Open positions for 2022
Understanding how a candidate’s term is referenced in Town Reports and other documents:
The year in parentheses after a candidate’s name is the last year of their term–the position will be open again in that year. Ex: Skylar Smith (2022) 2022 is the last year of their term. The position will be open in 2022 and the new candidate will be voted for during Voting Day in March.
Note: this information is to the best of my knowledge–please let me know of any errors on this page: marycgraziano@gmail.com
Cemetery Commission
Current members (as of 1/29/2022):
Chris Smith (2022)
James Senesac Jr. (2023)
Richard Middleton (2024)
Plain Language Description:
Isle La Motte has three people on the cemetery commission. The people elected to this commission are responsible for the care and management of the town’s cemeteries. If no cemetery commissioners are elected, the town’s cemeteries become the responsibility of the selectboard.
State Statute:
18 V.S.A. § 5373 : When a town votes to place its public burial grounds under the charge of cemetery commissioners, it shall elect separately a board of three or five cemetery commissioners, who shall have the care and management of such burial ground and exercise all the powers, rights, and duties with respect to such care and management and all responsibility on the part of the selectboard shall cease.
Cemetery Commission on town website:
Constable
Current members (as of 1/29/2022):
Lyle Andrews (2022)
Generic plain language description from State of Vermont
Isle La Motte has one constable position. The constable has the power to serve civil process, assist the health officer in the discharge of his or her duties, destroy unlicensed dogs, kill injured deer, remove disorderly people from town meeting.
State Statute:
17 V.S.A. § 2646(7); 2651a (Statute 2651a not listed below because it is about appointing a constable via the selectboard, which Isle La Motte does not do)
“A first constable, and if needed a second constable, unless the town has voted to authorize the selectboard to appoint constables as provided in section 2651a of this chapter. The terms of office of the first and second constable elected or appointed shall be for one year unless a town votes that they shall be elected or appointed for terms of two years. When a town votes for a two-year term for the offices of first and second constable, the two-year terms shall remain in effect until the town rescinds them by a majority vote of the legal voters voting at an annual meeting, duly warned for that purpose.”
ILM Constable Facebook Page:
Delinquent Tax Collector
Current officer (as of 1/29/2022):
Mary Labreque (2022)
Plain Language Description from the State of Vermont:
Isle La Motte has one Delinquent Tax Collector officer. This person is responsible for collecting past-due taxes. This position could be filled by the Town Treasurer. If no one is voted for this position, it become the responsibility of the Constable.
State Statute:
17 V.S.A. § 2651d : relevant excerpt from statute: “A municipality may vote at an annual or special municipal meeting to authorize the legislative body to appoint a collector of delinquent taxes, who may be the municipal treasurer.”
Justice of the Peace (JP)
Current JPs (as of 1/29/2022):
Allen Hall (not certain)
Sarah Peacock (not certain)
Cathy Tudhope (not certain)
When Elected:
During the general election, NOT the March election.
Generic plain language description from State of Vermont
Isle La Motte has three JP officers. Duties include:
- Elections. Justices of the peace are members of the board of civil authority (BCA). Members of the BCA serve as election officials at town elections by Australian ballot and statewide elections. Justices also are responsible for delivering absentee ballots to voters at election time.
- Tax Abatement and Appeals. Justices of the peace sit as members of the town board for abatement of taxes to determine whether a taxpayer’s tax obligation should be forgiven under certain circumstances. Justices of the peace also serve an important role in the town’s tax appeal process. As a member of the board of civil authority, justices sit to hear and decide appeals when citizens do not agree with the final decision of the listers.
- Marriages. Justices of the peace may also solemnize marriages in Vermont.
- Oaths and Notary. Justices of the peace may also administer oaths in all cases where an oath is required, unless a specific law makes a different provision. A justice of the peace is a notary public ex officio and has all the acknowledgment powers of a notary public. However, the justice of the peace must file with the county clerk in order to act as a notary public (but the fee is waived).
- Magistrate. Justices of the peace may also serve as a magistrate when so commissioned by the Supreme Court.
From The Justice of the Peace Handbook from the Secretary of State:
“Mandatory duties are those duties which, by law, the Justice of the Peace must perform. These duties include participating as a Board of Civil Authority member by serving as an election official and assisting on election days, hearing and deciding tax appeals, and serving as a member of the Board of Abatement.”
