Connect with us

Vermont

This election, Vermont Republicans control the narrative on property taxes. Will that flip legislative seats? – VTDigger

Published

on

This election, Vermont Republicans control the narrative on property taxes. Will that flip legislative seats? – VTDigger


People listen during a press conference held by Downstream Vermonters, a coalition of people opposed to higher taxes and more regulations coming from the state government, at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Thursday, May 9. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger

On the campaign trail, state legislative candidates say affordability dominates conversations with constituents. Property taxes — and with them, the cost of education — are fueling some of the most fiery rhetoric.

This year, education property taxes rose an average of 13.8% statewide, driven by school spending approved by district boards and voters. And with Democrats holding supermajorities in both the Vermont House and Senate, Republicans are seeking to capitalize on voter discontent by pointing the finger at the ruling party. 

“I think it’s the first time in a while that some incumbents are being held accountable and feel like they’re a little bit on the defensive,” said Jason Maulucci, campaign manager for Gov. Phil Scott. “The message that we’re running with is, ‘What we have clearly isn’t working, and we need change.’”

Scott has campaigned more aggressively than in recent years for members of his party, stumping for Republican legislative candidates in an effort to end the Legislature’s Democratic dominance. According to Maulucci, the governor is out three or four days a week supporting fellow Republicans.

Advertisement

Democrats, for their part, say the governor’s education finance ideas arrived at the last minute this legislative session and put the state at financial risk. When they hear from frustrated voters, some Democrats say they point out that the average statewide property tax increase is a matter of local choices, not state-level policy making.

“Generally, what I say to that is that I voted to fund budgets that voters around the state have approved, that they voted for and passed, and they’ve sent to the Legislature and said, ‘Please pay the bill,’” said Rep. Carl Demrow, D-Corinth, who’s facing a contested election in a purple Orange County district. “That’s our job.”

Maulucci, though, said he believes the local GOP is on the right side of public opinion when it comes to property taxes.

“I think our message is pretty clear, and it’s been consistent: The cost of living is way too high in Vermont,” he said. “Republican, Democrat, independent or progressive, you’re feeling the pinch.”

In Vermont, property taxes contribute to funding both municipal and school budgets. It’s the latter that drives the political rhetoric on the issue, especially after the cost of education increased by about $180 million last year. 

Advertisement

That rise fueled a historic rejection of nearly one in three local school budgets, ballot items typically rubber-stamped by voters. That kind of voter response suggests property taxes may be driving Vermonters’ decision-making.

But whether property taxes will prove the bellwether issue in 2024 legislative races remains to be seen.

‘Guilty by association’

Regardless of their voting records, some Democrats are finding themselves on the back foot when it comes to property taxes.

Rep. Jay Hooper, D-Randolph, voted against the so-called yield bill, which levies property taxes in order to fund local school budgets. This year, the bill was vetoed by the governor, unsettling public school funding, until lawmakers ultimately overrode that veto, solidifying the average education tax increase of 13.8% statewide.

Despite his voting record, Hooper said he knows he has angry constituents.   

Advertisement

“I think I will lose a lot of votes,” he said. “I’m guilty by association. I don’t like to be an apologetic Democrat.”

Hooper said he’s also heard from House colleagues frustrated by the aggressive reception they’ve received from voters, forced to choke down a “cold meal,” as he put it, “and try not to throw it up in front of their constituents.”

The campaign line for Democrats, according to Hooper, is to take the “totally irrefutable” position of telling voters “you guys voted on your (school) budgets,” and lawmakers only provided the funding for those budgets. 

Hooper, thanks to his votes to affirm Scott’s vetoes, is the only Democrat with the governor’s endorsement, despite having a Republican challenger in his Orange County House race.  

Rep. Katherine Sims, D-Craftsbury, who’s running for Orleans County’s Senate seat, is one of just three other Democrats who voted to sustain the governor’s veto of the yield bill, though she did vote “yes” in earlier roll calls. Unlike Hooper, Sims did not receive Scott’s endorsement.

