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1 H.568
2 Introduced by Representatives Dolan of Waitsfield, Anthony of Barre City,
3 Bluemle of Burlington, Chapin of East Montpelier, Christie of
4 Hartford, Howard of Rutland City, LaBounty of Lyndon, Lalley
5 of Shelburne, Leavitt of Grand Isle, Masland of Thetford,
6 Mrowicki of Putney, Noyes of Wolcott, Ode of Burlington, Patt
7 of Worcester, Priestley of Bradford, Rice of Dorset, Satcowitz
8 of Randolph, White of Bethel, and Williams of Barre City
9 Referred to Committee on
10 Date:
11 Subject: Conservation and development; climate resilience; municipal
12 planning; municipal grant program
13 Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to rename the
14 Municipal Planning Grant Program at the Agency of Commerce and
15 Community Development as the Municipal Planning and Resilience Grant
16 Program to provide financial assistance to municipalities and regional planning
17 commissions in the identification and implementation of climate resilience
18 projects.
19 An act relating to the Municipal Planning and Resilience Grant Program VT LEG #373123 v.1
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1 It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
2 Sec. 1. 24 V.S.A. § 4306 is amended to read:
3 § 4306. MUNICIPAL AND REGIONAL PLANNING AND RESILIENCE
4 FUND
5 (a)(1) The Municipal and Regional Planning and Resilience Fund for the
6 purpose of assisting municipal and regional planning commissions to carry out
7 the intent of this chapter is hereby created in the State Treasury.
8 (2) The Fund shall be composed of 17 percent of the revenue from the
9 property transfer tax under 32 V.S.A. chapter 231 and any monies from time to
10 time appropriated to the Fund by the General Assembly or received from any
11 other source, private or public. All balances at the end of any fiscal year shall
12 be carried forward and remain in the Fund. Interest earned by the Fund shall
13 be deposited in the Fund.
14 (3) Of the revenues in the Fund, each year:
15 (A) 10 percent shall be disbursed to the Vermont Center for
16 Geographic Information;
17 (B) 70 percent shall be disbursed to the Secretary of Commerce and
18 Community Development for performance contracts with regional planning
19 commissions to provide regional planning services pursuant to section 4341a
20 of this title; and
21 (C) 20 percent shall be disbursed to municipalities.
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1 (b)(1) Allocations for performance contract funding to regional planning
2 commissions shall be determined according to a formula to be adopted by rule
3 under 3 V.S.A. chapter 25 by the Department for the assistance of the regional
4 planning commissions. Disbursement of funding to regional planning
5 commissions shall be predicated upon meeting performance goals and targets
6 pursuant to the terms of the performance contract.
7 (2) Disbursement to municipalities shall be awarded annually on or
8 before December 31 through a competitive program administered by the
9 Department providing the opportunity for any eligible municipality or
10 municipalities to compete regardless of size, provided that to receive funds, a
11 municipality:
12 (A) shall be confirmed under section 4350 of this title; or
13 (B)(i) shall use the funds for the purpose of developing a municipal
14 plan to be submitted for approval by the regional planning commission, as
15 required for municipal confirmation under section 4350 of this title; and
16 (ii) shall have voted at an annual or special meeting to provide
17 local funds for municipal planning and resilience purposes and regional
18 planning purposes.
19 (3) Of the annual disbursement to municipalities, an amount not to
20 exceed 20 percent of the total may be disbursed to the Department to
21 administer a program providing direct technical consulting assistance under VT LEG #373123 v.1
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1 retainer on a rolling basis to any eligible municipality to meet the requirements
2 for designated neighborhood development area under chapter 76A of this title,
3 provided that the municipality is eligible for funding under subdivision (2) of
4 this subsection and meets funding guidelines established by the Department to
5 ensure accessibility for lower capacity communities, municipal readiness, and
6 statewide coverage.
7 (4) Of the annual disbursement to municipalities, the Department may
8 allocate funding as bylaw modernization grants under section 4307 of this title.
9 (c) Funds allocated to municipalities shall be used for the purposes of:
10 (1) funding the regional planning commission in undertaking capacity
11 studies;
12 (2) carrying out the provisions of subchapters 5 through 10 of this
13 chapter;
14 (3) acquiring development rights, conservation easements, or title to
15 those lands, areas, and strictures identified in either regional or municipal plans
16 as requiring special consideration for provision of needed housing, aquifer
17 protection, flood protection, climate resilience, open space, farmland
18 preservation, or other conservation purposes; and
19 (4) reasonable and necessary costs of administering the Fund by the
20 Department of Housing and Community Development, not to exceed six
21 percent of the municipality allocation.
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1 Sec. 2. MUNICIPAL PLANNING AND RESILIENCE GRANT PROGRAM
2 (a) The Agency of Commerce and Community Development shall rename
3 the Municipal Planning Grant Program that the Agency administers under
4 24 V.S.A. § 4306(b)(2) as the Municipal Planning and Resilience Grant
5 Program.
6 (b) In addition to other funds appropriated to the Agency of Commerce and
7 Community Development for grants under 24 V.S.A. § 4306, $1,500,000.00 is
8 appropriated from the General Fund to the Municipal and Regional Planning
9 and Resilience Fund for the grants from the Fund for the following purposes:
10 (1) assistance to municipalities to support resiliency planning and
11 identify and plan for resiliency projects to reduce damages from flooding and
12 other climate change-related hazards; and
13 (2) funding for regional planning commissions to increase staff in order
14 to support municipalities in conducting climate resiliency planning; project
15 development and implementation; and hazard mitigation locally, regionally,
16 and on a watershed scale.
17 Sec. 3. CLIMATE RESILIENCY PLANNING POSITIONS
18 (a) In addition to other funds appropriated to the Agency of Commerce and
19 Community Development in fiscal year 2025, $125,000.00 is appropriated
20 from the General Fund to the Agency for the purpose of creating a new VT LEG #373123 v.1
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1 permanent full-time position to staff the climate resiliency grants from the
2 Municipal Planning and Resilience Grant Program.
3 (b) In addition to other funds appropriated to the Agency of Natural
4 Resources in fiscal year 2025, $125,000.00 is appropriated from the General
5 Fund to the Agency for the purposes of funding a new permanent full-time
6 position in the Water Investment Division of the Department of Environmental
7 Conservation for the purposes of assisting in the financing of climate resilience
8 projects from the Special Environmental Revolving Funds under 24 V.S.A.
9 chapter 120.
10 Sec. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE
11 This act shall take effect on July 1, 2024.
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Statutes affected: As Introduced: 24-4306