“Of all duties of the justice of the peace, election administration is the most crucial. It is expected that, as elected officials, JPs will assist with all elections: primary, general, special, and local. The Board of Civil Authority has “charge of the conduct of elections within the political subdivision for which it is elected.” 17 V.S.A. § 2451.
Justice of the Peace Page on the Town Website:
Lister
When do the Listers meet?
Future meeting schedule not stated on website. You can find the Listers’ meeting minutes and agendas here: https://islelamotte.us/departments-2/listers/listers-agendas-and-meeting-minutes/
Current listers (as of 1/29/2022):
Debbie Spaulding (2024)
Louise Koss (2023)
Mary LaBrecque (2022)
Generic plain language description from State of Vermont
Isle La Motte has three Lister officers. This is a complex job with a lot of requirements for skill and constant education. The duty of this position is to appraise properties within the town for the purpose of property tax assessment. Appraisals need to be reassessed regularly to account for changes in market value.
From the Lister and Assessor Handbook from the Division of Property Valuation and Review, Vermont Department of Taxes:
“The overarching responsibility of the lister (and frequently municipal assessors) is assessment equity on the grand list. Assessment equity is, generally, the degree to which assessments bear a consistent relationship to market value. In order to achieve this, listers must understand appraisal methods and property assessment administration in Vermont.
With inflation, development, and subdivision, the grand list may quickly become out of date. Between the years in which complete townwide reappraisals are completed, listers need to make corrections, additions, and adjustments to maintain equity among properties. This process requires analyzing and interpreting sales data.
To determine the value of property, listers must consider the governmental regulations affecting potential uses and value. This includes town plan and zoning regulations, the method for determining a house site and homestead value, the Use Value Appraisal Program, and Health Department subdivision regulations. Listers may have to analyze Act 250, or determine how to assess property subject to federal housing subsidies, or property subject to a conservation easement. The Secretary of State also has land use regulation information.
If a town or city chooses to tax business inventory and machinery and equipment, the listers will need to learn how to assess such property. This involves understanding of the businesses in town as well as depreciation impacts.
Many of the listers’ activities have requirements concerning timing, notification, and format, as well as substance, which must be strictly adhered to. Towns have lost many appeals because procedural details were overlooked. You must carefully read, understand, and follow the statutes. The Vermont statutes can be
accessed online or be read in the town clerk’s office.
Listers Page on the Town Website:
Moderator
Current listers (as of 1/29/2022):
Rusty Spaulding (2022)
Generic plain language description from State of Vermont (pending specifics to Isle La Motte)
Isle La Motte has one town moderator officer. The moderator runs the annual and special town/school meeting, should have experience following Roberts Rules of Order. 17 V.S.A. § 2646(1)
From the VLCT Handbook for Vermont Town Officers:
” For the majority of Vermont towns that vote on town business and elect officers at an annual open town meeting (i.e. “from the floor”), the moderator is a very visible and very important official. The moderator is the presiding officer at town meetings and it is he or she who conducts the annual meeting, who keeps order, and who ensures that the business of the meeting proceeds in a fair and efficient manner and that those who wish have an opportunity to participate in the process”
School Board
When does the School Board meet?
The GISU board holds a regular meeting on the fourth Monday of the month.
Current School Board Members (as of 1/29/2022):
Chet Bromley (2022)
Generic plain language description from Vermont State Board of Education
Isle La Motte has one School Board member. “The powers and duties of the Board include making regulations governing: attendance and records of attendance of all pupils, standards for student performance, adult basic education programs, approval of independent schools, disbursement of funds, and equal access for all Vermont students to a quality education.”
From the Vermont School Boards Association page: (https://www.vtvsba.org/newboardmember)
The role of a School Board member is:
- Building a shared a vision for education in the community.
-
Establishing policy parameters.
-
Hiring and working with a superintendent to lead and manage the district to achieve the vision.
-
Monitoring progress toward the vision, and assuring accountability for results
-
Developing and adopting a budget to support the vision.
-
Engaging the community in supporting the education of students
From the GISU School Board Page (https://www.gisu.org/boards.html) :
The GISU Board is responsible for carrying out specific duties in accordance with
Selectboard
When does the Selectboard meet?
