It would help a lot if you would tell us all some details, like what type of work you are looking for?

It was like that all the time until about 30 years ago when the local farms started going under en masse.

Agreed. Metal seam and new gutters for seven years now; gutters set right and proper roof ventilation has meant zero problems.

Not sure why you're getting downvoted; seems like a healthy discussion here...

The problem I am running into is that the particular Cotts towns I have been working in did not continue to make physical copies of the index cards (or other physical copies of the indexes) after they went to the Cotts system, so I have not been able to perform searches "back to how they used to be", because there is no index available at all for me to reference from. It is good to hear that it is not the case with the Cotts towns your firm has been working in, but please do not assume all the Cotts towns have physical backups of their indexes- I sure wish they had all been smart enough to do so, but that is not the case.

Yes, less than half of the towns even; Yes, the hardcopies of all the land records are still maintained in the vaults... The problem is accessing them: Some of the towns in the Cotts systems did not maintain backups/ hardcopies of the INDEXES needed to find the correct hardcopies of the land records in the vaults, beyond the "daybook" records if the clerk's themselves. If you cannot find the documents you need in a timely manner, they don't do you much good. It affects us all in that having 20+ towns in Vermont effectively shut down for business damages the entirety of the State economy. My apologies if I was unclear.

If your roof does not have a good overhang that effectively moves the water away from your foundation, then gutters may be part of that solution. Ultimately, your goal is to get the water away from your house: Sloping the land down away from your foundation is the first/ideal choice; French drains and other ground gutter systems are also other options... My old gutters used to get ripped off a lot because I used to have a bad insulation system in my roof and eaves: Ice dams build up at your roof edges and gutters and eventually the weight rips your gutters off. My "new" gutters are 7 years old now and still look like I just installed them because I also now have a standing seam roof with a ridge vent and properly installed insulation that allows a "cold gap" along the inside of the roof: Snow on the roof doesn't melt quick enough to form ice dams and slides off under its own weight... BONUS: Don't have to rake my roof anymore either.

TL/DR: If your present roof surface and roof insulation promotes the buildup of ice at the roof edges, you will regularly have to repair/ replace your gutters and eaves.

Edit: Grammar.

Everyone is affected. If you cannot verify land records, it effectively shuts down most business- public and private- not just real estate sales... No licensing/permitting, no construction, no probate, no repairing roads or utilities... Go ahead and try to get business loan without being able to prove your location or collateral...

This attack only emphasizes the importance of the town's having their own backup systems or hard-copies of the data.

"Golden Age" is probably a stretch, but a lot of good folks have been trying awfully hard lately. We finally started to get a handle on the opioid problems in the last few years, only to have the state start placing all of their homeless in our vacant hotels, effectively destroying a lot of the progress we made. The state houses all these poor folks with us, but doesn't provide any support systems what-so-ever, so all of their financial burdens beyond housing are put upon our city...most of the crimes being committed in Rutland are by people not originally from here.

My apologies for taking a swipe at you; I should not have assumed. I am sick of folks trashing on Rutland for things that have been beyond our control, and it got the best of me.

And you probably moved here 5 years ago to get state benefits...

Originally, the students voted for a progressive name change to "Ravens". A bunch of conservative adults then spent a lot of time and money to get elected to the school board for the sole purpose of changing the name back to "Raiders"; they succeeded, and also succeeded in turning the school board into a political shit-show that has accomplished nothing for the students they were elected to serve. The following year, some new folks got elected to the school board, and now we see the naming decision being punted back to the students, who have wisely chosen to have no mascot at all, because they are sick of the entire embarrassment.

This is quite serious: No real estate confirmations or transactions can be resolved... Shuts down realtors, attorneys, probate, construction, permitting / licensing... Basically, not much new business can be performed at all, public or private.

If you are actually a property owner, and you cannot see the value of having your land records protected, it does not speak well of your intelligence.

It was step one. They did the first time. The students chose "Ravens", and had that as a name/mascot for over a year. Some of the locals were upset about the change and ran for the school board to change it back to Raiders. They succeeded and have turned this into a political shit-show. Basically, the students voted for a progressive name change, and a bunch of conservative adults spent a lot of time and money for the sole purpose of getting elected to the school board to change it back. Now, some other folks got elected to the board, and we are seeing the naming decision being punted back to the students, who just want to be done with the whole embarrassing debacle, so they chose to have no mascot at all.

They did the 1st time. The students chose "Ravens". Then some so-called adults on the school board took it as a personal attack on their Raider glory days and voted to change it back to Raiders.

Ahorn looks like an Ahole...

Best of luck! I hope you make it back home!

5th generation Vermonter with nothing against transplants or visitors that know how to be mutually kind and respectful with us and each other. I very much enjoy being exposed to all of the different perspectives about this state and its culture in this sub, both from the Vermonters and even more so from those who are visiting- I have learned a lot about this great little state in this sub; thank-you to the MODS who put in the work to make it possible.

Seconded. Merits pinning solely on the fact that we have amazing cheddar cheese. Outstanding comment overall!

No snow in the mountains = No money in the valleys... *sigh*

"... Syrup Adjacent..." Best laugh I have had in a few. Thank-you for that. :D

Not enough tar and feathers with this option.

ACAB

I was surprised to find White Christmas was not the Vermont choice... seems like a no-brainer.

Fuck that. I wear that shit like a badge of honor: Shows me that those fascist fucks were threatened by what I had to say. And fuck Molly Gray.

"Fascist Fuckwits Fake Feelings For Finding Friends"

Reason over superstition is the way.

Churches provided community, which we are sorely lacking these days. It would be nice to have more of that without having to worship an imaginary sky-friend.