Business View Civil and Municipal | March 2021

145 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL MARCH 2021 since merged, been dissolved, or have separated from their associated town. The upcoming vote will represent Essex Junction’s 19th attempt at joining that statistic since 1958. Essex Junction was formed in 1892 to give “downtown” services (sidewalks, water, and sewers) to the villagers; services that residents in the rural areas didn’t need or want to pay for. As both town and village grew, the territorial divide led to some duplication, but it also created tangled linkages, such as Essex’s shared police department, which upholds different rules and ordinances on behalf of each municipality. “What we’re anticipating, should merger pass, is the ability to have one development code and a unified vision moving forward,” says Haney. “Each region – the town and the village – have their own comprehensive plans, with specific details about how the town and village centers are to grow. Those aren’t going to change; they’re just going to be devised under a single plan. We can TOWN OF ESSEX & ESSEX JUNCT ION, VERMONT