Dear Neighbors,

At 5:30 on Monday, January 22, the City Council will hold a special meeting to consider a resident petition to place a non-binding referendum on Burlington's Town Meeting Day ballot, advising that our City Council and Mayor join others in "ending all support to Israel's apartheid regime, settler colonialism, and military occupation."

You may attend the meeting in-person at City Hall or on Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/92246026234.

From 5:30 to 6:30, before considering the resident petition, the City Council will receive an update from the Mayor on a proposed increase to our public safety tax. Public forum will start at 6:45. I anticipate many people will want to take part in public forum and, if you want to ensure your comment is heard, I encourage you to come to City Hall towards the beginning of our meeting and sign up in person. I also welcome your written comments.

When five percent of Burlington's registered voters sign a petition like this, the City Council is required to consider whether to place the proposed referendum on the ballot. For the item presented here, the petition deadline was January 18 and, after having to remove the signatures of many non-Burlington residents, the petition just met the required five-percent threshold.

Last Town Meeting Day, our community voted against a proposed charter change that would have allowed advisory ballot questions to be automatically placed on our ballot. In rejecting that charter change, voters made clear that they do not want these questions bypassing City Council review. The Vermont Supreme Court has also clearly ruled that voter-backed petitions should not be automatically placed on a ballot when they are unrelated to municipal business.

The City Council has received hundreds of emails from constituents both for and against our placing the proposed referendum on the ballot. On the City Council and in our community, most have been able to engage in civil discourse over our differences on this complex issue. This is not true for many, however, and the public dialogue has often been charged and divisive. Based on my observations of this dialogue and the feedback I've received, it is clear that this petition is making our community angrier, more divided, and more unsafe. I am deeply concerned that placing this non-binding advisory question on our ballot is more likely to cause further division and harm in our community, than it is to solve the tragedies that continue to unfold in the Middle East.

In considering my decision on this ballot measure, I have also pushed myself to think about any good that may come out of the proposed question. I respect that while the question is far from perfect, it may spur some productive community dialogue and debate. We do not need this ballot question, though, to accomplish these goals. Instead, for example, the City could sponsor efforts to moderate open and respectful community discussions on the difficult issues surrounding the proposed referendum.

As always, I welcome your ideas on this matter. I also respect and understand that many of you may see the complex issues surrounding the ballot question as well beyond the purview of the Burlington City Council.

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

Event Info

Sep 22, 2024, 10 to 11 AM

Sep 26 to 29, 2024

Sep 26, 2024, 7:30 to 9:30 PM