2025 State and Local Government Municipal Day

The Agency of Natural Resources (ANR), in cooperation with Vermont Emergency Management (VEM), Natural Resources Board (NRB), Agency of Transportation (AOT), and the Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets (AAFM), invites you to participate in a day-long event tailored to municipalities. Municipal Day will include workshops, a opening session with the Executive Director of the Northern Border Regional Commission, Sarah Waring, and networking opportunities with colleagues from across Vermont. This year's theme is: Planning for Uncertainty – Programmatic and funding changes at all levels of government are affecting municipalities' ability to plan for the future. This year’s event will focus on ensuring municipalities have the tools they need to navigate these changes while still creating and implementing their vision and successful projects. We have a wide range of workshops to choose from! Join us! Details below and on our website.

What: A Day of Workshops for Vermont's Local Government Officials

Where: 1 National Life Drive, Montpelier, VT 05602

Date and Time: Friday October 17, 2025

-Breakfast provided (7:45-8:30am)

-Opening session (8:30-9:45am)

-Workshop Session 1 (9:45 – 11:00 am)

-Workshop Session 2 (11:15 am – 12:30 pm)

-Lunch provided (12:30-1:30pm)

-Workshop Session 3 (1:30 – 2:30 pm)

-Workshop Session 4 (2:45 – 3:45 pm)

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For more information, visit the Municipal Day ANR Website: https://anr.vermont.gov/special-topics/municipal-day

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If you are not able to pay by card, please contact Emma Ramirez-Richer at 802-828-0316 or [email protected]

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Please see the workshop agenda below, and choose one workshop per session (total of 4 workshops for the day) upon check out.

1. Planning for Climate Change: A First Look at Vermont’s Municipal Climate Planning Framework

his session will preview Vermont’s new Municipal Climate Planning Framework and Guide, designed to help communities integrate climate resilience and mitigation into local planning. Participants will get a first look at the tools and resources in development, understand how they align with existing planning processes, have an opportunity to share feedback, and learn about the pilot process kicking off in 2026. Whether you're a municipal official, selectboard member, or regional partner, this session will offer practical insights into how municipalities can strengthen local planning to meet the challenges of a changing climate.  

2. Disaster is not Necessary: Using Flood Maps in a Warming World

As we face record ocean surface temperatures, more frequent flood damage, and fewer available resources, how can we protect our communities? How do we thrive in our communities without adversely impacting our neighbors? How does the Flood Safety Act help us prepare for the unknown challenges ahead? Join the River Corridor and Floodplain Protection Team to learn about the new FEMA flood maps, what the maps show, and how we can protect our floodplains and river corridors that work to reduce damage. 

3. Maximizing Town Highway Aid – Mileage Matters

This workshop will explore town highway mileage, highway classification, and how mileage goes from a municipality and into the formula for state aid for town highways.  Are all class 1, 2, & 3 town highways accounted for and included on the town highway map?   Could your town be leaving state aid on the table if you have a town highway that isn’t included on the mileage certificates? This workshop will get into the mechanics of town highway classification, the mileage certificate process, the production of the town highway maps, what resources there are for municipalities, and a look behind the scenes of the AOT Mapping Section.   If you are interested in town highways, mileage, and mapping, this is a workshop for you. 

4. State Lands in Your Town

This workshop will cover how State lands are acquired and managed for a diverse range of public values. We will focus on touch points with the local community along the way – from conserving the land through long-term management. We will walk through the state’s Payment in Lieu of Taxes Program (PILOT), which compensates towns for state lands in place of property taxes. Finally, we will highlight some of the potential benefits of having state-owned land in your town. 

5. The Scoop on Wetland Regulations

Got an area that's a bit squishy underfoot in the springtime? Wondering what the deal is with those pink hydric soil polygons on ANR Atlas? Trying to figure out how to go about expanding the Town Hall or adding a broadband optic line terminal to the local substation? Come learn about the ins and outs of wetland permitting, including what can be done without a permit as an Allowed Use (AU) and what steps you can take to make navigating the permit process easier. We'll go over the basics of spotting a wetland in Vermont, check out tools on the ANR Atlas, answer general questions about wetlands permitting, and provide updates on new wetland mapping and the wetland provisions in Act 121 (the Flood Safety Act). 

