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VHCB urges lawmakers to broaden rural economic development rule so farms in larger towns can qualify
Summary
VHCB representatives told a committee that Vermont's Rural Economic Development Initiative should broaden its definition of "rural" and add 'community development initiatives' so farms and related projects in some towns over the current 5,000-population threshold can get grant-writing and technical help; presenters said the program requires no new appropriation.
VHCB officials told a legislative committee that the state's Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) should be allowed to help farms and community projects located in some towns with populations above the program's existing 5,000 threshold.
Liz Gleason, Farm Viability Program director for the Rural Economic Development Initiative, said REDI was created around 2017 to help small communities and agricultural businesses access complex federal and philanthropic grants. "A farm is a farm, whether they're in a community of 4,900 or 500 or 6 or 7,000," Gleason told the committee, arguing that geographic lines should not bar otherwise eligible projects from support.
The presenters described REDI as a capacity-building program that pays for grant writers and technical assistance. Gleason said the program has spent…
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