Middlesex, Vermont

Select Board

The Select Board is at the center of town government in Vermont, and Middlesex is no exception.

Middlesex has a five-member Select Board. Members are elected by Middlesex voters at Town Meeting, for staggered terms of either two or three years. The Select Board is responsible for the general supervision of town affairs. It has a number of functions, including: legislative (enacts local ordinances, regulations and policies), and administrative (prepares the budget, oversees all town expenditures, supervises town employees and controls town buildings and property). It also does work that is quasi-judicial–for example, it determines private rights when the town is laying out and reclassifying town highways.

Citizens are always welcome to attend Select Board meetings and join in the discussion.  Select Board meetings are held the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month starting at 5 PM.  During COVID lockdown, the agenda is usually posted on this website HERE.  It is also posted the Thursday before Tuesday meetings on Front Porch Forum. All meetings are by Zoom and you can join by going here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7393380675  

Minutes are posted within 48 hours after a meeting. You can find them HERE:

Town Clerk

The Town Clerk’s office, located in Middlesex Town Hall, is the hub of town activity. Not only does the Town Clerk run Middlesex’s elections; this is where you go if you want to look at town records (land, birth, death, marriage, you name it), ask a question about local taxes, or license your dog. Many meeting notices are also posted at this office.  Vermont law entrusts the Town Clerk with an extraordinary list of duties, ranging from recording, preserving and certifying public documents to administering oaths of office, running the local elections, maintaining the grand list, issuing marriage licenses, and licensing animals.

The Town Clerk is elected at Town Meeting for a three-year term. Middlesex also has an Assistant Town Clerk, appointed by the Town Clerk. The Town Clerk is an independent official, answerable only to the voters. S/he may set the clerk’s office hours. (See Contacts)

Zoning Officials

Zoning Administrator

The municipal administrative officer, more commonly known as the “zoning administrator,” is the person who administers the zoning ordinances. This officer is typically one of the first public officials contacted when property development is proposed, or when someone has a complaint. The Zoning Administrator must administer the municipal bylaws literally, and does not have the power to permit any land development that is not in conformance with the zoning bylaws. The Zoning Administrator is appointed (or, if no one comes forward, is hired) by the Planning Commission with approval from the Selectboard for a three-year term. (See Contacts)

Zoning Board of Adjustment

Within any zoning district, a given type of development may be an “allowed” use or a “conditional” use. In the case where a proposed project is a conditional use, a “conditional use review” is conducted by the Zoning Board of Adjustment. In addition, the Zoning Board of Adjustment hears appeals from decisions of the zoning administrator, and grants or denies requests for variances. The Middlesex Zoning Board of Adjustment is made up of five members appointed by the Selectboard. (See Contacts)

Other Officials

Town Treasurer
The Treasurer is elected at Town Meeting to a one-year term and is responsible for keeping the town’s financial accounts, investing money received by the town (with the approval of the Selectboard), keeping a record of the taxes voted, and paying orders drawn on town accounts. The Treasurer works with the auditors to settle town accounts prior to Town Meeting, and is often called upon to provide the Selectboard with financial information. Voters may elect the same person to be both Clerk and Treasurer. (See Contacts)

Auditors
Middlesex voters have chosen to use an professional outside auditor to annually review the Town’s finances. Click here to read the FY2020 Audit.

Budget Committee
The Budget Committee’s five members are elected to staggered three-year terms. Budget Committee members follow the deliberations of the Select Board as an annual budget is developed and ask questions and offer comments; develop or find data needed to evaluate the decisions of these boards; and report to voters (in the annual Town Report) observations and data which will be useful to voters as they consider the proposed budgets (also in the Town Report). (See Contacts)

Collector of Delinquent Taxes
It is the job of the Collector of Delinquent Taxes to notify taxpayers when their taxes are overdue, to make arrangements for late payments, or to take formal collection actions, including conducting tax sales of the property when necessary. This official must keep records of all delinquent accounts, and provide an accounting of them for the Town Report. This official is elected for a one-year term. (See Contacts)

Justices of the Peace
Although historically Justices of the Peace performed important judicial functions in towns, the tasks of today’s JPs are primarily to administer oaths of office; to perform marriage ceremonies and civil unions; and to serve on the Board of Civil Authority.  The number of justices allocated to each town is apportioned to population; Middlesex has six justices. Because the JP position used to involve great political influence, the nominating procedure is very different from that of other town officers. Justices are nominated for office after the August statewide primary in each even-numbered year. (Independent candidates may also have their names placed on the ballot by petition.) Justices are elected biennially on the first Tuesday in November. (See Contacts)

Board of Civil Authority
The Board of Civil Authority is made up of the Select Board, the Town Clerk, and the Justices of the Peace. The BCA is the governing body for elections. Duties of this board include assisting in elections, delivering and counting ballots, maintaining checklists and hearing tax appeals.

Town Listers
Listers play an important role in town government, since they determine the value of the real property in the town. The Select Board then sets a tax rate necessary to raise the money to pay for town services, the maintenance of town highways, and other municipal needs. Middlesex has three listers, one of whom is elected each year for staggered three-year terms. Listers are directed by state law to appraise all taxable property in the town at 100% of the fair market value. Listers hold grievance hearings for those taxpayers who wish to contest listers’ appraisals; their decisions may be appealed to the Board of Civil Authority, and listers may appear before the board to defend the appraisals in question. The listers also serve on the Board of Tax Abatement to determine whether a taxpayer may have his or her taxes abated. (See Contacts)

Health Officer
The Health Officer, appointed by the Select Board, addresses public health and safety issues such as dog bites, failing septic systems, contaminated water or unhealthy living conditions, and mental health issues. Health Officers are kept up to date by attending at least one statewide workshop each year. (See Contacts)

Town Service Officer
The Town Service Officer, appointed by the Select Board, is charged with assisting individuals within the town who require emergency food, fuel or shelter assistance, but only when the Vermont Department of Social Welfare is closed on weekends or after hours. (In some communities, this officer also acts as an advocate for the poor.) (See Contacts)