January 15, 2009 Thursday                           Morrisville, VT 05661                        Web Edition

Veterans’ Exemption

by Amy Kolb Noyes

As local Vermont National Guard and other service members are deployed to Afghanistan this winter, people back home are beginning to ponder ways they can help soldiers and their families. One benefit, for which state law allows a partial property tax exemption, is for veterans who are 50% or more disabled, as defined by the military.

Eligible veterans or their surviving spouses must reapply each year, but the savings can be substantial depending on the town in which the recipient resides. You see, since 1977, state law has exempted qualified persons from paying property taxes on $10,000 of their appraised property value. That exemption still applies for statewide education property taxes. However, in addition, towns may vote to exempt disabled veterans or their surviving spouses from (non-education) municipal taxes up to $40,000 in appraised value.

While the original law, established 32 years ago, is mandated by statute, more recent amendments are by the will of local voters. The law was amended in 1991 to allow communities to double the local tax exemption to $20,000 by a popular vote of the town. Two years ago towns were given the option to up the exemption to $40,000. Vermont law (32 V.S.A. § 3802) states, “…By majority vote of those present and voting at an annual or special meeting warned for the purpose, a town may increase the veterans' exemption under this subsection to up to $40,000.00 of appraisal value. Any increase in exemption shall take effect for the taxable year for which it was voted, and shall remain in effect for future taxable years until amended or repealed by a similar vote.”

In other words, exemptions over and above the mandated $10,000 need to be on the agenda at the Annual Town Meeting or a Special Town Meeting, as local taxpayers will collectively make up the difference for the extra exemption. Half of Lamoille County’s 10 towns (Cambridge, Eden, Elmore, Hyde Park and Morristown) have held votes resulting in allowance for the maximum $40,000 exemption; two towns (Johnson and Wolcott) exempt $20,000 of appraised value; and three others (Belvidere, Stowe and Waterville) still offer only the required $10,000 exemption.

Tom Vickery, Stowe’s appraiser for the Board of Listers, said the issue of raising the exemption has simply never been brought to the floor in that town. He said he also works for the Town of Waterbury, where there are more active veterans’ groups, and Waterbury allows for the maximum exemption. In addition, he said Waterbury’s last two reappraisals happened to have coincided with the two amendments in the veterans’ exemption law.

Stowe, on the other hand, only has eight people currently receiving the tax exemption. As for the idea of raising the amount he said, “It has not come up. We don’t have a whole lot of veterans here.”

Bypass Still on Track... For Now

by Mickey Smith

With talk of the closing and replacement of the Crown Point Bridge across Lake Champlain, rumors started to swirl last week that this project would jeopardize the Morristown bypass project still slated to start in the next few years.

John Zicconi, director of Planning, Outreach & Community Affairs for the Vermont Agency of Transportation, said “It is too soon to know even if delays to any projects will occur, so nobody at this time should believe that their community's project is in jeopardy.”

He did say there would have to be some discussions this year regarding the financial aspect of the bridge project, but he said it was too early to tell what would happen.

One temporary change in the bypass project may have fueled the speculation. Bypass project manager Jim Harris is also serving as project manager for the temporary ferry service, to be started to carry Champlain Bridge traffic. Zicconi said that role is only short term and he has not been pulled from the bypass project.

In the meantime, the state has purchased several parcels that are designated for the bypass project.  Among the parcels purchased are the church and parsonage of the former Foursquare Church on Bridge Street, a portion of the former Lakeside Ford Dealership lot (.94 acres was purchased by the state, with Bridge Street Bypass LLC owned by Dennis and Emma Pudvah retaining 1.23 acres of the original lot), three lots on Wilkins Street, and one on Wabun Avenue. The state also purchased three lots on South River Street. These lots were used for the sewer plant addition.

The combined value of these parcels designated for the bypass, and now owned by the state, is $436,700. This does not include the land purchased and to be turned over to Morrisville Water and Light Department. That is part of  a swap for other land along the bypass route.

