§ 2477. Rental Housing Advisory Board
(a)(1) The Department of Housing and Community Development shall create the Rental Housing Advisory Board consisting of 11 members, each of whom shall be a resident of Vermont and shall be appointed by the Commissioner of the Department, as follows:
(A) three members representing landlords, one of whom is a for-profit landlord and one of whom represents a nonprofit housing provider;
(B) three members representing tenants;
(C) three members representing municipalities; and
(D) two members of the public.
(2) A member shall serve a term of three years.
(3) The Board shall annually elect a chair from among its members.
(4) A majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum for transacting business.
(5) The Board shall take action by a majority vote of the members present and voting.
(b) The Board shall be staffed by the Department, which, along with the Departments of Health and of Public Safety, shall provide support to the Board as required.
(c) The Board shall have the following powers and duties:
(1) to act as an advisory group to the Governor, General Assembly, and appropriate State agencies on issues related to rental housing statutes, policies, and regulations;
(2) to report regularly to the Vermont Housing Council on its deliberations and recommendations;
(3) to work with appropriate State agencies on developing adequate data on the location and condition of Vermont's rental housing stock;
(4) to provide guidance to the State on the implementation of programs, policies, and regulations better to support decent, safe, and sanitary housing, including recommendations for incentives and programs to assist landlords with building repairs;
(5) to provide information to community partners, municipalities, landlords, and tenants, including educational materials on applicable rental housing statutes, regulations, and ordinances; and
(6) in preparation for a natural disaster, to collect information regarding available resources, disaster-related information, and community needs, and, in the event of a natural disaster, work with government authorities in charge of disaster response and communication. (Added 2017, No. 188 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. May 28, 2018.)