6. Vermont Strong, Wildland Fire Ready

Join this interactive session hosted by the Vermont State Wildland Fire Program and learn how to plan for, mitigate, and respond to wildland fire threats using proven strategies and real-world tools. This session will cover risk assessment methods, mitigation and prevention tactics, and key state resources available during emergencies - all designed to help build stronger, safer communities.

7. Introduced (Invasive) Pest Species Control and Integrated Pest Management

Managing introduced pest species can be overwhelming. A first choice may be the chemical choice, however there are many tools in the toolbox beyond pesticides. Management choices should be based on a solid Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan. Land managers will learn about IPM, how to prioritize management options, and how the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (AAFM) regulates invasives. The Agency will provide resources to help managers make informed decisions. 

8. Wastewater, Drinking Water, Subdivisions, and Town Records: How do they all flow together

Land division and development are tied to a property’s ability to meet water supply and wastewater system needs.  There are close relationships between the land records for a property and Drinking Water and Wastewater System permits and requirements.  This presentation will go over the relationships, focusing on lister cards, SPAN designations, property owner’s responsibilities, how to enforce compliance conditions, such as occupancy and operating failed systems, and why the relationships are important for the protection of human health and the environment.  

9. Investing for Smart Growth in Centers & Neighborhood: The Vermont Community Investment Designations

In 2023, Vermont’s General Assembly funded a review of Vermont’s five designation programs. The result was the Designation 2050 Report.  It guided legislative changes enacted by the General Assembly in 2024 in Act 181. The legislative changes make the program more accessible and help coordinate community investment. Act 181 shifts the designation process to a new regional plan approval process, which will transfer all existing legacy designations into the new framework. This overview of the designation changes will offer a resource on Vermont’s transition to the new Community Investment designations under Act 181 of 2024 and show how local leaders can make the most of the framework for smart growth and development in downtown and village centers and surrounding neighborhoods.

10. Municipal Roads General Permit: The Proactive Approach to Road Drainage

Come learn about the preventative measures you can take for your road drainage network. Through proper standards, technological resources, and available funding, you can better prepare your town for the next storm event. 

11. Recreation Funding Opportunities: From Downtown to Mountaintop

Learn about recreation funding opportunities from the state!  This session will share information about multiple grant programs that fund everything from trails to playgrounds to pools to town forests and more!  We'll cover timeline, eligible activities, and funding amounts for each program presented, plus share some grant-writing resources for towns. 

12. DEC Enforcement and Coordination with Local Government

The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Enforcement Unit is available to coordinate with local officials when a jurisdictional need arises dealing with an environmental statute, rule or regulation.  DEC Environmental Enforcement Officers (EEOs) oversee and enforce dozens of environmental statutes and coordinate with program analysts to help keep Vermont environmentally sound.  DEC Enforcement is a resource to tap into when it comes to managing environmental issues in your town.  The EEOs cover broad geographic territories with every town in Vermont having an EEO assigned to it.  This workshop will provide an open discussion session for local officials to ask questions (real-time and theoretical) of a panel of DEC EEOs. 

13. Planning for Uncertainty: Asset Management for Sustainable Water Systems in Vermont

In an era of limited budgets and evolving government priorities, long-term planning for the sustainability of drinking water systems is more important than ever. This session will explore how Asset Management Plans (AMPs) can help Vermont water systems navigate uncertainty by identifying lifecycle costs, assessing risks, and prioritizing critical investments. Learn how your system can access forgivable loans to develop an AMP and explore state resources that support safe, reliable drinking water for the future. 

14. Resources for Working with Farms and Farm Businesses

What is a farm, who is farming, and who is in charge of figuring out what requirements need to be met for people looking to start? Bring your questions to this session and hear about the regulations that may be relevant to towns and landowners that are looking at the landscape of agricultural land use!  

