[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6282639,"mediaKeyId","2593586-ca705d79d855fa03a72e2c74c24198bb","parentId",2593586,"title","Tax department outlines $37.2 million operating budget, IT projects and staffing priorities to Ways & Means","audioSeconds",417,"startMs",1077000,"endMs",1494000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2593586-ca705d79d855fa03a72e2c74c24198bb&start=1077&end=1494","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2593586-ca705d79d855fa03a72e2c74c24198bb/thumbnail_1077000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6282639/Vermont/Tax-department-outlines-372-million-operating-budget-IT-projects-and-staffing-priorities-to-Ways-Means","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6282639-b34d7f08bf8fdc2818c1ba4091c5fc24/orig.mp4?Expires=1771019769&Signature=OUWKc72q5P1URufNtwXpBVz3oK2-yhq3dmTqHRxBeL-3nqJ-haSi7J4iEoPUG62r6E39zee0a0wrCPpFXP6fRqO~zbjrl6U-8v26-itTx~BKpfratSNJnTefAN8UBXEaD-G6QEwkVaWmksLdduQDh-aBZvP1c7j056BBZo-Vb6zHck3j-MEfk7V1spW~FSy6RfNa9TRLp4SBFPpg4HnVvRRnbMNDFThtyDSX542KZMiruQa230EdCyovm4fHvfzQBoxbPsHxmrYotTcwu0XfAmU5Wt4fhgT5XvMIrmU41b1cQPciGFqXPuhjfV3v10b6jpAd568hG-~mah1ImDqRLg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-03-13T08:34:34Z","article","Erin Anderson, chief operating officer of taxes, told the House Ways & Means Committee the Department of Taxes is requesting an operating budget of about $37.2 million and highlighted priorities that include IT modernization, a property tax system transition and staffing adjustments.

Anderson framed the budget by function, saying 57% of the department’s requested operating budget is for salaries and benefits and 32% is for IT, which includes payments to the Agency of Digital Services. “Between those two categories, you're really looking at 90% of our budget,” Anderson said.

The department presented several ongoing and planned projects. Anderson described a near-term migration of the current-use property program into the department’s tax system (VITAACS) and a broader transition to the Vermont Property Information Exchange, a statewide property-tax IT system. She said the department expects to start the current-use transition immediately and to shift records into VITAACS within about a year, followed by a one- to two-year effort to digitize paper records. Anderson also described phase 1 and phase 2 completion of a new scanning system, rollout of an improved phone system, and a planned vendor-support transition for the property system implementation.

Anderson described a “class action request for reclassification” affecting tax examiner and field auditor positions: earlier in the presentation she characterized it as a large request and later clarified the request updates the job descriptions for a specific set of positions to reflect modernized, more technical duties. Committee members and Anderson discussed staffing and recruitment: the department has had recruitment success but still faces vacancies, particularly in compliance positions, and Anderson said the reclassification could raise pay for some roles as the classification structure is updated.

On program performance, Anderson told members the department met a goal to issue 95% of timely personal income tax refunds by June 1 for the third consecutive year and reported the department issued 97% of refunds by that date in fiscal 2024. She said 96% of renter-credit claims were issued within 60 days in 2024 and that homestead declarations were completed two weeks ahead of the late June deadline.

Committee members asked several clarifying questions. Representative Maslin asked about the employee-engagement survey and how repeat questions are tracked; Anderson explained about 70% of the survey items are repeated year to year and provided percentage improvements across multiple engagement metrics. Other members asked about vacancies in the Division of Property Valuation and Review (PVR) and whether the department is planning to increase district advisors; Anderson reported no current vacancies in PVR at the time of the briefing and said there were no immediate plans to increase district-advisor counts.

Anderson also referenced the childcare contribution and changes to corporate and business income tax that the department implemented, and she said the department’s approach to modernizing forms and IT is intended to improve compliance and customer service. She noted the department tracks performance metrics and credited a combination of staffing and technology investments for recent improvements.

