The Burlington Free Press from Burlington, Vermont • Page 15

fchelBurlingtonjfreeflress out FCC hears bid for Vermont TV station In MONEY, Page 7B section Grocers oppose 'sin tax' to fund child care cigarettes. Voters will decide two non-binding issues in the March election. The first question proposes a "sin tax" of 2 cents on beer and wine in containers 16 ounces or less and 5 cents on larger containers. A nickel tax would be levied on every pack of cigarettes. The tax is expected to raise $560,000 to cover child care for city residents.

The second question concerns whether city employers should contribute $32 to the fund for each non-resident employee who needs child care. That portion is expected to raise $465,000. An additional $200,000 to $250,000 will come from tax- try 'ill exempt employers such as the city, the University of Vermont and the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont. The grocers said they support the program but they do not think taxing the products they sell is the fairest way to pay residents' portion of it. "Ninety-nine percent of the people I've talked to are in total support of child care but they are concerned, worried and nervous about the funding process," said Bill Rockwood, general manager of Kerry's Kwik Stop.

"Mom-and-pop grocers are not making a fortune. We work 18 hours a day, seven By Susan Allen Free Press Staff Writer MONTPELIER State lawmakers, concerned that a proposed 8 percent income tax cut is in jeopardy, are studying a scaled-back plan allowing middle-and low-income Vermonters to receive the cut. House Speaker Ralph Wright, D-Ben-nington, met with several Democrats Wednesday to "float" a plan dropping the state's tax rate to 23 percent of the federal rate for the first $50,000 of person's income, and leaving the rate at the current 25 percent for additional income. "We're coming to the point where we'll be lucky to get any cut," said Rep. Michael Obuchowski, D-Rockingham, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

"I want a tax cut and I'm willing to look at anything." Wright's proposal is similar to a two-tiered plan introduced by Gov. Madeleine Kunin last year that would have dropped the rate to 22 percent of the federal rate for the first $50,000, and 24 percent for additional income. Although the House approved that measure, the Senate rejected it. Lawmakers instead passed a flat 8 percent cut for all Vermonters, to 23 percent of the federal rate. In this year's budget address, Kunin Lawmakers 17 i.yr By Lisa Scagliotti Free Press Staff Writer Although they support child care, city grocers say they cannot support a $1.25 million child-care program funded through a tax on beer, wine and cigarettes sold in Burlington.

"We really wish we could support it as it stands, but we can't," said David Rock-wood, owner of the Old North End Variety Store, told members of the Burlington Child-Care Council Wednesday. At issue is a proposed three-year child-care program funded by city employers and by a tax on beer, wine and 4 1 I i Apartment blaze 9t Business tax deadlines studied days a week. We work hard for our money," said John Dubie, owner of Pearl Street Beverage. "We need beer, wine and cigarettes to sell so we can buy meat, milk and bread. We need it to survive." The merchants said they do not know how much the tax would affect their businesses in lost sales or administrative costs.

The opposition did not surprise John Franco, assistant city attorney and council member. "I would be shocked if you guys supported this, that's why it's on the ballot," he said. Turn to GROCERS, 10B called on lawmakers to extend that cut another year, but many fear expensive programs including a dairy subsidy, special education payments, and a prenatal insurance proposal will jeopardize the cut. Elizabeth Bankowski, Kunin's chief of staff, said the administration is "receptive" to the two-tiered plan again this year, although she stressed the governor remains committed to the full 8 percent cut. Wright's plan would cost the state about $9 million, roughly $5 million less than the 8 percent cut advocated by the governor, according" to Administration Secretary Thomas Menson.

That $5 million could be applied to the various spending proposals. "With all the other pressures, I think it is a workable kind of arrangement," Menson said. "It's not quite as big a cut, but it eliminates all the confusion, so it's got some merits." Lt. Gov. Howard Dean, who also supports the full 8 percent cut, said he would back Wright's plan if lt becomes clear the total cut will not be passed this year.

He added the plan is a step toward decoupling Vermont from the federal rate. "I've believed in decoupling for a long time," Dean said. "Most senators are less Turn to LAWMAKERS, 1 0B earlier date, such as the 15th or 20th. The move to an earlier date would improve the state's ability to forecast revenues and also provide a one-time $4 million windfall to help ensure that the state will end fiscal 1990 in the black. The administration's 1990 revenue forecast already contains the $4 million in additional revenue, although legislators have not agreed to the change yet.

