Dear Neighbors,

This coming Monday, the City Council will hold its first of three meetings for the month of June. We will begin our meeting at 6pm with a one hour expected Executive Session to update the Council with the agreements the City has with UVM.

The first item on our agenda after our expected Executive Session is a report from Mark Souza, Executive Director of Green Mountain Transit regarding the May 23 bus incident. For those who may not have heard, there was an incident on a bus with Edmunds Elementary and Middle School students where there was a complaint that the bus driver forced children of color to exit the bus for "singing and clapping." GMT has said the driver did not follow several protocols; Superintendent Yaw Obeng and other School officials are also involved in the discussion. The Council sent a letter to GMT asking for Mr. Souza to appear at the Council meeting. I and several other Councilors signed that letter.

There are seven items on our deliberative agenda.

• A communication from the Mayor on the appointment of Luke McGowan as the new CEDO director. This will be followed by the Mayor's annual reappointment of other department heads and other Mayoral appointments.

• Following the approval of a one day outdoor entertainment permit for Zero Gravity, we will hold a public hearing on Common Area Fees for the Church Street Marketplace. A vote on these fees will follow the public hearing.

• We have two resolutions that address the recent incidents of Use of Force by members of the Burlington Police Department. In the first resolution, the City Council calls for the adoption of policies and procedures to effectuate a policy that officers who are found to use excessive force by terminated and a process whereby such terminations are made public. The resolution calls for the City to negotiate full transparency of such proceedings when we bargain our next contract with the police union. Further, the resolution calls for body cameras to be worn during active duty with audio only to protect citizen privacy. The resolution details a process for body cam footage to be made public and asks that hiring of uniformed officers be capped, that the force shrink over time and funds used for hiring of social workers and service providers.

• The last resolution calls for a special committee to review community policing practices, including a review and recommendations on Use of Force, civilian oversight, officer training, and disciplinary processes. The committee would be made up of representatives of communities of color, advocacy organizations, local domestic abuse providers, police representatives, 2 city councilors, 2 members of the Police Commission and members of the Administration. The committee is very balanced with private citizens, officers and officials. There are a number of resolved clauses that ask the committee to do a very detailed and encompassing review of many police practices and recommend changes to address Use of Force and many other protocols that, in view of recent events, need to be re-examined and reviewed.

Please keep in mind that you are always welcome to come to a Council meeting and speak on any topic you wish during public forum. This begins at a time certain of 7:30pm at every Council meeting. 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. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

My best,
Karen

Alpha Film Series at St. John Vianney Church

Jan 17, 2025, 6:15 to 8:30 PM

Regular Sunday Worship at Ascension Lutheran Church

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Bread for Peace Fundraiser This Sunday

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