Dear Ward 6 neighbors,

The next City Council meeting will be this coming Monday, May 1 beginning at 5:30pm.

You are welcome to attend in person at Contois Auditorium, remotely via ZOOM, or via Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLljLFn4BZd2PwCge7lNoKug676jIf_iUA
You can sign up for public forum via this link if you wish to participate via zoom: https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/citycouncil/publicforum.

Key items on our agenda include:

• EXECUTIVE SESSION – The first item on our agenda is an executive session on negotiations on a real estate agreement with UVM.

• PRESENTATION ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD CODE – This is the Council and community's first introduction to a zoning amendment being called the Neighborhood Code. This amendment will further address greater opportunities to expand our housing stock.

• PUBLIC FORUM – As per our updated Council rules which guide our meeting format, we will still have a 'time certain' for public forum but it will be between 6 and 7:30pm. The time of public forum will be posted on each agenda. Monday's public forum will begin at 7:15.

• NAMING THE AIRPORT THE PATRICK LEAHY BURLINGTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT – The Council will be voting to rename our airport the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport, to recognize Senator Leahy's commitment to the Airport, his lifetime of service to the people of Vermont, and his special relationship to the City of Burlington.

• REPORT TO INCLUDE RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE OUR REAPPRAISAL PROCESS. The Council passed a resolution last year to create an ad hoc committee that including mostly community members to review this process in view of all the challenges with our last reappraisal. On Monday, we will hear their report and recommendations.

• CREATING A MANAGEMENT POSITION TO LEAD OUR CRISIS RESPONSE AND ADVOCACY POSITIONS AT BPD – The rapid growth of this critical area of public safety, which includes our community support liaisons, domestic violence specialist and our soon-to-be implemented crisis response team inspired by the successful CAHOOTS program is good news for our city. We have been successful in building these responses that offer us a care-based and social work alternative to traditional law enforcement which now need coordinated management to continue our growth and success of this responsiveness.

• CAMPING IN PARKS REVIEW – The City Council met to discuss this issue in March. We requested a public memo to explain the ordinance and operational policy.

• COMMUNITY INVESTMENTS FROM APRA FUNDS – At our last meeting, we discussed these $2 million of community infrastructure investments from our ARPA funding. Monday evening wew will vote on these community investments.

I encourage you to review these and other agenda items at: http://www.boarddocs.com/vt/burlingtonvt/Board.nsf/Public

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 are having a wonderful weekend.

My best,
Karen

Apr 29, 2024, 6:30 to 8 PM

Apr 30, 2024, 7 to 8 PM

May 3, 2024, 6 to 9 PM