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By Guy Page
Unable to successfully veto expensive legislative energy and school spending bills this spring, Gov. Phil Scott this fall is using his bully pulpit to remind voters that “there’s an election around the corner.”
At his press conference yesterday, Gov. Scott pointed to (at least) threat major hindrances to affordable living in Vermont:
- the Clean Heat Standard law to transition consumers away from fossil fuels providing heat (estimated cost almost $10 billion), and
- the Renewable Energy Standard law passed last year to transition utilities away from fossil fuels providing electricity (estimated hundreds of millions of dollars), and
- School property taxes that will rise at least seven percent next year even if all spending is level funded at the state and local level – which is unlikely.
Governor Scott did not focus yesterday on yet another major driver of unaffordability – Vermont’s unprecedented, nation-leading increase in the cost of housing, which many critics say has been worsened by the Legislature’s failure to ease Act 250 building regulations. Nor did he mention the $6 billion estimate to renovate or replace aging school buildings. Or the huge fees required of property owners under the state’s storm water runoff regulations. He did mention the Legislature’s increase in DMV fees and the enactment of the $125 million (subject to annual increase) payroll tax to support childcare.
Scott clearly hopes Vermonters will take action at the polls in November: “Now that there’s an election around the corner, we’re seeing some legislators having second thoughts. But, I’m concerned about what they’ll do in January when the election is over,” he said at the press conference.
Regarding the Clean Heat Standard, Scott noted that “not only are the costs extremely high, at almost $10 billion, the [Sept 1 NV5 consultants’] report also points to other challenges like workforce shortages and just months before the Legislature will be asked to move forward with this policy, there are still many unanswered questions, like, who actually pays for what.
“However, I did see that Senator Bray, one of the architects of the Affordable Heat Act, said it could add $1.70 to a gallon of heating fuel.”
As reported by VDC this week, Bray told VTDigger he wouldn’t support a CHS adding $1.70/gallon to Vermonters’ fuel bills; Democrat Sens. Thomas Chittenden and Sen. Irene Wrenner (both of Chittenden County) have said likewise, as has Rep. Laura Sibilia (I-Dover), vice-chair of the House Environment and Energy Committee.
School spending increases expected
Even if schools and the Legislature don’t increase school spending by a cent – an unlikely event – local school districts are facing a 7% property tax increase next year on top of the 14% higher tax bill for this year, Gov. Phil Scott said.
In a September 9 letter addressed to “local school leaders,” Gov. Phil Scott gave a preview of his traditional December 1 school revenue letter.
The advance notice may have been appreciated, but the news Scott brings isn’t good for taxpayers.
Education revenue gap of almost $60 million – The good news is that school funding revenue is up by about $10.4 million. The bad news is that the Legislature pre-spent $69 million to buy down spending for the current school year.
“However, Act 183 used $69 million of one-time money to lower property tax rates for FY25, and over my full objection did not include structural reforms or tools to help you mitigate increases,” Scott told local school leaders.
Simple arithmetic shows Vermont coffers will be about $59 million behind projections.
Health insurance premiums estimated to rise $50 million – if school employee health care insurance rate increases are comparable to the commercial rate requests submitted to the Green Mountain Care Board, that increase could create about $50 million of education spending pressure, Scott said.
What this means is that Vermont school boards are already looking at a 7% property bill tax increase even if state and local school spending is level-funded.
“If school spending is flat, and there is no significant change to the revenue numbers or projected grand list growth, these two pressures alone could result in an average property tax bill increase of 7% next year,” Scott said.
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Categories: State Government
So, if the legislature stays the same after this election, Vermont property taxes will go up over 20% in just two years. Just property taxes, not to mention all the legislative unicorns in the pipeline. How in the world can our state tolerate these increases? For starters, vote against the ones causing this disaster ( Hint: there is a D or P after their name). If you’re in a hole, stop digging.
Mine did. 8% last year and 14% this year. I hate this State and can’t wait to move.
Our entire family that still lives in VT will be voting ALL R’s, and if there is a D or a P, another name will be written in if provided.
Ours Too!!
However, it won’t make any difference. My vote counts for nothing here.
It’s very disappointing seeing how the state where I was born and had hoped to move back to for at least part of the year has become unaffordable to working class people.
So question..maybe I’m being stupid here but why doesn’t Scott come out and say Vote Republican? Think about what you just read. Why doesn’t Scott come out for and or endorse a single Republican candidate? The ONLY endorsement that has come from him since he was crowned, is Democrat Rogers! Think about that. He wants our help but only wants it his way!!!!
