It was widely known that putting together the next state budget was going to be tight. All the extra federal money that came to Vermont during the pandemic, has previously been appropriated and state revenue growth has slowed. The […]
Tag: jim harrison
A reality check
During House discussion of H.850 last week, which removes the controversial 5% cap on the equalized homestead rates for education, the chair of the House Ways & Means Committee repeated the obvious: Spending increases generally cause tax increases. And that […]
Second thoughts
Recognizing that previous legislative action has had unintended consequences on education spending, the House Ways & Means Committee advanced a bill (H.850) on Friday, Feb. 9, to allow school districts more time to redo their budgets (and potentially make cuts) […]
Stop the presses!
It’s no secret that school property taxes are heading higher. In the Dec. 1 letter from the Tax Commissioner, they were estimated to go up by 18.5%, based on a 12% increase in school district spending. That number is now […]
Finding consensus proves difficult
Late last Friday, Jan. 19, members of the House Appropriations Committee unanimously agreed to proceed with this year’s budget adjustment bill. Called the BAA (Budget Adjustment Act) at the State House, it is an annual mid-year amendment to the current […]
Tensions continue
Last week marked the start of the 2024 Vermont legislative session. It also included the governor’s State of the State address to a joint assembly of House and Senate members. (Editor’s note: see page 1 for related story). Scott opened […]
Will it be time for the ‘NO’ sign again?
By Rep. Jim Harrison Quite a few years ago, I remember visiting the House Appropriations Committee at the State House, where there was a prominent sign on the wall, “NO, is it the N or the O that you do […]
‘Not acceptable’
That was how Governor Scott responded to the Nov. 30 letter from the Tax Commissioner, which projected an 18.5% increase in the average statewide education property tax rate for next year. The annual letter, required by law, bases the […]
Killington strong
Dear Editor, With all the flood devastation during the past week and a half, the true spirit of Killington came through with area businesses and organizations stepping up to help get the town and roads back in business. The […]
Gov, we are organized!
By Rep. Jim Harrison The first week of a new legislative biennium is full of tradition, pomp and circumstance, along with a heavy dose of getting organized. And, unlike the U.S. Congress this past week, the Vermont House and Senate […]