Advertisement

“There’s an attempt to paint all Democrats with a broad brush, and it’s just not true,” said Sims, who also supported Scott’s veto of the renewable energy standard. “There are plenty of times I’ve voted ‘no’ when things aren’t in the best interest of our district.”

A political mailer distributed in the Orleans Senate district in support of Sims’ opponent said she had “voted to raise your property taxes,” a reference to the yield bill. Sims characterized the postcard as “simply not true.”

Asked if she was surprised Scott endorsed her opponent, Sam Douglass, Sims said she’d had “multiple conversations” with the governor’s team and “collaborated with the administration on introducing a number of bills.”

“In the end, unfortunately, you know, things often end up with political leaders making political decisions,” she said.

A statewide average, but local realities

While property taxes rose an average of nearly 14% across the state, actual changes varied widely from town to town, and many of the biggest increases hit deep blue communities.

Advertisement

Windsor County towns such as Woodstock, Bridgewater and Plymouth — considered Democratic strongholds — saw spikes of 30% or more. Other higher-than-average increases hit similarly blue parts of Addison County, the suburbs south of Burlington and the Orange County Democratic haven of Thetford. 

Elsewhere in the state, increases were far smaller or even nonexistent, creating local particulars that differ from the statewide narrative.

In Barre City, local school board chair Michael Boutin is running for the House as a Republican, hoping to flip one of the district’s two seats. 

Like many communities, Barre struggled to pass a school budget, though the district’s efforts dragged on longer than anywhere else. Boutin, who leads a board repeatedly divided over whether to support their district’s spending plan, voiced his approval of the community’s budget, which ultimately raised taxes less than 1% in the city.

That modest increase means property taxes aren’t necessarily driving conversations in Barre about affordability.

Advertisement

“We thankfully did not experience that kind of (tax rate) jump that would’ve been devastating for our community,” Boutin said. 

Still, the Republican candidate said affordability is the number one issue he’s hearing from constituents, with the conversations centered on other costs, like energy.

“I think that most voters that I’ve talked to are kind of terrified about the Clean Heat Standard,” he said.

Boutin, with his school board background, is still campaigning on education, even though the property tax issue doesn’t resonate with Barre City residents as much as elsewhere.

For him, the primary problem is how confusing the system is, particularly Vermont’s education funding formula. 

Advertisement

“If (voters) can’t understand it, it’s a bad bill, period,” Boutin said. “We cannot confuse our constituents, and that’s what we’ve been doing with our education funding.”

Correcting ‘misinformation’ and ticket-splitting

The Orange-1 House district, which includes Orange, Washington, Corinth and Vershire, has supported both Republicans and Democrats in recent years.

Demrow, the Corinth Democrat, is hoping to defend his seat against Republican challenger Michael Tagliavia, a former candidate for Vermont Attorney General. 

A man and a woman converse in a formal room with red curtains and ornate decor, while others sit and work around them.
Rep. Emilie Kornheiser, D-Brattleboro, left, confers with Rep. Carl Demrow, D-Corinth, during a break on the floor of the House at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Wednesday, May 8. Kornheiser and Demrow are the chair and the ranking member, respectively, of the House Ways and Means Committee. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger

In theory, Demrow could find himself vulnerable to attacks based on the state’s rising property taxes. With his assistant leadership position in the House Ways and Means Committee, he has a front-row seat to education finance policy making. 

But in much of Demrow’s district, property taxes are actually falling, thanks to the latest changes to Vermont’s school funding formula, which give relative tax relief to communities with students who are more expensive to educate, such as those in rural and more impoverished towns. 

“I won the Act 127 lottery,” Demrow said in an interview, referencing the latest pupil weighting bill. 

Advertisement

Still, he has found voters angry about property taxes. Demrow recalled a school budget meeting this spring during which he explained that despite a rising budget, residents could expect tax bills to decrease.

