Another dose of bad news for Vermont’s mental health care system: Dr. Jay Batra, the medical director for the Department of Mental Health and, until Irene, head of the Vermont State Hospital, is leaving at the end of this month for a job in the private sector.

Coming on the heels of Patrick Flood’s resignation as DMH head, and the news of a 50% increase in projected spending for mental health care next year, this is yet another sign of serious trouble in the system.

The only real surprise in Dr. Batra’s departure is that it didn’t happen sooner. He made it very clear that he was left out of the loop when the Shumlin Administration was formulating its plan to replace VSH. And since the hospital’s closure, he’s been trying to patch together a hideously overtaxed system with baling wire and duct tape.

In the short run, his departure means that patching job will go on a while longer. The state’s eight-bed facility in Morrisville is about ready to go online, but it can’t operate without a medical director. That would have been Dr. Batra.

Acting Mental Health Commissioner [Mary] Moulton says she trying to find a local psychiatrist would can step in and do the job, perhaps in affiliation with another hospital in Vermont.

I think she’s going to have a lot of trouble on that score. Local psychiatrists, as well as nurses and other caregivers, know exactly how dire the situation is. It’d take a remarkably selfless individual to agree to take charge of this mess.  

Here's just a quick note on the Currier murder case, one I haven't seen elsewhere.

Although the press in Vermont has covered the story extensively, it's worth taking a look at this story in Salon this morning. 

Here's what Salon says in a report originally published by the Southern Poverty Law Center:

A confessed serial killer and bank robber who took his own life in an Alaska jail cell on Sunday was exposed to the racist and anti-Semitic beliefs of Christian Identity theology during his childhood in a rural corner of Washington state, Hatewatch has learned.

 Friends of poor Ann Romney reported that she believed up until the end that ascending to the White House was their destiny. Well she isn’t the only Republican feeling robbed.

A new Public Policy Polling (PPP) post election poll shows a substantial number of Republicans believe they were robbed by a group disbanded years ago.

49% of GOP voters nationally say they think that ACORN stole the election for President Obama. We found that 52% of Republicans thought that ACORN stole the 2008 election for Obama, so this is a modest decline, but perhaps smaller than might have been expected given that ACORN doesn't exist anymore.(full poll PDF)

And a quarter of Republicans polled want to leave the Union.

Some GOP voters are so unhappy with the outcome that they no longer care to be a part of the United States. 25% of Republicans say they would like their state to secede from the union compared to 56% who want to stay and 19% who aren't sure.

And guess what? There has been a five-point decrease since the election in Republican Party identification.

We've seen a 5-point increase in Democratic identification to 44%, and a 5-point decrease in Republican identification to 32%.

This decrease to 32%, the PPP charitably suggests, may have contributed to the extreme views shown by the poll.

The GOP, now with only 32% extremist views!  

The State Senate recount has been completed up in Franklin County, and Democrat Don Collins is unofficially confirmed as the second winner. On Election Night, Collins was credited with a 26-vote edge over Republican Dustin Degree; the recount gives him a 35-vote margin.

The results will be made official tomorrow by a county judge, but there is only one ballot in question, so don’t expect any changes.

The recount results, with the top two elected”

Norm McAllister (R) 7735

Don Collins (D) 7439

Dustin Degree (R) 7404

Caroline Bright (D) 7044

Congratulations to Don Collins!

The Vermont Republican Party exits 2012 with tiny minorities in the Legislature and only one statewide officeholder — who is also the only Republican on the horizon with any broad popularity or name recognition: Lt. Gov. Phil Scott. It’s almost universally assumed that he will run for Governor someday; the speculation is mainly whether he’d run as a Republican or as an independent. In a recent interview with WDEV’s Mark Johnson, (link to audio podcast) Scott did nothing to close the door on leaving the Republican Party.

Well, today, VTGOP Chair Jack Lindley was a guest on the Mark Johnson Show. And he didn’t exactly make a strong plea for Scott to remain in the party.

Every candidate has their rights, and their own political instincts. My sense is that with the exception of Bernie sanders, there really hasn’t been any strong independents elected statewide in Vermont. [If Scott were to leave,] I would wish him well. He’s a great candidate. I think he really belongs on the Republican ledger, on our side, but if he chose to go in another direction, I can’t prevent that from happening.

