Cavendish Update 3/8/24: Election results/Vacancies/Don't Pitch in the Ditch

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SPRING FORWARD ON SUNDAY-Day light savings time returns. Set clocks ahead one hour and use this as an opportunity to check smoke and radon detectors.

Grafton Village Cheese opens at the old Black River Produce site on 103 tomorrow, Saturday March 9.

3/8/24

1.Town Meeting Results

2. Town Positions Open

3.Don’t Pitch in the Ditch

4.Cavendish Related News

5. Events

1.TOWN MEETING RESULTS: Of 1,082 registered Cavendish voters, 355 voted in the March 5 election, with 31 returning absentee ballots.

There was only one contested race, the one year position for Cavendish Selectboard, which will be filled by Shannon Devereux 251 votes and David Norton 211 votes. Stu Lindberg received 132 votes. Theresa McNamara received 18 write in votes for Town Grand Juror and Chris Saylor received 15 write in votes for Library Trustee.

For the Town Articles, results were as follows:

Article 2 (Tax collection ) 304 yes; 41 no; 17 blank

Article 3 (Town Budget) 281 yes; 69 no; 12 blank

Article 4 (Cannabis retailers) 182 yes; 168 no; 12 blank

Article 5 (Adoption of Australian budget for town budget) 234 Yes; 168 No; 16 blank

Article 6 (Adoption of Australian ballot for all future public questions) 225 yes; 114 no; 23 blank

Article 7 (Tax exemption of Black River Health Center) 235 Yes; 114 No; 9 blank

Article 8 (Tax exemption of Fletcher Farm Foundation) 245 Yes; 98 No; 19 blank

Article 9 (Tax exemption of Cavendish Fire Dept) 298 Yes; 46 No; 18 blank

Article 10 (Tax exemption of Proctorsville Fire Dept) 316 Yes; 28 No; 18 blank

Presidential Primary: Vermont voted for Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee and is the first state to nominate Nikki Haley for the Republican nominee. However, Haley has suspended her campaign.

GMUSD Budget: Note that all votes are counted and presented in the aggregate so it’s not known how Cavendish voted. The budget was defeated by a vote of 699 no to 620 Yes. Please note that the GMUSD budget will have little to no effect on the Common Level of Appraisal (CLA), which for Cavendish is $212.80 per $100,000 of assessed property.

In Vermont, a little over 30% of the school budgets failed including Ludlow Mt Holly Supervisory Union; Springfield and Woodstock. A lot of concern is being raised about the high increase of schools based on the CLA (common level of appraisal).

Yesterday Gov. Scott addressed the education issue by revealing that he had voted no on his town’s school budget and suggested that VT’s manner of funding education “might have reached its life expectancy.” With the average property tax increasing by 19% for education, and nearly 70% of taxes going to educating 17.7% of the population, VT has the highest education taxes in the country. Unfortunately the state’s academic performance is middle of the pack and often referred to as “lack luster.” Health care costs, construction, special education, disappearing federal money and increased salaries are all contributing significantly, according to state data. Scott has asked for reforms, such as staff-to-student ratios, adjusting the income-sensitized component of Vermont’s education property tax; and school consolidation  For more on this topic, read Stripping back local control of school budgets? Phil Scott says it is on the table VT Digger Cascade of failed school budgets causes hand-wringing in Montpelier WCAX

2.TOWN POSITIONS OPEN: The Town of Cavendish has vacancies for the following positions: Auditor, Town Agent, Trustee of Public Funds, Planning Commission members (2 positions), Animal Control Officer, Budget Committee members Anyone interested in being appointed to any of these positions should contact the Town Office at 802.226.7292

3. DON’T PITCH IN THE DITCH: As we gear up for spring yard work, please be mindful of the ditches, culverts, and storm drains on and around your property. These are in place to convey water when it rains or when snow melts.

When these structures become clogged with dirt, leaves, trash, sticks, tree limbs, and overgrowth of vegetation, it can cause or increase the severity of flooding!!

So in partnership with several organizations in the area, Black River Action Team (B.R.A.T.)  reminds everyone: "Don't Pitch In the Ditch" - this applies to everyone; if you hire out your yard work, please share with landscapers and lawn care service providers. You could prevent serious flooding!

* Never put leaves, branches, dirt, or any other organic matter into ditches or close to culverts. Just because it might be biodegradable, it will still clog the waterway and lead to flooding. Instead, compost the leaves and small sticks or bag & bring them to your local transfer station.

* Rake "clean" dirt/mud into grassy areas and work in to help grow the topsoil.

* Clear trash from these structures so they don't pose a flood risk.

