Dear Neighbors,
This coming Monday, the City Council will hold its third of three meetings for the month of June. We will begin our meeting at 7pm with an annual report from the Airport and Police Commissions.
Monday's meeting is the annual appointment of seats available for the upcoming terms to the City's Boards and Commissions. These appointments have undergone a significant process and are vitally important to the Council and the community. Commissioners and board members play a critical role in oversight of City departments and functions. Citizens apply to serve on one or more commissions and a committee made up of three Councilors and a representative of the Mayor interview the candidates on two separate evenings and, provided there is unanimous agreement on the committee, they develop a slate of candidates. The slate is listed online. There is one commission where the committee did not unanimously agree, the Police Commission, where there are four seats up for appointment. (One seat was unanimous.) At our meeting on Monday, we will vote as a full Council to fill three seats. As well, any appointment can be taken off the slate by a Councilor.
The rest of our deliberative agenda includes:
• The approval of an indoor entertainment permit for the Boardroom on Mill Street.
• There are two resolutions on our agenda. The first is a resolution regarding City Council Expense reimbursement that was held over from our last meeting.
• The last item is a resolution regarding reporting and ongoing communications on UVM's progress toward housing more undergraduates on their Trinity campus and other potential housing sites. I am sponsoring this along with Councilor Shannon. This resolution is asking for regular updates from the Administration in collaboration with UVM to keep the University accountable for its commitment to house more of its undergraduates on its campus. The housing sites would Trinity as a possibility and other underdeveloped appropriate sites on their campus land. The reason for this resolution is that UVM agreed in 2018 to explore modernizing the Trinity campus and there has been talk over the years for housing on this site. As well, the Neighborhood Plan mentions UVM housing more of its students as one solution to addressing the City's housing challenges. Given the change in presidential leadership at UVM in another week, it is critical to keep the conversation on task. UVM also has a Housing Plan update coming out in another month or so which will give us more information on where housing could be developed. The first communication from the Administration would come after the release of that updated plan.
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 first "official" weekend of summer.
My best,
Karen
Jan 16, 2025, 6:30 to 8:30 PM
Get Inspired at GMC's Free Winter Speaker SeriesJan 16, 2025, 7 to 8 PM
Public Forum on Cat Licensing, Roaming, and RegulationJan 23, 2025, 5:30 PM