VERGENNES — Little City residents ousted incumbent alderman James Dragon in a four-way contest for three, two-year terms on the city council.

Vergennes residents re-elected incumbents Richard “Dickie” Austin and Jill Murray-Killon, and sent former Mayor Michael H. Daniels to the councilors’ table. Austin got 403 votes, Daniels got 388, Murray-Killon got 341 and Dragon got 251.

Residents also approved all articles as warned during Town Meeting Day. Those decisions included a go-ahead on introducing a local option tax to Vergennes and $48,164 for area social service agencies.

Unlike in other Addison County municipalities, voters won’t be tasked with weighing in on city spending. That responsibility falls to the city council, which will set the FY27 budget for Vergennes in June.

Though there were other money questions for voters to ponder, including the introduction of the local option tax (LOT), which was approved 332-266.

This additional 1% tax on sales, meals, alcohol and rooms will be levied with 75% of the generated funds going to the city and the remaining 25% going to the state.

City officials intend to use the revenue stream, which they predict could add roughly $200,000 a year to Vergennes’ coffers, on “municipal, non-education operational and capital expenditures, including municipal infrastructure, as identified by the city council, for the benefit of the taxpayers of Vergennes.”

Residents also approved the creation of a reserve fund for the LOT money.

Voters also approved several routine allocations to social service agencies. Among the 18 included are the Addison County Humane Society ($2,000), the Counseling Service of Addison County ($2,500) and the Atria Collective ($4,000).

Addison County Home Health & Hospice and Age Well will receive $5,000 each, the most of any single organization listed.

The other 11 organizations will get between $750-$4,000.

As far as elected officials go, Daniels isn’t the only former city official rejoining the ranks. Mel Hawley, who served as Vergennes’s city manager before Ron Redmond, ran unopposed for a one-year alderman term. He garnered 403 votes, though several write-in candidates received 119.