Woman denies exploiting disabled woman

Rutland Herald

October 31,2014

 

Caregiver denies exploiting woman

A Killington woman charged with stealing more than $6,000 from a disabled Rutland woman she was caring for denied a felony charge in Rutland criminal court this week.

Jennifer L. Walker, 34, pleaded innocent to a charge of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult.

Walker, who appeared in court on a citation, was released on court-ordered conditions.

The Killington woman was arrested earlier this month after a 77-year-old quadriplegic woman living in the city told police she discovered unsanctioned withdrawals from her account that had been going on for months.

Walker, who was hired in December 2013 to provide rides for the woman and perform other chores, initially denied taking the money but later allegedly confessed to using the woman’s ATM card to withdraw $6,400 from the disabled woman’s account.

If convicted, Walker faces up to 10 years in jail.

Town To Decide Future Of Killington Fire Dept. Building

Vermont Standard
By Virginia Dean
Standard Correspondent

KILLINGTON—The future of the Killington Fire and Rescue Department facilities will soon be determined by a committee of citizens who will make recommendations to the town on how to proceed with the renovation or reconstruction of its facilities.

“We’ve posted a call for interested volunteers,” said Town Manager Seth Webb. “We’ve extended the date for responses until Nov. 10. We’ve revived a few letters of interest.”

Department facilities are in disrepair and no longer meet state criteria or the needs of the volunteer fire department, Webb said.

“The Town needs to decide the best course of action for the future of these facilities,” said Webb. “The Select Board has chosen to ask citizens to help guide that choice.”

The Select Board will make appointments at their Nov.11 meeting, Webb said.

The designated Fire Department Facilities Review Committee will be comprised of five members, each of whom will be appointed for a single term of one year. It will serve in an advisory capacity to the Town of Killington Town Manager and Board of Selectmen.

“The Fire Department Facilities Review Committee shall make a recommendation to the Town on how to proceed with the renovation or reconstruction of the Fire Department Facilities,” said Webb. “To do its work, it is expected that the Committee will consider the short and long term needs of the Fire Department, review the study done by Dore and Whittier the architect, consult outside experts, and foster citizen participation in the review/ recommendation process.”

The Select Board met with architects Dore and Whittier last summer who were hired by the Town to review the Fire Department facilities and provide recommendations for renovating the aging facilities.

Preliminary cost estimates for renovation or reconstruction of the two facilities range from $2.4 million to $6.4 million.

The firm’s assessment revealed that the 1974 building on Killington Road has uneven floors, inefficient insulation, plumbing and electricity, no cross ventilation and not enough storage for equipment. With a lack of proper storage for the turnout gear, the gear is exposed to soot and sunlight that plays a part in deterioration of the expensive equipment.

The station is also missing a sprinkler system and is very close to Killington Road that creates safety hazards for the Department and disrupting traffic. Fire stations are typically set back 50-60 feet from the road, not 5-6 feet.

The building lacks two means of egress required for exiting and does not meet handicap accessibility or ADA Code. The number of toilets needs to be increased to meet plumbing codes, and an elevator is required for all public funded building, which the current building does not have.

The lack of room in the vehicle bays causes firefighters to be exposed to unsafe exhaust, and the second station on River Road will require a significant investment to effectively accommodate the current equipment in the years to come.

At one time, the architects considered the options of renovating the building, additions to the building, or demolishing it and building a new one. Other considerations included combining the River Road Station into the Killington Road Station. All options required purchasing more of the surrounding property to establish a parking lot.

Other possibilities included adding a police department onto the fire station to give the Killington police a more stable home base and clump the emergency services together for convenience.

In reviewing the options, the Board agreed with the architects that the size of the existing lot was a significant limitation. The lot is less than one acre and currently much of the parking for the facility is located on another parcel. The building is close to an existing stream, and while there is currently no FEMA flood plain designation, floodwaters have come close to the station.

There is currently no storm water management but this would be required if any redevelopment occurs. A 35,000 gallon water storage tank and pumps from Roaring Brook and would have to be replaced if there was an extensive remodel. To accommodate a renovation, additional land would need to be purchased.

