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Library revote pushed to November
JUNE 18, 2026
BY JASON STARR Observer staff
Feeling rushed by an August revote proposed by the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library Board of Trustees, the Williston Selectboard on Tuesday unanimously backed a plan to push a library expansion bond question to the General
Town hires reappraisal company
It will be another four years before the Williston assessor’s office completes a townwide reappraisal. On Tuesday, the Williston Selectboard approved the hiring of a Plano, Texas company — Tyler Technologies — to conduct the reappraisal, which involves on-site inspections of each private property in town to arrive at an updated taxable property value. The last reappraisal was done 10 years ago. Town Manager Erik Wells said Tyler Technologies will begin inspections next summer, and the process won’t be complete until 2029. The town won’t use the new home valuations in property tax collection until 2030, he said. Reappraisals are supposed to be conducted every six years, according to the Vermont Department of Taxes. As more time passes, the market value of properties becomes further removed from the value at which the town has them assessed, requiring the state to impose a “common level of appraisal” to account for the difference. Assistant Assessor Mychaela Harton has estimated that property values have roughly doubled since the 2016 assessment. The town’s current Grand List — the total taxable property value of all of Williston’s roughly 4,800 residential and commercial properties — amounts to roughly $2 billion. Wells has estimated that the Grand List will jump to about $3 billion after the reappraisal. — Jason Starr
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
Election ballot in November. It will be the third time this year that Williston voters consider an expansion of the library. Voters narrowly approved a $13.9 million bond for the project at Town Meeting Day in March before a group of residents petitioned for a reconsideration vote, objecting to the increased cost to taxpayers.
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That vote, in May, broke for reconsideration, with a narrow majority putting brakes on the project. The Library Trustees are eager to return to the ballot with a scaled-back proposal, favoring an aggressive timeline for gathering public input and seeking voter approval during the Aug. 11 statewide Primary Election.
Movin’ on up
Retiring Williston Central School Principal Jackie Parks welcomes students, faculty, friends and family to the Williston Central School graduation on June 11. More photos on Page 3. OBSERVER PHOTO BY AL FREY
“The longer we wait, the more expensive it is going to be,” trustee chair Charity Clark urged the selectboard Tuesday. “We already have a plan in place, it just needs to be refined and dialed back.” Because this is a national election year, the town has two upcoming see LIBRARY page 4
Water rate to jump 7%
The cost of water in Williston will go up about 7% starting July 1. The Williston Selectboard approved the increase Tuesday based on a recommendation from the Public Works Department. Assistant Public Works Director Christine Dougherty said the increase is driven by a 5.5% increase in the wholesale water rate from the Champlain Water District — the town’s water supplier. The rest of the increase will support continued maintenance of the town’s water infrastructure, Dougherty said. The town has 60 miles of water lines, 700 fire hydrants and about 1,000 water valves, she said. “This is all infrastructure that has to be maintained, and as the town continues to grow, we continue to get more infrastructure that we have to maintain, repair and replace,” said Dougherty. The new water rate will be $6.27 per 1,000 gallons, up from $5.85 per 1,000 gallons. The average household in Chittenden County uses 75 gallons per day (65,700 gallons per year), Dougherty said. She estimates that the rate increase will cost the average household an additional $27 annually, or $2.30 per month. “Not to say that is nothing, because these little dollar amounts do add up, but I think, given everything that’s going on, I’d say this is pretty reasonable,” she said. — Jason Starr
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