A Public Forum on Putney Property Taxes, and the Funding of Education and Local Government  will be held on Monday, September 16, 7pm at Putney Central School.The forum will be  hosted by VT.State Representative Mike Mrowicki -Windham 4 District. All residents of Putney are welcome. (lPease note this is not a regional forum but specifically for Putney people.)

Rep. Mrowicki will be joined by Rep. Emilie Kornheiser of Brattleboro,  Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, which is responsible for setting tax policy in Vermont. Also invited are members of Putney Town and the District School boards.

With the recent release of 2024-25 tax bills with extraordinary increases for many citizens, there have been many questions as to; -how are local taxes computed, for town and school budgets?- how are state rates for covering education costs computed?  (Education Funding 101 )-how Education tax policy affects local tax bills (often comprising more than half of a local tax bill)- are there better ways of funding education ?-is the Property tax the most equitable way to measure wealth and tax accordingly. (e.g. if a long time, retired resident has been in their house for decades, that now has been appraised to a level that is far beyond the means of someone on a  fixed income to pay for,  is that a sustainable, fair practice?)

"There are many questions coming up about how the current tax bills were arrived at, with many increases at extraordinary levels. Equations have also come up about the the process and how town and school budgets, and state policy,  add up to create our local tax bill.. We hope to provide some information and especially hope to hear from Putney residents with their experiences, questions and suggestions." Rep.Mrowicki shared. The 2 hour forum will begin with a presentation from the State Representatives, and there will then be  90 minutes allotted for those who would like to speak publicly. Residents can  sign up for a speaking slot at the beginning of the meeting. The amount of time afforded each speaker will depend on how many people sign up to speak, to make sure time is allocated equally.

Rep. Mrowicki added, "I'm hearing from many folks about the roll out of the current tax bills and the effect of Ed funding on local taxes and how it all gets figured. When it comes to funding education, our goal is to find the middle ground  that recognizes our children are our future and deserve a quality education, at a cost that is affordable. This forum can start a process of ascertaining what questions are out there, regarding the current tax bills.  If we don't have a ready answer, I can find out and get back to people. We especially want folks to know we are listening and I am ready to go to bat for Putney people at the state level, so they can understand this situation where Vermonters are feeling their homes are under threat. Especially, since  I am in the same situation. Our tax bill went up 40% on a 1,000 sq.ft house on 2 acres. Even though my wife and I both work two jobs to keep food on the table and a roof overhead, this kind of an abrupt increase begs the question many are asking, how will we pay for this?"

Putney Central School is located at 182 Westminster Rd, Putney, VT and is accessible to all.For more information or to share your perspective because you are unable to attend, please email me at; mmrowicki@leg.state.vt.us

Event Info

Dec 28, 2024, 6 to 9 PM

Dec 31, 2024, 6 PM

Jan 2, 2025, 4 to 4:45 PM