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Council on Rural Development asks for $500,000 to continue municipal technical assistance

Government Operations & Military Affairs · February 17, 2026

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Summary

Denise Smith, executive director of the Council on Rural Development, asked the committee for a one‑time $500,000 appropriation to bridge the sunsetting Municipal Technical Assistance Program, saying two‑thirds would go directly to towns as flexible grants; members signaled support and requested budget breakdowns.

Denise Smith, executive director of the Montgomery Council of Rural Development, addressed the committee and requested a one‑time $500,000 appropriation to continue municipal technical assistance work previously funded through MTAP. Smith said most funds ("two thirds of it") would go directly to towns in flexible grants to preserve momentum on local projects and provide bridge funding where federal or other sources have waned.

Smith told the panel the request responds to recommendations in the Vermont Evaluation of Rural Technical Assistance (VERDA) report, conducted through the Department of Housing and Community Development. She described the funding as a bridge between the sunsetting MTAP and a more permanent support structure for rural towns and cited examples of small grants that would benefit towns like Newport or Sutton.

Committee members thanked Smith and indicated favorable support while asking staff to post the council’s budget materials for review and to provide a more detailed breakdown of how the funds would be split between direct town grants and program support.