[{"_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",6256288,"mediaKeyId","3156913-007f678b9b1bf739b0ed012bf7d375b4","parentId",3156913,"title","Let's Build Homes urges lawmakers to pass CHIP to pay infrastructure costs and speed housing production","audioSeconds",1030,"startMs",2441000,"endMs",3471000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3156913-007f678b9b1bf739b0ed012bf7d375b4&start=2441&end=3471","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3156913-007f678b9b1bf739b0ed012bf7d375b4/thumbnail_2441000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6256288/Vermont/Lets-Build-Homes-urges-lawmakers-to-pass-CHIP-to-pay-infrastructure-costs-and-speed-housing-production","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6256288-bf604a5832824ce65f3c1ac7ad11655b/orig.mp4?Expires=1775262257&Signature=lowT2pO544si4zxgr0HfO30UqGPPX-0ovraOX5BM7k5~DtCevEbVtL2qg5f3ljatHKDeSBJbGb5lXQyn5MyTnQAvot~453xkMjKO5RX0nW0VFxOL5-Es1UR0oOo0Ou5Kxg2Mn2Q-3w2t~5q5AQ6CIwaE08Udh8sHVAx7yZYXhjRvXD5SQkgSxCoqGpNttDhkKl6e2GoEDzN49gNu0glhnvciz~8Wve16ZxolaF2~o4lcgvpg~TlGTbCVqy3VhrQNGp3rAG~Jw~P9yNxsFmePQERr~BEuO9kJppKmfDhwsIyEyKy9UkCmdF6O5mkJ6Rj1poJDD-RvizLjrfp7M7iDjw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-04-30T16:15:53.427Z","article","Marill Weinberger, executive chair of the Let's Build Homes coalition, told the House Ways & Means Committee that the Community Housing Infrastructure Program (CHIP) could unlock housing development by financing the public infrastructure that makes projects feasible.

Weinberger said the coalition includes more than 200 organizations statewide -- from affordable housing nonprofits and private developers to employers, utilities and philanthropic groups -- and that coalition members see CHIP as the single most consequential housing bill this session.

Why it matters: Vermont has been building far fewer homes than in prior decades, Weinberger said, and that shortage is a principal driver of rising costs and workforce shortages. CHIP would allow a developer or municipality to borrow against the future taxes generated by a specific project to pay infrastructure costs such as roads, sidewalks and utilities, reducing an up‑front barrier that often prevents projects from moving forward.

Weinberger described a Middlebury project (Stone Crop Meadows, developed by Summit Properties) that built an initial phase using federal housing dollars and a private gift; that phase required about $6 million in public infrastructure. She said the remaining permitted units on the site would cost roughly $24,000 per unit in infrastructure and that those units could generate about $575,000 a year in new taxes, a stream that could be used to finance the infrastructure over time.

She emphasized how CHIP differs from traditional TIF districts: CHIP is project‑by‑project rather than districtwide, can allow the developer to carry project debt rather than obligating the municipality, and in its current form would capture only revenues generated by the new project (rather than background growth). The bill also includes reporting and a sunset (the current draft contains a 10‑year window), she said.

On concerns about \"foregone revenue,\" Weinberger acknowledged Joint Fiscal Office (JFO) analyses that show uncertainty: \"The JFO states very directly ... that it is unclear if the past reports, TIF, or CHIP cause net revenue diversion or increase for the Ed Fund,\" she told the committee. She urged lawmakers to look beyond short‑term Ed Fund calculations and weigh other state revenue and economic benefits from new housing, including income and sales tax gains and reduced costs associated with homelessness and workforce shortages.

Weinberger said CHIP would be administratively simpler than many TIF districts and could speed projects because developers would be able to take on financing and work directly with municipalities under an infrastructure agreement. She also said the coalition would accept an earlier sunset or review period if the Legislature wants an interim evaluation.

