New computer system causes tax bill glitch

Mountain Times

July 25, 2018

By Katy Savage

Killington Town Clerk Lucrecia Wonsor was on the phone all day  Monday and Tuesday, a week ago, when hundreds of incorrect tax bills were sent to Killington homeowners.

“People were concerned because there were some that had been taxed at the non-residential rate even though they declared homestead,” she said.

Killington was one of about 75 towns that received incorrect tax bills. About 4,500 bills the state sent out July 1 contained an error in them. State Tax Commissioner Kaj Samsom issued a notice last week, saying a new computer system had caused much of the problem.

The state’s computer system was updated three years ago. This was the second year of using the new system with homestead declarations.

“Overall the system is working great,” said Vermont Department of Taxes Deputy Commissioner Craig Bolio.

Most of the computer issue had to do with homestead declarations. Homestead property is taxed differently from nonresidential property. Nonresidential homes include those that are leased 182 days or more, homes that are used for commercial purposes and property that is a second home.

“It makes a big difference for some people,” said Wonsor.

Wonsor discovered the issue after Middlesex Town Clerk Sarah Merriman posted a notice in a forum shared between the town clerks.

“We immediately were able to put something on the website,” said Wonsor.

Other towns that were impacted in Windsor and Rutland County included Barnard, Cavendish, Grafton, Pittsfield, Pomfret, Hartland, West Rutland, Rockingham, Springfield and Weathersfield.

The Weathersfield town office also received many calls. Weathersfield Town Manager Ed Morris said he saw the issue coming.

“It will make some extra work for us,” he said.

Bolio said the corrected tax bills will be processed July 27. They will then be sent to area clerks and re-distributed.

Killington to get more solar panels

Mountain Times
July 25, 2018

By Julia Purdy

KILLINGTON—Much of the regular July 16 Select Board meeting concerned the impending contract with AllEarth Solar of Williston for installation of a net-metering system to serve the town offices’ power needs. Bob Vittingl, a consultant for Apex Solar, the installer, was present.

Before the meeting, board members  Vittingl and Town Manager Chet Hagenbarth toured the proposed locations of 18 solar tracking panels: three behind the town office, three in the apple orchard behind the Killington Road soccer net, a row of three along the stream by the new library, and three each in the areas of the old library, the town garage and the transfer station.

Vittengl explained that each unit is about 20 feet tall when upright, and 11 feet tall when lying flat. They are identical to the units at the Skyeship gondola on Route 4.

Much discussion in the meeting centered on the terms of the agreement and how to ensure the town is getting the maximum value.

Hagenbarth summarized the agreement’s terms and the advantages of the proposal.

The agreement states that annual solar energy production will be about 175,000 kilowatts. The trackers will supply more power than needed, he said, resulting in the town getting credits back, or 19 cents per kWh from GMP. There would be no net cost.

The monthly fee for the equipment is $2,500. According to Hagenbarth’s calculations, the town will be paying $30,000 per year for the PPA agreement and will receive $33,333 for what it’s producing for power, resulting in a $3,300 credit from GMP.

“This way we are fixing our costs and have control of our power consumption and production,” he concluded.

Select Board member Jim Haff said he had read something that said GMP was only paying 4 cents until 2016, and he said he wanted to see a letter from GMP that specifically states that the town’s account will be credited for 4 cents per kWh: 1 cent in the net metering and 3 cents in return for giving up the Renewable Energy Credits.

Haff also expressed concern for underproduction that could sacrifice the economic advantage with a set monthly invoice and asked why couldn’t the town be billed just for what it uses?

Vittengl replied that it can’t be micromanaged due to the frequent changes in weather. The system still produces in the winter, and Summer Solstice is the peak. Then it varies up and down from that point.

Hagenbarth pointed out that to begin generating this late in the season, the town will lose out until the end of the cycle.

“Basically we are prepaying for the power,” McGrath put in.

Vittengl added that the installation schedule can be expedited.

