Dear Ward 6 neighbors,

Happy Sunday to you. I hope you are having a great weekend.

On Monday, we have another packed agenda for our Council meeting.

We have three work sessions on Monday. At 5:30pm, we will have a work sessi and the president of the newly formed president of the Decker Towers Resident Council. This will be an opportunity for the council to hear directly from residents and the leadership of BHA, and representatives of the City's Administration as we look to find solutions that will truly address the challenges at Decker Towers. I have been to the building and can attest to the extreme challenges and the need for immediate action.

Following this work session we will have two additional work sessions: one on the SOUTH END COORDINATED REDEVELOPMENT DRAFT PRE-DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT and the other is on the MEMORIAL-GATEWAY BLOCK PRE-DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT.

We will hold a PUBLIC INFORMATION HEARING ON THE BALLOT QUESTION ON THE TOWN MEETING DAY BALLOT as our first deliberative agenda item. This is done by Vermont Statute. This is an opportunity to ask questions and state concerns on the ballot questions.

Following this, we will hold a PUBLIC HEARING ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD CODE. After the public hearing, the Council is expected to vote on advancing this ordinance to a second Public Hearing and then a vote on the ordinance on March 25.

We have four resolutions on our agenda on Monday. The first is A RESOLUTION REGARDING CLIMATE POLICY REVIEW AND NEXT STEPS FOR EXISTING COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS LESS THAN 50,000 SQUARE FEET which offers a balanced approach to continuing our work on policies aimed at addressing carbon in existing properties that are commercial and indusrial structures under 50,000 square feet. I plan to support this balanced approach.

The second resolution is URGING VERMONT STATE OFFICIALS TO WORK WITH THE USDA THROUGH 2024 TO ENSURE REPORTING AND OTHER CAPABILITY FOR COMPLIANCE AND SUMMER GROCERY BENEFITS PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY IN 2025. This resolution affirms our support for the State to work with the USDA to support meal benefits for our children in need. I am a cosponsor of this resolution.

The third resolution relates to the ACCEPTANCE AND APPROVAL OF THE FY23 AUDIT. As an auditor, I take the audit very seriously and have been committed to financial best practices since the day I was elected. I think our audit affirms out financial stability but also shows that we must be vigilant with our unassigned fund balance and future budgeting must rest on spending what we take in revenues, looking for efficiencies and finding sources of income other than through property taxes.

Our last resolution is regarding UPDATING INCLUSIONARY ZONING PAYMENT IN LIEU. This would increase the payment in lieu for inclusionary units, meaning if the units are not built.

I encourage you to review these and other agenda items at: https://burlingtonvt.portal.civicclerk.com

PUBLIC FORUM WILL BEGIN AT 7:15. You can sign up for public forum via https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/citycouncil/publicforum or in person.

As always, I welcome your questions, concerns, and comments, so please be in touch. Your voice matters and I am grateful for your input.

My best,
Karen

Apr 28, 2024, 10 AM to 2 PM

Apr 29, 2024, 6:30 to 8 PM

Apr 30, 2024, 7 to 8 PM