LONDONDERRY, Vt. – The town of Londonderry’s special Town Meeting, scheduled for Sept. 17, 2021 for local voters to decide on both cannabis legalization in the community and the establishment of a 1% local sales tax, cannot proceed due to a complication with public notice for the meeting.
While the legal warning and notice for the special Town Meeting was properly posted on the town’s website and various public locations within the community, it was not and cannot be published in the newspaper of record at least five days before the meeting as prescribed by Vermont law. The town’s newspaper of record, which must be authorized by the Selectboard annually, is The Vermont Journal. A number of local news outlets published elements of a press release from the town that provided notice and details of the Town Meeting, but these did not satisfy the legal notice requirements.
Required informational hearings took place both Aug. 31 and Sept. 8, and in addition to the Selectboard and town officials and interested citizens, the hearings included representatives of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, the Collaborative, a local substance abuse prevention organization, and a drug policy reform advocate.
The Londonderry Selectboard will discuss rescheduling the special Town Meeting at its next regular board meeting Monday, Sept. 13.
Anyone who requested an early or absentee ballot for the Sept. 17 vote will automatically be mailed a ballot once a new election date has been warned. New requests for the second ballot can be made at any time.