From the website: “1st Monday of each month at 5:00 p.m. at the Town Hall.” You can find the minutes here: https://islelamotte.us/departments-2/select-board/select-board-minutes-2/
Selectboard Members (as of 1/29/2022):
Selby Turner (2022 resigned)
Peter Brzozowy (2022 interim)
Paul Zera (2023)
Rustam Spaulding (2024)
Generic plain language description from State of Vermont
Isle La Motte has three selectboard members. “General supervision and control over town; enacts ordinances, regulations, and policies for town; oversees town property and personnel; prepares, presents and manages budget; and oversees roads, including laying out, discontinuing, and reclassifying roads. Sits as local board of health, liquor control commission, and sewer commission. 17 V.S.A. § 2646(4); 17 V.S.A. § 2649.”
The Selectboard is responsible for:
From the VLCT Handbook for Selectboards 2006:
“SOME OF THE SELECTBOARD’S RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Selectpersons are responsible for general supervision of the affairs of town and must cause to
be performed all duties required of the town not committed by law to the care of any
particular officer.
• The selectboard may enact ordinances and rules in many areas including traffic regulation,
regulating nuisances, managing solid waste, dogs and recreation, and establishing bike paths.
Many of these are listed in 24 V.S.A. § 2291, but others are scattered throughout the statutes.
• The selectboard warns all town meetings and specifies business to be conducted at the
meeting, including proposing an annual budget. If the town does not set the tax rate, the
selectboard must set a tax rate that will raise the specific amount voted at town meeting.
• The selectboard is responsible for hiring, directing, and firing almost all town employees
unless the town has a Town Manager form of government; for setting salaries if voters do not
do so at town meeting, and for establishing and enforcing personnel policies.
• The selectboard must authorize all town expenditures by signing orders for the treasurer to
draw town funds.
• The selectboard supervises the expenditure of the highway fund and has charge of keeping
town highways in repair. It also is responsible for laying out, classifying and discontinuing
town roads.
• The selectboard is responsible for animal control.
• The selectboard may borrow money for periods of less than a year in anticipation of taxes.
• The selectboard must fill all town vacancies until an election is held.
• The selectboard may license many operations within the town (e.g., liquor sales, restaurants,
junkyards and entertainment).
• The selectboard appoints several minor town offices (e.g., fence viewers, pound keepers,
inspector of lumber and tree warden).
• The selectboard appoints and removes planning commissioners unless the town has voted to
elect them. In “rural towns,” selectpersons serve as ex officio planning commission
members. A “rural town” is a town with a population of less than 2,500 or a town with a
population of at least 2,500 but less than 5,000 which has voted by Australian ballot to be
considered a rural town. The selectboard adopts the town plan unless the town votes to adopt
it by Australian ballot. It also holds public hearings on proposed zoning bylaws and may, in
some circumstances, adopt zoning bylaws.
• The selectboard appoints police officers and municipal fire department officers.
• The selectboard appoints and may remove a town manager when a town has voted to adopt
such form of government.
• The selectboard purchases all insurance for the town.
• The selectboard requires certain town officers to obtain a bond and sets the amount
necessary.
• The selectboard regulates and issues certificates for junkyards.
• The selectboard controls cemeteries if there is not a cemetery commission.
• Selectboard members serve as members of the Board of Civil Authority.
THE TOWN REPORT
The town report is the responsibility of the town auditors or the selectboard, if the town has
voted to eliminate the office of auditor, as allowed under 17 V.S.A. § 2651b. The report must
show:
• a detailed statement of the financial condition of the town and school district;
• a classified summary of receipts and expenditures;
• a list of all outstanding orders and payables more than 30 days past due;
VLCT Selectboard Handbook 104 April 2006
• the deficit, if any;
• any such other information as the municipality may direct; and
• the report and budget of the supervisory union required by 16 V.S.A. § 261A(10).
24 V.S.A. § 1683.
This gives the selectboard the authority to include a selectboard report, stating the condition of
the town and events of the past year, as well as the vital statistics of the town and other such
information.”
