Williston Observer

By Mal Boright
Correspondent

Williston’s three members of the state Legislature are pleased with their recently announced committee assignments and are ready for what they foresee as a busy session.

Sen. Ginny Lyons, D-Chittenden, and Representatives Mary Peterson, D-Williston, and Jim McCullough, D-Williston, spoke with the Observer in separate interviews over the weekend.

Lyons , starting her third term, again chairs the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee and also serves on the Health and Welfare Committee. She had sought both assignments.

“Energy is a huge issue,” Lyons said, citing energy planning and development of renewable energy sources. Also immediately on the Natural Resources Committee table, she said, are snowmobile issues and funding of the state’s Fish and Wildlife Department.

Lyons sees energy planning as very important, even though the state’s energy sources “are not yet in crisis.” But, she pointed out, within the next seven to eight years there will be new negotiations for power with Hydro Quebec, and the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant will be nearing the end of its predicted lifespan.

She said there could be legislation coming forward on wind turbine power generation.

“A lot of work needs to be done to protect the environment,” Lyons said. “We have six or seven generation sites identified. Now we need to step back and consider how much renewable energy we need.”

Lyons equated development of energy sources with the purchase of financial securities.

“Diversity lessens the risk,” she said, emphasizing the need for “cheaper, less expensive sources” of power.

Lyons said her personal priorities this session include legislation to prohibit smoking in all the state’s restaurants and bars and passage of a mercury management bill to bring Vermont in line with other New England states.

The Health and Welfare Committee, said Lyons, “is working hard on prescription drug importation. My concern is that we don’t throw out our local pharmacists in the process.”

She added that while the committee has not yet finished taking testimony, the numbers of people who would purchase their prescriptions from Canada and elsewhere under the proposed legislation “so far does not seem sufficient to throw the locals out of business.”

McCullough, in his second term in the House, landed a slot on the Natural Resources and Energy Committee. He served on the Transportation Committee his first term.

“I felt fortunate to get it,” he said of the appointment, adding that it was a “dual first choice” along with the Health and Welfare Committee.

The 150 Vermont House members generally receive appointments to one standing committee, while the 30 senators are named to two committees.

McCullough said the committee priorities are still being set as “we are still feeling our way around.”

“I hope the committee will develop a good energy policy for the future,” noting possible future changes in the purchases of power from Hydro Quebec and the Vermont Yankee situation.

As for other priorities, McCullough said he would like to see a bill providing quality and affordable health care come to a vote.

For at least the first couple of weeks under the golden dome, McCullough has seen “a whole different building than two years ago. I don’t think there has been a line drawn in the sand as in the past.”

Democrats this past election took control of the House and added to their majority in the Senate. House Speaker Gaye Symington (D-Jericho) gave Republicans a couple of committee chairmanships.

“You notice the difference in the hall,” said McCullough of the atmosphere of bipartisanship. “But ask me again a month from now.”

Peterson also got her first choice in committee assignments, a return to the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee.

“I’m a tax wonk,” she said.

She said her priorities on the committee are “a need to step back and see how the tax system is functioning.”

Included would be a look at the structure of tax credits, particularly corporate tax credits. The program has come under fire recently with charges that some business took tax credits while adding few jobs.

Peterson said the committee has work to do on the Act 68 education finance law “which still has some problems.”

Two major issues she sees are with the state’s Medicaid costs where “there are no revenue sources to keep up with the increases in costs,” and the state’s transportation fund, “that is in some trouble, too.”

An overall priority for Peterson is to extend the life of the local option tax, which is set to expire in 2008. Since Williston instituted the tax, municipal property taxes have dropped substantially.

“I want to extend this tax option to all towns indefinitely,” Peterson said, noting that towns now need legislative approval to add local sales and other taxes.

“We’ve got our work cut out for us,” she predicted, adding that Gov. Jim Douglas and some fellow lawmakers are skeptical about continuing the local sales tax.

