June 9, 2026
Attendees
Select Board Members: Diana Peduzzi, Chris Casey, John Gordon
Town Officials: Lilly Baron (Town Treasurer)
Town Employees: Peter Dailey (Road Commissioner ); Michael Gray (WSB assistant)
Members of the Public: Carol Ray
Media: Jerome Lipani – HCTV
Call to Order Chris called the meeting to order at 6:04 P.M.
Adjustments to Agenda add David Barber’s request to declassify TH 21 and bridge repair
Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes
The minutes from the May 27, 2026, Select Board meeting were approved.
Public Comment Carol Ray requests a discussion and more transparency about the Swenson Quarry
expansion and permitting processes. Carol states she is not concerned about the reimbursement rate the WSB is
negotiating, her greater concern is about the quality of life in Woodbury. The WSB discusses this with Carol,
pointing out their role within the Act 250 process and the ZBA’s role, stressing that the ZBA is the entity Carol
should bring her concerns to.
Road Commissioner’s Report with Peter Dailey
Peter has not been able to meet with David Barber to look at the bridge on TH21. Peter has met with a resident on
Cabot Road who is requesting a permit for a curb cut and wants to bore under the road to run a power line. The
landowner was advised to pick up three permit applications at the Town Office – access (curb cut), Work within the
Road ROW and a zoning application. On Friday Peter met with VAST on site along West Woodbury Road to review
their proposed work to improve the road for snowmobile travel. They have requested the road be closed for the two
weeks the work is being done. The work is anticipated to occur in t he fall. The WSB approves closing the road as
long as it does not affect any residents. The permit for the road work was signed. Peter is still waiting for McGee
Ford to get back to him with a trade-in offer for the 550 and pricing for a smaller truck. Peter has met with the
NEK/CVFiber reps and the permit to allow placing underground fiber in the ROW of Scribner Road, was signed with
the condition that the conduit for the cable will be underneath the culvert. The culvert replacement and fiber wiil
have to be done simultaneously. Discussion then turns to the garage ceiling/roof project.
Garage Roof Repair Chris met with Steve Connor of Connor Contracting (who lives in Woodbury) to review the
roof and ceiling repair. They established there was no water leakage with the chimney but there was water damage
to the roof sheathing, most likely from condensation. Steve felt the $40k PACIF had proposed as compensation for
the repair work would not cover the work that would be needed. There will be another on site meeting wi th PACIF
to take another look at the project. Chris feels it may be too late to hire a contractor to do the work this year. He
feels the town may have to come up with a short-term fix for the coming winter while also working out a long -term
plan/vision for a new garage. The board realizes that the garage is not in good shape and is deficient in many ways.
He will be meeting with the Calais SB to see if there might be the possibility of sharing garage space there. Options
for a new garage and ways to get more space for use at or near the present garage , were discussed. Another local
resident, Chris Temple of DeWolfe Engineering, might be helpful.
Grant Updates: with Michael Gray
Michael has received the VTrans grant agreements for the culvert engineering /design work of Church Street and
Bailey Bridge Road. He is also anticipating grant agreement forms for the paving of Foster Hill Road and the Better
Roads Valley Lake Road project. The WSB authorized him to sign the grant agreements on behalf of the town.
Town Treasurer’s Report with Lilly Baron
The General Fund is currently operating at a budget deficit of – $73,235. The town is just slightly under
$100,000 off from our budgeted revenue. This translates closely to the $92,498 still sitting in our
delinquencies for the current year. The Highway Fund has a budget surplus of $108,378, and remains in
a strong position. Our Highway fund has exceeded our budgeted revenues and is currently underspent
for this period. Overall, the FY26 budget remains in a net position of $35,143 year-to-date when considering both
funds. Total cash on hand is $905,310. As a reminder, $527,301 of our current cash balance is restricted FEMA
funding that will be repaid once we receive formal notice to return the funds.
Given the substantial FEMA funding received last year, a direct comparison of total cash balances is not
an apples-to-apples comparison. Excluding restricted FEMA funds, our current cash position is
$378,010, compared to $562,854 at Period 11(the month before the end of the fiscal year) last year, a decrease of
$184,844 year over year. One driving factor of this decrease is purchase of the new truck and deficit in the HERF
fund. In the General Fund, we should still be receiving a large refund from the School District for an
overpayment on the State Education Tax payment which will increase our General Fund before the end
of the fiscal year.
The end of the fiscal year s approaching. Lilly will provide a report on the month of June at the first meeting in July,
followed by a full fiscal year-end review at the second meeting. Over the next few weeks, we will gain a clearer
picture of our cash flow needs and whether it would be prudent for Woodbury to utilize its line of credit to bridge
the gap between the end of the fiscal year and the receipt of tax revenues.
Lilly then informed the WSB of a town tax policy that is not compensated regarding the town’s tax payment for its
school tax. Woodbury provides a veterans' property tax exemption that is not recognized by the State for
education tax purposes. As a result, while the exemption reduces the Town's taxable grand list, it does not reduce
the amount of state education tax that Woodbury is required to remit to the State. Under 32 V.S.A. § 5404a(d),
municipalities that offer this exemption are expected to establish a separate tax rate to recover the state
education tax associated with the exempted value. Woodbury has not historically done this. As a result, the Town
has effectively absorbed this cost rather than collecting it through taxation. The impact on taxpayers is expected to
be minimal. In simple terms, the Town must raise the amount of state education tax attributable to the veterans'
exemption and spread that cost across the entire tax base. This is a topic that should be part of our tax-rate
discussions for the new fiscal year.