The proposal applies only to power generation for town buildings and infrastructure. Private homes, buildings, facilities and businesses may install their own solar and arrange net-metering with GMP, Hagenbarth clarified in a follow-up interview.

Photo by Jason Mikula

Cathy A. Merrill

Rutland Herald | July 19, 2018

KILLINGTON — Cathy Ann Merrill, 71, of Killington, passed away on Wednesd ay, July 18, 2018, at home, surrounded by her husband of 49 years, and her children.
She was born in Randolph on Feb. 13, 1947, daughter of Muriel and Edward Cole, and grew up in Pittsfield.
She married Kenneth Merrill on Oct. 3, 1969.
Cathy worked at Killington Ski Area in the ‘70s, and Clifford of Vermont in the ‘80s, but her favorite job was working at the Pittsfield General Store through the ‘90s. She loved animals, and had horses and dogs throughout her life. She cherished her role as Grammy.
She leaves behind her husband; and children Lisa Abbott and her husband, Greg, Karen Merrill and her husband, Loren A. Hogaboom, Brian Merrill and his wife, Del’Rae; and grandchildren Hunter Bates, Cole and Cory Abbott, Madison and Wyatt Merrill.
She was predeceased by her mother, father and sister, Carol Cole.
A graveside service will be held on 11 a.m. Saturday, July 21, 2018, in the Riverside Cemetery in Killington. A reception will follow.
Arrangements are by the Aldous Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, those who wish, contributions should be made to Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice of the Southwest Region, Rutland, Vermont.

Check Your Property Tax Bill: Tax Dept. Missed Deadline For Issuing Some Adjustments

By Howard Weiss-Tisman • 15 hours ago

VPR News

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• 

  The Vermont Department of Taxes was not able to process all of the property tax adjustment claims in time to meet a July 1 deadline. Tax Commissioner Kaj Samsom said most of the problems have been within the homestead declarations.

  filo / iStock

The Vermont Department of Taxes was not able to process all of the property tax adjustment claims in time to meet a July 1 deadline. As a result, towns that sent out their tax bills on that date may have sent the wrong information to property owners.
About 70 municipalities send out their tax bills on July 1, and Tax Commissioner Kaj Samsom said municipal officials have been hearing from property owners who are noticing the problems on their tax bills.
“The towns that billed in July are probably not enjoying multiple calls for people thinking that the towns messed up their tax bills,” Samsom said. “We’re definitely regretful and apologize to the town officials that are having to deal with this. In the long term, we have more work to do to encourage more e-filing and get more accurate information on the intake and simplify the system for applying for, and qualifying for, property tax adjustments.”
See the list below of municipalities where people's tax bills could be affected by the delay.
Samsom says most of the problems have been within the homestead declarations, which is where property owners say whether they are full-time Vermont residents.
The department’s new $25 million computer program is flagging many more tax forms that have errors — both small and significant — and Samsom said the department did not anticipate the number of adjustments that would need attention.
“The system is much more able to pick up anomalies and incorrect data,” Samsom said. “So we’re having to learn on the go how to properly allocate staff. The system flagged a lot of returns, and we underestimated the amount of attention we would need to shift to that in June. We think by next year we’ll have this figured out.”
Of the more than 175,000 filings, Samsom said about 14,000 needed further review as of July 1.
The Tax Department sent out a letter recently detailing the issues that have been holding up the property tax adjustments.
Samsom acknowledged that Vermont has a complex tax filing system that requires property owners to declare their homestead status every year. He said the late legislative session also compounded the issue, as important data that is usually available in May was delayed by a month.
The department says all of the correct information will be sent out to towns before the end of July.

