Isaac Evans-Frantz is the clerk of the Brattleboro Selectboard. He writes in his capacity as an individual member of the board. He invites readers to reach out to him directly at ievans-frantz@brattleboro.gov with opinions and questions.
BRATTLEBORO-Over the last two weeks, the Brattleboro Selectboard has taken important steps for financial health and stability in voting to:
• Restore funding for critical infrastructure for our bridges, retaining walls, and bicycles.
• Unanimously pass my motion to restore the finance director position.
• Budget honestly in several areas, predicting revenue and expenses based on past experience rather than wishful thinking.
These were important actions, but I joined Amanda Thurber in voting against the final proposed $27 million budget, which corresponds with a tax increase of more than 6%.
At Selectboard meetings, at our listening session last fall, and on the street, I have heard residents say their incomes are not keeping up with increases in property taxes.
Brattleboro municipal taxes have far outpaced wage growth, and the Selectboard has missed an opportunity to help keep our community affordable.
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Financial responsibility: At the Selectboard’s April 15, 2025 meeting, I made a handful of motions to restore long-term financial planning and rebuild the town’s financial reserves. The town had drawn down on these reserves to fund the Downtown Safety Action Plan, which included the new police substation on Flat Street and several newly created positions in the Police Department.
At that April 15th board meeting, we voted unanimously in support of directing town staff to develop five-year financial projections and a 25-year capital equipment replacement plan.
While the capital plans have been developed, we still need to see a five-year financial plan, which could be useful for the public leading up to Town Meeting. Multi-year budget forecasts can help us see the effect of our spending decisions on future years — and make more informed decisions in the present.
Curbing property tax increases: When I have knocked on doors over the last few years, the primary concern I hear from residents is economic: People work hard but find it hard to make ends meet, or they just barely have enough and can’t afford to save for the future or take a vacation.
I want us to make life a little easier for people here.
During recent Selectboard meetings, my motion passed to refrain from adding multiple new positions to the budget. When we need to make cuts, that’s a logical place to start.
My efforts to eliminate additional vacant positions in departments that have seen recent personnel growth gained some traction, but my proposal to further reduce staffing in large departments — without eliminating an entire program or service — did not.
Trash pickup: In an opinion poll conducted by the Town of Brattleboro in 2024, 76% of the 399 people who responded to this question said they were satisfied, or extremely satisfied, with the current curbside solid waste collection system.
I voted to continue curbside compost and recycling pick-up. Although this is a significant expense to the town, when individuals account for the time and money they would have to spend figuring out waste removal on their own, it’s often more expensive to do individually than collectively.
Human services: Last week the Selectboard voted to completely eliminate funding for human services organizations, with Oscar Heller and me dissenting. Eliminating this funding would be drastic, especially in a year when the federal government has already pulled the rug out from beneath so many Vermonters.
Our neighbors are managing with less food, less housing, and less heating assistance. The Town Human Services Committee has worked hard and followed a rigorous process to make funding determinations.
The question of how much to allocate for human services organizations in total was on the ballot for all Brattleboro voters last March. A majority voted for more than 1% of the municipal budget to go to human services funding, and a plurality voted for more than 2%.
At Representative Town Meeting, the representatives voted to advise the Selectboard to allocate up to 2% of the budget for these human services organizations.
Two percent of the current proposed $27 million budget would be more than $500,000. If Town Meeting appropriates these funds, there will be something a bit strange about funding dozens of nonprofit organizations at that level after the Selectboard has made painful cuts to things like sidewalk maintenance and additional support for the library.
The Charter Commission has been considering the decision-making process around human services funding, and I look forward to following their work.
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Town Meeting this spring — whether it is a Representative Town Meeting or open Town Meeting — will get to further review and approve, reject, or modify the Selectboard’s work.
I have appreciated everyone who has participated in the budget process so far. The input at Selectboard meetings and listening sessions, and at the half dozen community meetings I’ve hosted around town, have all informed my perspectives, priorities, and votes.
In the face of demoralizing federal politics, local participation in decision-making gives me hope for the future. We are all in this together and all want a better Brattleboro.
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