Comment: The application deadline for the comittee has been extended so apparently there are not enough applicants or not enough applicants deemed worthy by the selectboard and town manager. I applied and I know I'm more than qualified. It will be interesting to see if I am selected.

Vito

Job Tate will represent our district’s true concerns

Mountain Times
October 16, 2014

October 15, 2014

Dear Editor:

My wife, Monica, and I are parents to three beautiful young sons and we both agreed there would be no better place to raise them than in Vermont. So in 2011 we bought our first home in Killington. At the time we knew managing a mortgage along with high property taxes and energy costs were going to be expensive—but believed that our desire to raise our family in this beautiful region, coupled with hard work, would give us the edge in securing the American dream so many generations of Vermonters have enjoyed before us. But since that time it is breath-taking how quickly things have gotten worse. Our current representative, Anne Gallivan, has kowtowed to her party leadership and voted to raise our taxes multiple times—including our property taxes. In addition, she voted to allow the Shumlin administration to withhold their plans for how they’re going to pay for the single-payer health care system—meanwhile, hard-working Vermonters hold their breath waiting for the other $2 billion shoe to drop . . . dutifully paying their mortgage, cutting intensely high checks to pay for the lights and heat and swallowing hard as we drain our bank accounts come tax season. At this rate, home ownership in the Green Mountains will be an ever-ballooning cost burden that threatens to undermine the financial health of the working and retired alike.

That’s why I’m voting for Job Tate as our next representative this November. Job is a proven problem solver who has served, and continues to serves, with honor in our nation’s military. Job is a young husband and father himself who understands how unattractive it is becoming to sink roots here in our district, but who refuses to leave our state in such disrepair. He has vowed to work hard to lower our costs across the board and to demand immediate accountability concerning the health care debacle afflicting our state. With Job, I know I’ll be getting a rep who is more interested in empowering and representing us, than toeing the party line. He’s not a gamble, he’s a sure thing.

Francis Legayada


Comment: While I am not personally endorsing any candidates at the moment, I think Francis' endorsement is important in that he and his family are representative of what the community is seeking to attract, young families with children.
I know Francis and his wife Monica. They are a hardworking couple striving to make a good life for their children and themselves and improving the community they live in. Thus their opinion is relevant and valuable in the context of the town's strategic plan for the future.
Vito

Property taxes take front-row seat

Burlington Free Press

Terri Hallenbeck, Free Press Staff Writer 12:03 a.m. EDT October 20, 2014

(Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS )

29 CONNECT 28 TWEETLINKEDIN 7 COMMENTEMAILMORE

Dan Knutson sold the house he's owned in Milton for 28 years in August and moved with his wife and daughter to a condo less than a mile away. A big part of the reason: Property taxes.
"It was driven by property taxes and the cost-of-living. I had to sell," said Knutson, a 67-year-old retiree whose bum arm put him on disability.
He said he watched his taxes increase from under $1,000 when he bought the house to more than $4,000. Now he struggles to pay the $1,500 a month rent on his condo. He is eyeing a move next year to South Carolina.
Knutson is part of an ever-more vocal chorus of Vermonters reeling from rising property taxes and looking for relief.
Whether relief is on the way is no sure thing, but here's an interesting development: It appears in this election season that a pile of politicians are starting to pay attention.
EARLIER: Milne lays out education plan
EARLIER: Governor candidates debate
EARLIER: Shumlin's liabilities grow
Town leaders from Milton to South Burlington to Killington are so frustrated by smothering property taxes that a growing number of them are calling for a two-year cap on property tax rates in hopes of forcing a change to the state's complicated system. Scott Milne, the Republican candidate for governor, embraced the idea. Democratic incumbent Gov. Peter Shumlin denounced it. But even those who are wary say the call for a cap could draw attention to the issue.
Around the state, legislators, school boards and state officials are holding meetings where they are hauling out charts to show that reliance on property taxes keeps rising while school enrollment keeps shrinking. Once divergent groups are conceding in new ways that this issue — among all the challenges that face the state — is top dog.
A recent Castleton Polling Institute poll indicated 59 percent of Vermonters think the education funding system needs to be changed, a response consistent across political lines, age and region of respondents.
Politicians on the campaign trail are hearing a resounding cry from constituents asking them to do something to simplify and repair a property tax system that few understand and an education system that grows more expensive while teaching fewer students.
"Every legislator is hearing from the public. It's not health care, it's not GMO's, not Lake Champlain. It's property taxes," said Steve Jeffrey, executive director of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns.
"I do think it's louder this time than in the past," said House Speaker Shap Smith, D-Morristown, who is running for re-election in his Lamoille County district and pledged the issue will be a priority in the 2015 legislative session. He conceded the solution is hardly a slam-dunk as there are flaws with just about every proposal.
A group of Democratic legislators held a news conference three weeks before the November election to say they feel their constituents' pain and pledged to make changes.
"I'm glad they're starting to hear it," said Republican House Leader Don Turner of Milton, who accused the Democratic majority of being late to the game. "I'm disappointed they've been the super-majority the last six years and nothing's changed."
"I wouldn't say we're late to the party," responded Smith, the House speaker, who argued that instead there has been disagreement within the Statehouse about how to solve a complicated issue. "I think the problem was there was not consensus within the building about what the problem is," Smith said.
Late or not, town and city leaders say they're heartened to see the growing number of conversations going on about possible solutions, whether on the campaign trail or in conference rooms.
"It really seems to have picked up in the last couple months," said Brian Palaia, Milton town manager, who joined other town and school officials at an August summit in South Burlington on the topic.
Property tax cap: tourniquet or bad idea?
The Milton Selectboard is among those that have passed a resolution calling for a cap on the property tax rate after seeing school budgets fail two years in a row and the margin of victory for the town budget grow narrower, Palaia said.
The Milton board went a step further and passed a second resolution with more detail. They wanted a new system for financing education within two years, even if it means considering the ever-controversial mandatory consolidation of schools, a statewide teachers' contract and changes to the system to make those eligible to pay their taxes based on their income to have a greater stake in the process.
Some players, including Gov. Shumlin, have greeted the idea of a cap on the property tax rate with immediate criticism.
"It's just a bad idea," said Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger. "It would do nothing but shift the burden onto other taxes."
Capping the rate would leave an estimated $42 million hole in school spending next year, according to the Legislature's Joint Fiscal Office.
Milne, who is challenging Shumlin in next month's election, has argued that the Legislature should come up with other ways to cover the gap for two years while creating a more workable way to fund education.
"I've got a cap that's a tactic to force the Legislature to act," Milne said. "It's their job to come up with a way to figure it out."
Smith, the House speaker, isn't buying it. "Scott Milne decides he's going to take the cupcake and give the spinach to the Legislature. I think if you want to do something you ought to put how you're going to do it on the table," Smith said.
The South Burlington City Council also passed a resolution calling for a cap on the property tax rate. The council never intended for the cap to be the solution, said City Manager Kevin Dorn. "This is a tourniquet to stop the bleeding and give the Legislature time to come up with a solution," he said.
