Vergennes and Panton officials present three options to settle 178-acre boundary discrepancy

Panton Town Clerk/Treasurer Kyle Rowe opened the July 17 informational meeting and introduced licensed surveyor Tim Cowan, who outlined the historical origins of the divergence between the City of Vergennes’ charter boundary and existing tax-map lines. Staff said a draft survey paid for by Addison County Regional Planning revealed differences that affect roughly 178 acres across 28 parcels, including commercial and industrial properties with existing infrastructure.

Administrative staff presented three options for the legislative bodies to consider: (1) adopt the current tax-map lines as the official municipal boundary; (2) adopt the Charter Line as the official boundary; or (3) adopt a negotiated line that follows existing parcel lines in approximately 14–15 cases. Staff told officials they preferred Option 3, the negotiated line, after weighing the pros and cons. The negotiated approach would require stipulations from both communities: Vergennes would continue to provide sewer service and access to Vergennes recreation and cultural programs for affected parcels, while Panton would accept Vergennes zoning for those parcels and update assessments to match Vergennes-assessed values.

Officials emphasized that the options carry trade-offs in tax revenue, local administrative capacity and infrastructure responsibility. If the two municipalities cannot reach agreement, staff said state law provides a statutory path to alter municipal boundaries but that unresolved disputes would likely move to arbitration, adding time and expense.