Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sister State Program topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Vermont sister‑state working group to propose criteria, aims to present recommendations by Jan. 15
Summary
The Commerce & Economic Development Committee heard an update on a legislatively mandated sister‑state working group that will recommend criteria and guardrails for future sister‑state relationships. The group reported inventory work, questions about costs of diplomacy, and a timeline to finalize recommendations.
A legislatively mandated sister‑state working group reported to the Commerce & Economic Development Committee on April 30 that it is developing criteria to guide any future state‑level sister‑state relationships and plans to present recommendations by Jan. 15.
The group, which is meeting monthly, was created to define why Vermont would enter a sister‑state relationship, how to sustain it, and what benefits—economic, educational or cultural—would justify state support. Tim Tierney, who briefed the committee, said the working group focused on creating guardrails and selection criteria rather than quickly adding partnerships that might not deliver sustained value.
Why it matters: committee members said sister‑state agreements can bring cultural and educational exchange and can support economic ties, but they also carry ongoing diplomatic and cost commitments that the state should understand and budget for.
What the working group reported - Existing relationships: Vermont currently maintains a sister‑state relationship with Tottori (Tottori Prefecture), Japan, and has a history of sister‑city relationships in Burlington and elsewhere. A prior relationship with Karelia, Russia, was phased out over time, the group said. - Membership and outreach: Tierney listed working‑group members who represent education, agriculture, arts and local government, including Jill Briggs Campbell (secretary of education), Trevor Lowes (Vermont Department of Agriculture), Susan Dunn McClure (Vermont Arts Council), Patricia Preston (co‑chair of Michigan’s Little Vermont Council on World Affairs), Major General Knight, Lise Verano (City of Burlington sister‑city program), and Peter Lynch. The group is surveying schools, nonprofits and businesses to inventory existing international contacts. - Selection criteria and sustainability: The working group said it will emphasize demonstrable ties and ongoing local partner capacity so a relationship is not purely ceremonial. Members reported hearing from states that created many sister relationships rapidly and later struggled to maintain them; the committee said Vermont should set criteria to avoid that outcome. - Potential partners: The working group is considering regions that align with Vermont’s economic and cultural profile. Tierney specifically cited Styria, Austria, as an example of a subnational region with similar manufacturing and tourism characteristics. - Budget and diplomacy: Members noted an operational cost to hosting delegations and maintaining exchanges; funding sources and nonprofit partners (for example, the Vermont Council on World Affairs) were discussed as possible cost‑sharing partners. The group said some federal funding for exchange work has declined and that local nonprofit capacity will factor into any recommendation.
Timeline and next steps The working group expects to complete criteria, guardrails and a recommended process and present its report to the committee by mid‑January. The group will continue its inventory of Vermont organizations with international contacts and intends to make recommendations about who would lead and staff any sustained sister‑state effort.
Ending: Committee members praised the slow, criteria‑driven approach and encouraged continued outreach to existing international partners and to the International Trade Commission or other bodies when foreign delegations visit the state.
