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Committee hears call to clarify municipalities' authority to maintain legal trails
Summary
Witnesses told the Vermont House Transportation Committee that Act 178 (2006) and town highway maps show towns have authority over legal trails and urged the legislature to codify municipalities' ability to maintain and to allow others to maintain those rights of way amid ongoing litigation.
Mike Covey, executive director of the Vermont Traditions Coalition, told the House Transportation Committee in May that the legislature should make explicit that municipalities have authority to maintain legal trails and may authorize others to do maintenance under municipal authority. "This legislation created a deadline of 07/01/2010 to ensure that unidentified corridors were determined, and 07/01/2015 to assign them a classification and add them to town highway maps," Covey said, citing Act 178 of 02/2006.
The testimony focused on whether towns can clear, maintain or authorize volunteers to maintain legal trails without risking claims for compensation if a court later finds in favor of landowners. Covey said mapping…
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