MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Mayors in Vermont made the case for changes to policy on a series of key issues plaguing the state, including affordable housing, climate change and substance abuse.
Members of the Vermont Mayors Coalition were present Tuesday at a conference at the State House, the Times Argus reported.
The coalition was formed in 2013 and includes mayors from eight of the state’s cities. Six mayors must concur on any recommendation for the VMC to take a position.
The group asked lawmakers to increase weatherization programs to tackle climate change as well as advocate for a 2% local options tax for commercial cannabis that would fund after-school and community programs for youth to reduce substance abuse.
The mayors also pushed for a reform of the state’s development review law known as Act 250. The House Natural Resources Committee voted 6-3 last month to approve the overhaul to the law after more than a year of work.
The bill would exempt developments in designated downtowns from Act 250 review and boost protections to wildlife connector areas. It also would require projects above 2,000 feet to undergo Act 250 review.
“The proposed changes to Act 250 make the process more logical and less duplicative for cities that already have a development review process,” Montpelier Mayor Anne Watson said. “This will keep our downtowns alive and thriving.”
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