Lilly then shared that she has learned that temporary employees working more than 20 weeks in a year are
considered eligible for sick time. Both temporary employees have crossed this threshold. Lilly will begin tracking
their sick time. Temporary employees are not eligible for VMERS.
Updates on Buyouts with John Gordon
John states that there is not much new to report. The site inspection for asbestos at the two buyout sites will occur
the following day. If asbestos abatement is needed, the work may need to go out to bid according to the town’s
purchasing policy. The led to a discussion of the Purchasing Policy and whether it should be updated. The policy is
more than ten years old. It is also stated that the policy is not law and has been overridden in some instances in
the past, always with good reason. Compliance with a local policy is required by FEMA and other funders.
Emergency Generator The emergency generator failed to kick in during a brief power outage over the
last weekend, causing concerns from the school. When they arrived on Monday and realized there had been an
outage, Michael was called by the school and he discussed this with the maintenance person at the school.
Michael provided the MOU for the generator to the school and Diana. Under the MOU, the town is responsible for
the emergency generator and it’s fuel (LPG). Discussion followed on how to remedy the situation. Chris will call
Brookfield Services to discuss an automatic weekly firing of the generator and Diana will contact Joe Houston,
head of OSSU building maintenance, to also discuss. John will check with Paul Cerutti to ask if the WVFD is still
checking the fluid levels during their monthly truck check.
FEMA Status Update There is no change in the town’s status with FEMA. Lilly noted there is a small
discrepancy over the amount she and Skip came up with for what is owed and the amount FEMA has indicated .
Appointments The WSB appoint ed the following town residents to the Woodbury Fund Board – Robin
Durkee, Alex Peltz, George Sawyer, Gary Smith and Natalya Zahn.
Updates and Other Business
Bills and Payroll: Bills and payroll orders were signed at the end of the meeting.
Swenson/Polycor Quarry Act 250 Hearing Request: The hearing Is scheduled for June 26. The SB has
worked with John Reid and the town’s attorney to prepare Pre_Hearing Testimony that was submitted by the June 3
deadline.
Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 7 :42 P.M.
Signatures and Approval
Chris Casey ______________________ Diana Peduzzi _________________________
John Gordon ______________________ Date Approved __________
Gu
ide to Acronyms
ACO – Animal Control Officer; ANR – Agency of Natural Resources; AOT – Agency of Transportation; AP – Accounts Payable; BR – Better
Roads; BRIC – Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities; CDT – Collector of Delinquent Taxes; CIP – Capital Improvement Plan; CR
– Cash Receipts; CRC –Consolidated Resource Center; CVRPC – Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission; DHC – Department of
Health; EC – Ethics Commission; EMD – Emergency Management Director; EMS – Emergency Medical Service; EOA – Elected Officials
Agreement; ERAF – Emergency Relief Assistance Funds; ET – Electronic Transfer; EWPP – Emergency Watershed Protection Program; FIRM
– Federal Insurance Rate Map; FPF – Front Porch Forum; FY – Fiscal Year; GF – General Fund; GIA – Grants in Aid; HED – Hardwick Electric
Department; HERF – Highway Equipment Replacement Fund; HF – Highway Fund; HMP – Hazard Mitigation Plan; HPD – Hardwick Police
Department; H&H – Hydrological & Hydraulic; LE MP – Local Emergency Management Plan; LHMP – Local Hazard Mitigation Plan; MMA –
Money Market Account; MRGP – Municipal Roads General Permit; MOU – Memorandum of Understanding; MTSC – Mountain Tamers
Snowmobile Club; MVUESD – Mountain View Union Elementary School District; NEMRC – New England Municipal Resource Center; NEWT
– Northeast Wilderness Trust; NRCS – Natural Resources Conservation Service; OSSU – Orleans Southwest Supervisory Union; PDM –
Program Delivery Manager; POC –Point of Contact; PR – Payroll; PTO – Paid Time Off; RBT – RB Technologies; RC – Road Commissioner; REI
– Road Erosion Inventory; RFP – Request for Proposal; ROW – Right of Way; SS – Seacoast Securities; TAC – Transportation Advisory
Committee; TAN – Tax Anticipation Note; TC – Town Clerk; TH – Town Highway; THO – Town Health Officer; TM – Town Moderator; TTr –
Town Treasurer; USDA – United States Department of Agriculture; VEM – Vermont Emergency Management; VTRANS – Vermont Agency of
Transportation; VAST – Vermont Association of Snow Travelers; WC – Workman’s Compensation; WCC – Woodbury Conservation
Commission; WCL – Woodbury Community Library; W/CFS – Woodbury/Calais Food Shelf; WCSD – Washington County Sheriff’s
Department; WHRT – Woodbury-Hardwick Rail Trail; WRSC – Worcester Rangers Snowmobile Club; WSB – Woodbury Select Board; WPC –
Woodbury Planning Commission; WNRCD – Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District; WVFD – Woodbury Volunteer Fire
Department; ZA – Zoning Administrator; ZBA – Zoning Board of Adjustment