Could your tax bill be affected? (And what to do next)

Anyone who notices a mistake on their tax bill is encouraged to contact the Department of Taxes:

• Email: tax.individualincome@vermont.gov
• Phone: (802) 828-2865

And the Tax Department says anyone in the following list of municipalities should check their tax bills for errors:

• Barnard
• Barre City
• Barre Town
• Berlin
• Bethel
• Brandon
• Brattleboro
• Brighton
• Brookline
• Burlington
• Cavendish
• Colchester
• Dover
• Dummerston
• Fair Haven
• Fayston
• Fletcher
• Goshen
• Grafton
• Granby
• Granville
• Hardwick
• Hartford
• Huntington
• Isle La Motte
• Killington
• Ludlow
• Marshfield
• Middlebury
• Montgomery
• Montpelier
• Newbury
• Newfane
• Northfield
• North Hero
• Norwich
• Orange
• Pittsfield
• Plainfield
• Pomfret
• Proctor
• Putney
• Richford
• Richmond
• Rochester
• Rockingham
• Roxbury
• Searsburg
• Shelburne
• South Burlington
• Springfield
• St. Albans City
• St. Albans Town
• Stockbridge
• Stowe
• Tinmouth
• Townshend
• Underhill
• Vergennes
• Victory
• Warren
• Washington
• Waterbury
• Westford
• West Rutland
• Williston
• Wilmington
• Winooski
• Weathersfield
• Worcester

Check your tax bill

Some Homestead State Payment adjustments have not been applied to mailed Killington bills

KILLINGTON—Tax bills have been mailed out and it has come to the town of Killington’s attention that some of the Homestead State Payment adjustments have not been applied.
The Tax Department has held some Homestead Declarations aside for review, state officials have explained to town officials. These State Payment Adjustments should be applied by the next tax upload scheduled for Aug. 1.
Revised Tax Bills will be mailed out as soon as the State Payment File is received from the Tax Department.

Police: Woman mistakenly arranged drug sale with a cop

Rutland Herald

Patrick McArdle | June 28, 2018

By Patrick McArdle
Staff Writer

Perry

A lot went wrong when a Massachusetts woman and her friends allegedly brought cocaine to Vermont to sell, according to Vermont State Police.
Police said one of the women was trying to raise money to bail out a friend, but now she must come up with $5,000 in bail herself.
Worse, the woman contacted someone named Mark, of Mendon, who she thought could purchase 14 grams of crack cocaine, the police affidavit said.
Instead, she contacted Officer Mark Fiore of the Castleton Police Department. Fiore worked with other agencies including Vermont State Police and the Rutland City Police Department.
Sharese C. Perry, 37, of Brockton, Massachusetts, pleaded not guilty Thursday to a felony charge of possession of more than 2.5 grams of cocaine.
As of 4 p.m. Thursday, Perry was being held in the Rutland jail after failing to post $5,000 in bail.
Trooper Christopher Loyzelle, in an affidavit, said Fiore called VSP Sgt. Lucas Hall on Wednesday to describe the phone call.
Fiore said a woman called him believing he was a different person named Mark, around 2:20 p.m. on Wednesday. The woman said “Barbie” had been arrested Tuesday night in Quincy, Massachusetts, and “she needed to come up with $5,000 to make Barbie’s bail,” Fiore said.
The woman, who called herself Kim, asked if Mark would buy crack cocaine if she brought it to Rutland.
Affidavits filed in the case aren’t clear regarding who called Fiore. Three people, including Perry, were in the car that was stopped in a parking lot Thursday but none were named Kim, according to affidavits.
Loyzelle’s affidavit said Fiore “entertained Kim’s request” and agreed to meet her at a commercial parking lot on Route 4 in Rutland at 10 p.m. Wednesday to complete the sale.
Fiore said Kim had asked why they couldn’t meet at his house and he said he didn’t want his neighbors to become suspicious.
Police set up surveillance in the parking lot. When a car came to the parking lot around 12:40 a.m. on Thursday, Hall and Loyzelle approached and spoke to the driver, Monique Chire Hinton-Henry.
Loyzelle said a woman in the backseat, later identified as Perry, was holding two cell phones, one of them operating a program that provides driving directions.
A third woman, Audrey Franklin, was in the front seat, Loyzelle said.
Perry and Franklin said they didn’t know why they were in Vermont and were “just asked to go for a ride” and believed they were going to a ski resort, Loyzelle said.
While at the parking lot, Rutland Police Officer Nathan Harvey and his K-9 Unit, Cobalt, conducted a search. Cobalt alerted to the presence of narcotics, Harvey said.
Loyzelle said when police took the three women to the Rutland barracks, Franklin agreed to speak to police. She said “they smoked crack the entire ride to Vermont,” the affidavit said.
“She advised the plan was to have (the other Mark) give them the money they needed or get paid to perform a sexual favor,” Loyzelle said.
After obtaining a search warrant, police allegedly found 13.8 grams of crack cocaine Loyzelle said Perry had hidden inside her body.
At Perry’s arraignment Thursday, attorney Chris Davis, who represented Perry, asked Judge Thomas Zonay to consider an unsecured bond or a bond for which Perry would have to post a percentage of the total.
Deputy Rutland County State’s Attorney Daron Raleigh asked Zonay to set bail at $10,000.
Zonay told Davis he had considered a bail that might be easier to post, but said he thought $5,000 was necessary because Perry had no ties to Vermont and had allegedly come to Vermont for the sole purpose of selling drugs.

