Across Vermont, many towns are weighing major investments in public infrastructure, from new municipal water systems to wastewater plant upgrades and bridge replacements. Here are some of the notable bonds.
Burlington
Two major infrastructure bonds are on the ballot in Burlington. The first is a $152 million bond that includes $138 million for improvements to the city’s wastewater system and $14 million for stormwater upgrades.
Burlington says more than half of its wastewater infrastructure is likely to fail in the next three years. The city wants to upgrade its wastewater plant and install a storage tank to reduce combined sewer overflows.
Voters will also have to decide whether to support a $20 million bond for drinking water upgrades, including improvements to the city’s reservoir, pump station and treatment plant.
The city says its reservoir and associated pump system are at risk of failure and need to be replaced. Additionally, the bond would fund upgrades at Burlington’s water treatment plant, which hasn’t been updated in 40 years.
Together, the city estimates these bonds will raise water and sewer bills by as much as 89% between 2025 and 2030.
The city says it will work with the City Council to expand existing programs that subsidize water bills for low-income residents and seniors.
Burlington voters can cast their ballots at their respective ward polling places on Tuesday.
Chester
Chester is weighing a bond of up to $2.9 million to replace a force main, gravity main and pump station.
The town says the debt service will be paid through wastewater user fees.
Additionally, the town is asking for voter support for a $1.1 million bond to purchase a solar array located on town property.
The town expects that debt service will be paid using revenue generated from electricity produced at the facility, and electricity savings for the town.
Chester meets for Town Meeting on Monday, March 4 at 6 p.m. at the Town Hall, but the bond resolutions will be decided by Australian ballot on Tuesday.
Killington
Voters in Killington will be asked Tuesday whether to support a $11.2 million bond for the second phase of an effort to install the first-ever municipal water system for the community.
Much of the heart of the system has already been built or is under construction, but the town needs additional funding for the second phase of the project to build out service lines across the community.
Once completed, the system will run down Killington Road and serve much of the commercial district there.
Public Works Director Abbie Sherman says the new municipal system will draw from a water source that isn’t contaminated with PFOA and other forever chemicals, which have presented challenges for businesses that use groundwater.
Killington has secured a zero-interest 40-year loan for the project through the state’s Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund, but the community has to approve a bond for them to access the funding.
Sherman says they expect roughly $5 million of the financing to be forgiven, with the remaining costs passed on to customers that use the system.
“We're looking at about $12 per user per month,” Sherman said.
If voters approve the project, Sherman says they expect the water system to be completed by the end of 2027.
Killington is also exploring a workforce housing development, and Sherman says access to municipal water will vastly expand what funding the community can leverage to build that housing.
She says this bond is critical to the success of that effort.
Killington votes by Australian ballot on Tuesday, March 4. There is an informational meeting March 3 at 7 p.m. at the Public Safety Building and on Zoom.
Middlebury
Middlebury is seeking voter approval for several water infrastructure bonds on the ballot this year.
The largest is for a bond of up to $49.5 million to upgrade the town’s wastewater treatment facility and pump station.
Emmalee Cherington, director of engineering for Middlebury, says Middlebury’s plant is about halfway through its expected lifespan, and is running into a time when it’s standard for plants to need major repairs and upgrades.
“It’s just a heavily corrosive environment that the equipment has to operate in,” she said.
It’s just a heavily corrosive environment that the equipment has to operate in.Emmalee Cherington, director of engineering for the Town of Middlebury
“The difference between spending the money in a planned and efficient manner, versus spending the money to put out fires is significantly less,” she said. “And so that’s really what we’re intending to do with this bond vote.”
Another $1 million bond is to upgrade a pump system that currently tends to flood and regularly causes wastewater discharges.
And the town is asking voters to approve a $1 million bond for a stormwater system at an old industrial site that needs to come into compliance with Vermont’s current regulations.
Cherington says if the bonds are approved, the town will pursue federal and state funding sources that could lower the cost to ratepayers substantially, so it’s too soon to know what the impact might be on water bills.
Middlebury will hold an informational meeting Monday, March 3 at 7 p.m. at Middlebury Union High School to discuss the bond votes, which will be held Tuesday by Australian ballot.
Proctor
Proctor is proposing a $5.4 million bond this Town Meeting Day for upgrades to its wastewater treatment facility. That includes removing sludge, replacing lagoon liners and some technology upgrades for disinfecting water.
Residents can vote by Australian ballot on Tuesday, March 4.
St. Albans
In St. Albans, voters will weigh a roughly $4 million bond to install a half-million gallon storage tank underneath Houghton Park. Town staff say the tank will help prevent combined sewage overflows on Lower Weldon Street during extreme rain or periods of rapid snow melt.
The state has ordered St. Albans City to resolve sewage overflows over concerns about polluting local waterways.
In a letter to voters, City Manager Dominic Cloud said the city has looked for solutions to this problem for decades, and now has a unique opportunity to leverage $2.8 million in federal ARPA funds for the project. That money expires next year.
Simply put, now is the best time to fix this problem using the federal funds that are available.Dominic Cloud, St. Albans City Manager
“The city has been ordered by the state to stop the overflows regardless of federal support for the project,” he wrote. “Simply put, now is the best time to fix this problem using the federal funds that are available.”
Costs not covered through grants will be incurred by wastewater customers in St. Albans City and St. Albans Town, though it’s too soon to say what the impact will be on bills.
Chip Sawyer, director of planning and development for St. Albans City, says after the city leverages grants and other resources, the debt service for voters could be less than $3 million.
He says data suggest the project would eliminate the vast majority of overflows the city sees and marks the most significant step it’s taken to fix this problem.
“This is about water quality. It’s about a source of pollution that we need to solve just by the very fact that it exists,” he said. “It will go a little bit towards helping the state of St. Albans Bay, but it’s also a longstanding liability of the whole wastewater system and all its users.”
St. Albans voters can cast their ballots Tuesday, March 4.
Other communities around the state are also weighing major infrastructure projects this year. Voters in St. Johnsbury will consider a $2.8 million bond to finance improvements to the city’s public water supply system.
Underhill is proposing a roughly $900,000 bond to replace a bridge on a major road that connects to Cambridge, and West Rutland voters will weigh a $2.3 million bond to upgrade their wastewater treatment facility.
Many other Vermont communities are seeking voter support for bonds to upgrade town facilities or buildings, including a $2.9 million bond for a new town hall in South Hero and a $1.3 million bond in Vergennes for fire trucks and radio upgrades.
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