No. 11 January 2005
SELECTBOARD NOTES
TOWN MEETING
Thetford's Town Meeting will be
held on Saturday, February 26, the Saturday preceding
Thetford's Town Meeting will be
held at
Thetford Town Annual reports will be mailed to households by mid February.
TOWN
CLERK NOTES
Petitions for articles to be included on the Town Meeting Warning are due to the Town Clerk by January 20, 2005. The petition requires signatures of 5% of the checklist (105).
Voting by Australian Ballot at
Town Hall will take place March 1, 2005.
DOG REGISTRATION RENEWAL - available after January 1st, and MUST be renewed by
April 1 to avoid penalty for late filing. New fees (as per state Statute)
are $11.00 for Male or females, $7 for Spayed/Neutered.
We're looking for a few more good people who are willing to contribute their time to make our town the community we all want. Please consider volunteering for one of the many positions in town.
The following offices have terms that end on March 1, 2005.
To be a candidate for a position:
· Complete a nominating petition (available at the Town Clerk’s office)
· Get the necessary signatures on the petition (25)
· Return the petition to the Town Clerk’s office by January 24, 5pm and complete the consent for nomination.
For information on the various offices, please contact a Selectboard member or the Town Clerk at 785-2922.
OFFICE |
TERM |
Town Moderator |
1 year |
Town Clerk |
1 year |
Town Treasurer |
1 year |
Delinquent Tax Collector |
1 year |
Selectboard |
3 year |
Selectboard |
2 year |
Grand Juror |
1 year |
Agent to Prosecute/Defend Suits |
1 year |
Agent to Convey Real Property |
1 year |
Lister |
3 year |
Budget Committee (3 vacancies) |
3 year |
Budget Committee (2 vacancies) |
2 year |
Trustee of Trust Funds |
3 year |
Cemetery Commissioner |
3 year |
Latham Library Trustee (2 vacancies) |
4 year |
|
3 year |
School Moderator |
1 year |
School Director |
3 year |
School Director |
2 year |
5th-6th INFORMATION SESSION
The Thetford Town School District Board of Directors invites all interested parties to attend an information session for the purpose of presenting information and communication regarding the 5th and 6th Grade program configuration for the 2005-06 school year. Date: Monday, January 10, 2005 7:00 p.m. at Thetford Elementary School
ACADEMY NOTES:
education" in action. A copy of the video is available from the school, and we'll have a copy for Latham Library soon, too.
THETFORD SCHOOL BOARD UPDATE
The School Board is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement with the teachers on a three-year collective bargaining agreement, covering the school years 2003-04 through 2005-06. Although the negotiations were time-consuming, the parties were able to reach an accommodation without having to resort to arbitration, and have struck an agreement which reflects the School Board’s commitment to maintaining and rewarding its high-quality faculty while recognizing that fiscal reality requires that control be maintained over property taxes.
The contract provides for a 2.45% pay increase in the first
year, a 4.25% increase in the second year, and a 4.25% increase in the third
year of the contract which, over the course of the contract, constitutes an
increase which is consistent with increases being provided in other
In addition, there will be significant change in health
insurance coverage. In the first year of the contract (which has already
passed), the
The change in the health insurance coverage will result in substantial savings to the taxpayer, and brings the contract in line with most districts in the region.
DIVERSITY TASK GROUP UPDATE
The Thetford Diversity Task Group continues its work to draft a vision
statement for a presentation to the School Board with the expectation that the
Board will then develop a diversity policy for students, teachers, and school
administrators. We're fairly far along with just some finishing touches
and final edits needed.
In addition, the Vermont Humanities Council has accepted our application for
the Vermont Reads program and has sent to us twenty-five copies of a book by
Cambodian author Luong Ung, First They
Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers. This is a
riveting and very informative account of a young girl who lived through the Pol
Pot regime, then moved to
We'll continue to report out to you via this newsletter, the Thetford email
forum, and various letters to the editor of the Valley News and the
Spectator. All meetings of the Diversity Task Group are open to everyone
in Town. Child care is provided. Our next meeting is scheduled for
Wednesday, January 12 at 6:30 pm at TES. Please join
us!
THETFORD
TOWN NEWSLETTER
Paper
copies are available the beginning of each month at Thetford libraries, stores,
bank, town hall, and electronically at
http://lists.valley.net/lists/info/thetford or www.thet.net/.
Please help us make this a viable publication by submitting community information and events.
SUBMISSION INFORMATION
The deadline for submissions is the 20th of each month. Send news including contact name and telephone number to Cathee Clement at 785-2668 or turtlepond@netzero.net.
Please list Thetford Town Newsletter in the subject line.
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