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By Tom Gresham

Observer staff

School officials say the impending hike in the school property tax rate has a number of causes beyond the budget hike.

The current projected budget, which increases spending by 5.9 percent, would produce an estimated 11-cent jump in the school property tax rate, according to School Board Chairwoman Marty Sundby. She said a firmer fix on the tax rate was expected at tonight’s 5 p.m. board meeting.

Chittenden South Supervisory Union Superintendent Brian O’Regan said a major factor in the tax rate increase is the town’s common level of appraisal, which the state uses to measure the gap between actual and appraised propery values. The number falls as property values rise, thus increasing the tax rate.

In addition, taxpayers are beginning to pay back bonds on the Champlain Valley Union High School construction project. Finally, school district revenue is down by about $300,000.

O’Regan said the revenue reductions can be traced to less federal grant funding and less tuition from St. George, which is sending a decreasing number of students to Williston schools.

Changes in the state education tax rate, however, could offset much of the pending local tax increase. Gov. Jim Douglas recently announced that the statewide school property tax rate would be reduced by 3 cents. He has since said he will ask legislators for a further reduction in the rate.

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By Tom Gresham
Observer staff

The school property tax rate would climb an estimated 10 cents for Williston residents under a plan the School Board approved last Thursday.

The board put its imprimatur on a proposed budget of $13,752,795 for the 2005-06 fiscal year — a boost of 5.97 percent over the current year. The proposed budget features two high-profile items that were considered “maybe’s” — the addition of a full-time enrichment teacher and increased funds to replace old computer equipment.

Accounting for both the local school budget and the Champlain Valley Union High School budget, Williston’s school property tax rate for residential properties would rise from $1.51 to $1.61 under the proposals. The owner of a $200,000 residence would see a $200 addition on his or her tax bill.

For non-residential properties, the school property tax rate would be $1.58 — an increase of 2 cents over a year ago. The non-residential rate is not tied to local school spending.

Both tax rates are contingent on state education funding. A bill being debated in the legislature could reduce the statewide education property tax rate and lower local taxes.

Williston School Board Chairwoman Marty Sundby pointed to the decrease in Williston’s common level of appraisal from 98.79 percent to 95.59 percent as a major factor in the tax rate’s rise. In an e-mail, Sundby said about 7 cents of the rate increase was due to the drop in the CLA.

The CLA measures a percentage of the actual fair market value of property, based on property sales, that is reflected in a municipality’s grand list. As the CLA falls, the property tax rate increases to cover the corresponding increases in property values.

Champlain Valley Union High School ’s 11 percent budget increase also played a role in the tax rate hike. Debt service on the high school’s $19 million construction project accounted for a portion of the budget increase.

Williston taxpayers pay a portion of CVUs operating expenses based on the percentage of the town’s students enrolled at the school.

The Williston School Board was able to meet its goal of including the proposed enrichment and computer additions, which were not initially part of the proposed budget, while keeping the budget increase under 6 percent. The board declined to include both items last year for fear of hurting voter support for the budget.

Board members said the $65,000 enrichment addition was particularly important to serve the district’s students.

“It was so clear that if we could do it, we had to do it,” said School Board member Elizabeth Skarie.

Currently, one enrichment teacher serves the district’s approximately 1,215 students. A part-time enrichment teacher position had been removed from the payroll two years ago when voters rejected two proposed budgets.

Amy Cole, the interim principal for the Williston School District, said the board’s decision to fund the enrichment position was being enthusiastically received by the district’s teachers.

“The staff is just elated about it,” Cole said.

In order to clear room for the enrichment and technology items, the board approved multiple cuts to the budget, including $12,000 in supplies. The cut will reduce spending for supplies from $90 per student to $80 per student.

Cole and Allen Brook School Principal John Terko said each had polled various teachers on the supply cuts and found the teachers approved of the cuts in return for the inclusion of the enrichment teacher.

