St. Johnsbury Discusses Proposed Changes to Local Bylaws

Details: Created on Tuesday, 01 April 2025 02:27; Written by Asher Ballantine

Last Monday, St. Johnsbury held a special meeting to discuss changes to their local bylaws, aimed at modernizing the permit process and ensuring alignment with new state regulations, particularly with Act 76. The meeting saw significant public discourse, with concerns raised about the wording and assumptions in the new bylaws. A key point of discussion centered on balancing local control with state mandates, especially regarding agricultural activities. Many individuals argued that the current definitions in the bylaws are too broad, leading to confusion. Matthew Walsh, Zoning/Planning Administrator, stated, "There’s a long list of things that are allowed by state law, and so if it comes to the DRB, they have to look up what the state law says because that supersedes the local zoning in a lot of ways." The decision to confirm the changes to the bylaws was tabled during the meeting to allow for clarification of certain definitions and changes with the state before granting local authority.