You can tell a man by his actions, not what he says, what he does.
Why hasn’t Scott done ANYTHING to build the VTGOP?
Why did the Washington County VTGOP, home of Scott, home of the Capital, not even have a list of names? That’s like a restaurant with no food.
If Scott is the winning answer for Vermont, and Dame follows him, and they have a majority of “Scott” like candidates, how come they lose for 40 years?
What if Vermont had the perfect government, from a Uniparty perspective, from a NWO kind of perspective.
A state completely divided, ineffective, easy to steal from, easy to control with lobbyists, completely shielded from exposure by friendly state propagandists, colloquially known as the press, what if our state was considered a complete success by those who are trying to subvert America?
For some Vermont government is perfect just the way it is.
That is why it’s not changing, anytime soon.
Vermont government is not for the people.
Vermont government is for the special interests, the crony capitalists, the lobbyists, the nwo pimps……….the “you will own nothing and be happy” crowd.
They could care less about you, just send more money, use a mylar envelope if your tent is leaking water, we don’t care, send us money.
A $2.7 Billion Agency of Education public school system divided by 72,000 K thru 12 students equals what?
What is the total cash value of teacher compensation? Including benefits and retirement and any other perks they may have.
How much are we truly paying our teachers?
A few simple questions brought to light, would reveal much. Would reveal much. One would not even have to comment, just let the people decide.
There is much freedom and power with sunlight.
2,700,000,000 / 72,000 = $37,500
Do you know how many teachers/administrators we have? 🙂
Math can be fun!
Let’s separate the physical plant costs/operating costs from the 2.7 billion.
Where do they hide retirement expense?
Neil, as I was trying to format the Agency of Education Staff report for FY year 2020-2021, I noticed that the report includes the staffing for the previous 2019-2020 school year too. The year to year designation is obscure and run together. But I should have caught this sooner.
My bad!
The total AOE staff then, for the 2020-2021 school year, was 18,988 staff. For 72,093 K-12 students this year, that’s the equivalent of 3.8 students per full time equivalent staff members, if the staff level didn’t increase over the last two years.
I’ve asked Guy to publish the report because I can’t format it to fit in the comments area.
You will see that there are ‘teachers’ listed. But you will see there are only 7 teacher categories and 62 other staff categories in addition to teachers. And I’m not sure if the 161 Agency of Education administrative staff are included in this report either. Suffice it to say – it’s a lot of people.
Also keep in mind that there are 7843 Pre-K students in addition to the 72,093 K-12 students. But these are 3-, 4- and 5-year-old children who are not full-time students. And in my district, for example, Pre-K services are provided by independent subcontractors at a cost of about $3000 per student. So, in the greater scheme of things, their effect on the over cost of the AOE education system is insignificant.
There are a lot of Vermonters who get paid by the (state&fed) governments or are on the dole. Our state government works hard to keep them on the dole so they keep them in office!!! I truly hope that everyone thinks long and hard before voting to think about the new taxes and to think about their friends, their neighbors as well as themselves and to think long and hard on how these new taxes will impact them and then go and vote what’s best for everyone in Vermont.If everyone just thinks about it—they will see that the best way to fix this problem is to vote out every progressive and democrat statewide they can and replace them with republicans who have to bring sanity back to the state house in Montpelier. Send a strong message to the country—we are sick of this and we are not going to take it anymore!!!! One more republican vote to save the country—Vote for President Trump!!!
Sorry to break it to you Donna, the VTGOP will not be changing anything, they like things just the way it is.
It’s almost like nobody in Montpelier wants to change anything in Montpelier, they like things just as it is, please don’t be late with your property tax bill, we’ll have to charge you 12% interest, ha, ha, ha!…..
Pretty good grift they have going huh?
If your tent is leaking and your envelope has gotten wet, we suggest using a mylar envelope to send in a new tax bill.
The devil is in the never ending bond debt. Do any of these bonds ever get paid off or is the balance moved into the next bond. How much interest are you paying on all of these bonds? Your property taxes are paying for everything.
What are the four types of gaslighting?
Gaslighting is the action of repetitively (and often brazenly) lying to someone to manipulate,
and ultimately control them and the relationship. It could be divided into four different types: outright lying, manipulation of reality, scapegoating and coercion.