The board also approved the reduction of $29,000 in operating costs from the budget — $14,000 for new carpeting and $15,000 for a storage facility. The latter will be funded with capital reserves.

In addition, the school district cut $25,000 from a food services budget line item that had been substantially increased over the current year. Cole said school district administrators found the increase to be unnecessary and adjusted accordingly.

“This does not mean a decrease in service or an increase in lunch fees,” Cole said.

Voters will decide whether to approve the Williston school budget and the CVU school budget on separate March 1 ballot items.

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By Tom Gresham
Observer staff

The Williston School Board will decide tonight whether it can afford to add new enrichment and technology costs to the school budget without causing an unpalatable tax hike.

School Board Chairwoman Marty Sundby said Monday that the board appears united in its belief that the enrichment and technology additions are needed, but board members are uncertain about whether there is room to fit them into the proposed budget.

In its present form, the proposed school budget for the 2005-06 school year represents a 5.9 percent increase over the current year’s spending. The budget so far does not include the proposed additions in enrichment and technology. Sundby said early projections on the budget indicate an accompanying increase in Williston’s school property tax rate of approximately 11 cents.

Last year’s school property tax rate was $1.51 for residential properties and $1.56 for non-residential properties. An 11-cent increase in the tax rate would mean an increase of $220 on the tax bill of the owner of a $200,000 residence.

Williston voters will consider whether to approve the school budget on March 1. Sundby said the board must finalize its proposed budget at tonight’s meeting.

The enrichment proposal, which consists of the addition of a full-time teacher, would cost approximately $66,000. The technology addition, which largely would fund the purchase of new computer equipment, would cost approximately $23,000.

Last winter, the School Board considered adding both items to the budget. However, the board rejected both amid concerns that more spending would endanger the budget’s chances of passing muster with voters.

Neither item was included in the budget proposed to the School Board by school district administrators and staff from the Chittenden South Supervisory Union in December because they represented significant additions. Instead, they were included as possible additions for the board to consider.

Sundby said the board hopes to keep any proposed budget increase below 6 percent. (The current budget reflected a 7.5 percent increase over the budget in 2003-04.) Therefore, she said the board asked CSSU staff to look for further cuts in the budget to offset the additions of the increased enrichment and technology funding.

“I think the board feels we should add these (enrichment and technology) items,” Sundby said. “But we feel like we need to find some things to cut to reduce the financial impact of them. Our direction to staff was ‘Let’s see where we can pare something back.’ We’d prefer not to just add these things.”

Brian O’Regan, the CSSU superintendent, said the board has already shown a willingness to eliminate two items from the budget totaling $29,000 in order to clear space for the enrichment and technology additions.

One item is $14,000 for new carpet at Williston Central School. O’Regan said the board elected to wait until a facilities committee that is studying the possible expansion and renovation of Williston’s schools has moved further along. O’Regan said the carpeted area could be affected by possible future renovations.

Also, the board committed to remove $15,000 from the budget to pay for a new storage building. Instead, the building will be funded with a withdrawal from the district’s capital budget reserves.

The district currently stores some items for free in a facility on the Mahan Farm property. However, the facility will be removed as part of the construction of a new fire station, prompting the need for more storage space for the school district.

The School Board heard a report from an enrichment task force last week on the current state of the district’s enrichment program. The group recommended adding a full-time enrichment teacher at Allen Brook School.

Currently, the district only has one enrichment teacher — Richard Allen — who shuttles between Williston Central and Allen Brook. Two years ago, in the face of voter rejections of two budget proposals, the School Board eliminated a part-time enrichment teacher.

Sundby said the School Board probably would have increased the part-time teacher’s hours to full-time two years ago in a different financial climate. She said that’s why she wants to add a full-time enrichment teacher instead of a part-timer.

“I’m very comfortable with two full-time people for two buildings,” Sundby said. “That’s what the need is.”

