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Resident tells committee H.291 would penalize families who post land for preschool safety
Summary
Julia Barstow testified against H.291, saying it would raise taxes on landowners who post property to protect children attending a nature-based preschool on the property; she described farming activities and said posting is necessary for safety.
Julia Barstow, a resident and testifier, told the House Agriculture Committee she opposes H.291 — a current-use bill that would change taxation for posted land — because the measure would penalize landowners who post property for child-safety reasons.
“My name is Julia Barstow, and I'm here to testify in regards to h 2 91, a bill to tax land at a higher rate than the current use program, for being posted,” she told the committee.
Barstow described the family property and its uses: her parents bought an abandoned hill farm with 62 acres in 1972; the land has participated in the current-use program for decades and supports maple sugaring, haying, forestry, milling lumber, cutting firewood and invasive-plant removal. She said her mother's registered family childcare home operates a nature-based Spanish-language preschool on the land and is an Act 166 universal pre-K partner. Barstow said the family posts the land to protect children from hunters and leg-hold traps while allowing recreational walkers.
“Posting our land does not diminish the fact that we are conscientious stewards,” she said.
Committee members asked clarifying questions. A committee member asked whether a “hunt by permission only” approach could avoid posting; Barstow said such permission arrangements happen informally but worried that relying on permission could fail to protect children who are present for the preschool: “With the children there, it feels like…someone was like, oh, well, I got permission the other week, but didn't know the full circumstances or didn't respect that. That could be a challenge.”
Rep. Chad Lipsky praised Barstow's written testimony and the varied uses of the land; another committee member asked if Barstow would support narrowly tailored carve-outs for owners with similar childcare or public-safety uses. She said she would be more supportive if carve-outs were clearly communicated and not burdensome to request.
The testimony was part of a hearing on three current-use bills. No committee vote on H.291 occurred during this segment.
Barstow closed by reiterating that the family posts their land for child safety but continues active stewardship and public access for walking, and she thanked the committee for the chance to speak.
