Budget Address

Watch the Governor's budget address live here:

 

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'Vermont Strong' license plates illegal, for now

As of 8 a.m. Monday, the Department of Motor Vehicles had received 700 orders for the 'Vermont Strong' license plates created to raise money for survivors of Tropical Storm Irene. If yours has come in the mail, DON'T PUT IT ON YOUR CAR.

"It’s a little ironic in that it’s illegal to put one on your car right now," Peter Shumlin said this week.

That's because Vermont traffic laws require vehicles registered in the state to have two plates - one on the back and one on the front. Lawmakers have actually sought in the past to require plates only on the rear-facing end of cars and trucks - it would save the state a few hundred thousand dollars a year - but law-enforcement officials don't like that idea at all.

A statutory fix is rapidly underway. The Senate Committee on Transportation has already approved legislation making a front-plate exception for people who shell out $25 for the 'Vermont Strong' plates, which will replace car owners' regular tags.

The House is expected to fast track the bill when it arrives there.

"Just keep it on the kitchen counter for a fews days until we get the law passed," Shumlin said.

Live stream the budget address, right here at vtpressbureau.com

We'll be bringing you live coverage of Peter Shumlin's budget address this afternoon. We're told to expect a meaty presentation - one that closes the $46 million projected for next year's general fund without raising broad-based taxes. The roads and sidewalks are messy out there, so skip the trip to the Golden Dome, and tune in here at vtpressbureau.com. The show gets underway at 2 p.m.  

House Republicans say THEY'RE the fiscal conservatives; Turner takes shot at JFO

MONTPELIER – Gov. Peter Shumlin has worked hard to claim the mantle of fiscal conservatism in his first year in office. But House Republicans are trying to reclaim that turf, outlining a legislative agenda Wednesday that revolves around financial issues.

Rep. Don Turner, the House Minority Leader, disputed the notion that Shumlin and other Democrats have been penny pinchers.

Based on his “inside information” Turner is expecting Shumlin on Thursday to present a state budget with a more than 5 percent increase.

“Vermont has not cut spending, and the budget is not sustainable, and we will not support an increase in spending at those rates going forward,” said Turner.

House Republicans, vastly outnumbered in Montpelier by Democrats, laid out their agenda for the session during a chilly press conference Wednesday on the Statehouse steps.

Their priorities revolve around financial issues – related to Irene recovery, education, transportation, health care – and making sure state government is efficient with taxpayer dollars.

They plan to introduce bills in the next few weeks to achieve their goals. Among other ideas, Republicans hope to use Vermont Housing and Conservation Board funds for an Irene recovery fund; demand answers to key health care reform questions that have been put off until after the 2012 election; push for a sales tax holiday on the anniversary of Irene; and relax regulations so state-funded projects are cheaper.

Turner also used the press conference to take a shot at the nonpartisan Joint Fiscal Office, saying he thinks it isn't nonpartisan at all and actually favors Democrats. Turner said he has tried to get a JFO staffer dedicated to his caucus so the minority party can adequately pursue complex financial issues. That hasn’t happened yet, he said.

“There is no way in today's government climate in Vermont that I can represent my constituents or these people behind me can represent theirs if we don't have the support from the Joint Fiscal Office or the (legislative) council that the majority does,” said Turner.

Having a JFO member assigned to his caucus wouldn't violate the non-partisanship goal of the office, Turner said.

“They don't necessarily have to be partisan, but they have to be dedicated to our caucus so that we can start with an idea and work it through the whole process with someone who understands what the end result is intended to be,” said Turner.

-- Thatcher Moats

Shumlin undecided on reelection plans

Barring a late-entry from the Progs, the announcement by Republican Randy Brock last month seemed to solidify the slate of major-party gubernatorial candidates for 2012.

But asked Monday whether he’s running for reelection, Peter Shumlin looked us straight in the eye and said, “I haven’t decided yet.”

What about single-payer health care? Or universal broadband by 2013? Or all the other far-reaching agenda items that would require more than a single two-year term in the governor’s office?

“I don’t live under the illusion that other people couldn’t steer the ship ably,” Shumlin said.

Should Dems start sweating? Does the party need to find a contingency candidate?

No worries. Eric Davis, professor emeritus of political science at Middlebury College, said Shumlin is merely taking the coy tack of a seasoned politician seeking to maximize his incumbent’s advantage.

“Shumlin is following what I would call the classic incumbent strategy, which is to focus on being governor,” Davis says. “If he announces he’s a candidate for reelection while the Legislature is in session, then everything he does between now and when they adjourn will be seen through a political lens.”

For a guy who hasn’t decided whether he’s running, Shumlin has raised an enormous amount of campaign cash – nearly $200,000 as of July, according to state disclosure filings. And he’s no doubt added to war chest since.

Jesse Bragg, executive director of the Vermont Democratic Party, isn’t sweating the uncertainty.

“We’re really happy with Gov. Shumlin, so I think everybody is party is very hopeful he decides to run again,” Bragg says. “We’re really just waiting for his nod at this point, waiting for him to make a final decision so we can move forward. We don’t see it as our place to set a hard deadline for the standing governor of Vermont.”