15. Map and Maintain Municipal Infrastructure – A Discussion of Infrastructure Data and Opportunities for Collaboration

Our municipalities need to be experts in housing, resilience planning, asset management to plan for the uncertainty of the future. This workshop will ensure that the next generation at the Public Works Department know their way around the wastewater, stormwater, and drinking water infrastructure in Vermont. Questions such as how much infrastructure exists, how much needs to be rebuilt, and how much is at risk due to natural disasters will all be discussed and answered.  Our experts have spent many years acquiring existing data, and mapping and compiling that data into a single database.  Thanks to new technology, we can now create and edit that data together!  This workshop will show and tell current data and the platform for co-editing and a discussion of potential uses. 

16. Enhancing Storm Response: The Case for Local Emergency Damage Assessment Teams

This session aims to highlight the critical role of local emergency damage assessment teams in enhancing storm response efforts. By establishing these teams, towns can efficiently assess damage from storm events, allowing emergency responders and public works crews to concentrate on immediate response and damage repairs.

17. Transportation Planning

Walkable, bikeable, accessible, and human-centered transportation systems don't happen by accident – it all starts with planning! In this session, Agency of Transportation Planning Coordinators will review how we work with Vermont's 11 Regional Planning Commissions and municipalities. We'll also share opportunities that will allow your town to plan for the transportation future you want to travel. 

18. The Flood Safety Act in Your Community

The Flood Safety Act (Act 121) was passed by the VT Legislature in 2024. The Act addresses flooding in multiple ways by protecting river corridors statewide, strategically removing derelict dams, and increasing wetlands to store excess flood water. Most importantly, it is a crucial step toward preventing further loss of life and property in future storms. In anticipation of upcoming changes at the state level regarding river corridor protections, Lake Champlain Sea Grant has partnered with The Nature Conservancy, in support of Vermont DEC, to conduct outreach to municipalities. Our aim is to help towns and community members understand the details and timeline for implementation of statewide river corridor protections and answer questions related to the Flood Safety Act.

19. Everything You Need to Know About Managing a Land & Water Conservation Fund Site

The Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has funded parks and recreation improvements at over 467 sites across our state since 1965. Chances are that your town has at least one of them!  Did you know that with this funding comes federal requirements to maintain the space and keep it open for public recreation in perpetuity?  This session will cover everything you need to know about managing an LWCF site, including stewardship and inspection requirements. See if your town has a site at https://tinyurl.com/VTLWCFmap. 

20. How to Match Sources with Uses in Resilience, Reduction, and Avoidance

It's stopped raining money but has not stopped raining. This workshop will discuss matching sources and uses to reduce and avoid environmental risks but also address the inevitable financial liability when an emergency comes.  

21. Prioritizing Places in a Changing World

Understanding what parts of your town are ecologically important can be difficult enough. But how do we plan for development and conservation in a changing world? Are the places that we choose for conservation today the ones that will remain biologically important as the climate changes? In this session you’ll learn more about the connection between the physical landscape and biological diversity. This connection is baked into the Vermont Conservation Design that’s available on the BioFinder website. Learn more about using BioFinder to identify your town’s most important places in a changing world. 

22. Tools Available to Reduce Uncertainty and Plan for the Protection of Ground and Surface Water

Building strong communities is dependent on protecting drinking water, existing and future sources. Did you know there are a variety of tools available to help you reduce the uncertainty and plan for the protection of ground and surface water when developing your projects?  This workshop will explore a few of these tools including the ANR Natural Resources Atlas mapping tool, DEC’s searchable databases, the Storage Tank Program of the Waste Management and Prevention Division, water conservation measures and leak detection, and keeping PFAS out of your wastewater systems by using alternatives to PFAS products. A review of resources, planning tools and informational materials will be provided to assist you in your decision-making process.  Bring your ideas, working solutions, and success stories to share with other participants.

