The town of Woodbury has received a few inquiries from residents wanting to know if they can help in any way with the town’s response to the COVID 19 pandemic. One of the most important things we can do is check in and watch out for each other, particularly those we know are most vulnerable. Helping our neighbors includes being aware that our personal face to face contact can contribute to the spread of the virus and compromise ourselves and the very people we are trying to help. If there are neighbors or folks in town you may be concerned about please try to contact them by phone or e-mail first. If you are contacting them in person, please be sensitive to the 6 foot “safe distance” protocol advised by the health department.

Town officials have begun to gather a list of those who might warrant our concern and of those wanting to help in some way to better facilitate an organized town response to this expected need. A simple form has been developed to help coordinate this effort and is attached to this e-mail. If you are in need of assistance, know of someone who may need assistance or if you would like to provide assistance, please fill out and return the attached form to the town office…woodburyclerk@comcast.net  456-7051 or Michael Gray…grhayes1956@comcast.net  456-1983.  Please forward this e-mail to anyone you know in Woodbury that may not have received this e-mail to insure this gets to as many residents as possible. Postal responses for returning the form can be sent to the  Woodbury Town Office, P.O. Box 10, Woodbury, Vt. 0581 or Michael Gray, 1956 Foster Hill Road, East Calais, Vt. 05650. 

The Woodbury Town office is closed to public access until further notice. The Town has taken this step to do our part to practice good social distancing measures and protect the health and well-being of all involved given the current situation with COVID19. The Town Office staff will remain available to assist you by phone, e-mail or postal mail. Regular business hours for the town office will remain the same. These are Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The town office hours for Monday evening will be cancelled until further notice.

Contact information is listed below:  

For the Town Clerk and Assistant Town Clerk email woodburyclerk@comcast.net  and atcwoodbury@comcast.net; for the Town Treasurer e-mail woodburytreasurer@comcast.net and/or call the town office (802) 456-7051. For other town officials, please call the town office for their contact information. Woodbury’s web site address is www.woodburyvt.org

Use of the vault for land records research – Please call ahead for an appointment and to confirm open hours. The town reserves the right to restrict this access for anyone who may show symptoms referenced for coronavirus and or if you have recently travelled to / from one of countries with a travel ban in place. 

If you are in need of the following items please note the process for requesting them: 

Copies of Tax Bills- Please call or email the Town Clerk’s office. We can email, fax or mail the copy out for you or directly to your tax preparer, or leave it on the bulletin board on the town office porch for you to pick up.

Certified Birth, Death or Marriage Certificates – Please call or e-mail the Town Clerk’s office.  

Dog Licenses – Leave your paperwork (if any) and payment in the drop box located on the town office porch and we will mail you the license and tag.  The late fee will be waived until May 1.

Payments of delinquent taxes – Send checks by mail or leave in the drop box.  For cash payments, please call ahead.

Zoning applications or questions – Contact Robert Martin at 456-8870 or rrssmartin@comcast.net.

Please remember to renew your dog’s license before April 1. They have been trickling in but we have many of you we’ve yet to see this year! Remember the cost increases after 4/1/2020, and failure to register your dog can include consequences such as fines and/or impounded animals. It also results in more work for our animal control officer as well as our office staff. Office hours are 9-1 Monday-Thursday and 6-8 Monday evening. If your dog’s rabies vaccination is current you can register by mail or leave your request in the drop box outside of the town office (in the wall). If it is not current we need an updated certificate of vaccination, you can include that and a check and mail it or leave it in the drop box and we will mail you your license and tag. The cost is $9 if the dog is spayed or neutered, otherwise $13. Please make checks payable to the Town of Woodbury. Call 456-7051 with questions. If you received a reminder letter this year, most people should have, it will include your dogs rabies vaccination expiration date. If your dog is due for updated shots, below are a list of upcoming rabies clinics.

Rabies Clinic information:

Tomorrow night, 3/12 from 6-7:30 pm in East Montpelier at the Fire Station. The cost is $20/animal.

Hardwick Vets office
3/14 & 3/21 Rabies Only, no appointment needed. 8:30-10AM, $20/animal.