Morristown Selectboard Tackling Budget

by Amy Kolb Noyes

MORRISTOWN – The Morristown Selectboard has begun its annual budgeting process. The board will meet weekly at least through mid-December, until the proposed 2010-2011 budget is complete. The selectboard’s goal is to level fund the town budget, for the second year in a row.

At meetings this week and last, the selectboard took a preliminary look at budgets for the police department, cemeteries, fire department and general government. Categories under general government include legislating; town administration; animal control/shelter; ordinances and proceedings; collect/custody of funds; board of civil authority; accounting and bookkeeping; communications/computers; auditing; tax listing; delinquent tax collecting; legal services; planning and zoning; our town (Community Development Coordinator, MACC, Trails Committee and Conservation Commission); health services; building and grounds maintenance; recreation; emergency management; miscellaneous; culture (Military Band, Fourth of July and Library); debt service; and reserves.

Next Monday, December 1, the board will take a closer look at budgets for the rescue service, recreation department, and library. The following Monday, December 7, the highway department budget will be examined. On Monday, December 14, the board will go over revenues, the capital program and other purchases.

“Then we will look at the whole package,” said Town Administrator Dan Lindley. “We’ll take a fresh look at where we are at, with that goal of being level funded on the amount of taxes we raise.”

Lindley noted payments on the new Bridge Street Bridge, which will be financed through a 20-year loan, are included in the budget. The town currently has a construction loan out on the project. Lindley said he anticipates the final loan roll-over will occur in March, after the town receives its 10% state match on the project.

Javery Violates Conditions of Release

by Mickey Smith

William Javery, 25, of Stowe, was back in front of Judge Dennis Pearson in Vermont District Court in Hyde Park recently.  Javery, who was charged with sexual assault on a minor in September was back in court to answer charges he violated his conditions of release by allegedly spending much of November 1 with two 14 year old girls.

According to Morristown Police Corporal Ryan Bjerke's affidavit, a suspicious vehicle, which was found to be registered to Javery, was seen parked near the Lamoille trash facility off Garfield Road in Morristown.  Cpl. Bjerke said he learned Javery was living with his father in Brookfield, but was told Javery had left at about 10 a.m. that morning to get cigarettes and was gone for much of the day.

Cpl. Bjerke alleges his investigation revealed that a 14 year old female, who Javery had been ordered to stay away from, lived in the vicinity. He stated in the affidavit another 14 year old girl alleged she spent time on November 1 with the two of them. Bjerke also states he was told Javery communicates with the 14 year old he was ordered to stay away from through texting and instant messaging on a computer.

Javery was arrested in October for sexually assaulting another girl, when she was 13, after telling her he was 17. At his arraignment for that offense, he was ordered not to have contact with minors. It was alleged in court documents of that case, that Javery had texted several girls between the ages of 12 and 14 asking to be their girlfriend. The month before Javery was charged with providing alcohol to a minor. While the name of that minor was not publicly released, Bjerke's affidavit said it was the same unnamed minor in this case.

Javery has now been placed under 24 hour curfew – only allowed to leave his home for medical or legal proceedings.

Home for the Holidays

by Amy Kolb Noyes

MORRISVILLE – Some Vermont National Guard members, currently training in Indiana in advance of a January deployment to Afghanistan, have made their own way home for Thanksgiving this week. Many more soldiers are hoping to return to Vermont at Christmastime, but the travel costs could prevent their homecoming. In response to this dilemma, there is a local effort, dubbed “315,” intended to help bring local soldiers home for the holidays. So far more than $2,100 has been raised in just a few weeks.

The name 315 came from the estimated cost of $315,000 to fly all 700 deployed soldiers home. Now, an effort to coordinate bus travel is underway. Donations to the 315 fund can be sent care of the News & Citizen, P.O. Box 369, Morrisville, VT 05661, or dropped off at the newspaper office at 417 Brooklyn Street, in Morrisville. Any amount raised over and above the cost of travel will be given to the National Guard Charitable Foundation to support military families while their loved ones are overseas. Donations will be accepted through Monday, December 7. Donors names will be published in a special “Home for the Holidays!” advertisement in mid-December.

