June 3rd 2024 - City Council Preview

Hi Neighbors! Here's an overview of tonight's meeting with relevant links and other information. As always please don't hesitate to reach out with questions, ideas and more!

We'll begin the City Council meeting on Monday night at 6:30 PM, with the Public Forum starting at 6:45 PM. You can join and sign up to speak in person at City Hall's Contois Auditorium, or you can join virtually here: https://zoom.us/j/93626680571#success (Webinar ID: 936 2668 0571) and sign up to speak here: https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/citycouncil/publicforum. View the full agenda here: https://burlingtonvt.portal.civicclerk.com/event/7003/files/agenda/10946.

Here are some highlights from today's agenda:

• Communication: Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, re: Fiscal Year 2025 Mayoral Appointment
  Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak will discuss her appointments for department heads and her plan to fill current vacancies.

• BED presentations: BED will present on a variety of topics - most notably around rate changes they are proposing and will need to get approval for from VT's Public Utility Commission. Special memos have been released for rate changes, credit changes, and updates on miscellaneous service fees. Learn more at: https://burlingtonvt.portal.civicclerk.com/event/7003/files/attachment/4658.

• Resolution: Review and Update to Rental Weatherization Standards. This resolution addresses the need to review and update the Rental Weatherization Standards in Burlington, and tasks TUEC to provide recommendations around speeding up it's implementation (which is severely behind).
  

  While I plan to support this resolution and welcome my colleagues introducing it, it may actually delay action, in the sense that we already know why we are behind on weatherizing rental units in BTV. As BED Director Darren Springer said in our first council meeting, workforce development is the main impediment to the implementation of our rental weatherization ordinance.

  
  Workforce development is something our city (specifically CEDO) has a strong track record around. Past comparable initiatives have been cost effective and shown strong impact. This is an issue I am and will continue working on.

• Ordinance: Chapter 18 Housing Article V. Regulation of Conversion of Rental Housing to Condominiums or Cooperatives. I want to learn more, but have a number of concerns with this policy as written. It will be referred to ordinance for further development before coming back to the full council.

Those are my quick highlights! Please don't hesitate to reach out.

Sincerely,
Carter Neubieser
Ward 1 City Councilor
cneubieser@burlingtonvt.gov