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Meeting report · Select Board
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Select Board — December 9, 2025

No public comment, zero community speakers, fully unanimous decisions, and standard budget/tax/contract items produced no visible tension.

Date Tuesday, December 9, 2025 Decisions 10 Routine
📄 Agenda 📄 Minutes

Public ⁠impact

Issues from this meeting with documented community impact.
01

2026 Municipal Budget Process and Tax Rate Implications

$23.35 tax rate with $50k fund balance use; $10.175M operating budget Affected: All property taxpayers
tax increase
02

5-Year Waste Management Contract — Rising Disposal Costs

5-year contract approved; $800k cap repair deferred Affected: All residents using transfer station
fee change
03

Ambulance Billing Rate Increase to 325% of Medicare Rates

New rates effective 1/1/2026 Affected: Residents requiring ambulance transport
fee change

Decisions ⁠logged

Every recorded vote, with timestamps and dissents.
Approve remote participation of Victoria Bram
Roll call: Dunlap, Whitley, Donohoe, McKeon - Yes
Unanimous (4-0)
00:00
Approve Consent Agenda
$82,627.66 AP manifest
Approved (4-0, Bram abstain)
02:39
Approve November 17, 2025 minutes
Roll call vote
Approved (4-0, McKeon abstain)
02:39
Approve Dustin Conservation Easement agreement as amended
Roll call vote
Unanimous (5-0)
50:32
Authorize $3M Tax Anticipation Note at 4.5% for 30 days
Roll call vote
Unanimous (5-0)
50:32
Re-sign updated Flood Insurance Study resolution
Roll call vote
Unanimous (5-0)
50:32
Adopt ambulance billing rates effective 1/1/2026
Roll call vote
Unanimous (5-0)
50:32
Enter 5-year Waste Management contract
Roll call vote
Unanimous (5-0)
50:32
Approve $10,175,335 operating budget bottom line
Motion by Whitley
Unanimous
1:28:49
Use $50,000 fund balance for $23.35 tax rate
Motion by Whitley, seconded McKeon
Unanimous
1:28:49

Topics ⁠discussed

Click a topic to expand quotes and full context.
00:00 Call to Order and Administrative Items

Chair Dunlap opened the final 2026 budget work session; board approved remote participation, consent agenda ($82,627.66 AP manifest), and November 17 minutes via roll call votes.

Speakers: Sabrina Dunlap, Steven Whitley
04:03 Capital Improvement Program Presentation

CIP Committee Chair David Feller presented the 2026 CIP recommending $1,320,000 in appropriations and $130,000 for maintenance trust; board discussed forestry truck needs, recurring items, and trust fund policy.

Speakers: David Feller, Victoria Bram
50:32 Dustin Conservation Easement

Board approved the amended Dustin Conservation Easement agreement with provisions for Five Rivers Conservation Trust dissolution.

Speakers: Jeffrey Donohoe, Rob Knight
50:32 Tax Anticipation Note Authorization

Board authorized Chair Dunlap and Treasurer Moyer to secure a $3M TAN at 4.5% for 30 days.

Speakers: Jeffrey Donohoe
50:32 Flood Insurance Resolution and Ambulance Rates

Board re-signed updated FEMA flood resolution and adopted new ambulance billing rates effective January 1, 2026.

Speakers: Steven Whitley
50:32 Waste Management Contract and Landfill Cap

Board approved 5-year Waste Management contract; deferred Transfer Station cap repair ($800k estimate) pending Public Works input and Warner agreement review.

Speakers: Karen Hambleton, Jeffrey Donohoe
50:32 Tax Rate and Fund Balance Discussion

Board reviewed tax rate setting process and decided on $50k fund balance use for $23.35 rate while retaining 7.87% fund balance.

Speakers: Karen Hambleton, Sabrina Dunlap
1:28:49 2026 Operating Budget Finalization

Board made line-item adjustments and approved $10,175,335 operating budget; reduced Economic Development Coordinator funding to $38,764 with April 1 hiring target.

Speakers: Karen Hambleton, Victoria Bram
1:28:49 Non-Public Sessions and Adjournment

Board entered two non-public sessions (hiring and reputation) then adjourned at 9:27 PM.

Speakers: Steven Whitley

Controversy & ⁠dissent

Where the board, the community, or the agenda diverged.

Potentially controversial issues

01

2026 tax rate and fund balance use

Trade-off between immediate tax relief ($23.35 rate via $50k fund balance draw) and preserving reserves for upcoming $800k landfill cap and other 2026 costs; prior statements showed internal preference against draw
Board position: Approved $50k draw while retaining 7.87% fund balance
low concern
02

5-year Waste Management contract and deferred landfill cap

Rising disposal costs locked in for five years; $800k cap repair deferred without full cost-sharing details from Warner
Board position: Approved contract; deferred cap repair pending further review
low concern

Action ⁠items

Who owes what, by when.
Research original Warner landfill maintenance agreement for cost sharing
Assigned: Karen Hambleton · Due: Next meeting
Review computer replacement invoices and provide details to Victoria Bram before Budget Committee presentation
Assigned: Staff · Due: Before Budget Committee meeting
Review maintenance trust and recurring items policy for consistent framework
Assigned: Select Board · Due: January

Notable ⁠statements

Revised recommendation is not to offset the tax rate with fund balance to strengthen cash position for anticipated 2026 expenses including landfill cap repair — Karen Hambleton · Tax rate discussion 50:32
State recommends minimum 5% fund balance; Town currently at 8% — Sabrina Dunlap · Fund balance considerations 50:32
Job description for Economic Development Coordinator should be developed and salary aligned with duties before funding — Victoria Bram · Budget finalization 1:28:49

Public ⁠comment

What residents said — verbatim, with timestamps.
No public comments were identified in this meeting.

Accountability ⁠flags

Documented procedural gaps. Each item links to its source.

Agenda items not discussed

Topics discussed — not on agenda

Transcript vs. official minutes

Support coverage

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Report composed by grok-4.3, claude-opus-4-7 · analyzed 2026-05-27.