Rutland Town Selectboard submits updated local hazard mitigation plan to state, with edits requested

The Rutland Town Selectboard voted to submit the town’s updated Local Hazard Mitigation Plan to the state for review, subject to edits raised at the meeting. Staff said the submission will begin the state review process and eventual FEMA approval before the plan is brought back for formal local adoption.

Why it matters: Local hazard mitigation plans are the basis for coordinating disaster preparedness, eligible mitigation projects, and access to certain federal funding after approval by the state and FEMA. The update incorporates FEMA’s updated planning requirements and adds a detailed implementation table that the regional and state reviewers expect.

What the board discussed: The town’s regional planner presented the draft and addressed several edits requested by board members: correcting law‑enforcement staffing counts, noting regional dispatch as a capability under consideration, specifying annual evaluation timing tied to budget planning, and revising language around proposed river‑corridor bylaws to reflect that bylaws are “in development” by the Planning Commission and being considered for possible adoption by 2027 rather than adopted immediately.

Board action: After the planner said the suggested edits did not substantially change plan content, the selectboard voted to submit the plan to the state for approval pending local adoption, with the clerk and planning staff to make the agreed edits before submittal. The board recorded the vote in the meeting transcript as: three in favor, one opposed, and one not present (counts recorded by chair in meeting notes). The transcript does not include named roll call for the vote.

Next steps: The regional planner said the state review rubric will be used and that it is typical for reviewers to request additional clarifications; towns rarely receive unconditional approval on the first submittal. The planner will make the edits discussed and circulate the updated draft to the planning team, then submit to the state for review. The selectboard will monitor reviewer feedback and may be asked to consider follow‑up edits or a final adoption vote after FEMA approval.

Ending: The selectboard authorized the staff edits and submission; the planner will copy the local planning team on the submittal and return to the board with reviewer comments and any required changes prior to formal adoption.