Affordability

Affordability is one of the biggest issues I hear about in Milton, and it shows up in many forms: housing, property taxes, energy bills, childcare, transportation, and the everyday cost of living. If you are feeling squeezed, you are not alone.

When I talk about affordability, I’m not talking about one quick fix. I’m talking about a practical, multi-pronged approach that helps people stay in Milton across life stages and keeps more of your paycheck in your pocket.

1) Housing options that fit real Milton households

Milton needs a wider range of housing types, not just large single-family homes. That includes accessory dwelling units (ADUs), duplexes, cottage clusters, small multi-family buildings, and mixed-use in the right areas. These options can support:

• Young adults trying to stay in town

• Seniors who want to downsize and age in place

• Families who need a starter home, not a forever mortgage

• Multi-generational households who want to live close and support each other

Expanding housing choice thoughtfully also reduces pressure on rents and helps prevent people from being priced out.

2) Partnering to bring resources into Milton

Affordability is not only a town issue. It’s also regional and statewide. I want Milton actively coordinating with state and regional partners to help bring programs, funding opportunities, and technical support into town, so we’re not reinventing the wheel and we’re not leaving money on the table.

3) Helping residents reduce monthly costs

Sometimes the fastest way to improve affordability is to lower the bills people are already paying. That means connecting residents to programs that already exist and making them easier to find and use. One example is energy efficiency resources, including home energy audits and weatherization programs through Efficiency Vermont. Lowering heat and electric costs is real affordability.

We can also look at transportation costs by supporting walkability where it makes sense and planning growth in ways that reduce the need for long, frequent driving.

4) Childcare as part of the affordability picture

Childcare is a major cost burden for families and a major barrier for employers. We should treat childcare like the economic infrastructure it is. As Milton makes big community investments and plans for growth, we should be asking: can this also support childcare solutions through partnerships, space planning, and coordination with providers?

5) How I would approach it on the Selectboard

If elected, I want Milton to do two things consistently:

• Make decisions with a clear view of how they impact household budgets

• Build partnerships and communication systems that help residents access resources that already exist

Affordability is about dignity and stability. It’s about whether people who work here can live here. It’s about whether our kids can come home after college and build a life in the town that raised them. And it’s about whether our seniors can stay in the community they helped build.

If you live in Milton, I want to hear from you: what part of affordability is hitting your household the hardest right now?