No committee votes occurred during the briefing; members thanked Anderson and indicated continued oversight of the department’s budget and upcoming projects.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Ways and Means 2025-03-12","oneSentenceSummary","Erin Anderson, chief operating officer of taxes, told the House Ways & Means Committee the Department of Taxes is requesting an operating budget of about $37.2 million and highlighted priorities that include IT modernization, a property tax system transition and staffing adjustments.","taxTitle","Ways & Means, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative , Vermont","taxId",35157,"location","Vermont","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6282644,"Committee previews H.472: fee increases, new surcharges and enforcement changes for professional licensing",729,69000,798000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2593586-ca705d79d855fa03a72e2c74c24198bb&start=69&end=798","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2593586-ca705d79d855fa03a72e2c74c24198bb/thumbnail_69000.jpg","/articles/6282644/Vermont/Committee-previews-H472-fee-increases-new-surcharges-and-enforcement-changes-for-professional-licensing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6282644-04128a00c1fc858b29770e21bc656fb5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771019769&Signature=Rqb6kbK6HpZz7z2alfOrP-RDrPIgqyzimUlg4aig3XXlB79zs8DdU3Sra0pHWvnfUoq9d4ns8EGI85BTku7FH2gI9iFGdypRss~P9PFFEl4jCzdIDBkG3L4lFlNVc9xsPwaJMlzmvbZx0g121vSuj2ZIFfcF2~ZCVeGk56-ey7hm41HDASwzWR73HqX4gDa2hYvOeq0JGI0RmKYd5xdhmF3kEJS0xYo1bb7RhdkAG4NuH~PGnXdCN5uxyjLyeg-O3ZdeddDlaN~bI9tKfCu5BCLyy7NGDgXZksu4fQoqlk3l-W3WE1jZS6R8h~l5vXXQj7nbsnnQtnWDRHn4j8XpEg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","For the record, my name is Tim Devlin, local state's council, said Tim Devlin as he introduced H.472, a miscellaneous Office of Professional Regulation bill, to the House Ways & Means Committee, describing several fee and enforcement changes the office plans to present in full at a later session.

The bill would authorize the secretary of state to collect revenues for optional services, add or raise several license application and renewal fees, create a $250 disciplinary-action surcharge, increase a civil penalty for unauthorized practice to $5,000 and remove an explicit prohibition against charging renewal fees for years a license lapsed, Devlin told committee members.

H.472 matters because the changes would affect the cost and enforcement of professional licensure across multiple trades and professions in the state and shift how OPR and the secretary of state manage certain revenue streams.

Devlin walked the committee through specific provisions he expected to be discussed further by the Joint Fiscal Office and OPR at a future meeting. He described a set of fee changes that the bill lists, including a new $50 apprenticeship-application fee and a separate $100 specialty-endorsement application fee; an increase in peer recovery/peer support specialist renewal fees from $50 to $75; and a $250 disciplinary-action surcharge tied to findings of professional misconduct. He also said the bill increases the civil penalty for practicing without authority from $2,500 to $5,000.

Devlin said the bill also adds language allowing the secretary of state to collect and deposit revenues from optional services, such as one-time or subscription sales of data. The bill would remove a statutory provision that prevented boards from requiring payment of renewal fees for years when a license had lapsed; Devlin said the change would “enable” collection in those circumstances but acknowledged the committee would hear more from OPR on how that would be implemented.

Committee members asked procedural and policy questions rather than taking action. Representative Higley and Representative Holcomb asked whether OPR had provided context explaining why specific fees were raised and how revenue would be used; Devlin repeatedly recommended that members reserve detailed questions for OPR and the Joint Fiscal Office (JFO), which the committee plans to invite to a later session. Rep. Holcomb framed a process question about tracking positions and whether the committee examines requests holistically across state government; Devlin and committee staff said OPR will be asked to explain the rationale for fee increases when it returns.

Other provisions Devlin mentioned included repeal of certain motor vehicle racing regulations, a change removing a mandatory escrow-agent requirement for prepaid funeral arrangements, and an appropriation section; he told members the funeral-service escrow change “doesn't prohibit it, just doesn't require any bond.”

Devlin also described a pre-application criminal-background determination provision that would no longer automatically deduct a pre-application fee from a subsequent license application fee. A committee member recounted difficulty completing an online renewal and a trip to OPR to finish it; Devlin said OPR will be asked about system problems.

No formal committee action, motion or vote was recorded during this preview. Members agreed to invite JFO and OPR back for a fuller presentation, including fee spreadsheets and implementation details, before any final vote.

The committee scheduled further review with JFO and OPR to allow staff to show fee models and to answer implementation questions that Devlin said could not be resolved in the brief preview.

The discussion concluded with committee members thanking Devlin and scheduling follow-up testimony at a future Ways & Means meeting.

","For the record, my name is Tim Devlin, local state's council, said Tim Devlin as he introduced H.472, a miscellaneous Office of Professional Regulation bill, to the House Ways & Means Committee, describing several fee and enforcement changes the office plans to present in full at a later session.","actionData","errors"]

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Tax department outlines $37.2 million operating budget, IT projects and staffing priorities to Ways & Means

Committee previews H.472: fee increases, new surcharges and enforcement changes for professional licensing