‘Amelie”
Title tilt?
CVU brings to stage play about life’s possibilities
High school athletes compete playoff berths
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November 3, 2022
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Weekly news coverage for Charlotte and Hinesburg
thecitizenvt.com
Boo!
PHOTO BY LEE KROHN
The Charlotte Girl Scout Troop went all out for its float in the Charlotte-Shelburne-Hinesburg Rotary Club sponsored Halloween parade in Shelburne on Sunday.
Did Charlotte fire, rescue use tax dollars for secret settlement? COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER
The Charlotte Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service, a majority taxpayer-funded entity contracted with the town, settled a legal dispute with a former employee, sources confirmed, but have not disclosed the amount, or the reasoning for the out-of-court agreement. Sources who requested anonymity confirmed that the fire and rescue service entered into a settlement agreement but said there were little to no details about how
much money was used, when the agreement was made, and who the agreement was made with. Town administrator Dean Bloch said he was not aware of a settlement agreement. Town clerk and treasurer, Mary Mead, who handles the town’s finances, also she’s unaware of its details. And selectboard members all said they have not been informed of an agreement. “I don’t remember being informed,” selectboard Chair Jim Faulkner said. “If there was a settlement, I’m not aware of how much it was,” said selectboard
member Lewis Mudge. With scant details publicly available, the question arises of whether taxpayer money was used to fund a secret settlement agreement, that residents and town officials have not been made privy to. In an email to The Citizen, Charlotte Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service president Jon Snow declined to confirm or deny the existence of a settlement agreement, saying that the organization “as a matter of policy CVFRS does not comment on any personnel matter regarding current or former employees.”
He noted, however, that “all expenditures of CVFRS are reported monthly and shared with the selectboard. As a result, these are a matter of public record.” The Charlotte Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service operates as a private corporation, governed by a board of directors, that is contracted out with the town. Each year, the organization receives a budgeted allocation to fund its operation, which it receives in monthly installments. For the past six years, taxpayer money See SETTLEMENT on page 7