Fifty Vermont municipalities, having delayed their usual March town meetings and votes out of concern for the Covid-19 pandemic, are set to hold rescheduled proceedings this spring.
Marshfield, Plainfield, St. Johnsbury and Vershire will start Tuesday, followed by nearly one-fifth of the state’s other communities. The proceedings will decide local leaders, spending and special articles this April, May, June and, in the case of Manchester village, July.
Many of the elections are small-town matters. Cambridge and Halifax, for example, each will cast ballots solely to fill selectboard vacancies — in the latter community, because March voters increased the number of members from three to five.
But some have bigger stakes. St. Johnsbury, the only Vermont community with 5,000 or more people to postpone its election, has mailed all residents an April 6 ballot asking such questions as whether to allow the retail sale of marijuana.
Essex will hold an April 13 revote on a plan defeated in March to merge the town and its central village of Essex Junction — collectively the second-largest population hub in the state — into one municipality with a shared governance structure.
All the cities and towns are tapping a temporary state law that gives local leaders several options for rescheduling or switching to ballots, as well as floor meeting guidance that calls for:
• Health screenings and collection of names and contact information of all attendees.
• Crowd limits of 50% of fire safety occupancy or one person per 100 square feet, whichever ensures distancing of at least 6 feet.
• Cloth face coverings over the mouth and nose, even when someone is speaking.
• No discussion of questions not on the agenda, and no extras such as potluck meals, bake sales or staffed information tables.
Many communities delayed their meetings in hopes of trading smaller indoor spaces for larger outside ones. That’s why places ranging from Waterville in the north to Weston in the south have scheduled gatherings on their local greens, while Tunbridge is opting for its World’s Fair grounds.
Stamford, which has sparked headlines for fighting the state’s Covid safety guidelines, will follow precautions when it holds an April 19 outdoor meeting to debate local spending and a separate April 20 ballot to decide leaders.
Marshfield, for its part, has merged all municipal and school issues onto a shared Australian ballot.
“We worked to make sure our dates align,” Marshfield Town Clerk Bobbi Brimblecombe said. “There are no contested races and no tax increase is anticipated, so it should be a pretty quiet election.”
If only it was so easy elsewhere.
Westford, for example, held its town meeting in March but will reconvene for its school district meeting April 13.
The Lake Region Union Elementary-Middle School District towns of Albany, Barton, Brownington, Glover, Irasburg, Orleans and Westmore, facing a procedural error in last month’s election, will reconsider the proposed budget April 13.
Barre city and town, one of just three school districts to reject a school budget in March, will hold a revote May 11, with the town casting ballots on municipal matters the same day.
And Vernon is still debating when and where to hold its postponed proceedings.
The two towns that gaveled in March meetings simply to reschedule them are set to return next month.
Stratton, population 230, will meet May 4 at its town hall with such safety protocols as opening the windows and offering hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes.
And Kirby, population 615, will gather May 22 (either inside or outside its town hall, depending on conditions) after its longtime moderator John McClaughry opened his 55th March meeting for the sole purpose of postponing it.
“That was flawless, I must say,” McClaughry quipped to an audience of six.
“Best you’ve ever done,” one resident replied.