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Vote on the Merger Plan
for the Town of Essex and the Village of Essex Junction
On or Before March 2, 2021
Ballots will be mailed to voters and should be in mailboxes by February 19th
The Town of Essex and the Village of Essex Junction each has its own government and elected board with taxing authority. For the past few years, the Town of Essex Selectboard and the Village of Essex Junction Board of Trustees have explored a potential merger under one charter. See the foundational work here. In November, over 70% of Town voters living in the Village approved merging the Village and the Town. Now, as required by state law, the entire Town will vote, including Village residents, on whether to merge the two governments. IMPORTANT: Village residents are citizens of two municipalities, the Village of Essex Junction and the Town of Essex. The plan of merger must pass in both municipalities for adoption.
Attend Online Public Hearings February 1 at 6:45pm and 16 at 6:30pm and
Informational Town Meeting March 1 at 7:30pm
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Village Vote on Merger
On November 3, 2020, Village residents voted in favor of adopting a Plan for Merger of the Town and the Village. You can see the official results here. You can see the Village of Essex Junction Plan of Merger here. All voter-approved charter changes and plans of merger go to the Legislature for review for ratification. The Legislature can unilaterally approve, amend, seek clarifications or agreements, or deny charter changes. News CoverageCoverage is featured regularly in the Essex Reporter. Essexreporter.com You can view meeting recordings on Town Meeting TV's Youtube channel .
Contact Board Members with your questions
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Street List |
Current Governance Structure
The Town of Essex and the Village of Essex Junction currently have their own charters. Some municipal departments and services have been consolidated in the last few years, such as the Manager’s Office, Clerk’s Office, Finance Department, and the Essex Area Senior Center, among others (click here for consolidation information). These departments and services are paid for by all members of the Essex community, whether in the Village or the Town outside the Village. These consolidations have saved more than $2.8 million (from Fiscal Year 2014 to Fiscal Year 2020). Other municipal services are funded separately, such as the fire departments, recreation departments, libraries, and community development and planning.