Town of Weathersfield, Vermont

05/27/2026

Police Officer (Part-Time) Weathersfield Police Department Weathersfield

The Town of Weathersfield, Vermont is seeking community-focused, professional, and forward-thinking individuals to serve as Part-Time Police Officers. This is a unique opportunity to join a newly established police department and play a key role in shaping the future of policing in a growing and engaged community.
The successful candidates will contribute to building the Weathersfield Police Department with professionalism, integrity, accountability, and long-term sustainability at the forefront.

About the Position
Police Officers serve as frontline representatives of the Weathersfield Police Department and report directly to the Chief of Police. Officers are responsible for performing a wide range of law enforcement duties, including patrol, response to calls for service, investigations, traffic enforcement, and community engagement.
Weathersfield is currently evaluating long-term public safety models and exploring the potential for a regional policing framework in collaboration with contiguous towns. Officers must be comfortable operating in an evolving environment and supporting collaborative service models as directed by the department.

Key Responsibilities
• Perform routine and proactive patrols to deter and detect criminal activity
• Respond to emergency and non-emergency calls for service
• Conduct preliminary and follow-up investigations
• Enforce Vermont laws and local ordinances
• Prepare accurate, detailed, and timely reports
• Engage with residents, businesses, and community stakeholders to build trust
• Participate in community policing initiatives and public outreach
• Testify in court as required
• Coordinate with neighboring agencies and participate in mutual aid when necessary
• Support departmental goals, policies, and evolving service models

Qualifications
• Vermont Level II or Level III Law Enforcement Certification (or ability to obtain certification/reciprocity)
• Ability to meet all requirements established by the Vermont Criminal Justice Council (VCJC)
• Strong knowledge of law enforcement practices and procedures
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to exercise sound judgment in dynamic and high-pressure situations
• Valid driver’s license
Preferred Qualifications
• Level III Certification (or willingness to obtain within a specified timeframe)
• Prior law enforcement experience
• Experience in small-town or rural policing environments

Desired Traits
We are seeking candidates who:
• Value professionalism, accountability, and integrity
• Demonstrate strong community engagement and interpersonal skills
• Can build and maintain public trust
• Are comfortable operating in a transparent and highly engaged community
• Are adaptable and open to innovation and thoughtful change

Compensation
Compensation is commensurate with qualifications, experience, and certification level. A comprehensive municipal benefits package is included.

Why Weathersfield?
Weathersfield is a historic and scenic community located along the Connecticut River and Mount Ascutney region. Residents are engaged, invested, and committed to ensuring high-quality public safety services delivered in a responsible and sustainable manner.
This is an opportunity to be part of building a department from the ground up, with strong municipal leadership support and a community that values professionalism.

To Apply
Please submit a cover letter, resume, and three professional references to:

Craig Watrous
Police Chief
Town of Weathersfield
[email protected]
Position will remain open until filled.
The Town of Weathersfield is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

05/21/2026

Development Review Board Recording Secretary Vacancy
Town of Weathersfield, Vermont

The Town of Weathersfield is seeking a Recording Secretary to assist the Development Review Board by preparing meeting minutes.
This position is responsible for attending Development Review Board meetings and preparing accurate meeting minutes in accordance with Vermont Open Meeting Law.

Schedule is depending on necessary hearings and varies:

6:30 PM – approximately 9:00 PM

Occasional additional meetings may occur

Responsibilities:
- Attend Development Review Board meetings and take meeting minutes
- Prepare and submit draft minutes in a timely manner
- Ensure minutes are posted in compliance with Vermont Open Meeting Law

Qualifications:
-Strong attention to detail
-Good listening and writing skills
-Ability to accurately summarize discussions and actions taken during meetings
-Basic computer skills

Compensation:
Approximately $100 per meeting

If you are interested in this position, please contact Ryan Gumbart via email at [email protected] with your letter of interest and resume.

