Public commenters press council on tax rate after separation and on snow removal blocking businesses

Two speakers used the public comment period at the Feb. 26 Essex Junction City Council meeting to raise separate community concerns: one on tax rates and fiscal outcomes since municipal separation, the other on recurring snow/ice bank placement that blocks a small business parking area and creates safety risks.

"My name is George Dunbar. Just a couple questions," Dunbar began, then laid out a comparison he found in a Williston town report showing Essex Junction with a municipal tax rate of $0.98 for fiscal year 2025, higher than nearby municipalities. He said the FY24 separation had included public estimates of an $800,000 annual savings and a projected 7 percent tax-rate reduction when the city separated from the town. "What transpired was far from what was advertised," Dunbar said, adding that he did not see the anticipated savings in FY24 and that the FY26 budget "has completely undermined any foundation of that trust that may have remained."

Dunbar urged councilors to benchmark Essex Junction against comparable full-service municipalities, look for operational efficiencies in staffing, purchasing and other inputs, and explore how other communities achieve lower tax rates. He also raised a technical point about stormwater accounting, noting that stormwater expenditures moved from the general fund to an enterprise fund in the FY26 presentation and that for apples-to-apples comparisons the stormwater expense should be left in the general fund to gauge a true year-to-year change.

A second speaker, identified in the meeting as Brent, described repeated winter incidents where a three-and-a-half-foot wall of salted ice formed at the entrance to his four-car parking lot adjacent to Pearl Street, making his small after-school business inaccessible. Brent said he had emailed public works previously and was told the opening could be cleared, but subsequent storms left the large ice wall that he had to spend 4½ hours chopping out himself. He recounted witnessing a vehicle run a red light and nearly hit a school bus; the bus driver reportedly pulled out farther than usual to avoid the ice wall.

"When it comes to safety, when it comes to accessibility, I'm now looking at a repeated problem," Brent said, asking the city to review its plowing and staging practice so small businesses are not repeatedly blocked and forced to expend time and money clearing access.

Councilors acknowledged both comments; one councilor asked Brent whether the city might be moving intersection snow into that spot or whether typical plow activity was causing the buildup, and staff said they would follow up with him.

Ending: Staff committed to follow up with Brent about the snow/ice issue; councilors did not make an immediate policy change but were asked to consider Dunbar's benchmarking request and the questions about separation savings and transparency during future budget conversations.