Rising property taxes to pay for education have forced South Burlington into tough decisions about the city budget, Dorn said. Last year, the city used its reserve accounts just to keep the city budget to a 1 percent increase and hire one new police officer, he said. "That significantly depleted our reserves. We couldn't do that for another year," Dorn said.
In Killington, Town Manager Seth Webb said, "The town has found it increasingly difficult to raise funds for critical projects ranging from annual maintenance to rebuilding aging infrastructure."
A Killington town study shows that one resident's property taxes increased more than 490 percent from 1997-2012 and Killington Ski Resort taxes increased from $226,000 in 1996 to $780,000 in 2012, Webb said.
Jeffrey, at the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, wants a new way to fund education, but is wary of the cap because of the unanswered questions about what might happen in the interim.
But he and others note that Shumlin and the Legislature have contributed to the increase in dependence on the property tax in recent years by adding costs to the property tax, including early childhood education, dual enrollment that helps high school students take college classes and school for prison inmates.
"We're paying for more stuff out of the education fund," Jeffrey said.
"The property tax could be funding 75 percent of all education costs in five years," Steve Dale, executive director of the Vermont School Boards Association, told a gathering of Vermont town officials recently.
Shumlin responds to complaints about rising property taxes by reminding people that taxes increase because local residents approve their school and town budgets. The argument disregards new expenses paid for out of the property tax.
Milne lays the lack of a solution for property taxes at Shumlin's feet, for failing to find solutions during four years as governor and four as Senate leader. "Education is not something Gov. Shumlin mentions often as a broad-based tax," Milne said. "The property tax is a broad-based tax."
In 2005, 61 percent of the education fund was paid by property taxes, according to the Joint Fiscal Office. Ten years later, 68 percent of the education fund comes from the property tax.
Education spending?
As Vermont's eight mayors gathered recently for a news conference in Burlington to endorse Shumlin for re-election, they conceded they were doing so even though their communities are reeling from property taxes. Weinberger, the Burlington mayor, said the group spoke with Shumlin about solutions.
"He's told us he's open to change in the upcoming session," Weinberger said. He added, "We don't have the answer today."
Nobody seems to have the full answer yet, though people on all sides of the issue contend a solution can be found next year.
Shumlin said his focus is on education spending. "I'm willing to consider any idea that helps us to get our spending under control," he said.
Toward that end, he has directed Rebecca Holcombe, the state education secretary, to work with school boards and others around the state, laying out statistics about Vermont's relatively high per-pupil costs and student-teacher ratios and what programs sample schools are getting for them. Holcombe said those stats show that two schools can spend the same amount per-pupil but one has an extensive array of math and science offerings and the other has few.
Ultimately, what Holcombe is doing is selling local communities on the hard-sell idea of consolidating school operations with their neighbors. Legislators broached that territory this year, causing a lot of consternation among communities fearful of losing their schools. Holcombe said the idea is to help local school leaders better understand the realities that shrinking schools face, offer them increased incentives and allow them to make their own decisions.
Both Shumlin and Milne say they support voluntary consolidation with incentives, but both are relying on communities that havce refused consolidation in the past to reconsider.
"I don't think we can look at reduced costs without consolidation," Holcombe said. She added that local boards are more amenable to that discussion than they were earlier this year because they realize some schools are falling short. "We're asking, 'Are you offering your kids less than you did 10 years ago and are you spending more?'" she said.
Milne said good conversations about working together are going on in communities around the state, including his own town of Pomfret, which is having the difficult discussion of working with neighboring towns.
Milne laid out education plans last week that calls for voluntary consolidation with incentives, but varies from Shumlin's.
Milne highlighted a 17 percent increase in staffing among Vermont schools from 1997 to 2012 while there was a 16 percent decrease in students. He proposed forming 15 regional districts to replace the state's 46 supervisory unions and 12 supervisory districts. He would phase out small school grants that have helped the state's tiniest districts survive.
Milne would replace the statewide property tax with regional taxes for each regional district. Each region would then have the option of using savings to expand pre-kindergarten and pay for in-state public college for Vermont students. In the meantime, he called for enacting the two-year cap on the property tax rate within two weeks of taking office in January, then working with the Legislature on a new education funding plan.
Nobody seems to be promising how much money consolidating school districts would save. This year, proposed consolidation talks faltered over that question, but increasingly that's where the conversation is headed.
"Somewhere in the state of Vermont, there are savings to be had," said Dale, the head of the Vermont School Boards Association.
Contact Terri Hallenbeck at 999-9994 or thallenbeck@freepressmedia.com

