Appropriations committee grills plan to reallocate $2.45 million for central Vermont radio/911 upgrade

The House Appropriations Committee on May 12 questioned whether roughly $2.45 million that the Senate added to the H951 budget should be reallocated to a regional radio and 911 dispatch upgrade in central Vermont.

Committee members opened the session by saying they were gathering information, not making decisions. "So we're not making any decisions today. We are getting information so we can understand what the request was and why it's in the budget," the chair said at the start of the hearing.

The proposal presented to the committee would fund a 17‑site Simulcast (P25‑compliant) system intended to improve portable coverage for fire and EMS agencies in central Vermont and to be integrable with the state's long‑term plan. Joe Aldworth, president of Capital Fire Mutual Aid, said the nonprofit group represents 33 towns across Washington and Orange counties and that municipalities currently contract dispatching to Montpelier and Barre. "We have been incorporated since 1970," Aldworth said, describing the group's role and its existing investments in the project.

Witnesses described the project's estimated full build cost at roughly $4,087,000 (equipment, backbone infrastructure and site work) before anticipated savings if state contract resources or vendor oversight are used. Committee questioning itemized other costs: installation contractor pricing of about $386,000, independent engineering verification at about $172,000, a 5% contingency, staffing of roughly $35,000 over two years, and an estimated legal review at about $345 per hour for roughly 50 hours.

Members and task force representatives repeatedly pressed how the regional plan would fit with a legislatively created statewide public‑safety communications task force and the priorities set in H935. Barbara Neil, co‑chair of the public safety communications task force and executive director of the 911 board, told the committee she had not seen the level of budget detail presented that day and could not yet determine whether the regional project aligned with task force recommendations. "I can't really answer that question because I have not seen the level of detail that even you've been presented with this just now," Neil said.

Paul White, vice chair of the task force, urged caution before directing statewide appropriations into a regional project. "The amendment as it's written just seems like it's just here's some money to the RPC — go fix your communications problems," White said, adding that the task force would want mechanisms to ensure the regional work dovetails with statewide procurement, mapping/GIS integration, and strategic LMR upgrades.

Task force members recommended two safeguards if the legislature advances the appropriation: require the RPC to provide the task force a copy of the regional plan and require regular progress reporting so the task force and Department of Public Safety can confirm alignment and avoid siloed spending that could undermine statewide consolidation goals.

Capital Fire and regional planning witnesses said they are prepared to work with the task force. Aldworth said the regional design was intended to interoperate with the statewide plan, that engineering work and some local investments are already complete, and that the group has pursued multiple grant avenues. He and others said Capital Fire has invested more than $1.2 million to date and that the mutual aid organization has roughly $350,000 in a capital plan to contribute; they also reported informal USDA interest of roughly $700,000 that had not been documented in writing.

Committee members repeatedly stressed the distinction between foundational, statewide LMR work and localized pilot or regional builds, noting the task force's multi‑year, incremental approach and an estimated fully realized statewide LMR cost in the mid‑tens of millions. Task force witnesses emphasized that foundation work — procurement of a statewide computer‑aided dispatch system, mapping/GIS integration, and strategic LMR infrastructure upgrades — was intended to precede or guide regional investments.

The committee did not vote on the matter. The chair closed by thanking witnesses and saying there may be follow‑up questions; Representative Phelps was identified as the lead staffer for further work. Next steps include providing the task force with the RPC's plan (if the appropriation moves forward), clarifying ownership and fiscal‑agent arrangements, and returning more detailed budget and procurement documentation to the committee.

The hearing record notes no formal motion or vote on the reappropriation during the session.