By Guy Page

Vermont’s graying demographics, powerful land conservation movement, and spend-not-save minded Legislature are all contributing to Vermonters leaving the state.

That’s our conclusion as we read the headlines in today’s news. On WDEV’s Hot Off The Press today at 11:05, we want to know what you think. Why, as economist Art Woolf writes in VDC today,  is our population in decline? Have you left Vermont?  Thinking of leaving? If so, why?

And – if you’re committed to living here, how could Montpelier make it easier to follow your heart and stay in the Green Mountain State? We want to hear from you.

Call in at 802-244-1777 from 11:05 – 11:30 today. In the second half of the show, we talk about Saturday’s No Kings rally with street videographer Hank Poytras of Planet Hank.

The House Education Committee is backing off of forced mergers and looking at voluntary mergers and sharing services – a major departure from the supposedly cost-saving direction of Act 73, passed last year. The committee walked through several drafts last week of their education reform bill. The approach: mandatory facilitated discussions about mergers, not mandatory mergers. 

Facilitators would lead local/regional study committees and encourage district mergers, potentially targeting consolidated districts of 2,000–4,000 students (this is still somewhat unresolved). Districts assigned to a study committee must participate, and the committees follow the existing statutory processes — the same framework Act 46 followed. If a study committee determines a merger is inadvisable, it must file a detailed report explaining why.

The draft includes a notable protection for communities with small schools: articles of agreement must prohibit school closures for three years without approval of the electorate in the town where the school sits. After three years, closure requires a union district-wide vote.

Housing! Health care! Property taxes! All up! What to do, what to do?

Meanwhile, some legislators today on their day of talkedwith constituents about the problems that just continue to grow and won’t go away. For example, Little Rivers Health Care invited community members to attend a Legislative Town Hall today from 9-10 a.m. at the Fairlee Town Offices. 

Discussion topics included rising health care costs, access to care, housing challenges, and the future of education and community health in our region.

Legislators will provide an overview of key topics from 9-9:30 a.m. before the forum is opened up to community members for comments and questions over the last 30 minutes or so. 

Panel participants included state Rep. Jim Masland, Rep. Rebecca Holcombe, state Senator Rebecca White, and state Senator John Benson.

Land conservation continues – the dwindling amount of property-taxable land continues under Vermont’s aggressive land conservation movement. Something called the Northeast Wilderness Trust has announced another Vermont property – this one in the southern Addison County town of Orwell – will be conserved ‘forever wild.’ You can read about it in today’s Vermont Daily Chronicle. This Montpelier-based land trust puts the forever in forever wild. It believes in rewilding the land, and letting wilderness become self-willed – i.e. people get out and stay out.  

The 17 staff members of the $18 million non-profit (according to the website) conserve relatively small parcels of land to be completely wild – no development and very little human interaction – at most some scientific research and maybe a footpath: the website says:

“Some Wilderness Trust Preserves are used for scientific research. Some provide habitat for imperiled species. Some are crossed by footpaths, where people can find spiritual rejuvenation, watch wildlife, or sit quietly to listen to the sounds of the forest. All of the places we protect, via ownership or forever-wild conservation easements, incrementally advance a growing global movement to rewild the Earth.”

And that’s great for the squirrels and the scientists….but what about the dwindling  endangered species of Vermont property taxpayers, who are looking at a 7% property tax increase and fewer and fewer fellow taxpayers. The conservation movement, the property tax delinquency movement, and the Act 181-inspired property devaluation movement are leaving fewer and fewer full-boat property tax payers to pay higher and higher taxes. 

It’s notable that the land donor is 71 years old and only donated the land after retiring. When you’re done working the land, or have just given up, the tax advantages of a land trust deal can look pretty good. 

Declining population – And that intersects with the problem of Vermont’s declining population. Vermont economist Art Woolf points out that only five of Vermont’s 14 counties saw a population increase. Population in Vermont’s biggest county, Chittenden, actually decreased. Where are our people going? A back of the envelope answer:

1. We’re dying. The residents of the third oldest state in the union (Maine, NH, VT, Florida) are slowly dying off and are not being replaced due to our low birth rate and expensive cost of living (especially the almost insurmountable barrier of buying a family home for a young growing family).

2. We’re moving. It’s pretty anecdotal but we all know people who have actually following through on their long-promised threat to move to warmer, greener pastures if life doesn’t become more affordable. 

We invite you to call in to Hot Off The Press at 802-244-1777. Have you moved? Thinking of moving and if so why? What could make you change your mind?