Mark’s rejoinder: “You’d let him go that easily, huh?” To which Lindley didn’t respond at all; he simply changed the subject:

Well, you know, my job as chairman is to make sure that we have a strong Legislature and a strong — that’s where our bench comes from is the Legislature, and if we don’t have strong candidates out there who are willing to take some time to help our state out of the mess that it’s going into and that it’s in, then we all have a real problem.

Ol’ Jack isn’t always good on finishing the sentences he starts, but does he really believe that a party chair isn’t concerned with the statewide slate — and particularly with the gubernatorial candidate?

Lindley isn’t quite coming out and saying “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” but it’s pretty darn close. I would have expected something like “Phil is the leading figure in Republican politics, and I believe he will be the next Republican Governor of Vermont.”

Not so much, apparently. The message seems to be that Phil Scott needs the VTGOP more than the party needs Phil Scott, which seems remarkably deluded to me. I guess it’s not just my imagination that Scott is too moderate for current Republican tastes.

Otherwise, the most interesting characteristic of Lindley’s interview was its civility.  

He did the obligatory amount of lipsticking the pig, of course, and some of that included sideswipes at the Dems, but nothing especially outrageous. Other items of interest:

The state of the VTGOP. He said that, over the past few years, the county and town structure of the party had fallen apart, which is a pretty stark thing to say. He blamed it on party faithful who have had to step back from the party and turn their full attention to their livelihoods. (Which isn’t a problem for the Democrats, who are living in the same economic times, but whatever.)

He also noted that when he came on board as chair in February, the party was “pretty much broke.” He said fundraising has picked up since then, although there’s been very little sign of that in the party’s financial reports.

He also acknowledged some “branding issues.” Which, as I’ve said before, sounds less like “we’ve got to reassess ourselves and our policies” and more like “we need more lipstick on this pig.” He talked about specifically branding the VERMONT Republican Party (as opposed to those national dipwads, I suppose) as the party of thoughtful, practical, disciplined governance. (As opposed to those national dipwads.)

The impact of PACs. This interested me, because there may be broad consensus in favor of requiring more transparency in political action committees. Lindley says he’d like to see limits on PACs, but acknowledged that the Citizens United decision restricts possible reforms:

Full and timely reporting is probably the only thing that the courts will allow us to do toward curbing the excesses of PACs.

That would seem to indicate a strong bipartisan base for campaign finance reforms — at least in the area of disclosure. Given the gaps and flaws in Vermont’s current reporting requirements, enhanced disclosure would be a very good thing.  

The VTGOP’s future. He estimated that it would take two full election cycles for the party to come all the way back. Which, on the one hand, seems awfully optimistic; and on the other, he’s basically conceding the 2014 election, at least at the top of the ticket. That’s a striking statement coming from any party chair.

I think we need to make sure that in the next election, we have the organization and technology in place that we need in order to pick up more than half the distance we’re down. I’m optimistic we can do better than that, but we will probably need to make one more run after that.

His own future. Mark cheekily noted that if Lindley were a baseball manager he would have been fired by now, and asked him more than once if he was really the right person for the job. Lindley said he is committed to serving out his term, which expires in November 2013, and indicated a willingness to run for another term.

And when asked for, I think, the third time, if he was really the right guy, he said:

Well, if I can find somebody else. at my age, I don’t necessarily need to hang in there. If I could find somebody young and brighter than a tack, and has the great ability to put things together, I’m more than willing to step aside. But at this point in time, I’m going to give it the old college try.  

Rah, rah, rah!

With a new legislative session just around the corner, little signs of budget distress are popping up all over. Here’s the latest: According to VTDigger, Department of Mental Health officials have told lawmakers that this year’s expenditures are $1.15 million over budget — and next year’s spending is expected to be $20 million above that. Which is a hell of a lot, considering that this year’s budget for the mental health system was just under $40 million.

In other words, the projected cost will rise by 50% next year.

And that doesn’t include construction costs for new facilities.

The major annual operating cost increases stem from the $9 million needed to run the new state hospital [in Berlin] and the roughly $3.6 million to operate facilities in Chittenden and Rutland counties. Other cost increases are spread out across the board, according to a department spreadsheet.

I’ve been saying all along that advocates of community-based care may come to regret backing the Shumlin plan: the administration has promised better care for all in exchange for reduced inpatient space. With the costs of inpatient care on the rise, it remains to be seen whether that promise will ever be fulfilled. .  