“I had people come up to me afterwards and say, like, ‘You’re lying,’” Demrow said. “It’s difficult sometimes to get messages across about this stuff.”

The same dynamic has played out while he’s knocked on doors — including at the home of an elderly couple last week.

“The husband said, ‘You know, I was going to vote for you, but then I heard you raised our property taxes 14%,’” Demrow recalled. “Then his wife said, ‘Our property taxes went down.’ You know, she’s the one who writes the checks and pays the bills.”

Though in that instance Demrow was able to correct what he called “misinformation,” the conversation points to the saturation of the Republicans’ message. 

Advertisement

The narrative is set. But actual votes? Those are still uncertain.

“I think the message is resonating,” said Maulucci, the governor’s campaign manager.

But in a presidential election year, he questioned the willingness of the state’s Democrats to split their ticket and vote for a Republican legislative candidate, as many tend to do with Scott. 

“It’s just a question of whether it’ll be enough to overcome some of the national headwind,” he said. 

Advertisement





Source link

Vermont

Vermont halts debris burning permits due to wildfire risk

Published

on

Vermont halts debris burning permits due to wildfire risk


Vermont has issued a statewide ban on debris burning in a hope to prevent wildfires. The two week ban orders all of the state’s forest fire wardens to cease issuing burning permits.

The Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation has issued the ban from 3 p.m. Oct. 28 to 3 p.m. Nov. 11. The order maybe revoked earlier if conditions warrant.

The state warned that the wildfire danger has fluctuated between high, very high and extreme throughout the state the past week. With a continued outlook for dry weather and an abundance of dry leaves in Vermont forests, wildfires have the potential to spread rapidly.

While there is some rainfall across the state projected during the next week, none is significant enough to mitigate serious fires. Humidity levels will be as low as 16% and wind is projected to gust over 30 miles per hour. All of these factors elevate the dangers of serious fires.

Advertisement

Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Danielle Fitzko said that many town forest fire wardens have stopped issuing bans this past week, so a statewide call to action will support that initiative. She also said there is concern about local fire department personnel becoming strained and fatigued as they respond to wildland fires.

Fires started from burning debris and improper disposal of wood stove ash destroyed two camps in Barnard this past weekend.

Sydney P. Hakes is the Burlington city reporter. Contact her at SHakes@gannett.com.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Vermont

Family says Vermont couple 'chose to die together'

Published

on

Family says Vermont couple 'chose to die together'


Police have identified the elderly Vermont couple found dead in their home last Friday, and family members released a statement saying the husband and wife “chose to die together.”

The investigation began on Friday around 5 p.m. after police received a call from relatives who reported finding two family members dead in a home on South Wardsboro Road in Newfane, Vermont. First responders confirmed the deaths after arriving at the scene.

Vermont State Police said autopsies conducted Monday determined the two individuals were 91-year-old Blake Prescott and 88-year-old Helen Prescott, a married couple who lived in the home.

The medical examiner determined that Helen’s cause of death was gunshot wounds to the torso, and the manner of death was homicide. Blake’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest, and the manner of death was suicide.

Advertisement

The Prescott family released a statement through state police, saying that Blake and Helen “shared a lifetime of love and commitment to each other.”

“As a devoted couple of more than 70 years, who had recently experienced precipitously declining health, they chose to die together as they’d lived together,” the family’s statement said.

State police said their investigation into the incident remains ongoing.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Vermont

Candidate Profiles: Candidiates for Benn-5 State House Representatives

Published

on

Candidate Profiles: Candidiates for Benn-5 State House Representatives


In preparation for the Nov. 5 elections, Vermont News & Media – which includes the Brattleboro Reformer, Bennington Banner and Manchester Journal – will be publishing a series of profiles on candidates throughout Vermont.

Each candidate was asked to respond to the same three questions in no more than 500 words:

1. What skills and experience do you bring to the office you are seeking?

Advertisement

2. There are 3 key issues often cited as Vermont’s biggest challenges: Crime, housing and affordability. What solutions would you propose to address these issues?

