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Senate committee weighs narrowing 'served by municipal water' definition; VLCT and planners urge shorter distance and clearer municipal role
Summary
The Senate Natural Resources & Energy committee considered amendments to S328 that would redefine 'area served by municipal water and sewer'—cutting a 2,000‑foot default to 300 ft until 2030 and setting a different post‑2030 rule—and heard municipal and planner concerns about unintended zoning and utility consequences.
The Senate Natural Resources & Energy committee on March 18 debated changes to the way Vermont defines an "area served by municipal water and sewer infrastructure," a threshold that triggers a set of zoning preemptions under the home act.
Legislative Council attorney Ellen Yenchowski, reading the amendment sponsor's draft, said the proposal would amend 24 V.S.A. §4303 to set a temporary 300‑foot standard for the served‑by definition until Jan. 1, 2030, and then switch to a quarter‑mile standard tied to areas mapped in approved regional plans. "This is changing the distance ... it's currently 2,000 ft. This is changing it to 300 ft and sunsetting this language for January 1, 2030," Yenchowski said.
Municipal officials and planners told the committee the…
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