News Briefs

• Transportation Enhancements Grant Program
• 06/26/2012

• Transportation Enhancements (TE) activities are federally funded, community-based projects that improve the cultural, historic, aesthetic, and environmental aspects of our transportation infrastructure. TE projects can include creation of bicycle and pedestrian facilities, streetscape improvements, refurbishment of historic transportation facilities, and other investments that enhance communities and access. Applications are due October 5, 2012, however the deadline for a letter of intent is Friday, July 13, 2012. An application guide, a sample letter of intent, and a downloadable application are available on the Program Development page of the Agency of Transportation's website. Please also refer to this Transportation Enhancement fact sheet.

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• VTrans to Provide Bike Racks to Municipalities
• 06/05/2012

• Because the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) Bicycle and Pedestrian program has identified bicycle parking as a common need among Vermont communities, VTrans will purchase bike racks from a manufacturer and have them shipped directly to successful applicants, who will be responsible for their installation.

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• Matching grant funding available for rural water projects
• 06/05/2012

• Program designed to help communities and fire departments cover 50 percent of project costs

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• 2012 Legislative Wrap-up
• 05/30/2012

• VLCT Advocacy's comprehensive distillation of the 2012 legislative session is now available for your perusal and parsing at www.vlct.org/assets/Advocacy/2012_wrapup_web.pdf. Previous Wrap-ups are archived at www.vlct.org/advocacy/session-wrap-up/.

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• Increasing Efficiency in New Homes
• 05/22/2012

• Efficiency Vermont wants your input about the challenges in meeting and exceeding energy code requirements in your community (including builders and homeowners). In 2011, Vermont adopted new Residential Building Energy Standards (RBES), also known as Vermont's residential energy code. How can you advance the use of these standards?

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• Propane Tank Advisory
• 05/04/2012

• In working with state and local officials to coordinate clean-up efforts of propane tanks, the Vermont Fuel Dealers Association (VFDA) developed this flyer concerning the discovery of propane tanks during Green Up Day activities. The information, however, remains relevant as towns continue to recover from Tropical Storm Irene during the coming months.

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• Proposals for Fee Increases
• 03/20/2012

• On March 13, Karen Horn, VLCT Director of Advocacy and Public Policy, submitted these comments on the Agency of Natural Resources' proposals for fee increases in this session's fee bill to Janet Ancel, Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee.

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• 2012 COPS Hiring Program
• 03/15/2012

• The 2012 Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program will provide $111 million directly – in the form of grants – to law enforcement agencies nationally to hire, retain, and/or rehire career law enforcement officers in an effort to create and preserve jobs, as well as increase community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.

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• Federal Funding Available for State and Local Governments
• 03/13/2012

• Nearly $1.3 billion is current available for state and local governments from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Agriculture (USDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Economic Development Agency (EDA) to support climate and energy initiatives, including transportation, energy efficiency, renewable energy, green infrastructure, and sustainability planning. Here are some highlights:

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• Surface Transportation Reauthorization in the 112th Congress
• 02/22/2012

• Legislation to reauthorize federal surface transportation programs is under consideration in both houses of Congress. The previous transportation authorization – the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), enacted in 2005 – expired in 2009. Since that time, surface transportation programs and activities have been operated under a series of extensions.

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• Free Tax Preparation in Vermont
• 02/03/2012

• A network of more than 80 free tax preparation sites located throughout Vermont opened on February 1. Last year, the Vermont Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites served approximately 3,500 Vermonters. Vermonters who earned less than $50,000 in 2011 may have their taxes completed by IRS-certified volunteer tax preparers. AARP also offers free tax assistance sites and served an additional 5,000 Vermonters last year. For a list of free tax preparation sites, go to www.MoneyEd.Vermont.gov and scroll down to the Earned Income Tax Credit heading.

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• House Committee Acts to Provide Amnesty for Release of Property Tax Adjustment Information
• 01/06/2012

• On Friday, January 06, 2012, the House Government Operations Committee voted unanimously to approve H.505, a bill that would provide that “a public agency or an employee or agent of a public agency shall not be held liable for a violation of the Public Records Act, for a violation of the 32 V.S.A. § 3102, or for a claim based on an invasion of privacy as a result of disclosure of property tax adjustment information prior to the issuance of the Vermont Supreme Court [decision] in In re: H.S. 122.

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• Vt. Supreme Court holds property tax adjustment information confidential
• 01/06/2012

• In a January 5, 2012 message to Vermont Town Clerks, Bill Johnson, Director of Property Valuation and Review for the Department of Taxes wrote the following:

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• Executive Order for the Governor's Commission on Successful Aging
• 01/04/2012

• On November 8, 2011, Governor Shumlin signed an Executive Order for the Governor's Commission on Successful Aging. The governor's office is presently looking for someone to represent the municipalities on the commission. If you are interested in serving, contact Lisa Parro at 871-3350 or lisa.parro@state.vt.us for a Gubernatorial Application.

