By Sam Douglass

TROY – On Monday night, with historic voter turnout, the proposed merger of the Town of Troy and Village of North Troy failed for a second time, following months of contentious public debate and concerns over the merger process. Over 350 voters attended the meeting, representing turnout for a town meeting that hasn’t occurred in at least 25 years, one official said.

At the Monday, November 9 vote, residents rejected the merger 177 to 158, a slightly larger margin than the original September 10 vote, which failed by just 10 votes. The proposal would have dissolved the Village of North Troy’s municipal government and charter, transferring responsibility for several village services, including the fire department, to the town government.

Residents first voted on Article 1, which asked voters whether they would allow a re-vote on the merger after it originally failed. Article 1 received 166 votes in favor and 186 against. Troy Selectboard member and Town Moderator Gaston Bathalon stated that the article was successful, having achieved the necessary 91 votes in favor. According to Bathalon, Article 1 required two-thirds of the total vote of the original prevailing side to pass, which came out to 91 votes. However, since a majority voted in opposition to Article 1, it is uncertain whether this vote properly followed regular Town Meeting voting procedure. The meeting proceeded to Article 2, where voters again rejected the merger.

In her 25 years living in Troy and working at the polls, Village Trustee Helene Croteau has never seen such turnout for a town meeting. She said it could be easily described as historic. 

Reportedly, the issue of the merger has divided the community, with support generally stronger among village residents and opposition more concentrated among residents living outside the village. Despite both strong support and criticism for the merger, there was little discussion or questions asked prior to the votes for either Article 1 or Article 2, which was unsurprising to some residents.

“It’s obvious everyone already made up their minds,” said one resident who planned to vote in favor of the merger.

While the long line of voters filtered up to vote, residents gave their opinions about the proposal and what they believed would be the result of the vote. Some residents were unwilling to provide public comments out of fear of retaliation.

“I think more people are passionate about voting No,” said town resident and local veterinarian, Judith Glowicz, on the temperament of the voters as a whole.

The September 10 vote drew unusually high turnout itself, with 279 residents participating. Following that vote, supporters of the merger organized a petition seeking reconsideration, arguing that some village residents had not participated in the original election. The supporters of the petition cited their reasoning for the petition was that 17 North Troy residents had originally voted as village residents, but not as town residents. A cross reference of public documents showed that fewer than half of those 17 residents signed the petition seeking a re-vote.

The debate also extended beyond municipal finances and governance. Yard signs supporting and opposing the merger became a source of controversy, with multiple residents reporting that signs had been placed on private property without permission. Questions were also raised about signs appearing on public property and allegations of misinformation circulating within the community.

Had the merger been approved, the proposal would also have required action by the Vermont Legislature before the merger could take effect.