Morristown voters approve three-part charter formalizing town-manager government

Morristown voters approved three charter articles on Nov. 5 that formalize the town-manager form of government and retain existing corporate and general-law provisions, Morristown Town Clerk Sarah Haskins told the Government Operations & Military Affairs committee.

The charter matters because it codifies the town-manager structure that residents petitioned for in early 2023, clarifies which provisions remain subject to general law, and preserves the town’s corporate existence. Committee members heard that the charter language was adapted from other Vermont town charters and that a previously considered local-option tax provision was removed after a change in state statute.

Sarah Haskins, Morristown town clerk, told the committee the select board created a charter committee in December 2023 to draft language after voters petitioned to adopt a town-manager form of government. "The committee met regularly throughout the winter and spring, and in July of 2024, the committee approved the draft language ... and sent it to the select board for adoption," Haskins said. She said the town manager was hired in May 2024 and that the town’s annual budget had failed three times in 2023, which helped prompt the charter effort.

Haskins said the charter committee initially considered language to enable a local-option tax but removed that language after the legislature changed state statute so a charter is no longer required to create local-option taxes. The charter the committee presented contains three sections: corporate existence retained (language based on the Town of St. Albans charter), general-law application (based on the Town of Colchester charter), and a town-manager section with portions drawn from Stowe and Waterbury charters.

On the Nov. 5 Australian ballot, Haskins said, "All 3 of the articles passed, and they all passed by a tremendously large margin." She told the committee the town met required posting deadlines and held public hearings and informational sessions before the vote. When Representative Waters Evans asked how many registered voters Morristown has, Haskins said, "We have about 4,200." Committee member Brett Morgan clarified that the town held the charter question on the Nov. 5 general-election ballot rather than at a March town meeting; Haskins confirmed there were two separate ballots that day, a general-election ballot and a town ballot for the charter items.

Committee members thanked Haskins for providing examples of charter language and said they would contact the bill’s sponsors if they needed additional information. No formal committee action was recorded during the testimony segment.