The panel also will study the possibility of collecting some taxes more frequently and returning a percentage of the Turn to BUSINESS, 10B taxes Wednesday from a representative of the National Council of State Legislatures. Eleven states now levy weight-distance taxes, a method of raising revenues with relatively heavy bookkeeping costs for both truckers and state government. "It's foolish to put more money into administrative costs," Valsangiacomo said. Kunin favors a weight-distance tax because out-of-state truckers would pay a greater proportion of state revenues than under a straight diesel tax increase. Lobbyists for the state's truckers have spoken against using a weight-distance tax because of increased paperwork.

But Mazza said he thinks some of them are warming to the concept. JYM WIISON, Free Presi Thursday, February 9, 1989 City Editor, Sam Hemingway Phone: 863-3471, ext. 2017 State notes State can't reach owner about blocking land sale MONTPELIER State officials failed Wednesday to serve a temporary restraining order on a Connecticut businessman to block the sale of 3,135 acres of forest land in Westmore. Attorney General Jeffrey Amestoy said the state mailed an overnight letter to Bridgeport, accountant Robert Delaney Tuesday, asking if he would accept the order. Amestoy said his office called Delaney Wednesday but could not reach him.

If Delaney does not contact state officials today, Amestoy said the state would have a sheriff serve papers on him. Amestoy said the state had served the Westmore town clerk with the temporary restraining order, meaning the land could not be transferred. The state won a 10-day restraining order in Washington Superior Court Tuesday blocking Delaney from selling 3,135 acres of undeveloped land adjacent to Willoughby State Forest. The state will seek a permanent injunction against the sale Feb. 16.

In an informal vote Tuesday evening, Westmore's three selectmen unanimously urged the state to pursue taking the land by eminent domain, a legal option under review by the Attorney General's Office. East Thetford man gets jail term for child abuse The Associated Press A man serving up to 15 years in a Vermont prison for breaking his 11-month-old son's skull will serve up to seven years in New Hampshire for breaking the boy's leg 10 months earlier. "This is the most heinous thing I've seen since I've been on the bench," said Grafton County, N.H., Superior Court Judge James Barry, sitting in Haverhill, N.H. Barry imposed the sentence after Gregory Stanley pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree assault on his then month-old son. Barry ordered Stanley to serve the 3'j-to-7-year New Hampshire sentence consecutively to a 5-to-l 5-year sentence in Vermont.

Barry earlier had rejected a sentence that would have let Stanley, 26, serve the sentences concurrently. He was given credit for 458 days of pretrial confinement. Stanley, while living in the Woodsville section of Haverhill, in April 1987 broke his infant son's leg by swinging him by his feet against a chair, prosecutors said. The boy was 29 days old at the time. After being charged, Stanley was freed on bail and moved to East Thetford.

Essex, female officer settle harassment case ESSEX The town of Essex has agreed not to violate sexual discrimination laws and to pay police officer Christina McQueen $9,000 to wrap up McQueen's 13-month -old harassment case. The town and McQueen signed an assurance of discontinuance, which was filed in Washington Superior Court, said Robert Perry, the town's lawyer. "We don't admit any violation of the law," Perry said. The document directs the town to pay $500 toward McQueen's legal fees and the $450 charged by the Vermont Attorney General's Office to prepare a report on the case. It also directs the town to train police officers to be aware of sexual discrimination and sexual harassment, Perry said.

The Attorney General's Office found probable cause to charge the Police Department with sex discrimination. Its 11 'i-page report criticized dealings patrolmen George Murtie and Martin Solomon had with McQueen and chided Chief John Terry and Town Manager David Bell for failing to correct the situation. 200th student graduates from CVU Life Program Champlain Valley Union High School celebrated Wednesday the graduation of its 200th student from the Life Program, designed to keep potential dropouts in school. Doug Knox, 18, received his high school diploma at an early morning ceremony. He plans to work as a painter, said Tom Hart, director of the program.

The program, in the basement of the Hinesburg Town Hall, serves students who need more personal attention than can be given in a regular class setting. Students attend school four days a week year-around. Hart attributed CVU's 3 percent dropout rate, in part, to the program. The statewide dropout rate for 1986-87 was 4.3 percent; 17 percent of all freshmen drop out before finishing their senior year. Inside Deaths.