Thanks to Seth Webb, Killington Town Manager for forwarding this story to me so I can share it with you.
Vito

Comment: Notice how nobody seems to be talking about cutting school spending even though that would be the most direct way to affect property taxes. Note: "17 percent increase in staffing among Vermont schools from 1997 to 2012 while there was a 16 percent decrease in students,". You would think simple logic would dictate cuts!
Vito
 

Two Killington men will pay fines for killing a bear.

Rutland Herald
10/21/14

Scott Keefer, 24, pleaded guilty Monday in Rutland criminal court to a single misdemeanor charge of taking a bear out of season. His roommate, 20-year-old Aaron Roucoulet, pleaded guilty to a single charge of taking a big game animal by illegal means, also a misdemeanor.

Keefer was sentenced to fines and surcharges totaling about $1,000, though at least a portion could be waived if he completes 40 hours of community service in 120 days. Roucoulet was sentenced to pay fines and surcharges totaling $607 and to forfeit the rifle used in the shooting.

Vermont State Game Warden Timothy Carey wrote in an affidavit that he was called to a home on Anthony Way in Killington by a homeowner who smelled something decomposing in the woods. Carey said he arrived and followed “the strong odor” to the corpse of a bear that had been dead at least a few days.

Keefer and Roucoulet lived nearby, and a third roommate, Mickey Zingarelli, described two times that the duo had shot at bears using Roucoulet’s Marlin lever-action .30-caliber rifle, according to court records.

Roucoulet said he shot at a bear two weeks earlier, firing once at “the two green dots” he took to be its eyes and twice into the darkness but not actually at the bear.

Carey said Keefer described a second incident in which he shot a bear “towards its hindquarters” as it moved away from their house into the woods.

Only one bear carcass was found in the area, according to affidavits.

Court records indicated that another warden, Jason Gravelle, had a conversation with Keefer earlier in the summer about the conditions under which it was legal to shoot a bear as a nuisance. This requires the bear “be actively damaging his house or out buildings, attacking any domestic animals or livestock, damaging any vehicles or beehives or is an imminent threat to personal safety.” Killing of a nuisance bear must also be reported to a warden within 12 hours.

Affidavits indicate that Gravelle advised Keefer to stop keeping unsecured trash on their porch, but that it was still visible there during Carey’s investigation.

gordon.dritschilo@ rutlandherald.com

"Leaf peeping" is big business in Vermont (CBS News)

ByChip ReidCBS NewsOctober 16, 2014, 7:42 PM

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/foliage-fans-flock-to-the-northeast/

KILLINGTON, Vt. - "This is the beauty, all the bright red leaves," said Karen Suchy as she walked with her husband, Bob.
Karen and Bob Suchy traveled to Vermont from their home in Southern California to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary.
Was it worth coming 3,000 miles to see?
"Absolutely, absolutely," said Karen Suchy. "It was always a dream of ours to come to the fall foliage."

Karen and Bob Suchy traveled to Vermont from their home in Southern California to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary.

CBS News

More than three and a half million tourists come to Vermont each fall to see and photograph the explosion of color.
At the Red Clover Inn in Mendon, occupancy doubles during the fall foliage season.
Mike Snyder gets a nickname this time of year.
"Well, I'm the chief foliage forecaster for the state of Vermont," he said.
He says it with great pride.
Mike Snyder's official title is Commissioner of Vermont's Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.
Having a good, colorful season is big business in Vermont.
"You bet," said Snyder. "It's the scenic backdrop to a $460 million tourist influx in the fall of the year."

The autumn colors of the Green Mountains.

CBS News

Snyder has a team of foresters who monitor the health of the trees and their leaves all year long, using aerial mapping and hands-on inspection to keep a close watch on insects and disease.
This year, in part because of an early frost, the colors are more vibrant than they've been in years.
For the best way to see the leaves, head to one of Vermont's many ski resorts, hop on a gondola and take in a bird's eye view.
Is there one tree that's the star of the show?
"Well, it's gotta be the sugar maple," said Snyder. "One in four trees in Vermont is a sugar maple and we have a high density of them and they're the ones that can bring in the reds in particular."
So a sugar maple leaf turns from green to red -- why?
"It's preparing for winter," said Snyder.
In fact, the yellow, orange and red pigments have been there all along -- but it's only when the days shorten and the leaves stop producing green chlorophyll that they reveal their hidden beauty.

The colors of fall in central Vermont.

CBS News

CBS News asked Karen Suchy when you're walking through these leaves how would you describe your mindset?
"Calming," said Suchy. "Not having to think of anything. You don't even have to say anything, just absorb it all being with each other and enjoying the serenity of it."
The serenity of Vermont's magical colors -- putting millions of visitors under their spell.

Killington Librarian Asks Town For Funds

Killington Librarian Asks Town For Funds

By Virginia Dean

Vermont Standard Correspondent

KILLINGTON — As part of the annual budget process that has just begun, Select Board members listened to a request from town Librarian Jane Ramos for an increase of 1 percent in the proposed 2015-2016 library budget.

