February 23, 2023

The meeting was called to order at 8:02 a.m.

Working Lands - Brian Lowe, Vermont Council on Rural Development

·       Brian Lowe shared history of the Working Lands Enterprise Initiative and the Working Lands Coalition, made up of 16 statewide champions

·       The Coalition recently celebrated ten years of program success

·       The program has been supported by all political parties over the last ten years

·       The Coalition is grateful to Governor Scott and his leadership team for increasing available funds for 2023

·       Each year there is increasing demand for funding and passes available dollars each year

·       The Working Lands Coalition is requesting support to convert the $3M in one-time funds for Working Lands to base funding by:

o   Rural Caucus membership submitting a letter of support

o   Members of the Agriculture, Food Resilience, and Forestry Committee and the Commerce & Economic Development Committee to include this request in their committee memos to the Appropriations Committee

·       Brian will share follow-up materials with members that includes statistics of the program

·       Monique will send out a letter of support for members to sign on

RPCs & RDCs Related to Rural Capacity

RDC’s – Fred Kenney, Addison County Regional Development Corporation and Erika Hoffman-Kiess, Green Mountain Economic Development Corporation

·       Fred Kenney shared an overview of the structure of the Regional Development Corporations (RDC’s) in Vermont

·       There are 12 RDC’s throughout the state that are independent non-profits serving as a “one stop shop” for advancing economic development within each region

·       RDC’s have partners throughout the State as well as Federal partners

·       Many services include technical assistance, revolving loan funds, site selection assistance, and more

RPC’s – Peter Gregory, Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission, Tasha Wallis, Lamoille County Planning Commission, and Tom Kennedy, Mount Ascutney Regional Planning Commission

·       Peter Gregory shared an overview of the Regional Planning Commission’s (RPC’s) in Vermont

·       PRC’s are a governmental entity working directly with municipalities

·       Assistance in planning and project management, grant writing and administration, etc.

Budget Adjustment Proposal Submitted

·       Want to ensure that the flow of funding is done effectively and efficiently as possible

·       Targeting communities that want/need this support

·       Pleased to be involved in this to continue helping communities

·       Discussions are taking place on methods for targeted communities and ways to identify expediting the program

Governors Institute, Elizabeth Frascoia

·       Overview of the 40-year-old non-profit organization

·       Program areas include arts, STEM, business, humanities, and more

·       A mission to inspire students in Vermont and help find career pathways – serving over 500 students

·       Have seen over time that most of the students being served are in larger communities and would like to increase outreach to more rural areas

·       Counties of increased focus are Rutland, Franklin, Caledonia, and Bennington

·       Currently requesting assistance in outreach to rural students and making new connections

·       Elizabeth will provide language and Monique will share out with members to spread the word in their communities

Other

·       Reminder to members that workshops are taking place on the Strategic Roadmap for Forest Future project. Monique will send out dates and members are encouraged to attend.

·       The Rural Omnibus Bill has been submitted and is expected to be listed within the next few days

·       A press release for the Rural Omnibus Bill will soon follow – more information to come on a possible press conference