2B, 4B Money. 7B Living room furniture lies smoking in front of a River Street apartment in Winooski that was damaged by fire early Wednesday morning. Catherine Perry, 64, was in critical condition at the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont Wednesday night with second- and third-degree burns. House, Senate clash over Transportation Fund i i i JYM WIISON, Free Press were considering a weight-distance tax which would charge truckers according to the weight of their vehicles and miles traveled in the state an idea resurrected two weeks ago by Kunin. Because Kunin presented the revenue package with the intent of fixing or replacing hundreds of the state's ailing bridges, which would be a long-term benefit to the state's transportation system, Senate committee members also want to investigate the possibility of issuing 20-year bonds to pay for the projects.

Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Thomas Crowley, D-Chittenden, said constituents consider the proposed gasoline tax increase excessive and bonding would provide a way of spreading the costs over many years. The "sin tax" would impose a 2-cent levy on bottles of beer and wine less than 16 ounces and a 5-cent levy on larger containers. Cigarettes would be taxed at 5 cents a pack. "I cannot take off my governor's hat even though I am supportive of what is behind this proposal. I certainly am supportive of the effort to get more child care.

It's the means by which this is done that I have to disagree with," she said. Kunin said other cities and towns in the state need child care but they lack the urban base to make a program such as Burlington's work. "This increases the inequities so I don't support that tax," she said. Chioffi noted that the proposal, which needs voter approval in the March election, is for a three-year program with the hope that a regional or state program would be in operation when it expires. "We're not talking about a long-term program," she said.

Turn to KUNIN, 10B II t. By James E. Bressor Free Press Staff Writer MONTPELIER The Vermont House and Senate may be on a collision course over how to beef up the Transportation Fund. Members of the House Ways and Means Committee and Transportation Committee are leaning toward the package of tax and fee increases unveiled last month by Gov. Madeleine Kunin.

Under the governor's proposal, the gasoline tax would increase from 13 cents per gallon to 21 cents over the next four years while the diesel tax would climb by 11 cents immediately. Several members of the Senate Transportation Committee, however, said Wednesday they preferred smaller increases in the gas and diesel taxes and By James E. Bressor Free Press Staff Writer MONTPELIER With the state in a financial vise, administration officials are studying ways of changing filing deadlines for when businesses must submit various taxes. An informal in-house task force, comprised of Administration Secretary Thomas Menson, Tax Comissioner Norris Hoyt and revenue forecaster Richard Gebhart, has begun looking at the possibility of moving the state's filing deadlines from the 30th of the following month to an "It's taken 50 years for the system to fall apart and (administration officials) want to fix it in a year," Crowley said. He noted that the state hasn't bonded for highway projects in five years.

Another member of the Senate panel, Sen. Richard Mazza, D-ChittendenGrand Isle, agreed many Vermonters oppose the governor's proposed tax increases. "They're up in arms talking about these increases," Mazza said. Rep. Oreste Valsangiacomo, D-Barre, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said he wasn't enthusiastic about either a weight-distance tax or bonding.

"I'd rather see us pay cash for these projects," he said. Several committees heard about other states' experiences with weight-distance Ash Wednesday Governor endorses Chioffi in mayoral race By Lisa Scagliotti Free Press Staff Writer Gov. Madeleine Kunin endorsed Burlington Democratic mayoral contender Nancy Chioffi Wednesday, but said she disagreed with Chioffi over how to raise money for a proposed $1.25 million city child-care fund. In a news conference at Trinity College, Kunin said her fellow Democrat would be the best choice for mayor. "Without any reservations, I strongly give her my endorsement.

I think it's important who is the chief executive of the state's largest city," Kunin said. Explaining that she has known Chioffi for a number of years, the governor added, "I think what impresses me most is her sense of competence, that she does know what she's But in discussing issues central to the campaign, Kunin said she could not support the proposed "sin tax" on beer, wine and cigarettes expected to contribute $560,000 to a city child-care fund. Catholic Bishop John Marshall applies ashes to the forehead of a parishioner at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception as part of Ash Wednesday services, the start of Christianity's observance of the 40 days of lent..