“I’m asking for an increase for more technology so that we can upgrade our services,” said Ramos. “I’d like to have a faster speed through fiber connect (VTel) and move away from Comcast which is broadband. If we can get better service for a little more money, I’d prefer that.”

The proposed 2015-2016 library budget is $207,730. The projected 2014 budget total is $202,915. Requested increases include the expenses of telephone and telecom (up $1,200), programs and special events (up $750), audiobooks/DVDs (up $2,000), library director salary (up $2,500), and library staff (up $3,589). The 2013 full-year actuals were $196,318 according to the department’s budget report.

Board members were not expected to act on Ramos’s request but rather have a sense of where town departments stand and seek to level fund.

“That’s the philosophy we’ve been working on for the last three years,” said Town Manager Seth Webb.

Board member Chris Bianchi noted that this is the just the beginning of the overall budget process.

“That’s important to take into account,” said Bianchi. “We’ll get there by January.”

Board Chairwoman Patty McGrath agreed.

“We need to have people look at what they had, what worked,” said McGrath. “We need to look for opportunities to save money. As far as the library, there’s a current focus on technology, upgrading,
 Webb noted that the new proposed financial plan is projected to come in below budget, is flat for six months, and up by 1 percent for the next fiscal year. In terms of salary, a 2 percent cost of living expense is figured into the total amount.

“Capital expenditures are up significantly but are based on the replacement value of the building,” said Webb who added that the goal of board members is to review departmental budgets and make decisions about where the town wants to go.

Board members will be reviewing 18 months of budget, having switched from a calendar to fiscal year, said McGrath.

In other business, board members agreed to appoint a group of 5 citizens and 4 staff to serve on the Fire Department Facilities Review Committee to decide the best course of action for the future of the Killington Fire and Rescue Department.

The citizens will be appointed by the Select Board and the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth members will be the Killington Fire and Rescue Chief, the Killington Fire and Rescue President, the Town Manager, and the Highways and Facilities Director. Members appointed to the committee shall either be residents of the town of Killington, own property within the town of Killington or own or manage a business within the town of Killington to be qualified to serve.

The members of the committee will be appointed for a single terms of one year. The Select Board can make appointments necessary to fill vacancies for an additional term of one year.

The committee will hold public noticed regular meetings and adopt rules and regulations for the conduct of business within its jurisdiction. It will serve in an advisory capacity to the town of Killington Town Manager and Select Board.

The committee will make a recommendation to the town on how to proceed with the renovation or reconstruction of the Fire Department facilities and, to do so, will consult with architects and outside experts.

“This is for our citizens,” said McGrath.

Board members will advertise the positions by the end of this week and letters of interest must be submitted by Oct. 31 to the Killington Select Board, PO Box 429, Killington, VT 05751 or by emailing the Town Manager at sethwebb@town.killington.vt.us. First appointments will be made in early November.

A follow-up letter to one sent by the health officer on September 4, 2014 will be sent out immediately to the landlord of 117 Innsbruck Lane who is in non-compliance with a recent health order. According to Board members, there are issues with the propane system, electric baseboard, ceiling fans, cold air, dishwasher and refrigerator, sediment in the water, dampness, and insulation.

“The biggest problem we have is that there is no proof of compliance,” said Board member Ken Lee. “We need to investigate and determine whether the landlord is going to address the issues or not rent the duplex.”

In other news, Board members approved the renewal of a first-class liquor license for the Sunrise Home Owners Association with the stipulation that the owner-server comply with the federal law of attending enforcement seminars.

Town Manager Webb gave an updated town report that included re-grading the golf course, road repairs, and various upcoming meetings.