Ending: Weinberger urged the committee to consider CHIP as a targeted tool to address the infrastructure barrier to housing and offered coalition resources and later pro forma examples to help the committee evaluate the bill's fiscal effects.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Ways and Means 2025-04-30 10:35 AM","oneSentenceSummary","Marill Weinberger, executive chair of the Let's Build Homes coalition, told the House Ways & Means Committee that the Community Housing Infrastructure Program would finance public infrastructure for specific housing projects, lowering a common barrier to development.","taxTitle","Ways & Means, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative , Vermont","taxId",35157,"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},6256293,"State auditor urges rules, AG sign-off before expanding TIF; flags education‑fund risks",478,44000,522000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3156913-007f678b9b1bf739b0ed012bf7d375b4&start=44&end=522","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3156913-007f678b9b1bf739b0ed012bf7d375b4/thumbnail_44000.jpg","/articles/6256293/Vermont/State-auditor-urges-rules-AG-sign-off-before-expanding-TIF-flags-educationfund-risks","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6256293-da70ef902af20a37470698aed60860a8/orig.mp4?Expires=1775262257&Signature=j4rt7-6MmdPUIPMIfH92bbJHj6jiCEQTdtQZN1TLQWUgeKOquyOz7R8v3bGh2uAm1Q9-Bsq99q5XRr9UuesikD-r~tDO428cfigRWd-LXFKKyVsh8H9ceeVGSLtTKfsjg1ZlKtoBaloKxHoCx0mkqgVUA1dcmOmYLaJGOsyMg84sDV33ctJQ1loO6CTtAUjd1yomSk4hdVxjR-EBrWj8EO-iqs99Eimpbgd2nOw-dWc~W40lYjlaejUFddrDj9Mmf~jc7JjgN~-HZ5uD7RLwxUENF-UFGwJqy-GPur74LVPE-b2l-4EW~wxF449j~5q~0PWU13Yad69UBcDfv3rLDA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","State Auditor Doug Hoffer told the House Ways & Means Committee that lawmakers should delay implementation of changes to the state's Tax Increment Financing (TIF) program until administrative rules are adopted and clarified.

Hoffer said ambiguity in statute and uneven definitions -- notably of what counts as an \"improvement\" -- leave critical decisions to agency staff and can amount to delegating authority to unelected officials. He urged requiring formal Attorney General review for statutory interpretation and said his office has repeatedly had to seek AG opinions to complete audits.

Why it matters: Hoffer said TIF's interactions with Vermont's Education Fund (\"Ed Fund\") already reduce revenue flows that would otherwise support education, and that growth assumed to be created by TIF districts often reflects background, preexisting growth. That combination, he said, makes it important to set clearer program edges before expanding eligibility.

Hoffer described the workload TIF creates for his office: \"It takes 15 to 20% of our entire audit capacity,\" and said his audit team includes the state's most experienced TIF auditors. He told committee members his chief auditor recommended waiting to let new rules be adopted and affirmed if S.127 or similar legislation moves forward.

Hoffer also noted prior audit work and outside reviews showing that some towns' reported gains after creating TIF districts included substantial non‑TIF funding. He pointed to Winooski, which received roughly $16 million from other state and nonstate sources for downtown redevelopment, and to examples where towns borrowed heavily up front and then used bond proceeds in ways the statute did not clearly allow.

On the Education Fund, Hoffer said the program effectively has been used as a bank: withholding TIF increments has, in recent years, meant \"5 to 7 million dollars a year\" that otherwise would flow to the Ed Fund. He warned that proposed changes in S.127 could eliminate current limits on which communities qualify and said a fiscal note is difficult because of many uncertainties.

Hoffer suggested alternatives for financing infrastructure that would not rely on the Ed Fund as a permanent backstop: one‑time capital to buy down interest costs, a revolving loan fund, or targeted appropriations. He also urged lawmakers to require that appellate or statutory interpretations come from the Attorney General's office so auditors and other reviewers have a definitive legal basis.

Discussion, not action: The hearing contained questions from multiple representatives (including Representative Ode) and discussion about how to measure TIF's net fiscal effect. Hoffer emphasized the difficulty of disaggregating revenue gains caused by TIF from growth that would have occurred anyway.

Ending: Hoffer said the Legislature has an opportunity to design clearer rules and guardrails and offered to provide brief technical recommendations and past audit findings to staff.

","State Auditor Doug Hoffer told the House Ways & Means Committee that lawmakers should delay implementing TIF changes until administrative rules are adopted and Attorney General guidance is obtained.","actionData","errors"]

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Let's Build Homes urges lawmakers to pass CHIP to pay infrastructure costs and speed housing production

State auditor urges rules, AG sign-off before expanding TIF; flags education‑fund risks