Dear Neighbors,
Happy new year to you and your families.
This Monday, the City Council will convene its first of two meetings for the month of January. The Council meeting will begin at 7pm in Contois Auditorium in City Hall.
We will begin our evening with the annual report from the Police Commission.
There are five items on our deliberative agenda. The first is a presentation from the School Department who will be giving us an update on the development of the School budget.
Our second item is a public hearing on two proposed ordinance changes. The first is a rezoning of the St Joseph’s School so the entire property would be Neighborhood Mixed Use so it can be re-adapted for community needs and the second is an amendment for food and beverage processing regarding amending parking requirements for these establishments that often include retail sales, tasting and demonstrations. After this public hearing, the Council will vote on these proposed changes to our ordinances.
Our last item is a resolution calling for a report to consider eliminating the commercial personal property tax. I am a co-sponsor of this resolution. Several years ago, I worked with other councilors and the City Assessor to drastically reduce the number of businesses affected by this tax. Most small businesses are no longer effected but there are some medium-sized business and some capital-intensive businesses for whom this is a burden. This tax does bring in $1.2 million a year so whether the City can sustain this loss without impacting other revenue centers is a question this report will answer. Another point to keep in mind is that Burlington is now one of the last municipalities in Chittenden County that still has this tax, putting us at a disadvantage in attracting new businesses to Burlington.
You may access the Council agenda at http://www.boarddocs.com/vt/burlingtonvt/Board.nsf/Public Please note that all Council meetings are televised live on BT Channel 317 and streamed live to your computer or phone. Please go to youtube and type in “Burlington City Council meetings” and the live stream will come up.
As always, I welcome your questions and concerns over the weekend and on Monday.
My best,
Karen
Oct 29, 2024, 3 to 4:30 PM
Vermont Women's Rally in MontpelierNov 2, 2024, 10 AM
Learn-To-Curl Clinic (Green Mountain Curling Club)Nov 3, 2024, 1 to 4 PM