Dear Neighbors,

The City Council will meet again on Monday, December 11, with public comment starting at 6:30pm. You can join the meeting in-person at City Hall or online via Zoom at: https://zoom.us/j/94774887121.

I anticipate many people will be participating in public comment. If you want to ensure your voice is heard during public comment, I recommend arriving early in-person or signing up beforehand to participate virtually: https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/citycouncil/publicforum.

Our deliberative agenda includes the following items:

--> A RESOLUTION ON THE NOVEMBER 25 SHOOTING AND GAZA - three members of the City Council have sponsored a resolution that: (1) expresses our community's solidarity with the Palestinian men who were victims of the November 25 shooting in our community; and (2) criticizes Israel for the war in Gaza and calls for a ceasefire. I have heard from hundreds of neighbors on this issue. Many of you have reached out with support for the resolution. Many of you have also reached out to voice strong objections to language they view as divisive and controversial. Personally, while I generally agree with many of the sentiments in the resolution, I am concerned that the resolution as written is further dividing our community at a time when we should be finding ways to come together. Because of this division and surrounding controversy, I cannot support the resolution as written. I have proposed an alternative version of the resolution that will hopefully refocus our efforts on expressing solidarity with the victims of the November 25 shooting and gratitude for those community members who came to their aide.

--> BURLINGTON ELECTRIC BORROWING CAPACITY - Burlington Electric has asked the City Council to place a question on the Town Meeting Day ballot that would increase their borrowing capacity. While Burlington Electric typically does not rely on its line of credit, they have relayed to the Council that increased borrowing capacity may improve the utility's credit rating which, in turn, will benefit ratepayers.

--> POLICE OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY - after voters acted last Town Meeting Day to reject a ballot question that would have established a new community control board of policing, the City Council created a committee to craft a new proposal that would hopefully gain broader community support. That proposal is being heard by the full City Council for the first time tonight. The proposal mostly includes language that reflects the current relationship between our Police Department and the Police Commission. In that relationship, the Chief of Police is transparent with the Police Commission about any and all complaints received about alleged police misconduct, the Commission is entitled to receive information about complaints and the Chief's review, and the Commission may offer recommendations on how the complaints should be handled. In the rare instance the Police Commission wants to conduct its own independent review of a complaint, the proposal before the Council would allow for that review to happen in a timely fashion. Additionally, if the Police Commission ever disagrees with how the Chief has handled a complaint, the proposal would allow them an opportunity to have this disagreement resolved by a new professional board.

--> CARBON POLUTION IMPACT FEE - at its last meeting, the City Council acted to stand up a new carbon pollution impact fee in January 2024 that will apply to new and large existing buildings. A proposal has been brought before the Council that would ask voters this March to increase the new fee and expand its application. While I believe we need to keep the discussion going on how the carbon fee can help Burlington meet its climate goals, I'm concerned the proposal before the Council needs more public process and input before we bring this matter to voters. For this reason, I will be supporting an amendment that will call for a robust public process before we are asked to approve any ballot question.

As always, thank you for participating in our community. I welcome your feedback on all of the above or other City matters. I should also let you know that on December 12 at 6:30, the Planning Commission and the City Council Ordinance Committee will be meeting again to discuss the Neighborhood Code, which proposes citywide zoning changes that will allow for more housing development. The following link includes information on the upcoming meeting and other engagement opportunities: https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/CityPlanning/NeighborhoodCode/JointCommittee.

Thank you.
Ben Traverse
Ward 5 City Councilor
btraverse@burlingtonvt.gov
(802) 357-2055

Event Info

Dec 21 to 22, 2024

Dec 23, 2024, 1 to 6 PM

Dec 23, 2024, 1 to 6 PM