Vermont Megathread

[Electric Circus]

Two towns, Richmond and Marshfield, have passed resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. No word yet from Newfane, where a similar resolution is also up for a vote.

Resolutions passed in at least three other towns: Newfane, Thetford, and Dummerston.

I heard it passed in Shelburne? Is this true?

Yes, it looks like the final tally is eleven:

https://vtdigger.org/2024/03/07/resolutions-condemning-the-israel-hamas-war-cleared-at-least-11-vermont-municipalities-on-town-meeting-day/

The following municipalities passed nonbinding resolutions opposing the war, according to town clerks and local media reports:

    Bradford
    Dummerston
    Marshfield
    Newfane
    Putney
    Richmond
    Sharon
    Shelburne
    Thetford
    West Windsor
    Woodbury

[Born to Slay. Forced to Work.]

Two towns, Richmond and Marshfield, have passed resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. No word yet from Newfane, where a similar resolution is also up for a vote.

Resolutions passed in at least three other towns: Newfane, Thetford, and Dummerston.

I heard it passed in Shelburne? Is this true?

Yes, it looks like the final tally is eleven:

https://vtdigger.org/2024/03/07/resolutions-condemning-the-israel-hamas-war-cleared-at-least-11-vermont-municipalities-on-town-meeting-day/

The following municipalities passed nonbinding resolutions opposing the war, according to town clerks and local media reports:

    Bradford
    Dummerston
    Marshfield
    Newfane
    Putney
    Richmond
    Sharon
    Shelburne
    Thetford
    West Windsor
    Woodbury

I have an aunt in shelburne

[Electric Circus]

While most eyes were on presidential primaries, Vermont also voted on (most) school budgets, roughly one-third of which failed.

This was the culmination of a contentious budget season in which Vermont's abstruse school funding formula took center stage. School officials called it a "perfect storm": Between increases to health insurance premiums, the loss of temporary federal revenue streams, and an ill-conceived education reform bill meant to make funding more "equitable," property taxes to fund education were projected to rise by nearly 20% statewide, with some districts facing much larger increases.

A late-breaking fix to that ill-conceived reform resulted in a few delayed budget votes, but as of this week had not made much of a dent in the expected statewide spending increase.

In an uncharacteristically bold move, Phil Scott is musing over radical changes to how schools are funded in Vermont:

https://vtdigger.org/2024/03/07/stripping-back-local-control-of-school-budgets-phil-scott-says-it-is-on-the-table/

Stripping back local control of school budgets? Phil Scott says it is on the table.

[...]

“There’s an evolution of all these funding formulas, and this might have reached its life expectancy,” the governor said. A Scott spokesperson later told VTDigger Scott would consider an income-based education funding model, an idea that some lawmakers studied in-depth in 2022, but only if it came with “structural reform.”

School consolidation, Scott said, is part of the answer. But whatever lawmakers, school boards and voters work out this year to immediately reduce spending, the governor said he doesn’t expect “to solve this $200 million problem.”

The most radical proposal is moving to a single statewide district, following Hawaii's model, but that's just one idea. More moderate steps to diversify school revenue, centralize services, and (most controversially) consolidate smaller schools are more likely to receive serious consideration.

It's not clear how reform discussions will proceed, but there is consensus around a few problems: (1) the existing formula is so complex that it fails to hold anyone accountable for budgeting, (2) property values have become too volatile for property taxes alone to be a stable source of revenue, (3) current spending trends are unsustainable, and (4) Vermont is not getting a good value for its dollar when it comes to education spending.

This will be a fascinating discussion to follow in the coming years. So many of the important divides in this "Brave Little State" play into it.  Can Vermont remain faithful to its venerated tradition of small-d democracy without sacrificing amenities and conveniences that are now regarded not just as luxuries for those who can afford them, but basic services that must be available to all in the name of equity?

