Repealing the option tax will make it harder to pay for upcoming expenses Dear Editor, In response to Mr. Freund’s letter “Repeal once percent option tax for a stronger community” in last week’s edition (Nov. 13-19), which I read carefully, he makes some valid points. But what he failed to do is offer any solutions…

Dear Editor, With Thanksgiving around the corner, we’re entering a time of year that is often a period of reflection and optimism, highlighted locally by the approach of the Gift-of-Life Marathon. Growing up, my mother taught by example, and one of the lessons was about the importance of donating blood. She was unable to donate,…

By Steve Costello When I was a little boy, one of my favorite stories was the folk tale about stone soup. I remember being inspired by the thought that stones could be the key ingredients in what turns out to be a delicious meal for an entire community. They can’t, of course, but the magic…

Dear Editor, In response to Diane Rosenblum’s letter to the editor last week titled “Oppose the option tax” I just don’t understand why one would write such a letter without facts. Green Mountain National Golf Course does not have $5 million debt. As of Dec. 31, 2013, the debt was $3,850,000. There has been no…

Dear Editor, Local option taxes were authorized by the state legislature to “reduce the dislocations in those municipalities that may be caused by reforms to the method of financing public education under the Equal Educational Opportunity Act of 1997.” In other words the option taxes were authorized to mitigate the egregious tax increase caused by…

Dear Editor, I fully support the recent Mountain Times letters endorsing retaining the 1 percent option tax. True the original purpose was for economic development, however, times have changed and Town needs have changed. Just like Green Mountain National Golf Course, which when purchased, was thought to be able to provide sufficient economic income growth…

Dear Editor, I believe that the Killington Resort plan to repeal the 1 percent options tax is a perfect way to galvanize this community. When one takes a moment to look at the effect this could have on our community as a whole, the benefits are overwhelmingly positive. From the residents, to the businesses, to the…

Dear Editor, I’m 72 years “young” and strongly support modification of the Killington Option Tax as suggested by The Resort. The suggested modification of the option tax is NOT the elimination of the option tax, only the elimination of that portion applicable to sales and use tax. Because I shop in Killington, a portion of…

Dear Editor, Rutland County is a wonderful place to live and raise children. However, some families do not have the resources and support they need, and children end up in the state’s custody for a variety of reasons. Some have been abused, neglected, and/or abandoned by their parents or other caretakers; others are the subjects…

Dear Editor, The Rutland Area Prevention Coalition thanks all of our partners around Rutland County who helped in the celebration of National Red Ribbon Week (Oct. 23-31)—a time set aside to stress the importance of healthy lifestyle choices, especially among youth. Anti-drunk-or-drugged driving messages are appropriately part of this event, and we thank the 10…

Editor’s note: The Mountain Times receives many questions from readers every week about Killington Resort and Pico Mountain operations. Mike Solimano, president and general manager for Killington Resort and Pico Mountain, has agreed to answer some of the most common questions received. The Boston Ski and Snowboard Expo is coming up next week (Nov. 13-16).…

Dear Editor, While I applaud Killington’s plans for its expansion plans for summer business, I do not think it should be in any way contingent on the 1 percent option tax. A large percentage of the Killington residents are retirees with fixed incomes who moved here when property taxes were low and the decreases in…

Dear Editor, I’ve been skiing Killington for the past 35 years. I’ve been a regular season pass holder for over 20 years. I am a full time resident for the past 10 years. I am currently, for the first time, a mid-week season pass holder. Two weeks ago on a Friday, I had the occasion…

Mr. Sunu, When I moved to Pittsfield, Vt., in November 2013, I became a new customer. Though I had heard many reports of how unreliable FairPoint service is locally, I had no issues for the first six months. Suddenly it became an enormous problem. There is rarely a day I am able to make it…

Dear Editor, Voting for Dean Corren makes sense for a whole host of reasons, one of which – a big one – is his experience with, knowledge of, and commitment to developing alternative energy. Vermont needs to move much more effectively to free her citizens from the tyranny of The Grid. Voting for Dean Corren…