Calendar
Annual Meeting
This is an outreach meeting on new statutory requirements surrounding forest blocks and habitat connectors. TRORC is in the process of updating their Regional Plan to include these new requirements and are also revising the Natural Resources Chapter. All are welcome to join and give their feedback on these elements of the TRORC Regional Plan.
This training provides an introduction on how towns can update their municipal policies to improve housing opportunities. “Homes for All” is a training that will be useful for members of local planning commissions, zoning and development review boards, selectboards and other town officials as they seek to meet the housing needs of residents.
The four main areas that this training will cover are 1) Understanding current housing needs and documents, 2) Regulatory Solutions for Affordable Housing, 3) Non- Regulatory Solutions for Affordable Housing, and 4) Resources. We will also have Ted Wimpey, Director of the Fair Housing Program at the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity to discuss a statewide perspective on ways to address affordable housing in the Greater Upper Valley. Chairs please pass the training information along to other members on your boards. Please let me know if you plan on attending the meeting.
See details below for Meeting information:
Homes for All Affordable Housing Training
Date: January 23, 2018
Where: Upper Valley Haven- The Beverly Fowle Fiertz Community Center (713 Hartford Ave White River Junction, VT 05001)
When: 6:30 p.m.
This training provides an introduction for members of local planning commissions, zoning and development review boards, selectboard and other town officials. The four main areas that will be covered in this training are:
- Planning for a Vibrant Sustainable Community
- Roles and Responsibilities of Various Municipal Boards
- Ways to Implement the Town Plan
- Overview of Meetings, Hearings, and Due Process
Carbon Work-Study Discussion
Kevin Geiger – Senior Planner with TRORC and Monica Przyperhart, Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department
This is part of an 8 month long series focused on managing forests for carbon storage and sequestration sponsored by Sustainable Woodstock and the National Park Service. Everyone is welcome and the workshop is free. RSVP with Zach Ralph (info in panel) to receive the suggested reading materials or to learn about the other upcoming discussion topics on carbon in 2018.
The Vermont Walk/Bike Summit is an excellent opportunity to connect with community members, employers, planners and researchers from throughout the state for in-depth sharing on current efforts, new ideas, and networking to advance more livable communities.
This year’s Summit will include interactive demo workshops, peer exchanges, a highly-acclaimed keynote, and a variety of dynamic presentations and topics including advocacy and education, safe and healthy communities, economic development, and the built environment.
More information is here: https://vtwalkbikesummit.com/
The third forum will be held in South Royalton, VT on Wednesday, July 25, 2018 from 6:00-8:00 PM in the Chase Community Center at Vermont Law School.
Unlike typical town hall style forums, this one is designed to invite conversation and engage citizens in small group discussions with facilitators. After a brief presentation highlighting the key points of Act 250, community members will have a chance to talk about what matters most to them. The public input will inform the Legislative Commission’s report and any potential legislation to modernize the statutes. Act 250 grew out of citizen involvement fifty years ago and it will be strengthened through citizen involvement now.
To register and for more information, click HERE.
The Joint Fiscal Office (JFO) has finalized a contract for independent professional assistance to
complete a study of policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Vermont, per Act 11 of 2018.
That contract is with Resources for the Future (RFF), an independent, nonprofit research institution
whose mission is to improve environmental, energy, and natural resource decision making through
impartial economic research and policy engagement. RFF has decades of experience delivering
solutions to cost-effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions and advance a reliable and clean
energy system.
Two public forums are scheduled to gain an understanding of Vermonters’ interests and concerns
regarding policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Vermont. RFF will use the information
from these public forums to help inform their study. The general public is invited to participate in
these two public forums. The Forums are scheduled from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. and details are as
follows:
Wednesday September 26, Room 11,Vermont State House, 115 State Street, Montpelier, VT.
Thursday, September 27, Theater room, Billings Farm, 69 Old River Road, Woodstock, VT.
Please RSVP here https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XF98YTJ
RFF will examine 4 decarbonization policy approaches and will provide qualitative analysis for
other options to reduce carbon. Currently, the plan is to investigate the following policy scenarios:
1. Carbon fee-and-rebate, as in H.791 or S.284 (2018) – The ESSEX Plan;
2. Expanding cap-and-trade if Vermont joined the Western Climate Initiative (WCI);
3. Expanding cap-and-trade if the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) covered
transportation fuels as considered in the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI); and
4. A carbon pricing policy based on further research and input from stakeholders.
People attending the forum are asked to address the following questions:
A. What do you think are two or three things that a study of policies to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions in Vermont ought to take into consideration, in order to be helpful in answering
your questions and in advancing the climate and energy policy dialogue in Vermont?
B. Starting by considering the policy approaches listed above, which approaches do you think
RFF ought to focus on?
RFF will be represented by Marc Hafstead and Wesley Look. They will attend both public forums
and will be available to answer questions about the study, as appropriate, during the times outlined
above.
For those unable to attend, please feel free to email comments by September 28, 2018 to
[email protected].
Writing good land use decisions is not easy. This training is for members of Development Review Boards, Planning Commissions, and Boards of Adjustment, as well as Zoning Administrators who also can make these decisions. We will look in depth at all of the basic steps and especially at the parts of a good written decision. There will also be time for questions and answers about any thorny issues you may have run into.
SAVE THE DATE:
“Making It Happen!”
Local Leadership for the Future of Vermont Communities
October 1, 2018 | Castleton University
Join local leaders working to improve life in their communities at the Vermont Council on Rural Development’s VT Community Leadership Summit!
- Skills Workshops for Community Initiatives
- Community Success Story Panels
- Leadership Resource Fair
- Group Dialogues on the “Future of Community Leadership in Vermont”
In democracy, ALL citizens are called upon to lead – where leaders step up, towns achieve great things. Local Citizens Make It Happen!
Registration will open in August. For more information or to sign up for event updates visit https://www.vtrural.org/Summit18 or contact the Vermont Council on Rural Development at [email protected] or 802-223-6091.
TRORC will host a Button Up table on October 27, 2018 from 9:30 till 12:00 at the Gory Daze 5K (benefiting Hartford Dismas House) with coffee, cider, donuts, Efficiency Vermont rebate and DIY weatherization information, and free products to help you get ready for the home heating season. Button up, weatherize, save money and be more comfortable in your home this season!
Click here for more information: https://buttonupvermont.org/events