The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service invites comments for the proposed Telephone Gap Integrated Resource Project located on the Rochester and Middlebury Ranger Districts of the Green Mountain National Forest. The 72,250-acre project area includes National Forest System lands within Rutland, Windsor, and Addison counties, including the towns of Brandon, Chittenden, Goshen, Killington, Mendon,…

By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger In more than a third of Vermont towns, primary residents are taxed at higher rates than those who own second homes or commercial land, according to a VTDigger analysis of property tax rates. But that could change this legislative session if Vermont lawmakers take up reforms that have been researched throughout the past…

By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger With two-thirds of Vermont towns requiring property value reappraisals, the House Ways and Means Committee is considering a moratorium on them and transitioning to a state-run reappraisal system. “This was not on my agenda coming into the session as, like, the project to take on,” Rep. Emilie Kornheiser, D-Brattleboro, the committee chair, said at a hearing on…

By Erin Petenko/VTDigger On Monday, Jan. 30, President Joe Biden announced that the federal government plans to end the emergency declarations for Covid-19 on May 11, a move that could affect Vermonters’ ability to access vaccinations, testing and treatment for the disease. The national emergency and public health emergency declarations related to Covid have been in…

Staff report The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC reported that five counties, all located on the western side of the state bordering New York, had their Covid levels rise from “low” to “medium” as of Thursday, Feb. 2; and Rutland County rose to “high” levels.  Other Covid metrics showed signs of an increase,…

By Alison Clarkson The Vermont Legislature is now deep into the work of our 2023 session. To date, 230 bills have been introduced, committees are taking testimony on various issues, and the priorities we identified before session began are beginning to take shape in legislation. The discussion about the Senate’s 107-page child care bill, S.56,…

By Jim Harrison I have never been much of a poker player, but I do know when my cards could have been better. With an 8-4 partisan split on the House Appropriations Committee and only 38 Republicans in the full House, trying to negotiate a reduction in the $91 million in new spending in the…

By Erin Petenko/VTDigger The Vermont Supreme Court issued a decision Friday, Jan. 20, in favor of Montpelier allowing noncitizens to vote in its local elections. The court ruled that the Vermont Constitution does restrict voting in statewide contests to citizens. Montpelier City Council President Jack McCullough told VTDigger that the initiative began when town residents noticed that it…

National Unclaimed Property Day is this Wednesday, Feb. 1 and the state is partnering again with the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) to remind Vermonters to search for and claim their missing money.   The Treasurer’s Office currently holds $119 million of unclaimed property. In 2022, the office paid out over 15,000 claims…

By Jim Harrison As I begin my third year on the House Appropriations Committee, I have often marveled how the 11 member (now 12) could reach consensus on the major budget bills each session. That doesn’t mean we all agreed on every appropriation, but enough compromises were made to achieve unanimous votes in committee. Unfortunately,…

The 2023 tax season officially opens Jan. 23, at both the federal and state levels. This is the date that the IRS and Vermont begin accepting personal income tax returns for tax year 2022.  The department offers the following tips to make filing and getting your refund easier and faster:  Wait to receive all W-2…

By Riley Robinson/VTDigger Vermont’s revenues are in boom times, state economists announced Tuesday, Jan. 17, as public coffers are buoyed by what economic adviser Jeff Carr called “epic, unprecedented, off-the-charts” federal money — for now. Those same economists predicted the state’s general fund revenues will drop nearly 9% in the fiscal year that begins July 1,…

By Rep. Jim Harrison The semi-annual revenue update from state economists was presented and adopted last Tuesday, Jan. 17. Both the administration’s and legislature’s outside experts agreed that the unprecedented influx of federal dollars to the state and individuals (a total of $10 billion over the past few years), has definitely helped state coffers. The…

Our 2023 legislative session is off to a fast start. Only two and a half weeks into the session, we’ve already passed our first bill (H.42 which extends remote options for Town Meeting wwand the Open Meeting Law).  Committees are meeting and being brought up to speed on the reports they have requested and the…

Administrative complexity, staff turnover, and poor recordkeeping contributed to millions of dollars in mistakes  State Auditor Doug Hoffer released a new audit Jan. 23 of Burlington’s Waterfront TIF district. TIF districts allow municipalities to designate an area for public infrastructure improvements, incur debt to pay for the work, and use a portion of the area’s…