Certified Local Government Program

Partnerships for Community Preservation

The Certified Local Government (CLG) Program provides an opportunity for municipalities to more actively identify and evaluate their local cultural and historic resources like historic buildings, districts, landscapes, and archeological sites. The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation assists municipalities in qualifying for the program and maintains an active partnership with them in encouraging the identification and preservation of their unique local resources. In addition, the Division passes at least 10% of its annual federal appropriation to the CLGs to support locally initiated preservation projects (about $40-50K annually).

The CLG program creates a partnership between the municipality, the Division for Historic Preservation, and the National Park Service to help it further local preservation goals in the community. A community choosing to become a CLG must fulfill certain requirements, through its local government, indicating its commitment to local preservation. One requirement is to establish a local historic preservation commission.

As the advisory group to the local administrative or legislative body (planning commission or development review board), the local historic preservation commission becomes the coordinating body for community-based preservation activities. The preservation commission encourages the use of the State and National Register of Historic Places for educational, planning and promotional purposes, reviews proposed nominations to the National Register, prepares grant applications to the Division on behalf of the legislative body, and promotes the importance and practice of historic preservation to the general public.

A CLG may, at its discretion, select additional responsibilities. For instance, the commission may co-sponsor preservation education programs for the general public or the schools. The legislative body may enact local legislation for the protection of historic properties under Subchapter 4407 of the Vermont Municipal and Regional Planning and Development Act (24 V.S.A. Chapter 17) and extend design review responsibilities to the commission.

Annually, competitive matching grants of up to 60% are available to CLGs for the following activities:

· Inventorying historic resources for the State Register and the Vermont Archeological Inventory

· Nominating historic resources to the National Register of Historic Places

· Developing a community preservation plan

· Preparing publications or other media presentations on the community’s history as represented by its historic resources

· Developing educational programs about historic preservation

In some years, funds may be available for building feasibility studies and plans and specifications, or bricks-and-mortar projects.

In 2003, Vermont’s ten CLGs are: Bennington; Brandon; Burlington; Hartford; Rockingham; Stowe, Shelburne; Williston; Windsor; and the Mad River Valley Planning District (a planning municipality for the towns of Fayston, Waitsfield and Warren) .

Summary of CLG municipal funding to date (FY 87 – FY 02):

MUNICIPALITY GRANT AWARDS

BENNINGTON certified 9/30/87	$101,139
BRANDON certified 8/15/00	$5,750
BURLINGTON certified 6/8/92	$134,154
HARTFORD certified 4/9/93	$54,091
MAD RIVER VALLEY PLANNING DISTRICT certified 6/30/88	$121,322
ROCKINGHAM certified 8/20/87	$118,878
SHELBURNE certified 8/20/87	$39,569
STOWE certified 2/13/01	$3,652
WILLISTON certified 9/26/89	$51,638
WINDSOR certified 4/3/97	$23,590
TOTAL	$653,783

Further printed information on the CLG program includes:

· Regulations for the Vermont Certified Local Government Program, which describe the program in detail, including the requirements for certification, the responsibilities of both the local government and the Division, and the grant program requirements.

· Procedures to establish a historic preservation commission for the Vermont Certified Local Government Program describes the process for preparing the ordinance to establish the preservation commission.

· Sample Ordinance to create the Certified Local Government Commission suggests wording that the municipality can use for its ordinance.

· Application for the Certified Local Government Program is the form used by the municipality to request approval for the Certified Local Government Program.

The Division will assist any community that is interested in learning more about the CLG program and its opportunities for their community. For further information please write to the Division for Historic Preservation or contact Chris Cochran, CLG Coordinator at 828-3047 or chris.cochran@state.vt.us.