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Boards & Committees
Boards and committees fulfill an important role in town government by evaluating issues which affect the community and making recommendations to the Town Selectboard for action. The value of these bodies is a direct reflection of the interest and dedication of our citizens in making Essex a better place to live, work and play.
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Board of Civil Authority & Justices of the Peace
The Board of Civil Authority is a quasi-judicial 21 member board consisting of fifteen Justices of the Peace, the Selectboard members and the Town Clerk. The Board’s duties are serving as an election official and assisting on Election Day and sitting on tax appeals and serving as a members of the board of tax abatement. Meetings are held on an as needed basis after being duly warned by the clerk.
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Cemetery Commission
The Cemetery Commission will provide guidance for a well-maintained setting for the interment and commemoration of the deceased and for the comfort and inspiration of the bereaved and the public. The Commission will strive to accommodate the desires of families and individuals within the Town’s and Cemetery’s rules adopted for the operation of Mountain View Cemetery. The Commission wishes to provide compassionate and efficient service in a manner that respects human dignity.
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Conservation & Trails Committee
The mission of the Conservation & Trails Committee is to inventory and study the natural, historic, educational, cultural, scientific, architectural, or archaeological resources of the town in which the public has an interest; and to preserve, develop and maintain a multi-use trail, sidewalk, and greenway system in the Town of Essex that will link residential neighborhoods to natural areas, schools, parks, businesses, recreational facilities, community centers, and neighboring towns.
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Economic Development
The Economic Development Commission is responsible for promoting the quality of life in Essex. The mission of the Commission is to assist with the retention, expansion and development of existing business; assist with the location and development of new industrial and commercial firms to Essex; plan for development to assure economic diversification and to provide the Selectboard with advice to enhance our commercial and industrial base.
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Energy Committee
The Essex Energy Committee's mission is to provide leadership to the citizens and is charged with tracking municipal energy use, recommending targets and actions for decreasing use, researching and recommending opportunities to utilize renewable energy sources and the efficient use of energy within town operations, developing and managing energy efficiency educational programs and creating annual reports on energy projects and opportunities.
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Essex Free Library Board of Trustees
Library trustees are appointed by the Essex Town Selectboard to guide the library through policy-making and planning.
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Housing Commission
The Housing Commission maintains and analyzes the community’s demographic and housing stock information and provides periodic updates on housing issues to elected officials. The Commission also works to educate the public on housing topics and develops partnerships with developers, non-profits, state agencies, and social service organizations to advance the community’s housing goals.
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Joint Stormwater Coordinating Committee
The purpose of the Committee is to study and make recommendations to the Selectboard and City of Essex Junction Council on policy relating to common interests in complying with the Stormwater Permit (3-9014) requirements.
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Memorial Hall Committee
The Memorial Hall Committee maintains Memorial Hall for the benefit of the entire community.
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Planning Commission
The Planning Commission helps shape the future of the Town to support a thriving community through a wide range of planning initiatives. These include downtown revitalization, economic development, municipal service delivery, natural resource management, architecture and historic preservation, scenic views, locations of future recreation paths, and so much more.
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Police Community Advisory Board
As an independent board, the PCAB's purpose is to facilitate communication between the Essex community and the Essex Police Department (EPD) and provide feedback and support to the EPD on strategies and policy, especially around issues of equity. Central to this stated purpose is an emphasis on ensuring the voices and needs of systemically marginalized, disenfranchised and oppressed members of the community are heard with regards to public safety.
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Selectboard
The Town of Essex is governed by a council-manager form of government. It has a five-member nonpartisan Selectboard, which is elected at large and serves as the Town's primary legislative body. The Town Selectboard appoint the Town Manager to oversee day-to-day municipal operations, to draft a budget, and to implement and enforce Town policy and legislative initiatives.
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Tri-Town Sewer Committee
The Tri-Town Sewer Committee is an advisory committee whose purpose is for the "mutual understanding of the conditions under which the treatment of wastewater will be provided."
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Zoning Board
The purpose of the Zoning Board of Adjustment is to provide a degree of flexibility to an otherwise rigid system of regulation, to safeguard the rights of property owners and to alleviate the need for minor amendments to the ordinance through the exercise of a degree of administrative discretion as specifically authorized by state statutes.
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Regional Groups with Essex Representatives
Appointed Essex Representatives for regional boards, commissions, and committees.
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Inactive Committees
Find information about the committees that are not currently active.
Vacant Seats
Do you have some time, a skill, or technical knowledge you would like to share to work toward solving complex issues and recommending policies that help to to shape the kind of community in which you live? Interested residents are needed to serve vacancies for boards, committees, and commissions.
Applications
CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW TO OPEN THE APPLICATION
- Police Community Advisory Board (2 vacancies)
- Essex Housing Commission (1 vacancy now, 1 seat available with term to begin July 1, 2023)
- Zoning Board of Adjustment (1 vacancy now, 3 seats available with terms to begin July 1, 2023)
- Energy Committee (1 vacancy now, 3 seats available with terms to begin July 1, 2023)
- Planning Commission ( 1 vacancy now, 3 seats available - terms to begin July 1, 2023)
- Essex Representative (Alternate) -Town Meeting TV Trustee (1 vacancy now)
- Essex Representative (Alternate) - Green Mountain Transit Commissioner (1 vacancy now)
- Cemetery Commission (1 seat available - term to begin April 1, 2023)
- Conservation and Trails Committee (3 seats available - terms to begin July 1, 2023)
- Economic Development Commission (3 seats available - terms to begin July 1, 2023)
- Essex Free Library Board of Trustees (3 seats available - terms to begin July 1, 2023)
- Essex Representative - Green Mountain Transit Commissioner (1 seat available - term to begin July 1, 2023)
- Essex Representative - Winooski Valley Park District Board of Trustees (1 seat available - term to begin July 1, 2023)
- Essex Representative - Chittenden County Communications Union District (1 seat available - term to begin July 1, 2023)
Stipend Program
The Town of Essex is a racially and socially equitable, welcoming and engaged community where all can thrive because community members and leaders hold each other accountable to ensure a safe, supportive, and just environment.
The Town of Essex recognizes that participation should be accessible to everyone and is one of the first communities in Vermont committed to providing stipends for volunteers appointed or elected to a board, commission or committee that meets with a routine schedule. Volunteers appointed to boards, committees or commissions may receive a $50 per meeting stipend to assist with indirect expenses such as childcare assistance, food, or transportation.
You must be officially appointed or elected by the Town of Essex to be eligible. Please contact your staff representative or committee chair for more information on how to enroll. You may also send inquiries to Tammy Getchell, Assistant to the Manager at tgetchell@essex.org or 878-1341.
Reappointments
In the interest of furthering efforts for public engagement and inclusivity, and to encourage community members with diverse backgrounds, experience, opinions, and ideas, the Selectboard advertises seats that have expiring terms. All applicants for upcoming expiring seats will be interviewed by the Selectboard.
Advertising seats, rather than automatically reappointing, provides a higher level of transparency and accountability, with the hope to invite more members of the community to participate in local government.
Volunteers who have expiring terms are encouraged to reapply for another term. Volunteers who offer their time to serve on advisory boards and committees are invaluable to supporting activities and decisions for the entire town.
Watch Recorded Meetings
Can’t make it to a meeting but would like to see what happened? Town Meeting TV records the Selectboard and Planning Commission meetings. For meetings not covered by Town Meeting TV, the Town of Essex now has a YouTube Channel with growing playlists as we increase access to hybrid meetings.