Another factor unaccounted for: how much cost shifting has there been since the Vermont State Hospital closed? Presumably, the state has saved some money by not having a VSH. On the other hand, hospital emergency rooms have seen higher costs because they’ve served as holding pens when there are no available mental health beds. Which is frequently the case. And, presumably, community mental health systems have been under pressure to treat sicker people and keep them out of hospitals. Also, in the constant search for beds, there’s been a lot of patient-shifting around the state. Has the state been covering some of those costs?

Those are questions that would help us more fairly evaluate the system’s financial straits.

However, there’s one unknown that is really, in the immortal words of Donald Rumsfeld, “a known unknown.”

Legislators and officials in the statehouse on Monday discussed the difficulty of budgeting for psychiatric care.

“Trying to pinpoint the number (of psychiatric patients) is almost impossible,” said Sen. Jeanette White, D-Putney. “We have no idea how many of our 620,000 residents will need inpatient or outpatient care.”

With respect, Senator, I hope you don’t really believe that. And I especially hope you’re not laying the groundwork for cutting the budget because “we don’t really know.” Senator White is using the same rationalization employed by President Bush for keeping the Iraq and Afghanistan wars out of his budgets.

It’s actually not that hard to project future needs. In fact, it’s standard operating practice. How do you know how much snow will fall this winter? How many crimes will be committed, or how many defendants will be sent to prison? How do you know exactly how much tax revenue will come in?

The answer, in all cases, is you can’t “pinpoint” the future cost of anything. But you have a damn good idea based on past experience and expert planning, and you have contingency plans in case things go sideways.

And when the projection for next year goes up by 50%, well, it’s a pretty strong indication of trouble on the horizon.  

A correspondent brings to my attention a post-election fundraising letter from John MacGovern.

You remember him, don’t you? The “winner” of the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, who went on to be predictably trounced by Bernie Sanders. Well, it appears that ol’ John overspent his budget just a little bit, and he needs some help from whatever friends he might still have.

For most of us election day, Tuesday, November 6, was not a great day. Certainly, it was not a great day for America. However, considering this was my first statewide run in Vermont, I did well in my race against Senator Bernie Sanders receiving 25% of the vote, in a 6-way race.

Actually, John, for “most of us” Election Day was a very good day; after all, “most of us” voted for the Dems, didn’t we?

But let’s move on to his evident self-delusion. John MacGovern may be the only candidate in American political history who thinks he “did well” by getting one-quarter of the vote. And who apparently believes, in spite of that dreadful showing, that he deserves another shot at political office:

…I am not sure what my next effort will be, but I plan to continue.

In order to do that, however, I must first retire the small debt I am left with so I can consider the next race. 

… Please, will you help me retire my debt? I owe about $30,000 to campaign vendors and workers. Please, be as generous as you possibly can so that we can move forward as strong as possible.

First of all, that’s “as strongly as possible.” As a Dartmouth man, I’d expect you to know that. But grammatical quibbles aside, $30,000 would be a “small debt” to many politicians, but it amounts to a sizable proportion of MacGovern’s hapless campaign.  

According to OpenSecrets.org, as of mid-October, MacGovern had raised $102,000 and spent $81,000, leaving him with roughly $20,000 in cash.

If that report is accurate, then somehow MacGovern managed to outspend his resources by $50,000 in the final three weeks of the campaign. Exactly what he spent it on is anybody’s guess; his campaign was, to all intents and purposes, invisible. (Maybe he hired Darcie Johnston; that’d do it.)

But it seems blatantly hypocritical, coming from a guy who issued a clarion call against the federal debt on the homepage of his campaign website:  

Currently that debt has reached a staggering $15 trillion. As our broken entitlement system hurtles toward the cliff of insolvency, that already unsustainable debt will explode.
 


How can we spend money we don’t have?

I don’t know, John. How could you do it? And why should you expect anyone with a brain in their head to bail you out?  

In the weeks following the election, Republicans in across the country and Vermont have been publicly “debating” their future path to relevancy.  I say “debating” because I’m not really sure that the passing of gas between two old white men (per nation), or in the case of Vermont, between Lenore Broughton and Darcie Johnson, counts as debate.  Much is said about appealing to women and minorities, but little is said about changing the actual message.  Cynical person that I am, I truly expect nothing to change.  And news comes today that further validates the cluster* of thinking that epitomizes the Republican party of Vermont.

