Editor’s note: This commentary is by John Freitag, who has been active in Strafford town government and civic affairs in a variety of positions for almost 40 years. He is currently finishing his third term on the Strafford Selectboard.
[L]ocal Government Day is fittingly enough this year on Valentine’s Day. It is the time when the Vermont Legislature shows a little love for the town officials who are the”boots on the ground” when it comes to implementing many of the laws and policies passed in Montpelier. As with any relationship while tokens of appreciation (like flowers on Valentine’s Day) are needed, what really cements a partnership is the day-to-day support given.
In this regard perhaps no issue is more important to the selectboards and city councils of our state as is our highway infrastructure. While the 302 miles of interstate and 2,708 miles of state highways provide the major arteries, the over 13,000 miles of town-maintained highways (representing 70 percent of the Vermont’s total road miles), constitute the vessels and capillaries of our transportation system.
Maintaining these 13,000+ miles of roads and bridges, especially in these times of climate change and wild swings in weather, which have in recent years brought a greater number of ice storms and multiple mud seasons, is a daunting task. State transportation aid to towns is a vital part of supplementing the costs which are primarily borne by local property taxes. Given the pressure on local property taxes there has been a limit on how much selectboards can raise and in most every town in the state there is a significant backlog of work that needs to be done.
Therefore, it is extremely discouraging to see that after years of pretty much static amounts of state aid, this year the governor’s proposed budget calls for a $6.8 million decrease in the allocation for combined town highway programs. His budget drops the $69.3 million in aid in the current FY19 budget down to $62.7 million in FY20.
At a time when many are concerned about the viability of rural Vermont, it is important to provide support, not make challenges more difficult. On Local Government Day more than 100 town officials will be coming to the capitol to not only receive acknowledgment of their contributions but to lobby for the vital support needed for their communities.
A focus will be a joint hearing of the House and Senate Transportation Committees from 10:30 to noon on that day. At that time town officials will not only ask the Legislature to push back against cuts to aid to local towns, but to consider a modest increase in the gas tax that would go directly back to local communities to help address their pressing local highway needs.
Relationships are never easy. The Legislature in sponsoring Local Government Day goes a long way towards providing the attention and gratitude needed in this governmental partnership. Hopefully legislators will listen closely to concerns and take positive action in providing the support needed to make this relationship work well for the people of Vermont.
