Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Courthouse Funding Report topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate Institutions Committee withdraws amendment seeking report on county courthouse funding
Summary
Senators discussed, then withdrew, an amendment to H.494 that would have required the court administrator to report on state–county cost-sharing and county reserve levels for courthouse maintenance; senators preferred enforcing an existing annual report requirement in Title 4 V.S.A. §39.
The Senate Institutions Committee discussed and then withdrew an amendment to H.494 that would have required the court administrator to report on cost-sharing between the state and counties and on county operating and capital reserve funds for courthouse maintenance.
Senator Hardy proposed the amendment during the committee meeting May 6, saying, “This amendment just would ask for a report back from the county, I'm sorry, from the court administrator about cost sharing measures between the state and the counties to equitably fund and repair fund the repair and renovation of county owned courthouses and also the level of county operating and capital reserve funds required to adequately fund regular maintenance of county courthouses and ensure sufficient savings are available to support regular capital renovation planning.” Hardy said the report would be due Dec. 15, 2025, and that the amendment would not change projects already in the capital bill.
Committee members responded that similar reporting already exists in state law. “It has required an annual report,” said Senator Plunkett, referencing an existing provision in Title 4 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated, section 39, and said the committee should enforce that statute and consider amending it later in conference committee to add reserve-fund details. Plunkett said she had circulated the material to committee members by email.
After discussion about overlap with the existing statute and the importance of transparency and responsible county stewardship of public facilities, the committee agreed to pursue enforcement of the current statutory reporting and possibly amend it later. Senator Hardy then withdrew the amendment request.
The exchange focused on ensuring coordination among PGS, the state court administrator and county judges for future courthouse projects; the committee did not take any other formal action on H.494 during the discussion.