Updated: I didn’t see jvwalt’s diary from earlier today when I wrote this.  I don’t see a delete button here, so my post will have to stand on its ignorance.

Original Post Continued

The Ethan Allen Institute just named Rob Roper as its President.

Yes, Rob Roper, host of Common Sense Radio, which is sponsored by The Ethan Allen Institute.

You know Common Sense Radio as the reincarnation of True North Radio, which failed as a for-profit enterprise using the commercial advertising business model.

So here we have The Ethan Allen Institute, who lists “competitive free market” as one of the “fundamentals of a free society” it works to enact, paying a failed radio show and its host to air failed political ideas, and now being led by the same host.

It’s kind of like being in bed with your sibling, while smoking cigarettes and fondling loaded handguns.  And then wondering why the house burned down while you climb into bed the next night with the same people, a new pack of cigarettes, and another loaded gun.

Special Ronnie Reagan edition, in honor of a Republican who was willing to compromise on taxes. Couldn’t find a Reagan “thumbs down,” but I like what I did find.

Governor Peter Shumlin, for finally achieving his long-rumored (and coyly denied) ascension to the chairmanship of the Democratic Governors Association. The Guv is spending a couple of days out in sunny Los Angeles (actually, it’s cloudy and rainy today, so just keep that Speedo packed away in your suitcase, thanks very much) at the DGA’s annual meeting at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel because, well, it’s a dirty job and somebody’s got to do it.

(The Beverly Wilshire describes itself as a “history-rich luxury hotel in the heart of Beverly Hills, just steps from Rodeo Drive… Enjoy warm, hospitable service, Michelin-starred fine-dining restaurants, and a world-class spa at this iconic Beverly Hills hotel.” Lowest price currently available on Travelocity: $415 per night. We trust, of course, that such an august personage as Our Governor is in one o’ them pricey suites.)

But Shumlin insists that it’s not all champagne wishes and caviar dreams, telling VPR:

“I feel that it’s a real opportunity for us to not only learn a lot from other governors what’s working well what’s not working well that’s where I get some of my best ideas.”

And, despite Republicans’ pre-election carping about Shumlin becoming a part-time Governor, he insists that his new job won’t take up too much of his time. (And, he might have added but didn’t, he must be looking forward to a stop at Al’s Frys on his way back from the five-star luxury resort and all those tedious Michelin-rated eateries. Gimme a quart o’ good old poutine any day!)

Governor Shumlin, a rare Daily Double, for throwing some cold water on a couple of his most valued initiatives. As reported by Peter Hirschfeld of the Vermont Press Bureau (article paywalled here), Shumlin has refused to commit to a specific funding level for the Clean Energy Development Fund.which has provided $5 million a year for support of renewable energy projects. That money came from Vermont Yankee, under terms of an agreement that expired earlier this year. Now, the Governor and the Legislature have to find a new source for the money, and Shumlin isn’t saying how much he will propose in the next budget. And Representative Tony Klein, who helped form the CEDF back in 2005, says that sooner or later, the renewables industry will have to get by without that funding:

Klein said if the administration can find somewhere to get the money, then he’s all for giving the CEDF the $5 million…

”But at a certain point I worry about dependencies being built and expectations being assumed,” Klein said. “Maybe it becomes a security blanket.”

The Governor is also sounding some cautionary notes about the impact of health care reform on some of our neediest residents. (article paywalled here):

Gov. Peter Shumlin says state health care subsidies for working-class Vermonters might be more generous than they need to be, and that some residents here could soon be facing higher insurance premiums and deductibles.

As part of the transition to a health benefits exchange, two state programs (Catamount Health and VHAP) that help working-class folks will come to an end. And federal support for the exchange won’t be as generous as it has been for those two programs.

While Shumlin last week said he’ll protect some people from the increased exposure, he said others will have to make up the difference themselves.

…”You could also argue there are parts of our existing program that are more generous than they need to be, and that’s what we’ll be looking for,” Shumlin said.

Practicing for a an upcoming role as The Grinch, are we?

The central idea of health care reform is to provide universal access to coverage. If the new system puts the pinch on working folks struggling to get by, that’ll be a major failure for Shumlin.

After the jump: Bernie, Enbridge, a broadcasting legend, and Vermont’s most reactionary newspaper strikes again.

