Letter to the Legislature from Beth Harrington McCullough - Vermonter & Realtor - 4/6/26

Good day,

I am writing to express my personal and professional concern with the entire Act 181 and this bill to delay implementation of Tier 3 until 2030.

As a realtor, I write to express deep concern over the expected loss of value in property and increased taxation this act will have on my clients, customers, friends and family.

First learned in real estate education for a sales license are what is known as the bundle of legal rights when owning property.

These include:

• Right of Possession : The right to hold, own, and occupy the property.
• Right of Control: The right to use, alter, or improve the property.
• Right of Exclusion: The right to prevent others from entering or using the property.
• Right of Quiet Enjoyment: The right to use the property in any legal manner.
• Right of Disposition: The right to sell, lease, will, or transfer ownership of the property.

These are rights that are obtained through ownership interest in real estate. These rights are being jeopardized by Act 181 and hence why nothing more than full repeal of this law with all its tiers 1,2,3 must be the only choice.

To void and restrict people's rights to their use of lands they are being taxed on, pay mortgages on, and want to leave to future generations to enjoy is theft. Theft through devaluation of assessed and fair market value which affords one the ability to create generational wealth and keep communities strong with young families staying and working our landscape.

As a realtor, my duty if a delay decision with S.325 passes, will be to inform people buying into Vermont, as this will be a material fact. I will be required to share that the land they seek to buy and improve will have serious restrictions - that will make the investment of poor decision. Thereby also making seller clients unable to sell their property.

For some it may mean being taxed into poverty or losing ability to retire. My profession requires a duty to disclose all material facts regarding a property in addition to knowing anything that I'm aware of in the surrounding vicinity. As Act 181 with its tiered system reveal, it will be difficult to entice anyone with any common sense to want to make that investment under such duty required.

As a family member of a fourth generation farm with land in current use value program, I appeal on a personal level. My father of 92 years passed in January. His comments about this program still ring in my ears. He always felt the program would help his children one day to keep farming without the burden of heavy taxes, so when it was presented to him, he and my mother signed up to enroll. He left this world feeling he had made the gravest mistake of his life, and worried daily how his family would maintain the farm as he witnessed ever increasing taxes. Oh Dad, how you would cringe now to know what's being foisted upon your hard worked lands and family.

Act 181 is the nail in the coffin for many who work their farmlands with great pride in keeping the lands open and abundant. I have three family members who plan to retire on the farm and who now live out of state - they have no recourse for fighting this law because they have no voter ability as non-residents, and would not have heard about this until I brought it to their attention. They are extremely concerned for the restriction on right to use plus the potential loss of value in the land and are left with no say in the matter.

Therefore, I am not in support of delaying and further, expect all of you seek a full repeal of Act 181 this week.

One more note, in an 1920's physicians guide for good health I read that living in close, dense packed centers can spread disease much more rapidly. Considering the recent pandemic, imagine the cost in lives if what you're planning with tier 1 for village centers is achieved under the guise of housing shortage solutions. On top of already overworked sewage systems further burden on said public systems will not have a positive outcome. In addition to this add more years of flooding to downtowns along rivers or streams that took major hits in 2023/2024 and whose costs are still not fully appeased and it's sounds like you're all building a major catastrophe of epic proportions. That kind of building I cannot support.

Please Repeal Act 181 in its entirety without delay.

Pay attention to my use of words such as “ expect” and “ require/ request”. I am not asking or pleading…neither should anyone who is a tax paying citizen who votes.