Vermont’s longstanding tradition of Town Meeting Day (TMD), where communities come together to discuss and vote on important local issues, persists but has evolved with the times. While historically town meetings take place in-person on the first Tuesday of March, communities have adopted a variety of new approaches. Some have moved their meetings prior to TMD, some have started offering hybrid participation, some have separated their meeting from voting, opting to use an Australian ballot in addition to (or in place of) a floor discussion. However your town does it, participating in TMD is an act that celebrates democracy and civic engagement.
In addition to school and municipal budgets (including nonprofit funding) and local elections, what are communities talking about this year?
- Top of mind for many towns was how to manage municipal positions that are becoming increasingly difficult to fill. Some looked to swap these positions for ones that might attract more qualified applicants, others to eliminate unnecessary roles, while others sought to increase benefits.
- On the topic of benefits, rising health care costs are a driving force in municipal budgets.
- To cover these increased costs, many towns considered adding local option taxes.
- In addition to benefits, necessary infrastructure investments (whether for growth or to replace worn out systems) had many communities considering substantial bonds.
- While almost a third of school budget votes failed in 2024, more towns and cities have succeeded on the first try this year.
- At least two towns considering cannabis sales rejected the ballot measure.
Statewide coverage of Town Meeting Day 2025 can be found from Vermont Public and VTDigger. Results and coverage from Chittenden County is available through CCTV Town Meeting TV.