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New Land Use Review Board outlines expanded duties, staffing and digital records needs
Summary
The newly constituted Land Use Review Board (LURB) briefed the House Appropriations Committee on its FY 2026 budget needs, including requests to continue two ARPA‑funded district coordinator positions, funds for digital infrastructure and a records‑scanning project to make Act 250 records public.
Pete Gill, executive director of the Land Use Review Board, joined Chair Janet Hurley and business director Rachel Lomonico to present the board’s FY 2026 budget highlights and operational priorities to the House Appropriations Committee.
Gill summarized the board’s new responsibilities under Act 181, saying the board “is responsible for the Act 250 permitting process, for subdivision and development permits throughout the state,” and explained that the agency is transitioning from a part‑time volunteer model to a full‑time professional board.
The presenters said LURB currently issues roughly 350–400 land use permits per year and supports nine regional districts with volunteer district commissions. The change to a full‑time board and expanded duties has driven a structural budget increase; Gill said the FY 2026 total budget is approximately $5.3 million and that permit fee revenue is expected to decline because some downtown areas will be Tier 1A and exempt from Act 250 permitting.
Gill and Lomonico highlighted two sets of budget items not included in the governor’s recommended spending: two limited‑service, ARPA‑funded district coordinator positions and expanded digital records and mapping infrastructure. Lomonico said the district coordinators have been “a phenomenal resource” and described one coordinator moving temporarily into a board position to maintain services in a northeast district after staffing changes. Gill asked the committee to consider funding the two district coordinator positions through FY 2029 to align with an implementation study due under Act 181.
The presenters also described a scanning project for historic Act 250 permit records in two district offices (District 4 — Chittenden County — and District 7 — the Northeast Kingdom). Lomonico said records are being digitized and the project has been helpful for public access and office space reduction; she said the work has been fully obligated and another shipment of records would go out by the end of the month.
On technology needs, Gill said the board seeks funds to expand an existing Act 250 permitting database so it can accept regional plans, future land use maps and Tier 1A applications, and host a public‑facing online atlas. He said the Agency of Digital Services is collaborating on an estimate and that the board plans to build on existing infrastructure. Committee members questioned whether the $100,000 estimate from ADS was final; Gill said ADS was finalizing the number and the estimate was based on prior projects.
Committee members asked about timing: the new LURB has been fully operational since Jan. 27, the presenters said, and the board is still standing up operations and training volunteer commissions on new open‑meetings and review requirements.
The presenters did not request immediate action from the committee during the hearing. They asked the Appropriations Committee to consider funding the two ARPA‑funded district coordinators beyond their current limited period and to fund digital infrastructure to support new statutory duties.
Ending: The Land Use Review Board’s appearance emphasized operational and technology investments needed to implement Act 181, continued reliance on district coordinators to maintain permitting services and a multi‑year scanning project to preserve and publish historic Act 250 records.
