Outreach committee advances volunteer stipend policy; 48 applicants for grant-funded economic mobility special assistant

The Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission received an update Oct. 15 from staff on outreach and engagement work, including the community engagement advisory committee’s work on a volunteer stipend policy and the hiring process for a grant-funded economic mobility and opportunity special assistant.

Emma (staff), standing in for Anne Nelson, said the community engagement advisory committee will meet next week primarily to discuss the draft volunteer stipend policy contained in the public participation plan; the executive committee reviewed the policy earlier in the month and the board is expected to consider the policy at its November meeting. Emma said Nelson had researched best practices for compensating community participants and that the policy covers eligibility, scope and stipend amounts.

Emma also reported that CCRPC received 48 applications for the economic mobility special assistant position — a grant-funded position shared among Essex Junction, South Burlington, Shelburne and Winooski and to be employed by CCRPC. Emma said the position’s salary range in the posting is roughly $70,000 to $100,000 and staff have begun interviews; they hope to hire someone in early December.

Other ongoing engagement work noted included updates to the language access plan and the Chittenden County community asset map. Staff stressed the volunteer stipend policy and language access work are intended to improve outreach and equitable participation in CCRPC processes.

Why it matters: compensating volunteers and creating a shared, grant-funded staff position are actions designed to increase representation and capacity for engagement in regional planning and equity-focused work.