| | Today's Forecast: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 19. West wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than half an inch possible. | | | | | Dear Ludlow-Mount Holly Community, We are reaching out to invite you to a special meeting of the LMH school board on Wednesday, January 15th at 6 PM in the Mount Holly Elementary School. The meeting will be held in person and will also be accessible by the following Zoom link: Due to the legislated changes in education funding that took effect last year, our tax rates have been significantly impacted. Unfortunately, because of the way education is funded in Vermont, we have minimal control over our local tax rates. Essentially, all taxpayers in the state contribute to the financial needs of all school districts. Therefore, when we reduce costs in our district, it has only a minor effect on our local taxes since the savings are distributed across all state taxpayers. Conversely, when our costs increase, the effect on local taxes is generally minimal because the funds are drawn from all taxpayers in the state. Because of this mechanism, we can make major, catastrophic cuts in our school budget and our local taxes can still rise if other districts increase spending. LMH faces another challenging year due to the impact of this legislation. Many schools have had a significant portion of their budgets shifted to other districts and have been forced to make up for the shortfalls by asking for more from taxpayers. Adjusting to these changes will take time, further limiting our ability to control local taxes. In the meantime, we must make difficult decisions about what is best for our children. This crisis was brought on by shortsightedness and most likely a lack of understanding of the overly complex tax and education funding system in Vermont. While the State's intentions were certainly good, it is the impact that matters, and we are now left to try and salvage some good from the wreckage that has been left behind. Additionally, LMH is facing further challenges. First, the federal government has raised the threshold for student eligibility for Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL), causing twenty-two of our families to no longer qualify. This not only affects those families but also reduces the funding the district receives. Lastly, the district utilized nearly half a million dollars in one-time funding last year to lessen the burden on taxpayers. Since these funds were used for essential services, this year's budget must increase by that amount to cover the shortfall. We have tough decisions to make as a district that could, if we are not careful, permanently and tragically change how the district is structured; because of this, we need your input and ideas at Wednesday's meeting. The meeting can be attended in person or by the following Zoom link: https://trsu.zoom.us/j/86535498062 . Most Sincerely,
Layne Millington,
TRSU Superintendent Two Rivers Supervisory Union 609 VT Route 103 South Ludlow, Vermont 05149 p: 802-875-3365 | | | | | Correction:
The Mount Holly School Board Meeting is Wednesday at 6 PM in the Mount Holly School
not on Tuesday as in my earlier post.
or by Zoom
https://trsu.zoom.us/j/86535498062
The agenda is here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VUHqTmyQQuRLOKJK_63Drw-h9dZ42mrd/view
Sorry for the confusion,
David Martin
Ludlow Mount Holly School Board to Vote Tuesday on Budget On Tuesday the Ludlow Mount Holly School board will meet at 6 PM in the MH School and by Zoom to vote on a budget to be submitted to the voters in March. Residents are invited to share your opinions about what action the committee should take on the budget. Costs beyond the control of the school board will cause a substantial increase in spending. - Tuition for high school and middle school students will increase by $467K
- Special Education costs required by federal law will increase by $374K
- Health insurance costs mandated by the State will increase by $63K
- Salary increases to keep pace with inflation will increase costs by $91K
The impact of these factors is that spending will increase by 12%. Reducing spending below this level is not possible without dismissing current teachers and reducing the quality of education our students receive. In addition to the spending level, other factors will cause taxes to increase. - Revenue from the State will decrease by $360K because the number of students who qualify as low income has decreased
- The State determined that property values in MH increased by 17% this year, increasing our taxes by that amount
- Last year the district used a reserve fund of $498K to limit the increase in taxes. That reserve fund is no longer available.
If lawmakers in Montpelier do not change the school finance law, the net result of these factors will increase the estimated MH school tax rate from 1.678% in 2024 to about 2.018% in 2025 without any other significant increases or decreases in spending. At its meeting Tuesday, the school committee will consider two ideas: - Hire two more teachers, to enable each class to include only a single grade. Multi-grade classrooms make it more difficult to teach students at their level.
- Decide whether to use the current reserve fund of $182K to reduce taxes or to retain it for unanticipated emergencies.
The following table shows the estimated Mount Holly tax rate under four options and the additional taxes per $100K of valuation compared to the least expensive option #4. Option | MH Est Tax Rate | Addl tax per $100K valuation | - Add the two teachers and keep the reserve fund for emergencies
| 2.057% | $77 | - Add the two teachers and use the reserve fund to reduce taxes
| 2.019% | $39 | - Do not add the teachers and keep the reserve fund for emergencies
| 2.018% | $38 | - Do not add the teachers and use the reserve fund to reduce taxes
| 1.980% | $0 | Residents are invited to attend the meeting Tuesday either in person at the MH School or by Zoom and express your opinion about these options or other issues. NOTE: This analysis is my own and has not been approved by the school board or administration.
