Vermont’s biggest municipalities are set to vote on a collective $100 million in one-time-only spending proposals this March Town Meeting season.
The figure — composed of bond requests above and beyond regular budgets — isn’t the result of inflation. It’s about the same total weighed by the state’s 28 communities with 5,000 or more people last year.
Instead, it’s the simple reality of cities and towns having to maintain a variety of ever-changing systems, leaders say.
“The challenges,” Winooski City Manager Elaine Wang writes in her locality’s annual report, “continue to be keeping up with municipal infrastructure needs and right-sizing some departments to what the community needs, wants and can afford.”
Some $55.5 million of next month’s requests would improve water systems, with more than half of the total designated for South Burlington, which is seeking $33.8 million in waste treatment facility work.
Other communities proposing water projects include Bennington at $5.8 million, Rutland City at $4.35 million, Middlebury at $3.5 million, Springfield at $3.4 million, Brattleboro at $2 million, St. Johnsbury at $1.6 million and Shelburne at $1.1 million.
The state’s biggest cities and towns will consider an additional $45.8 million for other requests.
South Burlington will vote on a $14.5 million school construction plan as well as $15 million in improvements to its new city center and Williston Road, and installation of a bike and pedestrian bridge over Interstate 89.
Rutland City, in the same vein, will weigh $3.5 million for street and sidewalk repairs.
Colchester will cast ballots on a $6.9 million bond for a proposed $15.9 million recreation center with a gymnasium, elevated track, cardio/weight room and supplementary spaces.
Similarly, Brattleboro will consider $4.1 million in facility upgrades to the town’s main recreational area, Living Memorial Park.
Two communities are seeking new fire trucks, with Shelburne requesting $980,000 and St. Albans City asking for $835,000.
Many of the state’s most populous hubs are proposing changes in their municipal charters.
Votes to add or alter a 1% local option tax on such items as sales, rooms, meals or alcohol are set in Rutland City, Shelburne and Stowe.
Requests to protect residential tenants from evictions without “just cause” will be considered in Brattleboro, Essex Town and Winooski.
Vermont’s largest city, Burlington, will vote on allowing petitions to change municipal ordinances, granting legal residents who are not U.S. citizens the right to cast ballots in local elections, giving leaders flexibility in locating polling places, and extending ranked choice voting to all city offices.
Burlington also will consider a proposed carbon pollution impact fee and independent community police department control board with expanded disciplinary powers.
Essex Town will weigh whether to allow the recall of selectboard members and replace the zoning board of adjustment with a development review board.
Barre City and Montpelier will vote on disbanding the Central Vermont Public Safety Authority union municipal district they created in the past, in hopes of regionalizing such service.
And Jericho, the smallest of the state’s largest communities at 5,104 people, will consider an advisory article to establish a town commission “with the goal of increasing food self-sufficiency via the production, manufacture and distribution of local food.”