[Electric Circus]

https://vtdigger.org/2024/03/20/officials-unveil-plans-for-new-north-terminal-building-at-patrick-leahy-burlington-international-airport/

Exciting news for frequent fliers.

No word from the state legislature on why we would plan for more flights to and from Vermont at a time when we're so desperate to reduce emissions that home heating and electrical costs are on track to rise by thousands of dollars per household so that the state can reach its clean energy goals.

At least we can bask in satisfaction as our jets depart from a "net-zero energy terminal"! Those poors still heating their drafty houses with #2 oil just don't know what it's like to care about the planet so much.

[Electric Circus]

NIMBYs rejoice? Phil Scott and Democratic leaders in the legislature are at odds over Act 250 reforms.

Despite a tripartisan proposal announced at the onset of the session that would make it easier to build housing in Vermont, legislative leaders have pushed their own version of Act 250 reform that would make it substantially more difficult to build in most of Vermont, including in many smaller village centers where local leaders would like to attract growth. Phil Scott is saying that the bill emerging from legislative committees is worse than nothing at all.

Last session set a new standard for contentious relations between the legislature and the governor, and this year is exceeding that standard. We aren't in veto season yet, but rhetoric is hotter than ever. In addition to Act 250 reform, which everyone agrees is needed to address the state's housing crisis, the governor is at odds with the legislature over the budget, new taxes, and his controversial appointment of a new education secretary, a woman who spent much of her career working for charter schools in Florida.

Top line spending in the budget making its way through the legislature is just a hair higher than that in the budget proposed by Scott's administration earlier this year. However, there are substantial differences in spending priorities, and Scott also objects to additional spending and taxes in other bills that are likely to reach his desk later this year.

The state's rising cost of living will be a prominent theme if Scott seeks re-election, as he is expected to do. A substantial increase in the payroll tax will go into effect this summer to pay for a childcare subsidy that the state legislature passed last year. (Critics say that the law spends a lot but will do little to increase capacity and fail to benefit most working parents. On a personal note, I was not encouraged by a talk with a couple of state legislators who didn't seem to understand that Let's Grow Kids, the well-funded operation that pushed this bill, is a lobbying group for child care providers.)

In addition, most Vermonters are facing double-digit increases in their property taxes in the coming year on account of rising school budgets. Adding to the stress of this increase, the state legislature had to pass a last-minute fix to the state's extremely complex education tax formula, because they botched last year's funding reform law.

Adding to the uncertainty is the "Affordable Heat Act," a controversial energy bill that became law over Scott's veto last year. The Senate only overrode Scott's veto by one vote, and one supporter later admitted that he didn't understand the law. There isn't a clear consensus on what the law means (to the point that there's even disagreement over whether it actually commits the state to anything beyond a study), and it's way too complicated for a layperson to read, but almost everyone agrees that it would make fuels used for home heating (propane, heating oil, kerosene) substantially more expensive.

[KaiserDave]

Act 250 Reform is a sh**tshow. The tripartisan bill was great and was right there. Not much more to say, it's a catastrophe.

[Electric Circus]

https://www.sevendaysvt.com/news/seven-days-paid-me-to-wager-money-on-sports-which-just-became-legal-in-vermont-never-again-40521961

$41 million spent in just the first two months. This is a lot of money in small state.

The state collects around a third of that in revenue*, but all that I can hear is a gigantic sucking sound as the rest of this money leaves the state.

I can't blame the Democratic majority in the legislature for this one, either. Sports betting passed with a large bipartisan majority (not sure if the Progs made this one tripartisan), and Scott signed it into law. What a massive selling out of this state by our politicians.

*No doubt to be more than consumed by mental health treatment for dissolute gamblers who will be treated as addicts, public assistance to support them in old age, and all of the other resources that will be needed to help families left destitute.

[Electric Circus]

Dick Mazza, who has served in the State Senate since the 1980s, and whose prior tenure in the lower house dates back to the Nixon administration, is resigning for health reasons.

