Our centuries-old Vermont tradition of Town Meeting Day is just days away. While this year the presidential primary is getting a lot of the attention, important local business will also be conducted on Super Tuesday.

Throughout the state, Vermonters will vote on their school and town budgets. Some will vote by Australian ballot. Others will wade through budget items on paper copies of town reports in school auditoriums, defending their priorities to their neighbors using Robert’s Rules and aided by the dry humor of a moderator. This year, I’m on the ballot myself, running for a seat on the new unified school district board in my community. Whichever forum is used for your city or town, please participate!

One of the items that will likely appear in your town’s budget will be an allocation for your local home health agency. It may appear as part of a social services line. It may be on a list of non-mandated appropriations, all of which will be put to a vote together. In my town, it gets its own article—#11. Every town report is different. What’s the same across the state is the need for towns to support their local home health organizations.