The Vermont Legislature passed Act 133 (S.55) that amended Vermont’s Open Meeting Law, 1 V.S.A. effective July 1, 2024.

Highlights of Act 133 (S.55) include:

• permits “advisory bodies” – those that do not have supervision, control, or jurisdiction over legislative, quasi-judicial, tax, or budgetary matters – to meet electronically without a physical meeting location (i.e., remotely);
• requires all other public bodies (i.e., “nonadvisory bodies”) to record, in audio or video form, their meetings and post the recordings in a designated electronic location for a minimum of 30 days following the approval and posting of the official minutes of the meeting which was recorded;
• allows all public bodies to meet remotely in response to a state of emergency or “local incident”;
• requires all public bodies to provide local residents, members of the press, or members of the body itself electronic/telephonic or in-person meeting access options to a regularly scheduled meeting, if requested (unless it causes an undue hardship);
• requires a municipality to post on its website (if it maintains one):
• an explanation of the procedures for submitting notice of an Open Meeting Law violation to the public body or the Attorney General; and
• a copy of the text of 1 V.S.A. § 314; and
• imposes annual training requirements on selectboard chairs, town managers, and mayors.

Here’s a link to the text of 1 V.S.A.  § 314:
https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/01/005/00314

Here’s a link 1 V.S.A. § 310: https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/01/005/00310

Procedures for submitting notice of an Open Meeting Law violation to the public body or Attorney General may be found in the  “Records”- “Ordinances”  section of this website.

Due to the snow storm, the Town Offices are closed today, April 4, 2024.

 The Town of Woodbury has been ordered by the Vermont Department of Taxes to complete a complete reappraisal of real estate parcels in the town.  Based on the results of its 2022 Equalization Study, the COD in Woodbury was calculated to be 20.27% which is outside of the acceptable parameters.  The CLA was 85%.

The Town is requesting bids from qualified, licensed reappraisal contractors to work with the Woodbury Board of Listers to complete a town wide reappraisal that will become part of the grand list for Woodbury, at a date to be determined, and lodged in the abstract Grand List.

Here’s a link to the RFP:

https://www.woodburyvt.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Woodbury-REAPPRAISAL-RFP-FINAL.docx

Your completed bid must be in a sealed envelope addressed to the Chair of the Woodbury Select Board, PO Box 10, Woodbury, Vermont 05681.  Your bid must be received in the Woodbury Town Office no later than March 11, 2024.  Bids will be opened at the next Selectboard meeting.  The appointed committee will review the bids and make a recommendation to the Select Board.  The Woodbury Select Board reserves the right to accept or reject any and all bids.   Please do not e-mail your proposals.

DOG OWNERS OF WOODBURY – DOES YOUR DOG HAVE A LICENSE??

All towns in Vermont require that every dog six months or older be licensed annually by April 1 with the town clerk of the town where the dog is kept. To license a dog you must provide the town clerk with a certificate signed by a duly licensed veterinarian stating that the dog has received a current rabies vaccination approved by the state. Further information is available in Vermont Statues [20 V.S.A. § 3581  ( c )(2)]. The fee for a spayed or neutered animal is $9 and $13 for an intact animal. Dogs registered late (after April 1) are $11 and $17 including a late fee.

The license tag provided for your dog’s collar serves two important purposes:

1. It bears an individual tag number, important information should your pet become lost or stolen.
2. For an officer of the law, a current tag documents that your dog is vaccinated for rabies and will not be destroyed.

Licensing your dog with the town clerk each year is a state requirement and a civic duty to ensure the health and safety of the residents of the Town of Woodbury when dealing with dog issues.  Licensing your dog also provides the Town with information to ensure that lost dogs may be reunited with their owner. A portion of the fee contributes to state-wide rabies clinics and a low-cost spay & neuter program.

If you have already licensed your dog, Thank You. If not, please do so at the Town Office as soon as possible. Office hours are Monday – Thursday 9 A.M. – 1 P.M. and on Tuesday evenings from 6 P.M. – 8 P.M. You may call the office at 802-456-7051 for details on the process. You also can mail or drop off a check (Town of Woodbury) and current rabies certificate (if needed)  to the office and we will mail you a license and tag. The mailing address:

Town of Woodbury

PO Box 10

Woodbury, VT  05681

Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter.

Robin Durkee, Woodbury Town Clerk