Regional planning commissions brief Vermont House panel on Act 181 rollout, funding and disaster response

Peter Gregory, executive director of the Two Rivers‑Ottauquechee Regional Commission, told the Vermont House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development on Jan. 16 that regional planning commissions (RPCs) are implementing elements of last year’s Act 181 and continuing long‑running work on housing, brownfields, emergency preparedness and local technical assistance.

"Regional planning commissions ... are political subdivisions of the state ... we are an arm of state government," Gregory said, describing RPCs as the staff for many small towns that lack municipal employees. He told the committee Vermont’s 11 RPCs employ about 135 staff and provide direct assistance to communities on grant administration, planning and emergency response.

The presentation outlined several near‑term priorities for RPCs and requests for the Legislature: continued funding from the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (largely from the property‑transfer tax), additional state investment in brownfields assessment and remediation, and restored funding for emergency planning and response. Gregory said the RPCs expect to complete regional land‑use plans required by Act 181 by the end of 2026 and urged the committee not to change course midstream.

Why it matters: RPCs serve as the primary substate planning and technical assistance partners for Vermont’s towns, especially small communities with little or no staff. The commissions argue that sustaining and modestly increasing state support would leverage federal and foundation funds used for housing, economic development and infrastructure projects.

Key points from the hearing

- Act 181 implementation: Gregory said the RPCs are six months into implementing Act 181 and are developing consistent land‑use categories and working with towns to meet the law’s deadlines. He told the committee the interim Act 250 exemptions are in place and that RPCs will prepare the planning foundations that will support permanent exemptions after the two‑year interim period.

- Funding mix and request: RPCs reported a diversified funding mix—state property‑transfer tax allocations through the Agency of Commerce, federal grants (EPA Brownfields, Federal Highway/US DOT, USDA, Economic Development Administration), foundation grants and town dues (about 5% of typical RPC budgets). Gregory asked the committee to support continued state funding for brownfields assessment and remediation and other leverageable state investments.

- Emergency management and disaster work: RPCs described hands‑on roles in disaster response and the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC). Tasha Wallace (as identified in the record) said RPC staff have been in small municipal offices assisting with FEMA paperwork and recovery after the 2023 floods. Gregory and others noted that funding for emergency management work for RPCs has been reduced even as disaster frequency and demands grow.

- Municipal Energy Resilience Program: RPC representatives highlighted the Municipal Energy Resilience Program launched last year, which provided small grants and free energy assessments. Gregory said nearly $36,000,000 in awards were announced in December for municipal building fit‑ups.

- Brownfields and remediation: RPC speakers said they have successfully competed for EPA Brownfields funds and that recent state investments have increased assessment and remediation capacity; they asked the committee to consider additional state funding to accelerate job‑creating redevelopment and housing on contaminated sites.

- Shared services and staffing: Multiple RPC directors described growing shared‑services arrangements—shared zoning administrators, administrative assistants, and even exploration of regional police models—to address towns’ recruitment, retention and rising benefit costs. Dom Kennedy, identified as from the Adams County Regional Commission and vice chair of the Portland Select Board, said regions are increasingly pooling positions because part‑time hires are difficult to retain.

Quotes

"We are the staff. We are involved in many of the topics that you deal with ... and we complement our work on economic development with the RDCs," Peter Gregory said, summarizing the RPCs’ role.

"In the absence of county government, we're there to serve our communities," Tasha Wallace said, describing hands‑on recovery work in small towns after the 2023 floods.

"We're now working at looking at a regional police department, where we also are starting to share zoning administrators and so on," Dom Kennedy said, describing an example of shared services under discussion in his region.

Committee response and next steps

Committee members praised RPC work and asked substantive questions about Act 181 timelines, the definition of tiers under the new land‑use framework, and how small rural towns will access exemptions that depend on local infrastructure and bylaws. RPC directors said some commissions expect to finish local land‑use work as early as late 2025, but that plans will be staggered and subject to review by the Land Use Review Board.

RPC representatives said they will remain engaged with the committee as the governor’s budget and any infrastructure proposals are developed; Gregory invited committee members to meet their local RPCs and RDCs for more detailed, technical discussions.

Ending

RPC leaders closed by reiterating that they expect to meet Act 181 deadlines, that continued state funding and targeted infrastructure dollars would help translate exemptions into housing and economic development, and that more funding for emergency management and brownfields remediation would speed recovery and redevelopment in communities hit by flooding and other disasters.