By Guy Page
Two days before the scheduled May 10 adjournment, Gov. Scott surveyed the status of housing, affordability, public safety, and school funding legislation at his press conference today.
He doesn’t like what he sees in housing and school funding. On public safety and affordability, he sees a glass half full.
Housing – H.687, the Act 250/housing reform bill, passed the Senate with major, housing-friendly changes that the House is hesitant to endorse.
When the session began “it was clear it [housing] was a top priority for the Legislature as a whole,” Scott said. But H687 “expands regulation in a vast majority of the state, especially the rural areas of Vermont…..It appears last minute changes could make it worse.” A veto of the House version of H.687 appears virtually certain.
Affordability: “The [$8.6 billion 2025 state] budget appears to be on a path to something I can live with.” On the other hand, he’s unhappy with the Renewable Energy Standard (RES) bill that will add hundreds of millions to ratepayer costs.
Education funding reform – H.887, the yield bill, is unacceptable as is. “Vermonters simply cannot afford a historic double digit property tax increase….15% or 12% it’s way too much.”
Scott said he supports a statewide property tax increase of about four percent. Action is needed now to stop the same property tax debacle from happening next year. He supports a six-month study ready by January 1 with recommendations to be acted on by the next Legisature. Senate Finance has proposed a study to be ready later than that. “Accelerate the study,” Scott said.
“We’ve seen this train wreck coming for years,” Scott said. “We need to take the time right now to address the educational crisis now, not two years from now.”
He said the Legislature must address classroom sizes and consider bigger, co-locating schools.
Six school districts yesterday voted on revised, somewhat reduced school budgets yesterday, five budgets passed. Are voters more accepting of school budgets, he was asked. “I feel for those communities that have to go through this,” he said. Without structural reform they’ll be doing it again next year, he added.
Public safety – Scott’s cautiously optimistic about some bills now in play, especially Senate bills. When pressed he gave no specifics. He did say he’s opposed to the safe-injection sites bill passed by the Legislature: “I’m sure I’ll end up vetoing it that, and we’ll see if they have the override.”
Glad Sanders is running again – Also, Scott stopped short of endorsing Sen. Bernie Sanders’ run for a fourth Senate term but acknowledged that senate seniority is good for federal funding for Vermont.
Choosing Democrat Abbey Duke to replace Progressive Rep. Emma Mulvaney-Stanak – Acknowledging the criticism, “I was just trying to make a decision,” Scott said. Mulvaney-Stanak was a D/P, having sought and received the Democratic nomination as well as the Progressive nomination when she ran for the State House. “She was a Democrat-Progressive, from my standpoint,” Scott said.