23. Discover Act 250’s New Secret Sauce: Tier 1A and B

Ready to spice it up and create Act 250 exemptions in your town? Learn more about the process for Tier 1A and B, what the application process will be for municipalities, and what will be required of municipalities that receive Tier 1 approvals.  

24. Act 250 Protects: Understanding Tier 3 and the Road Rule

In 2026, Act 250 jurisdiction will expand to better ensure the protection of critical natural resource areas and to help prevent forest fragmentation.  This session will provide an overview of the new Road Rule that goes into effect on July 1, 2026, as well as draft Tier 3 rules that are still being developed and will go into effect on December 31, 2026.  We will review both rules and the related mapping.  See what portions of your municipality/region are included! 

25. River Emergency Protective Measures and Flood Recovery

Legislation passed after Tropical Storm Irene requires towns to notify the Agency of Natural Resources of the nature and location of instream Emergency Protective Measures authorized by a municipality to protect public safety and critical infrastructure.  This notification allows the Agency to determine if after the fact permits are required to ensure safe river conditions. In addition, detailed reporting of the emergency work conducted is critically important to facilitate reimbursement for eligible flood recovery work if there is a federally declared disaster. This workshop will present resources and best practices for documenting and reporting instream emergency work. 

26. Unlocking the Water Infrastructure Sponsorship Program (WISPr)

Don't miss out on funding available to implement valuable natural resource restoration projects while saving your community money. If your Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) Loan doesn't include participation in the Water Infrastructure Sponsorship Program (WISPr), then you aren't unlocking its full potential. WISPr allows municipalities to add natural resource restoration and protection projects to their CWSRF loan at no additional cost, while saving money through reduced interest rates. With the uncertainty of the current funding landscape, you can rest assured that the WISPr funding originates from CWSRF repayment funds and is not directly tied to federal funding from the EPA. Come learn more about the financial mechanisms of the program, examples of eligible natural resource projects, and WISPr success stories.  

27. The Conservation-Recreation Toolkit

This session will cover how to thoughtfully and intentionally work with conservation and recreation partners as you build and maintain outdoor access opportunities in your communities. It will explore strategies for successful partnerships when identifying projects and permanently protecting land, designing parks and trails, and managing infrastructure, and highlight the symbiotic relationship between recreation and conservation and how it can be leveraged to achieve multiple goals. The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation brings a unique perspective as a leader in both the conservation and recreation spaces in Vermont. This session will look at the approaches, communication strategies, and tools VT FPR uses to promote the valuable nexus between the protection of natural values and recreational resources, as well as lessons learned along the way.   

28. Activating your Local Outdoor Economy

Join this workshop to learn how outdoor recreation supports local economies and strengthens communities in Vermont. You’ll hear about Vermont’s vision for outdoor recreation economy and be one of the first to see new tools made for towns and local groups to communicate the value of outdoor recreation, not only through economic metrics such as visitation and spending data but by evaluating investments into outdoor recreation assets and communicating the broader impacts on community identity, quality of life and long-term resilience. 

29. Making Informed Permit Decisions

Learn how your municipality can make informed permitting decisions and learn how the Environmental Assistance Office can help navigate DEC permitting. This session will explore how to navigate the permitting process and the existing state resources that make this process easier. We will also review requesting a Project Review Sheet, the ANR Atlas, Permit Handbook Sheets, and more! Identifying permitting requirements and potential natural resource impacts early in the process ensures a minimum impact project that meets the State’s requirements and keeps costs down for the landowner. 

30. From Assessment to Action: Using the Municipal Climate Toolkit and Vulnerability Indicators Tool

This session introduces Vermont's one-stop climate resource hub, the Municipal Climate Toolkit. We'll guide you through its use before focusing on the Municipal Vulnerability Indicators (MVI) mapping tool. You will learn how to use the MVI to understand your town's vulnerabilities, then leverage the toolkit to act on your findings. Leave knowing how to build a more resilient future for your community.

Host or Publisher Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (802) 828-1294