South Burlington urges tidier transfer rules for Act 250 permits under Tier 1a

Paul Connor, director of planning and zoning for the City of South Burlington, told the joint committees that Tier 1a rightly requires municipalities to demonstrate administrative capacity but that draft statutory language should more clearly define how existing Act 250 permits move to local authority.

At present, Connor said, the draft assumes communities take on administration and enforcement of existing Act 250 permits as part of Tier 1a, but the transfer mechanism in the bill could leave residual jurisdiction with state Act 250 processes if not tightened. He asked the committees to tidy the language so the statute either clearly transfers permits to municipalities after a defined local review or preserves Act 250 authority until transfer rules are complete.

Connor said some communities might be willing to take full responsibility for transferred permits, but many are concerned about administrative capacity. As a compromise, he said the draft legislation could keep Act 250 jurisdiction in place ‘‘until it goes through this transfer process’’ and urged legislative drafters to clarify exactly when and how responsibilities move to the municipality.

Senators asked Connor to share draft language; he said he and other local officials would work with legislative staff to refine statutory text. No formal action was recorded in the hearing.