Charter Revision Commission

Pursuant to Article 4, Section 5.H of the Brattleboro Charter, the Selectboard appoints a Charter Revision Commission every fifteen years to review the town Charter and propose amendments.

Kate O’Connor (Chair); Maya Hasegawa (Vice Chair); Hannah Clarisse; Peter Elwell; Denise Glover; and Joy Tournoux.

The current Commission was appointed by the Selectboard in December 2022. Official meetings and work began in the beginning of 2023. The Commission has met regularly since its creation. Meeting agendas, recordings, and supporting documents can be found at: https://brattleboro.gov/charter-commission

The Commission’s plan is to finish its work so that any recommendations can be considered in the fall of 2025 and forwarded to the Legislature for consideration during the 2026 session.

Meetings are legally posted, warned, and can be found on the town’s website. Generally, meetings are on the first and third Thursday of each month at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room and on Zoom. Please confirm the date, time, location, and agenda for any particular meeting by visiting the CRC’s webpage https://brattleboro.gov/charter-commission

No. The Commission wants to explore and discuss to determine if we should keep Representative Town Meeting.

The Charter Revision Commission may recommend changes to the charter. Any changes will need to be approved by Representative Town Meeting or a Townwide vote and then forwarded to the Vermont Legislature for approval and the Governor for signature.

Committees can still be elected or appointed by the Selectboard or by Open Town Meeting or Australian Ballot.

The current version of the Charter is available online at https://brattleboro.gov/town-charter. Hard copies are available at the Town Manager’s Office - 230 Main St #208, Brattleboro, VT 05301.

Brattleboro is the only town in Vermont to hold a Representative Town Meeting (“RTM”).There are 150 voting members at RTM, including up to 140 elected town meeting representatives, in addition to ex-officio members including the Selectboard, Town Clerk, Town Treasurer, Moderator, and State Representatives and State Senators that reside in Brattleboro. The total number of town meeting representatives is based on the number of registered voters per district. Representative Town Meeting members discuss, debate, and vote on all matters noticed for the annual town meeting. Most other towns in Vermont allow all registered voters to attend and vote at the annual town meeting, which is known as an open town meeting, or to vote by anonymous ballot, also known as the Australian ballot system.

For more information, you may read this two-part series on the history of RTM in Brattleboro: Part 1, Part 2.

This is a simple list, please refer to the Charter for a more complete and detailed list of current activities.

●  Approve and confirm: town treasurer, town clerk and town attorney.

●  Elect/appoint members to: Town Finance Committee, Human Services Committee, Brooks Memorial Library Trustees.

●  Authorize the Selectboard to borrow money in anticipation of taxes, grants, and other revenue.

●  Raise and appropriate funds for: Mountain Home Park, special assessments, human services, levy local taxes.

You can email the Charter Revision Commission at [email protected], or attend an upcoming meeting. The Commission’s meeting schedule and additional information is available at https://brattleboro.gov/charter-commission.

The Commission encourages participation in the charter revision process. Please check the Commission’s website for meeting agendas, minutes and supporting documents to see what, if any, discussions or decisions have been made on the same topic. Generally, meetings are on the first and third Thursday of each month at 6:15 p.m. in the Selectboard Meeting Room and on Zoom. Please confirm the date, time, location, and agenda for any particular meeting by visiting the Charter Revision Commission’s webpage or the Town calendar.