* If you spot damage or obstruction to a culvert or drain, contact your town office to learn who is responsible.

* Work safely, don't enter water above your ankles if you can't see the bottom, and don't work during a storm.

* Only use hand tools (rake, shovel, broom) and never dig around or under a culvert or drain! You can cause more damage than you're trying to prevent.

* Call the town office or 9-1-1 if there is serious damage or potential harm to a road or other infrastructure.

Contact BRAT with questions or concerns: blackrivercleanup@gmail.com

4. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

• Blue Jay Way Band at Ludlow Town Hall: The Blue Jay Way Band of Rutland will bring 50 years of rock ‘n’ roll music to Ludlow on March 16, in the Heald Auditorium at Ludlow Town Hall. he band has agreed to appear in Ludlow on Saturday, March 16, at 7 p.m., in the Heald Auditorium. At that time, Mark Huntley, of Cavendish, will join the Blue Jay Way as a special guest performer. The event is sponsored by Friends of Ludlow Auditorium (FOLA). FMI: 802-228-3238.

• Green Mountain Conservation Camp registration open: If you are 12-14 years old and want to learn about Vermont’s wildlife and gain outdoor skills, consider attending one of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s Green Mountain Conservation Camps (GMCC) this summer. If you are a GMCC alum 16 or younger, consider coming back for another summer. The one-week camp programs are held at Lake Bomoseen in Castleton, and Buck Lake in Woodbury. Campers participate in hands-on learning about fish and wildlife conservation, ecology, forestry, orienteering, safe firearm and archery techniques, swimming, canoeing, fishing. and more. Natural resource professionals come to the camp to share information on their programs and take campers out for field activities. Conservation Camps open June 16, and continue until Aug. 16. Tuition for the week includes food, lodging, and equipment. Financial assistance is available. Information and registration are available at www.vtfishandwildlife.com. For more information, contact FWGMCC@vermont.gov, or call 802-522-2925.

5. EVENTS

MARCH 9 (SATURDAY): Grafton Village Cheese opening at the former Black River Produce Building on route 103

MARCH 16 (SATURDAY): Blue Jay Way Band, featuring Cavendish’s Mark Huntley, at the Ludlow Town Hall Auditorium from 6-9 pm.

MARCH 17 (SUNDAY): Happy St. Patrick’s Day

MARCH 19 (TUESDAY): Solar eclipse talk by Claudio Veliz at the Cavendish Library, 573 Main St. in Proctorsville starting at 6 pm. Safe, solar-filtered glasses will be handed out to attendees, complete with instructions on their use during the eclipse. FMI: cavendishcommunityconservation@gmail.com.

    IF YOU READ THIS PLEASE HELP SUPPORT CAVENDISH CONNECTS

Special Report 3/5/24: Education Tax/Informational Town Meeting

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Vote Today-10-7 at the Proctorsville Fire Dept. Cavendish residents who are unregistered, can do so at the Polls. You will need to bring a photocopy of an acceptable form of ID, which includes: Valid photo ID (driver's license or passport); Utility bill ; Current bank statement; or Another government document. 

3/5/24 Special report

1.Education Taxes

2. Town Meeting

1. Education Taxes: To understand how the education tax is configured, watch the GMUSD General Information Meeting that was held on Feb. 29. The Information portion begins around 21:00 minutes.

Act 127 goes into effect for the first time this fiscal year. The intent is to level the playing field by giving more weight, and financial support,  to students who are low income, live rurally or English is their  second language

While the Green Mountain Unified School District (GMUSD) budget has increased by 10% this year, the basic level of taxes will not change because of the weighted pupil cost. This is due to the high number of students in the GMUSD on IEPs (Individual Education Plan), and their need for specialized education. In short, the GMUSD benefits from Act 127 this year.

As noted in Friday’s Cavendish Update, the issue for the education tax is the Common Level of Appraisal (CLA):  According to the Education Tax Calculator CLA is a method of ensuring that each town is paying its fair share of education property tax to the state’s Education Fund even if its grand list is not at 100% of fair market value. The CLA doesn’t change property values, only the education tax rate in a town. Note that education accounts for almost 70% of property taxes.

The education tax is based on how much houses sold for in Cavendish for the last three years. Cavendish’s CLA for this year is 72.55%, which means that Cavendish homes are generally listed for 72.55% of their fair market value, on average. Please note that the figure given in Friday’s Update of 82% was from the prior year.

The CLA will increase Cavendish taxes $212.80 per $100,000 of assessed property. Note that tax rates are set in June.

