Half of Vermont towns will see increased property tax rates

The numbers are in.

Two weeks after lawmakers and the governor resolved a budget impasse centered on a dispute over property taxes, the Department of Taxes published the rates taxpayers will see reflected in their bills this year.

More than half of the towns in Vermont, 135 out of 249, will see higher average homestead property tax rates than last year — even though Gov. Phil Scott was able to harness surplus money to prevent a hike in the average residential property tax.

But that’s no surprise. In May, the Legislative Joint Fiscal Office predicted that this would happen.

Scott and lawmakers bought down the average statewide rates, but that doesn’t change the fact that some towns voted to spend more on education than others and will see higher rates.

Read more: https://vtdigger.org/2018/07/15/great-headline-property-tax-rates/