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WRC director warns of funding, FEMA grant uncertainty and potential fees for municipal services
Summary
WRC Executive Director Chris reported a proposed 1.5% cut to property-transfer-tax allocations (about $10,000 for WRC), uncertainty over FEMA Emergency Management Performance Grant rules that may require bios for commissioners, and a staff proposal to revisit municipal services agreements that could ask towns to pay for substantial planning work.
At the WRC executive board meeting, Executive Director Chris warned of emerging fiscal and grant-administration issues that could affect the commission's budget and operations.
Chris said a proposal circulating in budget discussions would reduce property-transfer-tax distributions to entities like regional planning commissions by roughly 1.5 percent. "What that would translate into in real dollars for us would be about $10,000," he said, and he asked the board to anticipate budget conversations as state revenue assumptions are revised.
On federal grants, Chris said the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) remains on hold nationally and that draft FEMA guidance could require subapplicants to submit bios or resumes for staff and all board members to verify eligibility. He said that requirement has prompted substantial pushback and "might be a non-starter" for many jurisdictions because commissioners may not want to provide that information.
Chris also warned that as grant sources tighten the commission may need to revisit its municipal services agreement language so towns are charged for substantial, non-grant-billable work (for example, drafting zoning bylaw language). He said staff will draft a proposal, survey peer RPC practices and present options to the board in coming months.
He noted some operational savings (switching internet providers reduced costs) and flagged other cost pressures, recommending the board and staff pursue additional grants to maintain service levels. As a positive note, he reported Athens had adopted its first town plan by vote and is nearing adoption of flood-hazard bylaws and a local hazard-mitigation plan.
Board members discussed surveying towns before proposing new charges, taking care not to reduce service quality, and having the finance committee review possible budget scenarios. Chris said he would bring a draft municipal-services proposal and additional budget context back to the board for consideration.
