by Don Keelan

Under Vermont law, to become a barber, one must complete 1,000 hours of training before taking the test to become a licensed barber. Once the test is successfully passed, one then applies to be licensed. 

Conversely, to become an elected Vermont Town Treasurer, under 17 V.S.A. Section 2682, as noted in the Vermont League of Cities and Town (VLCT) Handbook for Vermont Municipal Treasurers, “the person (must) be a legally qualified person in the town.” That’s it. 

The training a prospective barber must go through covers “shampooing and its’ related chemistry, clipper cutting, straight razor shaves, beard trims, and other skills including knowledge of Vermont Laws, Rules, and Regulations,” according to an Internet search for barber licensing in Vermont. 

On the other hand, the VLCT handbook notes “ that a Town Treasurer is a key player in keeping the town’s financial accounts, investing town money, keeping a record of the taxes voted and paying the bills when orders to do so are properly submitted.” 

Another point from the VLCT is that “an equally important role is the largely unwritten one of interacting with other town officials to ensure that the town finances run smoothly.” 

In other words, one needs to be trained and licensed to carry out the required skills for barbering. To be a town treasurer, as long as an ice cube can melt on one’s forehead, one is good to go. Arlington, Vermont, has joined other towns that have had to pay dearly for this archaic statute. 

In Arlington, 2023 was not a good year for the town or its taxpayers. Many in the town are still dealing with two years of mistakes by the Treasurer and the Town Listers. You can add the Town’s Selectboard, whose members readily admit to not paying proper attention to the Town’s financial affairs. 

It turned out that in August of 2022, the Town Treasurer provided the wrong tax rate to the Selectboard for the year before; therefore, insufficient funds were raised in 2022, resulting in a $200,000 deficit and possibly more. The error was discovered in August of 2023, and a substantial tax increase of 14.7% was

published, resulting in an unexpected increase in real estate taxes, anywhere from hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of dollars. 

What is worse is that no one knew about the error until late August when, in fact, it should have been discovered in January 2023, when the Town Report was published. It turned out that much of the Treasurer’s financial reports, incorporated within the Town Report, were misleading, in error, and masked a significant cash flow issue. 

Ten months later, the Town’s outside auditors reported that the Town’s Fiscal Year 2021 financial records were not in good shape, and numerous adjusting entries had to be made to bring the financial statements into compliance. 

Before being elected Town Treasurer, the candidate had no experience managing financial affairs but was willing to learn on the job. 

Furthermore, at a last fall Selectboard meeting, the board stated they received the 2022 figures only two days before publication. On many occasions, the Board requested data from the Treasurer only to be told that the Treasurer is a separately elected position and cannot be told what to do by the Selectboard. 

I am unaware of when the current Vermont Statute was adopted to elect a town’s treasurer. I am confident that the town’s finances over the past several decades have become quite complex, with sizable amounts of funds at stake. It should not be the case that as long as someone can breathe, they can be a town treasurer. 

Fortunately, the Arlington Select Board has recognized this. It will place an article on this year’s Town Meeting ballot to have the voters authorize the appointment of a finance director who will report to the Select Board. Several years ago, a similar article was defeated by six votes. Since then, the Town has paid dearly. The Selectboard members are frustrated and upset, and I believe they are ready to engage in experienced, competent financial leadership. Vermont, too, needs to change. Demand less of a barber and more of a treasurer; this is the 21^st Century.

The author is a U.S. Marine (retired), CPA, and columnist living in Arlington, VT.