2. TOWN INFORMATIONAL MEETING: Since all articles will be voted on by Australian Ballot on Tuesday, March 5, this was an informational meeting that lasted for about an hour and a half. In addition to the Select Board members and town staff, there were approximately 38 people in attendance and 17 on Zoom.

Okemo Valley TV has posted a video of last night’s meeting, which is available at their website. Below is a brief summary of the meeting and for more details, it is recommended to watch the meeting. 

• Ambulance Service (Article 3 Town Budget): Wendy Regier voiced concern that Ludlow Ambulance will only transport to Springfield Hospital, and not to Mt. Ascutney Hospital, where she had wanted to be taken last year. She noted the budget of $78,000 for ambulance service and wondered what can be done to change this practice.  Wendy is researching this topic and has asked that anyone interested in working with her should contact her directly or via the town office.

• Gravel and Roads (Article 3, Town Budget): As we’re in the midst of mud season, questions about enough gravel and when will roads be repaved are of concern to many. Town Manager, Rick Chambers, felt that sufficient gravel was available so that the town crew could be a lot more proactive and start getting the roads in better shape. With more money for paving, the town can begin to tackle more areas. How much and how far will depend on what the town roads need. He noted that this was the beginning and it would take years, and more money, to complete the paving projects.

• Cannabis (Article 4): Concerned was raised about cannabis retailers and what role the town would have if a store was set up. Chambers noted that all aspects of retail cannabis is regulated by the state. Before a license can be obtained, it must have the approval of the town. It was noted that both Ludlow and Chester had hearings on this topic before going to a vote and it would have been helpful for Cavendish to have done the same.

• Australian Ballot (Article 5 & 6): Many believed that if all voting was to be done by Australian Ballot, Town Meeting would be killed, and once gone, would be difficult to reinstate. The pros and cons centered around whether the discussion, changes made as a result and in person voting was a more effective way to vote or if it was more democratic by Australian Ballot as more people take part in the voting process. A suggestion was made to move Town Meeting Day to Saturday where many more could attend. When asked for a show of hands of how many people favored such a move, almost everyone in the room raised their hand. Note that those on Zoom, while having the ability to ask questions, are unable to vote. The tradition of Vermont Town Meeting dates back to 1762, 15 years before Vermont became a state.

• Tax Exemption: Black River Health Center (Article 7): The Black River Health Center (BRHC) was started in 1957, when Kenwood Mills agreed to donate a building to create a health center in order to attract a doctor. According to Dr. Eugene Bont, who ran the facility until 1988 when he and his wife, Phyllis Bont, a nurse practitioner, left for Albany Medical Center,  it was stipulated by Kenwood that in the event the health center cease to exist, the building should be turned over to the town. Since the Bonts left, BRHC has served many purposes but hasn’t been successful in serving the intended purpose of being a primary care facility. That function is now served by the Ludlow Health Center, which is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). Outside of a clinical social worker, there are 3 other people working there but no specifics were given about what they do. Mention was made that they served the community but very limited details were provided. George Timko, Select Board member and head of the BRHC said that COVID had created a problem for them but they hoped things would start improving.

While the amount of taxpayers would have to pay is minimal for this exemption, whether the BRHC is a health center is a question to be considered.  Could the building better serve the community as a place to develop affordable housing, which the town is in need of?

• Tax Exemption: Fletcher Farm Foundation (Article 8): Tim Calabrese provided a list of ways the Foundation, started in 1933, supports the town: Scholarships; funds for the Cavendish Fletcher Library; reduced rent for Stepping Stones Preschool, TRSU offices and the Arts & Crafts School: reduced tuition to attend the Arts & Crafts School; Community Garden; Dog Park; Meeting space; and location of the bi annual Black River Good Neighbors Services Rummage Sale. This summer they will begin construction of 5 miles of mountain biking and hiking trails.

The tax exemption for both BRHC and Fletcher Farm is $16,061 (page 25 of the Town Report), with approximately $12,000 assigned to Fletcher Farm.

• Tax Exemption: Fire Departments (Articles 8 & 9) There was a brief discussion that fire departments are already tax exempt.

Cavendish Update 3/1/24: Property Education Taxes, News/Events

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3/1/24

1.Property Taxes/Education Tax

2. Cavendish Related News

3. Events

1. PROPERTY TAXES/EDUCATION TAX: On page 28 of the  Cavendish 2023 Annual Town Report, a table has been provided that shows a breakdown of what portion of property taxes go to the town, school and fire departments:

• Fire District 1 (Proctorsville): 67% Education; 24% Town and 9% Fire District

• Fire District 2 (Cavendish): 69% Education; 25% Town and 6% Fire District

Note that the percentages for the Fire Districts in the table on page 28 appear to be 1.9% and 2.6% respectively. This is an error, which has been confirmed by the town manager.

