Select Board votes to oppose excise tax bill
Barre's Select Board voted to oppose a state bill eliminating vehicle registration holds for unpaid excise taxes. Treasurer and Collector Shelby told the board Barre issued 5,663 motor vehicle excise bills totaling $697,520 in fiscal year 2026, with 1,476 reaching demand status for nonpayment.
Select Board · Meeting of April 6, 2026
Barre's Select Board voted to oppose a state bill eliminating vehicle registration holds for unpaid excise taxes. Treasurer and Collector Shelby told the board Barre issued 5,663 motor vehicle excise bills totaling $697,520 in fiscal year 2026, with 1,476 reaching demand status for nonpayment. Members warned Senate bill S.2874 would remove the town's main collection tool, saying "all of that revenue that we get that supports our budget is out the window." Separately, the Citizens Committee for Right of First Refusal, led by Mike Perkins, Ann Malis and Martha Petrovic, delivered a procedure for responding if a Chapter 61A landowner tied to a solar and battery storage proposal sells; the Planning Board must rule on a related subdivision application by May 13.
The board also approved hiring Nadia Maxwell as Assessor's Clerk at $24.11 an hour and relocating a National Grid utility pole on Nichols Road.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 876 words
Source: the Select Board meeting of April 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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