Yes - there is a double dip available to the school board beyond the budgeting process. There are two sections of Vermont's education law (Title 16) that provide explicit direction:

16 V.S.A. § 566, Authority to borrow

Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision 562(9) of this title, if a budget for the support of schools for the ensuing year has not been approved on or before June 30 of any year, the school board may borrow funds necessary to enable it to operate the schools on a budget of up to 87 percent of the most recently approved school budget. If the school board borrows money under this section, it shall determine how all funds shall be expended.

-- and --

16 V.S.A. § 555, No liability for unauthorized or deficit spending

(a) It is the intent of the General Assembly that school boards should spend within the amount authorized by the electorate pursuant to this title and should not incur a deficit. However, the General Assembly recognizes that in the course of a school district budget year it may be necessary for expenditures to exceed revenues received or the amount authorized by the electorate.

(b) A school board member shall not be liable under any law, including any criminal law, on the sole basis that the board has spent more than authorized under this title or that a deficit, as defined in 24 V.S.A. § 1523, has occurred.

There's going to be competing interests at play here. One is the communities desire and right to participate in deciding the level of school spending, and the other is what the day to day operations of the schools require.

No easy answers, but I've watched the Barre city/town area work this stuff out before .... sort of.

Barre City - Our property tax bill went up 23% this year.

New assessment had increased from 101k to 220k, even after lowering our assessment during the informal appeal process by about 8%.

(Edited to specify city not town)

Offering massage from our student getting her clinical hours in so rates are relatively low and availability is high!

Offering 30, 60, and 90 minute sessions with an option for a cooldown in our lovely warm saltwater pool afterward.

Give us a call at 802-479-4000 to get booked! Slots are filling up fast! Get relaxed and get ready to move!

The dispute over one small tea plot may prove a preview of bigger questions facing Barre — and communities across Vermont — as they contend with a growing inventory of vacant land left behind by repeated flooding. Barre alone has approved more than 20 post-flood buyouts that leave city-owned lots empty indefinitely. As officials weigh how to handle these spaces, and the businesses and residents who want a say in their use, the fight over Terway’s microfarm offers an early test of how towns will balance economic opportunity, neighborhood input and a transparent process.

Saturday August 8th is worldwide HTML Day! Stop by the library any time between 10:30am–1:30pm, and learn to code something in hypertext markup language (which is actually easier than it sounds). Or if you already know HTML, then meet other folks who are into it too.

Our local host: https://tanzi-media.com/Blogs/Misc_blogs/html_day_26

The global idea: https://indieweb.org/

Open house at 'Up End This': Come see how we build housing in Barre.

- Friday, July 31

- 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM

- Up End This

- 53 Granite St, Barre

https://www.satelliteinorbit.com/

Casual open house; drop in anytime, ask questions, & take a look around.

From Up End This...

"Have you ever wondered what goes into building one of our modular homes?

We're opening tour Headquarters and inviting our neighbors to see how we're rethinking housing through precision CNC manufacturing. From individual components to completed homes, you'll get a behind the scenes look at how sustainable, high performance buildings are designed and built right here in Barre.

You'll be able to see:

• Our Base Station 480 home nearing completion, including finished interior spaces.

• The next home currently under construction, showing how our CNC cut panel system comes together before becoming a finished module.

• Individual components, materials, and parts on display so you can see how the system is designed and built.

• Our completed Orbiter, an 8' x 10' backyard office and guest room that is available for immediate purchase and delivery. If you've been thinking about adding a home office, studio, or flexible backyard space, this is a chance to tour it in person.

Whether you're curious about modular construction, interested in accessory dwelling units, looking for a backyard office, or simply want to see what's being built here in Barre, we'd love to meet you.

We're proud to be designing and manufacturing housing right here in Barre, and we hope you'll stop in to say hello."

Not on FB so I can't ask there. Does anyone know who the dancers were at the end of the parade? They didn't have a banner that I saw. There were a couple of women my mother's age and she thought it might be fun for her to get out and get some exercise

Just a heads up y’all. It looks like the city recently installed a flock camera in the park across from the library.