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• Report on Improving Vermont’s Environmental Protection Process
• 12/20/2011

• The Natural Resources Board and the Agency of Natural Resources recently released a Report on Improving the Environmental Protection Process. The report is based on many comments and ideas provided through the focus groups, public meetings, web comments, and other feedback, and the processes used by other states, federal government and other Vermont agencies that best suit the environmental protection process’s needs.

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• Congress Clears Transportation Funding Bill
• 11/18/2011

• [from the Office of U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy] In a decisive vote of 70 to 30, the U.S. Senate Thursday night gave final approval to a transportation budget bill that includes provisions added by Senator Patrick Leahy (D) to replenish the federal government’s depleted transportation emergency fund, along with the crucial cost waivers he authored that will mean tens of millions of additional dollars for road and bridge repair aid that will speed Vermont’s recovery from Tropical Storm Irene.

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• Community Recovery Partnership
• 11/08/2011

• On November 8, 2011, Governor Shumlin announced a plan called the Community Recovery Partnership to help communities as they recover from Tropical Storm Irene.

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• Free FEMA Benefit-Cost Analysis Workshop
• 11/08/2011

• FEMA will conduct a FREE comprehensive workshop for Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10, at the Southern Windsor Regional Planning Commission Office, Ascutney Professional Building, Route 5, Ascutney. The workshop is an intensive training session distilled from the two-day session held last spring at VEM offices in Waterbury.

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• Lake Champlain TMDL Meetings, Second Round
• 11/03/2011

• The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VTDEC) and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) are jointly holding a series of four meetings to discuss progress on the Lake Champlain Phosphorus cleanup plan, technically referred to as the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). This second round of meetings will be from November 14-17, 2011, and follows the first round of October meetings.

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• VLCT Comments on the Draft Comprehensive Energy Plan
• 11/02/2011

• On November 2nd, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy Karen Horn submitted comments on behalf of VLCT's member cities and towns on the Public Service Department’s draft Comprehensive Energy Plan. The Public Comment Period ended on November 4, 2011. More information is here.

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• U.S. Senate Passes Transportation Funding Bill
• 11/01/2011

• Senate Passes Transportation Funding Bill, including Leahy Cost Waivers Crucial for Vermont in Repairing Roads in Irene’s Aftermath

  On Tuesday, November 1, the U.S. Senate approved a transportation budget bill that includes crucial cost waivers included in the bill by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), which Governor Shumlin and others consider to be crucial to the repair and rebuilding of roads and bridges damaged by Tropical Storm Irene.

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• VLCT Thanks Sen. Leahy for Efforts on Overweight Trucks
• 10/31/2011

• Senator Leahy has been asked to provide Senate Committee members with additional information about the truck weight pilot program we have pending in the Trans bill before the Senate this week.

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• VLCT, Governor announce "extraordinary abatement" bill
• 10/26/2011

• Gov. Shumlin, lawmakers, and the Vermont League of Cities and Towns announce "extraordinary abatement" bill.

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• Ways and Means Approves Bill to Abate State School Taxes
• 10/26/2011

• On October 25, the House Ways and Means Committee unanimously approved a bill that would allow the Commissioner of Taxes to abate state education property taxes for properties substantially damaged or destroyed and which have been made uninhabitable due to flooding caused by any of the three major natural disasters Vermont has suffered this year.

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• Post-Irene Emergency Protocol: Gravel and Rock Fill
• 10/25/2011

• Gravel and rock fill for road and infrastructure repair is critical to Vermont’s post-Irene response. To assure availability of material requested by the state or towns during the post-Irene emergency period, the Natural Resources Board (Act 250) temporarily suspended enforcement of extraction limits and trucking, and allowed closed gravel pits and rock quarries to be reopened on an as-needed basis.

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• ANR - Updated Guidance: Working in Streams, Replacing Culverts
• 10/07/2011

• Oct 7, 2011

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• Secretary of State Holding “Transparency Tour”
• 10/05/2011

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• Storm-related damage to cemeteries
• 09/21/2011

• Charles Marchant, Townshend Cemetery Commissioner and Secretary of the Vermont Old Cemetery Association, recommends that local officials in towns affected by Tropical Storm Irene inspect their town cemeteries for damage.

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• 2011 Draft Comprehensive Energy Plan
• 09/16/2011

• The Public Review Draft of the 2011 Comprehensive Energy Plan (CEP) is now available for review and comment. Download the Plan from www.vtenergyplan.vermont.gov or read it at the Department of Public Service (112 State Street, Montpelier) during regular business hours.

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• Bridges
• 08/30/2011

• Temporary Bridge Supply

  The State of Vermont’s temporary bridge supply is not large enough to accommodate the needs due to Tropical Storm Irene. VTrans will rely on contractors and suppliers to provide temporary bridges. Concerning the contact information below, Acrow and Maybey indicate that materials could be available in 1-2 days; Bailey said delivery would be 4-6 weeks.

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• Proposed Fee Bill Increases
• 03/13/2011

• On March 13, Karen Horn, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, submitted this letter to the House Ways and Means Committee stating VLCT’s position on the Agency of Natural Resources’ proposals for fee increases in this session’s second fee bill.

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