Local military families should also know that, since World War II, the News & Citizen has provided free subscriptions to men and women serving overseas for the duration of their deployment. The News & Citizen was once spotted on a Chinese ready room table of the Flying Tigers! If you’d like us to keep your soldier abreast of their hometown news, call 888-2212 to arrange delivery.

Things Look This Way to Me

Editorial by J.B. McKinley 11-26-09

Thank You – Lamoille

This morning I was talking with Roland Lajoie at WLVB and he was announcing a rough turkey total as the annual Chris’ Challenge turkey drive wrapped up. Lamoille and Hardwick area folks have donated about 800 turkeys and a couple thousand dollars to just that drive. As it is Thanksgiving week and you may have already eaten the year’s most ostentatious and gluttonous meal, it’s a good time to mention the community-wide generosity of all us tight-fisted Yankees!

I’m certain I’m not aware of even half the charitable efforts ongoing at even a single moment in the Lamoille region, but I know the number is eyeopeningly large. The News & Citizen is presently taking part in the Home for the Holidays fundraising to bring our National Guard servicemen and women home before they are deployed overseas. That effort has raised over $2,100 so far. A notice just came into the paper that Meals on Wheels is holding a Craft Fair, it noted the group feeds 500 people almost 44,000 meals each year!

The local churches and Rotary have given away hundreds of free winter coats – not to mention meals. Johnson State students work for a good cause in the area every Friday. Practically every school event, concert and performance sponsored by public or private groups solicit food for the food shelves. The Family Center annually runs a hugely generous and successful Christmas program featuring toys. There is an upcoming craft fair that will benefit the animals at NCAL. Dozens of shoeboxes were filled and sent overseas recently for Operation Christmas Child. Forgive me if I’ve forgotten your favorite charity. This list is the tip of the iceberg. As editor of your local community paper, I often realize that in a year’s time we devote pages and pages to chronicling this generosity. It’s like one of those “movies” we used to make by drawing stick figures on the fore edge of a paperback and flicking the pages. Lamoille County is a living movie of sharing volunteers and good deeds. Don’t believe it? Flick through our pages...

The point is that Lamoille is an incredibly generous place to live. There must be some really soft hearts under all those crusty Yankee visages! But taking the thought a bit further, the final point is that we have been (and may still be) in the midst of the worst economic times since the 1930s and people are still giving and giving and giving.

So – whenever we chatter to each other about how commercialized the season has become and complain about the store displays that went up a couple of weeks ago, pat yourselves on the back a little bit. The facts and dollar totals, even the mountains of rock hard frozen turkeys, attest the giving spirit remains. Whatever the religion of the donor, whatever lame excuse, if any, is given, that spirit is – love.

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Despite a summer of rain, the state feels work on the Pearl Street Bridge is

right where they wanted to be, heading into the winter season.  John

Zicconi, spokesman for the Vermont Agency of Transportation, said SD Ireland

is currently putting the bridge deck forms in place so they will be ready to

pour concrete in the spring.  Zicconi said the sewer line has been moved to

the new bridge and is operational.    Below: the Main Street side of the

bridge shows the progress along the deck. Smith photo

Morrisville Boy Scout Chris McDonnell, of Troop 876, has re-designed and

re-made the badly deteriorated Morrisville World War II plaque for his Eagle

Scout Rank project. The old cased tribute was fixed to the front wall of the

Morristown  Centennial Library. All can view the new memorial, presently at

the Morrisville VFW. The memorial plaque will be permanently installed later

at the Morristown Centennial Library.

M. Marble photo

News & Citizen P.O. Box 369 Morrisville, Vermont 05661  802-888-2212
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