This was the beginning of VT4VT for me.
It started with a conversation about a property tax bill in Barre. The numbers didn't make sense. So I started digging. The more I looked, the more concerned I became that Vermont was heading toward some of the largest property assessment increases many homeowners had ever seen.
I wanted to be wrong. I still want to be wrong.
I went to the State House and stood outside with a sign. No organization. No funding. No staff. Just one concerned Vermont property owner trying to understand what was happening.
Legislators told me my numbers were wrong. One told me she would speak with Ways and Means and get back to me. I never heard back. So instead of arguing, I started collecting data. That became the Vermont Reassessment Survey.
Today the survey contains responses from dozens of Vermont communities, reported assessment increases as high as 343%, and reported tax bill increases exceeding 201%.
Whether the final numbers prove my concerns right or wrong, the goal remains the same:
Collect the data.
Document the facts.
Let the evidence speak for itself.
That's how VT4VT started.