Three members of the Vermont Mayors Coalition trekked to the Statehouse on Friday to beg state lawmakers to take action on a number of issues they’ve highlighted as urgent priorities in their respective cities: the housing crisis, a critical shortage of mental health and drug treatment options, mounting public safety concerns, a persistent child care shortage and a lack of public transportation options.
Sound familiar? The coalition — and everyone else in the state of Vermont, and their cat — has been ringing the alarm on these issues for years.
At Friday’s press conference, the mayors of Burlington, Newport and Winooski appeared to be tired of repeating themselves.
First elected in 2009, Newport Mayor Paul Monette is the longest serving mayor currently in office and plans to retire come Town Meeting Day in March. Asked how it feels to return to Montpelier every year with the same list of priorities, Monette told reporters, “Well, it’s frustrating.”
“I think we’ve brought issues to the Legislature, these same issues, over and over,” Monette said. “And I think the frustrating part has been seeing some of the lack of action from the Legislature. I think what we present are well thought-out policy ideas that we think will help solve the issues of Vermont, because in my opinion, all of these issues have a very negative economic impact on our communities.”
The issues, Monette added, are interconnected, like pieces of a puzzle. In Newport, prospective hires at North Country Hospital have had to turn down jobs because they can’t find a place to live, he said. In turn, the health care system is squeezed ever tighter.
“And I have to admit, I guess I’m getting a little tired of the study after study on Act 250,” Monette said. “You know, the solutions are there.”
Posed the same question, Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger was at first diplomatic, saying the Mayors Coalition has historically been able to get policies across the finish line in conjunction with the Legislature. “I certainly don’t want to give the impression that the Legislature never listens to us, is not a good partner at times,” he said.
“I guess I do have the sense that, yes, a number of these are issues that we have raised before,” Weinberger continued. “We’re raising them again because this is a moment that demands action.”
Weinberger went on to say that the Covid-19 pandemic has offered municipalities newfound opportunities to address longstanding issues, by bringing renewed urgency and an unprecedented influx of federal cash in recent years.
He said he wants to see the Legislature light the same fire.
“I think there’s the same opportunity for the Legislature to have that kind of impact this year, and yeah, address some of these things that have been real problems hanging in there for a long time. This is a moment we can get a lot done, and we should, and we want to be partners with the Legislature.”
— Sarah Mearhoff
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As Vermont lawmakers begin to take up a fresh slate of gun control bills this legislative session, the imminent threat of litigation looms over them like never before.
A panel of senators on Friday held their first hearing on S.4, a wide-ranging, nine-part bill that would, among other measures, ban straw purchasing of firearms at the state level, in which someone buys a gun for another person who couldn’t buy one; prohibit tampering with firearms’ serial numbers; prohibit the possession of semi-automatic weapons by Vermonters under 21 years old; and make juvenile case records available for background checks conducted prior to new gun purchases.
The Legislature’s Democratic supermajority appears eager to take up new gun control legislation this year, holding a historic majority in both chambers that could easily override a veto by Republican Gov. Phil Scott. And helming the upper chamber for his first biennium as Senate President Pro Tempore is Sen. Phil Baruth, D/P-Chittenden Central, an impassioned advocate for gun control.
But also new this year is the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling on New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen. Decided by the nation’s highest court in October, the Bruen precedent has thrown into question the constitutionality of a litany of gun control measures — even those that have already been upheld by lower courts in the past.
— Sarah Mearhoff
In more than a third of Vermont towns, primary residents are taxed at higher rates than those who own second homes or commercial land, according to a VTDigger analysis of property tax rates. For the current fiscal year, homeowners in 88 towns pay higher rates.
But that could change this legislative session if Vermont lawmakers take up reforms that have been researched throughout the past year. Key lawmakers, motivated by the state’s housing crisis, have told VTDigger they want to consider taxing second homeowners differently than commercial and rental property owners, suggesting vacationers should shoulder a greater tax burden if they want to own homes that are occupied for only part of the year.
— Ethan Weinstein and Erin Petenko
Say hello to her little friend. Sen. Tanya Vyhovsky, P/D-Chittenden Central, told me she was feeling lonely without her canine companion Laika by her side in the Capitol. Outside of the session, she said, Laika comes to work with her every day. So Rep. Brian Cina, P/D-Burlington, gifted Vyhovsky a Laika mini-me. The resemblance is uncanny, no?
A professional working gal herself, Laika is a certified therapy dog. So if anyone wants to request an on-site Statehouse therapy dog, you know who to call.
— Sarah Mearhoff
THE FIFTH FLOOR
Shawn Nailor will stay on as secretary and chief information officer of the Vermont Agency of Digital Services, Gov. Phil Scott’s office announced Friday, and Denise Reilly-Hughes has been named Deputy Secretary.
Nailor has held the post on an interim basis since September when his predecessor, John Quinn, departed for a private sector job. Both appointments are effective immediately.
— Lola Duffort
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