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Vermont House candidate Stephanie Mack is calling for a more transparent, businesslike approach to state budgeting after preparing an independent financial analysis of Vermont’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget.
By Guy Page
”Everybody’s saying we need to, but nobody’s digging in and doing it,” Mack said during an October 12 appearance on WVMT’s The Morning Drive with former Governor Jim Douglas and host Anthony Neri.
Mack had previously discussed the need for understandable budget reporting with Guy Page on Chronicle Conversations.
Making the numbers understandable
Mack’s analysis separates revenue sources, including the General Fund, Education Fund, Federal funding, and other dedicated funds, while organizing expenditures into major government functions.
Using an accounting-style profit-and-loss presentation, the preliminary report identifies human services and general education as two of the largest spending categories. Her analysis estimates that these functions together account for approximately 72% of the original FY2026 budget.
The report also distinguishes gross appropriations from unduplicated spending, preventing internal transfers from being mistaken for additional government expenditures.
Mack emphasizes that these initial findings are not a completed performance audit or proof of waste. Rather, they provide a starting point for examining individual appropriations, identifying recurring obligations, and evaluating whether programs are delivering measurable results.
Former Governor Jim Douglas stresses the importance of priorities
During their October 12 radio discussion, Douglas addressed the importance of examining the budget before deciding where reductions should occur.
“We can certainly find something that’s not a high priority,” Douglas observed, explaining that responsible budgeting requires determining which expenditures are most important.
He emphasized that the challenge is not simply identifying fraud or waste, but making informed decisions about competing government priorities.
In a separate written statement about Mack’s qualifications, Douglas said: “Stephanie understands budgets, but just as importantly, she understands how to explain them.”
From understanding spending to making decisions
Mack’s proposed approach calls for tracing budget totals to individual departments, appropriations, and programs, examining the purpose of each expenditure and evaluating whether its results justify its cost.
She advocates identifying unnecessary administrative expenses, examining overlapping services, distinguishing one-time costs from recurring commitments, and understanding the restrictions attached to federal and dedicated funding before making recommendations.
“Vermont taxpayers deserve more than promises to control spending. We need to look at the actual numbers, understand what we’re paying for, and determine what is working. If a program isn’t delivering results, we need to be willing to question it. That’s how I’ve approached financial analysis throughout my career, and that’s the discipline I want to bring to Montpelier.”
A financial approach that crosses party lines
Mack maintains that accurate financial reporting and responsible spending decisions should not depend on political affiliation.
“It is a nonpartisan concept, right? It’s just the numbers,” she said during the WVMT interview.
Her proposal is to make financial information more accessible, establish clearer spending priorities, and ensure that decisions about taxes and government services are informed by detailed financial analysis.
The initial FY2026 report, developed with computer-assisted analysis of public budget documents, is intended as a foundation for further examination of individual appropriations and future state budgets.
Mack is the Republican candidate for Vermont House District Chittenden-24, representing part of Essex. She operates businesses in financial and operational consulting and wellness services.
For more information about Stephanie Mack’s budget analysis, campaign, and recorded interviews, visit StephanieMackVT.com. She is running for Chittenden 24 Essex Town seat against incumbent Democrat Alyssa Black.
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Categories: politics, State Government
Great idea. And let’s see some of those organization charts too. And for motor vehicles let’s see income and expenses broken down by registrations, license fees etc. Where is the money going?
I would love to know the status of the various programs and personnel that were created and hired, and funded by federal funds during the COVID crisis and only funded for the duration of the COVID crisis, that are still wandering around out there, doing God knows what, but now funded by Vermont taxpayers alone. Sort of like the deteriorating and just as useless as COVID separation distance strips of tape that can still be seen in front of some cashier counters. I imagine that those programs and personnel, if still in operation, are still performing jobs like replacing the equivalent of those needless tape strips…
Grant money is some low hanging fruit.
All the tiff and chip money too.
This *sounds* like a great idea. In the interests of transparency and financial responsibility, it’s important to point out that she describes “Using AI as an analytical power tool” in her budgetary analysis, and AI is not without errors, sometimes massive ones. As a side note, her “wellness center” advertises various unproven treatments and services including “detox”.
Bravo! Is it too late for me to move to Essex to vote for Mack?
Reading this article made my stomach jump with excitement and my jaw drop. Jim Douglas , with his Calvin Coolidge like commonsense, examining the budget and finding things that aren’t a high priority. And Stephanie Mack’s elephant in the room, “It’s just the numbers”. This tideous but necessary work would so greatly benefit Vermont! I pray Stephanie and other practical minded people get elected.
Where does the extra $9 ‘Clean Air FEE’ to renew a VT car registration go?
Anyone discussing audits has my head turned.