[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6103109,"mediaKeyId","2802069-4e4dc9de5f057decf4fa09f2bc208f7a","parentId",2802069,"title","Lawmakers, Vermont Economic Progress Council debate extending housing infrastructure TIF pilot and reporting requirements","audioSeconds",350,"startMs",1933000,"endMs",2283000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2802069-4e4dc9de5f057decf4fa09f2bc208f7a&start=1933&end=2283","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2802069-4e4dc9de5f057decf4fa09f2bc208f7a/thumbnail_1933000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6103109/Vermont/Lawmakers-Vermont-Economic-Progress-Council-debate-extending-housing-infrastructure-TIF-pilot-and-reporting-requirements","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6103109-d07acd73268b1c90ccfc0afc7c1bdd8d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771145819&Signature=Gh3jXtVSuwWHjCLElF8ipXAM8ZbPNn14pqgQN3b9mLbJ42~bwQtd4Tyr3SOsUAqK6KMZ5m1dLYZGgjge7J-rLyYwddoGlUey0DiC~Icn7FlXCHs00GJKwcHXjQ5Vf1tuLg044pHaJ-aZqAKfbPGmGJiyK9bm0gl9mwsbDDnv~zUzYDSFnSgSUqgF2Bu9Rjuba52p05jKMJaN7fAvNagWLquEGlKXPE1wVzuWbd95kpFKXKdQeLNQT4y5BOa-zlKm6AYAgiMDN0ku93LeeE5Rb~hKkW92T7OrVbpZrbbyUjqu1gnlWXNl3CZVmY9GEniAE9ieIhgTGmLpneOhFCxfYw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-03-28T00:20:23.207Z","article","Jessica Hartleben, executive director of the Vermont Economic Progress Council, told the Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee that VEPC is prepared to administer the bill in its final form but urged lawmakers to give municipalities more runway to build infrastructure and to extend the pilot period from five to 10 years.

Hartleben said municipalities and developers need time to complete infrastructure before private building and for municipalities to begin retaining increment. \"It takes about 5 years for infrastructure projects to be built before any building can occur and before any increment could be retained by the municipality,\" she said, adding that supply-chain issues and other delays can stretch timelines further. She also told the committee, \"I think we could probably get this up and running by January, provided we have some direction from the legislature about what kind of metrics you're looking at.\" (Jessica Hartleben, executive director, Vermont Economic Progress Council)

Why it matters: The amendment now under discussion would change how a municipal tax-increment financing program aimed at stimulating housing is defined, administered and reviewed. Those changes affect when towns can bond, how quickly infrastructure projects proceed, and what information the state will collect to determine whether the program met its goals.

Key changes and debate
- Pilot length and sunset: Hartleben urged extending a pilot from five years to 10 years so communities can complete infrastructure and show results. Committee members discussed tying a required legislative check-in to a date a year before any proposed repeal; one participant asked that the sunset be effective December 31, 2035 to allow a full year of applications to be processed before prospective repeal.

- Administration and timing: Hartleben warned that municipalities often wait to file TIF/TIP applications to preserve their debt-incurrence windows. She used Rutland as an example of local timing choices, explaining municipalities may secure local approvals months before formally applying so they do not lose incurrence periods. She said municipalities typically would not begin infrastructure construction until the summer following any successful bond vote.

- Definitions and scope: John Grater of the Office of Legislative Counsel confirmed that a proposed amendment would strike the statutory definition of \"affordable housing.\" \"You're asking if this amendment retains the definition of affordable housing. It does not. This strikes the definition of affordable housing,\" he said. Committee members also debated removing \"commercial and industrial facilities\" from the statutory list of improvements that qualify for increment funding; supporters said the change clarifies that the statute should list classic public infrastructure (water, sewer, broadband) rather than privately owned commercial or industrial facilities while not preventing developments with mixed uses.

- Affordability and income targeting: The amendment would change the bill's stated purpose to encourage development of \"primary residences for households of low or moderate income.\" Committee members noted \"low or moderate income\" is not defined in the amendment; Hartleben and others warned that municipalities may adopt different local definitions unless the legislature specifies a standard or directs VEPC on metrics.

- Reporting and oversight: The amendment would add to annual reporting by the Department of Taxes information about housing produced and permitting status, and it would require a five-year check-in report evaluating whether projects pursued under the program met project and location criteria. Committee members discussed whether that five-year check should occur a year before any sunset/repeal so the legislature can assess whether public dollars subsidized seasonal or luxury residences.

What was not decided
- The committee did not take a formal vote on these amendments during the session excerpted here. Members agreed to continue coordination with Senate Finance staff, to consider consolidating finance amendments, and to send follow-up emails to Senator Cummings to request changes to the finance amendment. Several members said they intended to revisit the sunset date and the statutory changes in conference with Senate Finance.

