Dear Neighbors,

The City Council will be meeting again on Monday, October 23. You are welcome to attend in-person at City Hall or via Zoom at: https://zoom.us/j/99213004331

Public forum will begin at 7:30pm. I am anticipating many people will be interested in participating in public forum and, if you are interested in ensuring your voice is heard on any issue, I would suggest you either arrive at City Hall early, sign-up in advance online (https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/citycouncil/publicforum), or submit your comments in writing to citycouncil@burlingtonvt.gov.

Before public forum, we will have two work sessions:

--> DISTRICT ENERGY - from 5:15pm to 6:45pm, we will hear an update from stakeholders on District Energy, which is the long-standing proposal to capture steam from McNeil and use it to heat buildings via a new steam pipe, particularly at our City's larger institutions. The City Council is just receiving an update on this proposal and will not be taking any action.

--> SOLAR ECLIPSE - at 6:45pm, we will hear an update from Burlington City Arts on their plans to celebrate the total solar eclipse that will pass over Burlington in 2024.

After public forum, there are three main agenda items I'd like to bring to your attention:

--> CITY ASSESSOR - the City Council will act to approve the Mayor's new appointment for the position of City Assessor. I know a number of people in our community continue to be impacted by the most recent citywide reassessment. I look forward to working with the new City Assembly and welcome your continued feedback on this matter.

--> VERMONT AIR NATIONAL GUARD (VTANG) LEASE EXTENSION - VTANG currently holds a lease at our airport until 2048. The Mayor is seeking the Council's authorization to extend the lease by another 25 years. VTANG has made clear that under federal contracting standards, this lease extension is necessary in order for the federal government to continue making investments in our airport, including by providing fire and emergency services. Many in our community have reached out to me with concerns about the current VTANG mission and the impacts of the F-35. VTANG has provides helpful answers to Frequent Asked Questions here: https://civicclerk.blob.core.windows.net/stream/BURLINGTONVT/1b6eade8-a7d2-4d1d-b1b0-fa253bc[...]%3D.

--> OPEN AND ACCESSIBLE NPAs - the Council will be voting on a resolution asking that our Neighborhood Planning Assemblies consider amendments to their bylaws and government documents in order to ensure they remain an open and accessible forum for all Burlingtonians. I'm proud that our Ward 5 NPA has already taken steps to update our bylaws to include language on non-discrimination, conflicts of interest, and transparency under public meeting law.

If you have any questions or comments on the above items or any other issue, do not hesitate to reach out.

Best regards,
Ben Traverse
City Councilor, Ward 5
btraverse@burlingtonvt.gov
(802) 357-2055

Event Info

Dec 22, 2024, 4:45 to 6 PM

Dec 26, 2024, 10 AM to 12 PM

Dec 26, 2024, 6 to 7:30 PM