UPDATED: ANWSD budget defeated again; this time by 18 votes

For the second time this month, residents of the five communities on Tuesday rejected a spending plan — this time by 18 votes.

On March 12, its first meeting since Town Meeting Day, the Vergennes City Council accomplished a number of tasks that both looked backward and moved forward.

After a discussion at the Vergennes City Council’s March 12 meeting on the topic of how much public comment should be allowed at council meetings, including advice from the city’s attorney, Mayor Chris Bearor later last week confirmed he would impose a li … (read more)

The Vergennes City Council is looking for an “honest and responsible” effort from the Vergennes Area Rescue Squad to meet the city’s medical first response needs; in exchange the city would pay the higher per-capita fee that the ambulance service is askin … (read more)

The Vergennes City Council on Feb. 27 met briefly with Allison Rimmer and James Dunn from the Community Engagement Committee, the citizen committee that will work with city officials on police issues, to discuss a draft of the committee’s bylaws. The grou … (read more)

One reason for the higher proposed municipal spending that Vergennes-area towns will consider this Town Meeting Day is an increase in the funding requests to those communities from the Vergennes Area Rescue Squad, or VARS.

After about three weeks of mediation, the Ferrisburgh selectboard and the Vergennes City Council reached an agreement on how much the town should pay Vergennes for the city fire department to serve as the first responder for West Ferrisburgh and much of t … (read more)

After a long disagreement, officials agreed on how much Ferrisburgh should pay Vergennes for the city fire department to serve as the first responder for West Ferrisburgh.

Barring stunning write-in results, the status quo will rule on the Vergennes City Council after Town Meeting Day, but the Ferrisburgh selectboard will have a new member after March 5 voting.

The mediation process that began on Jan. 19 between Vergennes and Ferrisburgh officials to seek an agreement on a new fire contract between the two communities is ongoing, but as of midweek had yet to produce a resolution to the long-running disagreement. … (read more)

The Vergennes City Council at its Jan. 9 meeting discussed, but did not yet approve, City Manager Ron Redmond’s recommendation that Vergennes apply for a 2024 Downtown Transportation Fund Grant.

Former longtime Vergennes councilor and planning commission member David Austin became the city’s new zoning administrator this past Monday, Jan. 15.

Over the past 10 months, a group of Vergennes-area teens have built a playground at the John Graham Shelter, installed an owl barn at the Otter Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, worked at book sales and fish dinners, rake the grounds at D.A.R. John St … (read more)

Sometime in the near future, Matt and Danelle Birong will sell their downtown Vergennes eatery, 3 Squares Café, to longtime friends Scott Collins and Jody Hayes, a couple living in Bolton with their own deep ties to Vermont’s restaurant sector. 

The newest member of the Vergennes City Council is a military veteran, including service during the Gulf War; a longtime aviation technician who has switched to taking care of the local bus fleet; and a 15-year resident of the Little City.