Gov. Phil Scott joined Vermont Edition host Mikaela Lefrak to discuss this week's flooding throughout the state, as well as property taxes, public safety and the 2024 presidential election.
Here are some key takeaways:
Flooding
Monday's flooding event wasn’t as intense as July’s, but it affected more of the state. Plus, a number of businesses and households that experienced flooding in July had to go through a similar experience. “For those who've been impacted,” the governor said, “it's a real gut-punch for many, and the last thing Vermonters need right now, especially during the holiday season.”
Gov. Scott said he had talked with the state’s congressional delegation about the scope of the flooding and recovery efforts. “They obviously want to make sure that they're partnering with us, they'll do everything they can to help,” he said, adding that at this point the state is still in response mode. “When we get into recovery, we'll know a lot more. And we'll certainly be bringing them into the conversation.”
The governor took credit for some measures taken after the summer’s flooding that might have tempered the effects of this week’s flooding. He said he instructed emergency management to help municipalities clear out storm structures, such as piping or catch basins. “How quickly the water receded in places like Barre and Waterbury and Montpelier — I think some of that was due…to making sure that the storm water infrastructure was clean and ready to accept more water,” he said.
Vermont’s annual winter manure spreading ban, which protects water quality throughout the state, began on Friday. In the wake of the July flooding, the governor signed an executive order to enable some farmers to get exemptions, because the floods affected some farms’ storage capacity for excess manure. When asked if he would do that again, he suggested he would. “It is a balancing act,” he said. “They need to be able to put it somewhere…so there will be some exemptions. We'll just have to try and balance those needs. And I understand the resistance of some. But we have to deal with reality at this point.”
Gun laws and public safety
The shooting of three college students in Burlington at the end of last month, combined with other shooting deaths in the state this year, has led some Vermonters to renew the push for stricter gun laws. Meanwhile, the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs and other gun advocates have filed a federal lawsuit challenging Vermont's 72-hour waiting period law and its ban on standard capacity firearm magazines.
The governor said he thought the state had moved in the right direction with gun legislation in recent years. “But they have every right to challenge that in the Supreme Court, and we'll see where they end up as a result,” he said.
The governor also said he thought the problem went beyond access to guns. Lawmakers need to focus on the “root of the problem,” which he defined as “unrest and anxiety and mental health issues.”
“We're seeing a lot of drug trafficking in our state, due to some of the changes we've made in our justice system,” he said. “We just need to get back to the center. We need people to be accountable for their actions.”
The governor said he believes he and the legislature agree on the importance of addressing mental health concerns and the shortage of providers in the state. “It's an issue we've been addressing for a number of years, and we need to do more,” he said. “I think that we're going to have to focus on the fundamentals. And those are health and safety, substance abuse, mental health, crime, homelessness, all of these things can't be ignored.”
Property taxes
Late last month, Vermont’s tax commissioner projected property tax bills to increase by an average of 18.5 percent next fiscal year, driven largely by a projected 12 percent increase in year-over-year education spending. This “is something that I don't believe I've ever seen throughout my last 20 years,” the governor said. “So we need to do everything we can to soften this blow. We'll be working with the legislature on this.” In other years, he said, the state had a surplus or other money that could be made available, but not this time around.
National political landscape
New Hampshire’s Republican Gov. Chris Sununu recently endorsed candidate Nikki Haley for the Republican presidential nomination. When asked if he would endorse anyone, Gov. Scott said it was too early. “I'm not sure an endorsement from me would help anyone outside of the state of Vermont,” he said. “But one thing is for sure…I won't be supporting our former President Donald Trump.”
Broadcast at noon Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
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