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BELLOWS FALLS Only a handful of Bellows Falls residents turned out Monday evening for the annual Village Meeting, which has been stripped of all serious decision making.
Voters a year ago approved switching the vote on the village budget to Australian ballot permanently. Last year, the budget was also voted on by Australian ballot, but that was at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $1.61 million village budget, of which $1.59 million will be raised by taxes, will result in a tax increase of about half a percent 0.60.
The few residents who attended only raised a couple of questions about the village report, which was faulted for lack of financial information and erroneous information in the minutes of last year s meeting.
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BELLOWS FALLS Village President Deborah Wright, Bellows Falls Village Moderator Paul Obuchowski and Municipal Manager Scott Pickup had a Zoom dress rehearsal Friday morning to iron out any kinks for Monday night s annual village meeting.
There is one big change: Obuchowski and Pickup decided to hold the meeting downstairs in the Town Hall, in the Lower Theater, rather than upstairs in the Bellows Falls Opera House, because of the technology and equipment needed for a Zoom village meeting.
Determined to get as many people to attend the meeting as possible either in person or virtually the decision was only made after Gov. Phil Scott loosened the distance requirements for a public gathering, Pickup stressed.
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BELLOWS FALLS â Greater Falls Connections has announced the addition of four new advisory board members: Doreen Stoodley, Shelby Stevens, Kiernon Galandak-Cochran and Katrina Bostwick. Returning to the board are Alex Stradling, Meghan Licciardi and Marty Gallagher. These community members have shown a commitment to furthering the coalitionâs vision of a healthy, nurturing and supportive community.
Meghan Licciardi works with Youth Services Inc. based out of Brattleboro. Licciardi is co-coordinator of Friends for Change Youth Club of Bellows Falls. Licciardi grew up in central Vermont and lives in the area with her partner.