The Weekly Record – March 2, 2026
It's now time to vote – info and links; Carpenter-Carse Library doings of all sorts; Second Annual Hang at Town Commons this Saturday.
It comes down to your vote
Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 3, you will be heading to Town Hall to cast your ballot (we hope) for a variety of town offices (and a contested district school board position), the municipal and school budgets and three school district items, including new school buses and vans and a $13 million bond issue for general maintenance.
The Record has reported extensively on the budget process, details and final approvals by the respective boards and can be read by clicking here. Here are the thumbnails:
Hinesburg Municipal Budget: An increase of eight percent for a total FY2027 budget of $5.9 million including staffing increases for the fire department (one full-time equivalent position (FTE)), police department (0.5) and town clerk (0.4). Estimated impact on taxes: $45 per $100,000 of current assessed value of home. Total estimated tax on $500,000 home: $2,004.
Champlain Valley School District: An increase of five percent for a total FY2027 budget of $107.9 million. The exact impact on our taxes won’t be known until May due to the method of funding and potential one-time tax relief expenditure by the state leaders. Current estimates: an additional $64 per $100,000 of current assessed value of home.
The bond issue, meanwhile, is for the following replacement and/or upgrades:
CVU: Roof, HVAC system, and fire alarm system
Williston schools: Front gym floor, lighting control system and HVAC system
Charlotte Central School: Service elevator, gym bathrooms, and east/west siding
Hinesburg Central School: Roofing, HVAC system, and electrical system
Please note: The CVSD board will hold its annual information meeting at 5 p.m. TODAY, March 2, at CVU. If you can’t make the meeting in person, here’s the Zoom link to click at 5 p.m.
There is only one contested race on the ballot: Katie Nickitas is running against incumbent Cassandra Townshend for a seat on the CVSD board. To read their statements as well as those of Merrily Lovell and Paul Lamberson who are running unopposed for re-election to the selectboard, click here.
We are so appreciative of the major advertising support of Lantman’s Market. Please support them.
March Happenings at the Library
Check out all the wonderful things happening at the library, including a Puzzle Race on Friday, March 13, from 6:30-8 p.m. Registration is required and spots are limited. Email alex@carpentercarse.org or stop by the library to register. Full Library article here.
Speaking of Libraries…
Knitting in Libraries: A Professor’s Quest to Visit Every Library in Vermont
Dr. Hannah K. Miller, an Associate Professor of Education at Vermont State University Johnson, is on a quest to knit in every public (and academic) library in Vermont. Miller has visited Carpenter-Carse and wrote a great article about it. Check out the full article, and link to her blog, here.
Speaking of libraries some more…
Carpenter-Carse Community Room Art Benefit
To raise funds for expanding the library’s Community Room, Carpenter-Carse is holding a benefit event on March 14 from 6-8 p.m. Find out all the details here.
Support our advertisers, you support The Record. Click image for link to Waitsfield Telecom.
New Housing Helps Affordability
Matt Francis of the Hinesburg Affordable Housing Committee offers another way of looking at the need for additional housing in Hinesburg – less pressure on housing costs, opportunities for elders to downsize and stay in town, additional housing for workers and increased tax base. Full article here.
Heat Pumps Not Picking Up, er, Steam
Heat pumps could help Vermont reach its climate goals, but several factors are making it hard to take full advantage of their potential, according to the 2026 Annual Energy Report by the Vermont Department of Public Service. Click here for full story from our partner, UVM’s Center for Community News.
My Story
The Record’s managing editor shares his own story about a 1900 photo found in his family’s farm and how lucky it was that his aunt could still see and could still identify the ancestors in the photo. To listen to the story, click here.
Upcoming
Monday, March 2
CVSD Budget Informational Meeting, 5 p.m., CVU or Zoom
Tuesday, March 3
Town Meeting Day – polls open at 7 a.m., close at 7 p.m. (Check with us – hinesburgrecord.org – for results that evening.)
Thursday, March 5
Folk Jam with SongFarmers, 6-8 p.m.
Saturday, March 7
Second Annual Hinesburg Hang at the Hinesburg Town Common, 3-5 p.m.
