Neighbors,
The City Council will be meeting on Monday, June 6, starting at 6pm at City Hall and via Zoom. Here is the Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86840825537.
A copy of the Council agenda is available here: http://go.boarddocs.com/vt/burlingtonvt/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=CEYJCX4C96C2.
A special public forum solely dedicated to local redistricting will be held at 6pm. Public forum on other items will be at 7:30.
There are a number of agenda items I'd like to bring to your attention:
- REDISTRICTING - because of population changes, the City is required to change our existing ward boundaries. The Council will continue its discussion on local redistricting. Information on draft maps under consideration can be found here: https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/cityplanning/btvstat/redistricting.
- PUBLIC SAFETY - as part of addressing recruitment and retention issues, and in the interest of finding new avenues for delivering public safety, the Council is being asked to reclassify the positions of Community Service Officer and Domestic Violence Victim Advocate into higher pay grades. The Council is also being asked to authorize the new position of Urban Park Ranger to enforce rules in our parks.
- SHORT TERM RENTALS - since before I joined the Council, the City has been working to properly regulate short-term rentals (e.g., AirBnB, VRBO). Under newly proposed regulations, hosts will be able to register one short-term rental. Most short-term rentals will have to be within the same building or lot as the host's primary residence. The new regulations will also dedicate new lodging tax revenues to the City's Housing Trust Fund, which will support affordable housing development. I believe the proposals before the Council strike the right balance between the benefits of short-term rentals and the need to preserve and expand upon long-term housing options.
- JUNETEENTH and JAZZ FESTIVAL - the Council is considering formal approval of outdoor celebrations and events associated with the Discover Jazz Festival (June 3-12) and a Juneteenth Celebration (June 19). Mark your calendars!
- CSWD BUDGET - the Council will be asked to approve the FY23 budget for CSWD. The budget presentation indicates that CSWD is financially strong and self-sufficient, and they are NOT asking for any municipal tax assessments or per capita fees.
- BED RATE CHANGE - Burlington Electric will be seeking approval to increase rates by 3.95% in FY23. With this rate change, the average monthly residential bill will increase by approximately $3. For ten years between 2010 and 2020, BED was able to operate without increasing electric rates. High inflation and uncertainty around energy prices, however, are among the reasons prompting the request for a rate increase. I trust BED has worked hard to control expenses while also maintaining excellent service, and I plan on supporting their request.
As always, I welcome your participation in our community and look forward to hearing from you with any questions or concerns.
Your neighbor,
Ben Traverse
Ward 5 City Councilor
btraverse@burlingtonvt.gov
(802) 357-2055
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