 Senator Bernie Sanders, for pushing the Pentagon to be accountable for contracting fraud. Last week, the Senate added to the defense authorization bill a Sanders proposal to require annual reports on fraud by military contractors. (Those wonderful folks who brought you the $750 hammer and the $640 toilet seat and the F-35, the poster child for cost overruns and production delays.)

The Senate also added a Sanders amendment that would make public a list of former senior military officers who leave the government and go straight onto the payrolls of defense contractors. Kudos to Bernie for getting the Senate to agree; somehow I think his amendments will face much tougher sledding in the Republican House. Because, if you believe Republicans, a dollar wasted on defense fraud still (somehow) makes our nation safer.

Canadian pipeline giant Enbridge, for taking steps that may bring dirty, corrosive tar sands oil through the Northeast Kingdom. Last week, a coalition of environmental groups issued a news release noting that Enbridge…

…filed regulatory documents to move plans forward to reverse its Line 9B pipeline bringing oil – likely to include tar sands – eastward to Montreal. The announcement essentially opens the door to bringing the corrosive tar sands through Ontario, Quebec, and Vermont for export from Portland, Maine.

The Portland-Montreal pipeline currently carries imported oil from the Atlantic port to Canadian markets. What with all that tar sands oil in Alberta, there’s a declining market for imported oil in Canada. So what to do with the pipeline? Hey, use it to export the tar sands stuff!

The fly in that ointment is that tar sands oil is really nasty. It’s highly corrosive, which means pipelines are more likely to leak or fail. And when that happens…

[the oil] causes more damage to human and environmental health than conventional crude, and is nearly impossible to clean-up even at enormous expense as evidenced by the 2010 spill in Michigan’s Kalamazoo River which is still being cleaned today and stands as the most expensive inland pipeline spill in history.

It’s quite possible that Enbridge simply wants to bring western Canadian oil to eastern Canadian markets. But with that nice Portland-Montreal pipeline just sitting there… and with an uncertain future for plans to run tar sands pipelines through the central US or out to the British Columbia coast… it doesn’t take much insight to see that the New England pipeline may be a highly attractive alternative for Enbridge.

That Kalamazoo River spill was really, really bad. And two years after it happened, the EPA says Enbridge still needs to do more to clean up the damage. Two years! Do you want any of that stuff oozing its way through the Northeast Kingdom?

the late State Representative Greg Clark, R-Vergennes, struck and killed by a car last week. Clark was a widely-respected figure at the Statehouse, and a beloved teacher at Mt. Abraham High School.

“The faculty is having a difficult time,” said David Adams, the superintendent in Addison Northeast.

Flags at Mt. Abe were lowered to half-staff Friday in Clark’s honor– it was a custodian’s idea. Students came up with the idea of writing Mr. Clark, or “Clarky” as they called him, notes to say goodbye.

Flags across Vermont will be at half staff tomorrow, by direction of Governor Shumlin. I never met Greg Clark, and I’m sure I’d disagree with him politically, but by all accounts he made a difference in the lives of his students and his community and cut a memorable figure in the House.

Rob Roper and the Ethan Allen Institute. Vermont’s teeny tiny conservative movement continues its incestuous ways, rewarding failure with promotions. Just like the free market! (It’s especially enjoyable to have the honors done by St. Ronnie himself.)

_______________________________

Ken Squier, owner of WDEV Radio and co-owner of Barre’s Thunder Road racetrack, for winning a major honor from NASCAR. He is this year’s recipient of the Buddy Shuman Award, given annually to someone who has played a key role in the growth of NASCAR. Those who only know the modern-day Squier who still, at the age of 76, appears daily on WDEV, may not realize how important a figure he is in auto-racing history.

For more than 20 years, Squier provided lap-by-lap commentary during NASCAR Cup telecasts and is credited with convincing CBS to offer flag-to-flag coverage of the Daytona 500 beginning in 1979. His timing couldn’t have been better: The broadcast was seen by millions who were kept at home by a major East Coast storm, and those who tuned in witnessed the legendary trackside fistfight between drivers Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough. Squier was the first to describe the annual Cup Series opener as “The Great American Race” and introduced a number of innovations – including the in-car camera – to motorsports telecasts.

