Gov. Scott to deliver State of the State address

MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont Gov. Phil Scott is poised to deliver his State of the State address Thursday afternoon.

You can watch it live on Channel 3 and WCAX.com at 2 p.m. Click here to view in a new browser window or watch above.

The governor is expected to touch on many of the themes he has in his previous four speeches since being elected — growing the economy, making Vermont more affordable and protecting the most vulnerable.

After floods ravaged many Vermont communities in July, including his hometown of Barre, he has said flood recovery will be a top priority for his administration. But he is also expected to try to hold the line on spending. As Central Vermont lawmakers Wednesday unveiled an $85 million flood recovery package, the governor along with Vermont Treasurer Michael Pieciak spearheaded a new effort to better coordinate flood recovery efforts and to determine where investments should be made before big spending occurs.

Governor Scott is also expected to once again highlight the importance of housing and its role in bolstering the state’s workforce and attracting new residents. Administration officials have been pushing lawmakers this fall to act boldly, including creating less exclusionary zoning, broadening Act 250 exemptions and expediting the local development review board process. Officials say the state needs 7,800 housing units now and that Vermont has one of the lowest vacancy rates in the country.

Lawmakers and the governor’s team have also been working to come up with a plan to create emergency housing after the hotel-motel program expires in April. As the first round of hotel-motel voucher recipients were kicked out this spring, Democratic leaders called on the governor to declare a state of emergency. The governor this fall said he is not yet ready to call for an emergency in the same way that Massachusetts called up the National Guard. He has said the priority should be the Legislature considering his housing reform package.

Public safety has also been a big concern for many Vermonters this fall after the state experienced a surge in murders, many of them drug-related. Gov. Scott in November pledged to bring a “bold” proposal to lawmakers to address public safety, saying that criminal justice reforms have gone too far and it is time to “get back to the middle.”

State tax officials in November said property tax bills are predicted to increase by an average of 18.5%, driven largely by education expenses and the phasing out of pandemic relief cash shifting to state dollars. Governor Phil Scott has called the nearly 20% predicted hike “unacceptable,” saying it will exacerbate the state’s housing and workforce crises.

The governor will present his budget address to lawmakers later this month.