January 14, 2016
Contact: Jennifer Kaulius
802.324.2505
Calls for Reliable Funding for Waterway Protection, 21st Century Policing,
Tax Exemption of Municipal Parking Utilities, and Increased Local Control on Public Safety Matters
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Reliable funding for waterway protection from stormwater run-off;
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Implementing 21st century policing in Vermont;
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Tax exemption of municipal parking utilities; and
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Public safety reforms, including increased local control.
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Tax Increment Financing (TIF) reforms and downtown tax credit expansion that have strengthened Vermont’s economy.
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School governance and financing reform (Act 46) that will improve education outcomes and control property taxes.
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Mental health reform that has increased the capacity of the State’s mental health system and makes it harder for seriously mentally ill individuals to buy guns.
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Elimination of non-medical exemptions for vaccinations.
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Legislation intended to save taxpayer dollars and promote downtown investment through common sense reform of urban soils regulation.
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Bill Benton, Vergennes;
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Liz Gamache, St. Albans;
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John Hollar, Montpelier;
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Thom Lauzon, Barre;
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Seth Leonard, Winooski;
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Chris Louras, Rutland;
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Paul Monette, Newport; and
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Miro Weinberger, Burlington.
2016 Legislative Session – January 14, 2016
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Per the legislative intent, the Clean Water Fund should be used primarily to support municipal initiatives during FY16, FY17, and FY18 since the new financial burdens on municipalities are high, and there are no other substantial sources available for municipalities facing substantial new required investments.
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The State should update its estimate of the cost of new municipal investment that will be required by the new TMDL plan. A 2013 study projected a need for an additional $100 million of annual investment by municipalities to implement the TMDL plan. This estimate should be updated to reconcile with the final TMDL plan and a long term funding strategy developed using this updated estimate.
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As the State explores new permanent, reliable funding sources for the Clean Water Fund, it should target paying for 80 percent of the costs required by the new State regulation. Until last year the State was committed to paying for 100 percent of all required wastewater upgrades to remove phosphorus from wastewater facility discharges. In order to both align the interests of the State and its municipalities and support municipalities with limited revenue streams, the State should commit to sharing the new costs related to the water clean-up effort. The VMC looks forward to working with State Agencies and Departments on this important issue.
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Create local tax options for Vermont cities and towns for purposes of funding the local share of stormwater run-off improvements now mandated by the State. Local governments are heavily reliant on property taxes, and many are not in the position to raise those taxes to generate substantial new funds for the new investments required by the Clean Water Act. Local governments should be granted the ability to consider assessing local tax options to pay for new stormwater improvements that have been mandated by the State.
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Vermont combined sewer overflow (CSO) regulations must reflect the reality that combined sewer elimination through sewer separation is not the only solution for addressing this water quality challenge. In many cases, CSO frequency reduction using green infrastructure strategies that infiltrate or detain stormwater runoff at the source can be as or more cost effective than constructing an entirely new pipe network to separate the combined sewer.
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The State must allow for Integrated Plans and Financial Capability Assessments to inform compliance schedules for meeting long term Clean Water Act obligations. Many communities are facing multiple water quality challenges and should be allowed to address these issues in a manner which reflects local water quality priorities. Some communities may need longer than the presumed 20 years depending on the breadth of their water quality challenges and the local socio-economic conditions.
Adopting the Recommendations of the White House Task Force
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To this end, the Legislature and the Administration should exercise their best efforts to review mandates for training and the curriculum of the Criminal Justice Training Council (Vermont Police Academy) to ensure that training requirements comport with the recommendations of the White House Task Force on 21st Century Policing. An example by way of question: are the required hours for practical use of force training (hands on) properly balanced with appropriate levels of training in de-escalation techniques? We must ensure that the officers who put their lives on the line for us are given the most up-to-date training models and best practices available, as this will both keep them safer and provide a greater level of service to those they serve.
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The report on 21st Century Policing recognizes that measuring public trust and identifying where improvements need to be made in the area of procedural justice are the first steps in establishing high levels of police legitimacy. Vermont should embrace this opportunity to be the first in the nation to conduct state-wide, scientific, data-driven surveys and analyses to measure the legitimacy of its largest police organizations. Benchmarks would be established for which metrics could be identified to evaluate outcomes and measure success in building public trust.
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It creates a budgetary imbalance for municipalities, while offering little in the way of tax revenue: Parking utilities balance serving residential, commercial, and tourism needs for our communities as a service – similar to water/wastewater systems and roads. Municipally owned parking is a utility service provided by towns and cities to serve our communities. They are not viewed as sources of net revenue, and any additional taxation makes financing and management of parking untenable.
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It inhibits economic development: Taxation of parking utilities not only makes current management and maintenance of parking utilities difficult, but also it creates an additional cost barrier to future parking development. Development of parking is cost prohibitive, especially in towns and cities, and businesses rely on municipalities to provide parking as a service. Municipalities need flexibility to ensure parking utilities meet the needs of residents, commercial tenants, and visitors.
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It creates an impediment to smart and sustainable growth: Cities and towns are further challenged in providing parking infrastructure that serves smart growth principles and efficient land use. This challenges our more urban environments where economic growth is strong, and also may inspire a challenge to the character of surrounding communities through undesired sprawl.
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Support of a bill that will restore the exemption for municipal parking utilities, regardless of whether commercial tenant leases are held in entirety or a portion of the parking spaces.
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During bill approval, request confirmation from the State Tax Department that the steps taken in the legislation clarify the exemption.
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The VMC is calling for notification when a prohibited person attempts to purchase a firearm. Given the vast knowledge that local police officers have regarding their respective communities (such as pending arrests, investigations, and points of contact), this information could prove invaluable as a preventative tool. Such was the case in Waterbury this fall. Acting on information provided by Sheriff Sam Hill, who had been forwarded information regarding a threat allegedly made against a DCF employee and an alleged attempt to purchase a firearm by State’s Attorney Scott Williams, Barre City law enforcement took the lead on the investigation, and working with Waterbury law enforcement and ATF, were able to determine that a purchase of a firearm had, in fact, been made. The accused (who is prohibited from possessing a firearm) was arrested without incident and held without bail. The accused has since been released to a drug treatment program.
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The VMC will also continue to advocate for the sharing of failed NICS check information with local law enforcement, and looks forward to additional details regarding the President’s recent Executive Order.
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The VMC requests that the legislature commission a detailed report regarding the implementation and effectiveness of S.141 The VMC requests that the report include detailed comparative data, as well as interviews with the court administrators, regarding how well the implementation has gone and how the reporting system could be improved or altered going forward.
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While the VMC has no position on Burlington’s proposed gun violence charter changes, the Coalition strongly supports Burlington’s right to take the steps the City feels are necessary to protect public safety. After a popular vote by the residents of a municipality, charter changes should only be denied when they are in clear conflict with a vital and irreconcilable state interest.