Vermont public records panel denies new exemption

Lawmakers decided last week not to make state retirees' pensions private, while also putting off a decision about the privacy of property tax records.

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20111017/NEWS03/110170301/Vermont-public-records-panel-denies-new-exemption

Vermont public records panel denies new exemption

6:57 AM, Oct. 17, 2011 |
Written by
Terri Hallenbeck



MONTPELIER -- Lawmakers decided last week not to make state retirees' pensions private, while also putting off a decision about the privacy of property tax records.

The Legislature created the Public Records Legislative Study Committee to work during the off-season studying exemptions to the state's public records laws that have accumulated over the years to see whether any can be eliminated. The panel spent some of its time last week discussing whether to add an exemption.

Retired Vermont Judge Paul Hudson of Springfield had asked the committee last month to exempt information about pensions from being made public. In a story in April about the state's pension payouts, the Burlington Free Press listed state government's top pension recipients. Hudson's $92,119 was among the four highest the state is paying.

At Thursday's meeting, the legislative panel decided against including such an exemption as it makes recommendations to the full Legislature regarding the definition of privacy.

Rep. Donna Sweaney, D-Windsor, the committee chairwoman, said she and other members were torn by an appreciation for retirees' privacy and the public's right to know how public money is spent.

Although the panel chose not to recommend exempting pensions, Sweaney said the issue might not be dead. She said she has heard there could be legislation introduced next year seeking the exemption.

Several organizations spoke against making pension information private, including the Vermont American Civil Liberties Union and the Vermont Press Association.

"The principle at stake is that the public ought to be able to follow the state's money," Vermont Press Association President Maria Archangelo said in written comments to the committee.

The panel spent the bulk of its time Thursday considering whether Vermont property owners' tax records should be public. At issue is the contention that information about a household's income can be gleaned from a property tax record if the household makes less than $97,000 a year and receives a property tax "rebate" under the state's income-sensitized education funding system.