m! Yu
NT AU R A RE S T
G U ID
E PAG
E
PAGES 2-7
Williston
PAID
Permit #15 Williston,VT 05495 POSTAL CUSTOMER
4 S 1 1 -1
JULY 10, 2025
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
Tax decrease codified Roy: ‘A chance for taxpayers just to breathe a little bit’ BY JASON STARR Observer staff Happy new fiscal year to all who celebrate — and this year there is something to celebrate. Tax rates that took effect July 1 for the Town of Williston and Champlain Valley School District combine to lower the property tax bills of Williston homeowners. Last Tuesday, the Williston Selectboard set a tax rate for the new fiscal year of .3896. That translates to $389.60 for every $100,000 of assessed home value. For a $300,000 home, for example, the town tax bill will be $1,169. While that is an increase of about $104 over last year’s town tax bill, a decrease in school district taxes will more than offset it. The Town Clerk will mail tax bills to residents by July 15. The first of three installments is due Aug. 15.
“The underlying structural problem remains, which is that spending is increasing faster than the economy and the tax base can support.” Scott Beck Senate Minority Leader
The school district tax rate — a much larger portion of property tax bills — came in at $1.87, translating to $1,870 for every $100,000 of assessed property value. In the $300,000 home example, the school tax bill will be $5,610, a decrease of $237 from last year. The decrease is a dramatic turnaround from last year at this time, when homeowners
ECRWSS PRSRT STD US Postage
WWW.WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
were faced with a tax increase of about 17 percent — nearly $900 for the median priced home. That increase, which occurred at an average of about 14 percent in communities statewide, animated election campaigns from Republican candidates for the Vermont House and Senate, who promised to stabilize education funding and prioritize affordability. They won in enough numbers in November’s election to break up the Progressive-Democrat “supermajority” that could, and did, pass laws over vetoes by Gov. Phil Scott. The rebalanced Legislature in June passed Act 73, a law that sets in motion wholesale changes to the way education is funded in Vermont.
Hurrah for the Red, White and Blue Williston’s Independence Day pride was on full display last week. There were bowls of ice cream, hot dogs and juice cups. There were cheers, applause and oohs and ahhs. There were sirens, whistles, booms and bangs. In short, another July Fourth to remember. See pages 2-7 for a scrapbook of the celebration and visit the Observer website for even more photos! OBSERVER PHOTO BY AL FREY
‘STRUCTURAL PROBLEM REMAINS’
Several factors contributed to this year’s tax decrease. Locally, the Champlain Valley School District cut about 80 positions see TAXES page 10
Sustainable Williston showcases pollinator garden BY TRENT SNYDER Special to the Observer
Deborah Miuccio, left, and WCS science teacher Colleen O’Brien begin work on the pollinator garden in Village Community Park. OBSERVER COURTESY PHOTO
“If half of American lawns were replaced with native plants we would create the equivalent of a 20 million acre national park, nine times bigger than Yellowstone.” This is a quote from entomologist Doug Tallame. It also echoes the goal
of Sustainable Williston’s pollinator garden initiative. Deborah Miuccio, primary organizer for Sustainable Williston, described the organization as a “grassroots group of Williston residents trying to decrease the town’s consumption of natural resources and create resilient solutions to environmental challenges.” Miuccio,
with help from her children and her husband Matthew Wood on the Williston Energy Committee, has been working with Sustainable Williston for the past 10 years. The group’s pollinator garden can be found in Village Community Park behind Williston Central School. A see POLLINATORS page 24
Try Our Pizza, Salads and Italian-Inspired Sandwiches
Stop by for Lunch, 11:30-4:00, on Saturdays and Sundays
PASCOLOVT.COM