In Vermont, the affordable housing review process can take up to a decade, involving communities and developers in lengthy and expensive legal battles that can cause damage to all those involved. The authors of this report have been tasked with researching methods of streamlining the affordable housing review process so…
Vermont’s towns determine compensation for municipal administration individually, and as such compensation for town offices is highly variable. This report compares administrative compensation and across Vermont to the Town of Strafford, with a particular focus on towns of a similar size. Road crew compensation is also analyzed across Vermont and…
Nationally and in New Hampshire, women earn 78 percent of what men earn. 1 The Paycheck Fairness Act in New Hampshire (SB 207), which went into effect on January 1, 2015, looks to close the gender wage gap by allowing employees to discuss their salaries and identify employer discrimination without…
Prison and jail populations have declined in most states since 2010, but have increased in New Hampshire. Corrections costs have also risen in New Hampshire in recent years. Understanding the reasons for corrections cost growth is complicated by a lack of systematic information on county jail spending in the state…
The usage of credit history reports in employment decisions has emerged as a hotly-contested policy issue. For each of the last two legislative sessions, New Hampshire has considered a ban on the practice. Anticipating the possibility of similar proposed legislation in the future, we conduct an analysis of the practices…
The use of payroll cards to pay employees has been a topic of contentious debate in recent years. Although many states have already passed laws regulating their usage, current legislation surrounding payroll cards is lacking in New Hampshire. In this report, we investigate the potential impacts of payroll card legislation…