Property taxes, renewable energy and broadband proposals advance
by Rep. Gaye Symington

In my report prior to town meeting day I outlined some of the provisions being considered to contain property taxes. To begin with, H.526, an Act Related to Cost Containment and School Quality, focuses on the underlying drivers of school costs and provides incentives to contain costs in schools with high levels of per pupil spending. The bill concentrates on the higher spending schools, rather than the lowest spending schools as the Governor’s version of a cap would. It also begins to address some of the underlying drivers of school spending such as special education.

The bill aims to contain the pace at which school costs increase. It does not promise to decrease school spending – nor does the Governor’s budget cap proposal. This reflects how difficult it is to simply turn down school spending when our schools are asked to do more and more every year and the numbers of children with special needs continues to increase. Our schools are an integral part of our communities and Vermonters value high quality public education as we seek ways to contain school spending.

The legislature is not likely to agree to proposals that focus on reducing income sensitivity. That’s simply a tax shift, not a spending reduction. Reducing income sensitivity ties school taxes even more to property values than they already are. Most Vermonters believe school taxes should be more directly related to income, rather than more tied to property values.

The legislature is also taking steps in the transportation and general fund budget that will mitigate the property tax pressures the Governor’s budget would have caused – for example, we are not going along with the governor’s proposal to cut town highway aid. Towns take care of two thirds of the roads in Vermont and when the state doesn’t pay its share of those costs, the only place they can turn to is the property tax.

Last week the House passed H.248, which establishes a telecommunications authority to support better broadband and telecommunications access throughout Vermont. The bill wound its way through five different policy committees before the vote on the floor of the House. The bill is designed to support, not supplant, initiatives such as the Westford – Jericho – Underhill interlocal agreement approved at our town meetings this spring.

This week the House will vote on H.520 which aims to increase Vermont’s reliance on renewable energy. The bill sets out a goal of “25 by 25”: By the year 2025, the state of Vermont will produce 25 percent of the energy consumed in the state by means of renewable energy sources from Vermont’s farms and forests.

Under H.520 commercial building energy standards will be revised to ensure that our buildings are built to the highest efficient standards possible. And, Vermont’s net metering law will be enhanced to allow systems up to 250 kilowatt capacity. The bill also expands group net metering beyond just farms, allowing non-contiguous groups to use group net metering. So, if you and some neighbors wanted to set up a wind tower and share the costs and benefits, this puts in place the net metering required to get you a payback.

The bill expedites the permit process for meteorological towers that measure wind at potential wind energy sites, making it easier for people who simply want to measure the wind to see if their property might be appropriate for wind towers. And, it creates a clear and predictable tax policy for newly built renewable power generation plants and a solar tax credit for the installation for solar systems.

Property taxes, renewable energy and broadband access – these three bills give a sense of the variety and complexity of issues we are addressing. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please call or email me at 899 3324 or gsym@together.net.