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Vermont Towns and Villages
Vermont enjoys
its downtowns and villages as community social and
economic centers. Almost a fifth of Vermont's
economic activity and jobs are based in its
downtowns. They play a key role in a region's
economy, frequently as the second or third largest
employer.
Over 5,200 buildings in Vermont are currently listed
on the national Register of Historic Places. Most
are included in downtown historic districts.
The Vermont
Downtown Program established in 1994, helped buck a
national trend of disinvestment in downtowns.
The program is
affiliated with National Main Street Center, serving
over 1,400 communities nationwide in revitalization
and redevelopment of "Main Streets." It
operates as a division of the National Trust for
Historic Preservation.
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Vermont's 255 political units
include 237 towns, 9 cities, 5 unorganized towns and
4 gores. Counties exist in Vermont but are not
significant in operations of the political units.
Vermont cities
and towns are governed by either a city council or a
selectboard empowered to act on most issues.
Town Meeting Day (the first Tuesday in March)
convenes to elect municipal officers, approve annual
budgets and conduct other business. Town
Meeting Day is a state holiday that allows citizens
(in theory) the time off to attend Town Meeting for
participation.
There is no
general requirement for chartered municipalities to
observe Town Meeting. For example, the Town of South
Burlington was re-chartered as the City of South
Burlington in 1971, allowing the new charter
to hold city elections in April. No other
municipality has been granted such a charter by the
legislature.
Employers in the state often give their employees
time off, or at least give the employees the option
of leaving early or coming to work late in order to
attend their home town's Town Meeting. |