O’Regan said the proposed technology addition would fund an increased investment in new computer hardware. Sundby said the School Board had put off the funding long enough.

“We’ve got equipment in some cases that is 10 to 12 years old,” Sundby said. “They really don’t have any life anymore. There are parts not working and they’re just not functional. We’ve basically squeezed the technology budget the last three years it’s come forward.”

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By Tom Gresham
Observer staff

Although the Selectboard decided last week to shelve funding for a new municipal ambulance service, the proposal figures to receive keen attention from the board in the coming months.

Fire Chief Ken Morton, who heads both the fire and rescue departments, said he had hoped the Selectboard would push to institute the proposal this year, but understood the desire to take more time to study the plan. Morton said he was pleased the plan was simply on the table and would be considered for the 2006-07 fiscal year.

The ambulance proposal, which was devised by Morton and others in the fire and rescue departments, aims to significantly reduce fire and rescue response times in Williston through the addition of two ambulances and nine full-time fire and rescue employees. The fire and rescue workers would respond to both fire and rescue calls with support, depending on the circumstances, from on-call personnel.

Part of the funding for the service would come from charging patients transported in the ambulances.

Peter Soons, chief of St. Michael’s Rescue, which currently provides the bulk of Williston’s ambulance service, said the proposal has merit, and he knows the town will eventually have to start its own ambulance service to accommodate its continuing growth. However, Soons argues Williston should consider maintaining its ties with St. Michael’s Rescue for the time being.

“We still provide a good service at a good cost,” Soons said.

Soons said the proposal to purchase ambulances and hire full-time emergency personnel in Williston will not significantly improve rescue services. He said the ambulance proposal appears to be geared toward funding the Williston Fire Department’s move to full-time firefighters.

Morton denied the claim, saying the ability to deliver an ambulance to the scene of an emergency significantly faster will provide big benefits.

“This is not an attack on St. Michael’s Rescue,” Morton said. “We just think we can enhance our service and do a better job with rescue calls. We can better our response times and handle our patients more efficiently.”

Soons said a misperception of St. Michael’s Rescue is that it is based a long distance from Williston because it is in Colchester.

“We are right on the South Burlington line,” Soons said.

Soons said that the response times from St. Michael’s Rescue vary depending on the location of the emergency, but the department does not record its response times to Williston. Morton said he tracked response times for the ambulance study by writing them down from time to time, compiling informed estimates.

Under the current service, a Williston first-response unit arrives at an emergency in a little more than four minutes, according to the ambulance study. A transporting St. Michael’s Rescue ambulance arrives in about 12 minutes, the study says.

The new proposal would bring an ambulance to the scene around the same time the first-response crew arrives.

In addition, fire responses would drop from more than 12 minutes to less than five minutes in the overnight hours when there currently are no personnel on duty at the fire station.

Soons said the critical factor in emergency medical events is the response time for first responders, not necessarily that of the ambulance. He said first responder personnel can open an obstructed airway, administer CPR or apply a defibrillator. Therefore, he said, the response times for St. Michael’s Rescue ambulances are more than adequate in tandem with Williston’s first-response service.

However, Jim Hendry, Williston’s full-time firefighter and emergency medical technician, said there are numerous ways a faster response time from the ambulance is important.

Hendry said when the ambulance and first-response units arrive close to each other and originate from the same department, it allows for much smoother treatment of the patient. The ambulance staff and first-response personnel are familiar with each other and operate under the same guidelines.

There also does not need to be a formal transfer of care. In fact, the first-responder can ride in the ambulance, continuing to administer treatment, and then relay pertinent information to staff at the hospital.

Hendry said there are also instances when treatment might be delayed because of the wait for an ambulance. For instance, he said a first-responder would not start an IV in the field if the temperature were frigid, but would wait until the patient was in a warm ambulance.

“Any time you have a delay in transport, you have a delay in getting a patient to the hospital to get definitive medical care,” Hendry said. “That’s important.”

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