Selectboard
The five-member selectboard is the town’s chief elected body responsible for the overall management of town government. Selectboard members serve three-year terms. The selectboard meets on the first and third Wednesdays of every month at 5:00 PM in the Town Hall in Island Pond.
Current selectboard members are:
- Jeanne Gervais (Chair): selectboardchair@brightonvt.gov
- Heather McElroy: selectboard2@brightonvt.gov
- Michael Testut: selectboard3@brightonvt.gov
- Pierre Gervais: selectboard4@brightonvt.gov
- Greg Manning: selectboard5@brightonvt.gov
Development Review Board
The DRB performs all development review functions, including site plan reviews, conditional use permits, requests for variances, and appeals of the decisions of the Zoning Administrator. DRB members are appointed by the selectboard, and serve three-year terms.
DRB members: Peder Pederson, Marilyn Maxwell, Stacey Roese, Michael Clarke, Alan Wing, Alan Magoon (Alternate)
Town Manager
Brighton voters have elected to appoint a professional Town Manager to assist the Selectboard with the execution of their duties. Under this form of government, many of the day-to-day responsibilities traditionally charged to the selectboard are transferred to the person holding this position. The town manager is responsible for:
- Administration of the annual budget
- Enforcing personnel policies
- Hiring and firing of staff
- Managing the day-to-day affairs of the town
- Setting salaries
- Supervision of employees
- Purchasing (Chief Purchasing Officer)
- Finance (Chief Financial Officer)
Town Manager: Noah Bond, 802-723-4405
Town Administrator
The Administrator works closely with the Selectboard, the Town Clerk and other municipal officials in a variety of ways, as needed. He carries out board directives and initiatives, and is the liaison with state agencies and local boards, and keeps the board up-to-date on legislative issues and compliance issues. The Administrator is an appointed position.
Administrator: Joel Cope, 802-723-4753
Town Clerk & Treasurer
The Town Clerk is responsible for the administration of all elections, the recording of land records, the filing and indexing of all births, deaths and marriages, all liens, surveys and a myriad of other documents. In addition, the Clerk’s office issues fish and game licenses and dog licenses. Voter registration is yet another important facet of this office. The Town Clerk is elected to a three-year term.
The Treasurer is responsible for overall management of cash flow and distributing payments authorized by the Selectboard. The Treasurer’s office is responsible for assisting the Selectboard with overall management of Town finances, accounting and tax collection.
The Town Clerk appoints an Assistant Town Clerk, who has the same responsibilities.
Town Clerk: Teresa Potwin, 723-4405. Office Hours Monday – Thursday 8:00am – 5:00pm
Assistant Clerk: Lisa Moore
Zoning Administrator
The Zoning Administrator is appointed by the Selectboard, based upon a nomination by the Planning Commission. The ZA, according to state statute, “shall administer the bylaws literally and shall not have the power to permit any land development that is not in conformance with those bylaws.” The ZA serves a three-year term.
Zoning Administrator: Beth Rodondi 723-4405
Listers
The Listers work collaboratively to establish the value of all properties, for taxation purposes, located in the Town of Brighton. They do not set the tax rate or collect taxes. The municipal tax rate is set by the Selectboard based on the budget approved by Town Meeting and the Grand List approved by the Listers. The Grand List is essentially one percent of the list of all properties and associated values.
Board of Listers: Tara Martin (two lister positions vacant)
Planning Commission
The Planning Commission is responsible for short- and long-range planning in the form of the official Town Plan, a document that must be renewed every eight years. Changes to the Zoning Ordinance cannot be made if the Town Plan is expired. The PC is responsible for recommending changes to the Zoning Ordinance, and for nominating someone to serve as Zoning Administrator. The Selectboard makes the appointment based on the PC’s nomination. The Planning Commission meets on the first and third Mondays of each month (excluding federal holidays) at 5:30 in the Town Hall Offices.
PC members: Annie Budrewicz (Chair), Jeanne Gervais, Bill Hawkins, Michael Strait, Mark Vaillencourt.
Water Commissioners
The Water Commissioners are charged by Town charter provisions with the management, control and operation of the public water supply and distribution systems. Water Commissioners are elected to three year terms.
Water Commissioners: Heather McElroy, Mark Vaillancourt, Bruce Webster
Sewage System Commissioners
The Sewer Board supervises the municipal sewer system, including establishing rates, rules and regulations for its control and operation. The Sewer Board is appointed by the Selectboard to four-year terms.
The Selectboard has adopted a practice of appointing as Sewer Board members the same people who are elected as Water Commissioners, owing to the close relationship between the functions of the two systems.
Auditors
Auditors are elected officials and have the responsibility for examining and adjusting accounts, including those of the town and town school district officers, and all other persons authorized by law to draw orders on the town treasurer. Auditors are also responsible for the annual town report. Town Auditors are not CPAs but should be comfortable with numbers.
Auditors: Jocelyn Gervais, Judy Castonguay.
Cemetery Commissioners
The Cemetery Commissioners are responsible for the care and management of the public burial grounds.
Cemetery Commissioners: John Manning, Wayne Cole, Carmen Murray
Police Department
The Town Of Brighton is served by the Essex County Sheriff’s Department.
Recreation Department
The Recreation Director (Vacant Position)
The best way to learn about our programs and events, is to come join us! Sign-up for the Pondathon around the lake, attend a weekly outdoor workout session by the water, enter the Maple Fools Fest photo contest, or take a guided tour of Moose Bog. www.brightonrecreationvt.org