ESSEX JUNCTION — Village of Essex Junction residents overwhelmingly voted on Tuesday to separate from the town of Essex and create their own city.
The 3,070-411 vote in favor of separation turns the page on a decades-long debate over how to even out what some say is an unfair tax burden on Essex Junction residents.
Separation is expected to lower the tax rate by 7.25% for current village residents, according to the Essex Junction board of trustees.
“It seems like we’ve been paying too much in taxes. There has been duplication in government services and bickering about this for decades,” said Bradley Herschman, who has lived in Essex Junction resident for eight years and voted in favor of separation. “I hope this will simplify things, and we can get this all settled.”
Essex Junction now must wait for the Legislature and Gov. Phil Scott to approve its charter to separate and become an independent city, a process Essex village and town leadership hope will be completed in the upcoming legislative session.
If the charter is approved, the newly formed city would then take a year to transition into an independent entity and create a budget, according to village leaders. They’ve set a goal of having the city of Essex Junction up and running by July 1, 2024.
Essex Junction is a village within the town of Essex. For years, Essex Junction and the town of Essex have shared municipal services.
Village property owners currently pay taxes to both the village and town governments, supporting services in both. Property owners outside the village only pay taxes to the town government.
Consequently, village property owners pay a higher rate of local property taxes than their counterparts outside the village.
Transforming from a village to a city and separating from the town of Essex would save the future city money and reduce taxes, village officials said.
In addition to lowering the tax rate by a projected 7.25%, separation is expected to decrease municipal operations costs and reduce overall property taxes by nearly $739,000, saving homeowners an average of almost $200 per year, according to information from the village board of trustees.
The town outside the village, on the other hand, would likely see property taxes rise or else cut back on services to make up for the loss in tax revenue. Currently, 42% of Essex property taxes come from the village, making separation a substantial financial hit to the town.
In decades past and as recently as April, attempts to merge the communities fell short — largely with village residents voting to merge, and town residents voting to remain as is. The most recent failed merger prompted the village to begin working toward secession.
Although leaders have largely outlined — in dozens of pages of complicated documents — where they will cut ties and where they will share resources, they still have to make it happen on the ground.
Leadership from the town and the village said they will continue to work together on separation.
“We’re going to continue working with the selectboard to work out agreements that could be mutually beneficial to our communities,” said Andrew Brown, president of the Essex Junction board of trustees. “It’s been a collaborative process to date, and I can’t imagine that will change.”
Town of Essex Selectboard Chair Andrew Watts shared Brown’s sentiment, saying that the vote results clarify the next steps and he is ready to get to work ironing out details.
“We now need to start getting ready for the legislature,” Watts said. “Hopefully a bill will be introduced and be taken up.”
Village leadership must also work with local representatives Lori Houghton and Karen Dolan to ensure they are ready to push the city charter through the Legislature when the session reconvenes come January.
