Current News
by tim
Savings, and the answers to other FAQs, for
the temporary FY09 salary freeze for State of Vermont exempt employees over $60,000:
Executive Branch Alone:
Ø Approx. $1 Million in Savings
Ø 871,000
+ $92,600 (If
elected officers—whose salaries are set in statute—participate)
= $963,600
Ø
There are currently 359 exempt employees
(those not covered by the Union contract) in the Executive Branch earning more
than $60,000/yr.
Ø There
are currently 1,013 classified employees (covered by the Union contract) in the
Executive Branch earning more than $60,000/yr. Due to labor agreements,
this freeze does not apply to these employees.
Savings if Other Branches
Participate:
Ø Judicial
-- $313,600 (95 exempt employees earning more than $60,000/yr, including
judges)
Ø Legislative
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National Survey Shows Vermont High School Students Struggle with Financial Literacy
MONTPELIER, Vt.Vermont high school seniors scored slightly above the national average in the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy 2008 survey. However, the overall score for Vermont students was 50.3 percenta failing grade. Nationally, high school seniors answered only 48.3 percent of the questions correctly.
The results we share today will provide us with an important baseline of information from which to judge future progress of Vermont students in grasping financial concepts, said State Treasurer Jeb Spaulding at a State House press conference in Montpelier.
by tim
VTrans Identifies $3 Million in Spring Pavement Improvements
MONTPELIER -- The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) will rejuvenate nearly 80 miles of roadway during a supplemental paving program that will take place this spring.
Governor Jim Douglas in March instructed VTrans to develop a special $3 million program that will improve the condition of selected state and class one town highways that incurred some of the worst damage caused by this year’s extreme winter. Legislative leaders endorsed the Governor’s proposal.
VTrans Secretary Neale Lunderville announced today that 79 miles of road surface in 25 towns will receive treatment as part of "Operation Smooth Ride."
"Our pavement crews literally traveled the entire state to identify where this work will be done," Lunderville said. "The record breaking winter ravaged pavement from Enosburg to Brattleboro, so we want to make sure we improve roadways in every corner of the state."
by tim
Vermont Median Real Estate Prices Slipped In Early Winter
MONTPELIER Median prices of single-family homes in Vermont fell a bit in late fall and early winter compared to a year earlier, though the decreases were much less than were seen in many other states, according to the April - May issue of Vermont Property Owners Report. The slight dip came after several years of declining sales volume in Vermont.
The median price of single-family primary homes processed by the Vermont Tax Department in the November 2007 through February 2008 period $204,400 was 2.6% lower than in the same time period a year earlier, and 6.6% lower than in the May to August period last summer, the newsletter said.
by tim
National report shows Vermont housing ranks high among
least affordable rural states
Vermont’s high cost of housing highlighted in
2007-2008 housing affordability report
BURLINGTON –
This
year Vermont is the eighteenth most expensive state in the nation for renters
compared with 52 jurisdictions, including D.C. and Puerto Rico, according to a
new report jointly released by the National Low Income Housing Coalition
(NLIHC), a Washington, DC-based housing advocacy group, and the Vermont
Affordable Housing Coalition.
Non-metro Vermont also ranks in the top ten for most
expensive rural areas.
The report, Out of
Reach 2007-2008, provides the Housing Wage and related data for
every state, metropolitan area and county in the country. The National Housing
Wage is $17.32 in 2008; the Housing Wage for Vermont has risen to $16.07 per
hour, or $33,342 per year
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CONTACT COMMUNICATIONS OF VERMONT
ANNOUNCES THE ACQUISITION OF
RINGAMERICA OF PLATTSBURGH, NY
Contact Communications of Vermont has acquired all customers previously owned by RINGAMERICA of Plattsburgh, NY.
Lincoln Communications; DBA Contact Communications, and Contact Plus (Plattsburgh, NY); was established in 1989. Together, Contact Communications and RINGAMERICA combine the expertise of over 50 years of Paging and Answering Service experience. Contact Communications and Contact Plus are Full Service Paging, Wireless and Answering Service centers. Current retail locations include South Burlington VT, and Malone and Plattsburgh, NY. Operations and Technical Headquarters are located in Williston, Vermont.
Contact Communications specializes in custom designed Paging and Answering Services offering Local, Wide-Area, New England, Expanded New England; and Nationwide Paging coverage as well as 24 hour Live Answering Services.
by tim
Engelberth Achieves Truss Setting Milestone
at Spruce Camp
Stowe, Vermont:
Engelberth Construction, Inc. of Colchester marked a major milestone at the end
of February on the new Spruce Camp Base Lodge at Spruce Peak.
Over the course of the winter, the future base lodge that will serve as Stowe
Mountain Resort's primary source for skier services rose out from underneath
the heavy snows as crews began erecting the main timber trusses of the 80-foot
clear span octagon timber frame.
Crews began setting the Douglas-fir heavy timber roof
trusses on February 21. While the temperature was a cold four degrees,
the skies were blue with minimal wind, allowing for crews to work safely and
efficiently. Two cranes were utilized during the setting of the trusses,
as well as a combination of four scissor/boom lifts. The operation
involved approximately 22+ people throughout the day.
by tim
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and
Markets recently assessed penalties to numerous retail establishments for
violating Vermont retail pricing laws. The Dollar General Store, Rite Aid of
Vermont, Kinney Drugs, and Mac’s Market are among the retail outlets that have
been assessed penalties ranging from $420.00 to $4,255.00 for overcharging
consumers for items purchased in their stores. This year to date, 134
inspections were completed that resulted in no corrective action or assessment
of penalties.
The violations were discovered during routine inspections conducted by
inspectors from the Vermont Agency Agriculture’s Food Safety and Consumer
Protection Division. In all the stores assessed a penalty, inspectors found that
prices at the registers were higher than prices advertised on shelves for
certain items. Those discrepancies ranged from 4 percent error to 12 percent.
by tim
Montpelier, VT - Secretary of Administration Michael K. Smith Announces that General
Fund and Transportation Fund Revenues Were Below Target and Education Fund Revenues
Were Slightly Above Target for March. All Funds May Fall Short of Existing Fiscal
Year 2008 Revenue Targets.
General Fund
Today, Secretary
of Administration Michael K. Smith released the General Fund revenue results
for the month of March, the ninth month of fiscal year 2008. General Fund
revenues totaled $68.72 million, -$7.74 million or -10.12% less than the $76.46
million consensus revenue target for the month. The resulting fiscal
year-to-date General Fund revenue total of $835.91 million is -$1.09 million or
-0.13% below the recently revised consensus forecast of $837.00 million. "The
General Fund results for the month were adversely affected by certain tax
by tim
Legionnaires' Disease Closes Cortina Inn
The Cortina Inn in Killington was closed late on Thursday, April 3 at the direction of the Vermont Department of Health. This came after laboratory tests of water samples taken on March 29 from several locations within the Inn confirmed the presence of the bacteria Legionella pneumophila in its water system.
The Health Department was notified on March 28 about a case of Legionella pneumonia, known as Legionnaires disease. This was the third confirmed case over the past six months, but the first to be strongly linked to exposure at the Inn. Legionnaires disease is treatable with antibiotics, and all three people have since recovered.
by tim
Stinehour Press Announces End of Operations
(Lunenburg, Vt.) Managing Director and CEO Warren Bingham announced Monday, April 7, 2008, that The Stinehour Press, an award-winning book design and printing firm, will be ending operations and liquidating its assets after more than 50 years of operation in northern Vermont. The company, which had several million dollars in sales last year, employed a staff of 21 highly skilled workers.
by tim
US Army Awards General Dynamics Contract for Biological Detection System Production and Support
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command Acquisition Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., has awarded General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products a contract option, worth approximately $43 million, to produce and test Joint Biological Point Detection Systems (JBPDS). The contract terms also include field support packages and user training for the technology. This award is a modification of a 2004 contract and brings the total value to date to more than $200 million. General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products is a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).