The Senate advanced a charter change on Friday that would create the city of Essex Junction, severing the village from the neighboring town of Essex.
The charter change, H.491, lays out a yearlong separation process in which the two municipalities would continue to jointly pay for “assessing, clerk/treasurer, information technology, police, public works, and stormwater,” according to the bill.
Reporting the bill before the Senate, Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale, D-Chittenden, highlighted just how long the two neighbors have debated either merging or separating.
“It is a historic vote in a 110-year journey for the relationship between Essex Junction and Essex town,” she said.
Ram Hinsdale went on to quote an unnamed colleague in the House.
“It is time for our two communities who have tried almost every conceivable relationship to have the opportunity to thrive as two separate entities for the betterment of all residents,” she said.
Sen. Randy Brock, R-Franklin, expressed concern that the charter change could spur lawsuits. Ram Hinsdale said she was not aware of any impending legal issues but would report back to the Senate with more information when the bill is next considered.
The bill passed via voice vote without audible opposition. A final vote in the Senate will likely take place next week.
For years, the village of Essex Junction and town of Essex have debated the merits and minutiae of a potential merger. In March and April of 2021, two separate attempts to approve the merger failed by fewer than 50 votes. In November, Essex Junction residents voted overwhelmingly to begin the secession process, hoping to charter the independent city of Essex Junction.
“The village of Essex Junction and the town of Essex can finally end the generations-long conversation on how our communities should best be governed and instead focus all of our attention on our own respective communities,” said Andrew Brown, president of the Essex Junction board of trustees.
Members of the village board of trustees will become city council members if the charter change is approved, and the council will appoint a city manager.
The charter change would take effect July 1, and the two municipalities would complete the separation a year later.
Charter changes have faced uncharacteristic opposition from Gov. Phil Scott this session. In February, he vetoed a Brattleboro charter change that would have allowed 16- and 17-year-old residents to vote in municipal elections and run for municipal offices. This week, the Senate failed to override that decision following a change of heart from some Democratic members.
But Essex Junction’s charter change likely will not face the same demise.
“The Governor knows this has been an issue debated in Essex for decades and he’s happy to see they have come to (a) resolution,” Jason Maulucci, the governor’s spokesperson, wrote in a message to VTDigger. “Assuming it passes 3rd reading in the Senate and there are no technical problems with the bill, he plans to sign it.”
