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After Gov. Phil Scott outlined budget priorities for housing, schools, public safety and climate, House Speaker Jill Krowinski (left, with Appropriations Chair Robin Scheu) said she’d work with Scott but hoped to hear more about healthcare funding and diminishing federal funds.
By Guy Page
Governor Phil Scott delivered his ninth budget address January 28 at the Vermont State House, outlining a $9 billion spending plan to provide education reform, affordable housing, and revitalized communities, while also focusing on public safety and climate change.
No Tax or Fee Increases: The proposed budget does not include any tax or fee increases, and instead invests in growing the economy and protecting vulnerable populations.
Four Key Bills: Governor Scott will forward four bills to address housing, public safety, education, and affordability, aiming to make Vermont more affordable.
Housing Initiatives: The budget includes funding for the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) and initiatives to help “mom and pop” investors build and restore home.. The Vermont Housing Improvement Program (VHIP) and the Mobile Home Improvement and Repair (MHIR) program are also made permanent with base (as opposed to one-time) funding.
“More housing can help pay for schools without adding to your property tax… It gives families financial security that can improve health and public safety,” Scott said.
Public Safety: The Governor is calling for greater accountability for young offenders and the repeal of the “Raise the Age” law that, in April, would allow offenders as old as 20 to be treated as juveniles by the criminal justice system. He also proposed measures to make it easier to revoke bail, limit the ability to reduce or suspend sentences, and provide more tools to hold repeat offenders accountable.
“Enough is enough,” the governor said about repeat “revolving door” crime, prompting a lengthy standing ovation, mostly by Republicans. “Let’s fix it.”
Education Reform: The Governor is proposing a new approach to education funding, establishing a base amount distributed equally for all students, and streamlining the system into only five, very large districts statewide. He also aims to increase teacher pay and ensure equitable access to resources.
“Taxpayers also made it clear they want us to fix broken systems not just fund them,” Scott said.
“Our kids are not getting what they deserve from the $2.4 billion we spend. Neither are teachers or taxpayers,” he added. “We are committed to seeing this through with the least amount of disruption for kids, teachers, schools and taxpayers.”
Climate Resilience: The budget invests in climate resiliency through federal resources and aims to reduce emissions while accounting for the role of farms and forests. The governor seeks to make changes to the Global Warming Solutions Act and direct the Agency of Natural Resources to create a practical plan to reach the 2050 goals.
Tax Relief: A $13.5 million tax reduction package is proposed, including increased eligibility for social security income tax exemptions, expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit, and the expansion of the Child Tax Credit to families with children up to the age of six. The governor also proposes eliminating the income tax on military pensions.
After the governor’s address, House Speaker Jill Krowinski (D-Burlington), Appropriations Chair Robin Scheu (D-Middlebury) and Ways & Means Chair Emilie Kornheiser (D-Brattleboro) pledged to work with the governor towards common goals. Krowinski said she wished she had heard more from the governor on rising health care costs and dealing with the looming loss of some federal funding.
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Categories: State Government
A budget increase to $9 Billion over 2024/2025 budget of $8.6 Billion without additional fees or taxes? The wish list didn’t change. Exemptions and credits are not cuts and eliminates any relief to businesses or individual taxpayers.
More housing? Has anyone looked closely at the housing market and figures of late? Flatlining and no one is applying for mortgages at 7% for 30 years. The costs are far too high all away around even in the inflated fake market – fraud. The Fed going to lower the rate? The Fed going to shrug? Doesn’t matter, the inflation is going to rip higher if they keep printing, punting, and buying more of the debt. It’s all an illusion.
Smoke and mirrors and budget proposals generated using AI. We are toast and no amount of chicken dancing will stop the bleeding or mass defaults all ready underway. At least Blackrock, Vanguard, et. al are poised to buy it all up and rent it the serfs. Agenda 2030.
Golly, and Manchester, VT is such a “gold” town…….yet a peek at Realtor.com clearly shows a very mixed market even there with several homes listed in the $325,000 to $399,000 range. It is 2025 folks; those are REASONABLE prices!!!!!!!!! Go and buy something already – and if you can’t afford even those, you’re either not meant to be a homeowner or you’re meant to spend $1.00 per home for a burned-out shell in inner Detroit. Take your pick & quit griping.
You are being PLAYED! Vermont has plenty of affordable homes – your government simply wants Communist-style HIGH DENSITY concrete low-income PROJECTS here to house all their “diverse” populations!
WAKE UP & JUST SAY “NO”!!!!!!!!!
Joan may I point out that even though those prices seem reasonable, VT has some of the highest property taxes, the highest electricity rates and other unseen taxes. Things are not always that straight forward.
Keeping an eye on court case in Texas. It benefits school districts, real estate agents, and municipalities to collude to inflate real estate prices, then appraise same real estate at inflated fake values, increase property taxes to benefit a mismanged school district hemmoraging money. The developers are crying foul due to costs to build, no buyers to pay for new homes, costs of taxes and interest rates, not only to buy the property, but to furnish and maintain due to inflation. Racketeering and fraud – it’s quite a game.
See, before the recent 2024 election – Scott had apparently been under the impression that VT residents actually WANTED to keep funding “broken” programs & systems, and that Vermonters WANTED their taxes continually raised…….
Honest mistake, I’m sure.
The days of buying your own land and building your own house are not pleasing to people whom are too lazy or not educated in the trades.
Modest homes in Vermont are difficult at best to get, more so when you compare income to debt ratios, any mortgage broker or person in real estate along with all people looking to purchase will verify this is true.
We could have homes from $85k to $250k with ownership, but we permit and fee them out of existence, the only thing allowed are apartment buildings for the communist grift.
Use by right, subdivisions with homes less than 1200 sq.ft
Use by right, 4 unit multi famil homes
Use by right boarding homes.
No taxes or fees on any of the above.
Suddenly we’d have affordable housing, overnight with no money spent.
We do have a serious housing issue.
Proof, list an apartment for rent, 2 bedroom $800 per month, hell even $1,000 per month……., let me know how long your line is and how many people you have to refuse, depending upon the location you will have 30-100 people on day one.
May I remind everyone this became much more serious during covid.
https://www.vtcng.com/state_and_world/state_news/vermont-ranks-no-2-in-nation-for-second-homes/article_a2c20650-c4e9-11e9-b50c-17d30c7784eb.html
This is all a show. If Gov. Scott really wants to change course, he would:
1. Remove himself from being a member of the mis-named “U.S.” Climate Alliance
2. Repeal the GWSA
3. Repeal Act 250
4. Repeal 30% by 2030 50% by 2050
5. Repeal all and stop every single solar, wind, climate scam program in this state and reimburse the citizens of VT for being used, abused, lied to with the federal grant monies, which is the taxpayers money, by actually giving back the money to each household. VT has had surpluses in the past, Vermonters were promised a check, where did it go, oh yes, the Education fund for the free meal dark hole.
6. Follow the mandate what The People voted for on November 5th. The People are smart and have had enough. We are done with fake, media band-aid shows.