EFUD annual meeting and election are this Weds., May 14
May 12, 2025 | By Lisa ScagliottiVoters in Waterbury’s Edward Farrar Utility District have their annual meeting and election this Wednesday, May 14.
The 2024 Annual Report for the Edward Farrar Utility District is dedicated to Public Works Director Bill Woodruff. The annual meeting and election are this Wednesday, May 14. Screenshot
Early voting in the district’s election is open now at the municipal offices during regular hours.
On Wednesday, voting will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the municipal offices. All other items of business will be decided at the annual meeting, which will be held in person only at 7:30 p.m. in the Steele Community Room.
The utility district oversees the operations of the Waterbury water and wastewater departments. Its boundaries somewhat align with the service areas for the municipal water and wastewater systems. A map of the district can be seen here.
District Clerk Karen Petrovic said there are currently 1,578 registered voters in the district. She can also confirm whether an individual resides in the district and is eligible to vote in the election and at the annual meeting. Voters new to Waterbury and/or the district may also register on election day.
The ballot has uncontested elections to fill three of the five seats on the district’s Board of Commissioners. All three members currently in the positions are seeking re-election: Cindy Parks for a three-year term; Natalie Sherman and Rick Weston each for one-year terms.
The meeting warning has just a few items of business for voters to decide. Two involve consolidating several of the district’s financial accounts into its Water and Wastewater Capital Reserve Funds.
Another question looks to set the annual compensation for district officers. The proposed amounts reflect increases this year: To $2,000 from $1,450 for the board chair; to $1,500 from $1,200 for each commissioner; and $3,000, up from $1,200, for the clerk/treasurer position.
Board Chair P. Howard “Skip” Flanders said the board agreed the clerk/treasurer position was due for an increase from $100 monthly to $250 per month, given the work and time involved for those duties.
Article 6 on the warning asks whether the district should hire a consultant to “evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of continuing as a separate and distinct municipal utility district.”
The EFUD district was created in 2018 when the former Waterbury Village municipality was dissolved. It has its own charter approved by the state legislature and operates as a municipal entity separate from Waterbury's town government.
Over the years, there has been debate about whether it should be incorporated into the town’s municipal structure. EFUD officials emphasize that the proposed study would not delve into any process for making changes; it would just evaluate any potential benefits and costs. The study would be paid for with EFUD funds.
The 2024 EFUD Annual Report is dedicated to Waterbury Public Works Director Bill Woodruff, whose career with the municipality started in 1983 with the then-Street Department. Woodruff moved to the Water Department, where he became chief operator. He was promoted to Public Works director in 2015.
The report is available online and paper copies are available at the municipal office, the Waterbury Public Library, and at various locations downtown including banks, Kinney’s, the post office, Billings Mobil and Maplewood's Convenience Store.
Looking back, looking ahead
The annual report contains narratives from the EFUD Board of Commissioners and Municipal Manager Tom Leitz, who is also the district’s manager. Those include highlights from 2024 including:
The sale of the 51 South Main Street property for $138,000 to Downstreet Housing & Community Development for the construction of 26 apartments now underway. That project is expected to be completed in 2026.
The $10,000 purchase of 8 acres from Dwight Fiske of land near Thatcher Brook between Sweet and Barnes Hill roads, containing key waterline infrastructure.
Ongoing design and engineering work to extend the EFUD water line from Guptil Road near the town highway garage to Vermont Route 100 near McNeil Road. The new line will serve properties in that part of town, including the Eastwind Mobile Home Park. A state grant of just under $593,000 and a federal grant of $2.24 million will pay for that project.
District officials in the report also look ahead to the various initiatives they expect to focus on this year such as:
Taking steps to protect EFUD-owned land in the watershed that is subject to increasing public use. A University of Vermont class recently studied the issue and is making recommendations to the district.
Considering taking ownership of the new water lines serving the 60-unit Kneeland Flats Mobile Home Park that was recently upgraded.
Negotiating a labor contract with town and EFUD staff who have recently formed a labor union.
New review protocol coming for UDAG loans
The commissioners’ report notes that they have recently decided to change the process for reviewing applications to a revolving business loan fund. The commissioners are working out a contract with the nonprofit economic and community development organization Revitalizing Waterbury, for RW to oversee a committee that reviews loan applications and makes recommendations to the EFUD board for approval.
EFUD inherited overseeing the UDAG Loan Fund from the Village of Waterbury municipality when it was dissolved. The fund currently has over $1.14 million in 11 active loans with 10 businesses, according to the report. The largest is $529,800 to the Ice Center for which payments and interest were deferred for five years starting in 2022 due to financial impacts of the COVID-19 to the rink’s operation. That condition ends in 2027 when new terms are expected to be set, the report says.
Leitz is working on a draft contract to outline the new review process with RW that the board will need to approve at an upcoming meeting.
In the manager’s portion of the annual report, Leitz also addresses issues that have come to light following the 2023 and 2024 floods. He summarizes issues that EFUD and the town have listed in a pre-application to the state for grant funding that would address flood mitigation measures. They include improving manholes in the floodplain, reinforcing the walls of the wastewater lagoon, purchasing a new pump to be used in emergency situations rather than relying on borrowing equipment from other towns, and studying whether excavation to lower the field near the wastewater plant might provide some protection for the plant in future floods.
Leitz also notes that after significant water and wastewater service rate increases in 2024, the district anticipates future increases would only reflect inflation.
EFUD annual meetings and elections typically see sparse attendance and participation. The 2024 election had the highest regular-election participation with 144 EFUD voters casting ballots. Fewer than 20 district residents attended the in-person meeting. See coverage from that here.
The EFUD annual meeting warning, election ballot, and annual report are all posted on the town website. More information about the EFUD Board of Commissioners is online here. Contact District Clerk Karen Petrovic with any questions regarding voting at 802-244-8447 or by email to karen@waterburyvt.com.