Vermont § 3203 - Findings and declarations of necessity

§ 3203. Findings and declarations of necessity

• (a) It is hereby found and declared that there exist in municipalities of the State slum
  and blighted areas, as herein defined, which constitute a serious and growing menace,
  injurious to the public health, safety, morals, and welfare of the residents of the
  State; that the existence of such areas contributes substantially and increasingly
  to the spread of disease and crime, constitutes an economic and social liability imposing
  onerous municipal burdens which decrease the tax base and reduce tax revenues, substantially
  impairs or arrests the sound growth of municipalities, retards the provision of housing
  accommodations, aggravates traffic problems and substantially impairs or arrests the
  elimination of traffic hazards and the improvement of traffic facilities; and that
  the prevention and elimination of slums and blight is a matter of State policy and
  State concern in order that the State and its municipalities shall not continue to
  be endangered by areas which are focal centers of disease, promote juvenile delinquency,
  and consume an excessive proportion of its revenues because of the extra services
  required for police, fire, accident, hospitalization, and other forms of public protection,
  services, and facilities. (b) It is further found and declared that certain slum or blighted areas, or portions
  thereof, may require acquisition, clearance, and disposition subject to use restrictions,
  as provided in this chapter, since the prevailing condition of decay may make impracticable
  the reclamation of the area by conservation or rehabilitation; that other areas or
  portions thereof may, through the means provided in this chapter, be susceptible of
  conservation or rehabilitation in such a manner that the conditions and evils hereinbefore
  enumerated may be eliminated, remedied, or prevented; and that salvable slum and blighted
  areas can be conserved and rehabilitated through appropriate public action as herein
  authorized, and the cooperation and voluntary action of the owners and tenants of
  property in such areas. (c) It is further found and declared that the powers conferred by this chapter are for
  public uses and purposes for which public money may be expended and the power of eminent
  domain and police power exercised; and that the necessity in the public interest for
  the provisions herein enacted is hereby declared as a matter of legislative determination.