Selectboard

Local Government

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. 

View the Manager's Department page

Meetings

The Town Selectboard meetings are held via a hybrid meeting model that utilizes Microsoft Teams.  Participants may attend in person at the location indicated on the agenda or remotely. Meeting links can be found at the top of each agenda or by clicking on the calendar event from the Home Page.  For further instruction on how to access meetings, please view our tip sheet. Town Selectboard meetings:

  • Begin at 6:30 PM
  • Typically the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month
  • are held at in the main conference room at the Town Offices at 81 Main Street, Essex Junction, Vermont.

Hybrid Meetings

Learn more about how to participate in Selectboard meetings by connecting online, calling in, or live-streaming. Visit the Zoom Meetings page.

Agendas & Minutes

Agendas, meeting minutes, and Selectboard meeting packets are available by following the links below. The documents are also kept on file at the Town Offices at 81 Main St., and may be viewed upon request.

Selectboard meetings are aired on CCTV Town Meeting TV. Please visit their website for airtimes. Meetings are also live streamed on CCTV Town Meeting TV's YouTube Channel.

View Most Recent Agendas / Packets and Minutes

Submissions for Future Agendas

 If you have items for the Selectboard meeting packets or a request to be placed on an agenda, please send your request to Marguerite Ladd at mladd@essex.org or Greg Duggan at gduggan@essex.org.  To be considered, all submissions and requests must be received by noon on Wednesday before the date of the next scheduled Selectboard meeting. 

Selectboard Members

Name
Term Expires
Phone ContactEmail Contact
Contact all members

selectboard@essex.org
Andy Watts, Chair2023(802) 872-8927awatts@essex.org
Tracey Delphia, Vice Chair2024

(802) 598-3168

tdelphia@essex.org
Dawn Hill-Fleury
2025
(802) 878-7622
Kendall Chamberlin2025
kchamberlin@essex.org
Ethan Lawrence, Clerk2023
elawrence@essex.org


To ask questions or contact Selectboard members, you may also contact the Town Manager, Greg Duggan at manager@essex.org or by calling (802) 878-1341.

Perspective

  1. General supervision of town affairs, working through the Town Manager.
  2. Ensure fair and credible planning and zoning process.
  3. Provide direction.
  4. Encourage communication among all entities.
  5. Provide financial and staff support through the preparation of the town budget.
  6. Insure appointees are qualified.

Functions

  1. Adopt ordinances, town plan and bylaws.
  2. Authorize permit issuance under interim zoning or during bylaw amendment hearings.
  3. Approve performance bonds for required public improvements.
  4. Approve application and hearing fees.
  5. Accept streets.
  6. Adopt impact fees and ordinances.
  7. Appoint and remove the Town Manager and supervise, create, change, and abolish offices, commissions or departments other than the offices, commissions or departments established by charter.
  8. Appoint the members of all boards, commissions, committees, or similar bodies unless specifically provided otherwise by charter.
  9. Provide for an independent audit by a registered or certified public accountant.
  10. Inquire into the conduct of any officer, commission or department and investigate any and all municipal affairs.
  11. Exercise other power which is granted to the Selectboard by the Statutes of the State of Vermont.

News

Village Separation/Independence

Charter Change

The March 3, 2020 ballot included a question that was posed by a voter-backed petition, asking if the Town charter should be changed to create a six-member Selectboard with three members elected from the Village of Essex Junction and three from outside the Village.  Voters passed the proposed change, 4,032 - 2,614. The charter change was sent to the Vermont Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Legislature for consideration.

Read the letter from leadership of House Government Operations relating to the proposed Essex charter change.