Vermont official says Municipal Technical Assistance Program helped small towns but needs more funding

Douglas Farnham, chief recovery officer for the Vermont Agency of Administration, told the House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development on April 30 that the Municipal Technical Assistance Program, created in the 2023 budget adjustment act with $3 million in general funds, helped smaller and mid-sized Vermont towns apply for and advance projects in housing, water and sewer, and climate resilience.

Farnham said the program was designed to prioritize towns that score highest on the Vermont Community Index — a measure that compares community needs and capacity — because those places historically were less likely to win federal and state grants. "The municipal technical assistance program was created in the 2023 budget adjustment act," Farnham said, describing MTAP as a tiered support effort intended to help communities move projects forward.

MTAP allocated a little more than half of its $3 million to regional planning commissions to support locally identified projects; roughly 40 percent was placed with contractors and partners such as the Preservation Trust of Vermont, the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board programs for rural economic support, the Vermont Council on Rural Development, and a limited $200,000 contract with Stone Environmental to provide hydrology and environmental assessments on specific projects. The Vermont League of Cities and Towns was engaged to provide broad, high-level technical support and coordination, Farnham said.

Farnham described two distinct program goals: help towns that were already prepared to use federal infrastructure funding and broaden participation among…