After a late foliage season, colder temperatures are reacquainting us with snow. With winter holidays fast approaching, the coming weeks give us all plenty to do in our work and personal lives! This issue of the VLCT Journal includes a new resource about local options for regulating short-term rentals, key updates in federal Davis-Bacon compliance, information about an upcoming municipal policing study, guidance on how to adopt, amend, or repeal ordinances, and much more.
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This summer, VLCT Intern Jacob Kindestin traveled around the state visiting members with VLCT staff. He produced this fast-paced video that showcases you, in the course of our work with you, serving your communities in the face of an ever-changing world.
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The application deadline has been extended to 12/12 and VLCT Associate Members can apply.
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Great rates for our 2024 unemployment insurance (UI) coverage have been set!
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Apply by 12/20. This program focuses on road-related projects that improve water quality.
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Prepare for and take advantage of the expected influx of tourists for this rare natural event.
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Buy this useful budgeting resource at VLCT's online store.
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Regardless of size, all employers must have unemployment insurance effective 7/1/24.
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The Vermont League of Cities and Towns is excited to launch a third-party study of the public safety issues that confront Vermont’s municipal police departments. Over the next few months, researchers will conduct interviews and surveys about operational, criminal, and other issues faced by local law enforcement. They will also catalog strategies already being used to address these issues. We expect the final report will be helpful in not only improving municipal policing operations but also developing recommendations for legislative changes. Learn more.
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Nearly 400 municipal officials and staff responded to our 2023 Member Survey. The insights gleaned help us evaluate our current work and plan for the future. In this article, Ted Brady summarizes the five main takeaways.
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Short-term rentals have proliferated across Vermont in recent years. This new resource from the VLCT Municipal Assistance Center describes the statutory parameters and key issues to keep in mind when deciding whether to adopt short-term rental regulations. It discusses both zoning bylaws and ordinances as means of regulation.
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The US Department of Labor recently worked to streamline and standardize Davis-Bacon compliance, but contractors and contracting agencies – such as municipalities – will now carry more risk. This Act from 1931 requires contractors for federally funded projects to pay their workers wages and benefits no less than what others locally pay for similar projects. Our article summarizes the latest changes and how they can affect municipal governments.
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Confused about ordinances? This article from VLCT Senior Staff Attorney Garrett Baxter reviews how your municipality's legislative body can adopt, amend, and/or repeal them. Garrett discusses the process, and, for details and examples, directs you to various VLCT resources, all of which are conveniently contained our new Ordinance Adoption, Amendment, and Repeal Toolkit.
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Vermont town meeting is direct democracy practiced in its purest form. Municipal officials and staff need to understand many details and meet numerous deadlines. We have recently updated our town meeting webpages and resources to help you as you plan for Town Meeting 2024. Remember: when you see a "Load More" button, click it!
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This article from the Virginia Risk Sharing Association (PACIF's VA counterpart) discusses fraudulent instruction, which cleverly deceives an employee into transferring money to a criminal's bank account. Read the article for important guidance on how to prevent this crime in your workplace, such as putting policies in place for how to change and verify changes to payroll and payment information, then training staff on these policies. Protect municipal funds from electronic theft.
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On July 1, 2024, which employers will be exempt from unemployment insurance?
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Those with four or fewer employees
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Those with a payroll that's less than $2,000/quarter
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The Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA), aka the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), was enacted two years ago this month. Under this law more than $13B has been awarded for more than 1,600 projects across more than 1,100 municipal governments.
NLC highlights these investments in communities throughout the country. To celebrate the BIL's second anniversary, they are featuring articles about how municipalities are using the funds.
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Tuesday, December 5
10 AM – 11:30 AM
Vermont Cannabis Control Board representatives will share an overview of Vermont's cannabis regulatory framework, focusing on the state's licensing and compliance procedures. Register.
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Tuesday, December 12
1 PM – 2 PM
This online meeting is being offered to support officials still dealing with the effects of 2023's major flood events. Representatives from FEMA, VEM, and Vermont's Flood Recovery Office will answer your questions. Register.
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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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* POP QUIZ ANSWERS
As of July 1, 2024, all nonprofit entities, including municipalities, will need to participate in unemployment insurance. This is an element of Act 76, which became law on June 20, 2023.
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