At issue in Waitsfield is a petition that asked the select board to
place an item on the Town Meeting warning calling for shifting $50,000
of the annual water system repayment costs from system users to all
taxpayers.
The select board - when presenting this project to voters/taxpayers over
the years - repeatedly assured voters that it would be paid for by
users versus all taxpayers.
Since receiving the petition, the board has affirmed its intent to stick
with that plan and its members have stated that the town will not
initiate any cost shifts, and if voters want costs to be shifted, it
will have to be done via petition AND Australian ballot.
The question of what is going to happen at Waitsfield's Town Meeting
regarding the water project, its costs, the legalities, potential
condemnation of property, etc. is a hot topic all over The Valley.
(Another voter said she was glad that Warren's Town Meeting was starting
at 8 a.m. so that it would get done earlier and she could head to
Waitsfield to listen to the water discussion.) And remember, the topic
may not even come up - depending on the will of the voters, the select
board and the moderator.
Humor aside, it is great news that people all over The Valley are paying
such careful attention to what happens in Waitsfield and what happens
on the issue of municipal water (and soon, wastewater).
Waitsfield's ability to remain the vital commercial center of The Valley
is very much dependent on having public water and wastewater. This
reflects the well-deserved acknowledgment that Waitsfield is the
commercial center for The Valley and what happens here has a huge impact
on the surrounding towns.
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