Voters in several Vermont communities considered local ballot initiatives at the polls on Tuesday. Residents of the Champlain Water District, in Chittenden County, approved three bond measures, which passed in all member municipalities. The bonds will help pay for infrastructure improvements.
General Manager Jim Fay says a storage tank upgrade at the treatment facility is the first project the water district will tackle.
"Right now we're at a 90 percent design phase for the twin-filtered water contact tank and the wet well," says Fay. "So that one should be going out to bid, we would hope, by say February."
Full Vermont Election Results:
Top Statewide Offices | Vermont House & Senate Results
Voters in the Chittenden County town of Westford approved a town forest and farmland conservation measure by more than a 2-to-1 margin. The town will borrow $185,000 to help conserve the property across from its school, known as the Jackson Farm. The project will create a 130-acre town forest and protect 42 acres of open meadow.
In the Lamoille County town of Wolcott, voters passed a slate of pro-development changes to the zoning regulations.
And the third vote was a charm for a new public safety building in the Upper Valley town of Norwich. A scaled-back proposal won strong voter support on Tuesday.
The Windham County town of Newfane won’t be getting a new town office, at least for now. Nearly 1,00 votes were cast, but the bond article failed by just 10 votes. Newfane voters defeated the same project in August, but supporters of the proposal had petitioned for a re-vote.
And for a second time, voters in Hartford passed two proposed charter amendments. The changes were also approved on Town Meeting Day, but were not properly warned. One amendment allows for a 1 percent local option tax on rooms, meals and alcoholic beverages. The other dictates that all town and school district budget votes must be held by Australian ballot.
