Beach house gets new look
Connect the dots Why did the barn cross the road?
Historic structure will get overdue upgrades
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PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #217 CONCORD, NH ECRWSSEDDM
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Volume 52 Number 4
shelburnenews.com
CVSD adopts $96 million spending plan
January 26, 2023
Table for two
District towns will see tax hikes COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER
The Champlain Valley School District adopted its $96 million budget at its last district meeting and has warned a vote for Town Meeting Day. The fiscal year 2024 budget, totaling $96,119,804, amounts to a 7.5 percent increase in expenditures from last fiscal year, driven by several factors including a general increase in health care, salaries, as well as in the district’s special education budget, among other things. “One factor that is certainly affecting this budget is the consumer price index — the last time that I pulled the report was November and it was still at 7.1 percent,” said Gary Marckres, the district’s chief operations officer. “Everything is getting more expensive.”
School tax rate increases are included in all the district’s participating towns except for St. George; residents there will see a 1 percent decrease, or a $20 decrease per $100,000 of assessed home value. Both Hinesburg and Charlotte will see a 5 percent increase, or a $79 increase per $100,000 of assessed value, while Shelburne will see a 6 percent increase, resulting in a $101 increase per $100,000 of assessed value. Williston will see a 2 percent increase, or a $37 increase. One of the largest expenditure increases in the budget is for special education, which saw a 12 percent increase from the previous year. The school district has had staffing trouble with its special educators and intensive care educators in recent years. Part of the 12 percent See BUDGET on page 12
PHOTO BY LEE KROHN
Beneath a caged heart of suet, two birds, each alike in dignity, gather for a snowy snack.
Shelburne gets bylaw grant to create ‘diverse’ housing LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
Shelburne received a $25,000 state bylaw modernization grant meant to encourage pedestrianoriented development to support more housing variety, affordability and opportunities. The grant comes at a time when planning and zoning staff have already started looking for a
consultant to help with a comprehensive revision and modernization of the town’s land use regulations. After what had been a contentious zoning year for Shelburne, one thing that residents and planning and zoning staff can agree on is that the current zoning bylaws are “unduly complicated, internally inconsistent and very difficult to understand,” said town manager
Lee Krohn. Since 1970, Shelburne has experienced multiple periods of rapid growth that have more than doubled the population, leaving the town to balance a heightened demand for additional housing, economic development and protection of natural resources, reads the proposal issued in the search for the right consultant. “So the goal (of the grant) is
that the state is hoping communities will take a deep dive into their zoning ordinances and find ways to encourage and enhance a greater variety and perhaps a number of housing units,” Krohn said. “It’s not uncommon that zoning ordinances have evolved over time and you’ve got all these density requirements and setback requirements and lot size requirements and pretty soon it’s a lot more limiting than might
actually make sense.” Some residents have displayed an air of caution around more development in Shelburne, citing environmental concerns and inconsistencies that some development proposals may have with the town’s comprehensive plan. “I know people are fearful about anything that might theoretSee HOUSING on page 12