Hardwick Board Cuts Early Voting Hours for Election
Hardwick Select Board trims early voting and tables lone bid on former school. Town Clerk Ryan won unanimous approval to run just 44 hours of early in-person voting, half his normal schedule, ahead of the Nov. 3 state election, citing eight initiative petitions and one referendum on the ballot.
Select Board · Meeting of September 21, 2026
Hardwick Select Board trims early voting and tables lone bid on former school. Town Clerk Ryan won unanimous approval to run just 44 hours of early in-person voting, half his normal schedule, ahead of the Nov. 3 state election, citing eight initiative petitions and one referendum on the ballot. The board tabled its only bid for the 179 Main St.
Gilbertville school property, asking town counsel to weigh releasing the winning bidder's performance bond and setting enforceable renovation milestones before any sale proceeds. Members also voted to inventory a backlog of unapproved meeting minutes after resident Mr. Smith told the board an open meeting law complaint shows the backlog has "actually gotten worse" since an earlier fix attempt.
Chair Jeffrey Schaaf confirmed he and a predecessor decided to continue withholding an investigator's report sought in a pending lawsuit, citing confidential personal information.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 3,476 words
Source: the Select Board meeting of September 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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