Dear Neighbors,
This coming Tuesday, January 19, at 7pm, will be our second Council meeting of three in the month of January. (Please note the meeting is Tuesday due to MKL Day.)
You can watch and participate in the meeting: Via zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83337565692, by phone: (312) 626-6799, Webinar ID: 833 3756 5692 or on BT Channel 317 or on via CCTV link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLljLFn4BZd2PwCge7lNoKug676jIf_iUA
Here is the link to sign up for public forum which begins at 7:30pm: https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/citycouncil/publicforum
On Tuesday evening and again on January 25, the Council will hold a public hearing on the Charter changes that will be on the Town Meeting Day ballot. While these public hearings are done pursuant to State statute, they are not just formalities. Your voice is important and at this point in the process, only public comment can impact the language on Charter changes. Here is the link to the Charter changes. Please take a look when you have a minute.
https://go.boarddocs.com/vt/burlingtonvt/Board.nsf/files/BX9HVF49DDF6/$file/WARNING%202021%2[...]pdf
Following this public hearing, we have six items on our deliberative agenda:
Our first item is a communication from Channel 17 CCTV with an update on Town Meeting TV and a budget request. The request is to level fund CCTV. Our annual request from CCTV is $24,000. CCTV produces and live streams over 75 meetings a year for the City in addition to in-depth election coverage, community based programs, media education and they are working on hybrid meeting planning whereby post-COVID, you will be able to access live meetings with continued remote participation and in person engagement. We are so lucky to have CCTV's Executive Director, Lauren-Glenn Davitian as our Ward 6 neighbor and at the helm of this amazing community asset.
The second item is the acceptance of a $16.6 million FAA grant for the design and construction of an expansion to the existing terminal building at the Airport. The primary purpose of this project is to consolidate the two (2) existing Security Screening Checkpoints located at the North and South ends of the existing terminal. The project will be a two-story expansion, with the second floor serving to improve passenger circulation throughout the terminal building. This is an exciting project, the work of Director of Aviation (and Ward 6 resident) Gene Richards and his team at BTV and one that will benefit travelers for years to come.
Our third item is the approval of an MOU between Winooski, South Burlington and our City regarding the Airport. This is the culmination of a few years of collaborative work between the three cities to focus on noise mitigation and finding common ground to work together for the benefit of Burlington's asset and our neighboring cities that are impacted by the airport.
We will then vote to finalize the City's annual audit. The Board of Finance, of which I am on, met to discuss the audit a few weeks ago. Some changes have been made based on that feedback, changes which I hope will help to make the audit a bit more understandable and informative. I am hopeful this is a trend we can continue in the years to come.
We have two resolutions to vote on Tuesday evening: the first is a ballot question for Town Meeting Day to allow for the retail sales of cannabis and for the operation of integrated licenses engaged in cultivation, wholesale, manufacturing, retail, and testing of cannabis and cannabis products to be allowed no sooner than 2024. This resolution is the result of a great deal of work to find an equitable arrangement with existing medical providers and assisting groups most harmed by the War on Drugs.
Our last item is a resolution that if approved would ask the voters in March an advisory question regarding the number of police officers in Burlington.
As always, I welcome your questions, concerns, and comments, so please be in touch. Your voice matters and I am grateful for your input. I hope you enjoy the rest of this long holiday weekend. And the beautiful snowfall we are having this Saturday afternoon.
My best,
Karen
Dec 8, 2024, 10:15 AM to 1 PM
Get Ready for the BTV Winter Market!Dec 8, 2024, 2 to 6 PM
Disability Support Group at Pathways Community CenterDec 9, 2024, 1:15 to 2:15 PM