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CCRPC committee recommends FY23 mid‑year budget adjustment to include $2.1M RAISE grant, staffing and proposed bonuses
Summary
The committee recommended the board approve a FY23 mid‑year budget adjustment (version #3) that incorporates a $2.1 million U.S. DOT RAISE grant for Transit Oriented Development planning, additional near‑term grants, and a proposed $1,000 per‑employee mid‑year bonus; members discussed hiring consultants, reserve targets, and monitoring future legislative funding changes.
The Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission Joint Executive and Finance Committee recommended the board approve a FY23 mid‑year budget adjustment that incorporates new grant awards and staffing proposals, including a $2.1 million U.S. Department of Transportation RAISE grant.
Charlie Baker, Executive Director, told members the CCRPC had prepared three draft budget versions after receiving increased ACCD funding and outlined several new and incoming funding lines, including the $2.1 million RAISE grant to be spent over three years. Baker said the grant will fund staff and consultant work to prepare Transit‑Oriented Development plans for up to 12 communities in a multijurisdictional region and that the CCRPC will issue requests for proposals to hire a consultant project manager.
Baker also noted near‑term funding lines that include nearly $100,000 in anticipated Brownfields monies (the EPA Brownfields grant was not awarded this cycle), $6,500 for a floodplain map and bylaw update under a DEC contract, $6,676 for a health department hot‑weather emergency response project, and approximately $16,286 in staff time for Communications Union District (CUD) broadband facilitation with a possible total of up to $300,000 flowing through CCRPC budgets for CUD work.
Committee members questioned the fiscal and staffing implications. Jeff Carr (Finance) called the current influx of funding “the golden age in terms of finances,” while cautioning that revenue could change over the next three to four years and urged prudent forecasting. Baker said staff levels are stretched and recommended using consultants where needed; he also proposed a one‑time mid‑year bonus of $1,000 per employee (about $19,000 total). Bard Hill and Jacki Murphy supported the bonus proposal and discussed options for hiring temporary or term employees.
Jeff Carr moved and Jacki Murphy seconded a motion to recommend the Board approve the proposed FY23 mid‑year adjustment budget #3 and the UPWP; the minutes record the motion as carried unanimously. The minutes do not provide a numerical roll‑call tally.
The committee also asked staff to produce a short revenue projection and to monitor legislative developments that could affect future funding streams. The financial portion concluded at 6:43 PM, after which Jeff Carr excused himself.
Next steps: CCRPC staff will issue RFPs for RAISE grant consultants as needed, prepare the public forum on the FY23 UPWP mid‑year adjustment, and present the recommended budget to the full board for approval.