05/13/2026

Follow the Weathersfield Police Department page.

https://www.facebook.com/share/18cW1TyLPs/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Community, Integrity, Transparency

05/06/2026

Weathersfield Police Department - Police Chief Appointment

Good morning, Weathersfield,

I am pleased to share that yesteday evening, the Town officially appointed and swore in Craig Watrous as Weathersfield’s next Police Chief.

This marks a significant milestone for the Town of Weathersfield. Following the decision earlier this year to transition away from our prior policing model, we committed to establishing the Weathersfield Police Department within a defined timeline, and yesterday, we delivered on that commitment.

This was a thorough and deliberate process. A Police Chief Search Panel, which was comprised of community members and individuals with law enforcement experience, conducted the initial round of interviews and advanced a candidate for final consideration. Following a second-round interview, a conditional offer was extended to Chief Watrous, contingent upon the successful completion of a comprehensive background investigation.

That investigation included extensive reference checks, prior employment verification, criminal history review, credential verification, interviews with law enforcement professionals and State’s Attorneys, and multiple additional layers of review to ensure the highest level of diligence.

This level of diligence ensures that we are bringing forward a Police Chief who meets the highest standards of professionalism and integrity.

Chief Watrous brings significant law enforcement experience and a strong commitment to community-focused policing. I am confident he will serve Weathersfield with professionalism, accountability, and dedication.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the Police Chief Search Panel, the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, the Vermont State Police, the Town of Woodstock, the Windham and Windsor County State’s attorneys, and the many law enforcement professionals who assisted throughout this process.
This appointment represents not just the selection of a Police Chief, but an important step forward in building the Weathersfield Police Department.

A Full-Time Police Officer position has been advertised, and we anticipate advertising Part-Time positions next week.

Thank you,

Brandon W. Gulnick
Town Manager

Town of Weathersfield
5259 U.S. Route 5
P.O. Box 550
Ascutney, VT 05156
Tel 802.674.2626 Ext 102
Fax 802.674.2117

05/06/2026

Community Update: FY27 Fire Apparatus Replacement – Article 3

Weathersfield Residents,
As part of our continued effort to provide clear and transparent information ahead of the upcoming Special Town Meeting, I would like to share an update regarding Article 3 on the May 19th ballot.

The department’s current brush truck, a 2006 Ford F-350 purchased used in 2012, has reached the end of its reliable service life. With over 109,000 miles and increasing mechanical issues, it has become the least dependable vehicle in our fleet. This is a concern, as it serves as the primary response vehicle from Station 2 for medical calls, brush fires, and critical support operations. When this truck is out of service, our ability to respond quickly and effectively is directly impacted.

To address this need in a responsible and cost-effective way, we are proposing to replace the cab and chassis with a new unit while reusing the existing skid tank and flatbed where feasible. This approach allows us to significantly reduce the overall cost of replacement while still providing a safe, reliable, and fully functional vehicle for our firefighters. It’s a practical investment that balances fiscal responsibility with the need to maintain dependable emergency services for our community.

Following the outcome of Town Meeting, where the original article was not approved, the Selectboard and I worked collaboratively to reassess this article, evaluate community feedback, and identify a more balanced approach.
The original request was $100,000 & the revised request is $75,000.

This article supports replacement of the Fire Department’s 2006 Ford F350 Brush Vehicle while using a greater portion of existing reserve funds. This allows us to maintain emergency response readiness while reducing the immediate taxpayer burden.

Estimated Tax Impact
If approved, this article would result in approximately:
$22 annually per $100,000 of property value annually
About $1.83 per month per $100,000
For an average home valued at approximately $213,577, this equals about:
$47.63
Approximately $3.97 per month.

To be clear, this update applies specifically to Article 3 on the ballot and Town Meeting Warning. My next update will provide an overview of Article 4. Additional updates will follow for each article included in the warning and on the ballot so voters fully understand the impact each article will have on property taxes.
I encourage all residents to stay engaged, review the materials as they are released, and participate in the upcoming Special Town Meeting.

