Vermont Towns have a long list of statutory municipal boards and officers. Below are listed those most active.
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 Daily 8:00 to 3:30.
Assistant Clerks: Muriel Leonard & Lisa Moore 723-4405
Zoning Administrator
The ZA is appointed by theSelectboard, based upon a nomination by the Planniong 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: Joel Cope 723-4753
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: Alan Wing, Stephanie Nagle, third position is 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 five 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.
PC members: Jeanne Gervais (chair), Bill Hawkins, Scott Gowdy, 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 are Ralph Wilkins, and Lisa Moore
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