1. alpha1six says:

   June 29, 2018 at 6:19 am

   Great job Mark and the VSP. The more of this trash you can get off the streets the safer everyone will be. Now if the courts would only impose serious sentences to keep them in prison for 20 plus years.
   One of the better stories of the morning.
   

   Reply
2. MW says:

   June 29, 2018 at 9:19 am

   They should be looking into who the other “Mark” is. He obviously has ties to this trash. Great job to the local law enforcement and congratulations to Officer Fiore who made it happen!

A Utah man planned on building a massive development in Vermont inspired by Joseph Smith. Not anymore.

Boston Globe
June 29, 2018
by Lisa Rathke
 

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — A Utah businessman is abandoning plans for a massive development in four rural Vermont towns based on the papers of Mormon founder Joseph Smith after fierce opposition to the project.

David Hall’s family foundation NewVistas had been buying land near Smith’s birthplace in Sharon, Vermont, for what he described as an economically, ecologically and socially sustainable development with housing for 20,000 people many years in the future.

A local group was formed to fight the plans. The towns and the legislature also voted against the project, which didn’t dissuade Hall at the time.

On Tuesday, the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced it had put the towns — Royalton, Sharon, Strafford and Tunbridge — on ‘‘watch status’’ because of the proposal.

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That was a ‘‘genius move’’ by the groups opposing the project, Hall said Wednesday. ‘‘I’m just kind of tired of the drama and worn out. … I’m a smart enough businessman to realize when I’m beat.’’

Hall had expected locals to be opposed the plans at first but hoped they would grow more accustomed to the idea as other projects are built. Many residents in the rural, mountainous region with a total population of about 6,600 believed such a large-scale development would change the character of their small communities, tax resources and limit access to recreational areas and mountain views. The Mormon church had also denounced his plans in Vermont and for another community in Utah.

Hall said he is focused on doing test buildings and test villages in an industrial park in Provo, Utah. ‘‘An actual community is way off still,’’ he said.

In Vermont, he wants to sell the 1,500 acres he’s purchased in the four towns. ‘‘Hopefully I can find an investment group that will take it on and adopt the local plan instead of my dream,’’ he said.

Michael Sacca, head of the group formed to fight the project, the nonprofit Alliance for Vermont Communities, said he’s very pleased with the outcome.

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‘‘This has been an amazing amount of effort by a lot of people,’’ he said.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation said Wednesday that it was relieved to learn that the towns were ‘‘potentially safe from inappropriate development.’’

‘‘We will continue observing the area in the coming weeks and months, and we hope the future of these land parcels is in keeping with the historic character, community interests, and conservation spirit of these towns and Vermont as a whole,’’ said Stephanie Meeks, president and CEO.