Dear friends and neighbors,

I will be holding office hours tomorrow, Saturday May, 2 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Dover Free Library. All are welcome.

Green Up Day is also this Saturday, May 2nd. Thank you to the volunteers in each town organizing the effort.

• Dover Meet at Dover School starting at 9:00 a.m. for bags and route assignments. Donuts and refreshments will be available at pick-up. Leave tied bags on roadsides for pickup by the Town Road Crew on Monday morning.
• Jamaica Bags are available at the Town Office and Transfer Station before and after Green Up Day. Bring filled bags to the Transfer Station between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
• Stratton Bags are available in advance at the Town Office (Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.). On Green Up Day, pick up bags and refreshments at Town Hall from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Leave filled bags roadside.
• Wardsboro Pick up bags and road assignments at the Town Office from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Volunteers will gather at the Wardsboro Library from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. for pizza and a book giveaway. Bring filled bags to the Transfer Station.

Thank you to everyone who came out to the Jamaica Selectboard meeting on Monday with Senator Hashim and Harrison and I. There was a strong turnout and thoughtful questions. Hearing directly from you is helpful as we try to address really complex issues.

Education Reform and Property Taxes

The Senate has sent over its version of the education “yield” bill, which sets property tax rates and adjusts how school spending is treated. It lowers the excess spending threshold from 118 percent to 112 percent, which would bring more districts into penalty territory (see last weeks newsletter), while also adding a hold harmless provision so districts are not penalized if their spending stays level or increases for reasons outside their control and excluding bond payments from those penalties. It includes a temporary expansion of the renter credit and sets tax rates to fully fund the Education Fund, resulting in an estimated average increase of about 3.8 percent. We now move into negotiations between the House, Senate, and Governor. You can review the fiscal note here

H.955, the education transformation bill, is now being worked on in the Senate. The Senate Education Committee has put forward a draft amendment that makes changes to how regional service areas operate, allows for local input on membership, and continues to adjust timelines for implementation. This is still a working draft and will likely continue to change as it moves through the Senate. Much of the focus remains on process and structure rather than immediate changes to funding. You can review the draft amendment here

River Valleys Budget

Congratulations to River Valleys for passing their budget at the annual meeting. The community also voted to keep the IB program.

Land Use (Act 181 / S.325)

The House Environment Committee, Ways and Means Committee and Appropriations Committee each advanced S.325 this week with unanimous votes. Most notably, the bill repeals Tier 3 and the Road Rule language from Act 181 is being repealed. These provisions expanded when Act 250 would apply and created real concern, especially in rural communities, about how decisions about land were being made.The bill is likely to be voted on by the whole House next week and then will head Here is a section by section summary of what is in the bill.

The bill also:

• Expands Act 250 exemptions for housing in areas with existing infrastructure such as downtowns, village centers, and planned growth areas through January 2028
• Clarifies the role of municipalities in administering and enforcing certain Act 250 permit conditions in Tier 1A areas
• Requires a statewide public engagement process before additional land use changes are considered
• Creates a Joint Legislative Environmental Oversight Committee to track implementation and outcomes
• Extends planning timelines to give regions and towns more time to align with the updated framework

Energy

Work continues on several energy and economic development efforts. Here are a few:

• Plug-in solar: S.202 would allow small plug-in solar devices that can be connected directly to a standard outlet. These systems are limited in size, require landlord permission for renters, and must meet safety standards that prevent backfeeding during outages. They do not receive net metering compensation and are not subject to Act 250 or Public Utility Commission review. The goal is to make it easier for more people to access small-scale solar, including those who may not be able to install a full rooftop system. The bill was advanced unanimously out of House Energy and Digital Infrastructure.
• H.727, the Sustainable Data Centers Act, passed the House in March and is now being taken up in the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee. The bill puts a framework in place before large data center projects can move forward to ensure they cover their costs, protect ratepayers, and meet Vermont’s environmental and water standards. Testimony is ongoing. You can review the bill as passed by the House here
• S.327, An act relating to economic development, includes several tools aimed at supporting business growth. It authorizes municipalities to create C-PACE districts, which allow commercial property owners to finance energy improvements through their property tax bill, with the loan tied to the property rather than the owner. It also allows “penny rounding” for cash transactions, meaning businesses can round the final total to the nearest nickel instead of using pennies; electronic payments are not affected. Most of these provisions take effect upon passage, with C-PACE requiring local approval before it can be used in a given town. You can review the fiscal note here

Several bills have been recently signed into law including:

• Signed H.549, An act relating to eligibility of sentenced or detained individuals to obtain a State-issued nondriver identification card, replacement operator’s license, or replacement learner’s permit
• Signed H.744, An act relating to procedures for release after arrest
• Allowed H.849, An act relating to a civil action for damages for deprivation of federal constitutional rights by any government official to become law without signature | Letter
• Signed H.917, An act relating to military affairs
• Signed H.626, An act relating to sexual extortion, voyeurism, and disclosure of sexually explicit images without consent
• H.723, An act relating to posting of land

As always, please reach out if you need help navigating state services or want to share what you’re seeing locally. I read and value your notes, even if I can’t always respond immediately. I do not have staff and I work year-round, so if you do not hear back in a day or two, please follow up or send a text. If you find my work useful and are able to support it, you can do that here.

Thank you for staying engaged and staying in touch!

Rep. Laura Sibilia
Windham-2 District (Dover, Jamaica, Somerset, Stratton, Wardsboro)
Email: lsibilia@leg.state.vt.us
Phone: (802) 384-0233

Montpelier has a lot of bridges! Here are two I can see while crossing over a third on a walking path that goes around the downtown.