Troy Richardson appointed to Bennington County Regional Commission
The Bennington Vermont Select Board has appointed Troy Richardson of RE/MAX Maple Leaf Realty to the Bennington County Regional Planning Commission for a term of one year ending March 2010.
The Bennington County Regional Commission is a compact of the municipalities of the Bennington region, operating under the authority of The Vermont Planning and Development Act (24 V.S.A., Chapter 117). The commission is made up of commissioners appointed by the municipalities, at large members, and a professional staff, whose mission is to work collectively for the purpose of effective planning and technical assistance for its member towns; addressing their individual needs and their needs in relation to each other and the region. The commission aims to bring cohesiveness to regional endeavors, and to regional-and-state endeavors, through the cooperative efforts of its members. The commission will assess substantive regional issues and advocate such positions on those issues as are endorsed by the membership. The commission also will act to make sure that regional policies and goals are honored by state agencies that have programs with regional impact.
Responsibilities
The commissioners and professional staff are responsible for the effective operation of the commission and the carrying out of its mission. This includes providing technical assistance and planning services to its member towns, along with coordination and legal and public advocacy in the following areas:
Economic Development
Social Infrastructure
Natural and Environmental Resources
To these ends, each commissioner is responsible for the effective fulfillment of the region’s needs through the creation and support of a regional plan that fosters cooperation among the member towns and promotes social, economic, and environmental balance for the entire region.
The responsibilities and duties of the commissioners and staff are outlined herein.
Responsibilities of the commissioners and the commission include:
Serving as a liaison between the municipalities they represent and the regional commission, attending both municipal select board meetings and BCRC meetings;
Advocating the purpose, work, and value of the commission to the member communities, and representing the interests and concerns of the member municipality to the commission;
Articulating the needs of the commission to our state representatives and government agencies;
Creating and supporting a regional plan that fosters foresight and intent in the region’s growth;
Being active in the mandated tasks of the Commission through attendance at full meetings and participation in standing or project committees;
Being active in the procurement of funds to underwrite the mandated tasks and programs of the commission that are not covered by state and municipal dollars;
Certain functions related to the unorganized Town of Glastenbury;
Being hands-on directors of the commission. This includes the following:
— As a body, initiating legal and public advocacy regarding issues affecting the region;
— Review of budget and staff hiring and performance, ensuring the level of each is sufficient to maintain a high standard of professionalism in BCRC endeavors;
— Setting fair and realistic service priorities for the organization;
— Recommending program or public forum topics relevant to current or potential regional issues.
The professional staff of the BCRC is responsible for:
Technical assistance to member municipalities in matters of planning and zoning;
Comprehensive planning services to municipalities such as economic strategies, capital planning, social and recreation planning, and grant application assistance;
Comprehensive regional planning and special studies of issues affecting more than one municipality or region;
Performing review functions including local planning, Act 250, public service, facilitating conflict resolutions, et al.;
Procuring and implementing special programs: solid waste, transportation, water quality, energy, the joint work program, emergency management plans, et al.;
Maintaining a Geographic Information System (GIS) service center providing updated municipal and regional maps, and special project mapping;
Communicating with elected officials directly and through its body of commissioners;
Providing education to commission members, elected officials, and the citizenry at large;
Providing informational services such as regional demographics to municipalities, agencies, non-profits, and public-private sector requests;
Coordinating with other organizations or agencies in furthering the mission of the BCRC and the region’s interests.
It will be through the combined efforts of the commissioners and staff that the Bennington County Regional Commission will continue to be a professional, cost effective server of the planning needs of the municipalities and the region. The commission is uniquely positioned to guide growth and development in the region and facilitate activities between local governments and the state.
Bennington VT, Community Information
