Ways & Means hears broad concerns about RAD implementation, funding and appeals

Montpelier — The Ways & Means Committee on Feb. 18 continued its review of proposed regional assessment district (RAD) legislation, hearing a mix of technical edits from legislative counsel and practical cautions from municipal officials, the Vermont Association of Realtors and the Tax Department about how a large-scale reappraisal program would be staffed and financed.

Legislative counsel summarized changes between drafts 2.3 and 2.5, saying the bill would keep legislative intent language but tighten how the Department of Taxes establishes RAD boundaries and change permissive language about joint mass appraisals so municipalities generally must work together under the RAD model. Counsel also described a proposed director waiver — currently drafted to allow the director to find that a joint appraisal is administratively burdensome or cost-ineffective — and recommended the committee weigh whether the waiver standard should remain "extraordinary" or be broadened to enable more discretionary relief.

Why it matters: the drafting choices will affect how many towns must contract together, how appeals are handled and who bears administrative costs.

Municipal officials and stakeholder groups pressed for several practical adjustments. Representatives speaking for towns recommended…