Jericho Town Meeting - Reimagined

The Jericho Selectboard has created the Reimagining Town Meeting Task Force to help the town create a new version of Town Meeting for 2025 and beyond.

Jericho Town Meeting Reimagined Update - September 2, 2025

JERICHO’S 2025-2026 TOWN BUDGET & BALLOT PROCESS – THE KICK-OFF IS COMING!

The Town Meeting Reimagined Taskforce is setting in motion publicity and preparations for the upcoming Kick-off meeting to the budget and ballot items you will eventually see on the ballot March 3, 2025. All residents should soon receive a postcard announcing the meeting. In upcoming Front Porch Forums we’ll offer coaching, questions to prompt your thinking, examples of past public questions, and other tidbits.

As yet another summary of how we got here: the voters present at Town Meeting, March 2024, approved an article requiring the town to adopt all budget articles and public questions by Australian Ballot and instructing the Selectboard to hold a hybrid format review to allow citizens to amend the draft budget to be presented for the Australian Ballot vote.

A Taskforce was formed to design a process that lives up to the intent of those 2024 articles. With support of the Selectboard, the Town Meeting Reimagined Taskforce designed and implemented a three-step process that culminated in the Australian Ballot vote in March, 2025.

Learning from what worked and what needed improvement, the Taskforce has set in motion a similar three-step process for the FY2027 Jericho Budget and public questions.

JERICHO TOWN MEETING REIMAGINED
WHAT	WHY	WHEN	WHERE
1. Kick-off Session	A visioning conversation about what is important to Jericho residents – budget related & more	Sept 20, 2025 10am to noon	MMU Library And by Zoom
2. Draft Budget Review	To hear the Selectboard’s recommended draft budget, discuss, & recommend amendments.	January 20, 2026 6 to 9pm 5pm dinner	MMU Library And by Zoom
3. Ballot Vote	To vote by ballot, at the polls or by mail no later than March 3	March 3, 2026	MMU polling 7am to 7pm

Much of what we learned in last year’s first time through will be reflected in the advance coaching and preparation materials for the upcoming 3-step process. Stay tuned!

Town Meeting Reimagined Update - August 3, 2025

The Town Meeting Reimagined taskforce is now planning the public input and review process for the FY2027 budget, to be voted by Australian Ballot in March of 2026. The taskforce aims to build on the success of the previous year’s process and improve the glitches. If anyone would like to join the taskforce, please reach out to either co-chair, David Barrington (david.barrington@uvm.edu) or Gaye Symington (gsym@together.net)

The motions passed in March 2024 continue to guide the work of the taskforce. With article V residents agreed to "adopt all budget articles by Australian Ballot with the Selectboard directed to hold a hybrid format budget review meeting to allow citizens to adjust the budget proposal.” Article VI included the same language for all public questions.

We have identified the dates for the three parts of this process. All three will take place at Mt Mansfield High School.

Please mark your calendars with these dates:

KICK-OFF - Saturday morning, September 20th 10am to noon
This is designed as a brainstorm meeting, as a chance for residents to understand the arc of the budget process, provide input as to their goals or particular interests. It’s also the best meeting for presenting ideas for issues to be considered as a public question. We hope to provide refreshments.

BUDGET REVIEW - Tuesday evening, January 20th, 6 to 9-ish pm
Officially, this is a Selectboard meeting, but it’s designed to look and feel like a moderated town meeting. Residents can take part in person or by Zoom. Participants will learn about the Selectboard’s DRAFT budget proposal and have the opportunity to ask questions, offer amendments, and to debate and vote on them. The town’s elected Moderator, assisted by a moderator for the on-line participants, will work to help voters express their desires in an amendment and will moderate the voting process. This process is getting a lot of attention in our taskforce planning because there were glitches last year.

We hope to arrange a community supper in advance of the January 20 meeting, starting at 5pm.

VOTE - Tuesday, March 3, 7am to 7pm
Those who vote will determine the final budget for the 2026 - 2027 budget year, which is called, Fiscal year 2027. Voters will also determine which public questions are approved.
Town Meeting Reimagined Update - May 1, 2025

Town Meeting Reimagined Planning Moves to the process of 2026 Budget and Town Business
The Town Meeting Reimagined Taskforce submitted its final summary report to the Selectboard summarizing the committee’s reflections on the 2025 budget process and recommendations for going forward with future budgets and other town business. Read the full report here.
The Selectboard has endorsed the taskforce’s recommendation to continue its work to prepare for the FY2026 town budget, building from what we learned from the three-part budget process of 2024-2025: (1) October budget Kick-off meeting, (2) January budget discussion & action meeting, and (3) March vote.

Our report outlines the areas we plan to focus on in the coming year, for example: better use of the fall Kick-off, improved sound, vote-counting, and integration of online and in-person participation at the winter budget discussion, and consideration of space and technology improvement throughout.

