Woodstock to vote on school bond, local option tax; 2 vie for select board seat
A proposed $99 million new high school and a 1% local option tax are two of the major items to be voted on during Town Meeting Day in Woodstock. The local town and school budgets will also be on the March ballot.
Voting will be on Tuesday, March 5, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Woodstock Town Hall.
To discuss town items on the ballot, there will be an informational meeting this Saturday, Feb. 24, at 10 a.m. at the Pentangle Theater in Woodstock Town Hall (see Zoom connection information at this link). The proposed $8,020,315 town budget — with $6,603,975 to be raised by taxes — will be discussed at Saturday’s meeting.
Regarding the school project, on March 5 all towns in the Mountain Views School District will vote on the $99 million bond for the new Woodstock Union Middle and High School building — they include Barnard, Bridgewater, Killington, Plymouth, Pomfret, Reading and Woodstock (see project information at mtnviews.org, where a tax impact calculator is also available).
The school project will be one of the items discussed at an informational public hearing for the school district, to be held on Thursday, Feb. 29 at 6:30 p.m. at the WUHS library (see Zoom connection information by going to page 79 at this link). Also at the Feb. 29 meeting, the district’s proposed $29,756,674 school budget will be discussed.
1% local option tax proposed
As for the 1% local option tax, the Select Board unanimously agreed to ask the voters to approve a local option tax which would add an additional 1% to goods to pay for infrastructure costs in Woodstock. Those infrastructure costs may include future renovations to Town Hall and the purchase and improvement of the water system. The local option tax will allow tourist dollars to share in maintaining the quality of Woodstock for everyone to enjoy, according to information from the Select Board.
In 2022, the tax department estimated that the town would have received $200,000 from a 1% local option tax. This was at a time when retail sales were still affected by Covid. Since 2022, several new retail operations have opened in Woodstock, so town officials are optimistic that it will be more than the 2022 amount.
The state would get 30% from the local option tax, and the town would receive the balance.
Voters to decide select board race
Two candidates are in the running for a 1-year seat on the Woodstock Select Board: Laura Powell and Scott Smith.
Powell was appointed to the board last year and is a consultant for small businesses. Originally from Scituate, Massachusetts, she and her husband, John – who grew up in Pomfret and is a Woodstock Union High School graduate – moved to Woodstock in 2021, to be closer to John’s family while raising their two children.
“I care deeply about finding ways for Woodstock to continue to be a wonderful place to live and work,” she said. “And the decisions being made today will impact how livable Woodstock will be in one year, in five years, in 30 years.”
As for the major issues coming up, she noted, “We will be working on a bond for the wastewater treatment plant upgrades as well as the potential purchase of the Aqueduct Company.”
Powell, a member of the Town Hall working group, looks forward to the group eventually presenting several options for this project to the board and residents. She’ll also continue working with the Planning Commission on land use policy, specifically on increasing housing opportunities.
Powell has bachelor’s and master's degrees in criminal justice and sociology from Villanova University.
A longtime business owner in Woodstock, Smith decided to run for Select Board to offer his expertise to help with major issues the town faces. Smith and his wife, Kim, own and operate the Woodstock businesses 37 Central Clothiers, Red Wagon Toy Co. and Woodstock Scoops. Scott grew up in Killington, went to Woodstock Union High School and has lived in Woodstock since 2001.
“I really want to be involved; there are a lot of challenging things going on, and I thought my expertise would be valuable on the board,” he said. Smith also has an MBA in finance from the University of New Hampshire. “That, combined with my experience in town running multiple businesses, being here since 2001 and growing up in the area, gives me a really good perspective on the needs of Woodstock.”
Smith said the work needed on the water system, the sewer and the Town Hall are chief among issues the board will be tackling.
“Those are the main issues, and everything seems to have a big price tag, and how do we best navigate that and keep it affordable for people to live here?” Smith said.
In other local election news, Woodstock Select Board incumbents Susan Ford and Greg Fullerton are each running unopposed for a two-year seat and a three-year seat, respectively. For the Mountain Views School Board, Woodstock residents Ernie Fernandez and Keri Bristow are running for three-year terms.
— Gareth Henderson
