2015


New Hampshire

Tax Increment Financing

This technical bulletin provides an overview of tax increment financing. Increment Financing (TIF) can be a powerful tool for funding necessary infrastructure improvements. TIF is the the (F)inancing of public improvements with the (I)ncremental (T)axes created either by new construction, expansion, or renovation of property within a defined portion (district) of the community.

Download File


2008


New Hampshire

Urban Growth Boundary and Urban Service District

An urban growth boundary is the line on a map showing the demarcation between land that has or may receive concentrated development (urban, suburban) and land that has or may receive less development (rural, scattered). An urban growth boundary provides a clear picture of what lands will be developed for a given period of time as specified by a growth management plan. An urban service district is an area in which urban services will be provided and outside of which such services will not be extended thus discouraging development sprawl.

Download File


2007


Vermont

Capital Improvement Program

Chapter 4 of the Implementation Manual. Capital improvement programs can help communities link the annual budget for new or improved public facilities to the long-term goals of the municipal plan. It can also provide coordination between municipally funded improvements and private sector development activities.

Download File


Vermont

Community & Economic Development

Chapter 5 of the Implementation Manual. Municipalities can plan a key role in developing planning strategies and partnerships to promote job creation, brownfields redevelopment, community improvements, and sustainable economic growth.

Download File


Vermont

Facilities Management

Chapter 8 of the Implementation Manual. All Vermont municipalities maintain some public facilities to serve local residents, property owners, and businesses. The facilities owned and maintained by a municipality reflect the types and levels of service that local residents are willing to fund, given available resources.

Download File


Vermont

Growth Centers

Chapter 9 of the Implementation Manual. By designating growth centers, communities can accommodate anticipated growth within a set boundary—extending the existing pattern of development while maintaining a clear edge between town and countryside. Growth centers typically include a mix of uses and public amenities and benefit from access to existing municipal infrastructure.

Download File


Vermont

Impact Fees

Chapter 15 of the Implementation Manual. An impact fee is a fee levied on new development to help mitigate its fiscal impacts on the community. When a community is growing — especially when it’s growing rapidly — public facilities and services are often operating at or near capacity. In this situation, the community faces the challenge of servicing new development without degrading the services it provides to existing residents and businesses.

Download File


Vermont

Official Map

Chapter 17  of the Implementation Manual. The official map is a powerful tool available to Vermont municipalities to control community design by identifying the locations of future public facilities. Based on the official map, a municipality has the authority to require the reservation of easements or land sufficient to accomplish an intended public purpose, such as completion of a road connection or creation of a park, and if necessary to have time to initiate condemnation (eminent domain) proceedings to take the affected property if an agreement cannot be reached.

Download File


2003


Maine

Financing Infrastructure Improvements through Impact Fees: A Manual for Maine Municipalities on the Design and Calculation of Development Impact Fees

For some of these communities new residents and businesses place demands on public facilities and services that require additional investment by local government. Already strapped to raise the necessary funds for annual operating budgets, many communities have fallen behind in expanding and improving their capital facilities in the face of growing demand. Impact fees allow a municipality to equitably collect the cost of incremental marginal growth in demand for public facilities from those who create that demand, without overburdening any single development for the cost of wholesale improvements in service or facilities.

Download File


2000


Vermont

The Vermont Smart Growth Scorecard: A Community Self-Assessment Tool

Our aim is to provide your community — whether it is small or large, rural or urban — with a simple, clear, usable means of assessing how well you are prepared for the pressures of growth.

Download File