This information was posted to the Cavendish Facebook page, which resulted in two tracks of discussion: why doesn’t Cavendish have just one fire district and the high cost of education. Of the two issues, the high cost of education seemed to of most concern. As one Cavendish resident noted, The tax burden is already sky high and the level of education received isn't aligned. There needs to be a better use of funds, not just more funds to misuse. Others pointed out that the costs were unsustainable and many who are paying do not have school age children.

Unlike the Town Report, which is mailed out, the Green Mountain Unified School District (GMUSD) Report is available on-line, with “hard copies” available at the Town Office and the schools.

While the Town Report is straight forward, where you can compare one year’s spending to the next, the GMUSD report, provides limited information. Further, trying to figure out what the tax rate will be is challenging at best or as one person noted, “There is a course in that in the doctoral program in math at UVM.”

On page 3 of the GMUSD Report, Article 1 states, “Shall the voters of Green Mountain Unified School District approve the School Board of Directors to expend $17,440,030.00 which is the amount the school board of directors has determined to be necessary for the ensuing fiscal year? It is estimated that the proposed budget, if approved, will result in education spending of $13,079.03 per Long Term Weighted (LTW) equalized pupil.

Currently the GMUSD has 607 students broken down as follows-CTES: 76 students, though they list 80, citing that 4 homeschool students attend for special events (page 19); CAES 236 (page 22) and GMUHS 295 students (page 25).

The kicker for this year’s tax increase is the Common Lebel of Appraisal (CLA):  According to the Education Tax Calculator CLA is a method of ensuring that each town is paying its fair share of education property tax to the state’s Education Fund even if its grand list is not at 100% of fair market value. .. The Common Level of Appraisal (CLA) for every Vermont town is the primary result of the Equalization Study performed by the Department of Taxes every year. The equalization study compares the ratio of the grand list listed value to the sale price for all the arm’s length sales in the town over the prior three-year period. Note: This timeframe includes the COVID period where property sold at exceedingly high levels. The study considers sales price as the best measurement of fair market value. If grand list values are generally less than sale prices for the recent sales, the town will end up with a CLA less than one hundred percent. If grand list values are generally more than sale prices for the recent sales, the town will end up with a CLA of more than one hundred percent. Once the CLA is determined, it is used to adjust the homestead and nonhomestead education property tax rates. The CLA doesn’t change property values, only the education tax rate in a town - an example of indirect equalization.

This is an example from the state of how the CLA would be applied, Suppose the equalization study determined that a town’s CLA will be 90%, indicating that property in the town is generally listed for 90% of its fair market value, on average. If the homestead education property tax rate in the town is $1.50 (per $100 of property value) before the CLA is applied, then the actual (final) tax rate would be $1.50/.90 = $1.6667 (per $100 of property value) after the CLA is applied.

Cavendish’s CLA is 82%, which would increase taxes around $200 per $100,000 of assessed property value. We will be getting more accurate numbers and information before Tuesday’s voting and will provide a special report.

So why is the Agency for Education (AOE) asking for such a large increase in taxes? According to a report in VT Digger Health care costs, construction, special education, disappearing federal money and increased salaries are all contributing significantly to a projected $230 million increase in education spending, from $1.71 billion in fiscal year 2024 to $1.94 billion in fiscal year 2025, according to the agency’s survey. 

Using new budget information from late January and early February, the average education property tax bill is now projected to rise 19% rather than 20%, a product of about $15 million less needed to be raised by the education fund. The revised number is a result of some school districts shaving money from their budgets, as well as updated education fund data. 

Town Meeting is on Monday, March 4, 7 pm at Cavendish Town Elementary School. This is an informational meeting only, but a good place to ask questions answered and for discussion. All items are voted on by Australian ballot on March 5, 10-7 at the Proctorsville Fire Dept.

2. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

• Scam Alert: Dozens of Green Mountain Power customers have reported a caller threatening immediate power shut off unless they pay up right away. This is a scam! Be safe and hang up! You can call us directly to check the status of your account: 888-835-4672. Do not provide payment or personal information. Do not engage with the caller. Do not call back that number that called you. Call GMP Customer Service directly at 888-835-4672 to report the call, and any details about it, like the number it came from, the caller’s name, and what the caller said. Customers are also encouraged to report this scam to the Vermont Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program at 800-649-2424 (in state) or 802-656-3183 or online.

