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Committee rejects Stowe charter change tied to local-option tax
Summary
The Senate Committee on Government Operations voted 1–4 on May 26, 2026, not to advance H954, the House-passed charter amendment related to Stowe's local-option tax; members said the change would not automatically alter the existing 1% local-option tax without a separate select-board action, but they raised concerns about future risk and statutory interplay.
Senator Brian Collore, who presided over the Senate Committee on Government Operations, told members on May 26 that they would decide whether to accept the House-passed version of H954, a charter amendment tied to Stowe's local-option tax. The motion to approve the charter change was moved by Senator Bridget Burkhart and discussed before a roll call.
The central question was whether approving the charter language would jeopardize Stowe’s existing 1% local-option tax if the town’s select board later voted to impose a 2% local-option tax. Allison Parks pressed committee members to clarify the mechanics: would imposing a 2% option by the select board extinguish the standing 1% or leave it intact if the select board later rescinded the 2%.
Senator Brian Collore explained the committee’s reading of the bill: passage of the charter amendment would not automatically change tax collections. “The local option tax authorized by this section supersedes any local option tax previously … approved by the town,” he said, but added that the new local-option rate would only take effect if the select board took the affirmative step to impose it. If the select board did not act, the existing 1% would remain in place.
Committee members debated legal interplay between specific charter language and the controlling general statutes, noting that subsequent municipal steps would be required for any change to take effect. Bridget Burkhart said she believed she might be the sole yes vote on the change but urged the committee to consider the policy's practical implications before moving it forward.
The committee called the roll. The recorded votes were: Senator Clarkson — No; Senator Morley — No; Senator Mahovski — No; Senator White — Yes; Senator C. — No. The chair reported the tally as 1 yes, 4 no, 0 abstentions, and said the item would not advance from committee.
Because the committee did not approve H954, the charter amendment will not go forward from this panel. Members suggested that, if the town later sought to impose a different local-option rate or to adjust the charter, further legislative steps or a separate charter-change process would be required.
The committee then moved on to consider the next charter item on the agenda.
