Vermont Human Rights Commission warns staffing shortfall as federal funds drop

Vic Hartman, executive director and general counsel of the State of Vermont Human Rights Commission, told the Appropriations Committee that the commission expects to lose federal funding next year and faces a consequential budget shortfall.

“We are still going to be planning that we cannot receive any federal funds next year,” Hartman said, adding that the shortfall led the administration to assume a roughly $65,000 vacancy-turnover savings target for the agency.

Hartman said that a previous vacancy-turnover assumption was about $25,000 and that recent turnover — including the March departure of Amanda Garces, the commission’s former director of policy, education and outreach — increased workload and risked burnout. The Garces position was reconfigured and refilled as a director of community engagement, Hartman said.

To address demand and the office’s litigation load, Hartman asked the committee to fund three additional positions: a policy director, a staff attorney/investigator and a paralegal to support complex litigation and enforcement work. “Every year, we turn away over a 100 people who wanna file a complaint,” Hartman said, arguing that added capacity would allow the office to investigate more complaints and provide trial support.

Legislators asked how previously budgeted HUD funds and the governor’s recommendation interact with the commission’s request. Hartman said the current budget book is written assuming general-fund support and that some prior increases — including a one-time $250,000 base funding item for two positions — did not require the full amount because hires were at entry-level salaries.

Hartman described specific trade-offs if savings targets hold: the agency could furlough staff for a pay period or two to meet the vacancy-savings target, or it could return to the committee for a budget adjustment. She said she did not foresee being able to realize a $65,000 savings without a significant decrease in services.

The commission also reported that adding immigration status and citizenship as protected categories last year increased intake from immigrant communities, particularly for housing complaints, and that local advocacy organizations such as Vermont Legal Aid have reduced capacity, increasing demand on the commission.

On carryforward funds, Hartman said the commission ended the fiscal year with a $49,000 balance but was authorized to plan to use only $12,694 of it; the commission had proposed about $7,800 for printed materials and roughly $40,000 for a website redesign, but the administration allowed only $3,000 for the latter. Hartman noted a pay-act reserve remains in the carryforward but is not yet appropriated and would be requested in the spring.

Hartman said the agency receives the administration-authorized annual pay increase (rather than merit increases) and that this year’s increase was 3.9 percent.

The Appropriations Committee did not take a formal vote during the session on the commission’s requests. Hartman left copies of the commission’s memo, annual report and midyear report with the committee and said the office will continue to monitor workloads and may return for a budget adjustment if the federal shortfall persists.