VLCT issues legislative alerts, usually as the legislative session winds down, when legislators need to hear from municipal officials about a particular issue and when time is of the essence. VLCT typically issues legislative updates to provide the status of legislative activity. They are chiefly informational and do not require you to contact your legislators.
2011
03-15. Crossover, S.67, open meeting law, H.73, public records law, H.41, employee breaks, H.56, energy bill, H.287, jobs bill, TIF, H.99, vital records.
2010
05-10 House and Senate conferees on the Miscellaneous Tax Bill (H.783) agreed in concept to include language that freezes the grand list values on hydroelectric facilities at "no lower than" their values on the April 1, 2009 value for 2010 and 2011.
05-06 Funding RPCs is a central component of the effort to improve service delivery in the Challenges for Change legislation. Municipal budgets cannot pick up funding obligations for regional commissions that the state fails to fulfill.
05-05 House Ways & Means took testimony on hydro facility appraisals last week but has not yet acted on it. The committee is interested in some remedial action to cushion this steep drop.
04-30 As feared, Senate Gov. Ops reversed its action on H.778 and now opposes the needed increase in the employee contribution rate for Group C of the VMERS.
04-29 The Senate has passed both H.783, the miscellaneous tax bill, and H.789, the appropriations bill that resulted in the state education property tax rates to be set a penny higher than the House-passed versions.
04-29 The Senate Government Operations Committee took informal action today retaining language in H.778 that would increase the employee contribution rate for Group C of VMERS.
04-27 H.792 is before the Senate Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs Committee, which will propose its idea of what RPCs and RDCs should look like. Both RPC funding and the current organization of regional commissions are at risk.
04-23 H.485 may be on the Senate floor for final action next week. Local officials should urge their senators to support H.485's proposed changes, particularly regarding the LUCT.
04-20 The Senate considers an amendment to H.784 that would expose municipalities to greater liability in the event of a lawsuit.
04-08 The House considers giving final approval to H.776, which requires listers to include a notation in the grand list "whether a taxpayer’s real property includes residential housing with more than one single dwelling unit."
03-23 House Appropriations's version of the FY11 state budget was formally introduced as H.789 today. VLCT urges all House members to give their approval to the bill.
03-19 The House reverses an action it took yesterday and refers H.776 to Ways and Means to determine its impact on the property tax.
03-18 The House acts to require listers to report rental housing units on the grand list.
03-18 House Natural Resources and Energy discusses Section 18 of H.781, the renewable energy bill.
01-21 The legislature debates H.97, a bill to limit the length of time a vehicle may idle.
12-18-09 The State proposes to eliminate Municipal Planning Grants for 2010.
12-09-09 U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy wins key step for measure to reduce heavy truck traffic in Vermont downtowns.
2009
