Milton select board places 1% local option tax and payment-deadline question on March 3 ballot

Michael Morgan, vice chair of the Milton Select Board, told residents the board put two items on the town meeting ballot: Article 4 would authorize a 1% local option tax on sales, meals, alcoholic beverages and rooms under 24 VSA §138B; Article 5 would authorize the town to consider tax payments received as of 5:00 p.m. on the charter-specified due date in section 10009.

Morgan said Milton would receive 75% of revenue collected under the local option tax, with 25% going to the state’s program. He described the tax as a way to capture revenue from visitors who shop, dine and stay in Milton and to diversify the town’s revenue stream so property taxes remain lower than they otherwise would be.

"The state of Vermont offers municipalities the option to vote on levying a 1% local option tax on sales, meals, alcoholic beverages, and rooms," Morgan said, noting nearby municipalities collect similar revenue for local budgets and infrastructure.

Morgan said the select board voted on Jan. 20 to put the local option question before voters. He also said a change in U.S. Postal Service postmark policy prompted the proposed charter change on payment timing: effective December 2025 the USPS defined the official postmark date as the date an item is first processed at a distribution center, which could make mailed payments appear late. Article 5 would make the town's deadline the time the payment is received rather than the postal postmark.

Town officials directed residents to miltonvt.gov/vote for sample ballots and additional information; the town clerk said early voting begins mid‑February and the budget and ballot questions will be decided on town meeting day, Tuesday, March 3, 2026, with polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Milton Town offices, 43 Bombardier Road.

Next step: voters will decide both ballot questions on March 3, 2026.