• Grafton Village Cheese opening Proctorsville location: The Grafton Village Cheese Company, established in the town in 1892, expects to launch operations alongside Vermont 103 in Proctorsville (town of Cavendish, Windsor County), on March 9. The new facility will cut, pack, and warehouse cheese made at the company's production plant in Grafton and will also include a retail outlet.

• Timber Inn Closing/Sale: With the buy-out completed, Ludlow’s Timber Inn is holding a closing sale on March 2 (Saturday) from 10-4 at the Inn. Under the state’s buyout program the town works with interested property owners and VEM to complete an application. Once a grant is awarded, the town uses grant funds to procure an appraiser and conduct other pre-purchase tasks. After closing and the purchase of the property, the town uses grant funds to procure contractors for demolition and site work. Properties acquired with a buyout grant must be maintained as public open green space once all structures have been removed or relocated. No new structures can be built on the property, but towns are free to use the space as a pocket park or to provide public river access. The town is responsible for ongoing routine maintenance of the property such as keeping the vacant land clear of debris and garbage. Funding is still available through Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) to cover 100% of the project cost for the voluntary purchase of properties that are at risk from flooding or landslides.

3. EVENTS

MARCH 4 (MONDAY): Town meeting Day Cavendish Town Elementary School or via Zoom at seven (7:00) o'clock pm

MARCH 5 (TUESDAY): Voting takes place (includes both town and school budgets) 10-7 at the Proctorsville Fire Dept. Town Office closed.

MARCH 19 (TUESDAY): Solar eclipse talk by Claudio Veliz at the Cavendish Library, 573 Main St. in Proctorsville starting at 6 pm. Safe, solar-filtered glasses will be handed out to attendees, complete with instructions on their use during the eclipse. FMI: cavendishcommunityconservation@gmail.com.

    IF YOU READ THIS PLEASE HELP SUPPORT CAVENDISH CONNECTS

Cavendish Update 2/23/24: News/Events

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2/23/24

1. Cavendish Related News

2. Events

1. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

• Sample Ballots Available on-Line: Sample ballots for voting-March 5, 10-7 at the Proctorsville Fire Dept.-are available at the Town’s website.

• Ludlow Shaw’s eyes flood wall, July re-opening: Shaw’s in Ludlow may reopen by the 4th of July, if the Vermont state fire marshal approves the plans presented at last week’s meeting of the Ludlow Development Review Board, according to Bill Faradie of Vertec Corp., the construction management firm handling the rebuild. Designs to prevent flooding include:  flood proof masonry coating, sliding compression doors in place of egress doors, concrete stem walls and a freestanding wall. Concrete stem walls would be built in the front left and back right of the building to protect critical resources. Chester Telegraph  

• Fletcher Farm School raises over $35,000: Fletcher Farm School for the Arts and Crafts, a beloved Okemo Valley community institution providing arts education to adults and local youth for over 75 years, is poised to keep its doors open. Over the last 10 weeks, they raised over $20,000 to fund strategic planning for a reimagined arts center. An additional $18,000 has been raised for operating expenses. The funds were raised through a combination of individual donations and gifts from businesses. VT Journal

• Hiking the Appalachian Trail- a Presentation at EBSR: The students at the Expeditionary School at Black River were visited by Betty McEneaney, a Cavendish resident who hiked the Appalachian Trail last summer. Her talk to her students about her experience hiking the Trail is at the Okemo Valley TV website

• Gov. Phil Scott signs law aimed at driving down education spending: Gov. Phil Scott on Thursday signed into law H.850, a bill that repeals a controversial property tax cap and allows school boards to push back budget votes in an attempt to lower education spending and, in turn, property taxes. VT Digger

2 EVENTS

FEBRUARY 28 (WEDNESDAY): In honor of Black History Month and in remembrance of Gloria Leven, make a quilt square. 4-6 pm at the Cavendish Library. No sewing requiring. FMI: 802-226-7807 or margocauifield@icloud.com

MARCH 4 (MONDAY): Town meeting Day Cavendish Town Elementary School or via Zoom at seven (7:00) o'clock pm

MARCH 5 (TUESDAY): Voting takes place (includes both town and school budgets) 10-7 at the Proctorsville Fire Dept. Town Office closed.

MARCH 19 (TUESDAY): Solar eclipse talk by Claudio Veliz at the Cavendish Library, 573 Main St. in Proctorsville starting at 6 pm. Safe, solar-filtered glasses will be handed out to attendees, complete with instructions on their use during the eclipse. FMI: cavendishcommunityconservation@gmail.com.

    IF YOU READ THIS PLEASE HELP SUPPORT CAVENDISH CONNECTS