Dear Editor,
It is irresponsible for Rutland City to ask its voters to approve a $3.9 million tax increment financing bond at a time when the future of healthcare and other economic factors are unknown. Watching the Senate Finance Committee questioning the Secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. earlier this month makes me believe that Vermonters are being put in harm’s way by his leadership as the “Big Beautiful Bill” strips Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
Open enrollment for health coverage in Vermont runs yearly from November 1 to January 15, so for me to vote to approve a $3.9 million project is unthinkable, especially when healthcare benefit cuts, increased prices of homes and automobiles, and tariff increases on other types of products are all yet to come.
Additionally, Rutland City is undergoing a comprehensive property tax reappraisal to update property taxes to bring the home assessments in line with market values that have risen in recent years. It is wrong to ask city residents to vote yes on a bond before all of these are known.
Zachary Pratt, PhD
Rutland
