Municipal law
Since its inception, Tarrant, Gillies, Merriman & Richardson has provided legal counsel for municipalities around Vermont. From Bennington County to the Northeast Kingdom, from the large population centers of Chittenden County to the rural enclaves of Orange County, Tarrant, Gillies, Merriman & Richardson has worked hard to provide municipalities what they need:
Efficient, Accurate Advice Supported by a Litigation Team that Will Represent the Town Effectively in any Forum.
Municipalities are political corporations that are composed of individual citizens and run by a Board of Select people who must answer to those citizens. At Tarrant, Gillies, Merriman & Richardson, our purpose is to help the Board of each Town, Village, and City resolve problems in the manner that best serves the people who make it. Whether that means litigating a case to the Vermont Supreme Court, revising bylaws, or acting as a negotiator between factions, Tarrant, Gillies, Merriman & Richardson is ready to help.
Municipal Law Library
As part of our mission, Tarrant, Gillies, Merriman & Richardson is pleased to make available copies of articles, pamphlets, and opinions that members of the firm have produced over the years to address some common municipal issues. Please browse our library. If you have an issue or problem, please feel free to contact us for further information. If we can help, we will.
The Remains of Nathaniel Niles (Historical Profile)
http://69.39.146.6/Images/Journal/journalarticles/winter
2001/Ruminations.pdf
A Species of Contempt (History of Contempt)
http://69.39.146.6/Images/Journal/journalarticles/spring%202002/Ruminations.pdf
A Different Kind of Sunday (History of Sunday Laws)
http://69.39.146.6/Images/Journal/journalarticles/summer%202002/Ruminations.pdf
The Balance (Essay on Balance of State Powers)
http://69.39.146.6/Images/Journal/journalarticles/fall%202002/Ruminations.pdf
Royall Tyler’s Hair (Historical Profile)
http://69.39.146.6/Images/Journal/journalarticles/summer%202003/Ruminations.pdf
Presumptive Unconstitutional: How the Vermont Constitution
Can Change Your Life
http://69.39.146.6/Images/Journal/journalarticles/Fall%202003/Ruminations.pdf
The First Settled Minister Lot (History of Land Grants to
Ministers in Vermont)
http://69.39.146.6/Images/Journal/journalarticles/winter%202003/Ruminations.pdf
Sleeping Roads (Ancient Roads)
http://69.39.146.6/Images/Journal/journalarticles/Spring%202004/Ruminations.pdf
Moralizing Justice: Isaac Fletcher Redfield and the Weight
of Responsibility 9Historical Profile)
http://69.39.146.6/Images/Journal/journalarticles/Summer%202004/ruminations.pdf
The Proprietors: Dividing Commonage into Severalty (History of Town Charters and Local Control) http://69.39.146.6/Images/Journal/journalarticles/Fall%202004/proprietors.pdf
The Question of Sequestration: Condemnation without
Compensation in a Time of War (Essay on Sequestration and
Compensation)
http://69.39.146.6/Images/Journal/journalarticles/winter%202004/ruminations.pdf
Mighty Oaths (History and Basis for Taking Oaths)
http://69.39.146.6/Images/Journal/journalarticles/spring%202005/Ruminations.pdf
The Laws of 1817 (Historical Essay)
http://69.39.146.6/Images/Journal/journalarticles/fall%202005/Ruminations.pdf
The Ross Court: A Group Portrait (Review of Supreme Court
Jurisprudence)
http://69.39.146.6/Images/Journal/journalarticles/Winter%202005/Ruminations.pdf
Grinding Well and Sufficiently: The Grist Mill in Vermont
Law
http://69.39.146.6/Images/Journal/journalarticles/Spring2006/Ruminations.pdf
The Extradition Trial of Bennett Young (Historical
Profile/International Law)
http://69.39.146.6/Images/Journal/journalarticles/summer%202006/Ruminations.pdf
Parallel Lives: Jacob Collamer and Luke P. Poland
http://69.39.146.6/Images/Journal/journalarticles/Fall%202006/Ruminations.pdf
Menaginary Lions Running Around Vermont (Essay on Property
Lines and Political Boundaries)
http://69.39.146.6/Images/Journal/journalarticles/winter2006/Ruminations.pdf
Gussets of Land (Law of Gores)
http://69.39.146.6/Images/Journal/journalarticles/spring%202007/Ruminations.pdf
The Peake Murder Trial (Historical Profile)
http://69.39.146.6/Images/Journal/journalarticles/summer2007/Ruminations.pdf
A Legal Fence (Law of Fence Viewers)
http://69.39.146.6/Images/Journal/journalarticles/spring2008/2-Ruminations.pdf
Gated Ways: Public, Private Highways
http://69.39.146.6/Images/Journal/journalarticles/winter2007/Ruminations.pdf
CHANGING THE WORLD
A Guide To Public Meetings
http://crs.uvm.edu/citizens/meeting.htm
BORN TO CHAIR
An Introduction to the Science and Art of Chairing a Board
Meeting (1998)
http://crs.uvm.edu/citizens/chair.pdf
THE MEETING WILL COME TO ORDER
A Voter's Guide to Town Meeting Procedure (revised 2006)
http://crs.uvm.edu/citizens/Meeting.pdf
HOW AND WHY TO READ A TOWN REPORT
A Guide to One of Your Town's most Important Information
Resources (1996)
http://crs.uvm.edu/citizens/townrept.pdf
IT'S YOUR TURN: A CALL TO LOCAL OFFICE
An Introduction to Locally Elected Positions (1997)
http://crs.uvm.edu/citizens/townrept.pdf
REFORMING LOCAL GOVERNMENT BY CHARTER
A Tool You Can Use to Change and Improve Your Local
Government (1997)
http://crs.uvm.edu/citizens/charter.pdf
ARE YOU APPEALING?
An Introductory Guide to Property Tax Assessment Appeals
(1999)
http://crs.uvm.edu/citizens/Appealing.pdf
ISN'T THIS MY LAND?
An Introduction To Planning and Zoning In Vermont
http://crs.uvm.edu/citizens/my_land.pdf
THE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD
Strengthening the Planning and Zoning Functions of Municipal
Government (1998)
THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY AND YOU
An Introduction to Vermont Highway Law (1994)
http://crs.uvm.edu/citizens/right_of_way.pdf
HOW TO FIND ANCIENT ROADS
Become a road historian and help solve a crucial mystery for
your town (2006)
http://crs.uvm.edu/citizens/ancientroads.pdf
ISN'T THERE A LAW ABOUT THAT?
A Guide to Finding Vermont Law (1999)
http://crs.uvm.edu/citizens/law.pdf
THE LAW OF WATER
An Introduction to Vermont Water Law (2001)
http://crs.uvm.edu/citizens/Water.pdf
THE LAW OF TREES
The Special Status of Trees in Vermont Law (1998)
http://www.tmgvt.com/municipal-law-pdfs/The-Law-Of-Trees.pdf