Dear Neighbors,

The City Council will meet again on Tuesday, February 18, starting at 6:00pm. You are welcome to attend in-person at City Hall or online via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/97229982242.

Public forum will begin at 6:30pm and, if you wish to participate, you may sign-up in-person at City Hall or remotely using this form: https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/formcenter/city-council-14/city-council-public-forum--remote-parti-68.

There are four items on our deliberative agenda I want to bring to your attention:

--> UVMMC LAND USE MEMO OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) - the City has long had a land use MOU in place with UVM Medical Center, which has helped guide the hospital's development over past decades. The time has come to renew that MOU and the Mayor is asking the Council to endorse this renewal, paving a path that ensures UVMMC remains an anchor institution of Burlington for the foreseeable future. Please note, I am unable to vote on this matter due to a professional conflict of interest, but I appreciate the Mayor's work on this item.

--> AMENDMENT TO SECORD PRE-DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT - the South End Coordinated Redevelopment (SECORD) project continues to move forward in partnership between the City, Ride Your Bike, and Champlain College. This project will open up opportunities for thousands of much-needed housing units in the South End Innovation District. While still early in the process, I'm thrilled by the progress so far and am enthusiastically supporting amendments to our existing pre-development agreement that will keep this project on track.

--> APPROVING UPDATES TO ONE NORTH AVENUE - as the City explores the long-term futures for our police station and central fire station, there are much-needed short-term updates necessary for our existing police station at One North Avenue. I have been working with the Mayor's Office and the Queen City Police Foundation to secure funds for these updates, which include, but are not limited to, the installation of secure fencing around the employee parking lot. I trust these improvements will help our City's ongoing efforts to address police recruitment and retention challenges. Huge thanks are owed to Ernie Pomerleau and his family for supporting efforts to improve the building with their father's name on it.

--> BLUE RIBBON COMMISSION TO ADDRESS DRUG-RELATED CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR - a resolution will be introduced that proposes the creation of a commission between the Police Department, State's Attorney, and other public safety partners to better coordinate our community's efforts on addressing drug-related criminal behavior. After its introduction, I anticipate the resolution will be postponed until our newly announced Interim Chief has an opportunity to provide feedback.

You may view our full agenda here: https://burlingtonvt.portal.civicclerk.com/event/7158/overview

As always, thank you for your engagement and feedback on the issues impacting our City. I welcome hearing from you.

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

Event Info

Feb 20, 2025, 6 to 7:05 PM

Feb 23, 2025, 12 to 6 PM

Feb 27, 2025, 11:15 AM to 12:45 PM