David Martin
david@davidsmartin.net
| | |
| | Today's Forecast: Isolated snow showers after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 30. Southwest wind 3 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than half an inch possible. | | | | | Select Board Meeting
Mount Holly Town Office
January 14, 2025
6:00 pm
AGENDA
1. Call to Order
2. Pledge of Allegiance
3. Consideration of any changes and/or additions to the agenda
4. Approval of December 10, 2024 Minutes
5. Reports
a. Highway and Transfer Station Update - Clinton Woolley
b. Town Treasurer Update - Elizabeth Karle
i. Monthly Income and Expenses Report
ii. Finalize and Approve FY26 Budget
c. Fire Department Update - Bill Austin
d. Listers' Report - David Johnson
e. Animal Control Officer Report - Adam Karle
f. Planning Commission Update - Jon McCann
6. New Business
a. Set Date for Select Board Meeting with Attorney in Susco v. Mount Holly et al.
b. Discussion of Delinquent Tax Collection Statutory Changes
c. FEMA Cost Offer - Beaver Meadow
d. Appoint Ethics Liaison to State Ethics Commission
e. 2025 Mileage Certification Updates
f. Discuss Solid Waste Sticker Re-Order
g. Adopt Revised Purchase Order (COI and W9 Requirements)
7. Old Business
a. Discussion of Town Treasurer as Appointed Position
b. Shifting Treasurer Duties - Treasurer Request for Asst. Treasurer Pay Rate of $25-$30/hour
8. Citizen Comments
9. Announcements
a. Dog License Registration Deadline is April 1.
b. Town Office Closed on January 20 for MLK Jr. Day.
10. Review & Sign Orders
11. Executive Session: Title 1 V.S.A. S 313(a)(3) – personnel (if needed)
12. Adjourn
All regular Select Board meetings can be joined via Zoom at:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82186653362?pwd=Y1dKb2ZxdnBrNzVOQj...
Meeting ID: 821 8665 3362
Passcode: 077215 | | | | | Ludlow Mount Holly School Board to Vote Tuesday on Budget On Tuesday the Ludlow Mount Holly School board will meet at 6 PM in the MH School and by Zoom to vote on a budget to be submitted to the voters in March. Residents are invited to share your opinions about what action the committee should take on the budget. Costs beyond the control of the school board will cause a substantial increase in spending. - Tuition for high school and middle school students will increase by $467K
- Special Education costs required by federal law will increase by $374K
- Health insurance costs mandated by the State will increase by $63K
- Salary increases to keep pace with inflation will increase costs by $91K
The impact of these factors is that spending will increase by 12%. Reducing spending below this level is not possible without dismissing current teachers and reducing the quality of education our students receive. In addition to the spending level, other factors will cause taxes to increase. - Revenue from the State will decrease by $360K because the number of students who qualify as low income has decreased
- The State determined that property values in MH increased by 17% this year, increasing our taxes by that amount
- Last year the district used a reserve fund of $498K to limit the increase in taxes. That reserve fund is no longer available.
If lawmakers in Montpelier do not change the school finance law, the net result of these factors will increase the estimated MH school tax rate from 1.678% in 2024 to about 2.018% in 2025 without any other significant increases or decreases in spending. At its meeting Tuesday, the school committee will consider two ideas: - Hire two more teachers, to enable each class to include only a single grade. Multi-grade classrooms make it more difficult to teach students at their level.
- Decide whether to use the current reserve fund of $182K to reduce taxes or to retain it for unanticipated emergencies.
The following table shows the estimated Mount Holly tax rate under four options and the additional taxes per $100K of valuation compared to the least expensive option #4. | Option | MH Est Tax Rate | Addl tax per $100K valuation | - Add the two teachers and keep the reserve fund for emergencies
| 2.057% | $77 | - Add the two teachers and use the reserve fund to reduce taxes
| 2.019% | $39 | - Do not add the teachers and keep the reserve fund for emergencies
| 2.018% | $38 | - Do not add the teachers and use the reserve fund to reduce taxes
| 1.980% | $0 | Residents are invited to attend the meeting Tuesday either in person at the MH School or by Zoom and express your opinion about these options or other issues. NOTE: This analysis is my own and has not been approved by the school board or administration.
David Martin
david@davidsmartin.net
| | |
| | Today's Forecast: Snow before 4pm, then a slight chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a high near 22. North wind 2 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible. | | | | | Wally's Corner Gift Shop 5444 VT-103, Cuttingsville, VT 05738
Updates for the new year:
We had a quick pause on alcohol sales, but we are back in business! Come down to try:
• Curated wines🍷that pair perfectly with our Crowley Cheese selections • Locally brewed beers🍺: Maple Wheat, Maple Porter, IPAs, Brown Ales, & Reds• Vermont Ciders🍎 & Cider Cocktails🥃 • An extensive Non-Alcoholic collection: Vermont-made CBD Seltzers🫐, Hopped Water🍃, Maple Soda's🍁, Kombuchas🌺, Switchy's🫚, & Shrubs🍋. And last, but not least, "Mixly" Mixers are back in stock! Make the best tasting & easiest mocktails or cocktails. The winter collection now includes:
• 🍓Strawberry Pomegranate - NEW FLAVOR! • 🌈 Rainbow Sample Pack • 🍐 Pear Honey Vanilla Lime • 🍍 Pineapple Basil • 🌶 Jalapeño Grapefruit | | |
| | | | | |