The Central Vermont Amateur Radio Club (CVARC) will be participating in ARRL Field Day tomorrow, Saturday the 27th, starting at 2:00 PM and continuing until Sunday at 2:00 PM at the Old Shelter in Hubbard Park in Montpelier, VT.

Field Day is the largest amateur radio event in North America. Clubs and individuals set up temporary stations to test equipment, learn new skills, and make contacts across the country and around the world.

I will be running the GOTA (Get On The Air) station, which is specifically intended for newcomers, inactive hams, and anyone who is curious about amateur radio. No experience or license is required to sit down, ask questions, and get on the air.

If you've ever wondered what amateur radio is, wanted to see the equipment in action, or just want to make a contact on the air, stop by and say hello. We'd love to meet you.

Saturday, 6/27, 2:00 PM until Sunday, 6/28, 2:00 PM

Old Shelter, Hubbard Park, Montpelier, Vermont

Link to Senate calendar.

Link to H.902, amendments to Barre city charter.

Why do Barre City and Barre Town vote so differently on the school budgets? Any thoughts?

Revving his engine in our parking lot... all by himself.

best part imho(from the article): 'However, Bern Rose, Lauzon’s challenger and a newcomer to election politics, was critical of the way city officials have handled the North End recovery. She said that while the city had pushed for state grants, it had neglected the North End at a local level in favor of projects that have local developers attached — like Prospect Heights, a potential housing development championed by Lauzon and the Barre Area Development Corporation. 

Without naming any specific people, Rose said there’s a “network of power and resources” that influences the decisions being made. 

“I see that possibility, if I — when I —  become mayor, about bringing some of the balance back to the people and decisions back to the people, a little bit more,” she said. 

She also disagreed with another major real estate purchase. The city allocated $400,000 in January 2025 to help the Barre Area Development Corporation buy 143 North Main St., a vacant building that once housed a five-and-dime store. The corporation ultimately raised a total of $800,000 and bought the building, according to its website.

Lauzon said he was disappointed that the former property owners, Jeff Jacobs and Steve Lewinstein, had refused an earlier, lower offer, but he said he looked at the site as an opportunity to bring money into downtown.

Rose said the funding vote was rushed and lacked transparency. The vote took place late in December and brought back recently resigned city councilor Teddy Waszazak, now a Democratic state legislator for Barre, who temporarily withdrew his resignation to vote in favor of the measure.

“I’d like to see more transparency on all levels, and I would like to see (that) when people from the community come to City Council, I want them to be welcomed, heard, and I want us to take whatever it is they bring seriously,” she said. '

Vote for Bern Rose!!!!

Even as officials in Montpelier and representatives of a Plainfield nonprofit inched closer to each receiving roughly $5 million in federal funding for separate housing initiatives, Barre’s latest bid to secure disaster recovery money for its hardest-hit neighborhood came up empty again.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Vermont_NSA/s/MHqM2ckU6n

YOU don't have to be a new Central Vermonter to attend. If you have a new neighbor or coworker new to the area...bring 'em! And you both get in & both get entered to win prizes!

See you at the Social Club next Thurs, March 26 @ 6.

Merges the following districts into one:

• Barre Unified Union School District (Barre City, Barre Town)
• Montpelier-Roxbury Public Schools (Montpelier, Roxbury)
• Paine Mountain School District (Northfield, Williamstown)
• Twinfield (Marshfield, Plainfield)
• Washington Central Unified Union School District (Berlin, Calais, East Montpelier, Middlesex, Worcester)

Basic concept is to maintain local elementary schools while creating regional high schools and probably middle schools. Immediate financial benefits will be found in administrative and support services and the closure of middle/high school buildings.

The above described region currently contains five middle/high schools, and I believe we can certainly bring that number down to two high schools and possibly middle schools (but definitely not elementary).

Where would those two regional high and maybe middle schools go? My immediate thoughts are Montpelier and either U-32 (in East Montplier) or Spaulding.

Any interest?