3. What other challenges do you see for Vermont and how would you address them?

The following are from candidates for the Benn-5 State House Rep seats of which there are two.

Mary Morrissey [R]

I have been a member of the Vermont House of Representatives for twenty eight years, serving on various committees, including appropriations. I am a member of many local civic and social organizations, serve on several boards and have been an active volunteer in our community. I listen to people’s ideas and concerns, analyze issues and work hard to make a difference.

Advertisement

There are 3 key issues often cited as Vermont’s biggest challenges – Crime, Housing & Affordability 

CRIME

We need a legislature who will put public safety and law abiding citizens first. Our laws need to be strong enough and enforceable to ensure the safety of our citizens. The drastic increase in crime, in part, relates to laws that now mitigate wrongdoing and hamper law enforcement efforts. Rehabilitation and compassion are an important part of our judicial system, but refusal to prosecute crimes and take criminals off the street is not working. It is only creating and allowing more criminal activity in our Vermont communities. The legislature needs to seriously review and change some of our laws that have been watered down and provide the resources needed to keep our communities safe.

HOUSING

Vermont needs a multifaceted solution to address the need for more housing. We need additional revisions to Act 250, which has been a barrier to building new housing. We should undertake efforts to realistically measure and define the different kinds of housing needed in our communities, whether it be workforce, affordable, first time home or general apartments and housing of all income levels. Government should incentivize care of property and encourage private sector builders and developers to help address our housing crisis. We should also expand, if possible, upon efforts like Habitat For Humanity that combines professionals, volunteers and the family receiving the home to create more housing opportunities.

Advertisement

AFFORDABILITY

Vermonters pay the third highest taxes in the nation. The latest increases and the creation of new future taxes to fund legislation that has passed in language only, are making it harder to afford living here. The legislature needs to take a deep dive to reevaluate our existing laws, projects, programs and costs before adding to the tax burden for our citizens. We need to eliminate waste and take a serious cost/ benefits approach in deciding revisions or eliminations. Fiscal responsibility and sustainability need to guide legislative decisions.

The legislature passed Act 18, the Clean Heat Standard Bill that would put a carbon tax on home heating fuels. It was irresponsible for the legislature to pass a piece of legislation of this magnitude, without having the true fiscal impact and the resource needs incorporated into the law before it passed. As the fiscal piece of Act 18 is just being developed, Vermonters could see a $0.70 to $4.00 or more increase per gallon on what they are already paying for heating oil, kerosene, propane and natural gas. Most Vermonters will not be able to afford these cost increases to heat their homes. Efforts to repeal this legislation failed, so it is imperative for citizens to continue to voice their valid concerns to their legislators. I have heard from a large number of my constituents who have said clearly that they do not have another pocket to pick to pay the taxes and do the requirements that will be attached to this law in the next legislative. session.

The next legislature needs to also seriously focus on the following issues that have seen large cost and tax increases: Education/Property Tax, Health Care/Premium Costs and delivery of service issues.

If re-elected, I will continue to listen and to work hard for my constituents and the citizens of Vermont.

Advertisement

Michael Nigro [D]

After obtaining an MBA, I spent a decade as a manager and then director of a residential facility for at-risk youth. Following that I was the director of a home health care agency for eight years. In that work, I experienced firsthand many challenges we face today: workforce shortages, the struggle faced by many lower income Vermonters, and the regulatory complexity and rising costs of health care. For the past six years, my wife and I have made our living as small business owners. I understand the difficulty of starting and growing a business, but also the joy of entrepreneurship.

From 2021 to 2022 I served as a Vermont State Representative, sitting on the Commerce Committee. There I had the opportunity to work on a number of bills that became law, to co-present several bills on the floor of the House, and act as lead-presenter of one bill.

Perhaps the most important skill I have developed throughout my career is the ability to work with people who have diverse viewpoints, something that I see our democracy in need of today. I learned to listen, and to value people with different ideas and experiences than myself.

CRIME

Advertisement

Relating to crime, we need to continue to work on common root causes by improving our mental health and substance abuse resources. But it is also important that lawmakers work with law enforcement and state’s attorneys to learn what support they need to be effective.

HOUSING

There will be no fast answer to increasing and improving housing stock, but I think the legislature has moved in the right direction by trying to make it easier to develop in town centers. I also support programs that help private businesses and property owners develop new housing; the Vermont Housing Improvement Program (VHIP) gives grants to property owners to build or rehabilitate rental units. My wife and I received one of these grants in 2020 and were able to quickly convert a derelict space into a quality apartment. This program alone has made many new apartments available in our community.

AFFORDABILITY

In the conversations I have had with voters, affordability has repeatedly been cited as a top concern. The governor has made this one of his priorities and the legislature also needs to hear voters’ concerns about rising costs. I believe for any bill or budget that is proposed, we must be able to make a clear case for how it will improve (or not negatively impact) affordability.

Advertisement

The challenge that I think about is not one for Vermont, but specifically one for Southern Vermont. There has been economic growth and development, but the majority of that has been in the northern part of the state. We need an economic vision for growth in Southern Vermont. The good news is that I frequently meet smart people invested in our community who are building that vision. It is time for Southern Vermont to reap some of the success seen in other parts of the state.

Jim Carroll [D]

Having an unwavering love for my hometown and wanting to always make it a better place to live and lessening the stress and burdens of others is a fundamental requirement for anyone in this role. Helping others in this role is the essential trait that’s necessary for being a public servant and never being willing to give up is absolutely necessary. Hearing the relief in the voices of people who have felt they had nowhere to turn is the reward of this role.

As a small business owner for the majority of my working years, you have to have a can-do attitude every day because problems present themselves every day, and addressing those problems has only one option: do all you can to find a solution.

Similarly, being a legislator requires the same skills: listening to problems, talking with constituents about issues and doing your best to solve the problems that might seem insurmountable is your number one job.

Advertisement

Crime, housing, and affordability are all closely tied together.

A lack of housing is the greatest impediment to economic growth. We can’t build housing fast enough. It’s taken a long time to get here but the legislature has and must continue to address it by making it easier to build responsibly by reducing regulations without sacrificing safety or the benefits or beauty of our towns.

Crime and housing too often walk hand in hand. However, there are ways to cut crime and drugs out of Bennington and it’s already happening and has been working for many years. I think we can adopt a way of making neighborhoods safer, cutting drugs and criminal activity by passing an ordinance that requires landlords to have their prospective tenants submit to a criminal and credit background check. It has worked for Shires Housing and other responsible landlords and the proof that it works is in the lower cases of police calls at the properties where landlords employ the same kind of requirements for prospective tenants.

Passing this sort of ordinance would not require landlords to exclude any prospective tenant; that would be up to the landlord. At the very minimum, landlords would be on notice about who their tenants are and the risks involved in renting to them. Adopting this way of renting protects tenants, neighborhoods, and the landlord’s property.

If this ordinance were to be adopted, I believe we’d see a dramatic drop in drug activity in Bennington and our neighborhoods would be safer with the kind of neighbors we all would like to have. Furthermore, the landlords who have this as a standard have far fewer problems with their properties. It can be done.

Advertisement

Adopting this sort of ordinance would kill three birds with one stone: reduce drug activity, make neighborhoods safer and reduce the number of calls to the police.

The continuing challenges for Vermont are the perennial problems: taxes, attracting business and people and building more affordable housing.

As a community, we’re all pulling in the same direction and it would be nice to have easy solutions to these issues. There are no easy solutions or answers; otherwise we would have done them. We have to keep searching for new solutions and tweak what’s working. These are problems that will always be knocking on our doors. We have to keep working on them and never be afraid to try to make things better with new ideas and approaches. We just have to keep pushing forward and never give in or give up.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending