Land‑use and property tax debates heat up
Vermont lawmakers are actively debating property tax rates and land‑use reforms, a set of conversations that will shape housing access, rural economies, and environmental justice trade‑offs in the coming session. Those debates intersect with broader fights over zoning, conservation, and state revenue priorities. (wcax.com)
The House Ways and Means “yield” bill H.949, advanced this session, formally sets the statewide education property tax yields for FY2027 and uses one‑time funds to lower next year’s projected average property‑tax increase compared with earlier forecasts. (legislature.vermont.gov) The statewide nonhomestead education tax rate for FY2026 was set at $1.703 per $100 of assessed value, and Act No. 24 (H.491) provides the statutory setting of homestead yields and the nonhomestead rate for that fiscal year. (tax.vermont.gov) Vermont’s Current Use (Use Value Appraisal) program still enrolls more than 19,000 parcels totaling roughly 2.5 million acres—about one‑third of the state’s land—and the Current Use Advisory Board established the 2026 use values on Feb. 12, 2026. (tax.vermont.gov) The Department of Forests’ proposed updates to Use Value Appraisal (UVA) forestland standards would tighten management‑plan and eligibility requirements and could change which landowners qualify for lower Current Use assessments. (vermontwoodlands.org) Act 181’s overhaul of Act 250, enacted in 2024, put new mapping and a controversial “road rule” into the implementation pipeline with components scheduled to take effect in summer 2026 while the Senate has begun a coordinated review of implementation. (vtdigger.org) Hundreds of landowners and rural advocates protested on the Statehouse steps on March 24, 2026, and separate property‑rights rallies have pressed lawmakers to roll back parts of the new land‑use rules, with farmers and business owners among those speaking at the events. (vtdigger.org) The Land Use Review Board published draft legislative proposals for 2026 implementation and the Ways and Means committee leadership, including Chair Emilie Kornheiser, has signaled that yield‑setting and one‑time funds will be central to negotiations over tax relief and how implementation costs are allocated. (act250.vermont.gov)
