Towns bring want lists to Montpelier
Toolbox
By STEPHANIE M. PETERS STAFF WRITER - Published: February 19, 2009
When Richard Baker testified before the House and Senate Transportation committees on Wednesday, he came prepared with more than just the request that federal stimulus dollars land in the hands of the municipalities that is on the lips of city and town officials throughout the state.
"I encouraged the committee to apply a three-part test to any projects from VTrans that they're considering for federal stimulus money," said the Brandon Selectman and member of the Rutland Regional Planning Commission.
Included in Baker's advice: Fund projects that will affect the greatest number of people; reconstructing a road, for instance, has a greater impact than a paving project. Push decision-making to the local levels of government. And make sure funds are used as a supplement to projects, not to fill holes in inventory needs, such as guardrails, that appear on the Agency of Transportation's priority list.
Wednesday was Local Government Day in the Legislature, sponsored by the Vermont League of Cities and Towns and the Vermont Municipal Clerks' and Treasurers' Association, and the chance for local officials to offer such input to the Legislature.
"You hear it time and again, ours is a Legislature that tends to listen to the people who take the time to come speak to them," said Baker, who has attended the event annually for much of the last decade. He was joined in Montpelier by Brandon Town Manager Keith Arlund.
In total, about 200 local officials convened on the Statehouse to be briefed by VLCT on a number of its policies, sit in or testify at House and Senate committee hearings and listen to a luncheon address from Gov. James Douglas.
"This is one day when we really let the membership do the talking," said Steven Jeffrey, VLCT executive director. "We encourage them to be our lobbyists and it's good for the Legislature to learn what people on the front lines are dealing with."
In Rutland Town, paving projects are the priority if the municipality is to receive any stimulus funding, according to Selectman James Hall.
"We have three or four sections of road that (Road Commissioner) Byron Hathaway thinks might come under the stimulus bill," Hall said, noting also that those needs have been submitted to VLCT, which has asked all municipalities for information about their "shovel-ready" projects.
According to VLCT Director of Public Policy and Advocacy Karen Horn, that list, containing submissions from more than 100 cities and towns, would cost more than $1 billion to complete. The federal stimulus bill will provide only about $135 million for projects of this nature.
From the region, officials from Rutland City, West Rutland, Tinmouth and Pittsford were also in attendance at the Statehouse on Wednesday.
At least one high-ranking member of the Legislature said Wednesday he is on board with the municipalities' request that they, not the state, be given some control of the stimulus funds.
"Local select boards and town highway departments can get projects done cheaper, smarter and more quickly," said Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin, D-Putney. "They've proven that time and again."
Shumlin said he has been told by the administration that one snag that might hinder that goal, however, is language in the stimulus bill that would require projects to be built to federal regulations.
It is a claim Shumlin said he intends to investigate in the coming days.
"If it's true, it's bad news," he said.
On the House side, Speaker Shap Smith, D-Morristown, said he has appointed two members of the House to coordinate information about the stimulus package, and they are currently working on where it's going to flow and how it will impact the budget.
At all levels of state government the issue remains a matter of speculation.
Mary Ann Goulette, town manager of West Rutland, said she went to Montpelier on Wednesday specifically to learn more about the legislation and how it will be put to work in Vermont.
In terms of infrastructure, Goulette said she thinks her town is better off than some of the larger municipalities, like Rutland City. While they do have some smaller needs, none are engineering-ready so she is not sure how West Rutland might fit into the funding picture, she said.
Rutland City Mayor Christopher Louras also capitalized on the opportunity Wednesday to reiterate his belief that the municipalities are ready to put people to work, testifying before the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs.
"If we accept the premise that the stimulus money is meant to put people to work, then it should be coming to the local governments," he said. "I asked them to remain flexible, especially in respect to permitting, so that they can adjust to whatever changes in funding mechanisms come up."
Contact Stephanie Peters at stephanie.peters@rutlandherald.com