Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Timeline and Process
Where are we now?
The current governance structure we have now is two separate municipalities with separate charters, sharing some municipal services under contract.
The current governance structure we have now is two separate municipalities with separate charters, sharing some municipal services under contract.
Why are we doing this now?
To understand why merger talks are happening now, we need to look several years into the past. In an effort to improve services across the entire Essex community, the Town of Essex and Village of Essex Junction have, since 2013, consolidated some of the municipal services that were historically provided by both governments. As an additional benefit, these consolidations have reduced the amount of taxes the municipalities need to raise – a combined savings of more than $2.1 million since 2013.
To continue consolidation efforts, the Town of Essex Selectboard and the Village of Essex Junction Board of Trustees have met jointly for the past few years. Joint meetings in the last several months have been about preparing for a dialogue with the Greater Essex community regarding our consolidation efforts going forward. In June 2018 both boards created a joint Governance Subcommittee tasked with researching potential new governance structures. In December, after researching and vetting over a dozen possibilities, the subcommittee recommended looking at three governance frameworks: one government with one tax rate; one government with special taxing districts; and the status quo with a Town government, a Village government, and different tax rates. The governance framework options also include models for at-large representation, or representation by wards. Residents will have an opportunity to weigh in on the options through surveys and focus groups during the summer of 2019 and then later through other outreach efforts.
Each year that passes is another year where the cost to merge in the future goes up. It is in part because of this reality that the Selectboard and the Trustees are now exploring the concept of merging the Town of Essex and Village of Essex Junction.
To understand why merger talks are happening now, we need to look several years into the past. In an effort to improve services across the entire Essex community, the Town of Essex and Village of Essex Junction have, since 2013, consolidated some of the municipal services that were historically provided by both governments. As an additional benefit, these consolidations have reduced the amount of taxes the municipalities need to raise – a combined savings of more than $2.1 million since 2013.
To continue consolidation efforts, the Town of Essex Selectboard and the Village of Essex Junction Board of Trustees have met jointly for the past few years. Joint meetings in the last several months have been about preparing for a dialogue with the Greater Essex community regarding our consolidation efforts going forward. In June 2018 both boards created a joint Governance Subcommittee tasked with researching potential new governance structures. In December, after researching and vetting over a dozen possibilities, the subcommittee recommended looking at three governance frameworks: one government with one tax rate; one government with special taxing districts; and the status quo with a Town government, a Village government, and different tax rates. The governance framework options also include models for at-large representation, or representation by wards. Residents will have an opportunity to weigh in on the options through surveys and focus groups during the summer of 2019 and then later through other outreach efforts.
Each year that passes is another year where the cost to merge in the future goes up. It is in part because of this reality that the Selectboard and the Trustees are now exploring the concept of merging the Town of Essex and Village of Essex Junction.
What are the Town Selectboard and Village Trustees doing to gather input from residents on the question of merger?
Before proposing a governance structure and a merger plan, the Town Selectboard and Village Trustees want as much public input as possible about the concept of merger and about specific frameworks for a merged government. A marketing firm, KSV, was hired to do market research and gather input from residents. Here is that schedule:
If one of the new governance options is chosen by both boards following the focus groups and surveys, a new charter for a unified community would be drafted and possibly presented at the 2020 annual meetings in March (Town Meeting) and April (Village Meeting).
Before proposing a governance structure and a merger plan, the Town Selectboard and Village Trustees want as much public input as possible about the concept of merger and about specific frameworks for a merged government. A marketing firm, KSV, was hired to do market research and gather input from residents. Here is that schedule:
- A qualitative survey – July 2-15, 2019. Here is the July 18 report on the survey results.
- Six focus groups – Aug. 13-15, 2019. Here is the Aug. 22 report on the focus group results.
- Final quantitative survey – Sept. 24-Oct. 11, 2019, with a report Oct. 29, 2019
If one of the new governance options is chosen by both boards following the focus groups and surveys, a new charter for a unified community would be drafted and possibly presented at the 2020 annual meetings in March (Town Meeting) and April (Village Meeting).
- More public input would be sought over the summer of 2020.
- A potential new charter for a unified community would be brought to voters for consideration in November 2020, following public hearings in Oct. 2020.
General Questions
Why merge?
The Village Board of Trustees and Town Selectboard have come up with the following answer to “Why Merge?”: The Village Board of Trustees and Town Selectboard believe we will be stronger together as one united community. We can work as one to plan for the future, attract and retain a vibrant business community, protect our natural resources, restore and enhance our infrastructure, improve our services, overcome challenges we face, and establish ourselves as Vermont’s premier livable community.
For those reasons, we are exploring a merger of the Town of Essex and Village of Essex Junction. We’re relying on residents’ feedback to help us develop the best models for representation and for taxing everyone equitably for our municipal services. We ask all our residents and businesses to give us feedback on what they seek in a merged community, so that we can develop a governance plan for a vote in November 2020.
The Village Board of Trustees and Town Selectboard have come up with the following answer to “Why Merge?”: The Village Board of Trustees and Town Selectboard believe we will be stronger together as one united community. We can work as one to plan for the future, attract and retain a vibrant business community, protect our natural resources, restore and enhance our infrastructure, improve our services, overcome challenges we face, and establish ourselves as Vermont’s premier livable community.
For those reasons, we are exploring a merger of the Town of Essex and Village of Essex Junction. We’re relying on residents’ feedback to help us develop the best models for representation and for taxing everyone equitably for our municipal services. We ask all our residents and businesses to give us feedback on what they seek in a merged community, so that we can develop a governance plan for a vote in November 2020.
What about the culture of the two communities?
Culture means different things to different people. The Selectboard and Trustees understand the importance of culture and will be reviewing responses from surveys and focus groups to understand how to best address the culture of the Town of Essex and the Village of Essex Junction.
Culture means different things to different people. The Selectboard and Trustees understand the importance of culture and will be reviewing responses from surveys and focus groups to understand how to best address the culture of the Town of Essex and the Village of Essex Junction.
Have the consolidation of some services in the past several years, starting with a shared Town and Village Manager as of 2013, saved money?
Yes, consolidation efforts to date have saved more than $2.5 million from Fiscal Year 2014 to Fiscal Year 2020. (This does not include ordinary everyday things like the sharing of equipment or when the Town Engineer helped the Village receive a grant for bridge work.)
Here is the breakdown for each municipality:
Manager $367,000 $606,000
Finance & Admin $378,000 $179,000
Stormwater & Public Works $344,000 $254,000
Total Savings $1,089,000 $1,039,000 = $2.13M
Manager $67,200 $113,500
Finance & Admin $194,300 $195,600
Stormwater & Public Works $59,800 $62,300
Total Savings $321,300 $371,400 = $0.69M
Yes, consolidation efforts to date have saved more than $2.5 million from Fiscal Year 2014 to Fiscal Year 2020. (This does not include ordinary everyday things like the sharing of equipment or when the Town Engineer helped the Village receive a grant for bridge work.)
Here is the breakdown for each municipality:
- FY2014 - FY2019: $2.13 Million
Manager $367,000 $606,000
Finance & Admin $378,000 $179,000
Stormwater & Public Works $344,000 $254,000
Total Savings $1,089,000 $1,039,000 = $2.13M
- FY2020: $0.69 Million
Manager $67,200 $113,500
Finance & Admin $194,300 $195,600
Stormwater & Public Works $59,800 $62,300
Total Savings $321,300 $371,400 = $0.69M