Members of the Vermont House Corrections & Institutions Committee said Tuesday that a May 6 field trip to the Waterbury Complex highlighted substantial underuse of state office space and prompted calls for detailed occupancy and lease data before the Legislature takes further action.

The committee met May 7 to discuss impressions from the visit. "This facility is substantially underutilized," said Joe, a member of the House Corrections & Institutions Committee, summing up the group’s initial observation. "It was, like, 1 empty desk after another," said Sean, a committee member, adding that "it's a stunning building that has been restored to its greatness."

Why it matters: Committee members said unused state office space increases costs because agencies continue to lease private space and maintain historic properties, and they argued better data on actual in‑office staffing and leases is needed to weigh consolidation or repurposing options. Several members linked the discussion to H 50, a bill the committee considered earlier this session about reviewing underused state space.

During the discussion members described examples and constraints they saw on the tour. Forensics laboratories were described as highly specialized and difficult to relocate because of equipment such as DNA rooms and a firing range. Other adjacent buildings, including a Health & Human Services office building at the Waterbury site, were described as having many empty desks and large common spaces that committee members said could be considered for consolidation, reentry programming, housing or other uses.

Committee members raised several specific, recurring concerns: the state continues to pay for leased space at National Life while similar workstations sit empty in Waterbury; remote and hybrid work patterns vary across agencies; and callers to state offices sometimes experience long delays or get voicemail because staff are not physically present to answer phones. "We need real data to make real decisions, and we can't keep kicking the can down the road," said a committee member during the discussion.

Members proposed next steps but did not take a formal vote. Suggestions included asking the administration for precise, agency‑level occupancy and telework policies; an accounting of current leases and annual rental costs (members asked specifically about two floors leased at National Life); and targeted, time‑limited walk‑through audits of particular floors or buildings to verify desk usage rather than relying solely on agency reports. John, a committee member, suggested hiring staff or contractors to perform short in‑person counts on selected floors to produce unscheduled usage snapshots.

Several members also warned of constraints on selling or repurposing some properties: historic designation, local town objections, and specialty infrastructure on some sites could limit options. One member estimated that maintaining several lightly used facilities could cost "several hundred thousand" dollars a year in preservation or mothballing costs; that figure was presented as an estimate by the speaker and not an audited number.

No formal motion or vote was recorded during the meeting to close leases, sell property, or direct a specific procurement. Committee members said they will press the administration for the occupancy and lease data and expect to continue the conversation during the remainder of the session. The committee also referenced H 50, which members said would return the issue of underused or vacant state space to the Legislature for more detailed review.

The committee agreed the forensic lab should remain in place because of its specialized equipment, but members said other office footprints at Waterbury and elsewhere should be evaluated for consolidation, desk‑sharing arrangements, or repurposing. Members emphasized the need for consistent telework policies across agencies before making final real‑estate decisions.

Next steps mentioned by members included: obtaining agency‑level written telework policies and actual in‑office expectations; a breakdown of leased space and annual rent payments (including the currently leased space at National Life); and scheduled or unscheduled on‑site usage audits. Committee members said they would ask the administration to produce those figures and would continue deliberations rather than immediately pursue lease terminations or sales.