Congratulations to one of Vermont’s own, who continues to provide a real community service on his locally-programmed radio station, in addition to accomplishing great things on a national stage.

the St. Johnsbury Caledonian-Record, always a reliable source of reactionary politics. But even by its antediluvian standards, its November 29 editorial is hard to beat. Entitled “Hard to Kill,” it’s basically an over-the-top rant about labor unions which, as we all know…

…use strong-arm tactics, they’re greedy and they work hard to decrease the level of service provided by their members. Their un-ceasing drive for ever higher wages and benefits have pushed companies, cities and states past the breaking point.

The Cal-Rec crowed over some high-profile reversals for unions in Wisconsin, Michigan, Chicago and California, and then said…

So where do union bosses go when everyone else in the country has figured out their greedy grift?

Yep, the united socialist republic of Vermont. Though we were once too small to bother with, suddenly desperate bosses are now scraping for membership under every last rock.

I hadn’t noticed any invasion by squadrons of union thugs seeking solace in the bosom of our socialist republic. But the Cal-Rec editorialist sees foreign forces at work in unionization drives at the University of Vermont, St. Michael’s College, Goddard College, and the child-care sector. And it makes him so, so angry.

On its face you’d figure Vermont to be easy pickings for the union beasts. For those who pay attention, though, public sector unions are mostly to blame for $3-billion in unfunded pension and retirement benefit liabilities and the exploding cost of education. Vermonters already are aware that, everywhere public sector unions go, taxes go through the roof and services go to hell.

Wow. In one brief editorial, the Cal-Rec referred to unions as greedy strong-armers whose only goal is higher pay and less work, grifters and beasts who make “services go to hell.” I don’t know how the writer managed to avoid using “Nazi” or “brownshirt”; I guess I should applaud his restraint?

It’s too bad the Cal-Rec’s ill-tempered rants are tucked securely behind a paywall, since that means the vast majority of Vermonters can’t benefit from its wisdom and insight. No wonder we remain a socialist republic, in spite of the Cal-Rec’s best efforts.  

 It’s the beginning of the month and the NYTimes.com pay-wall lets its guard down. One item I found while binging on ten free articles was a detailed report about government tax incentives and assorted breaks given to companies nationwide. The accompanying state by state data base shows Vermont spends $407 million per year on incentive programs.

States, counties and cities nationwide are, by The Times’ best estimate, giving large and small companies $80 billion per year in assorted breaks. Yet accountability and oversight is often spotty even though the amounts are often substantial.

A full accounting, The Times discovered, is not possible because the incentives are granted by thousands of government agencies and officials, and many do not know the value of all their awards. […] Even where officials do track incentives, they acknowledge that it is impossible to know whether the jobs would have been created without the aid.

Endlessly it seems large and small companies are asking for and receive tax breaks, grants, and waivers designed supposedly to encourage them to hire, expand or just not abandon their location for greener pastures. These are behaviors business would perform anyway in the normal course of events, but in theory, incentives nudge businesses this way or that in hopes of benefiting the public good. Many jobs are certainly saved or created, but the leverage is with corporations and businesses in what is called

a high-stakes bazaar where they [corporations] pit local officials against one another to get the most lucrative packages.

Here in Vermont 31cents per dollar of budget is spent on incentive programs according to the Times.

More after the break

In the New England states the high rollers understandably are Massachusetts at $3.08 billion and Connecticut at $860 million. Then comes Maine which is third at $504 million, followed by Vermont’s $407 million, Rhode Island’s $356 million, and New Hampshire lives free or dies at $39 million.  

Vermont spends at least $407 million per year on incentive programs, according to the most recent data available. That is roughly: $650 per capita or 31¢ per dollar of state budget  

• Top Incentives by type

1. $359 million in sales tax refunds, exemptions or other sales tax discounts

2. $40.8 million in cash grants, loans or loan guarantees

3. $3.15 million in corporate income tax credits, rebates or reductions

• Top Incentives by industry

1. $333 million in Manufacturing

2. $24.8 million in Agriculture

3. $1.8 million in Alternative energy

• Grants to Companies (601); State Programs (22)

VtDigger.com reports that in 2012 a report by the Vermont Economic Progress Council which oversees the VEGI (Vermont Employment Growth Incentive) program, created 1,328 jobs in three years, and paid out $1.95 million in cash incentives. The jobs they report brought the state $5.26 million in income tax revenue.

Thirty one cents per dollar of budget is something to keep in mind as Vermont’s annual budget cutting season nears.