Tractor Supply:
Berlin/Montpelier location- 3/29/2020 4-5:30 PM
Morrisville- 3/29/2020 1-2:30PM

Wednesday, March 18, 5:30-7 p.m., at the Woodbury Community Library, the Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District hosts a recycling and composting workshop.

Are you ready to improve your recycling game? You’ll have all your recycling questions answered in this in-depth workshop, including how to “recycle” food scraps both at home, and at community events. Come learn the overview of Vermont’s recycling laws, what goes in/what stays OUT of your recycling and compost bins, and what “additional” recycling is and how to do it right and how to avoid “wish cycling.” Join Theron Lay-Sleeper, Outreach Coordinator at the Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District, to get ready for the final phase of Vermont’s Universal Recycling Law, a ban on residential food scraps in the landfill starting July 1. He’ll also teach participants how to deal with waste at events, like Woodbury Pie Breakfast on March 21.

Tax Season 2020: Reminders and Resources

The 2020 tax season opened on Jan. 27! Following are a few reminders and resources for Vermont taxpayers from the Vermont Department of Taxes:

Reminders

• January 27: Official date the IRS and Vermont will begin accepting personal income tax returns
• April 15: Due date for federal and Vermont personal income taxes, Homestead Declaration, Property Tax Credit, Renter Rebate, and Extension of Time to File
• Report ALL income: The most common problem that holds up processing is when the taxpayer does not report all income earned for the tax year. Be sure to wait for all forms W-2 and 1099 before filing. These documents should arrive by January 31.
• Double check your tax forms for accuracy: Sometimes the simplest mistakes (math errors or transposing numbers in a Social Security Number) or omissions (taxpayer didn’t sign the form) may delay your tax refund. Be sure to double-check your return before submitting it.
• E-filing: The Department of Taxes encourages taxpayers to file their personal income taxes electronically using commercial software. In general, e-filing results in improved accuracy and faster refunds.
• Free File: More than half of Vermonters were eligible to e-file their federal and state taxes for free last year, but only 5% of those eligible actually used Free File. Check out Free File at tax.vermont.gov/free-file to see if you qualify to e-file for free.
• Forms W-4 and W-4VT: Now is a good time to review and update your tax withholding on Form W-4 and W-4VT so your employer will withhold the correct amount of taxes from your paychecks in 2020.

Resources

• tax.vermont.gov: The Vermont Department of Taxes website is the best resource for Vermont taxes.
• tax.vermont.gov/individual/filing-season-update: 2020 Tax Season update and press release
• irs.gov: The IRS provides a comprehensive website with federal forms, instructions, and more.
• myVTax.vermont.gov: Free e-filing is available through myVTax for your Homestead Declaration, Property Tax Credit Claim, Renter Rebate Claim, and Landlord Certificate.
• tax.vermont.gov/free-prep​: Free in-person tax help is available for qualifying taxpayers through IRS VITA/TCE, AARP, and the MyFreeTaxes Partnership.
• tax.vermont.gov/forms: If you want paper tax forms/instructions or the Vermont Income Tax Return booklet for tax year 2019, download them for free from the Department’s website as fillable PDFs and print them, or you may order them (see below).
• tax.vermont.gov/form-request: Order tax forms or the Vermont Income Tax Return Booklet by 1) using the online form or 2) calling the forms hotline at (802) 828-2515 or(855) 297-5600 (toll-free in Vermont) or 3) emailing tax.formsrequest@vermont.gov. Include your name, mailing address, a daytime phone number, the form number and title, and quantity. If you order six or more forms/instructions in a calendar year, there is a fee of $1.00 per form and $3.00 per booklet.
• myVTax.vermont.gov: Find the status of your income tax return or refund by clicking “Check the status of your return” on myVTax.
• tax.vermont.gov/fact-sheets: Find fact sheets, guides, and more on the Department’s website.
• tax.vermont.gov/identity-theft: Learn how to guard against identity theft and tax fraud and what to do if you become a victim.

Questions?

• Call the Taxpayer Services Call Center (802) 828-2865 or (866) 828-2865 (toll-free in Vermont) Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Email tax.individualincome@vermont.gov
• Visit 133 State Street, Montpelier, Mon-Fri, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.