The Environmental Court case (due to be handed down this fall) is a
combination of Rivers' appeal of an Act 250 denial and a Moretown
Development Review Board denial. The town has participated in the
appeal as had a group of citizens who object to the quarry.
If the Environmental Court rules in Rivers' favor, a small, vocal group
of anti-quarry residents wants the town to decide now to appeal to the
Vermont Supreme Court and wants the select board to include funding in
the budget for such an appeal.
There is another contingent in Moretown, however, that does not want to
spend any more money on legal fees associated with the quarry. That
group has made its opinions known over the course of the summer,
calling for an end of endless legal bills.
To argue that the select board is failing to support its DRB should the
board fail to budget for a Supreme Court appeal is premature and
histrionic.
The town has supported its DRB thus far. Prudence dictates that the
Environmental Court ruling at least be read and analyzed before any
decision is made on whether or not to appeal. As the town select board
chair pointed out this week, the judge could rule that the town was
wrong.
For the select board to create a special and separate article that
presents only proposed quarry legal spending for voter approval at Town
Meeting is also premature. What if the decision is issued tomorrow? The
town's legal fees belong on the legal fee line item of the budget.
Voters can discuss, amend, approve or disapprove that specific line
item using the regular budgetary process.
No faction should be able to hijack the town's legitimate budgeting
process -- especially when the long awaited decision has not yet been
issued.
{loadnavigation}
