Town Meeting Tradition

Let me start this site with a post about Town Meeting, a long standing  tradition.  Vermont still looks like a Norman Rockwell painting on Town Meeting day. School gyms and meeting houses come alive each year on the second Tuesday of March with residents voting on town matters. How much should we spend on our school? Should the town road crew buy a new truck? The beauty of Town Meeting is that these matters are discussed by the whole town and put to a voice or hand vote. Do you think the old truck is fine, then stand up and tell the crowd. If you disagree with the first person who spoke up, you get to tell them. Sometimes Town Meeting is short and everyone is agreeable, sometimes folks are long winded. But now matter how contentious things may get, the meeting stops for the noon meal sponsored by the Fire Department Auxiliary. In fact, I have seen matters settled just because folks want to move on to lunch! Most of our visitors are still on the ski slopes at this time of year but Town Meeting is one of  Vermont’s special secrets.