by Gina Galfetti
Buckle up, it is that time of the year again–the time when your duly elected State Legislators return to Montpelier to face the challenges that are at hand. And I am writing today to let the people know that some of us hear you loud and clear. Governor Scott proposed a sweeping education reform bill, and many of us went out on a limb to give it a shot. What has happened thus far is that the special committee comprised of a mix of legislators and non-legislators that was tasked with drawing new districts over the summer refused to do their assigned task, with Democrat members that are in the majority refusing to do it. That is the reality of what happened over the summer.
And let’s face it: not everyone is going to be happy with school and administrative consolidations, because at the end of the day the idea is to save taxpayers money, which means we need to optimize, streamline, and cut. Yes, I said it: CUT. We need to save on the costs of maintaining buildings and reduce personnel. For too long now Vermonters have been footing the bill as school funding has sky rocketed and the number of students and their test scores have plummeted. The system is not working for the kids, or the taxpayers, and it is time to stop throwing more money into a broken system.
With this in mind I am proposing a 3-year property tax rate freeze, so Vermonters can survive while we at the Legislature get to work. The bill would prevent any increase in your taxes for 3 years. It is not reform; it is not a solution. This bill will do 2 things. First, stop your property taxes from increasing for 3 years, and second, require that any additional spending for budget increases come from the General Fund. In my vision for the bill the amount that needs to come from the General Fund would be taken from every single item on the budget that is normally funded with General Fund dollars. No favorites here! Just a large dose of reality and a stark fiscal reminder that if we continue to spend foolishly and without accountability, we are all going to feel it.
Please be advised, my fellow Vermonters, that not all of us in the Legislature are out of touch with you! I own and swing a brush at my small painting company. And I don’t have health insurance, and I can barely pay my mortgage, just like many of you out there. And I know that I am one of the lucky ones. But we need your help too. Keep the pressure on your representatives, and if they are making ludicrous statements like Senate Pro Tem Phil Baruth did at the Legislative fiscal briefing back in December, when he told us that the state would step in to cover any shortfalls in federal funding, call them out.
Vermont doesn’t have large bags of cash or bars or gold stashed in the State House cellar. Nor do Vermonters have the taxing capacity that would allow the Legislature to restore all the cuts that the federal administration has made in Vermont’s budget. These are dark and complicated times, and we need to take care of each other, but we also need to come to terms with the fact that we cannot do everything all at once. Vermonters are beyond our breaking point when it comes to affordability, and in my view, the race is on to save this state, and we all need to work together to make that happen.