About $25 million in federal pandemic relief money remained unspent in Vermont as of Nov. 3, and anything not spent by Dec. 31 must go back to the U.S. Treasury, the state's chief recovery officer said in a written request to the Legislature's Joint Fiscal Committee. The committee's final agenda for its Nov. 10 meeting lists the ARPA update as approved; minutes were not yet posted.

The money comes from the American Rescue Plan Act State Fiscal Recovery fund, which lawmakers spread across more than 80 programs created with $1.049 billion. The unspent share is about 2.4 percent of that total, a Six State Signal calculation. The recovery office calls it "a financial risk to the State of Vermont."

The money that remains is "primarily" in large projects that are under contract or were scheduled to finish Oct. 31, the request says. It does not name them.

What the state asked for

The request, which the agenda lists as approved, pulls back $1,534,294.43 from nine programs. Under a 2024 law, the state finance commissioner may do this with the committee's approval, and may establish new spending authority in any existing relief program.

The four largest returns:

  • $450,000 from the wet weather sewer overflow program, out of $27 million

  • $400,000 from Clean Water Board grants, out of $20.5 million

  • $392,384.78 from grants to designated and specialized service agencies, marked "Program Completed"

  • $150,000 from village wastewater projects, out of $36.75 million

The request describes the four Department of Environmental Conservation reductions, $1.05 million in all, as "Projects experiencing budget and time constraints." The other five programs are listed as completed, completed under budget, or returned after completion.

Where the money goes

All $1,534,294 of the proposed new spending authority goes to the cost of administering the relief program itself. The request says agreements with state agencies let it pay eligible payroll costs before the deadline.

That account started with $6.5 million in 2021 and has grown since: $10.5 million added in 2022, $1,669,528.37 on July 28 and $950,000 on Sept. 16, by the request's account. Before this request, that is about $19.6 million, a Six State Signal calculation.

A larger request is coming

The recovery office says it will ask the committee to meet in the second week of December to approve reversion authority "up to a certain amount." The request may include several large reversions if major projects cannot finish work and send invoices by Nov. 30. The request does not say which projects or how much.

The request is posted with the committee's meeting materials.