Governor Scott: Visiting and Listening to the People and Places We Serve

Montpelier, Vt. - At his weekly press conference today, Governor Phil Scott provided an update on his visit to Caledonia County on August 27 as part of the Capital for a Day tour. Governor Scott and members of the Administration met with local officials, business owners, law enforcement, public health professionals, and mental health professionals to understand what's working well and where we need to improve to better serve our rural communities.

Click here to view a recording of the press conference.

GOVERNOR SCOTT: Good afternoon. Thanks for being here.

I want to start by talking about "Capital For a Day," which is something we started back in 2018 as a way to hear from everyday Vermonters in all 14 counties. The goal is to make sure we keep our "finger on the pulse" to what communities, employers, and families are facing.

Because typically we expect them to come to us, to call if they have an issue, or come to Montpelier to testify if they want to be heard.

But the fact is, most people are just too busy for that. They've got jobs, kids to take care of, and other day to day responsibilities.

And every day Vermonters don't typically have lobbyists or paid advocates representing for them in the State House or in front of agencies and departments.

So I think it's important we make the effort to go to them.

On "Capital for a Day," me, my team, the Cabinet, and their teams go into a county, visit, and listen to the people and places we serve.

We answer questions, offer help where we can, bring back ideas to improve in the areas where we're not meeting their needs.

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Last week, we were in Caledonia County, visiting rural communities whose voices are far too under-represented.

So, with statewide press here today, I wanted to share more about what we saw and heard.

Now having just restarted this county tour, we thought it was important to start in communities that were hardest hit by flooding. As a reminder, we went to Washington County earlier which included a flood recovery meeting in Plainfield.

And last week, we met with town officials and residents in Lyndonville to do the same.

Both towns are struggling with capacity, with a small number of municipal officials and volunteers who have been dealing with flooding, infrastructure, paperwork, and budget constraints for over a year now. And they're tired.

Importantly, many of their challenges didn't start with flooding. These smaller communities are the ones I'm thinking of, and fighting for, when I talk about reversing our demographic trends, making Vermont more affordable, keeping employers here, and more.

Even in a good year, without natural disasters, it can be difficult for them to stay ahead.

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But our visits didn't just focus on their challenges. We also got to see some of the "sparks" that contribute to revitalization. We started our day at the historic Inn at Burklynn in East Burke, which is just an incredible spot. It's right next door to Mountain View Farm and Kingdom Trails.

And thanks to the hard work and investment of Jim and Marcie Crone, it's now a beautifully restored Inn, bringing tourists and revenue to the area.

It's truly a hidden gem and a testament to the opportunity, and possibility, when we leverage the assets we have as a state, from our history to our outdoor recreation, to grow the economy in rural communities.

But it wasn't easy for Jim and Marcie, and right from the get go, we heard a common theme: it's expensive to live and do business in Vermont.

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Affordability was also a theme at a manufacturing roundtable held at Lyndon Institute and hosted by the Department of Labor. But these employers weren't focused on their own costs and the expense of doing business here. They were concerned about how unaffordable it is for their workers to live here.

As I've said for years, we desperately need more workers as our population continues to age. And there are fewer and fewer kids in our schools, or young people staying, to backfill the number of retirees we're seeing. Forget about what's needed for businesses to grow.

With just a handful of employers in the room, I counted about 100 open jobs. And that was to keep up with the business they're currently doing. That didn't even account for all those they could use. Instead, they're turning away business, because they don't have the workers.

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These employers are willing to train kids right out of school, they're working with CTE centers, they're recruiting out of state, but it's not enough.

When I asked what the top issue was, nearly all of them said affordability.

The cost of living makes it hard to keep young people here, especially for entry level positions.

And by the way, they also noted they lose out on military retirees who are interested in starting another career in Vermont but don't want to live in one of the only states in the nation that taxes their pensions.

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The second biggest issue, which is part of the affordability crisis, is a lack of housing.

Even when they can recruit someone, they often lose that candidate because they can't find anywhere decent to live at a price they can afford.

And then there's the concern for existing employees who make good money but spend far too much of it on housing. Whether that's a $1900 a month apartment, or a mortgage, or property taxes.

To be absolutely clear on the message here: these employers, who are essential to the livelihoods of hundreds of workers and the vitality of communities throughout the NEK, are turning down business because of a lack of workers and arelosing workers because of a lack of housing.

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And here's the thing, at a public safety event in St. Johnsbury a few hours later, law enforcement and health officials told us a similar story.

Those with boots on the ground, facing increasing crime, seeing overdoses on the sidewalks of their community, named housing as a tool that could help.

This is why I've been saying for years, housing is key.

And it's why I was so disappointed when the Legislature failed to meet the moment when it came to housing and affordability this session.

However, we did come away with some tools, but they're only in place for two years. So, we need to act quickly to help address this housing crisis.

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