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Committee schedules vote on annexation request for Village of Swanton property
Summary
The House Government Operations & Military Affairs committee took testimony on S.364, an act approving annexation of contiguous property into the Village of Swanton, and agreed to place the item on the committee calendar for a vote the following day. Village and town officials said annexation will support space needs and an upcoming village bond.
The House Government Operations & Military Affairs committee heard April 16 from Village of Swanton and Town of Swanton officials on S.364, an act relating to the approval of annexation of property by the village of Swanton, and scheduled the measure for a committee vote the next day.
For the record, Bill Sheets, village manager for the Village of Swanton, told the committee the village purchased contiguous property in 2023 and wants to annex it to address space constraints and to accommodate the electric department’s planned move. "We're 42 full time, 8 part time, and 24 volunteer firefighters. And we are out of space across the board," Sheets said. Annexation would allow the village to move its electric department to the newly acquired parcel and expand police and public works functions at the existing village complex at 120 First Street.
Brian Savage, town administrator for the Town of Swanton, said the town’s select board unanimously supports annexing 124 First Street into the village. Savage noted the long-standing operational ties between the town and village and said the annexation would ease overcrowding in the village’s existing complex. "This will certainly alleviate that severe overcrowding in the existing complex next door," he said.
The village cited its charter authority under Title 24, Chapter 279, which allows village boundaries to be altered by the board of trustees with General Assembly concurrence. Sheets said the village trustees voted in favor of pursuing annexation on Sept. 11, 2023, and again on April 14, 2025, under motions authorizing outreach and formal steps.
Committee members reviewed maps and asked clarifying questions about the municipal boundary overlay and the timing of an upcoming bond vote for the village electric department. Savage confirmed the village will hold a bond vote on May 6 to finance construction or renovations tied to the electric-department move; the committee noted that a legislative concurrence could aid local communications with voters.
The committee did not take a final passage vote on S.364 during the hearing; members agreed to place the annexation on the committee calendar and to schedule a formal committee vote the following day, pending a final check with counsel. Representative Walker volunteered to shepherd the measure through committee procedure.
Ending: With the town and village aligned in support and a bond vote pending May 6, the committee moved the annexation bill toward a prompt committee vote to allow local planning to proceed.