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Actual position in Killington

Rutland Herald

October 08,2014

 

On Friday, Oct. 3, The Herald inaccurately reported that I said the current formula for funding education through state property taxes creates “a Robin Hood situation.” On Saturday, the Herald used this inaccuracy to support its editorial, “Paying for Schools.” I have never uttered these words or made this analogy. Property tax reform is a critical issue for our town, and we have chosen our words very carefully and deliberately when it comes to describing our position on the topic. As we wrote in various letters to Governor Shumlin and state officials over the last year, our position is:

“We believe Vermont’s current education funding system is inhibiting the growth of tourism communities which are primary drivers in our state’s economy. By placing huge tax burdens on tourism towns like ours, Act 60 and 68 have dramatically limited businesses’ ability to reinvest in capital improvements and marketing and keep pace with their competitors in other states. For example, as a result of Act 60 and 68, Killington Resort saw a 345 percent increase in their property taxes from 1996 to 2012. As a result, the Resort had to defer improvements and marketing campaigns they otherwise would have implemented to keep pace with competitive resorts in other states such as New Hampshire, Maine, Colorado, California and Utah that don’t have similar limitations. A recent report from the Vermont Legislature on Act 60 (also known as the Equal Educational Opportunity Act) notes that while Vermont has experienced the largest growth of per-pupil spending in the country (149.9 percent between 1999 and 2011), the results during that period have been relatively flat or exhibit only modest increases. We support equitable funding for schools, but the education property tax system is inhibiting our ability to grow economically, and the funding system has not improved the education of Vermont students as a whole. In our estimation, the effect of Act 60 and 68, while well intentioned, has produced a net loss for the state. We advocate that the state seriously reconsider its education funding policy.”

Last week, Rutland Regional Planning leaders convened to kick off the formation of a regional economic development plan. We applaud their efforts and will work to support this critical initiative. We understand that our regional economies are intertwined and interdependent. For these regional collaborations to be successful it’s important for everyone at the table to understand how education tax policy and our regional economic development are linked. In the future, I encourage the Rutland Herald editorial board to consider these significant factors as well as use accurate reports on policy positions to base its opinions.

SETH WEBB

(Town manager)

Killington

Paying for school (Killington criticized for protesting ridiculously unfair school funding)

Rutland Herald

Opinion/Editorial

October 04,2014

Vermont’s property-rich towns appear to be stuck on the idea that they have been treated unfairly by the state’s education finance system. In fact, what has happened to them is that they are subject to fairness that did not exist in past years, and they are feeling the pain like everyone else.

Killington officials have joined the chorus of towns pressing lawmakers to reform the system established by Acts 60 and 68. Those are the laws that created the state’s Education Fund and placed the state in the role of clearinghouse for most education funding. Dorset is another of what used to be called the gold towns.

It used to be that towns such as Killington and Dorset could afford lavish levels of education spending while paying tax rates that were as much as a tenth of what other cities and towns were paying. That’s because they had a rich tax base from which to draw revenue and they had no obligation to share it.

Acts 60/68 changed that. Now a penny on the tax rate in Killington provides Killington the same amount of revenue for schools as a penny on the tax rate in Rutland. Towns that previously were able to afford high levels of school spending with a low tax rate found that high spending demanded a high tax rate. Conversely, cities that in the past could barely keep up with a minimum level of school spending, while paying a high tax rate, found that finally they could afford to pay for a decent education.

From the point of view of the old system, this change might be viewed as a “Robin Hood situation” — that’s how Killington Town Manager Seth Webb described it. But if the property tax base is viewed as a state asset to be shared fairly among all residents, then no one is stealing from anyone. The existence of the Killington Resort benefits the tax base of the state, rather than one town.

The rhetoric surrounding school funding has been mired in confusion for years, and recent comments suggest that the confusion continues. Killington Selectman Ken Lee said we need a new system that will “rein in unsustainable spending policies.”

It is common for taxpayers, when confronted by escalating school costs, to bemoan the system and claim that a new system might contain costs. But for the system to contain costs, state control of the system would be necessary, and that’s something policymakers have long resisted. In fact, spending on schools is controlled by voters. If Killington’s school expenses are too high, then that is due to school budgets approved by Killington voters. Appeals for control of school spending ought to be directed at local voters rather than at state policymakers.

As it happens, voters have tended to do a good job of controlling costs. In recent times, school budgets have largely been held in check, with increases ranging from zero to 2 percent. When voters feel the pain, they act.

