BELLOWS FALLS — After nine months of overhauling a 24-page town charter, article by article, and having gotten to the section dealing with how safety services would be administered town-wide, a much shorter and simpler document was presented to the merger committee by Municipal Manager Willis D. Stearns II.
Stearns presented a much simplified three-page plan. He said he adapted the text from three successful town merger documents and did so with the help of legal counsel.
“The [consolidated] plan deals with everything,” Stearns told The Commons, “but the issues that have held it up have always been public safety.”
The merger committee nearly stalled out in September when members began dealing with safety and special services - specifically, if a merger is approved, how they would be administered.
A main concern: how the structural change in municipal services would affect property taxes.
Originally, the Village would pay 30 cents on the dollar less in property taxes, and the town's share would go up slightly.
“With merger, town-wide property taxes would be approximately $1.31 [per $100 valuation],” Stearns said. The Village tax rate is now $1.61.
Plan of merger
Over the summer, some residents repeatedly wondered why the merger committee was not working on a “plan,” as the document they were going through, item by item, has been the 24-page Rockingham town charter.
That inquiry seems to have hit a chord, and a few people started looking at what the “plan of merger” looked like - approved - for other towns around the state that have merged their governance.
And, subsequently, Stearns explained that, at the August meeting, Dennis Harty had suggested Stearns look at already successful plans of merger that had been approved and legislated, and formulate a template from towns with similar issues and problems, and demographics.
Stearns did just that, and chose the towns of Bradford, Bennington, and Essex plans of merger. From those, he said, he produced a three-page document that he combined and tailored to Rockingham's needs.
He said he also took into consideration the results of surveys conducted earlier this year, as well as merger meetings, and conversations with people, while putting the plan together.
With the plan, “nothing would really change in terms of management,” Stearns told The Commons.
“What would change is for businesses who want to come into BF. To open or do business here, they are aware that they have to deal with two political bodies” - the Bellows Falls Village Trustees and the Rockingham Selectboard - and that is an economic development deterrent, in Stearns' experience.
With two boards, “that alone turns most of them off,” he said.
Stearns also pointed out that a merger would consolidate management of water and wastewater departments under one administrator.
Someone with a tax stabilization request would have to contend with only one board that would set and impose rules and regulations.
“It's a simplification of administration,” Stearns said, a measure that he hopes will result in opening up more economic development and make doing business and setting up shop in Rockingham and Bellows Falls feasible and attractive to new businesses.
The plan
The consolidated Plan of Merger document that Stearns put together addresses what will happen with properties transferred and liabilities assumed, and properties held in trust.
Deborah Wright, who attended this meeting, asserted that the document did not include a complete list of assets currently owned by the Village.
The consolidated plan notes that “[a]ll the lands, buildings, easements, funds, uncollected taxes, monies, and other property of the Bellows Falls Village Corporation shall become vested in and become property of the Town of Rockingham, and all indebtedness bonded and otherwise of said Bellows Falls Village Corporation shall be assumed by the Town of Rockingham.”
The plan exempts certain specific water and wastewater bonds.
As for the properties held in trust, they would come under the auspices of the Selectboard. The plan calls for no changes to their uses after merger.
All records, books, documents, and property of the Village Corporation would transfer to appropriate town officers upon merger.
The municipal manager shall be accountable to one board - the Selectboard - and town officers “shall comply with state law,” the document says.
'No financial savings in a merger'
Stearns qualified his explanation of the financials, saying that “there is a perception if we can't save a half million dollars, we shouldn't merge.”
“There is no financial savings to speak of in a merger,” Stearns stated. “None whatsoever.”
“The biggest difference is” that public safety taxation for the Village will be shared townwide and managed at the town level.
Simplification of safety services
The police department, upon merger, will become a town department, maintaining the name “Bellows Falls Police Department,” and shall be funded and budgeted by the Town of Rockingham, according to the consolidated plan.
Stearns' argument for bringing police under town management, is that no local government is responsible if one lives in Saxtons River and has “a dog at large” issue, or who wants speeding enforcement, he said.
The Windham County Sheriff's Department and Vermont State Police have other duties in line with their missions.
Stearns told the board that BFPD has “statutory” rights to go anywhere in the state to carry out their duties, and routinely works throughout Rockingham, but coverage outside of the Village is by courtesy and not a mandate.
BFPD Chief Ron Lake also serves in several capacities, including as a constable for the town, serving warrants, he noted.
The three existing fire departments - Saxtons River, Bellows Falls, and Rockingham - would continue to function as they have, but all would be funded by the town of Rockingham.
Stearns pointed out to The Commons that all three fire departments are required to show up at a fire call, as it stands now. The Bellows Falls Village Fire Department is the only one with a ladder truck.
“If its your house on fire, you're going to want all the equipment to show up,” he said.
And that can be difficult when one of the fire department's hoses desperately need to be replaced, and when the equipment is moved on fire trucks that are woefully aged with time and use.
“The whole town ought to be ashamed that Saxtons River” cannot raise $20,000 for new fire hose, Stearns said, “when at the town level, we have million-dollar budgets.”
“They're trying to raise money by selling $5 and $10 wrist bands,” he said, his voice rising.
“To Saxtons River, $20,000 is a lot,” Stearns said; at the town level - not so much.
Stearns said he met with the safety service department heads last Thursday after the merger meeting, and asked them to make an inventory of their equipment and to list what needed repair or replacement.
He was waiting to hear back with those lists, and he intends to use them to determine financing, functionality, and maintenance and equipment needs under a merger.
Special districts
Special service areas may be established by the Selectboard, “provided that the majority of the voters residing in the respective designated areas” approve them by a vote during a special district meeting called to establish that policy.
In addition, the plan calls for “all costs required to support a given special service area shall be paid for by the taxpayers receiving said service(s), by a tax on the grand list in the special service area involved, to be assessed annually by the Selectboard.
“Such tax shall be paid and collected in the same manner as other taxes, and such tax assessed on any part of the grand list shall be a lien thereon.”
Funds for special service areas will be held in a special fund and may not be used for any other purpose.
BFVC funds and wastewater
The plan provides that all funds of the Village will go into the general fund of the town and be maintained in proper special funds, as follows.
• Water and wastewater departments will become town departments, with rates set by the Selectboard, and all revenues will be maintained in separate funds that will be used only on operations, maintenance, debt payments, and reserves of the water and wastewater departments.
• Rules and regulations: All existing ordinances, bylaws, rules and regulations of the Bellows Falls Village Corporation shall become ordinances of the Town of Rockingham until lawfully amended or repealed.
• Selectboard: With the disbandment of the Village President and Trustees, the Rockingham Selectboard will consist of five members, elected at Annual Town Meeting. Three three-year and two one-year terms will be served by annual election.
Give Stearns a call
Stearns said that he is willing to answer anyone's questions about the proposed merger document. He said his “door is always open,” and that if anyone wants to give him a call, “you might catch me.”
Further discussion of the merger and consolidated plan of merger is set for the next scheduled Merger Committee meeting on Nov. 27.
Following Stearns' presentation, committee members requested that the chiefs of the three fire departments and the police chief be invited to the Nov. 24 meeting.