DPW Renames Two Divisions for Clarity

At last night's Select Board meeting, the Board voted unanimously to have two Public Works divisions renamed to better explain what they do.

The Select Board has given the green light to change "Central Maintenance" to "Fleet Maintenance" and "Buildings and Cemeteries" to "Cemeteries and Facilities."

Director of Public Works Director, Brian White, explained to the Select Board that the new names will help residents understand each division's role more easily. He pointed out that other towns are using similar names.

The switch to "Cemeteries and Facilities" also aims to stop mix-ups with the Building Department, which is separate from the Department of Public Works. White mentioned that people sometimes call the Cemeteries division when looking for building inspections.

Also at Select Board:

• The Housing Partnership will be seeking new members to look into affordable housing in Burlington.
• The Board is discussing whether or not to put a debt exclusion onto the April local election ballot for the police station, Fox Hill Elementary School, or both. A debt exclusion would remove the debt for these projects from the calculation that determines how much the town is allowed to raise taxes, helping maintain the healthy financial buffer the town has had for over a decade. Board members had many different opinions, with Chair Morandi stating it would be good experience and a good opportunity to educate the public on what debt exclusions are. All agreed that public outreach would be difficult, as the topic is hard to understand and lots of work would need to be done.
• William Taft was appointed as a mechanic in the Central Maintenance division at the town's Department of Public Works.
• The DPW will also be changing the color scheme of its vehicles to all-black. Existing green and yellow vehicles won't be repainted, but the department will gradually introduce the new color as they purchase new vehicles. These changes aim to streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve efficiency for the Department.
• The first day of early voting for the November election will be on Saturday, October 19, from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM at Town Hall. Early voting continues during regular business hours for the following two weeks.
  • For those who still need to register, the last day is Oct. 26. The clerk's office will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. that day specifically for voter registration.
  • Nearly 6,000 mail-in ballots were sent out between last Friday and this Monday.
  • The General Election will be on November 5, with polls open from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
• Town health insurance rates for active employees and retirees will be going up next year by around 8% for most plans. This is in the wake of market increases of around 2.6% per year for the last four years, as the town has worked to keep increases low while they adjusted their self-insurance program.
• King's Bowl has had a change in ownership; two new livery licenses, and a common victualler's license were approved.

The next Select Board meeting is scheduled for October 21, and the petition for a grant of location for a utility company, which was once again continued, will be heard on that date.