The city of South Burlington is considering the formation of a shared system for public services with surrounding communities. Officials are seeking to create a new municipality, the Central Chittenden County Public Services Authority. This shared entity would consisting of many regional service providers including the Champlain Water District, the Chittenden Solid Waste District, the Chittenden County Transportation Authority, alongside combined fire departments and shared stormwater management equipment. Economies of scale and pooled resources would allow both the quality of public services and the value provided to taxpayers to increase. One major appeal to partnering communities would be the opportunity to utilize South Burlington's robust stormwater management system.
South Burlington is currently pursuing the communities of Shelburne, Williston, and Colchester as potential members of the Central Chittenden County Public Services Authorty. City Manager Kevin Dorn believes all four communities are ideal candidates for the new shared system. "All of us in municpal government are confronted with the same challenges of making public services sustainable over time. ... It's incumbent upon city managers, town managers, Selectboards, and City Councils to look at how they can most efficiently provide the best value to taxpayers."
To read Haley Dover's full report on this developing story, visit the Burlington Free Press HERE.