State budget brings reductions and/or closures

Area legislators had a message to their constituents Monday: don’t hate us when we are forced to cut the state budget.

Photos from Springfield Regional Development Corp.

Published February 24, 2015 in the Rutland Herald State budget brings reductions and/or closures By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD – Area legislators had a message to their constituents Monday: don’t hate us when we are forced to cut the state budget. The state’s hard financial times dominated the legislative forum Monday morning held at the Holiday Inn Express; a half dozen area legislators attended the session, which was attended by about 30 members of the public. Gov. Peter Shumlin has floated the idea of cutting 400 positions in state government. Others have suggested closing the Vermont Veterans Home in Bennington to save costs. Sen. Alice Nitka, D-Windsor, said from an emotional standpoint, she wanted the Veterans Home (which is actually a nursing home) to remain open. But from a strictly financial analysis, she said she would have to support closing it. The state likes the idea of having a nursing home for its ailing veterans, she said, but it is not centrally located, and neighboring states of Massachusetts and New York resist allowing their veterans to use their Medicare dollars in a Vermont facility. The state is currently facing a $112 million budget gap, and each legislator said there was no doubt that reductions were coming, if not the elimination of entire programs. Kristi Morris, chairman of the Springfield Select Board, urged the legislators not to do anything that would directly or indirectly raise the property tax or make doing business along the New Hampshire border any harder. He said that the rooms and meals tax and other “user fees” on wealthy people who come to Vermont’s ski areas, would be a better place to look for revenue. “What do they care if there’s another 10 percent on their bill?” said Morris. Rep. Alice Emmons, D-Springfield, chairwoman of the House Institutions Committee, said that she had never seen such a tight budget year. “It’s such a difficult session,” said Emmons regarding the financial troubles at the Veterans Home and the potential for 400 layoffs of state employees. She said raising the sales tax was looking to be a strong candidate to increase revenues, in addition to the proposed cuts. “It’s going to be very, very difficult,” Emmons warned, noting that the legislative process was going to be a “roller coaster.” Springfield School Superintendent Zachary McLaughlin said he was concerned about Senate Bill 9, which could put tremendous burdens — including felony convictions — on teachers who fail to discover abuse of their students. McLaughlin said a teacher may not catch a sign of abuse, and potentially could from a mere “lapse in judgment” end up being charged with a felony. Nitka said Senate Bill 9, which was written by the legislative task force looking into child abuse last summer, had the support of the committee. She said the provision that McLaughlin mentioned was supported by the committee on a 3-2 vote, and that she was on the losing side. The entire bill will be passed, she said, and it has the strong support of Sen. Richard Sears, D-Bennington, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. It will be passed by the entire Senate, she predicted. What happens in the House, Nitka said, she didn’t know.