Last July, Essex Junction became Vermont’s newest city after separating from Essex Town.
On Tuesday, residents made history again — this time by making key decisions on the shape of their city government and passing every article on the ballot.
Of the 7,769 people on the city’s voter checklist, 1,991 voted in Tuesday’s municipal election — 1,526 of whom cast early/absentee ballots. In-person voting was held at the Champlain Valley Exposition’s Blue Ribbon Pavilion.
Susan McNamara-Hill, the city clerk, said Tuesday’s election wasn’t much different from previous years “because we’ve always been an independent village.” She added, “The budget is just much higher.”
Voters approved a $11.4 million budget, which will require a 0.4% increase in the city’s property tax rate. However, residents will no longer pay taxes to help support Essex Town, as well as the former village of Essex Junction. In an example provided in the city newsletter, the budget will increase taxes on a typical $280,000 property by $10.86.
The budget includes money to pay for the salaried positions needed to help form the city government ($353,924), an increase for Essex Rescue services ($71,620) and stormwater costs ($118,700).
Water quality was a big-ticket item, as voters agreed to borrow up to $433,700 from the state’s drinking water revolving fund to inventory its water lines, checking particularly to see if there are lead pipes that need to be replaced for health reasons. The loan’s term is up to 10 years, but no interest needs to be paid for the first five years.
Other ballot items were somewhat routine — defining conflicts of interest for city councilors and city employees, authorizing the city council to appoint a town moderator, empowering the city council to set a date for the annual municipal elections, and approving April 9, 2024, as the date for the city’s next municipal election.
Every item on the ballot passed by overwhelming margins. Still, some voters said they missed the old days.
Jackie Hooker, an Essex Junction resident said, “I think that it’s kind of a bummer we’re not with the town. It makes me sad that we’re not together and voting together anymore. I think more people and more voices were just stronger together.”
Council race
Two seats on the City Council were open, and voters elected Marcus Certa (1,158 votes) and Elaine Haney (1,342) to fill them. Jason Struthers (704) finished out of the running.
Certa and Haney will succeed George Tyler and Daniel Kerin, who did not seek reelection. Tyler and Kerin were members of the board of village trustees when Essex Junction was a village within Essex Town. They became city councilors under the new city charter. Certa’s and Haney’s terms will both last three years.
Certa said he was excited by his election.
“I am so overwhelmed with gratitude right now,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to working with the staff to improve our community engagement, first and foremost. … We have plenty of things to work out. This is going to be a foundational year for the city, so I can’t wait to work with this group of city councilors in order to get things started.”
Haney, a longtime public servant, said she was happy to join the new City Council “because I have a lot of ideas and vision for the community. And I just love my community and want to continue giving back.”
In particular, she said, she looks forward to getting started on the Crescent Connector project, renovation of the city’s train station, and renovation of Lincoln Hall, where the municipal offices are located.
“With the margins that I saw, it’s very humbling to see that the City Council has been working in line with the overwhelming support of the community,” said Andrew Brown, the council’s president. “I look forward to moving forward with our strategic planning efforts to really help set the path for the foreseeable future of our new city.”
In an email, City Manager Regina Mahony thanked voters for supporting the budget and ballot items. “The City budget was entirely new this year, and the passing of it will allow the City to continue providing residents with quality services and allow us to add needed positions,” Mahony said.
Elected without opposition were Steven Eustis as moderator and Helen S. Donahey as a member of the library board of trustees.
Essex Junction voters also cast ballots Tuesday in the Essex-Westford School District’s annual meeting, but those ballots were not counted Tuesday night. Instead, the Essex Junction and Westford ballots went into a locked vault overnight, and they are expected to be counted on Wednesday, as required for regional school districts.
Essex Town held its annual elections last month on Town Meeting Day.