Regionalization in Vermont

This report analyzes regionalization in both a broad context and as it could potentially apply to specific small towns in Vermont. Regionalization is currently used to varying degrees across New England and has numerous benefits and drawbacks. If properly implemented, it has the potential to produce significant cost savings for towns while improving the quality of services provided. We analyzed the specific characteristics of four Vermont towns—Windsor, West Windsor, Hartland, and Weathersfield—that have considered regionalizing services to a small extent. We then held conversations with the town managers from the three of these towns and developed a substantive, albeit non- authoritative, analysis of how regionalization could work for these towns. We conclude with this analysis and a recommendation to form an inter-town task force to further investigate the potential gains from regionalization.