Politics & Government

Community Media Public Benefit Bill: H.575 and S.181: Vermont Senate Committee on Finance - Testimony of H.657 Modernize Vermont’s Communications Taxes and Fees 04/17/2024

Testimony of H.657 a bill meant to modernize Vermont's communications taxes and fees at the Senate Committee on Finance.

On Wednesday, the Cmte heard testimony from the Department of Taxes about how to inventory and track the assets (wires, poles, etc.) on which the right-of-way fee would be charged, and heard there should be no problem with this.

H.657: As Passed by the House:
https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/WorkGroups/Senate%20Finance/Bills/H.657/Drafts,%20Amendments,%20Other%20Legal%20Documents/H.657~Maria%20Royle~As%20Passed%20by%20the%20House~4-10-2024.pdf

Community Media Public Benefit Bill: H.575 and S.181: Vermont House Committee on Government Operations - Discussion of S.310 Government Response to Natural Disasters 04/17/2024

Discussion of S.310 Government Response to Natural Disasters at the House Committee on Government Operations.

On Wednesday, while taking testimony on S.310, a bill which concerns government response to natural disasters, Alison Segar from the Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, and DeafBlind Services gave testimony. She mentioned receiving a $300k grant for language access work and that the Vermont Language Justice Project connected with CCTV, a cable access TV station in Burlington to do so. CCTV was again mentioned later, in a positive light and only briefly.

Burlington Mayor's Press Conference: HUD Affordable Housing Development 04/17/2024

From the Mayor's Office:

Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak welcomes HUD Regional Administrator Juana Matias to Burlington. Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak and RA Matias are joined by partners in the affordable housing community for a press conference to highlight the ongoing need for local, state, and federal investment in affordable housing. RA Matias is the first federal official to visit Burlington since Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak was sworn in on April 1. They are joined by Michael Monte, CEO, Champlain Housing Trust and Kim Fitzgerald, CEO, Cathedral Square.

Governor Phil Scott: Press Conference - Housing; Seize This Moment 04/17/2024

From the Office of Governor Scott:

Governor Phil Scott and Administration officials hold their weekly press conference.

Community Media Public Benefit Bill: H.575 and S.181: Vermont Senate Committee on Finance - Testimony of H.657 Modernize Vermont’s Communications Taxes and Fees 04/16/2024

Testimony of H.657 a bill meant to modernize Vermont's communications taxes and fees at the Senate Committee on Finance.

On Tuesday, Senate Finance heard testimony from Vermont State Auditor Doug Hoffer on various aspects of H.657. At one point, Hoffer questions why CUDs and Comcast were excluded from the right-of-way charge. Sen. Chittenden asked if it wasn’t because of the cable franchise fee that goes to VAN, Hoffer responded that this shouldn’t be cause for excluding Comcast as the right-of-way fee would be in addition. Later in the same session, Rep. Sims - the sponsor of the bill - noted that CUDs were excluded because they are grant eligible, and Comcast because federal law precludes charging them anything in excess of the cable franchise fee.

Special Event at the Vermont State House - Public Hearing: Proposal 3 - Declaration of Rights 04/16/2024

From ORCA Media:

Special Event at the Vermont State House

The World of Weather: Pulling Back the Curtain on What the National Weather Service Does 04/16/2024

From the Fletcher Free Library:

Staff from the Burlington Office of the National Weather Service will give a presentation on how they forecast the weather. Appropriate for adults and for teens from grade 8 and up. Bring your weather questions!

For more information visit: https://www.weather.gov/

Williston Selectboard 04/16/2024

For more information on current procedures and meeting dates for the Williston Selectboard, please reference the agendas at town.williston.vt.us/index.asp?Type=B_DIR&SEC={70C5470F-A23D-438B-BE53-58C272DBEDFE}.

South Burlington Development Review Board 04/16/2024

For more information on the South Burlington Development Review Board and current procedures and meeting dates, please visit southburlingtonvt.gov/government/city_committees_boards/development_review_board_drb.php.

Burlington Development Review Board 04/16/2024

For more information on the current procedures and meeting dates for the Burlington Development Review Board, please visit burlingtonvt.gov/DPI/DRB/Agendas.

Featured Story

CCTV Receives NEH Grant to Support Community Archives

CCTV Center for Media & Democracy is pleased to announce receipt of a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Humanities Collections and Reference Resources grant alongside 32 peer archival institutions across the country. This $49,927 grant award will support efforts to preserve and expand access to audio/visual community history materials in the CCTV Archives. Read more about this opportunity here!