But seriously governor. For real this time: You truly haven’t decided?

“I’m not playing with you,” he said. “I think as long as they know by Labor Day, (Democrats) can get another candidate to do the job. I’m not trying to be difficult with you. I’m just 100 percent focused on trying to get the job done.”

Politics is crazy business sometimes.  

Doing the state worker shuffle

MONTPELIER – Gov. Peter Shumlin said Monday that he intends to have some state workers who were displaced from the office complex in Waterbury eventually stationed in Barre, which could be a boon to the Granite City.

At the Statehouse on Tuesday, Shumlin's promise drew a variety of reactions.

Rep. Alice Emmons, who chairs the House Institutions and Corrections Committee, said the Legislature has not reached the same conclusion as Shumlin, though Barre hasn't been ruled out as a location, she said.

“The Legislature is part of the discussion,” Emmons said.

Sen. Ann Cummings – a Washington County Democrat who represents the town that stands to lose (Waterbury) and the city that stands to win (Barre) in the equation – has to balance the interests of both areas.

Cummings likes Shumlin's idea to move state workers to Barre, and says it can be done in a way that doesn't hurt Waterbury.

How can that be done exactly? Cummings talked about bringing more state workers to Washington County overall, but said to wait until Shumlin's budget address later this week for more details.

“He'll have more to say Thursday,” Cummings said.

-- Thatcher Moats

For sale: one mobile slaugherhouse unit

Iron-stomached entrepreneurs: has the state of Vermont got an offer for you.

The state’s mobile slaughter house is up for sale, and interested buyers can place bids at the online auction house being used to sell the unit.

Officially known as the “Vermont Agency of Agriculture Mobile Poultry Processing Unit,” the portable rig has a daily processing capacity of 250 chickens or 100 turkeys.

The unit – it looks a little bit like a windowless single-wide – had been under lease by Spring Hill Poultry, but the owner there has decided not to renew.

The agency is making the hard sell in a press release fired off to news outlets yesterday:

“With the market for locally produced poultry and rabbit continuing to rise, this piece of infrastructure offers a great business opportunity,” the release promises.

The state commissioned the trailer-sized unit in 2008, matching $93,000 in state money with a grant from the Castanea Foundation. State officials apparently want to unload the thing for good now, though the Agency of Agriculture will offer ongoing trouble-shooting assistance to whoever buys it.

The unit is being sold in an online auction at http://www.auctionsinternational.com/item.cgi?show_item=0000077280, and, so far at least, the price is right. Top bid right now is $7,600, and there’s no reserve. Bidding ends at 6:18 p.m. on Jan. 13.

The mobile unit can be docked at farms or fairgrounds, or any other place with decent numbers of slaughter-ready poultry.

To check it out in person, head over to the north end of the Waterbury State Complex parking lot sometime between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 11. RSVPs would be appreciated, and you can do so by contacting Chelsea Bardot Lewis at (802) 828-3360, or [email protected].  

The Rundown: The week's top 5 stories in 3 minutes



House approves tax relief for Irene-ravage towns and cities

On just its third day in session, the Vermont House of Representatives voted out a tax abatement bill that will soften the financial blow to municipalities ravaged by Tropical Storm Irene.

On the whole, Irene’s impact on Vermont property values was pretty minor. The $109 million in damage to residential and commercial properties statewide amounts to only about one-tenth of 1 percent of the state’s $81.3 billion grand list.

But for communities like Waterbury, which saw $9.9 million in property damage, or Wilmington, which registered more than $13 million in losses, the legislation approved unanimously Thursday will prevent the disaster from triggering even more fiscal pressure on taxpayers in those communities.

The bill, expected to cost the state between $2 million and $4 million in general fund money, will reimburse towns for whatever property-tax revenue that will be lost as a result of the damage to homes and businesses. It also will prevent affected property owners from having to pay taxes on home value that no longer exists.

Otherwise, those towns would be left to make up the difference internally, resulting in higher – in some cases substantially higher – tax rates on the rest of the tax-paying population.

Eighty-two towns reported some property damage as a result of Irene; of those, 23 had losses of more than $1 million, according to Bill Johnson with the Vermont Department of Taxes. Residential homes were hit hardest, accounting for 71 percent of all property damage.

The bill enjoyed tri-partisan support in the House, and is expected to move quickly through the Senate as well.

“In the storms of the past year, significant damage was done to private properties across the state,” House Speaker Shap Smith said in a written statement. “I am glad we were able to expedite this bill to provide help to those hit hard by natural disaster.”

Shumlin in State of State: No new taxes

Peter Shumlin has announced proposals for “significant” state investments in higher education, a more aggressive push for renewable energy, and a prescription drug-monitoring plan aimed at curbing the availability of opiate pain killers.

Those are the main initiatives outlined in the governor’s State of the State address, which focuses largely on the stories of heroism in the days and weeks after Tropical Storm Irene.

Shumlin will close his speech in a couple moments by issuing what appears to be a no-new-taxes pledge.

“I remain determined,” he will say, “not to increase broad-based taxes on Vermonters as we begin to see signs of modest economic growth.”

That may not sit well with members of Occupy Vermont, a contingent of whom is sitting in the House gallery.