Dear Neighbors,
I hope finds you and your family well and safe and enjoying these warm days and balmy evenings that are August in Vermont.
This coming Monday, August 10 at 7pm, is one of two meetings in August. Traditionally, we have one meeting in July and one in August but due to the timing of Labor Day, we will have another meeting this month on August 24.
The meeting will be entirely remote and virtual. There are several ways to tune in and watch and participate:
1. You can watch on YouTube or on Burlington Telecom Channel 317. The You Tube link is: https://bit.ly/2XDpuHY
2. You can join via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88141793542
3. You can join by audio only: The number is 312 626 6799 Webinar ID: 811 4179 3542
Our first order of business will be an expected executive session on CityPlace and an additional executive session where the Council will get an update on the litigation, Meli v. City of Burlington. These are two very important communications and discussions. Due to the nature of these issues, these communications will most likely be in executive session.
Following these updates which are expected to end by 7pm and the approval of an indoor entertainment permit as well as a brief Local Control Commission meeting, we have eight items remaining on our deliberative agenda.
• Joe Speidel and Gail Shampnois of UVM will be giving the Council and the community an update on the reopening of UVM and return of students to campus at the end of this month. (Please refer to my post on the response from UVM on reopening on this FPF.) There are a great many questions and concerns in the community on the reopening of UVM and Champlain. Please let me know if you have specific questions you would like answers to and I will attempt to ask them on Monday evening.
• We will be voting on an ordinance regarding minimum parking requirements. We voted to advance this to a second reading at our July meeting so this is our final vote to add new requirement to parking which will, among other changes, reduce car dependency and the cost of housing.
• Following a public hearing on allowing for the creation of a bowling alley establishment in the Enterprise-Light Manufacturing zone, we will take a final vote to add this to our zoning ordinances as a permitted use.
• We have two resolutions on our agenda. The first is regarding the formation of a task force to study a proposal for reparations and to consider an apology for Burlington's role in the institution of slavery. This task force was noted in the Racial Justice resolution passed by the Council on June 29. Monday's resolution lays out a detailed charge for the task force with a date to report back to the full Council one year after the first meeting of the task force (presumably in September of 2021.) There is a lot of information in this resolution and encourage you to read it on board docs.
• The second resolution is a referral to the Charter Change Committee of a Charter Change to authorize ordinances on Just Cause evictions. The Community Development and Neighborhood Revitalization Committee has been studying this issue and wants this referred to the Charter Change Committee. If approved by this committee, it would come back to the Council for consideration of placing it on the November ballot.
• At our July meeting, the Council voted 7-5 to place a ballot question on the November ballot regarding Ranked Choice Voting (also known as Instant Runoff Voting which Burlington used in the 2006 and 2009 Mayoral elections.) The Mayor has decided to veto this resolution for a number of reasons including the resources it will take to have a special ballot, the timing of this vote as it will not impact elections until 2022, and the overall divisive nature of this issue at a time when we have many other pressing issues.
• Our last item is an authorization to amend the University Place UVM-City of Burlington agreement, extending the date of "deemed consent" from August 15, 2020 to December 31, 2020 so the City and UVM can complete public outreach and the parties can come to an agreement on the design for the improvements to University Place. Due to COVID, this process has taken longer than originally anticipated.
There will be an opportunity to participate in the public forum. Please provide a notification to the City via email that you want to participate during public forum by sending an email to publicforum@burlingtonvt.gov We hope you will join us virtually for this important meeting.
I hope you have a good weekend. As always, I welcome your questions and concerns, so please be in touch.
My best,
Karen
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