For any residents that would like to have a 1 on 1 meeting to review the Towns financials, please do not hesitate to contact me at (802) 230-5765 or at [email protected]. I am more than happy to schedule a meeting with you or have smaller group discussions to raise awareness.

The next update will be issued no later than Tuesday, May 12, 2026. While I may not be able to respond to every question on social media, I will review questions submitted on posts and, where appropriate, address them in subsequent updates.
I was also asked a question regarding General Fund revenues. This update is coming soon.

If you would like to be added to our email list for regular updates, please contact me at [email protected], and I will be happy to include you.

Respectfully,

Brandon W. Gulnick
Town Manager

Town of Weathersfield
5259 U.S. Route 5
P.O. Box 550
Ascutney, VT 05156
Tel 802.674.2626 Ext 102
Fax 802.674.2117

04/27/2026

Community Update: Highway Fund (FY27 Budget)

As part of our continued effort to provide clear and transparent information ahead of the upcoming Special Town Meeting, I would like to provide an update on the Highway Fund portion of the FY27 budget.

More specifically, this update relates to Article 2 on the ballot, which reads as follows:

“Shall the voters of the Town of Weathersfield approve the expenditure of $1,302,546 for the support and operation of the Town's Highway Fund with $1,075,812 to be raised by property taxation? The Selectboard to set the appropriate tax rate.”

The Highway Fund is the Town’s operating budget for the Highway Department. It supports the day-to-day services that keep our roads safe, accessible, and functional year-round. In a Vermont town, the Highway Department is responsible for maintaining town-owned gravel and paved roads, winter plowing and sanding, drainage infrastructure, culverts, ditches, right-of-ways, and bridges to ensure safe travel for residents, school buses, emergency services, and visitors.

The Weathersfield Highway Department maintains 69.83 miles of roadway, including 13.5 miles of paved roads and 56.33 miles of gravel roads. Their responsibilities include snow and ice removal, grading, pavement repair, maintenance of traffic control signs, ditching, installation and maintenance of culvert systems, maintenance of rights-of-way, roadside mowing, and bridge and drainage infrastructure support.

They also work cooperatively with contractors and other Town departments to achieve Weathersfield’s mission of maintaining a healthy, safe, and resilient community by delivering high-quality municipal services in an efficient and fiscally responsible manner.

Following the outcome of Town Meeting, where the original highway department budget proposal was not approved, the Selectboard and I worked collaboratively to reassess the budget, evaluate community feedback, and identify a more balanced approach.

The original proposal that was voted down reflected a 2.2% increase in the Highway Fund. In response to voter feedback, we made a number of targeted adjustments, including reductions to supplies, parts, and fluids, non-vehicle repairs, paving, salt, gravel, and chloride.

These adjustments result in a revised 1.47% increase in the Highway Fund, which is 1.33% lower than the Social Security Administration’s Cost of Living Adjustment.

If Article 2 is approved, the estimated tax impact is a 2.91% increase to the Highway tax rate, which is approximately $23 annually per $100,000 of property value, or about $1.92 per month.
For an average home valued at $213,577.98, this equates to approximately $48.48 annually, or about $4.04 per month.
This reflects a reduction from the original proposal while still maintaining the service levels necessary to keep roads safe, equipment operational, and winter response reliable.

The revised Highway Fund is one component of the full FY27 budget that will be presented to voters at the upcoming Special Town Meeting. Our goal has been to strike a responsible balance between maintaining service levels, addressing rising costs, responding to voter feedback, and limiting the tax impact as much as possible.

It is important to note that reducing Highway spending too aggressively can create larger financial consequences later. Delaying maintenance on roads, culverts, equipment, and drainage systems often results in significantly more expensive repairs in future years. Our focus has been on reducing where possible without creating avoidable long-term costs for taxpayers.
We will continue to provide additional updates and opportunities for discussion leading up to the vote.

To be clear, this update applies specifically to Article 2 on the ballot and Town Meeting Warning. My next update will provide an overview of Article 3. Additional updates will follow for each article included in the warning and on the ballot so voters fully understand the impact each article will have on property taxes.
I encourage all residents to stay engaged, review the materials as they are released, and participate in the upcoming Special Town Meeting.

