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ACCD presents restrained FY27 budget; officials flag ADS tech charges and ARPA wind‑down

Vermont House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development · February 11, 2026

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Summary

Agency of Commerce and Community Development leaders told legislators that FY27 is deliberately restrained, flagged late ADS technology charges that raised budget pressure, and outlined one‑time requests including a Montreal business‑development contract and $800,000 for manufactured home repairs amid an ARPA spend‑down.

Agency of Commerce and Community Development officials presented a constrained FY2027 spending plan to the House Commerce & Economic Development Committee on Feb. 10, emphasizing targeted requests and several cost pressures that complicate the agency's ability to stay within a 3% spending guideline.

Dan Dickerson, ACCD director of administrative services, said the agency's FY27 budget includes roughly $74.21 million in base funding and that the agency would receive one‑time spending authority that brings the total to about $75.16 million when one‑time requests are included. "We're 37% general funds, 19% special funds and 43% federal funds," he said, describing the funding mix that supports many grant programs.

Committee members pressed ACCD about technology costs passed through from the state's Office of Digital Services (ADS). Dickerson said ADS applies multiple types of charges — a standard per‑person allocation, service‑level agreements and billed hours for additional work — and that the agency received late communication about changes. "The communication as to what what was changing with the budget was minimal," he told the committee, adding that more detail was needed to separate those buckets.

Members also asked about the wind‑down of ARPA‑funded limited‑service positions. Dickerson and other staff said many ARPA positions are expiring in FY27; ACCD is using carry‑forward and state funds to finish work where possible and is transitioning any programs that need permanent staff into operating requests where feasible.

ACCD outlined several one‑time items: funding to continue a Montreal‑based in‑market representative for international business leads, $800,000 repurposed from prior flood recovery funds for the Manufactured Home Improvement and Repair (MER) program, and a request for $150,000 in spending authority to fund economic analyses for CHIP applications. The agency also noted an $18 million remaining CDBG disaster recovery award it proposed to grant out in FY27 and a direct transportation‑fund appropriation to support EV supply equipment grants.

Officials said more granular spreadsheets and program‑level breakouts would be provided to the committee when ACCD returns with its full appropriation book next week. No formal votes were taken at the Feb. 10 presentation.