Context and next steps
Hartleben asked the committee to give VEPC a clear set of legislative metrics so the council can adopt rules and administer the program. Committee members signaled willingness to revisit sunset language, reporting timing and whether the oversight and monitoring authority for VEPC should be retained for existing projects if the program sunsets for new applications. Senatorial and finance committee amendments were expected to follow.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Economic Development - 2025-01-10- 9:30AM's Zoom Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Jessica Hartleben, executive director of the Vermont Economic Progress Council, told the Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee that VEPC can administer the proposed housing infrastructure tax-increment financing program but urged expanding the pilot and clarifying reporting so municipalities have time to build infrastructure and demonstrate results.","taxTitle","Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs, SENATE, Committees, Legislative , Vermont","taxId",37662,"location","Vermont","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6103106,"Regional planning commissions say they meet statutory duties but call for staffing, streamlined contracting and new governance options",2531,2536000,4666,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2802069-4e4dc9de5f057decf4fa09f2bc208f7a&start=2536&end=4","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2802069-4e4dc9de5f057decf4fa09f2bc208f7a/thumbnail_2536000.jpg","/articles/6103106/Vermont/Regional-planning-commissions-say-they-meet-statutory-duties-but-call-for-staffing-streamlined-contracting-and-new-governance-options","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6103106-a463cad3c73d2664a63253ec145cbfc0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771145819&Signature=HARjwlDFGg9OFrwLGnpWKCvulc478GoSayEEalpNLn56MkopK4yG~09KTXw3hzyKflxxgbKqWT5nXwtW-I3wNQmQMdblMbUthfgbEJMpEn2kwFjnsFiyfO~qkw3Xt6ujwZIyrfdXX4Kg8FguK09Os9wK3ScVewGFRwgZtSWCvxnwoN-8qERvfbgfBHmSBidh6OOaTX5b1V96uzx7qRhtbSiCNH0h9IRnITk~mTIlTHAtD70mRUt77YOkwEp3VGV10wdnxdAUTjfvQPCWdL4ZNO6PK~lH1-BaC3ouWPyaCt1~bky4YFryPDwud-4IC6zaSgsqK~fKZIX4mSL~QlKstw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Peter Gregory and Devin Neary presented a statutory assessment of Vermont's regional planning commissions to the Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee, reporting that RPCs are broadly meeting current statutory responsibilities but need additional staff capacity, improved coordination with state agencies, and a stronger central association to support shared services.

Gregory, who identified himself as executive director of the 2 Rivers Adequiche Regional Commission (serving Windsor and Orange counties), said an assessment conducted by the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO/NATO in transcript) and supported by questionnaires and interviews found governance and program delivery to be generally sound but stretched. \"The report found that we actually are doing a really good job, of governance and that we, have fairly good representation that's broad,\" he said. (Peter Gregory, executive director, 2 Rivers Adequiche Regional Commission)

Devin Neary of the Rutland Regional Planning Commission described the study's engagement approach: two large surveys (58 board-member responses and 200 municipal responses) plus one-on-one interviews with board chairs. \"We did 2 large, surveys and engagement efforts. The survey effort received a 58 board member responses, and the municipal, survey, received 200 responses,\" Neary said. (Devin Neary, Rutland Regional Planning Commission)

Findings and recommendations
- Governance and a possible COG model: The assessment recommended exploring a transition to a council-of-governments model to expand shared services and create an elected-official board with clearer contracting authority when member municipalities opt in. Presenters said a COG model is used in other states to provide a broader set of substate services, such as transit or solid-waste management.

- Staffing and association support: The report urged creating a staff position (part-time or full-time) for the statewide association (VAPTA/BAFTA in testimony) to coordinate contracting with state agencies, provide quality control, and reduce reliance on rotating volunteer director time. Presenters said they are already evaluating feasibility and hope to have such support in place in fiscal year 2026.

- Streamlined state contracting: Presenters asked state agencies to treat RPCs as political subdivisions rather than vendors in some procurement processes, to avoid duplicative bidding steps and reduce administrative costs and delays.

- Program delivery, equity and accountability: The assessment found RPCs provide valuable services across transportation, water/sewer, environmental justice and housing planning, and are improving equity-focused engagement. Presenters emphasized the RPCs' role in Act 250 mapping and tiered development work and said all RPCs expect to have required planning materials submitted to the Land Use Review Board by the statutory deadline.

What was not decided
No formal committee action was recorded in the excerpt. Presenters asked for legislative support for the governance and contracting recommendations; committee members expressed interest in coordinating the assessment's findings with ongoing legislative task forces on regional governance and other bills in committee.

Context and next steps
Presenters said they are already pursuing several recommendations: evaluating a VAPTA staff position, coordinating more routine check-ins with state agencies (VTrans, ACCD, VEM, DEC), and supporting municipal Act 250/tiered development engagements. Committee members asked for follow-up briefings as bills and task-force work on regional governance progress.","Peter Gregory and Devin Neary told the Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee that a statutory assessment found Vermont's regional planning commissions meeting core duties but recommended adding staff, streamlining state contracting, and exploring a council-of-governments governance model to expand shared services.","actionData","errors"]

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Lawmakers, Vermont Economic Progress Council debate extending housing infrastructure TIF pilot and reporting requirements

Regional planning commissions say they meet statutory duties but call for staffing, streamlined contracting and new governance options