Carla Occaso
By Carla Occaso
Julie Bond and Luke Rackers, co-executive directors for Good Samaritan Haven, went before the Berlin Selectboard seeking what amounts to a property tax abatement. The nonprofit organization has paid $31,000 per year for the past three years but the need for their services is increasing while federal funds are diminishing, Bond said during the Aug. 24 meeting.
As a nonprofit, Good Samaritan Haven is not required to pay property taxes, but it has been making “courtesy” payments to the Town of Berlin as part of an agreement created by a past executive director. Part of the request from Bond and Rackers involved revisiting that agreement.
“The demands on our services are so great across the region that we don’t have enough time, capacity, (or) energy to respond to it all,” Bond said when asked why she sought tax abatement. “And it is only going to get worse as the motel program decreases in a matter of weeks.”
Payments from Good Samaritan Haven to the town of Berlin were made as part of an agreement created under a past director of the nonprofit organization
The state is reducing the motel shelter program by an additional 800 people across the state, which would amount to about 80 people in the local area, Bond said. And, there are already an estimated 150 unhoused people living without shelter in the area.
Since it opened three years ago, Bond also said the “Welcome Center” shelter in Berlin has operated 24 hours a day, seven days per week for 365 days a year.
“We have four shelters operating in the tri-city area. The work we are doing is also emergency provisions,” she said, referring to the organization’s extreme weather emergency response work.
The shelter has hosted 28,488 “heads on a bed” in the past three years, where use increased from 7,000 “bed nights” per year to over 10,000, Racker said. The organization is at 85% capacity on most nights, but that is because several beds per night are out of commission for cleaning and repair, he said. And the average length of stay per guest is 152 nights. On a positive note, about 51 former shelter guests have found housing since 2023.
“It is a pretty big feat,” Rackers said. Bond, who oversees four homeless shelters in Barre, Montpelier, and Berlin, said the average stay has lengthened from 152 to 200 nights per shelter, which speaks to the housing crisis.
Selectboard Secretary Karla Nuissl asked about access to federal funding.
“We lost one of our major (federal) funding sources,” Bond said. Nuissl then asked about state funding. “The state provides about 70% of our funding. The rest we have to fundraise,” Bond said.
Nuissl also asked if there is any chance state funding will increase and Chair Jared Felch asked if the Vermont Legislature has increased funding to Good Samaritan Haven. Bond said a new law has approved some funding that would pay for certain specific services.
Nuissl said she has noticed an increase in the number of (unsheltered) people in Montpelier and Felch said there are also more in Berlin. “It is unfortunate,” Nuissl said.
Selectboard member Kris Hayward asked if they could relocate people out of the area rather than paying to shelter them in Vermont where the cost and weather is more difficult.
“Vermont is one of the most expensive places to live in. So if you are homeless, wouldn’t it make sense to go to a place where it is easier?” Hayward asked.
Bond said that relocation only works on a limited basis if the person has relatives or a support system outside of Vermont. “It is not for us to determine. Most of the people we serve are Vermonters,” she said, adding that there is a myth that those seeking homeless shelters and services come from out of state.
Hayward also asked if giving them tax abatement would help at the local level with youths “coming up” who are “burdened” with jobs, housing, and other issues. “You’re not sinking. You’re doing okay,” Hayward said.
Bond said the organization is using every dollar it has to help everyone they can. “It is all going back into the program,” she said. Hayward also asked why people are becoming homeless to begin with. Bond said many reasons cause people to become homeless, including eviction, loss of employment, loss of relationships, and expensive medical problems.
After some further discussion, Felch said Town Administrator Vince Conti would gather some more information and they could re-address the topic.
The staff will research Development Review Board records, tax payment history, and related information, per meeting minutes.
Board Approves Skid Steer Purchase
The board unanimously approved Public Works Supervisor Craig Pelletier’s request to purchase a used skid steer loader machine for $58,000 from board member Kris Hayward. Pelletier said the machine is a 2023 Bobcat, and a new one would cost $90,000. He said he found a used one in St. Albans for around $67,900 that is a similar make and model, so Hayward’s machine is a good price point comparatively.
“It allows me to buy some of the attachments,” Pelletier said. “I’ve got a sewer line that runs from Airport Road over to the hotel and out through the woods,” that he said property owner Henry LaGue used to maintain, but he passed away years ago, so that task is “falling to the town.”
He further said he could move it with his own pickup and trailer and could use it to do brush hogging and snow plowing in the parking lots. The purchase would be split between the sewer budget and the water budget 75%/25%, he said.
Board Approved the Personnel Policy
The board unanimously approved the updated personnel policy following brief discussion. The new policy contains an alternative work schedule accommodation and adds Juneteenth as a paid holiday, among other things. Nuissl called the personnel policy a “living document” and noted that further changes could be made if needed.
Highway Superintendent Gets Raise by Split Vote
The selectboard voted to increase Tim Davis’s rate of pay to $45.67 per hour effective immediately, with everyone voting “yes” except Flo Smith, who said she was opposed without explanation. The increase will be included in the next pay check, Conti said.
