Witnesses ask lawmakers to fix meeting‑law changes so site visits and Brattleboro’s representative town meeting remain practical

Maura Collins, executive director of the Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA), told the Senate Government Operations Committee that recent changes to Vermont’s open‑meeting law are preventing VHFA and similar quasi‑state agencies from doing routine site visits and board retreats.

“We are a quasi state agency. We were created 50 years ago by this body legislature, and our specific purpose is to finance and promote affordable, safe, and decent housing for low and moderate income homeowners,” Collins said. She explained VHFA does not receive state appropriations for operations, issues tax‑exempt bonds and uses loan proceeds to finance mortgages and affordable rental housing. Collins said the change in definitions — which now classify VHFA as a non‑advisory state body because the board votes on an agency budget — has restricted the agency’s ability to hold site visits that require staff and board…