Vt. Town Wants to Secede to New Hampshire

[rock jock]

KILLINGTON, Vt. - Officials in the popular ski resort area of Killington want the town to secede from Vermont and join neighboring New Hampshire in a dispute over taxes.

They say the town's restaurants, inns and other businesses send $10 million a year to the state capital in sales, room and meal taxes, but the state returns just $1 million in state aid to Killington.

Even more galling to the town is a statewide property tax imposed in 1997 to fund schools. The town of 1,092 won a Superior Court order that called the state's method of assessing local properties "arbitrary and capricious," but the state Supreme Court reversed that decision.

"It kind of reminds us of Colonial days," Town Manager David Lewis said Thursday. "The Colonies were being faced with the Stamp Act, the Tea Act, the Sugar Act. England wasn't giving them any rights. They were treating the Colonies as just a revenue source."

New Hampshire, just 25 miles east, has no income tax or sales tax.

Killington's Select Board wants to put the secession idea before voters on Town Meeting Day in March.

Secretary of State Deborah Markowitz said Killington has little chance of secession "absent an armed insurrection type of thing. ... A town is a construction of the state and exists at the pleasure of the Legislature."

New Hampshire Deputy Secretary of State David Scanlan said he would be flattered if Vermont wanted to join New Hampshire — but he's not making any promises.

In Killington, not everyone likes the idea.

"I love having a Vermont address. I'm proud of it. It's a cool place to live," said resident Steven Kelly.

Oh yeah, baby, this is where it starts.

 

[dischord]

"I love having a Vermont address. I'm proud of it. It's a cool place to live," said resident Steven Kelly.

Well, there's a lucid counter-argument for you.

 

[Devonai]

Wouldn't Woodstock have to sign off on this deal, too? Or is Woodstock actually just a part of Killington?

A town is a construction of the state and exists at the pleasure of the Legislature.

Just like our rights, eh?

 

[Jonesy9]

cool, next the coastal producer states will get sick of subsidizing the commies in the interior states and can secede too


sorry, Killington is a cash cow. most of those taxes are paid by out-of-staters visiting the resort area, which the state used public money to help build. when the state invests capital in extensive infrastructure, why should it not reap the taxes that are generated.

obviously there are exceptions, like the property tax issue. but that was approved by the legislature. if they don't like it then time to participate in the democratic process, not tuck tail and try to run elsewhere.

 

[Jeff White]

Maybe there is hope for Illinois

There actually was a Southern Illinois Secession movement a few years back. Perhaps if this works there will be precedent for us to seceed from the State of Chicago .

We have a large portion of a state who's values are more in line with their neighbors in Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri. That part of the state is economically depressed because of the cost of doing business in Illinois (workmans comp, unemployment insurance, taxes). We have a Chicago governor who won't live in the governor's mansion because the state capitol isn't officially in Chicago..... This may be the start of something, the urban megalopolis being cut loose to fend for itself....

Jeff

 

[longeyes]

Winner of the Super Grande Double-Mocha Award:

Secretary of State Deborah Markowitz said Killington has little chance of secession "absent an armed insurrection type of thing. ... A town is a construction of the state and exists at the pleasure of the Legislature."

 

[Glock Glockler]

sorry, Killington is a cash cow. most of those taxes are paid by out-of-staters visiting the resort area, which the state used public money to help build. when the state invests capital in extensive infrastructure, why should it not reap the taxes that are generated.

Ok, what was the total amount that the state invested? So you can take that figure, add interest, then subtract the amount Killington has paid back and work out the difference. Suppose Killington makes good on the amount owed, or even if they forgive the balance that the Vt govt might own them, why should they not be able to go their own way?

obviously there are exceptions, like the property tax issue. but that was approved by the legislature

Ok, so even if the tax is grossly unfair as applied to them, as long as the legislature approves it then everything's fine?

if they don't like it then time to participate in the democratic process, not tuck tail and try to run elsewhere.

Maybe I just don't understand this worship of "the democratic process" but should the American colonies have 'participated in the democratic process' and not gone their own way? If the people in that town want to go on their own or join NH, why should they not be allowed to do so?

Why do you think the rest of the state would want them to go on their own, the rest of the state bleeds money out of them. It's like equating high-income producers who want to keep their own money and the whole thing being voted on by hordes of outnumbering parasitic welfare rats.

 

[mrapathy2000]

good for them.

 

[twoblink]

This is great!!

Start dumping tea in the harbors!! Start dumping tea on the ski slopes!!

As for Chicago (Jeff)...

hehehe..weren't you the one that told me "I'd love Illinois if they'd only cut the cancer that is Chicago out of it.."

 

[corncob]

We tried that once here in SC, and we even had legal basis to back it up, and a fed-up, armed, angry populace...but it didn't work out too well for us in the end. I doubt the townsfolk are willing to take it as far as we did, though.

 

[George Hill]

Pick up the town and move it 25 miles over.
You can move houses, and buildings can be rebuilt. If they are losing 9 million a year, that just makes business sense. Of course there is always the armed insurrection route.
It would of course be a huge publicity stunt.... but after a time, it might work, especially if NH sends out some National Guard to help out.
That would be fun to watch.
And you know what?
I think it would work.

 

[Dorian]

Oh yeah, baby, this is where it starts

That would be fun to watch

 

[GigaBuist]

Pick up the town and move it 25 miles over.
You can move houses, and buildings can be rebuilt.

Uhm.. it's kind of hard to mover a _ski resort_. Them mountains out there don't fit onto a flatbed real well.

Armed insurrection it is then. Wooo hah!