April 3, 2016
Hello All,
Last Monday’s community meeting on PFOA was remarkable. I was proud of how many people showed up, the good questions they asked, and the Department of Environmental Conservation’s listening and responding to our concerns. This issue has a long way to go. Now we are waiting for next test results. I know that DEC will meet with the Fire District Board to discuss options. I have also heard that Williamstown tested their water and I was told by DEC that results were negative. Here is the most recent DEC update I have on Pownal.
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PFOA Contamination Response: Community Updates
Starting next week, the Department of Environmental Conservation will be sending regular weekly updates to community members every Thursday, in an effort to be consistent and comprehensive in our communications to you. Important news releases may be shared immediately outside of weekly Thursday updates.
To be added to the notification list, send a request to Danika Frisbie, Or use the web based sign up at
Pownal Update
Pownal Water Sampling Begins
DEC staff collected water samples on Wednesday from 58 locations within a 1-mile radius of the former Warren Wire facility located on Route 346 in Pownal. The team will be back out on Monday, April 4th to collect more samples from residents in the area. Residents within a mile can sign up for well testing using this online form, or by calling 2-1-1.
Additional water samples were collected by the EPA from four locations around the former Warren Wire Plant #3 in Pownal Center.
Bottled water pick-up hours in Pownal--
Bottled water remains available for pick-up to all residents of Pownal at the Pownal Rescue Squad building on 22 Ladd Brook Road, from 3-7pm Monday-Sunday. Starting the week of April 4th, bottled water pick-up hours will be 4-7pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Three additional water filling stations remain available 24 hours at Burdick Trailer Park, Green Mountain Mobile Home Park, and Alta Garden Estates.
What to do with empty water bottles and jugs
Please return empty water jugs to the Rescue Squad station in Pownal to be refilled or recycled.
Empty water bottles should be recycled at home, or brought to the transfer station in Pownal with other household trash and recyclables. The Pownal Transfer Station (permit required) on Maple Grove Road is open Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 8am-4pm. Visit Bennington County Solid Waste Alliance for more information about trash and recycling options.
Information Resources Available
For general PFOA questions and concerns:
Call 2-1-1.
Visit: Vermont DEC PFOA Response Page
For questions about potential health effects of PFOA:
Call the Vermont Department of Health toll-free at 800-439-8550.
Visit: Vermont Department Health PFOA Page
Also here’s a link to some PFOA resources developed by Bennington College, It includes academic papers, federal information, journal coverage, and more.
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Town of Pownal website;
Pownal now has a website with core information and links to related resources. Here’s the link. . I hope the site will continue to grow into an excellent resource for the town. I believe it was designed by resident Amy Moore. Thanks to the Selectboard and Amy for moving this forward.
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The legislature is very busy these days as House bills continue to come forward for debate, modification and passage to the Senate. Soon we will see action on Senate bills that have come over, been sent to House committees for further review and recommendations.
H. 853 An act relating to setting the nonresidential property tax rate, the property dollar equivalent yield, and the income dollar equivalent yield for fiscal year 2017, and other education changes
This bill “proposes to set the nonresidential property tax rate, the property dollar equivalent yield, and the income dollar equivalent yield for fiscal year 2017. This bill also creates a system for tracking the amount of unfunded education mandates and recommending those amounts be added to the budget each year. The bill creates a process by which merging school districts can consider the allocation of
capital assets and debt in the merger process. It would require the Secretary to establish requirements for school districts to report information on surpluses and reserve funds. And the bill also creates a study to examine whether to use an aggregate common level of appraisal for merged districts.” A floor amendment added a section that says, “The Agency of Education, with the assistance of other executive agencies, shall report to the General Assembly with recommendations on how to analyze the weighting factors that are used to determine equalized pupil counts under 16 V.S.A. §4010, and how to analyze the effect of those weighting factors on educational opportunities. The report shall also consider how best to analyze whether any additional weighting factors beyond those currently listed in statute, including population density, could be used to provide education opportunities more equitably. The report shall include recommendations related to the staffing, cost, and data needs of such a study.”
Annually, House Education and House Ways and Means collaborate to recommend a number of changes to our statewide education tax rates (and now, property dollar equivalent yield), and other education finance and tax measures.
Here’s some detail on the bill sent to me by Rep. Buxton, a colleague on the House Education Committee.
“As passed out of House Education, the bill sets nonresidential property tax rate at $1.53 (down .005), the property dollar equivalent yield at $9,701, and income dollar equivalent at $10,870. The bill:
Maintains the current excess spending threshold at 121% of statewide average until 2020, when it will be lowered to 119%.
Sets out a process that transfers from the general fund the (estimated) total amount of related education expenses assumed by districts and SUs incurred by new legislation, adding that amount to the general fund transfer in the following year as part of the ongoing base. (This is the “no more unfunded mandates” part of the bill.)
Allows Act 153/156 study committee reports (generated in accordance with Act 46) to provide terms for transferring liability for indebtedness from the school district to the town.
Requires the Agency of Education to collect data on local budget surplus amounts, reserve fund amounts, and reserve fund uses.
Convenes a study group to examine the viability of moving merged districts to an aggregate common level of appraisal (CLA).
