The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-02-21
THE SMALL TOWN PROBLEM
interesting sRemedy Proposed BY the
Barton Monitor

omewhat startling financial status of
| many of Vermonts small towns is
bringing out much comment tending
suggest remedial measures Town
| onso idation has been mentioned.
| Taking safe charges Of small towns
las been suggested Economy has
een talked. But to this paper none
| # the suggestions touch bottom.
Consolidation cannot BY any means
i've equitable division of the burden.
To make small towns here and there
harges OF the state would give such
owns a cumbersome government and
i'd to the sta .e's burden, which bur
| ZEN. in the end, must be borne by the
,eople generally, but cur people
YOU'D, under this me bod, have no
special pride or interest in their
lharges; besides towns so governed
would have no incentive for local eff
ort. Economy alone cannot give a
town that which it does not possess.
somewhat careful study of the
problem Influences this paper to sug
yest an entirely different plan, as
holding a possible solution. Consti-
CudHEtS iliQ OiiCl CDdHHtb
Witch at first seem revolutionary
yould be necessary, blu. the time lock
is set for use by the next legis ature
md some matters involved in
he necessary change for adoption of
he plan, should come into being re-
gardless of this special pan.
The scheme involves a larger tax
mi, probably the county with prop
erty valuation equalization board and
l distribution of taxes back over the
unit upon a definite basis of needs.
Each town may maintain its 'erritory
unimpaired under this scheme, may
even maintain Its town organization,
though that organization in every
own might be abridged in It's author
'ty. Centralized authority may be
given as seems wise, with the town
officers acting in an advisory capac-
ity and with veto powers
Some of the reasons for reaching
his conclusion come from the study
IF Orleans county. Newport Zig
Tres taken before Newport became
3ity) Barton. Troy and Derby con
tanned 81 pc. of the taxable property
Orleans county, when the udy
vas made The other IA towns there.
tore contained les than 40 p. c Of the
axable property in Orleans county
but have rs pc. of he road mileage OF
the county. Now then, If like tax
raised throughout the county on prop
erty valuations equalized by board,
and the money raised for roads ex
pended on our highways according o
selected road mileage, first: connect
20 roads. second; and strictly rural
highways, third. would not the who
cneme be more just equitable and
satisfactory o all concerned than the
present plan? Connected with this
plan shou' be a central road author
ity, but the town road men, cleo ed
as they now are. acting as coanty
advisory board with a two-thirds vote
required to ve,o action of the central
lied authority Would not this plan
find favor with rural towns who find
themselves hopelessly Involved, yet
where town unit is a sacred thing.
And would any cen rallied authority
be justified in doing road work VIII CHI
could not be shown to representa-
tiyes of two-thirds OF the towns OF the
county to be just and fair thing to
do!
School money raised on tho Same
basis as the road money could DO re.
distributed among the towns on tho
basis of The number OF schools neces
sarily maintained with ne number Of
pupils factor to be considered, Let
the towns elect school representa-
tive, or board, with veto power against
& centralized authority
The centralized authority might
come by way of our presens method
of appointing a state road commits
sioner, who in turn appoints his coun-
ty supervisor. Our commissioner Of
education might be named by the
state board of education as he now is
he in turn would appoint district SUI
perintendents. In both cases, these
pen might be given the initiative
They would come to the towns each
year with a budget of expected ex-
penses and suggested tax rate for
he two items of roads and schools,
which rate is to be a uniform county
rate. Each town votes at its March
% accept or reject the rate,
and when two-thirds of the towns re-
fuse the recommendations of the cen
trail powers, some me hod OF a re-
submission of the question should be
had. or the rate is automatically es-
tab'ished by the owns A general
town tax for such other minor ex-
penses as towns have might be left
wi h each town, such tax to
be administered by the selectmen.
Fol owing March meeting let the
central road authori y call his coun
cilors, elected from each town as
road commissioners together and go
over his pan in detail Only upon
of his councillors can his
word be carried out. And some pow
err for his removal by he town road
men might be provided. A similar
method would be purseud by the
Thus would we have an organiza-
ion accoun able to both state and |
local authority. Little or none OF
our democracy would be lost, our
plans would be more carefully made |
md executed and the problems of he
weaker towns would be largely !
solved.
Such a plan involves severa' funda-
mental things which are needed in !