Lela McCaffery, from the audit firm of Fothergill, Segalle, and Valley, reported to the Selectboard on Tuesday, Feb. 23, that Shelburne's books "look good." McCaffery recommended a few minor suggestions such as entering receivables from each department immediately, and also designating one person to enter employee leave time with a second person reviewing the entries to check for errors.

Board member Tim Pudvar asked McCaffery if she had any recommendations or comments regarding the Town's long-term debt. Member Gary von Stange echoed that question asking her how Shelburne's debt compares with other Towns.

McCaffery said that she has no specific recommendations with regard to Shelburne's debt because each Town's comfort level regarding debt is different. She also commented that Shelburne is not in debt because of unwarranted projects, and that often the Town's debt was due to its efforts to take advantage of available grant money.

McCaffery said that with regard to other Towns amount of debt Shelburne was comparable, and given the projects associated with the Route 7 corridor their debt ratio did not look scary or unbalanced.

In his manager's report, Paul Bohne stated that the arbitrators had come to a decision regarding the question of the exact Shelburne and St. George town line. There are also further steps that need to be taken before the issue is finalized. Look for an article in the Shelburne News next week detailing background on this long running boundary dispute.