City of Manchester and Manchester Township reach agreement on division of assets and fire contract

After a year and a half of negotiations, the City of Manchester and Manchester Township have come to an agreement on the division of assets. Handshake art credit: Aiden Jones.

by Sara Swanson

In November of 2023, voters in the Village of Manchester opted almost 2-to-1 to separate from Manchester Township and become a city. This came with new challenges for the City — like running elections and collecting taxes — but also the necessity of dividing the Township’s assets between the Township residents who would remain township residents, and the Township residents who would no longer be township residents but instead City residents. In addition, as the City would no longer be part of Manchester Township, they would need to contract with the Township for fire service from the Manchester Township Fire Department.

While there are provisions in state law for division of assets, both sides understood the provisions differently. Negotiations began in January of 2024. A year and a half later, the Township and City have come to an agreement!

Township and City representatives submitted the following statement together: “Manchester Township and the City of Manchester have reached a mutually agreed-upon solution regarding the division of assets following the Village’s transition to City status in November 2023. This agreement concludes a year and a half of discussions between the two municipalities. Both Manchester Township and the City of Manchester are satisfied with the settlement and look forward to continuing their collaboration for the benefit of all community residents.”

The agreement includes a transfer of $650,000 to the City of Manchester, which will be used to help offset future fire millage costs for City residents. Manchester Township Fire Department will retain all fire equipment and apparatus; the Township maintains ownership of the Manchester Township Hall and Oak Grove Cemetery. The City of Manchester will contract for future fire services at the same rates as all other contracted partners.

Mayor Pat Vailliencourt and Township Supervisor Ron Milkey issued the following joint statement, “We are pleased to have reached this agreement, which is in the best interest of the community and will benefit all residents as we move forward.”

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and a founder of the Manchester Mirror.