Richmond
Panton is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont that boasts a population of 4081 (as of 2010) people. Based on data collected by an inter-collegial team of students, here are our findings regarding its Town Meeting process.
2018 Town Meeting
Summary of Findings
Town meeting is an annual occurrence where any citizen can become a legislator for the day. This year in Richmond this was shown to be true when one citizen proposed that the police budget be reduced by $1. This amendment was debated for about an hour and, while it was ultimately defeated it proved that everyone’s opinions can be heard and discussed at town meetings. Other than the issue of the police budget there were no extraordinary issues of note, the town discussed the budget, replacing a waterline, and renovations on the police building.
Major Data Points
| Year | Peak Attendance | Attendance Rate* | Participation Rate | Real Democracy Score** | Population | Meeting Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 182 | 5.87% | 24.18% | 30.04 | 4081 | 3:59 |
| 2011 | 181 | 5.93% | 32.60% | 38.53 | 3053 | 3:57 |
| 2006 | 248 | 7.85% | – | – | 3159 | – |
| 2005 | 173 | 5.28% | 32.95% | 38.22 | 3279 | 3:34 |
| 2004 | 197 | 6.56% | 21.83% | 28.39 | 3002 | 2:19 |
| 2003 | 236 | 7.95% | 18.22% | 26.17 | 2970 | 3:52 |
| 2002 | 242 | 8.15% | 21.90% | 30.05 | 2970 | 4:07 |
| 1999 | 165 | 6.03% | 22.42% | 28.45 | 2737 | 2:40 |
| 1998 | 222 | 8.26% | – | – | 2689 | – |
| 1995 | 236 | 8.94% | 28.81% | 37.75 | 2641 | 5:31 |
| 1994 | 198 | 7.78% | 24.75% | 32.53 | 2545 | 5:02 |
| 1992 | 370 | 11.70% | 15.68% | 27.38 | 3162 | 6:32 |
| 1991 | 260 | 8.62% | 16.54% | 25.16 | 3016 | 3:09 |
| 1990 | 277 | 9.65% | 18.05% | 27.71 | 2869 | 4:50 |
| 1989 | 229 | 8.03% | 17.47% | 25.50 | 2852 | 3:49 |
| 1988 | 314 | 11.08% | 16.56% | 27.64 | 2835 | 4:07 |
| 1987 | 177 | 6.69% | 25.99% | 32.68 | 2646 | 2:45 |
| 1986 | 193 | 7.86% | 24.35% | 32.21 | 2456 | 4:01 |
| 1984 | 218 | 8.70% | 22.94% | 31.64 | 2505 | 5:16 |
| 1981 | 203 | 10.13% | 24.14% | 34.27 | 2004 | 4:27 |
| 1980 | 189 | 9.99% | 21.16% | 31.15 | 1892 | 1:50 |
| 1979 | 132 | 7.43% | 27.27% | 34.71 | 1776 | 2:05 |
| 1978 | 220 | 13.25% | 16.82% | 30.07 | 1660 | 2:27 |
| 1977 | 204 | 13.01% | 25.98% | 38.99 | 1568 | 1:37 |
| 1972 | 233 | 17.81% | 22.75% | 40.56 | 1308 | 3:55 |
| 1971 | 284 | 24.09% | 14.79% | 38.88 | 1179 | 3:08 |
| 1970 | 239 | 22.78% | 18.41% | 41.19 | 1049 | 3:30 |
*Attendance Rates are calculated using the number of registered voters and peak attendance numbers.
**Real Democracy scores are calculated using attendance and participation numbers. For more infomation on them see the Data Overview Page
Student Involvement
Students help gather data and produce videos on town meeting. Lunch and mileage is paid for.