Mazza's resignation is politically significant. Not only was he was the longest serving member the Senate, he was also the so-called "third member" of the secretive "Committee on Committees." (The other two are the president pro tempore and the lieutenant governor.) As a moderate Democrat, Mazza had a significant role in shaping the composition of committees in the Senate for many years.

It's not clear who the third member will be in the next session (it doesn't automatically go to the dean, they're picked by a vote of the senators), but they could make a big difference in who gets which committee assignments.

[KaiserDave]

Senator Mazza's resignation was expecting, he has not been at work since February and has been suffering from pancreatic cancer. A great character for certain.

[KaiserDave]

https://www.wcax.com/2024/04/26/howard-dean-reportedly-exploring-2nd-bid-vt-governor/

Howard Dean exploring 2nd bit for Governor. I've heard this rumor via a friend as well. Unbelievable if true. Probably the one man who could beat Phil Scott other than Sanders or Welch. I can't really believe it.

[Not Me, Us]

https://www.wcax.com/2024/04/26/howard-dean-reportedly-exploring-2nd-bid-vt-governor/

Howard Dean exploring 2nd bit for Governor. I've heard this rumor via a friend as well. Unbelievable if true. Probably the one man who could beat Phil Scott other than Sanders or Welch. I can't really believe it.

Why would he do this, it's really a weird time for him to come out of retirement. Endorsed though, I guess.

[KaiserDave]

https://www.wcax.com/2024/04/26/howard-dean-reportedly-exploring-2nd-bid-vt-governor/

Howard Dean exploring 2nd bit for Governor. I've heard this rumor via a friend as well. Unbelievable if true. Probably the one man who could beat Phil Scott other than Sanders or Welch. I can't really believe it.

Why would he do this, it's really a weird time for him to come out of retirement. Endorsed though, I guess.

This is the scene in the movie when the old retired hero puts on his armor for one last ride against seemingly insurmountable odds.

[Storr]

https://www.wcax.com/2024/04/26/howard-dean-reportedly-exploring-2nd-bid-vt-governor/

Howard Dean exploring 2nd bit for Governor. I've heard this rumor via a friend as well. Unbelievable if true. Probably the one man who could beat Phil Scott other than Sanders or Welch. I can't really believe it.

Why would he do this, it's really a weird time for him to come out of retirement. Endorsed though, I guess.

This is the scene in the movie when the old retired hero puts on his armor for one last ride against seemingly insurmountable odds.

Howard Dean being the Jerry Brown of the 2020s? Sounds good to me.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

https://www.wcax.com/2024/04/26/howard-dean-reportedly-exploring-2nd-bid-vt-governor/

Howard Dean exploring 2nd bit for Governor. I've heard this rumor via a friend as well. Unbelievable if true. Probably the one man who could beat Phil Scott other than Sanders or Welch. I can't really believe it.

Why would he do this, it's really a weird time for him to come out of retirement. Endorsed though, I guess.

This is the scene in the movie when the old retired hero puts on his armor for one last ride against seemingly insurmountable odds.

Funny enough, Walter Mondale ran in a statewide general election more recently than Dean.

[Electric Circus]

The state has serious financial problems. If Phil Scott wins another term, the budget gets balanced mostly on his terms. If he gets lucky, he might not even need to worry about a veto-proof majority in the Senate.

Scott's high approval rating is real, but there are issues that Dean could pick at, such as Scott's recent polarizing nominee for Education Secretary or the administration's politically convenient neglect of health care reform. If any Democrat can exploit these weaknesses, he can.

Dean's interest is a surprise, but it makes political sense. Apparently serious, too: Scuttlebutt is that petitions are already in circulation.

[KaiserDave]

Not only does Dean have strong credentials to attack Scott on healthcare, his gubernatorial term was fiscally quite hawkish, it’ll be hard for Scott to attack him.