MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Vermont Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman on Sunday asked constituents to contact lawmakers and urge them to override Republican Gov. Phil Scott’s veto of the state budget.
Scott vetoed a second budget bill late Thursday over property taxes, saying he could not support it without a commitment from legislative leaders that the state “can achieve level property tax rates” or an amendment that would prevent an automatic nonresidential property tax increase. The budget now moves back to the House, where Speaker Mitzi Johnson said an override vote will be held Tuesday.
If the override fails, legislators would need to write a new budget. And unless they suspend the rules, state government would shut down if a budget isn’t approved by July 1.
Zuckerman, a Progressive and Democrat, sent an email to supporters Sunday criticizing Scott and asking residents to call their representatives at home and ask them to override the veto.
“There is a lot at stake with this last-minute maneuver by the governor. Our parks, prisons and the state mental hospital are in jeopardy as are the services Vermont’s most vulnerable count on,” he wrote. “If everyone who voted for the original budget comes together we can end this quarrel and operate government in a responsible manner.”
Scott vetoed the first budget bill along with the property tax bill last month, citing his campaign promise to avoid any new taxes or fees. He wants to use $34.5 million of the state’s surplus to pay down property tax rates. Democratic leaders said that money would be better spent paying down teacher pension obligations, which would save $100 million in interest payments over a decade.
Democratic leaders introduced the second budget bill as a compromise that would have kept the state funded while both sides continued to debate property taxes and the $34.5 million. Scott initially said he could support a compromise, but later came out against the bill because he said it still violated his pledge.
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