Pay cut for legislators

The issue of $$$ and the tough times will likely dominate this year's legislation in Vermont.

The bad news: we start the year with a $150 million deficit, or 15% of our budget. Yikes.

But already we've begun working across parties. While it's a drop in the bucket, legislative leaders agreed to a symbolic 5% paycut for legislators, bringing our salaries near $9,700/year.

Also identified is a proposal for $38 million in savings by making government more efficient.

We have much more work to do to close the gap. But one thing I'm heartened by is that we have a tremendous track record on in Vermont as being the rare state that always balances our budget. We'll find solutions, and as always, I'm open to hearing your ideas.