The Vermont Senate on Thursday narrowly overrode Gov. Phil Scott’s vetoes of charter changes that allow noncitizens in Winooski and Montpelier to vote in local elections.
In votes of 20-10, Senate Democrats met the two-thirds majority necessary to overturn the Republican governor’s veto pen. The upper chamber’s actions come after the Vermont House of Representatives on Wednesday also successfully overrode Scott’s decision. The charter changes to Winooski and Montpelier will now become law.
The Winooski measure, H.227, allows legal residents to vote in both city government and school district elections, while the Montpelier measure, H.177, applies only to city government elections.
“Voters in Montpelier and Winooski came out in favor of legal resident non-citizen voting, and the Legislature, after rigorous debate and deliberation, supported their ability to regulate their own local elections in this way,” Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint, D-Windham, said in a statement.
“Today’s veto override votes continue Vermont’s track record supporting strong citizen engagement, and uphold the tradition of local control in our towns and cities,” she added.
The vote was largely along party lines, with all seven Senate Republicans opposing the charter changes. Sens. Alice Nitka, D-Windsor; Bobby Starr, D-Essex Orleans; and Dick Mazza, D-Grand Isle, joined their Republican colleagues in opposing the provisions.
The governor had vetoed the charter changes earlier this month over concerns about creating an “inconsistency in election policy” in municipalities across the state.
Scott said noncitizen voting was a “policy discussion that deserves further consideration and debate” and asked lawmakers to “develop a statewide policy or a uniform template and process” for municipalities that want to expand voting rights to all legal residents.
Hussein Amuri, a member of Winooski’s Charter Commission, said the measure that became law Thursday is “a big step for Winooski embracing our diversity, embracing who we are, and embracing what we can do to be a truly welcoming city for all Winooskians.”
“There are people who contribute so much to our community and now have a voice in our community. It is the necessary step in creating a government that is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people,” Amuri said in a statement.
In addition to overriding Scott’s vetoes, the Senate on Thursday passed a housing reform bill that will create a statewide registry inspection system for rental properties.
The state already has rental safety codes, but units are typically regulated on the local level by volunteer town health officers, who have many other duties.
Democrats say the system doesn’t provide enough protections for renters who live in poor-quality housing.
“It’s often the low-income Vermonters in our neighborhoods, in our communities, who are the ones who have to rent these substandard units, and I think it’s the least that we can do to stand up for these Vermonters,” Balint said on the virtual Senate floor Thursday.
Sen. Michael Sirotkin, D-Chittenden, the lead sponsor of the bill, called the current housing inspection enforcement system “unworkable.”
“This bill, if passed, will truly represent a major step forward in repairing and maintaining our housing stock in a safe and livable condition,” Sirotkin said.
The legislation passed in a vote of 20-10 and is now headed to Scott’s desk.
Republicans have opposed the housing bill, particularly taking issue with the rental registry.
The policy would require owners of short- and long-term rental properties to register with the state and pay annual $35 per-unit fees. Republicans are concerned that adding new burdens for landlords will discourage them from renting out properties at a time when Vermont has a major housing shortage.
“It makes it less likely that that person will make that property available to rent. And I believe the end result of a bill like this that is so intrusive [is] that we will have fewer properties available for rent than we have right now,” said Senate Minority Leader Randy Brock, R-Franklin.
Scott has also expressed concerns about the bill, and said the rental registry “creates more bureaucracy.”
Senate Majority Leader Alison Clarkson, D-Windsor, said the registry will help improve communication between officials and property owners, and give the state a better understanding of its rental market, including its short-term rental industry.
“Don’t we want to know where these businesses are? There have been lots of conversations about rental housing being a mom and pop business. We have no idea who owns our rental housing,” Clarkson said.
While the governor has criticized the proposal, it’s unclear whether he plans to veto the legislation.
He would support some components of the bill, including a program that would give landlords grants of up to $30,000 to renovate existing properties.
The legislation also establishes a fund that would give no-interest $50,000 loans to first-time homeowners.
