meeting 5/19 and schedule a public forum in the near future.

What do you think?  When we have a significant difference of opinion on our small board, I need to hear from you. Comment here, send me an email at kimnormanmercer@gmail.com or call me at 343-1265.