For any residents that would like to have a 1 on 1 meeting to review the Towns financials, please do not hesitate to contact me at (802) 230-5765 or at [email protected]. I am more than happy to schedule a meeting with you or have smaller group discussions to raise awareness.

The next update will be issued no later than Monday, May 4, 2026. While I may not be able to respond to every question on social media, I will review questions submitted on posts and, where appropriate, address them in subsequent updates.

I was also asked a question regarding General Fund revenues. I will be responding to that question later this week, as I believe it is valuable information for the public to understand.

If you would like to be added to our email list for regular updates, please contact me at [email protected], and I will be happy to include you.

Respectfully,

Brandon W. Gulnick
Town Manager

Town of Weathersfield
5259 U.S. Route 5
P.O. Box 550
Ascutney, VT 05156
Tel 802.674.2626 Ext 102
Fax 802.674.2117

04/20/2026

Community Update: General Fund (FY27 Budget)
As part of our continued effort to provide clear and transparent information ahead of the upcoming Special Town Meeting, I would like to provide an update on the General Fund portion of the FY27 budget.

More specifically, this update relates to Article 1 on the ballot, which reads as follows:

“Shall the voters of the Town of Weathersfield approve the expenditure of $2,028,593 for the support and operation of the Town’s General Fund with $1,630,946 to be raised by property taxation? The Selectboard to set the appropriate tax rate.”

The General Fund is the Town’s primary operating fund. It is used to support the day-to-day services that keep the municipality running. This includes most Town buildings, park maintenance, utilities, insurance, administrative staff, fire and ambulance services, police, land use, library services, emergency management, the animal control officer, and other essential functions and positions.

Following the outcome of Town Meeting, where the original budget proposal was not approved, the Selectboard and I worked collaboratively to reassess the budget, evaluate community feedback, and identify a more balanced approach.

The original proposal reflected a 4.2% increase in the General Fund. In response to voter feedback, we made a number of targeted reductions, including reductions to shared service budgets (office supplies, postage, equipment, software, technology, training, and land record supplies), reductions to transfers, including Town Clerk reserves and the reappraisal reserves, elimination of the proposed Land Use Assistant position, reductions to fire truck repair funding,
library budget reductions, including office supplies, trustee expenditures, programs, and media.

These adjustments result in a revised 2.8% increase in the General Fund, which is consistent with the Social Security Administration’s Cost of Living Adjustment.

If Article 1 is approved, the estimated tax impact is a 2.68% increase to the tax rate, which is approximately $21 annually per $100,000 of property value (about $1.75 per month). For an average home valued at $213,577.98, this equates to approximately $44.64 annually (or $3.72 per month). This reflects a reduction from the original proposal while still maintaining core municipal services.

The revised General Fund is one component of the full FY27 budget that will be presented to voters at the upcoming Special Town Meeting. Our goal has been to strike a responsible balance between maintaining service levels, addressing rising costs, responding to voter feedback, and limiting the tax impact as much as possible.

We will continue to provide additional updates and opportunities for discussion leading up to the vote.

To be clear, this update applies specifically to Article 1 on the ballot and Town Meeting Warning. My next update will provide an overview of the Highway Fund budget (Article 2). Additional updates will follow for each article included in the warning and on the ballot so voters fully understand the impact each article will have on property taxes.

I encourage all residents to stay engaged, review the materials as they are released, and participate in the upcoming Special Town Meeting.

For any residents that would like to have a 1 on 1 meeting to review the Towns financials, please do not hesitate to contact me at (802) 230-5765 or at [email protected]. I am more than happy to schedule a meeting with you or have smaller group discussions to raise awareness.

The next update will be issued no later than Monday, April 27, 2026. While I may not be able to respond to every question on social media, I will review questions submitted on posts and, where appropriate, address them in subsequent updates.

