He’ll Vote ‘No’
On Randolph Tax

I was disappointed to read on the front page of last week's Herald that the Town of Randolph has proposed another 5% property tax increase—roughly double the "core" rate of inflation as reported by the federal government.

As Gov. Jim Douglas has readily acknowledged, Vermonters already shoulder the highest overall tax burden of any state in the country. The message from the governor's office has been that, at a minimum, this burden can't go any higher.

Finding good people to serve in local government isn't easy, and we are fortunate to have some very dedicated people serving our town. Also, I don't doubt that the town is facing increased costs for energy, supplies, labor and services.

But I do think a property tax increase of this magnitude is ill-timed: the residental real estate market is weak, propane for this winter is up about 18% and CVPS has been awarded a modest rate hike for electricity. I, for one, will vote 'No' on every town budget question at my next opportunity until either the Town manages to pare down the proposed increase by roughly half or it becomes clear that my neighbors disagree with me.

Greg Nazarow

Randolph Center