Appropriations committee hears FPR budget, trust‑fund language change proposed to free funds for stewardship and admin
February 13, 2026 | Appropriations, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative , Vermont
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The House Appropriations Committee heard a presentation Feb. 13 from the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation outlining a package of budget changes and a statutory modernization of the Lands and Facilities Trust Fund (LFTF).
Commissioner Danielle Fitzow and Steve Gomez, chief financial officer for the Agency of Natural Resources, told the committee the proposed changes would (1) correct a technical statutory reference from FPR to ANR, (2) expand permissible uses to include limited administrative support for managing contracts and stewardship programs, and (3) increase the share of the rolling‑average distribution from 5% to 8% to put more money on the ground for state‑land stewardship.
Fitzow said the account balance is approximately $6,200,000 and that, under conservative revenue assumptions and an 8% distribution, the department projects the fund could continue to grow to roughly $7,000,000 by 2034. "We'd like to expand it ... to be able to use for the administrative purposes of it," Fitzow said, adding that most money still goes to contracts and on‑the‑ground work.
Gomez explained the department's fiscal analysis: using a 10‑year sample across timber sales, interest and donations, the department used conservative averages to estimate new available revenue and to justify the proposed distribution change. He also described a management plan adopted in FY25 that keeps at least 90% of the fund invested in a trust account to improve yields.
Committee members asked how the department will limit administrative spending if statutory language permits it. Fitzow and Gomez said the intent is to keep administrative draws small—"less than 10%" in practice—and Gomez said the FY27 budget assumes about 9.5% of these funds for administration in that fiscal year.
Gomez also noted the department uses LFTF distributions for a range of stewardship projects—trail work, visitor infrastructure, dam and water infrastructure design, invasive species control and hazard‑tree removal—and said the change would simply allow some of the fund to support the department's ability to deliver and manage that work.
The committee did not take formal action at the hearing. Members asked staff to provide statutory language and to tighten guardrails on administrative use before the committee advances any statutory change.
Commissioner Danielle Fitzow and Steve Gomez, chief financial officer for the Agency of Natural Resources, told the committee the proposed changes would (1) correct a technical statutory reference from FPR to ANR, (2) expand permissible uses to include limited administrative support for managing contracts and stewardship programs, and (3) increase the share of the rolling‑average distribution from 5% to 8% to put more money on the ground for state‑land stewardship.
Fitzow said the account balance is approximately $6,200,000 and that, under conservative revenue assumptions and an 8% distribution, the department projects the fund could continue to grow to roughly $7,000,000 by 2034. "We'd like to expand it ... to be able to use for the administrative purposes of it," Fitzow said, adding that most money still goes to contracts and on‑the‑ground work.
Gomez explained the department's fiscal analysis: using a 10‑year sample across timber sales, interest and donations, the department used conservative averages to estimate new available revenue and to justify the proposed distribution change. He also described a management plan adopted in FY25 that keeps at least 90% of the fund invested in a trust account to improve yields.
Committee members asked how the department will limit administrative spending if statutory language permits it. Fitzow and Gomez said the intent is to keep administrative draws small—"less than 10%" in practice—and Gomez said the FY27 budget assumes about 9.5% of these funds for administration in that fiscal year.
Gomez also noted the department uses LFTF distributions for a range of stewardship projects—trail work, visitor infrastructure, dam and water infrastructure design, invasive species control and hazard‑tree removal—and said the change would simply allow some of the fund to support the department's ability to deliver and manage that work.
The committee did not take formal action at the hearing. Members asked staff to provide statutory language and to tighten guardrails on administrative use before the committee advances any statutory change.
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