Respectfully,

--
Brandon W. Gulnick
Town Manager

Town of Weathersfield
5259 U.S. Route 5
P.O. Box 550
Ascutney, VT 05156
Tel 802.674.2626 Ext 102
Fax 802.674.2117

04/14/2026

Community Update: Special Town Meeting

Dear Weathersfield Residents,

A Special Town Meeting will be held on Saturday, May 16, 2026 at 12:30 PM at the Weathersfield School.

Following the March 3, 2026 Town Meeting, where the primary budget articles were not approved, the Selectboard and I engaged in a detailed and deliberate process to reassess the Town’s financial plan. We evaluated multiple options that balanced three key considerations: the immediate tax impact to residents, the Town’s long-term financial stability, and the appropriate use of reserves versus borrowing.

Five options were developed and reviewed in a public setting. These ranged from maintaining full capital funding with a higher tax impact, to significantly reducing current expenditures by increasing reliance on borrowing. Through this process, it became clear that while reducing taxes in the short term is important, doing so through substantial borrowing would shift costs to future budgets and increase total long-term expenses due to interest.

After careful consideration, the Selectboard voted at the April 13, 2026 Special Selectboard Meeting to move forward with Option 2. This option reflects a balanced approach. It reduces the overall tax impact from the original proposal while still maintaining a partial pay-as-you-go capital strategy, limiting the need for significant future borrowing. Option 2 represents a direct response to voter feedback, while also maintaining the Town’s long-term financial integrity.

In preparation for the upcoming Special Town Meeting, I will be sharing a series of informational updates over the coming weeks that outline each article on the ballot. These updates are intended to provide clear, accessible information to support informed decision-making. If you have questions or would like to review any of the materials in more detail, I am available to meet one-on-one, in small groups, in person, via Zoom, or by phone.

The future updates will be shared in the following locations:

- Weathersfield Website: https://www.weathersfieldvt.org/
- Town of Weathersfield page
- Front Porch Forum
- Villages of Weathersfield Local Politics
- What's Up Weathersfield VT

As part of the Selectboard’s efforts to reduce the overall tax impact, the proposed budget reflects a total reduction in expenditures of $215,778. These reductions include:

- Reduction of $3,000 in Social Services requests
- Reduction of $9,500 for General Fund Technology Replacement
- Reduction of $9,250 in the Highway Fund
- Reduction of $27,028 in the General Fund
- Reduction of $25,000 in Fire Apparatus funding
- Reduction of $142,000 in Highway Motorized Equipment.

Within the General Fund, these reductions were achieved through adjustments across multiple areas, including the elimination of the Land Use Assistant position, as well as reductions in supplies, postage, equipment, software, technology, training, land records supplies, and transfers to reserves.

Within the Highway Fund, reductions were made to supplies, parts, and equipment, non-vehicle repairs, paving, salt, gravel, and chloride.

Capital funding levels have also been adjusted. Highway Motorized Equipment has been reduced from $292,000 to $150,000, and Fire Apparatus funding has been reduced from $100,000 to $75,000.

The Solid Waste Fund, Bowen Hill Culvert, Hoisington Field, and $15,433 in Social Services were approved by Australian ballot in March and therefore remain unchanged.

In advance of the Special Town Meeting, I will be releasing additional information on the following topics:

- General Fund overview
- Highway Fund overview
- Replacement of the Fire Department’s brush vehicle
- Replacement of the Highway Department’s 10-wheel dump truck
- Replacement of the Highway Department’s pickup truck

I encourage all residents to stay engaged, review the materials as they are released, and participate in the upcoming meeting.

The next update will be issued no later than Monday, April 20, 2026. While I may not be able to respond to every question on social media, I will review questions submitted on posts and, where appropriate, address them in subsequent updates.

Respectfully,

--
Brandon W. Gulnick
Town Manager

Town of Weathersfield
5259 U.S. Route 5
P.O. Box 550
Ascutney, VT 05156
Tel 802.674.2626 Ext 102
Fax 802.674.2117