July 15th 2024 - City Council Preview
Hi Neighbors --
Tonight's meeting will be at 6:00 PM, with the Public Forum starting immediately at 6:00 PM. It will be held in BHS Downtown (67 Cherry St with the entrance from the 2nd floor parking garage) instead of the Contois Auditorium You can join and sign up to speak in person, or can join virtually: https://zoom.us/j/98653723824 and sign up to speak here: https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/citycouncil/publicforum. View the full agenda here: https://burlingtonvt.portal.civicclerk.com/event/7005/files/agenda/11118
Agenda Highlights:
Working Session with Burlington School Board on BHS/BTC Update, FY26 Budget, and Public & Community Safety:
The City Council and School Board will be holding a joint-session related to a number of items including the highschool project, the FY26 budget, and public/community safety. This is the reason we'll be meeting at BHS Downtown (67 Cherry St with the entrance from the 2nd floor parking garage) instead of our normal Contois Auditorium .
Appointments to boards + Commissions:
In addition to welcoming our new city attorney, the council will also vote to fill a number of remaining openings on boards and commissions. Thank you to everyone who applied for their willingness to serve the city.
7.1. Tobacco License App. ('24-'25), True-802 Cannabis:
This is a relatively routine "ask" of the council, similar to allowing businesses to operate outside on church street, or sell alcohol. The council is likely to approve this item unanimously.
7.2 Approval of Annual Borrowing for FY25 for City and School:
The Clerk Treasurer's Office and the Burlington School District present several resolutions for annual FY25 borrowing for capital needs. These asks are reflective of the FY25 budget the council passed unanimously.
7.3 Appointment of new City Attorney:
Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak is asking for the council to approve the appointment of Jessica Brown as City Attorney after years of this seat remaining vacant. She has extensive experience working in community safety, with a combination of legal, management, and public engagement skills. Jessica is a former staff attorney at the Chittenden County Public Defender''s Office, a former member of COMSTAT, and of the Chittenden County Family Division Reclaiming Futures Working Group. She is currently a professor at Vermont Law School. Our city has been without a City Attorney for years, and I am excited to vote for the appointment of our city's first woman of color in the role.
7.4 BVT's seasonal response to houselessness:
The Mayor is providing an update on the City's seasonal response to houselessness. We must continue to identify funding for more shelter beds, coordinate our response across city departments, and push the state and federal government to properly resource this work. The city has installed portable toilets, syringe disposal boxes, and dumpsters at locations where houselessness is most prevalent. We need to make sure that people have a sanitary place to use the bathroom and dispose of their trash, both to maintain folks' dignity and to help prevent the accumulation of trash and litter in our city. The city is also working to address activity in identified "hot spots" like the library and downtown parking garage.
7.5 Police Oversight Charter Change:
In February of last year, the City Council requested that the Ordinance and Charter Change Committees hold joint meetings, allowing for community and stakeholder input on police oversight. This Joint Committee wrote a proposed charter change which was referred to the Police Commission for review and comment. At this week's council meeting, there will be discussion regarding adopting the proposed charter change. We know that beyond this charter change, more needs to be done to address community safety and build genuine trust between our police department and community. While many may characterize this correctly as insufficient, it is a bi-partisan step in the right direction.
7.6 Ambulance Fee Increases:
The Burlington Fire Department (BFD) is seeking approval to increase billing rates charged for ambulance services. These increases will not affect patients covered by Medicare or Medicaid. and are consistent with rates in surrounding towns.
7.7, 7.8, & 7.9: Reconnecting Bank and Cherry Streets:
The City Council will discuss a design concept reconnecting Bank Street and Cherry Street.
CEDO and DPW are applying to the VT Downtown Program's Sales Tax Reallocation Program to help cover costs associated with the CityPlace project. If successful, this effort will bring in approx. 1.2 million dollars without relying on local property taxpayers.
DPW is also asking for the council's approval for a number of items related to the ongoing construction of this project - many of these "asks" are based on previous decisions by the council and city.
As always please don't hesitate to reach out with questions or ideas!
Carter Neubieser
Ward 1 City Councilor
cneubieser@burlingtonvt.gov
