It will be a relatively quiet Election Day this year with no statewide or national elections on tap.
But residents of some Vermont communities will cast ballots on Nov. 4 on major projects, ranging from a new regional tech center to flood-proofed apartments.
Eighteen municipalities around the Barre-Montpelier area will vote on a $149 million bond to pay for a new school for the Central Vermont Career Center School District.
The towns span six different school districts that send their students to the career center, which is currently located in a wing of Spaulding High School in Barre City.
With the state’s school construction program suspended, the vote on Nov. 4 will decide whether district voters will cover the full price tag for the 167,000-square-foot facility.
If the bond is approved, property taxes across the towns are estimated to increase by just under 6%, on average, though some towns would see as much as an 8.9% jump.
There are about 219 students in the career center, and the school board says it expects enrollment to double if the new building opens.
Supporters say the new school, if approved by voters, could be open by September 2029.
Voters in the 18 member towns should check their local town offices to find out when polling will be open.
As Vermont towns continue to recover from the floods of 2023 and 2024, several communities have scheduled votes to support that recovery work.
The city of Barre has two bond votes on its ballot.
One is for $2.4 million to support a flood-resilient housing project. The second item asks residents to support a $3.3 million bond to move the city’s public works facility out of the flood zone, to higher ground on land the city owns.
And in nearby Plainfield, voters will weigh in on a controversial housing project.
The select board is seeking approval to borrow $600,000 to do work towards a larger grant, which could eventually help fund a more than $9 million project that could bring 40 new homes to Plainfield.
Cabot, as well, is asking voters to support using $250,000 from a town fund for flood mitigation work.
The town says $150,000 of that would go towards a matching $1.5 million grant to replace a bridge, with another $30,000 being used for legal easement work.
And the final $20,000 from the fund will be used for test borings in the village center to determine the feasibility of installing debris catchers to prevent future flood damage.
The town of Hinesburg is also asking voters to approve a $1 million bond to help pay for repairs to two bridges damaged in the 2024 floods.
And in a separate vote, Hinesburg is seeking approval for a $2.1 million bond to upgrade its water system.
The town of Brighton is holding a vote on Nov. 4 to seek approval of a $9.6 million bond to pay for upgrades to its wastewater system.
And in Berlin, the select board is seeking approval of an almost $1.8 million bond to help pay for a four-season recreation center.
The board has secured a nearly $500,000 federal grant for the project, and also expects to raise money from selling energy produced by a solar installation included in the project.
The town says taxes will not increase at all if the bond is approved and the project is completed while the federal grant is available.
