Committee refines trail-definition language to avoid creating maintenance ambiguity

May 30, 2025

Conference negotiators discussed house intent language and a senate maintenance provision for legal trails in S.123 and directed counsel to draft two alternatives to avoid creating ambiguity about municipal maintenance authority under 19 V.S.A. chapter 3.

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During the May 29 conference session on S.123, legislative counsel advised that language added in the house definition of "trail" — stating that municipalities have authority to exclusively or cooperatively maintain a trail — could create ambiguity because the actual maintenance authority is set out later in 19 V.S.A. chapter 3 in sections that specifically grant municipal authority to maintain town highways.

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