Selectboard on town website:
https://islelamotte.us/departments-2/select-board/
Town Clerk
Town Clerk (as of 1/29/2022):
Sarah Noble (2022)
Generic plain language description from State of Vermont
Isle La Motte has one Town Clerk. “Records, preserves, and certifies the public records of the town. Issues dog, marriage, and hunting and fishing licenses; as well as motor vehicle renewals. Runs the local elections, serves as clerk of the board of civil authority, and hears tax abatement requests and tax appeals. 17 V.S.A. § 2646(2); 2651e
From the VLCT Handbook for Vermont Municipal Clerks:
“In many Vermont municipalities the municipal clerk is the most visible elected official and as such is expected to be informed about all aspects of town business from animals to zoning. Briefly, the municipal clerk is required by law to be the receiver and recorder of the town’s archives. The clerk records deeds related to real estate and private property transactions and files vital statistics information records relating to town business.
Proceedings of the annual and special town meetings are recorded and filed by the municipal clerk. 24 V.S.A. §§ 1151–1179. These specific duties and responsibilities will be discussed in detail in appropriate sections of this handbook. The responsibilities apply equally to the municipal clerk elected at town meeting and to a clerk appointed by the selectboard to fill a vacancy in the office.”
“While many of the municipal clerk’s duties and responsibilities are clearly defined in state statutes, others are a result of custom, such as receiving telephone inquiries dealing with anything from the next selectboard meeting to landfill hours. While a municipal clerk is not legally required to perform such extra duties, it is a good idea to be courteous and helpful. A municipal clerk will probably hear many complaints and should make an effort to listen sympathetically. For example, if a citizen has a complaint about the grading of a gravel road, the clerk could notify the road commission or pass the information on to the selectboard and/or town manager.”
Town Clerk on town website:
Treasurer
Treasurer (as of 1/29/2022):
Sarah Noble (2022)
Generic plain language description from State of Vermont
Isle La Motte has one Treasurer. “Keeps the town and school’s accounts (unless a separate school treasurer is elected), invests money (with the approval of the legislative body), keeps a record of the taxes voted, and pays orders drawn on him or her. 17 V.S.A. § 2646(3); 2651f“
From the VLCT Handbook for Vermont Municipal Treasurers:
“The town treasurer plays a vital role in Vermont municipal government. The town treasurer is a key player in keeping the town’s financial accounts, investing town money, keeping a record of the taxes voted and paying the bills when orders to do so are properly submitted. An equally important role is the largely unwritten one of interacting with other town officials to insure that the town finances run smoothly. When the local school district does not elect its own treasurer,
the town treasurer also assumes the duties of treasurer of the school district. Put simply, the town treasurer handles the finances and keeps the accounts for the municipality.”
2022 Budget on town website:
https://islelamotte.us/2016-voting-information/
https://islelamotte.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022-OFFICIAL-BUDGET.xlsx
Trustee of Public Funds
When do the Trustees of Public Funds meet?
Future meeting schedule not stated on website. Link to meeting minutes here: https://islelamotte.us/departments-2/trustees-of-public-funds/trustees-of-public-funds-agendas-and-minutes/
Trustees (as of 1/29/2022):
Chet Bromley (2024)
Barbara Callahan (2022)
Cathy Tudhope (2023)
Generic plain language description from State of Vermont
Isle La Motte has three Trustees. “Manages, invests, and reports on real and personal property held in trust by the town. This includes cemetery trust funds.” 17 V.S.A. § 2646(12); 24 V.S.A. § 2431 et seq.
From the VLCT Handbook for Vermont Town Officers:
“The trustees have the duty and authority to manage public funds, including the authority to:
• Apply the income to its designated purpose.
• Create deeds and contracts.
• Lease, sell, or convey real estate and invest the proceeds.
• Lend money and hold deeds and mortgages.
• Invest in certain securities, bonds and shares.
• Hold, purchase, sell, assign, transfer, and dispose of securities and investments and the proceeds of investments.
18 V.S.A. § 5384(b); 24 V.S.A. § 2432.
Each year, the trustees shall report to the town or, in the case of school money, to the state Board of Education, the amount of funds in their hands, the results of their handling of investments, and the use of the income from public funds. 24 V.S.A. § 2434. Trustees must be bonded to the satisfaction of the selectboard, and in some investments they are subject to certain federal and state banking and insurance guidelines. Finally, they may prosecute and defend in legal actions involving public funds. “
Model Trustees of Public Funds Investment Policy with Guidance from the Vermont League of Cities and Towns
Model Trustees of Public Funds Investment Policy with Guidance
Trustee of Public Funds page on town website has been removed from this page due to a page updating error that has lead to some confusion
This website was created as a resource for the town by Mary Catherine Graziano. Email with questions at: