Opening the mailbag
2023-04-05
Dear friend,
Happy April!
Our first House session this month kicked off in good spirit with students from Windham Elementary School.
Half of Windham school -- the smallest in Vermont.
Going to the mailbag, here are some comments from residents and my responses.
Response to “I buried it for years”
"Thank you for sharing the heartwarming and inspiring account regarding your friend Chip Troiano. He is a true hero as are all our veterans who have put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms that we enjoy. They deserve our honor and respect." - A Resident
I agree 100%!
Response to "Yes" on school bills H.483 and H.486
"Disappointed on your vote on school choice. If you're going to quote someone do it all. The rest of Dylan's song says 'It may be the devil it may be the Lord, but you're going to serve somebody.' Enough said." - A Resident
I know let some neighbors down with my "Yes" vote on H.483. The only odd thing about this is that I don't know where we disagree.
Here's H.483 as passed by the Vermont House. This is not a bill that restricts choice for students that currently have it, except to schools further than 25 miles from Vermont's border.
This is a bill that supports students in choosing the school that suits them, rather than the other way around. If schools are taking public tuition dollars, H.483 requires them to accept any eligible child. They could no longer pick and choose the students they want, which is contributing to a system of have's and have-not's. Schools must post a statement of nondiscrimination on the school’s website and in the school’s application materials that is consistent with the Vermont Public Accommodations Act and the Vermont Fair Employment Practices Act.
The schools I spoke to that folks want the option to go to say that they can and want to work with the standards in this bill.
Response to my "Yes" vote on H.480
"Why did you vote yes? What did you see in this bill that solved the problem?" - A Resident
Out of 251 municipalities in Vermont, 107 municipalities have not performed a reappraisal in more than 10 years. This is far outside the bounds of best practice. With the wild ride of the real estate market over the last few years, many towns have grand lists that are out of whack. Many of the towns that were required to reappraise were unable to hire reappraisal firms because the contracts were too small. The Legislature has been called on to review the system and see if anything can be done to improve effectiveness.
The review and the bill, which passed the House Ways & Means Committee by a 12-0 vote, and the House Appropriations Committee by a 12-0 vote, tells us that none of these challenges are the fault of towns, listers, or the tax department. They are the products of a complex and complicated system that we have outgrown. Vermont has been doing reappraisals in a way that no other state does -- at the town level. Most states do it at the county level, or at the statewide level. Vermont as a whole is smaller than many counties in the U.S.
This bill removes municipalities from the property reappraisal process and requires instead that the Division of Property Valuation and Review within the Department of Taxes conduct full and statistical reappraisals for all municipalities in the State.
This bill also proposes to require a written plan and progress report from the Department of Taxes to the General Assembly on the implementation of the new statewide system of full and statistical reappraisals. Additionally, this bill requires the Department of Taxes to report to the General Assembly recommending new categories of property for the grand list.
This bill is not going to please everyone, but it's a consensus reset of a system in our state that's not working. I support it.
A couple more responses from the mailbag
"People want information. They want to feel part of the process. People want the data and facts and opinions and then they want to decide for themselves. Thank you. We may not always agree on stuff, but I most certainly appreciate your keeping us informed and being willing to hear all the sides, which it seems like you are willing to do." - A Resident
"Who has time to read this stuff. Just stick to the facts." - A Resident
"Would you vote for my book cover? There's an award for 'best cover,' and if you win it, your book gets bought by hospitality services, Motels, Doctor offices, and so on! All Men Glad and Wise, my mystery, is one of the books up for the award. You don't have to read it! Just go follow the directions here. My book is under Fiction, but I think you have to click in every category." - Laura C. Stevenson, Wilmington
I voted. Good luck!
What's on your mind this week? Let me know.