The taskforce welcomes new members who’d like to contribute to the planning, communications, and managing the process for the coming year. Over the past year the taskforce typically met monthly, usually by Zoom, but occasionally in person, especially as we began to work together. We have not yet scheduled our next meeting.

Anyone interested in joining the taskforce is welcome to email either David Barrington (David.Barrington@uvm.edu) or Gaye Symington (gsym@together.net).
Town Meeting Reimagined Update - March 16, 2025

The Town Meeting Reimagined taskforce met in February and March to review comments, suggestions, questions, and other feedback we’ve received in response to this year’s three-step process for the town budget. Thanks to the 45 plus people who sent in comments or spoke to us at the table outside the polling place on March 4th.

The committee also reviewed attendance data from past years of town meetings. Based on vote counts in the years when there were divisions during the budget debate, in-person town meeting attendance has averaged 136, with a low of 106 (2014) and high of 164 (2024).

This year, vote counts totaled 109 participants in person plus by zoom for the January 23 Budget Discussion. Additionally, 78 people watched the meeting on MMCTV live, and 65 watched the recording before the March 4 vote. 898 citizens voted by Australian Ballot. The taskforce discussed ideas for garnering higher attendance, but was generally pleased at the level of participation in this first year.

Catherine McMains noted that 252 citizens either participated in the discussion and voting of January 23 or watched it prior to the vote on March 4. In contrast, only 2 people attended the Selectboard’s formal information meeting prior to the Australian Ballot vote.

We felt that contrast underscores Susan Clark’s research that people are more likely to attend a meeting if they have a meaningful role during the meeting and if the meeting is designed to be accessible. (Susan Clark is an author and expert on Vermont Town Meetings and moderator for the Town of Middlesex.)

The co-chair, David Barrington, offered to draft a report for the Selectboard. The taskforce plans to meet again on Thursday, April 3rd, at 6pm to discuss our draft report.
Town Meeting Reimagined Update - March 1, 2025

The Town Meeting Reimagined Taskforce plans to meet via Zoom on March 10th to continue our discussion of the comments and suggestions we have received about this first year of a new process of creating a town budget and approving public questions. After we have considered the feedback we plan to provide recommendations to the Selectboard regarding improvements to the process for the FY2027 budget process.

Thank you to all those who have sent us comments. If you’d like to offer your thoughts you still can! Email either task force co-chair (david.barrington@uvm.edu or gsym@together.net) or click on “Leave Feedback” here: https://jerichovt.org/jericho-town-meeting-2-0?tool=survey_tool#tool_tab
As a general recap of the process for 2025:
At the 2024 Jericho Town Meeting, in March of last year, voters approved these motions:
Article VI "Shall the Town adopt all budget articles by Australian Ballot with the Selectboard directed to hold a hybrid format budget review meeting to allow citizens to adjust the budget proposal." AND
Article VII "Shall the Town adopt all public questions by Australian Ballot with the Selectboard directed to hold a hybrid format review in order to allow citizens to provide amendments."
Afterwards the Selectboard set up a taskforce to recommend and implement a process that lived up to the directive in those motions and reflected the debate at Town Meeting, 2024.
That work turned out to be complex, because of relevant state law and policy, time constraints of warning the budget and printing the Town Report, and the technology required to enable folks to follow the discussion and participate both remotely and in person. As it turned out, in 2025 there were no Selectboard-initiated public questions, so the second motion was not put into play this year.
The Selectboard approved the Task Force's recommendations and asked the group to lead the work to implement the new three-step process. It began with an October 5th “Kick-off” brainstorming meeting at the high school library. The second step was a January 23rd Budget Discussion attended by about 65 to 70 people in person, another 40 to 50 on Zoom, and about 75 who watched either through Live-Stream or the recording through MMCTV. Only those attending in person or through Zoom could actively participate by asking questions, making comments or expressing a vote.
The Jericho annual town report has now been mailed to everyone in Jericho and is also posted online. It contains the final budget as adjusted by the selectboard in response to the citizens’ input at the Jan. 23rd meeting as well as a report from the task force detailing the changes between the draft and final budgets.
The third step in the budget process is the Australian Ballot vote on March 4th.
All the reports and notes of the taskforce are available at the Town Meeting Reimagined page of the Join in Jericho website.
As this was a first, the process had its glitches. The taskforce is digesting the feedback it has received about this first year and plans to provide recommendations to the Selectboard for next year. Thank you for any comments that will help that ongoing work.
Town Report for fiscal year ending June 30, 2024

Click the image below to read the Town Report
Australian Ballot Vote on March 4, 2025

Thank you to everyone who helped plan and manage the Town Meeting Reimagined process and to everyone who participated in the January 23 budget discussion process, whether through livestream, Zoom, in person at the high school or by watching the MMCTV recording online at https://youtu.be/0Wq2LDh6EAA.
The Jericho Town Meeting Reimagined Taskforce is planning to meet February 20 and again on March 10 to listen to feedback we receive by then and share our own observations about the budget discussion meeting on January 23 and the entire three-step Town Meeting Reimagined process. Please remember the last and perhaps most important step – the Australian Ballot vote on March 4!
We estimate that, as of January 29, more than 230 people attended the January 23 meeting or watched it online. The count may be under-stated, because there could have been more multi-person Zoom logons or livestream attendees than we were aware of, and the in-person count reflects a moment in time. But the count includes 78 in person at Mount Mansfield Union High School, 51 on Zoom real-time, 75 through MMCTV live stream real-time and 28 through MMCTV’s posted YouTube recording of the livestream. Only those attending in person or on Zoom could participate in voting, asking questions, or making a motion. More people attended the meeting than any of us could see from our own individual vantage points.
Please share any comments about what you observed or experienced, along with any suggestions for improvements in our survey form or to any member of the Town Meeting Reimagined Taskforce. Or, email either co-chair, David Barrington (David.Barrington@uvm.edu) or Gaye Symington (gsym@together.net).
We have already received valuable comments—some of them granular, related to sound systems or voting procedures—and some of them broader comments about the process of building a budget and creating ballot items. We look forward to talking about how to improve both the granular tools and the general process for the 2026 budget process and public ballot items.
I want to emphasize, the final step in the budget process is the Australian Ballot vote on Town Meeting Day, Tuesday, March 4. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can request an absentee ballot from Jericho Town Clerk, Jessica Alexander (JerichoVermont@yahoo.com).
Warning for Australian Ballot Articles March 4, 2025

CLICK TO READ OFFICIAL WARNING OF ARTICLES FOR AUSTRALIAN BALLOT

Town Meeting Warning January 17, 2025

CLICK TO READ FULL PDF VERSION

CLICK TO READ THE FY26 BUDGET	CLICK TO READ THE CAPITAL BUDGET
	CLICK TO READ THE RESERVE FUND BUDGET
ADDITIONAL PRESENTATION MATERIALS SLIDES FOR PRESENTATION OVERVIEW OF BUDGET CHANGES SUMMARY OF MAJOR COMPONENTS OF TAX INCREASE

Town Meeting and Budget Updates (1/10/25)

TOWN OF JERICHO
TOWN MEETING REIMAGINED

On January 23rd, 2025 the public will have an opportunity to discuss the DRAFT Budget with the Selectboard using the same format and structure as our old Town Meeting. Jericho residents may make suggestions or ask questions from the floor at the MMU Auditorium or from their homes via Zoom, and the Town Moderator will judge and record the amount of support of those present using a show of hands (in the auditorium and on zoom).
In preparation of this meeting, the DRAFT budget will be available to the public on January 17th. The DRAFT budget will be on Join in Jericho (jerichovt.org/jericho-town-meeting-2-0), and paper copies will be available from the Town Clerk at the Town Hall or via email for anyone who requests one. This will allow the public to see the budget prior to the meeting on January 23rd and prepare their ideas and comments before we gather. We are trying to ensure that we have a binder at TMR with all of the outside agency requests in it, which would provide documentation if anyone would like to see it.
After January 23rd, the Selectboard will review the public comments and the amount of support received from those present to make their final decisions on what will be included in the complete Final Proposed Budget. The final proposed budget will be sent to the printers on January 30th and a printed Annual Town Report will be mailed to residents on February 17th, as you’ve come to expect. Voting on the final proposed budget and any public questions will occur by Australian Ballot on March 4th at MMU anytime between 7 am and 7 pm.

Timeline Recap:
January 16th - Budget hearing
January 17th - Proposed budget available for public review
January 23rd - Public discussion of budget at Town Meeting - MMU or Zoom at 6 pm
January 30th - Final proof of Annual Report including Budget (+/- amendments from the public) due at printers
February 17th - Annual Report mailed to all residents of Jericho
March 4th - Voting by Australian Ballot at MMU from 7 am - 7 pm

The changes that we are working through will continue the tradition of public discussion in a Town Meeting format in a way that is more accessible to more Jericho Voters and allow Jericho to enable more people to participate in voting for the final budget. Thank you for your support as we work through this first year! We look forward to seeing you on January 23rd and March 4th, and as always, we welcome your feedback.
We ask all residents to understand that this is a new process, and the Task Force, Town staff and Selectboard are working hard to ensure everything goes smoothly. We will be collecting feedback from the public so we can make future events better.
If you are interested in the Selectboard’s budget-building process - they have been building the budget at their 2 monthly public meetings since October 2024. These meetings can be reviewed HERE (minutes, MMCTV). This process will wrap up with the Capital Budget Hearing on January 16th, during which they will also review the final numbers in the Draft Budget. Previously, the SB has had through late January to finish their proposed budget work, but last March, they committed to completing a DRAFT Budget in time for voters to have an opportunity to review and offer input before the Selectboard finalizes the Capital and Operating Budget that will be on the Ballot on March 4, 2025.