Requires the Joint Fiscal Office to provide an annotated version of the Education Fund Outlook at least twice a year.
Requires the Joint Fiscal Office to analyze and report on two different proposed changes to education tax calculations. One creates a hybrid property and income-based education tax system. The other establishes a local tax rate that includes an annually adjusted base amount (derived from the state’s total education fund revenues divided by the total number of equalized pupils) and is adjusted for how much higher or lower the local district’s per pupil spending is relative to the state average.
A new term used this year is “the Yield.”
In previous years the formula used to compute local education tax rates had several variable numbers that were set by the state each year (e.g. state education tax amount, base amount, income percent, etc.) Last year we made a change, fixing one variable in each of the two formulas (penny-rate payers & income-based payers). Beginning this year, we are setting the “yields” instead of the tax rates. The “rates” in the formula are now fixed at $1.00 (state education tax rate) and 2% (of income, for income-based payers). This allows us to see what a one dollar tax on the property value of our grand list will generate when the formula is balanced to cover total education spending. This year, that number is $9,701. Because districts generally spend MORE than that amount per pupil, their local tax rate will be the proportional amount more than a dollar. So, the higher the yield, the lower the local tax rate.
Reporting or setting the “yield” better reflects our economic conditions and correlates more simply with local spending decisions.”
There were several votes on amendments to the bill. I supported the Education and the Ways and Means committees’ recommendations on each. The final vote on the bill was 98 to 45 and I voted yes.
Here’s a link to the bill
H. 876 An act relating to the transportation capital program and miscellaneous changes to transportation-related law and
H. 877 An act relating to transportation funding
This year the Transportation Bill (T-Bill) was presented as two separate bills. Both passed by strong votes of 124 to 19 for H.876 and 104 to 40 for H.877.
Here are a few notes on the bill. “The T-Bill at $618 million ($331m federal; $282m state; $4.8m local/other) is a slight increase of 2% over last year. Federal funds are a little lower than last year however, given that we are at the beginning of a new five-year federal transportation funding law called Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST). While we no longer benefit from the Senator Jeffords ear-mark legacy, we continue to receive a greater than average state share.
Highlights of the bill include:
The T-Bill sets out two requirements of drivers to make bicycling on streets and highways safer. Automobiles would have to maintain a distance of at least four feet from any vulnerable user (bicycle, pedestrian, person in wheelchair) and they would have to yield to a vulnerable user who might be on their right when making a right hand turn.
The Bicycle/Pedestrian Program will receive a $3.9 million increase over last year’s budget. Thirty five projects will be constructed including continued work on the 92 mile Lamoille Valley Rail Trail. Also we would begin design to resurface the Delaware and Hudson Rail Trail.
Public transit’s budget will see a 15% increase ($4.1 million) to $31.2 million.
The T-Bill will spend $33.9 million state-wide with a focus on the State-owned Rutland to Burlington tracks to bring that corridor to higher speeds for freight and expansion of the Ethan Allen Express Amtrak service to Burlington.
The highway program will improve more than 200 miles of state highway. This effort will continue the trend of decreasing the percentage of pavement rated “poor condition” which has been on the decline since 2008.
As a result of the completion of Irene related bridge projects and a decrease in federal funds, this program will have a 10% decrease from last year. Attention will shift to Interstate bridges..
Park-and-Ride users continue to increase in number. Four of our Park-and-Ride facilities will be enlarged or otherwise upgraded. A new one will be built at I 89 Exit 12, VT Route 2A. All told, this will result in more than 159 new spaces. Another seven projects are under design.
Aid to towns for structures, paving, bridges and stormwater mitigation are overall at or close to current levels.
H. 879 An act relating to the Health Care Fund contribution assessment and the taxation of e-cigarettes
This bill proposes to create a tiered Health Care Fund contribution assessment and to impose an excise tax on e-cigarettes. The Health care fund assessment groups employers by size for the assessment to companies for uncovered employees. The groups are 1-19 at $151.12 for each uncovered FTE paid quarterly, 20-99 at $200.00 for each uncovered FTE paid quarterly and 100 or more at 244.00 for each uncovered FTE paid quarterly.
With this proposal e-cigarette products would be taxed the same as “Other tobacco products,” which means “any product manufactured from, derived from, or containing tobacco that is intended for human consumption by smoking, chewing, or in any other manner, including products sold as a tobacco substitute, as defined in 7 V.S.A. § 1001(8), and including any liquids, whether nicotine based or not, or delivery devices sold separately for use with a tobacco substitute.”
This bill passed 83 to 54 and I voted yes as I think all tobacco products should be treated the same.
H. 863 An act relating to making miscellaneous amendments to Vermont’s retirement laws
The House Government Operations Committee annually reviews retirement laws and makes adjustments as necessary. Their floor report of the bill this year noted all changes as minor or technical in nature . and the bill passed on a unanimous voice vote. For details of the bill here’s a link
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Now that it is early spring as so often happens in Vermont this time of year winter has returned and it looks like cold wind and snow will be with us for much of the coming week. Drive carefully, keep an eye out for your neighbors and stay warm.
Stay in touch,
Bill
Rep. Bill Botzow
1225 South Stream Rd.
Bennington, VT 05201
802 447-7717 - State House number 800 322-5616 (VT only)