A deal has been signed that will return property Gov. Peter Shumlin purchased at a steep discount to neighbor Jerry Dodge.
Shumlin bought Dodge's longtime family home and 16 acres for $58,000 last fall when Dodge was facing a tax sale. The property had been valued at more than $233,000, a figure lowered to $140,000 when Shumlin asked for it to be reassessed.
Under the terms of the initial agreement, Dodge would have been allowed to live on the property temporarily and Shumlin would pay Dodge's back taxes and child support.
Shumlin later agreed to renegotiate the deal after he was criticized for making it.
WCAX-TV reports the agreement signed Monday will allow Dodge to pay Shumlin back about $30,000 over five years, for repairs, taxes and child support payments.