Changing demographics have put pressure on school boards. When enrollment declines, schools receive less in per-pupil revenue from the state Education Fund, which forces up the local tax rate. School boards have responded by scaling back personnel and sometimes by considering closing schools and consolidating with neighboring districts. Attempts to allow the state to force those decisions on local districts have been quashed by lawmakers who believe local control is an important foundation for Vermont’s civic life.

It is argued sometimes that Vermont’s high level of education spending is not producing commensurate results in the achievement of our students. Who says? In fact, Vermont students regularly rank high in performance among the states. What are the aspirations of those who want to cut spending — that Vermont perform as well as Mississippi or merely reduce performance to a mediocre, middling level?

The state Agency of Education appears to be interested in working with communities at the local level in exploring ways to reduce costs while improving educational standards. These improvements cannot be imposed by bureaucratic dictate. Education is a human endeavor, and improvements must be achieved one on one between teacher and student in a school system that is adequately supported by its communities.

Comment:

Do these guys read their own newspaper. Sept. 26th headline, " Tests show science scores decline in Vermont." What more needs to be said. Phantom students anyone?

Vito

Killington joins call for education tax overhaul

This news is a little stale but just got published.

 Vito

Rutland Herald

By Bryanna Allen
STAFF WRITER | October 03,2014

KILLINGTON — Killington has joined other Vermont towns calling on the Legislature to overhaul the education funding system in the coming year.

Select Board members, Town Manager Seth Webb and more than 100 municipal leaders throughout the state joined forces in South Burlington Aug. 14 for a statewide conference to discuss the limitations of the education funding system.

Some major issues raised at the conference include Vermont’s static academic performance despite increased spending per pupil and the shortage of funds for other municipal needs, such as road repairs and emergency services.

The Killington Select Board urged lawmakers in a letter last month to take action on education property tax reform during the 2015 legislative session.

The current education system under Act 60 — followed by Act 68 to address some of the imbalances — are designed to level the financial playing field for schools across the state, independent of the prosperity in each town or school district.

However, the letter said, this equalizer creates drawbacks.

Towns of higher income, such as Killington, are paying to compensate for lower-income towns in the attempt to create a balance between school districts.

Webb said this creates a Robin Hood situation — robbing the rich to help the poor — until the wealthier towns aren’t getting the results they want in their schools.

And those towns are starting to make some noise.

Webb referred to the current system as unsustainable and said it inhibits the growth of Vermont’s tourism industry.

“Tourism is one of the pillars of Vermont’s economy,” he said. “By placing huge tax burdens on tourism towns like ours, Act 60 and 68 have dramatically limited the ability of local businesses to reinvest in capital improvements.”

Webb said this creates issues when trying to compete with other areas that are more able to invest in their marketing.

“While well intentioned,” Webb said, “the state education tax policy is currently limiting tourism growth that we know is essential to Vermont’s economic well being.”

The steady rising cost of the tax hinders the town’s ability to properly manage and plan for a yearly budget.

Selectman Ken Lee said the need for change is shared statewide.

“Towns and school boards from across the state are in agreement that the current system is wrong for Vermont,” Lee said. “We need a new system that is simple for people to understand and reins in the unsustainable spending policies.”

Steve Jeffrey, executive director of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, said because 70 percent of the property tax goes to the state education system, municipalities need to increase taxes to pay for other essentials.

“Towns will need to come up with other sources of revenue,” Jeffrey said.

Killington is on board with the plea for the Legislature to freeze or cap the tax rates.

So is Dorset.

After the August statewide conference, Dorset created a two-page document summarizing the challenges faced by towns and requested a two-year freeze on property taxes.

Dorset Town Manager Rob Gaiotti said his town at least wants to create a serious discussion at the state level.

“It’s a very real issue for tax payers all over the state,” he said.

Gaiotti said although no specific municipal plans or capital improvements are on hold because of a lack of money, it causes financial tension.

The VLCT said during the past 10 years, Vermont education spending has increased 30 percent, or $300 million, yet school enrollment numbers have decreased 10 percent.

Towns are seeking a better, simpler education funding system.

“It’s a very complex system,” Jeffrey said. “The average person struggles to understand, and that isn’t ideal. The average person is paying for the school system, they should be able to understand where their money is going.”

bryanna.allen

@rutlandherald.com