Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Mayors Coalition presented their COVID-19 related recovery priorities. Among the priorities are Act 250 reform and extension of the TIF deadline. And of course they are seeking COVID-19 relief funds to help fill budget holes. The state is also seeking federal budgetary assistance.The Act 250 reform is sought because, as the mayors put it, they already have permit regulations and Act 250 just adds redundancy, cost and time to much needed downtown redevelopment projects.The TIF program allows qualifying municipalities to retain some property tax revenues, in lieu of sending them to the state Education Fund, to benefit, again, downtown redevelopment. The mayors said because of the pandemic they’re losing about a year from the TIF benefit. Somewhat surprisingly, most of the cities are not yet facing a severe budget shortfall. This is because cities were proactive in furloughing some workers and because their budgets are largely based on property taxes, which have been unaffected by the pandemic effects so far.The notable exception is Burlington, which relies more heavily on consumption taxes with all its hotels, restaurants and retail shops.Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger said his budget will cut $10 million from the General Fund. He added that enterprise funds, like the parking garages, are essentially bringing in zero revenue.The VMC was created in 2013 by Vermont’s eight mayors. Six mayors must concur on any recommendation for the Vermont Mayors Coalition to take a position.The eight mayors of the VMC are: · Lucas Herring, Barre;· Miro Weinberger, Burlington.· Anne Watson, Montpelier;· Paul Monette, Newport;· Dave Allaire, Rutland· Tim Smith, St. Albans;· Jeff Fritz, Vergennes; and· Kristine Lott, Winooski. Vermont Mayors CoalitionCOVID Recovery Priorities2020 Legislative SessionThe Vermont Mayors Coalition (VMC) is advocating for State action to support municipalities in the following areas in response to the COVID-19 crisis: Funding to Reimburse Lost RevenueVermont’s mayors are united in helping their communities make a strong comeback after experiencing dramatic budgetary shortfalls resulting from pauses in commerce, tourism, and other economic engines. The property tax in Vermont is already very strained and we seek flexible support to continue providing essential services and supporting residents and local businesses to rebuild the economy. We understand the future is not clear as to any potential federal pass through funding or reimbursement programs for municipalities. However, we strongly encourage the proactive advocacy of the Legislature to consider to allocating a portion such funds, should they emerge, to the municipals of the state.Act 250 Reform to Stimulate ConstructionIn municipalities that have their own development review processes for projects, Act 250 permitting adds an additional, and often duplicative process for any types of development. These duplicative processes come at a significant time and cost for a project, and ultimately increase the cost of housing around the state. In a time where we need to stimulate folks getting back to work and the re-opening of the economy, and Vermont’s housing crisis is more acute than ever, we can lower these permitting barriers and get shovel ready projects in the ground. The mayors are supportive of process by which designated areas, especially downtowns, could be exempted from Act 250, both for future projects and retroactively. Downtown exemption could be worked into S.237.Statewide Escrow ClinicWhen State courts re-open in June, evictions proceedings will once again be accessible. Housing security is a critical piece of public health, and we need to protect our vulnerable residents who have been unable to pay rent and the landlords who are not able to pay their mortgages. In the first step of an eviction, rent escrow hearing where the court orders the tenant to pay rent into court during the pendency of the eviction proceeding. A rent escrow clinic could move these evictions into court-ordered mediation where there would be a pool of money to pay a portion of the rent. At such time, home improvement funds could be used to create a further incentive, stabilizing housing and improving the housing stock. This program could completement housing assistance programs within state economic recovery packages, to ensure all residents can access and navigate help.Automatic Mail-in BallotsAs experts predict potential resurgence of the virus this fall, we should proactively protect our elections process and establish an automatic mail-in ballot system to ensure that voters are able to participate in our elections without risk to their health. There is an opportunity here to also increase public participation in our decision-making. The COVID-19 crisis has already exacerbated existing inequities and detrimentally impacted the health of many Vermonters. Vermont mayors support this process, as long as there is funding for the Secretary of State’s office to support the cost of mailing the ballots and support the Governor’s proposal to have a member of the Mayor’s Coalition to have a seat on the panel to review this process. Extend the Tax Increment Financing DeadlineCOVID has dramatically impacted construction projects and the ability of cities to pursue public infrastructure investments. Aside from the restrictions on construction jobs necessary for health and safety, COVID has plunged cities into economic uncertainty, making these economic development investments that TIF depends on very uncertain. The mayors support an automatic one-year extension on the deadline for municipalities to incur debt in all Vermont TIF districts. Non-Residential Police AcademyWith a staffing shortage already occurring in many police departments in our state, many officers set to retire in the next 2-10 years, and the COVID-19 crisis preventing the operation of a residential police academy, we face a serious public safety staffing shortfall. It is time to modernize our training and increase access to more applicants by offering virtual training or other methods that open access to this program to a larger and more diverse pool of candidates while responding to changing health and safety concerns. We need to keep growing our public safety pipeline and open positions up to every member of our communitiesDigitizing Public RecordsWith municipal offices closed to the public, much access to public records has been inaccessible to the public, given how many of our records are kept on paper. The Vermont mayors seek financial support from the State to bring all of Vermont’s public records into the digital age, expanding access to all and creating efficiencies. This longer-term initiative will prepare us for possible future emergencies, open access to public information, and modernize our municipal services.Source: Mayor’s Coalition 6.11.2020
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