Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Secretary of Administration Kristin Clouser released Vermont’s revenue results today for April 2024. The General Fund and Education Fund exceeded their monthly consensus cash flow targets, as the vital personal income tax finished over 25% ahead, corresponding to the annual fiscal 2024 consensus forecast update as adopted by the Emergency Board at its January 2024 meeting. The Transportation fund was slightly below its monthly target. All three funds remain ahead of the fiscal year-to-date consensus cash flow targets. The State’s General Fund, Transportation Fund, and Education Fund receipts were a combined $475.2 million, exceeding the $408.0 million monthly consensus target by $67.2 million, or 16.5%. Combined receipts are $2,811.0 million, which is $113.2 million above the updated $2,697.3 million target tied to the annual fiscal year 2024 consensus forecast adopted at the most recent Emergency Board meeting.

Public Assets Institute Vermont had 3,900 fewer jobs in 2023 than before the pandemic in 2019. But according to newly released data from the Vermont Department of Labor, the losses have not been evenly distributed. In fact, five Vermont counties showed net gains from 2019 to 2023, while the other nine saw net losses. Between 2022 and 2023, all Vermont counties saw job growth, ranging from 23 jobs in Essex County to 1,791 in Chittenden County. The state gained 5,500 jobs that year. The data also show that Essex County had the lowest average wage in 2023, at $47,479, and Chittenden County the highest, $70,269. The Vermont Department of Labor defines the average annual wage as total annual wages divided by average monthly jobs.

Vermont Business Magazine Stewart Ledbetter announced his candidacy today for the Democratic nomination for the Vermont State Senate, representing the Chittenden-Central District. His decision to run follows a long career in Vermont political journalism spanning six gubernatorial administrations. Ledbetter retired in February as a top-rated anchor at NBC5 in South Burlington and is the former moderator of ‘Vermont This Week’ on Vermont Public (PBS). He was inducted into the Vermont Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2019. The district comprises most of Burlington, Winooski, Essex Junction and parts of Essex and Colchester. Ledbetter has resided in the district for more than 35 years.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Global industrial computer hardware manufacturer and solution provider OnLogic on Monday opened a new 150,000-square-foot global headquarters in South Burlington. Senator Peter Welch and US Representative Becca Balint joined the OnLogic team, members of the business and tech community, and representatives from ReArch Company, Wiemann Lamphere Architects, and VHB for the grand opening ceremony. Located in Technology Park, the facility houses full business and production capabilities for the company, which was founded in 2003. Specializing in the design and manufacture of compact industrial computing solutions, OnLogic caters to a diverse clientele, spanning from burgeoning startups to global giants like NASA, Google, and Amazon.

by Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak Yesterday marked the first 45 days of my mayoral administration. My team and I have been working diligently to balance the FY25 budget, and I’m proud to share that we have achieved that goal. On Tuesday, I was joined by CAO Katherine Schad at a press conference where we announced that we have identified cost savings and additional revenue that allows us to close the $13 million budget gap while also making strategic investments in community safety. I asked Department Heads to identify savings that could be achieved by leaving some positions vacant through FY25 that would not present major disruption to current City services. I have decided to proceed with this strategy for one year to give us more time to review our entire budget, assess programs for essential services, and properly evaluate the Operational Efficiency Study.  

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor reported today that the seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate for April was 2.1 percent. This reflects a decrease of one-tenth of one percentage point from the prior month’s revised estimate. The employment report was bolstered by an increase in the Labor Force and Total Employment, while Total Unemployment declined. The comparable United States rate in April was 3.9 percent, an increase of one-tenth of one percentage point from the revised March estimate. Vermont has the third lowest rate in the nation, one-tenth higher than North and South Dakota. California has the highest rate at 5.3 percent.

by Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First, Vermont Business Magazine The former chair and vice chair of the Woodstock Foundation want to add legal claims of unjust enrichment and a breach of fiduciary duty to their lawsuit against former trustees after learning one of the defendants was paid almost $1.5 million in recent years without full board approval, new court records maintain. Defendant Trustee John T. Hallowell received at least $1,472,951 pay from the Foundation plus substantial other benefits, including free luxury housing between 2018 and 2022, according to papers filed in Vermont Superior Court in Woodstock last week. Ellen R.C. Pomeroy, the former Foundation chair, and Salvatore Iannuzzi, the former vice chair, also want the defendant trustees to stop using Foundation funds to pay for their legal fees while fighting the current lawsuit.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today named Amanda Wheeler, of Bradford, as his press secretary, effective Monday, May 20. She will now serve as the primary contact for press inquiries for the Governor’s Office. Wheeler replaces Jason Maulucci, who has served in the role since January of 2021. Maulucci will depart the Governor’s Office next week to lead the Governor’s reelection efforts as campaign manager.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Benjamin Mallery, 32, of Sheffield, Vermont, was sentenced yesterday in Vermont Superior Court, Caledonia Criminal Division, after pleading guilty to one felony count of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials. The Court, Judge Michael Kainen presiding, sentenced the defendant on May 16, 2024, by agreement to 18 months to 5 years in jail all suspended with a 10-year term of probation with conditions that require a treatment regimen for sex offenders, restricts access to pornography and the internet, and requires that any contact with minors be supervised.

Vermont Business Magazine Today Senator Jane Kitchel (D-Caledonia) announced her retirement from the Vermont Senate after 20 years of service. Kitchel has served as chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations since 2011, after having served as vice chair since 2005, and as a member of the Senate Committee on Transportation since 2005. In April of 2024, she was elected by the Senate to the position of third member on the Committee on Committees. She is the first woman to hold this position and the first woman elected to represent her district in the Senate.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced that Secretary Kristin Clouser will be leaving her role leading the Agency of Administration next week. Secretary Clouser was first appointed by Governor Scott as deputy secretary of the Agency in November of 2020. In December of 2021, he named Clouser secretary of administration. Prior to her appointment, she served as the chief of the Human Services Division of the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and general counsel to the Agency of Human Services. Secretary Clouser’s last day will be May 24. Deputy Secretary Sarah Clark will serve as interim secretary.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) has taken a proactive step to safeguard the state's ecosystems from the threat of invasive plant species. Recognizing the significant risks posed by non-native invasive plants and utilizing existing statutory authority, Vermont Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts has declared eight new plant species as plant pests. This list includes Kudzu, Mile-a-Minute, Japanese Stiltgrass, Porcelain Berry, Wineberry, Waterwheel, Water Hyacinth and Water Soldier. These designated plant species are not native to Vermont and present an ecological and/or economic threat to Vermont.