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Committee debates language to clarify municipal authority to maintain legal trails amid pending lawsuit
Summary
Members discussed options including findings-only language, adopting the Senate language to add maintenance authority to 19 V.S.A. chapter 3, or adopting statute plus intent; no formal vote was taken and committee scheduled further consideration.
The House Committee on Transportation debated draft changes to statutes governing "trails" and municipal authority, focusing on whether to clarify towns' authority to maintain legal trails while a court case over trail maintenance remains pending.
Damian Leonard, legislative counsel, reviewed the draft revisions to 19 V.S.A. chapter 3 that would update terminology (for example replacing "selectmen" with "legislative body"), define "trail" as a public right-of-way not considered a highway in that chapter, and add repeated clarifications that municipalities "shall have the authority to maintain trails" while also noting they are not required to do so. Leonard said…
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