As you might expect, this February issue of VLCT Journal has timely topics for both action – preparing for Town Meeting – and reflection – Black History Month. You might be surprised to see Vermont's use of drones during last July's floods explained in a national publication or to learn of new reporting requirements for planning commissioners (unless more red tape never surprises you). This issue has plenty more to explore now – before you buckle in for post-election activities, such as acquainting new officeholders with our Member Access Portal.
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Share your input today! The proposed hybrid meeting requirement would mean your community will need to have a designated physical meeting location equipped with technology that will allow for participation of both in-person and virtual attendees. Learn more.
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Read the latest updates here, and tomorrow check your inbox for the next edition.
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Watch this free video any time that works for you and download the related resources.
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Did you know? On Mondays we post a preview of legislative committees' plans for the week.
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Share and peruse photos of what Town Meeting Day (and more!) looks like in Vermont.
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Be proactive! Follow these easy steps to help prevent common injuries and reduce claims.
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Use this webpage to find important resources for before and after Town Meeting.
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Communities around the state are recognizing Black History Month with a variety of events, making this a great time to learn about and honor Black contributions to Vermont. Explore.
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You can take several actions to help stop or prevent this safety issue. Vermont law prohibits people from placing “obstructions” within town highways, and more specifically, the act of dumping snow into a town highway, shoulder, or sidewalk is also a violation of state law. It may be more efficient, however, for towns to regulate snow removal and prohibit the depositing of snow on town highways by enacting a local highway or nuisance ordinance.
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It is the time of year when the VERB Trust needs you to prepare and submit your organization's annual UI Wage Report. The information you provide is instrumental in determining your organization's 2025 UI program contribution. Complete the form and email the 2023 wage information to kavery@vlct.org by April 30.
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The Housing Opportunities Made for Everyone (HOME) Act of 2023 requires the planning commission to prepare an adoption report after the selectboard has adopted a zoning bylaw or amendment. This report must use a special form and content provided by the Department of Housing and Community Development.
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This article from Esri – the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software – discusses how timely drone use, two ArcGIS software programs, and UVM's Spatial Analysis Lab were able to help Vermont communities quickly document and start assessing damage during the floods last July.
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Accessibility is important to best serve your community, and providing it is a prerequisite of receiving most federal funding. Minnesota IT Services has collected resources on a large variety of digital accessibility topics. You can use their tips and resources to learn more and help ensure that your website, documents, social media, and more are accessible to every member of your community.
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Zoombombing is when someone joins a remote meeting and causes disorder by saying offensive things in chat or out loud, or by hijacking the meeting's screen. There are steps you can take to protect your meetings from Zoombombing and stay within the confines of Vermont's Open Meeting Law. These include turning off attendees' ability to share files and their screens, warning attendees against clicking unverified links, and making sure you have the latest software updates. Learn more steps.
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Who is your PACIF Loss Control Consultant?
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VLCT's Executive Director, Ted Brady, joined NLC and other leagues to push federal policymakers on several priorities, including passing the bipartisan Railway Safety Act, passing bipartisan legislation to provide additional local-level resources for PFAS mitigation and remediation, avoiding a federal government shutdown, sending the 12 annual appropriations bills as passed by the Senate to the President for enactment, and extending the Affordable Connectivity Program so millions of households don’t lose broadband service or accumulate debt from unpaid bills.
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This in-person training on March 23 will provide foundational information for new selectboard members and will be a refresher for returning ones. Topics include the legal roles and responsibilities of the selectboard; an overview of three crucial transparency or “Sunshine Laws”: Open Meeting Law, Public Records Act, and Conflict of Interest statutes; and an introduction to using rules of procedure for effective meetings. Attendees will also meet their counterparts from around the state and learn how VLCT’s Advocacy team is supporting members' interests in the State House. Register and share this training with incoming board members.
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Tuesday, February 20
1 PM – 2 PM
Zoom
Hear from Vermont Emergency Management and FEMA about timely topics and ask questions to aid in your flood recovery. Register.
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Thursday, February 22
10 AM – 11 AM
Zoom
Learn about local and state-level plans around the 4/8 total solar eclipse so your town can prepare for an influx of visitors. Register.
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Monday, February 26
11 AM – 12 PM
Zoom
Join Josh Hanford, Ted Brady, and your interested counterparts to discuss the current issues in the Vermont General Assembly – and to share what you think they should be discussing. Register.
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Wednesday, February 28
12 PM – 1 PM
Zoom
Bring your lunch and your questions. We expect Town Meeting to be the hot topic this month, but feel free to come with other questions and matters to discuss. Register.
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We are pleased to announce the availability of a free program that can support injured employees and improve their process of returning to work. The new program, part of a federally funded research study being conducted through the Vermont Department of Labor, is open to PACIF members. Learn how to participate.
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Looking for something you saw in a previous issue? You can easily find all issues of the VLCT Journal at vlct.org/journal.
As always, be sure to follow us on social media and regularly check the updated home page of our website for breaking news and announcements.
Please contact us at vlctnews@vlct.org with any comments or suggestions for upcoming content.
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