From the Director, March 2025: Preparing for Greater Self-Reliance
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As federal policy, budgeting, finance, and administration have become unpredictable and unreliable, towns should consider what they can do to become more self-reliant. We’re only weeks into the new Administration, and precisely what direct and indirect impacts towns will experience is not clear. It is safe to assume that less money will be coming to the states whether through Executive or Congressional action, or both. It also seems that federal trade policy will drive up costs of materials and equipment. These two factors alone suggest towns should plan for leaner times ahead.
I am particularly concerned about the reliance of state and local government on federal funding for emergency preparedness, and disaster response and recovery. Again, we don’t know precisely what changes might be made to federal programs and funding, but policy statements and staffing changes suggest that the Administration views these responsibilities as primarily state and local responsibilities.
What can a town do? I suggest the following.
- Establish a dedicated disaster reserve fund.
- Establish lines of credit.
- Learn about public financing tools and options for projects.
- Develop a capital improvement plan and related budget. At a minimum this could be a bulleted list with reasonable cost assumptions that will serve to inform and identify town priorities.
- Use your town plan and your local hazard mitigation plan to inform your capital improvement planning.
Each of these actions will serve the town well regardless of how the federal policy and funding realm evolves over the coming weeks, months, and years. Regarding capital improvement planning, I strongly encourage each town to send someone to the Vermont Bond Bank’s 4th Annual Capital Planning Forum to be held on Thursday, April 10th in Barre. You can find forum and registration information here.
